A Whirlwind - Two Weeks Into Parenting

After the ultimate high of witnessing my incredible wife achieve her goal of an unmedicated delivery, we had our first punch to the gut as parents.

Baby's First Solo Photo

Mommy and Baby

Our first night as a family was filled with all of the events we dreamed of: holding her for the first time, kissing her, and even the footprints being entered into our baby's memory book.

Then as we put her down to catch some shut eye, it happened. Aurora showed signs of retractions when she was breathing. She was gasping for air.

We took her to the nursery to have her breathing monitored. It turned out that our sweet little bundle of joy had issue with her oxygen saturation. The result was a trip to the NICU.

The pediatrician ordered her to be hooked up to a flow of oxygen. This seemed to work well and within a day, Aurora was breathing on her own and maintaining normal oxygen saturation levels.  Then the Jaundice battle began.

To simplify it, jaundice occurs when bilirubin concentrations existed within the body and her body wasn't ridding itself of it quickly enough. The result was a yellowish skin tone and lethargic behavior.  Phototherapy treatment was required and was effective.

Phototherapy for Jaundice

We were filled with hope that we'd soon be able to take our little one home. We had a checkup scheduled in the morning and we're confident that a brief monitoring period was all that separated us from our first night at home as a family.

Then came the gut punch. Between the diagnosis of hip dysplasia and potential seizures...the next several minutes seemed like an eternity.  Our baby would need to see an orthopedic specialist and a neurologist.

The absolute fear of the unknown began to set in. What does this mean? Trust me...Google doesn't make matters any easier.

The orthopedic special confirmed the hip dysplasia and discussed the brace that is needed to remedy the issue. The neurologist studied the results of the EEG and completed an examination and alleviated our fears. Brain activity was normal; no seizures!

The overwhelming feeling of relief was unlike anything I have ever experienced before in my life.  It requires a follow up appointment with both the orthopedist and the neurologist, but we felt as if we were in the clear.  The last hurdle was to get this girl eating more.

Following birth, our baby lost 12.5% of her body weight. That threshold put her in the danger zone as 10% is the point in which weight loss becomes concerning.

We monitored this by weighing her before and after breastfeeding. She showed weight gain over consecutive time frames and we were optimistic that we could take her home soon.

The next morning we were given discharge instructions and after a 5 day stint in the NICU, we were free to welcome Aurora home.

Leaving the Hospital After the NICU

She's home and our next adventure finally begins.

First Diaper Change at Home

Holding Our Little One

4 Reasons to Have an Unmedicated Birth

As labor approaches, Annie has put together her birth plan.  One of the items that raises the most eyebrows is her decision to have an unmedicated birth.  Many people can't fathom why anyone would want to give birth without an epidural.

Here are 4 reasons for choosing an unmedicated birth from our perspective.

1. The Natural Way - We went to a class to help us better learn about unmedicated delivery. We both agreed that one of the most meaningful things we learned was the natural release of hormones: Ocytocin, Endorphins, and Adrenaline.  The body works its magic during labor by releasing these hormones at the right time to help the mother deliver the baby.  This release of hormones works as a natural cycle and medication often inhibits the brain from releasing them. If the mother chooses an unmedicated birth, it is typically to experience the pain and pleasure that these hormones create and avoid the cycle of interventions that often ensues with an epidural.
   
2. The Health of the Baby - We also worry about the impact that interventions have on the baby.  Most obstetricians agree that the methods are safe, however, we're concerned with the stress that our little girl may experience and the impact that it will make on her entrance into the world.  Pitocin has been shown to increase the strength and frequency of the contractions.  Pitocin also slows the release of hormores If it is possible to avoid using this labor-inducing drug, and thus reduce the added stress on our newborn, we're for it.
   
3. Experience the Birth - Annie has said that its not necessarily about experiencing the birth, but experiencing the ultimate natural high that comes from the hormones and accomplishing something so challenging.  She's heard from other mothers who have experienced this and the way they light up while telling their stories is something Annie wants.  I absolutely love that she has such conviction about what she wants.  She wants to be present in the moment and truly experience the highs and lows of this life-altering event.
   
4. Avoid a Catheter - You want to stick that where?  This probably isn't a big deal but it matters. Annie wants the opportunity to be able to get up and move around.  The epidural significantly restricts this and requires a catheter.  

What it really awesome about this is that women today are empowered to make choices they believe in.  Whether medicated or not, the fact that women have options available and can make their own choices is wonderful.

Have Any Dad Advice to help a first time dad through labor and delivery?  Leave a comment below or find me on Twitter @justchilldad

Shots for New Dads

The other day I called the doctor to schedule my shots.  Until Annie's 28th week appointment, I had no idea that it was highly recommended that dads should get the TDAP vaccine and a flu shot.  

Fast forward to week 35 and I scheduled the appointment.  The touch screen kiosk to register was new...super fancy.  The nurse called me back and told me that I didn't need the TDAP shot. Apparently, when you send a 1/2 inch drill bit into your thumb, the ensuing Tetanus Shot is doing much more than saving you from lockjaw.  That's a story for a different day, but it turned out to be a mistake that had a long-term benefit. TDAP vaccinates you against Tetanus, Diphtheria, and Pertussis and helps protect your newborn from contracting these diseases from you.  Definitely a good thing

I probably should have called home or did a simple Google Search to find the CDC's website to find out information on TDAP.  If you happen to stumble across this page using an organic search, I hope it saves you the judgmental look from a health professional that screamed, "How did you not know that?!?"  

Do you have any Chill Dad Advice to offer?  Tweet us or post a comment below.

Perfectly Imperfect...And That's Okay

Well...we did it.  We successfully hosted our first Thanksgiving dinner albeit Sunday instead of the actual day.  You never realize how much work goes into hosting a holiday dinner until you actually do it.

