Hi Friends!
It’s hard to believe that our little man is 2 weeks old today and I’m just getting around to giving you guys a proper introduction! It’s been a whirlwind couple of weeks and between soaking up family time, not sleeping, and being sick, I haven’t really had the time or desire to write a blog post.
But have no fear! I’m here now…so let’s back up and talk about the past few weeks, shall we?
Once I hit 40 weeks of being pregnant, I was pretty over it…but I really didn’t want to induce unless it was absolutely medically necessary. I went to my 40 week appointment on Oct 21st (40 weeks, 3 days). We did a non-stress test and an ultrasound and everything looked fine. She stripped my membranes – baby’s head was super low and the OB hoped that might jump-start things. We headed home to wait it out for a few more days. On Friday Oct 24th I went in again, got another non-stress test and everything looked fine again. I was tired and uncomfortable but decided to wait through the weekend to see if anything happened. Hubby sent me to get a manicure/pedicure, I got a labor-inducing trigger point massage, I walked a lot, I ate spicy food…nothing seemed to help get labor going.
On Monday, Oct 27th, I was still very pregnant and we headed back to the OB. At this point, I was 41 weeks + 2 days pregnant. My feet were VERY swollen and my OB was ready to induce me, but was leaving the decision up to us. We decided to keep waiting and induce Thursday or Saturday. I would be 42 weeks on Saturday. She suggested Friday, but that was Halloween and it seemed unfair to baby to pick Halloween for his birthday. She stripped my membranes one more time for good measure and home we went.
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Monday night labor got started! I’d been having Braxton Hicks contractions for weeks. Monday night around 9pm they started to feel a bit stronger than they had. However, they weren’t super painful and I thought I might just be imagining it. Hubby was not convinced since I was calmly talking to him and walking around through my contractions. By 2am, I was still indecisive about whether I was actually in labor or not…but I’d determined that the contractions were definitely stronger. Since it was so late, we decided to try to sleep for a couple of hours and reassess in the morning. I slept for maybe 2 hours and then was up around 5 am to feed the animals and start timing contractions again. By 8am, I decided it was time to go to the hospital. I still wasn’t 100% sure I’d be admitted but I thought it was worth getting looked at. We figured the most probable outcome was getting sent home from the hospital.
My OB happened to be at the hospital and was excited to see us! She saw my name on the triage list and told the nurses she wanted me to stay no matter what. They checked me and I was 3 cm dilated (I’d been at 1cm for a few weeks)….so we knew this was the real thing. I was admitted and we moved to our room. I knew I was carrying a large baby and that it would likely be a long labor. I went into it thinking I wanted to have a completely natural labor. I didn’t want any medicine- none via IV, no epidural, etc. So that was the plan.
Things progressed slowly. Around 1pm I was 4cm dilated. They broke my water to keep things moving along and the contractions definitely picked up… and got stronger. I had really strong back labor and as the contractions picked up, I was in a lot of pain, but was managing through it. By 3:30 I decided to try the IV pain meds. They helped temporarily. I was able to rest and sleep a little bit to give my body a break….but once they wore off, I was right back where I started. In the back of my mind, I started contemplating an epidural, which is something I really didn’t think I wanted….but that pain definitely makes you rethink things. I wanted to wait as long as possible if I was going to get one, so I decided to try another round of the IV meds. But they didn’t even make a dent in the pain at that point. Hubby was getting concerned since I have a high pain tolerance and he had never heard me say so many swear words.
At 8pm I opted to get an epidural. I’d been having contractions for almost 24 hours and was in so much pain that I’m honestly not sure how I would have made it through to delivery without it. The bad news was that I probably waited a little bit too long. They had to give me a whole bag of fluid through the IV first and it took FOREVER. Meanwhile, the pain kept escalating. The first dose helped a little, but I was still having so much pain in my back that I ended up having to get another dose. At this point I was around 6 cm dilated. By midnight, the epidural meds had worn off and I needed another, but the anesthesiologist was unavailable for about a 30 minute window which was poor timing for the pain I was having. I think it was around 1AM when my OB came in to recheck me. We’d been hearing 6cm for HOURS so we didn’t expect to hear anything different. Much to our surprise she said it was time to push!
