The Schmitts

Dear Noah,

Today you are 1 month old! I can hardly believe how fast this past month has flown by. Your first month of life has been quite a busy one!

Following your birth, we stayed in the hospital for 4 days. Grandma Schmitt drove in from NY on your birthday, and was your very 1st visitor! She was there to greet you when you were less than 1 hour old.

After coming home from the hospital, we were lucky to have Daddy home with us for your 1st 10 days of life. Since Mommy was still recovering from her c-section, Grandma and Grandpa came up from NC to help out for a few days.

Now that Mommy is on the mend, we've been home together for about 2 1/2 weeks now, and we are slowly settling in to somewhat of a daily routine. After your morning feeding we typically have play time on the activity mat followed by tummy time. Around lunch time we take a walk around the neighborhood (since Fall is here now and the weather is getting cooler by the day, we'll have to soon find a different lunch time activity). Mommy also tries to take you out a few times a week as well...whether it is just to the grocery store or out to run a few errands, getting out and about is good for the both of us! Daddy and I have even taken you out to lunch and dinner a few times! You like going for car rides and being pushed in your stroller, which we are thankful for!

Today we had your one month check up with the pediatrician, and you weigh 9 lbs., 11 oz.! That's more than two whole pounds up from your birth weight! Good job, buddy! You are eating like a champ! Right now, your eating "schedule" (I'll use that word very loosely) is 3 oz. of breastmilk about every 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Occasionally, you'll go a 3 hour stretch, and you've even had one or two 4 hour stretches, but you are pretty consistent with the 2 hour mark for now. At night you typically wake every 2 to 3 hours to feed.

Your Daddy and I are so impressed with how much you have grown in such a short amount of time. At 1 month old, you already have so much more head control than you did just a few short weeks ago. You are starting to make eye contact with us a little more and will follow people/objects briefly. You are enjoying your tummy time, and can even turn your head from one side to the other while you are on your belly. Some of your favorite activities include: swinging in your swing, listening to music (you love Country music just like your Mama!), story time, and playing on your activity mat. You haven't quite figured out how to "play" with the toys on your mat, but you like to look in the hanging mirror and will occasionally kick your arms and legs and hit the toys. At this point, we think your kicking limbs hitting the toys is mostly just luck ;)

Here are some of my favorite photos of your 1st month.

"I love milky!" Falling asleep with a full belly!

Swing Time!

Love your face here!

Go Steelers! 1st photo shoot with Daddy

Being "crabby" in your pack n play aka refusing to nap :)

Getting ready for a walk with Mommy in your new sweat suit!

Afternoon story time!

First real bath in your whale tub!

Tummy time!

Here are your 1 month stats:

Weight: 9 lbs., 11 oz.
Length: 22.5"
Clothing Size: NB + 0-3 months (we have started to dress you in 0-3m onesies, but some of your NB outfits/sleepers still fit for now).

We can't wait to see what milestones you will achieve next month!

I love you,

Mommy

On August 25th at 3:56 PM our lives were forever changed when our sweet baby boy, Noah Christopher, was born. Below is Noah's birth story.

I will first start by saying that my birth experience was not easy. I would imagine that most women (especially first time moms) would say the same thing about their own birthing experiences, but I don't think my experience was a common one. It certainly was not what I was planning and my birth plan was quickly thrown out the window! It was a very, very rough experience, but in the end, I have a healthy baby, and at the end of the day, that's all that really matters. Many of the events from Noah's birthday have become a bit fuzzy, but luckily Rob took notes of all the major events so I'd be able to write this.

Before I get to my labor, I have to back up a few days. My original due date was August 16th, and when I went in for my weekly OB appointment that day I was still barely dilated and having no real contractions to speak of, so my doctor and I began to discuss induction. We set the induction date for Friday, August 24th if little one didn't feel like arriving on his own. Well, fast forward a few days, and Noah clearly wasn't coming on his own despite my efforts to naturally induce labor. I was a bit bummed, but ultimately knew induction was very likely in my future, so I didn't dwell on it, and anxiously counted down the hours to his arrival.

8/24

That Friday I was surprisingly pretty calm the entire day...I went about my day doing last minute cleaning and final baby prep. Rob had taken a half day at work, so when he got home he mowed the grass and did some yard work. Typical day for us. Later that evening, we went out for some Mexican food as our last official "date night" before baby arrived. Following dinner, we came back home and waited for the "call". {Side note: Even though my induction was scheduled, I had to wait for the hospital to actually call me in once there was a labor + delivery room available. My window for the call was 9 pm to midnight}

9:38 PM - The call comes in! Despite our meticulous preparation, a slight panic comes over both of us as we run around the house gathering the last minute items for our hospital bags. {I think it took us about 6 minutes to get out of the house and on the road. My nerves finally started to kick in!}

10:15 PM - We arrive at the hospital and head upstairs to Labor & Delivery.

10:30 PM - We begin paperwork and I am officially admitted. We're called back to LDR 11.

11:00 PM - I change into my hospital gown and am hooked up to monitors and an IV. Blood samples collected. {I remember getting really nervous at this point...it's all of a sudden very real for me}

8/25

12:05 AM - My OB comes in to greet us!

12:08 AM - Quick ultrasound shows baby's head is still down...we are good to go with induction.

