I was hoping to get the kiddos together, but sissy was napping and I was not about to wake her for a photoshoot. I'll post some more with her later - maybe in a few days...
Sunday, March 3, 2013
attn: grandparents - it's the 3 month photo shoot.
I was hoping to get the kiddos together, but sissy was napping and I was not about to wake her for a photoshoot. I'll post some more with her later - maybe in a few days...
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Family Photo Shoot - Courtesy of Amy Coles Photography
here's some awesome photos the talented Amy Coles took of the entire clan. i can't wait to get some of these up in my house!
http://www.amycolesphotography.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-bratschie-family-monday-mini-session.html
http://www.amycolesphotography.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-bratschie-family-monday-mini-session.html
attn: grandparents - it's bo's 2nd month photo shoot
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| yes, the slippers were absolutely necessary. |
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| this kid was meant to be a model. look how naturally he looks away from the camera... |
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| here he's kicking at me. don't worry, it's all in good fun - i didn't get hurt. |
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| it's true - i make some cute kids. don helped. |
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| finally giving one of her gorgeous smiles... |
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| this one isn't from that photo shoot, but i just couldn't resist. it's his monster outfit. he's perfectly chubs. even in his monster outfit. |
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
We've made it to the first month!
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| one of the few things to convince me that Annalee really isn't a baby anymore... |
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| my happy boy is officially one month old today! |
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| embracing his fate to be one of my main models... |
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| the proud big sissy. |
He's a relaxed baby for the most part - and a little sweetie. I think he might have some sensitivity to dairy though - he was acting extra fussy (and he's not really a fussy baby) after I would eat dairy-heavy foods, so I've chosen to cut that out of my diet for the most part - at least cow's milk (I learned it's probably one of the proteins in cow's milk and it's kind of common for new babies to have this sensitivity). For a dairy-lover like me, that's rough, but I've found some fun replacements like almond milk. And I've been keeping my hopes up that maybe he'll outgrow it in the next few months.
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Chilling on the Homefront
Now that all the hospital and bili-light drama from the past week or so is over, we've been able to fall into some kind of routine around the house. We still have some help from momma b. for the next few days - not looking forward to her leaving... :( so trying to get the most out of the next few days that we get to share with her.
Anna adores her little brother - she gives him lots of kisses and hugs and nose rubs. Here's a picture of the duo getting chummy.
We've been lucky enough to keep Bo on a pretty general sleep schedule. He hasn't had the day/night confusion and sleeps for good chunks of about 3 hours at a time at night. During the day though - all bets are off. But overall, he's been pretty patient with us.
And have I mentioned how much I love not being pregnant anymore? I can "sleep" (AKA - lay down for minute or two) on my stomach and eat lunch meat without heating it first. And that's just the tip of the iceberg... Having my little guy here is way awesome too - he's snuggle-riffic.
Right now - Bo's snuggling with his 'gwamma' (as Anna says it). I'm going to take this opportunity to grab a bite for lunch and maybe even change out of my jammies. Maybe.
Anna adores her little brother - she gives him lots of kisses and hugs and nose rubs. Here's a picture of the duo getting chummy.
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| peas and carrots |
And have I mentioned how much I love not being pregnant anymore? I can "sleep" (AKA - lay down for minute or two) on my stomach and eat lunch meat without heating it first. And that's just the tip of the iceberg... Having my little guy here is way awesome too - he's snuggle-riffic.
Right now - Bo's snuggling with his 'gwamma' (as Anna says it). I'm going to take this opportunity to grab a bite for lunch and maybe even change out of my jammies. Maybe.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
No - seriously. What's with this Bili person?
As we had agreed to - we had Bo into the clinic early the next morning (Tuesday) for his well-baby check-up. There were some complications with his circumcision, so we had asked the pediatrician that was seeing him to take a look at that too. She did. We weren't happy with her handling of the situation - thinking she had been quite rough with him - our poor little guy was screaming and crying - something he doesn't do very much of. It was enough to send me into a lactating tailspin. We left the office amid the confusion and chaos and apparently didn't get any of the other issues taken care of.
