TJP's Surgery

So like I said in the birth post, we had a minor bump in the road when TJP was almost two weeks old.  He started spitting up sometime during his first week of life.  It was nothing out of the ordinary, but by Monday June 6, he was spitting up more and more.  We still just figured it was normal, but by Wednesday I knew something was not right.  He was constantly throwing up, every 20 minutes, and more.  by the time Kevin got home I had already spoken with the doctor and we had an appointment for the next day, but then it got worse.
He just looked sick, and I could tell he was miserable.  The spit up turned to vomit, and so i called the doctor again.  The nurse on call had me give him 1/2 an ounce of pedialyte every 20 minutes, and she told me if he couldn't keep that down then we had to go to the ER.  I was a mess, I just felt so bad that my sweet baby was so sick.  I couldn't stop crying (I am sure the post-birth hormones weren't helping). 
So he wasn't able to keep the pedialyte down, and so we headed to ER.  I am so glad my mom had called to check on us, and was at the house when we had to make the call to go.  At the ER I was still thinking he must have a stomach bug, until the doctor starting focusing on that he was a first born male.  I just knew it was something else. 
So we had an ultrasound done, and it showed a borderline diagnosis for Pyloric Stenosis.  I would try to write out what that is, but it would be easier to describe if you click here.
We left the ER with an appointment with a pediatric surgeon at 9:00 am the next morning at Sutton Children's Hospital.  At the appointment we were admitted in the hospital and TJP immediately received fluids because he was so dehydrated.  They did another ultrasound Friday morning and confirmed that it was Pyloric Stenosis.  He had surgery at noon that same day, and was awake and out of recovery by about 2:00.  We spent 2 nights in the PICU, and were finally discharged on Sunday afternoon. 
I am pleased to report that he is doing extremely well!  He still spits up, but we have been assured its just regular reflux, and now it is just a laundry problem, and not a medical problem!

So my thoughts after this ordeal:
I went through mommy boot camp, and I feel much more assured in my capabilities as a mom.  Also, I learned to trust my instincts, I knew something was wrong, even when others kept saying it was normal.  Also, that even mommies need their mommies!  Thank heaven for mine!  She kept me as calm as possible, and was just wonderful through out the entire ordeal.  As was Kevin's mom. This little boy is VERY loved.

Getting fluids...

Waiting to go to Surgery...

Such a brave boy, awake after surgery and so alert...

Finally getting some milk again, after 3 days!!!

It's a Boy!!!

I haven't updated this in a while, and well that is because I have been a tad busy with my baby BOY!!!  Thatcher was born on May 26, 2011 at 2:10 pm.  He weighed 7 lbs 9 oz and was 20 inches long, and is the cutest baby I have ever seen!  I am so in love.... see for yourself, here he is the day he was born.

I can't believe he is almost a month old.  I really meant to update sooner, but we had a little bump in the road when he hit two weeks old,(more about that later) and I am just now getting back into a "little" routine.  I say little because it is very hard to have a routine with a newborn.

So first things first, The Birth:

We checked into the hospital at a little before 5:00 am on Thursday, May 26.  We got to our room and I got hooked up to some IVs and started answering a ton of questions while Kevin went back to the house because I forgot my pillows.  So glad he went back for them, it made me so much more comfortable during the labor and delivery.

At around 5:15 the nurse started the Pitocin, and we were on our way.

 I labored until they broke my water at 7:20 with no change since what I was when I came in, 2 cm and 70% effaced.  The contractions really started to pick up at this point and I asked for pain meds at 8:15, but the baby was still high and I had not dilated anymore so they wanted to wait on the epi, so I received Stadol (sp?) and Phengren and I immediately felt some relief, but not for long.
 After sleeping for an hour or so I woke up to some intense pain.  The nurse called and the doctor let me get my epi, boy was that AWESOME!  I fell asleep for a bit and Kevin went to grab a cup of coffee and I awoke to 5-6 nurses around me putting oxygen on me and having me turn over, because baby's heart rate was seriously low.  They put an internal monitor in and they still couldn't get a good read.  I am actually glad I was a little out of it because I didn't realize how worried everyone was.  I think they may have been thinking of a c-section at this point, and then his heart rate picked back up.  They said it was because I went from 2cm to 5cm and 100% effaced in a very short period and he just didn't handle it well.  I am pretty sure they turned the pitocin down at this point, but as I said I was a little out of it and Kevin was getting coffee..poor guy felt so bad when he got back...He promised never to go get coffee again! 
Pretty much smooth sailing from there, by noon I was 9 cm!  and 20 minutes later I was complete.  I started pushing at 12:40 and at 2:10 baby Thatcher James Payne arrived.  Hearing "its a boy" was an amazing moment!  He was put on my chest immediately and didn't leave our room until late last night for his first bath. 

Here we are, happy family!