Labor and delivery:
I have to say this portion was surprising calm and went well. My water broke around 2am Thursday morning. Luckily we had just taken a birthing class or I would have thought that I was peeing my pants. Josh and I quickly called the nurse to get advice on what to do. We were advised to get to the hospital within the next three hours. Using the time we showered, packed, and got the dogs ready to be collected. Arriving around 4am, we were quickly admitted and told that we would be staying at the hospital until our boy arrived. While waiting, we discussed how excited we were and ultimately how unprepared we felt. Surprisingly time flew and by 11:30am I started to feel the contractions. Josh was the best support, when a contraction started he would rub my back or head and would breathe with me. During this time I went from 6 to 9 to 10 inches dilated in about an hour. Both labor and delivery went very quick. At 1:26 pm on May 9th, 2013 Callen Wesling Thompson was born weighing 5.5 ounces and measured 18.5 inches long. The doctors were very respectful of our wishes and allowed Josh and me to have about 5 minutes with our baby before the NICU team came to assess our peanut. Everyone was impressed with how healthy he was for being so early. Josh and I felt truly blessed and relieved to hear that Callen was a strong little boy.
The next two days:
The next few days were spent in the hospital. Callen and myself were monitored very closely. We spent a lot of time with the booby nurse who answered all of our questions and created a plan to get Callen breastfeeding. Being premature, the concern was/is that Callen would have difficulty sucking, which would affect his ability to quickly gain some much needed weight. Josh and I were amazed by the support and encouragement we received from the nurses and doctors. We were pleased that we felt in control and that our wishes and wants were heard and respected.
Surprises:
Although our time with Callen has been short, we have experienced some surprises. For example, we didn't realize that breastfeeding was going to be a team sport. Because we need to use the SS system, Josh has been up with me every 2-3 hours to help feed Callen. We are also surprised by Dax and Callie's reaction to our newest member. They get excited when he is around. They enjoy smelling him and kissing his feet, but other then that they seem like Callen has been here all along.
We couldn't be more in love with our man. I have been spending most of my day just admiring, holding, or reading to him. I can't get enough of his sweetness!