I mentioned in the last post that Bo's bilirubin count was starting to cause some problems. At first check it was at about 11. The next check (prior to leaving the hospital) was around 14. It would be roughly another 36 hours before we checked it again. I called in again and managed to get in with another doctor (one that I trusted) Wednesday afternoon. He was great - listed closely to my concerns for my little guy and was able to address all of the issues, even discussing the bilirubin levels again. He convinced me to go to the lab before I went home and get one more check, just to be safe. The nice thing about bili checks is that they get results pretty quickly. Usually in about an hour or so.
After I got home, I got the phone call that Bo's bili level was up again. It was at 16.7 (at 77 hours of birth). We were told we should take Bo in to the emergency room and have it checked again, first thing in the morning. So off we went, thinking we would be in for a quick check and back home again. I had no idea how serious things were going to be.
So - we meander into Saint Anthony Hospital - where we had just been only a couple of days earlier. We find our way to the lab and get his bili checked. Then we waited. And waited. And then we were shown into a small room on the pediatric floor with another bili baby and her mom & gma. So - if you're keeping count, that's 4 adults and two newborns in one tiny little room. Ugh. Our roommates were great though - and when we got the results back, both babies were admitted - we ended up being roommates for the next couple of days. Bo's results were 18.1. And the doctors seemed pretty concerned. And that's when I thought "maybe I should figure out why this is a big deal..." turns out - high bili levels not only cause jaundice (which is the yellow-ish skin and yellow in the whites of the eyes), but it becomes toxic at about 20 points (which Bo was very quickly reaching) and can even cause brain damage at those levels. It was more important than ever that we get those levels down in Bo and do it right away.
Phototherapy is one of the main ways that doctors and hospitals help little babies lower their bilirubin levels. Basically, babies sit under and/or on top of these lamps that break down the extra red blood cells in their skin and systems. The babies then poop out the bilirubin. So - ideally, keeping your kiddo under the lights and feeding them like crazy is the way to get their levels down and keep them safe. Enter the crazy cycle.
Bo would NOT stay under the lights for the entire first day. He fussed. He cried. He writhed. He hated the lights. We had no idea what was wrong. It was frustrating and anxiety-inducing. No matter what we tried, he just would not simmer down. We even tried adjusting the lights so that he could lay in my lap and then we pulled the lights over to be over him on the bed, in my lap. That only lasted for about 30 minutes. The only way we got him down under the light in the bassinet (at the very end of the day when he was worn out from a day full of fussing), was to have him swaddled tight. And, of course, that doesn't really work for exposing his skin to the light. Ugh.
His bili levels were checked again that evening (Thursday evening). And had risen even more - up to 18.8. That - combined with the fact that his circumcision spot was starting to look infected meant that I was officially in freak out mode. The resident doc seemed to be getting more concerned too. She even mentioned that if he spiked a fever because of the infection that they would have to test him for sepsis, which would probably include a spinal/brain tap. Have I mentioned I was in freak out mode? Don had already left for the day (visiting hours were over) so I called him to get the word out to our prayer supporters.
After talking with Bo's pediatrician - and the resident doc on call that night, it was decided that we would try to give Bo some formula (he had been exclusively breastfed up to that point) to see if he would be able to sleep better. After the very first bottle, which he ate most of the bottle, he passed out for an hour. Then he woke up and took another full bottle. The little guy ate so much and I felt terrible for not being able to feed him more (we figured it out later - much thanks to a lactation consultant - that the jaundice and infection were much harder on the little guy than we thought - the act of feeding was terribly exhausting for him and he wasn't able to get enough milk that way). Switching to the bottle (using formula at first and then transitioning back over to breastmilk) was how we had to feed him for the next day or so - he was too wiped out for feeding. He needed to be fed.
