2 Weeks Old!

Here's a picture that Laura took from last weekend! I haven't taken many pictures this week... I promise more soon!

Chelsea is 2 weeks old today! We are sad today though - because Stephen had to go back to work! It's been great having him home for 2 weeks. Yesterday we went on an outing to Babies R Us and Walmart. We got some last minute things for the nursery and I bought a Medela breast pump. Since it looks like I'll need it, it was better to buy one then to rent the hospitals for 6+ months. Anyway, this one is much more portable and has a battery option. Yesterday afternoon though, Chelsea was able to latch on and actually nursed for a good 10 minutes before she got frustrated. I had a gift card for Walmart (Thanks Melissa!) so we returned a pack of huggies diapers and bought a box of Pampers. We found that the huggies just leaked too much with Chelsea! Hopefully what we have left of the newborn sized diapers and this box will last us until she's big enough for size 1, because I have tons of that size! :)

1 Week Old

Chelsea turned 1 week old yesterday! We had a doctors appointment as a follow up about her jaundice and weight loss issues. She has gained even more weight and is almost back to her birth weight - yay! And the jaundice is completely gone. We have a much more alert baby now. She still hasnt taken to nursing, and if anything it has gotten more difficult. We are still trying, but I have been pumping and giving it to her in a bottle. She is still getting breastmilk, which is what matters to us.

The day before yesterday we gave Chelsea a sponge bath. It was necessary - she peed on the changing table and of course it got everywhere, all over her and me, in her hair, etc. It even leaked down to the bassinet - yuk! Then she pooped during her bath... so we will be starting her sponge baths with a diaper on from now on! Here are some pictures of her bath. She really didnt like it much, but the cuddles with Mama afterwards in the warm towel made it all worth it.

The temperature ouside that day was close to 70 degrees, so we decided to take Chelsea on her first walk around the neighborhood. She slept through the entire walk, but it was good for Mama and Daddy to get out for awhile.

St. Patricks Day!

Happy St. Patricks Day!

Chelsea is doing well overall. We took her to the doctor today for her first check up. All of the nurses and techs were ooohing and ahhing over how cute she is :) The good news is Chelsea has gained some of her weight back. She still has some jaundice so we had to take her to get blood work done (again.) Her numbers are borderline, so she is back to an every two hour feeding schedule and has to come back tomorrow for more bloodwork. It breaks my heart to see her cry and scream when they draw her blood!

The tech at the lab actually asked me if I have another baby in my belly. Can you believe how rude that is?? I just had a baby 5 days ago, of course my belly isnt flat! After we left, Stephen threatened to beat her up, but I wouldnt let him.

Here are some more pictures from our trip home from the hospital, and some that we have taken the past few days at home.

Chelsea Lynn

Chelsea Lynn decided to join us 10 days early! She was born on Thursday, March 12, 2009 at 5:06 AM. She weighed 7lbs, 6.6oz, and was 19 1/4 inches long. She's perfect in every way! We are so in love with this baby girl. She was born with a ton of curly brown hair! Here are some pictures from her first days.




Labor progressed very fast. I had a appointment Wednesday with my OB, and at that time I was already 3 cm dialated. She stripped my membranes, which is a way to make things progress a little faster, though we expected that we would still have a few days. At around 10:30 or 11:00 PM, I had two big contractions, about 5 minutes apart, followed by my water breaking. On the way to the hospital the contractions became more frequent and much more painful. When we got to the hospital, I was 5-6 cm. About an hour or so later I was almost fully dialated, and was about to get the epidural. Once I was comfortable, they allowed me to sleep for several hours. When I woke up, I pushed for just over 30 minutes and then Chelsea was born. She was so curious about her surroundings right away, and opened her eyes wide. I did have to have an episiotomy, so I am on the mend.

Chelsea is healthy other than having a little bit of jaundice and difficulty breastfeeding. Because of the jaundice, she is very sleepy almost all the time. She was born posterior, so she has had a little bit of mucus in her throat, but that has gotten better. We are working with a lactation nurse to help her learn how to open her mouth wider to allow her to nurse better. She lost quite a bit of weight while we were in the hospital, but she was weighed today and she has gained some of it back. Tomorrow we have her one week appointment with the pediatrician.