After 30 hours of labor, Baby Chase was born at 2:42 AM!
We stayed in the hospital Tuesday and Wednesday and headed home Thursday morning. My parents came in town for the two nights while we were in the hospital. They took care of the animals, did laundry, cooked us food and got to meet their first grandbaby! They headed home Thursday afternoon and we were on our own.
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So, what have we been up to for the past two weeks? Taking lots of pictures, that’s for sure! We introduced the animals to Chase as soon as we got home. For the most part they’re doing pretty well. Abner is, surprisingly, in love with baby. Whenever Chase cries, Abner runs over to make sure he’s ok….he lays next to him on the couch and is just very interested in baby in general. Tucker isn’t doing quite as well. He’s a bit of a nervous wreck, especially when Chase sneezes…which scares him. He spends a lot of time upstairs or in the other room by himself, but will, on occasion, lay on the couch while Chase is in the room with us. It just depends on his mood. Marcus is semi-interested. He’ll lay on the floor of the nursery while I’m feeding Chase and isn’t afraid to lay near him on the couch…but he doesn’t especially like to be around when he’s crying. Poco is the least interested. He does his own thing as usual and we don’t see him very often.
Hubby was able to take 2 weeks off work after saving his vacation days and it was wonderful to be able to spend some time together as a family of 3. He’s madly in love with Chase and they are so cute together. Chase loves napping with daddy. Hubby was a huge help, doing all the chores around the house, changing almost all the diapers, making sure I was eating and drinking enough, etc. I love him.
For Halloween we put baby in his bean pod and snapped a few pics…but he wasn’t a huge fan of it.
Saturday we headed to the pediatrician for the first time. Chase was 9 pounds when he was born, 8 pounds 9 oz when we left the hospital and 8 pounds 3 oz two days later at the doctor. He was also having some jaundice issues so we had to go get his heel stuck for blood tests on both Saturday and Sunday. I spent all day Saturday nursing, pumping and supplementing with formula, trying to get my milk to come in faster because we needed to get baby peeing and pooping more to help with the jaundice. Luckily his levels dropped from Saturday to Sunday and the doctor was confident it was resolving.
Sunday Chase had his first bath. He loves getting his hair washed but wasn’t a huge fan of the rest of it. Monday we headed out for our first family walk! Other than that we’ve been spending a lot of time watching TV and cuddling. We’ve been to the grocery store and Costco and even eaten a couple of quick meals out. Chase has slept through all of that.
Tuesday we went to see a lactation consultant. I had some serious nipple trauma from an early bad latch and even though I was pretty confident I had fixed it, I just wanted to meet with someone to be sure I was doing things right. We tried using a nipple shield, but Chase doesn’t suck effectively enough with is so I decided I would just keep toughing it out. But let me tell you, it was PAINFUL. We determined that he was latching properly at this point, which was good. The lactation lady called in a request to my OB for some nipple ointment to help them heal, but I wasn’t able to get it until Wednesday.
By Wednesday I was totally miserable. I got the ointment late Wednesday morning after a pharmacy miscommunication and started using it. It finally got too painful to nurse so I switched to pumping and supplementing with formula. I took a nap that afternoon and woke up with a 102 degree fever. I was fairly certain I had mastitis and after talking to the nurse at my OB, it was too late in the day to get an appointment with them, so I headed to urgent care. They gave me a z pack and home I went. The next few days are a bit of a blur. I battled a high fever for several days, continued to pump and supplement, take meds (plus probiotics) and also tried to drink enough and eat enough calories.
We made another trip to the pediatrician because Chase had some serious discharge coming from one eye. We determined he has a clogged tear duct and got some meds for that. Other than that issue, however, he was in perfect health and already back up to 9 pounds 2 oz!
