The Arrival

Here is the story of Ethan Charles . . .

I wasn't feeling too well on Sunday, August 31 so I went to bed thinking it would go away. Throughout the night I was awoken with painful cramps, but didn't want to think much of it as I was not prepared yet for the arrival and the baby. I was supposed to have 5 more weeks to get things ready!

It is now 5:00 am and Michael and I are reading through our books to see if there is a description of how contractions are supposed to feel. We decided we would call the doctor to get his imput. With it now being "Labor" Day my doctor was on vacation. We spoke with Dr. Gibson and she advised us to make the trip to the hospital.

With Michael just having back surgery he was unable to drive as well. I called my mom around 6:00 am to come pick us up. We are now trying to pack our bags for the hospital. We still didn't think too much of it and thought we would be home that evening. With our semi-packed bags we left for the hospital.

As I was admitted, the contractions were 4 minutes apart and I was 4 cm dialated! At that time I realized Iwas having the baby that day.

On Monday, September 1 we welcomed Ethan Charles at 2:19 pm.


Here is Ethan just minutes after he was born. He was 6 lbs 11 oz and 20 inches long.



If he would have been full term I am scared to see how big he would have been!






With him being premature, he was relatively healthy. There were a few minor issues the first few days that the doctors were able to monitor.

On Wednesday Ethan got jaundice. They used a technique called phototherepy to reduce his bili ruben count. This contraption was set up in our room so he was able to stay with us at the hospital. At night time he did go to the nursery.

Yay! Finally we get to go home! On Saturday we were finally discharged from the hospital after our 6 night stay. Though the nurses were great we were excited to be home.

Ethan had his first car ride. He enjoys riding in the car and being in his car seat. As you can see he sleeps very well!

We adjusted pretty quickly to having a little one around. We still haven't gotten much sleep and he likes to eat every 2-3 hours!

We were regulars at the pediatricians office the first week. Ironically Ethan sees the same pediatrician that I did when I was a baby!

Within the first week, we were still monitoring his bili ruben count. We had to get his blood drawn 4 times that week. They draw the blood from the heel of his foot.

We went to the doctor again on September 22 and they are no longer concerned about the jaundice. He weighed 7 lbs 2 oz and was 21 inches long.

We went on our first walk around the neighborhood. We haven't taken him out too much or had many visitors because his immune system is not fully developed because he was early. He is doing very well now with gaining weight and growing. He is able to lift his head up and is getting stronger daily.

We took him on his first outing! We went to the apple orchard on Saturday, September 26. I think he enjoyed it as he slept through a majority of it. I know I enjoyed the donuts and cider!


Now that we have adjusted to having a little one around and getting into a routine I will be able to update the blog frequently and post pictures of his milestones.

Michael and I are so blessed to have a healthy baby boy!