Thursday, March 25, 2010 at 10:19am MT, we officially became a family of three with the birth of our son, Logan Jonathan! At birth, Logan weighed 5lbs 14.9oz and measured 18.5″ in length.
It was, I’m sure, a much different experience than most mom-to-bes have when they arrive at the hospital to give birth. I was calm and not in any pain. We checked in at the hospital at 7:30am and spent the next couple hours in a labor & delivery room where I went through basic pre-surgery tests and had my final and 7th ultrasound with this pregnancy. Around 10:00 I walked into the operating room. I don’t think it hit me that I was about to have my baby until the anesthesiologist was giving me the spinal block.
Birth by cesarean delivery was an experience all in itself. Mostly, probably, what I expected and a little that I had no clue what to expect. But as soon as I heard my baby cry I felt tears move down my face. Noah was allowed to pop-up and peek over the sheet and watch as Logan was pulled from me. Noah was then able to cut (trim) the umbilical cord and take pictures of newborn baby Logan. I was still immobile as there was a lot to do with the rest of my operation. I would call for Noah and ask him questions like if Logan had hair, if he had free or attached ear lobes. One time I called for him the anesthesiologist told me that Noah was cutting the cord. Finally, Noah and a nurse came over and I was able to see and touch Logan for the first time. That’s a moment I won’t ever forget!
It wasn’t long after that our family of three was moved to a postpartum room where we spent the rest of our 4-day hospital stay. Due to Logan being born 3-weeks early (technically one-day late of being considered premature), and that he and I have different blood types, Logan was at an increased risk for jaundice. He also had some difficulty in maintaining his body temperature. As a result, Logan spent the majority of his time at the hospital wrapped like a burrito and had regular checks of his biliruben levels.
One nice thing that Kaiser does is provide a home visit once everyone is released from the hospital. Logan, being the super wonderful baby he is, earned himself three home visits due to his jaundice. His second home visit determined that he needed light therapy to help break down the biliruben. So, for one day/night, our little boy got to work on his “tan” in a fancy bed (that essentially looked like a suitcase rigged with lights). I was very happy that he didn’t need the light therapy any longer than that.
My family came to help us get settled and to meet their first grandson/nephew. They have been such a blessing helping out around the house and with caring for Logan. It was also nice that Noah was able to take a week off from work for his “Daddy Days”. During his time off, Noah was also to make significant progress on completing Logan’s crib. I’m very excited to have it finished and in Logan’s bedroom! And, of course, we could not be more in love with our adorable baby boy! Yes, I’m a bit biased in thinking my son is cuter than cute, but if you don’t believe me, check out the slew of pictures I’ve posted.
Friday we have Logan’s 2-week check-up (I can’t believe tomorrow my little boy is already going to be 2 weeks old!). I’ll be sure to post details about his stats and always be sure to check back for more pictures (also on Facebook).