12:10 AM - Cervical check still shows pretty much no dilation (I was about a 1/2 cm since week 38, thus the reason for my induction). I was then given Misoprostol to help with dilation and start the induction process. We were told to get some rest and I would be checked again in 4 hours. {Contractions were very mild. I still didn't sleep a wink due to nerves}

3:30 AM - OB comes in to check on me. 1.5 cm dilated, 70% effaced. Doctor is pleased with progress so far.

4:05 AM - Pitocin is started. {Contractions began to intensify very quickly. There to impress no one, I asked for my epidural before the contractions were too strong for me to sit still through them}

5:00 AM - Epidural administered. {I had debated long and hard about even getting an epidural, but ultimately decided it was the direction I wanted to go. The actual process of getting the epidural wasn't that bad at all actually...Rob sat right in front of me, and him and my nurse distracted me with talk about the baby's nursery. I think the entire process took less than 20 minutes from start to finish}

6:45 AM - OB comes in to check on me and then breaks my water. 3-4 cm dilated. Doctor is again pleased with my progress. {At this point, I could barely even feel my contractions and actually thought to myself "Wow, this epidural is awesome! Why in the world would ANYONE deliver without one?!"}

7:30 AM - Baby's heart rate begins to slow with each contraction so I am put on oxygen to help baby. {This had me pretty nervous, but everyone assured me that this was quite common}

9:00 AM - Baby's heart rate is doing much better. Contractions begin to hurt on the left side, but I am pain-free on right side.

9:30 AM - OB comes in to check on me. 6 cm dilated. OB says baby doesn't seem to be dropping, so there is a possibility of a c-section, but we are told we will continue to monitor my progress and make a decision as we get further along. Baby is looking healthy and heart rate is strong. Pain begins to intensify even more on the left side so an anesthesiologist is brought in to help with the pain. I was given an "extra" dose of medicine in my epidural. Pain seems to be slightly less than before.

11:20 AM - OB comes in to check on me. 8 cm dilated. {Somewhere shortly after my last cervical check, the pain began to intensify beyond anything I could ever imagine. I was literally grabbing the sides of the bed crying in pain and suddenly felt the urge to push. I had Rob run out into the hallway to get my nurse.}

1:00 PM - OB comes in...it's time to start pushing!

3:00 PM - After 2 hours of pushing and a quick exam to recheck baby's position, we discover that baby's head is turned to the side and he won't be able to make it down the birth canal on his own. After the exam, my OB sits down on the edge of my hospital bed. I knew what was about to come out of her mouth before she even said anything...one word...c-section. At this point with a failed epidural, no sleep, and after 2 hours of unproductive pushing, I was just ready to meet my son. After a brief discussion, I sign my consent forms and off I go to the OR. I am prepped for surgery, then Rob is brought in to sit next to me. I am again pumped full of pain medicine, and for awhile everything seems to be going well with my epidural again, but then I start to feel sharp pain, and it's like nothing I've ever felt before. My epidural was wearing off again on the left side and I could feel e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g mid surgery. Not lying.

3:56 PM - Noah enters the world! A perfect, healthy baby boy - 7 lbs., 8 oz. and 21.25" long.

I remember feeling intense pressure as they pulled Noah out, and then both Rob and I waited for the much anticipated first cry...it took a few seconds, but as soon as we heard it, we both cried. Huge sigh of relief! That was my moment of peace amidst the chaos of the day. A few moments later, they brought Noah over to us and handed him over to his Daddy. I remember thinking how perfect he was, and that after 10 months of anxiously awaiting him, our son was finally here with us.

What happened after Noah was born is very fuzzy for me. I remember feeling excruciating pain as my epidural continued to wear off while they were finishing up surgery. A team of anesthesiologists were there trying everything they could to take my pain away, but nothing was really working. I do remember falling asleep, and later found out they had "helped" me to fall asleep with laughing gas while they stitched me up. I also later found out that they had ushered Rob out of the OR because things got bad so quick. It wasn't pretty. The next thing I remember is waking up and asking where Rob and my baby were. They told me Rob was waiting for me back in my labor + delivery room and that Noah was still in the OR with me. A few minutes later we were being wheeled back to our LDR where we reunited as a family of three :) A new life. A new beginning.

Noah is just 4 days shy of his one month birthday now, and we are learning together every day. I am on the mend and getting better day by day. For any mamas that may have to undergo a c-section, I highly recommend getting up and walking as soon as you can. Walking helped me immensely! It was awkward and uncomfortable at first, but even just getting out of bed while still in the hospital and walking a few steps at a time, helps. By day 10, I was feeling a TON better, and by the 2 week mark, I was probably 50% better. At 4 weeks postpartum, I'd say I'm about 75-80% back to my old self. While I've been busy recovering, I've been slowly but surely settling into my new role as a mom (that still feels surreal to call myself a MOM!). It's no easy job. In fact, it is hands down the most difficult job I've ever had, BUT it is incredibly rewarding.

Well, there you have it...my birth story. I've tried my best to write this as detailed and as accurate as possible, and hopefully there aren't too many grammatical errors in my sleep deprived state ;) Before I wrap this post up, I just have to say a HUGE thank you to my amazing husband who was an incredible support to me both during and after labor. There were many times throughout my labor that I didn't know how on earth I'd ever get through it, and he was by my side cheering me on every.step.of.the.way. Thank you, babe! Both Noah and I thank you for being such a great husband and Daddy! We love you!

More on Noah's first month of life in my next post!

The Schmitts

Noah :: 1 Month Update

Noah's Birth Story

Introducing Noah Christopher!

Welcome!

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