As soon as he had a belly full of milk, he was the relaxed, easy going baby that we met the first couple of days after his birth. He had been exhausted and hungry. So for the next 24 hours he pretty much only woke up to eat and have his diaper changed. Otherwise, he was happily sleeping under the bili lights.
That's when the good news started pouring in. His bili levels were going down - the next check showed them at about 14. He was at 11.5 at his final check on Friday night. And the antibiotics he was on starting working wonders for his infection. He was healing up in fine style. (And have I mentioned that I love the nursing staff at Saint Anthony's? Seriously some good peeps there...)
We were finally discharged Friday night at about 9 PM (what is it with us being discharged so late?)
Again - we were told we needed to get his bili checked bright an early the next day. So I called Don to come and pick us up (again - visiting hours were already over and we had assumed that we would be in the hospital again for another night.)
We had the best news yet the next day (Saturday morning) when we got his bili checked again. Not only did it not go back up, but it went down to 9.1. Awesome, little guy. :)
Side note: several times, we were told that jaundice is a very common thing in newborns. We were told this by friends, strangers, random nurses. I get that it might be common. But it's somehow different when it's your baby that won't take the therapy they need to get better. And it even more different when it's your baby (the one that you just delivered HOURS earlier) that could possibly be getting brain damage if things don't change. And soon. So - thanks to all the well-meaning comments and conversations about how common jaundice is, but just know for future reference - it really wasn't all that comforting...
So - now we're back at home. Happily adjusting to a much-less-stressful life at home with our newest addition. He's so happy and a really good baby. He sleeps and lets us sleep too. And he's got a hearty appetite (such a good sign). Love this little guy and so happy to have everyone at home together again. It's been a crazy week.
Thanks, everyone for reading and sharing in this story with us. And thanks to everyone who gave us love and support during this crazy time in our lives. We relied heavily on friends and family to help us through - and relied most heavily on our prayer warriors. Thanks again for all the love. :)
I mentioned in the last post that Bo's bilirubin count was starting to cause some problems. At first check it was at about 11. The next check (prior to leaving the hospital) was around 14. It would be roughly another 36 hours before we checked it again. I called in again and managed to get in with another doctor (one that I trusted) Wednesday afternoon. He was great - listed closely to my concerns for my little guy and was able to address all of the issues, even discussing the bilirubin levels again. He convinced me to go to the lab before I went home and get one more check, just to be safe. The nice thing about bili checks is that they get results pretty quickly. Usually in about an hour or so.
After I got home, I got the phone call that Bo's bili level was up again. It was at 16.7 (at 77 hours of birth). We were told we should take Bo in to the emergency room and have it checked again, first thing in the morning. So off we went, thinking we would be in for a quick check and back home again. I had no idea how serious things were going to be.
So - we meander into Saint Anthony Hospital - where we had just been only a couple of days earlier. We find our way to the lab and get his bili checked. Then we waited. And waited. And then we were shown into a small room on the pediatric floor with another bili baby and her mom & gma. So - if you're keeping count, that's 4 adults and two newborns in one tiny little room. Ugh. Our roommates were great though - and when we got the results back, both babies were admitted - we ended up being roommates for the next couple of days. Bo's results were 18.1. And the doctors seemed pretty concerned. And that's when I thought "maybe I should figure out why this is a big deal..." turns out - high bili levels not only cause jaundice (which is the yellow-ish skin and yellow in the whites of the eyes), but it becomes toxic at about 20 points (which Bo was very quickly reaching) and can even cause brain damage at those levels. It was more important than ever that we get those levels down in Bo and do it right away.
