Colin is Here!

Friday, May 28th was the big day! We left the house at about 10:30 a.m. and arrived at Scripps La Jolla about ten minutes early for our 12:00 p.m. check-in time. Colin's delivery was scheduled for 2:00 p.m.

My labor nurse, Leah, was great. She hooked me up to the monitors, started my IV, and prepped me for surgery. Our families arrived at about 12:30 p.m., and we visited until I was taken back to the operating room a few minutes after 2:00 p.m.

The surgery was fairly routine. There were no concerns, but the doctors and nurses were shocked at how much fluid I had. Due to my gestational diabetes, I was warned my fluid levels were double the normal level. Colin was born at 2:42 p.m. As they were pulling Colin out, they kept commenting how HUGE he was! My OB was very happy that we decided to have a c-section. At the time, they guessed his weight to be in the mid-nine pound range. Kevin moved over to the side of the room to see him as they were cleaning him up. He came back over to me several times and kept telling me over and over how beautiful he was! Kevin was very emotional, as was I. After he was all cleaned up, they placed him on my chest for a minute or so. This is our first official family photo!

The nurse then took Colin to the well baby nursery, so they could check him out. Along the way, they were greeted by our anxious and happy family. The nurse was wonderful and took this picture for us.

Kevin was able to stay with Colin in the well baby nursery while he was checked out. His apgar scores were a 8 and 9. While he was there, he was weighed and measured. The doctors were right....He was a big baby! He weighed 10 lbs., 7 oz. and was 20 inches long.

During his check, they noticed that Colin's respiratory rate was a little high. I was able to see him briefly in the labor/ delivery room (where I was prepped for surgery) before he went back to the nursery to be monitored for an extra hour or so. After I was moved to my recovery "suite" (my corner room was really big!), they brought Colin back to me for his first feeding. After feeding, his respiratory rate started to go down. The nurse was pleased with his progress, and she decided to leave him with me and they would monitor him from our room. At this point, I was still feeling great...although a little groggy. All the family came up to the room to meet Colin. A few hours later, my pain level became more and more unbearable. Because I had previously had guillan barre, the anesthesiologist didn't want to give me the morphine block in the operating room that they normally give patients. The alternative pain medicine wasn't working and I had to beg for something different. Later that evening, they finally got permission to change out my pain medication, which took the edge off and caused me to sleep through most of the night. I vaguely remember Kevin and the night nurse helping Colin feed from me. Luckily, I felt like a brand new person the next morning and needed minimal medication from that point forward. The below picture was taken in my recovery room before I started feeling poorly.

The next day, the family came back to the hospital and we celebrated some more. We ate some cake, compliments of my mom, to celebrate Colin's "birth" day.

We stayed at the hospital a total of four nights. The second night was a little scary because Colin kept choking on the extra amniotic fluid he had in his lungs. (This is what caused his respiration rate to be high after birth.) Kevin and I were afraid to sleep, and the next morning we were a wreck. Luckily, Kevin's parents were around and let us take an afternoon nap, while they babysat for us in the hospital room. It was the greatest gift!!! (Not to mention, the Starbucks and pastries they brought us every morning- yum and yum!) The next two nights went wonderfully! Colin's lungs were cleared out and we were able to relax a bit. We started sleeping when he slept. He has always been a great eater and met all his benchmarks along the way. He did lose a little bit of weight, dipping into the 9 lb. range, but left the hospital a 10 pounder!

Colin is a beautiful baby, and Kevin and I feel so incredibly blessed! We are blown away by the unconditional and intense love we feel for this little guy! We are now back home and enjoying our family time. We feel like the luckiest people in the world that Colin James Whalen is our son!