Finally, by Friday, my fever started to go down and I really started to push fluids and eat to try to get my milk supply back up. On Sunday I decided my nipples had healed enough to start nursing again and that meant nursing on demand to keep increasing my supply. After nursing all day Sunday and Monday, I was back at the doctor Tuesday for a yeast issue. No one ever said breastfeeding was easy, right? It can only go up from here.
In other news, Chase is not the best sleeper. He sleeps well during the day but at night, he sleeps pretty well when we first go to bed, but after he wakes up the first time, he doesn’t do so well for the rest of the night. I’ve been spending a lot of my nights watching Scandal on the ipad. I never watched it on TV so I started with Season 1 and am already almost through Season 3. When he does sleep, he does best in the rock and play- he likes the fact that it vibrates.
Monday, daddy went back to work 🙁 Baby spent the day nursing and pooping and I watched a lot of HGTV.
Some other good news? The swelling in my feet that I’ve had since week 35 is FINALLY gone. It got really bad after I delivered him and I wasn’t sure it was ever going to go away…but it finally did and I couldn’t be more relieved. That was definitely one of my least favorite parts of pregnancy. When I haven’t been sick, I’ve been super hungry thanks to breastfeeding…but while sick I’ve had to force enough calories in.
Exercise-wise, we’ve been taking some family walks but that’s about it. I’m definitely excited to get back into my workouts and get my muscles back in a few weeks!
Annnnd now that we’re at 2,000 words, I think I’ll wrap this up! We’ll be back soon!
Enjoy!
–Lindsay–
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This was SO fun to read! You’ve had quite the 2 weeks…I’m thrilled to hear that, while the labor was crazy long and (I can only imagine how) exhausting, your baby boy is here and healthy!! I hope breastfeeding becomes better for you sooner than later. It’s easy to see that you have an awesome support system though…so happy for you, friend!
Lindsay congrats again! Baby Chase is just too cute! You have a beautiful family 🙂 I hope things continue to improve for you on the nursing and sleeping end! I can’t imagine the pain you have been in the past few weeks. Love that you are already pumped about getting back into the swing of things. Hope you have a wonderful week with Chase!
Halloween baby right here and I can say, my birthday is never forgotten! 😛
30 hours of labour?! Sheesh. This worried me a little for any future babies I may decide to have. It looks so quick in the movies!
Sounds like you’ve had such a busy fortnight but you’ve got some fabulous pictures of your new little family. Big congratulations! 🙂
Congrats again, Lindsay! You’ve had a rocky couple of weeks–it DOES get easier. Despite it all, you all look SO happy in the pics. I can see the love and joy in your faces. 🙂
Congratulations again on the birth of baby Chase! He sure it a cutie! Being sick is no fun-I can’t even imagine being sick while trying to care for a little baby. That’s great that your husband has been extremely helpful in all of it. Can’t wait to see more pics and hear more about your journey.
He is PERFECT.
LOVE this!!! breastfeeding is def harder than we thought, right?!?! but i’m confident it will get easier for you just like it did for me!! what a story!! chase is such a cutie – he’s gorgeous!! i hope you do more updates like these 🙂 🙂
The last two weeks have been such a whirlwind for you Lindsay, wow! I cannot honestly even imagine. I’m glad you are enjoying your time and life along the way. It sounds like you both are really doing well with parenthood.
I cannot even imagine 30 hours of labor. Holy moly.
Congrats! Chase is adorable 😀
oh my goodness thank you so much for allowing us in.
Chase is so flipping sweet and THIS MAMA has no idea how you juggle it all.
Congrats again, baby Chase is absolutely precious! I’m so sorry you were sick, props to you for pushing through a rocky couple of weeks (and for 30 hours of labor!!!).
you and baby chase (and mr. green bean) are all troopers! WOW! linz, i had no idea you had fever and all. So glad you are home and better and CHase is perfect. Reach out to me more friend, i’m here!
Wow – baby Chase was worth every minute, but your labor sounds SO intense! Even though I’ve been through it with Eleanor, I’m still a little nervous about doing it all over again in May. Looks like the whole family has adjusted really well – congrats again!