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| waiting for phototherapy to start... |
Bo would NOT stay under the lights for the entire first day. He fussed. He cried. He writhed. He hated the lights. We had no idea what was wrong. It was frustrating and anxiety-inducing. No matter what we tried, he just would not simmer down. We even tried adjusting the lights so that he could lay in my lap and then we pulled the lights over to be over him on the bed, in my lap. That only lasted for about 30 minutes. The only way we got him down under the light in the bassinet (at the very end of the day when he was worn out from a day full of fussing), was to have him swaddled tight. And, of course, that doesn't really work for exposing his skin to the light. Ugh.
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| getting creative with phototherapy |
After talking with Bo's pediatrician - and the resident doc on call that night, it was decided that we would try to give Bo some formula (he had been exclusively breastfed up to that point) to see if he would be able to sleep better. After the very first bottle, which he ate most of the bottle, he passed out for an hour. Then he woke up and took another full bottle. The little guy ate so much and I felt terrible for not being able to feed him more (we figured it out later - much thanks to a lactation consultant - that the jaundice and infection were much harder on the little guy than we thought - the act of feeding was terribly exhausting for him and he wasn't able to get enough milk that way). Switching to the bottle (using formula at first and then transitioning back over to breastmilk) was how we had to feed him for the next day or so - he was too wiped out for feeding. He needed to be fed.
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| Feeling content after getting a belly full of milk |
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| catching some rays |
We were finally discharged Friday night at about 9 PM (what is it with us being discharged so late?)
Again - we were told we needed to get his bili checked bright an early the next day. So I called Don to come and pick us up (again - visiting hours were already over and we had assumed that we would be in the hospital again for another night.)
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| chillaxin' - waiting for the discharge papers... |
Side note: several times, we were told that jaundice is a very common thing in newborns. We were told this by friends, strangers, random nurses. I get that it might be common. But it's somehow different when it's your baby that won't take the therapy they need to get better. And it even more different when it's your baby (the one that you just delivered HOURS earlier) that could possibly be getting brain damage if things don't change. And soon. So - thanks to all the well-meaning comments and conversations about how common jaundice is, but just know for future reference - it really wasn't all that comforting...
So - now we're back at home. Happily adjusting to a much-less-stressful life at home with our newest addition. He's so happy and a really good baby. He sleeps and lets us sleep too. And he's got a hearty appetite (such a good sign). Love this little guy and so happy to have everyone at home together again. It's been a crazy week.
Thanks, everyone for reading and sharing in this story with us. And thanks to everyone who gave us love and support during this crazy time in our lives. We relied heavily on friends and family to help us through - and relied most heavily on our prayer warriors. Thanks again for all the love. :)
Recovering. And Bili who?
I think my last post ended with Bo squirming and wiggling his way into my heart. Into all of our hearts. Then we were taken to the "taking care of mommies and babies" wing of the baby delivering floor of the hospital. I remember waiting quite a bit for that to happen - think several hours longer than usual. But it paid off - I got my own room and didn't have to share with anyone (score).
The recovering portion was largely standard. For anyone out there who has already had a baby - you know how it goes... start walking a bit once the epidural wears off, eating anything and everything you can get your hands on, and drinking more water than you ever thought possible. Ever.
I bounced back a lot sooner with this pregnancy than I did the first time around. I think most of that has to do with the fact that it wasn't my first time around. My body was kind of like "oh - hey, yeah. i know what to do... I'll take it from here." I was walking on my own almost right away, but felt kind of like I had just had the flu for a couple of days - my stomach muscles and entire body was just so sore from having pushed so hard to get my little guy out on his own. And my left foot was sore from pushing against the stirrups - I couldn't feel my foot at the time because of the epidural, but was apparently not in the stirrups all the way when I was pushing. Hence, the crazy sore on the bottom of my foot. That's seriously one of the weirder war wounds from this delivery experience.
The rest of that day was quiet and restful. The hubs and mom did their best to keep Annalee occupied and happy while tending to any needs I had and getting some quality snuggles in with the new arrival. (And some diaper changes too - I recovered quickly this time around, but I'm not too proud to get help with diaper changes). Because I was the only one in my room, Don was able to stay in the extra bed - it was nice to have him around for all sorts of "fresh from the womb" goodness with the little guy.
