The first night in the hospital is always the worst. We didn't get a lot of sleep because Michelle had to have her vitals taken every two hours as well as feed the baby when he was hungry. Add all of that to Braeden's breathing issues that ended up getting resolved and you get pretty much no sleep at all, but it is worth it.
Right before Michelle went in for her c-section we found out that her cousin Amy had her baby the day before and that she was just one floor above us. After eating breakfast we headed up to her room for a little visit and to see their new son Zachary. After leaving their room they came down to our room and saw Braeden. It is so fun having all these kids so close to each other. Michelle is very close to her cousins and we hope that our kids will be as close with their cousins and 2nd cousins.
Dy and Brett had doctor's appointments for both of their kids today. Brett was already in town for a meeting so he arrived to the hospital a little early and came to say hi to Braeden.
Michelle's co-worker Emilee was in the area and came to say hi to Michelle and see Braeden. Michelle loves her co-workers and was glad to see her face. She is so nice and even brought us dinner a few times while Michelle was on bedrest. Emilee is really looking forward to Michelle returning to work. Tina and Ben also came by for a visit. Tina wasn't sure if she would be able to see Braeden while in the hospital because of a work issue, but everything was cleared and she couldn't wait to get to the hospital.
After they left we decided to have a little family time. Again, it has been so different this time around being able to hold Braeden any time that we want. He still seems so small and has changed so much in the last day. I think it takes babies a little while to fill into their actual body shape after being in such a small fluid filled sack for so long.
We just love all the hair on his head. Drew didn't have any for a long time and it was so blond that you couldn't see it very well. Braeden's hair is darker than Drew's, but we will see what color it turns out to be with time.
Day 3
Last night was a lot better. The nurses and CNA's didn't have to come in as often and having Braeden stay in the nursery until hungry has really helped. This morning they checked Braeden's bilirubin (for jaundice) results and found that it was higher than they would like. They put an order in for a light bed to help reduce the levels. These new beds are great because the baby is just enclosed in this little suit that is open and attached to the light. It doesn't heat up and it can stay in the patient's room. With the other lights they had to go to the nursery and get their therapy there. If his levels got too high then they would do that, but till then he could stay in our room. Braeden also had his you know what procedure done today. Dr. Templeman does a great job so we made sure he was here this morning.
When we had Drew I remember seeing this company that came down to take pictures of babies in baskets or outfits or whatever and always thought it would be nice to have some good pictures as a newborn. With Drew being in the NICU with all of his monitors and tubes it didn't look like a great opportunity and they actually never came around to see if we wanted any. When we checked in for the birth of Braeden they asked if we would like the company to take pictures sometime during our stay. We said yes, but knowing that they would charge an arm or a leg for the pictures we were sure we wouldn't buy any. The nurse last night asked if they had come by yet and we said no. She thought they would come today and told us she also thought they gave hospital employees some sort of discount or a free sheet of prints. When the company came to take the pictures Michelle didn't want to be in any and I said I would. We then asked if there was a discount for being an employee and she said we would get a free copy of the pictures taken on CD, a $135 value. We were excited to get the pictures taken and Michelle ended up wanting to be in them. We both happened to have black shirts that day and I think it made the pictures look great.
We loved the pictures and the funny thing was she had pretty much the same camera as us. It all comes down to the lighting. If you have natural light then your pictures will turn out great. She was only with us about 15 minutes and then got our CD to us ten minutes later. I think I should just become a photographer because they could make bank with the prices they charge. The picture below is one that I took. Doesn't it look professional?!
We have loved how awake Braeden has been. Even in the pictures the photographer took he was wide awake. Everyone keeps on saying that he doesn't look like a newborn because of how alert and awake he is. I think he is very mature for his age.
Tina couldn't get enough of Braeden and decided to visit one more time while we were in the hospital. It is so nice to have family and friends so close to come visit
Just one more day before we are free. Michelle would have loved to go home today, but the hospital required either a 4 or 5 day stay for a c-section delivery. I guess we should take the help we are getting and get use to the idea that we will meet our out of pocket max for the year. Unfortunately it is near the end of the year and not like Drew in the first month of the year. I guess we will just have to make as many medical appointments in the next two months as we can.
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