I absolutely loved reading that. Welcome to the world little buddy! Chase is adorable! I can’t even handle his cuteness. I’m so sorry you were sick and had to deal with all of those things, but am glad you are feeling better now! You are the most beautiful family, ever!
Oh my goodness he is just the cutest little thing in all the world!
Wow, sounds like you haven’t had it easy lady! That stinks that you and he were both sick. He looks so healthy and gorgeous though! And you look great & so happy! I’m so glad he finally came and that you let it happen naturally. That’s awesome that your OB didn’t force induction! Can’t wait to hear more about motherhood from you, Lindsay!
He is so adorable Lindsay! Such a beautiful blessing! Again, congratulations x10000! XOXO
You are so strong! What a lot to go through but it’s all worth it! So happy for you and Mr. Bean! Baby Chase is precious!
Oh my goodness sounds wonderful and traumatic all at the same time!! He is adorable and you are doing wonderfully:)
Wow, you are a champion for going through a 30 hour labor! You are amazing! Mastitis is no joke, I had it with each son, although they were older than Chase was, and I have never been so sick. I can’t imagine having it with a newborn. Make sure you rest, because resting and nursing is the way to keep it from coming back again! 🙂 And if you have a local LLL Group, you might find the support from moms in the same situation helpful.
I had a rough time with breastfeeding too. My son had a slight tongue tie and my supply was low (even with meds). The first two weeeks are the toughest! I remember having bruises on my breast from trying to get my milk out! I also got blocked ducts every two weeks! But with help, love and support we got through the tough times. I breastfed my baby for 14 months 🙂
My little boy is 7 weeks today and I swear I could have written this exactly. My labor was 45 hours and we also struggled with weight loss, jaundice, heel pricks, latching issues, and the beast which is mastitis. It gets a little easier as time goes on 🙂
He is so precious! Thank you for sharing your birth story. You are a complete rockstar. I wish I had been half as wise and mature when I had my first baby. I admire so many things about how you chose to approach your birth. He is simply perfect. I am glad you are settled in to life with Mr. Chase (that was the name I had picked out for one of my sons) my husband ended up naming him Tristan instead. Love you so so much. My eyes are filled with tears, so happy for you guys. xoxo
This is beautiful. So much is going on, but you’re handling it like a champ!
Congratulations on your new family – you all look so happy!
Oh girlfriend, you have had a time of it!!! It can be so hard when you’re feeling so much love, joy, exhaustion and confusion all at the same time! AND you got sick! PLUS the hormones. It’s the best/hardest time, and it will only get better. You are a rock star mom, don’t ever forget that! He’s fed, he’s clean, he’s safe, which means you’re doing an AMAZING job. Sending you love and well wishes. The rock and play is a LIFE.SAVER. My son had reflux and it was the only way he could sleep without being uncomfortable. Take advantage if people offer to come help you. It’s a bit uncomfortable at times because you just want to deal with it alone, but someone to keep watch while you rest is the best.
He is absolutely precious, Lindsay! Hang in there…those first few weeks with the first baby are really, really hard. It’s just never straightforward. And sleep deprivation is brutal, at least is was for me. But I promise you it will get easier as time goes on. Enjoy your beautiful new addition!
Congrats, Lindsay! He is such an adorable baby boy! It sounds like your labor was a true challenge, but I am sure he is worth every minute of it 🙂
Congratulations on baby Chase! He’s so sweet. Wow you have certainly been through a lot from delivery till now. Take care and know that it will get easier.
Congrats Lindsay! He is such a beautiful baby. 🙂
Ahh Lindsay these photos are too adorable! Congratulations on your beautiful baby boy, you guys all look so happy! 🙂
Congratulations! He is really gorgeous. Sounds like you are definitely being put through some challenging times. Hang in there!