First Time Roasted Turkey

I had it all planned out.  Dry brine the turkey the night before, pull it out of the fridge for an hour to get to room temperature, preheat the oven, tent the bird with foil, baste it every-so-often and we'll be good to go.  The perfect plan to simplify the day.

Turkey Dry Brine

Turkey Prep with Thyme

As dinner time approached, I was feeling great.  Everything was timed perfectly.  The last of our guests arrived and were hanging out and it was time to take the turkey out of the oven, let it rest, carve it, and serve it.  It looked pretty good...

You know where this is going by now, right?  I checked the temperature and it was under by 15 degrees.  Back into the oven.  About an hour later, we were ready to go.  The big fear of an overdone, dry turkey was thwarted.  Our first attempt was a success.

First Time Roasted Turkey

I'm thankful we hosted our first After Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving.  It was an awesome reminder that sometimes even the perfect plan requires a little effort to modify and adjust.  I'm sure as we begin this parenting journey we're going to have many perfect plans go perfectly imperfect and we'll have to chill and make some adjustments.

A Day of Thanks Almost 290 Years in the Making

My fun fact for the day is that my family has been celebrating Thanksgiving together for the last 31 years.  Thirty-one years!  It's pretty amazing to reflect on that.  Im sure each of us has a special Thanksgiving memory that stands out.  What is fascinating is that tonight will add to my list of memories and moments that give me reason for thanks.

I'm incredibly thankful for having the chance to spend today with my side of the family...especially considering that Annie is 35 weeks pregnant. We were nervous about the drive (1:45) but felt confident after the excursion we took last Saturday.

Our oldest niece began our dinner by reading us a Thanksgiving story.  It was a lot for a 7-year-old to read and she handled it with such grace.  As wonderful as that was, my highlight came towards the end of the night.  Annie and I looked at the family tree to scope out names. I was looking to see if the name we've chosen appears.  I don't think it does but I'll look more closely tomorrow.

We sat down and then my Grandma asked if we saw her name.  I could tell that she wanted to take a closer look but she was too bashful to ask.  I offered to look at it with her and she got up to peek at it.

The nostalgic look on her face as her mind traveled back in time is one I hope I'll never forget. I reminded her of the last time I had looked at this with her, 6th or 7th grade, for a school project, and how in awe I am that The records go back to 1727. Seriously, it's so crazy that this was completed in the 1950's...WAY before ancestry.com.  To think that when our little girl turns 10, it will
mark the 300th anniversary of our family being in this country. Just unreal...I'm so thankful for my family's  efforts to record our lineage and that our baby will have all of this family history to explore one day.

Pillow Talk and an Easter Disaster

This was one of those nights that I'll look back on and treasure.

After a day of in-service and then hanging Christmas lights for a colleague, who is battling Leukemia, and his family, I returned home to Annie.

When I walked in, Annie was taking a bath and her preggo belly looked like an island oasis protruding from the center of the tub. She was excited to show me that she could get our little one to move around and kick if she lightly splashed water over her bump. Sure enough, our little girl showed off her future soccer/placekicker skills almost immediately.

After the bath, we laid down at opposite ends of the couch and debated at what point we would consider supplementing our infant's diet with formula. We both pushed each other to see alternative perspectives even though we agreed on our plan to avoid it unless it's absolutely necessary.  The depth of the conversation was just what I needed to feel restored after the day.

You may be asking, "Is this guy serious? This is what he'll look back on and treasure?"

While I'd like to hope that this will be the reason I remember tonight, the other part of the conversation made us laugh those deep, uncontrollable laughs.  

When Annie was a little girl, she woke up one Easter morning and found poop all over her house. She became concerned and thought that this was the Easter Bunny's version of Santa leaving coal in your stocking for being bad.  Little did she know, her dog feasted on the Easter candy and left a Hansel and Gretel-like trail of turds behind him.

I genuinely appreciate the nights like this that we share together and am grateful that we will have the opportunity to build our own memories with our little girl. For now, this one is of the two of us, our debates, our laughter, and being reminded how fortunate I am to share this parenting journey with this amazing woman.

One Great Way To Spend The Day

This Saturday morning started out like many other weekend mornings.  But this one felt different...there was an excitement to it.  

Before you get too excited...we aren't welcoming our daughter just yet.

Before my feet hit the floor, I checked the results of the Extraordinary Give; a Lancaster County, PA event that brings the entire community together for one full day to raise funds for non-profit organizations within the county.  It is a remarkable event.  This year broke records once again by having over $7 million raised for over 400 local organizations.

ExtraGive.org

This event always makes me feel recharged and helps me refocus on all of the good things that are possible in this world. 

The day continued, Annie woke up and we tried to figure out the plan for the day.  We decided to go to my school's field hockey game - the head coach is one of our friends and I teach many of the girls, so it seemed like a really cool thing to do on this 70 degree, November day.  I don't understand all of the rules to the game, but I do know that the other team's coach was ejected, our coach's dad should write a book called, One Liners From the Stands, and our team won 6-2 to win the state championship and cap off an undefeated season - Truly AMAZING.

Our final stop of the day was to meet one of Annie's friends who offered to take some maternity photos for us.  She is one of those people who is genuinely caring and sincerely kind; we're blessed to have her in our lives.  We met at Long's Park in Lancaster and raced to beat an incoming storm.  

Maternity Photo Poses

Sheena & Annie

The maple leaves made for an incredible backdrop and we can't wait to see how the photos turn out.

Maple Leaves

The excitement that this morning promised certainly lived up to its billing.  We had an amazing day living in the moment while watching our friends succeed at doing the things they love.