The next day, however, was pretty much chaos. It seems like everyone was stopping by for various reasons. My OB was checking on me and making sure I was recovering in fine style - and also to circumcise our little guy. The pediatrician stopped by to check on Bo. Lab stopped by for various blood work from both of us. The hospital photographer stopped by to get some newborn shots of Bo. The social worker or whoever she was stopped by with paperwork for Bo's birth certificate and other newborn paperwork. The lactation consultant came by to make sure everything was going well with breastfeeding. The list goes on...
Here are some pictures from the hospital photographer. We got a fun little goodie bag of newborn stuffs, like diapers and this funky hat - had to use the hat in the photos. Although - glad we have some without it too...
And it's in the middle of this chaos and after Bo's circumcision (which I asked Don go with to watch - poor guy), that we learned Bo's bilirubin count was kind of high - meaning he was at risk for jaundice. We were hoping to get discharged that night, so we agreed to take him for his well-baby check the next day and get his billi checked again. Little did we know what a huge impact his bilirubin count would have on our lives over the next few days.
We were finally successfully discharged that night around 9:30 PM. Talk about a whirlwind day. Largely restless too - for everyone. When we got home, we put Bo in his bassinet right away. He slept for 5 hours straight the first night. He's a good baby.
The recovering portion was largely standard. For anyone out there who has already had a baby - you know how it goes... start walking a bit once the epidural wears off, eating anything and everything you can get your hands on, and drinking more water than you ever thought possible. Ever.
I bounced back a lot sooner with this pregnancy than I did the first time around. I think most of that has to do with the fact that it wasn't my first time around. My body was kind of like "oh - hey, yeah. i know what to do... I'll take it from here." I was walking on my own almost right away, but felt kind of like I had just had the flu for a couple of days - my stomach muscles and entire body was just so sore from having pushed so hard to get my little guy out on his own. And my left foot was sore from pushing against the stirrups - I couldn't feel my foot at the time because of the epidural, but was apparently not in the stirrups all the way when I was pushing. Hence, the crazy sore on the bottom of my foot. That's seriously one of the weirder war wounds from this delivery experience.
The rest of that day was quiet and restful. The hubs and mom did their best to keep Annalee occupied and happy while tending to any needs I had and getting some quality snuggles in with the new arrival. (And some diaper changes too - I recovered quickly this time around, but I'm not too proud to get help with diaper changes). Because I was the only one in my room, Don was able to stay in the extra bed - it was nice to have him around for all sorts of "fresh from the womb" goodness with the little guy.
The next day, however, was pretty much chaos. It seems like everyone was stopping by for various reasons. My OB was checking on me and making sure I was recovering in fine style - and also to circumcise our little guy. The pediatrician stopped by to check on Bo. Lab stopped by for various blood work from both of us. The hospital photographer stopped by to get some newborn shots of Bo. The social worker or whoever she was stopped by with paperwork for Bo's birth certificate and other newborn paperwork. The lactation consultant came by to make sure everything was going well with breastfeeding. The list goes on...
Here are some pictures from the hospital photographer. We got a fun little goodie bag of newborn stuffs, like diapers and this funky hat - had to use the hat in the photos. Although - glad we have some without it too...
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| giving his best "sleepy" look |
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| in one of his favorite blankets |
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| don't look at the camera... |
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| getting some snuggles from the daddy. |
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| he looks great on his right side. ;) |
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| best big sister. |
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| i love this little guy. |
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| she's just so happy to help with Bo. love her! |
We were finally successfully discharged that night around 9:30 PM. Talk about a whirlwind day. Largely restless too - for everyone. When we got home, we put Bo in his bassinet right away. He slept for 5 hours straight the first night. He's a good baby.
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