I love hearing all the details! You did amazing through your labor, Linz… over 24 hours is TOUGH! And yes, breastfeeding has all sorts of ups and downs, doesn’t it? People don’t often tell you how painful it is in the beginning. And I’m so sorry you got mastitis on top of everything else. What a whirlwind of two weeks for you guys! Hopefully things will begin to improve significantly from here. Sleep will only get better too. Often babies can have days and nights mixed up and it evens out around 8 weeks. There isn’t a whole lot you can do before that other than trying to keep nights low stimulation, and use bright rooms and louder noises during the daytime to help them differentiate. Julia had nights mixed up so it was new to me but we got through it.
He is just BEAUTIFUL! I always couldn’t wait to get past those early newborn weeks because I found them really tough but I’ll say what everyone says anyway, which is try to soak it all up- they grow so fast!
What a beautiful baby! I’ve never had any children but I’m sure if I ever did an epidural would be ordered. I would rather have a relaxing experience than painful.
That is quite a labor! Take good care of yourself now! What a sweet little man, could not be more precious! These days are going to be a blur and unforgettable all at the same time! Congratulations to all of you.
Just read more about your mastitis and nursing issues and wanted to say that I experienced mastitis many time (I think 6 total between 3 kids, ugh) and also had yeast issues among other latch/nursing problems so I know what you’re going through and as I remember it, it was literally just horrible. It sounds like you have it all under control but if you have any questions, I’m here for you! Between my 3 kids I’m surprised my breasts and I survived at all.
Congrats again on Baby Chase! I loved reading through your update – as the oldest female in my family & having not had children yet I can always learn so much from posts like this. I’m sure in the years to come you will also love having his birth story/memories written out. I can’t wait to see you at the gym when you are ready to come back!!
Congrats again – Chase is so adorable!!
Thank you SO much for sharing all of the details and of course the cutest pictures ever! Hope you get into a routine soon that everyone is comfortable with and that everything continues to go well for your beautiful family!
Thanks for this update, Lindsay! I love that Abner checks on Baby Chase whenever he’s crying. I’m also sorry to hear that mastitis! Hope things get better for your in the next few weeks!
Congratulations! He’s so adorable. I’m glad you’re feeling better. I hope the two of you stay in good health 🙂
yay congrats!! hes such a cutie. i cant believe u made it as long as u did with no epidural….ugh thats rough. i guess they’re worth it though 🙂 congrats again!
What a crazy 2 week’s it’s been in your house! Chase is gorgeous and I am glad you are all doing better!
He is precious!! You’re doing a great job. I had the toughest time nursing too, and it takes them a while to heal. Good for you for sticking with it! I threw in the towel at 5 weeks but pumped until 15 (and supplemented with formula). No matter what you do, that baby will be fed and healthy and happy 🙂 Congrats again!!
Baby Chase is adorable, so many lovely pictures. I had my baby 5 weeks ago and absolutely love being a mum. He’s changed a lot from those very early days so we have been taking lots of photos too.
Baby Chase is so cute!! Thanks for the updates!
Congratulations again, Lindsay! He is adorable and I’m sure you and hubs are relieved he’s finally here. Thank you for the candid post to share the reality of things! Best wishes for more sleep and less ouch for you!
Congrats! Such a beautiful baby and family! I remember all too well that laboring feeling just reading your words. My epidural never worked right – ohh the pain. And ugh, mastitis is awful. I am sorry you had to deal with that. Wishing you well!
30 Hours of labor- girl you are a trooper! Congrats again on Baby Chase, he is adorable and I loved reading about the first few weeks.
What a crazy few weeks you’ve had! I’m glad both you and baby Chase are starting to feel better! I hope you just keep on getting better and that breast feeding gets easier! That baby will be doing pull ups and box jumps before you know it!
Congrats Lindsay! He is beautiful and I love his name!
I have so much respect for you mama’s with newborns! Even though I’m far off from having kids, hearing the details of all the obstacles, yet all the love and affection, make me so excited! Congrats again…here’s hoping for a healthy winter for you and Chase and more sleep!
Congrats, Lindsay! He is beautiful and I love the name! I completely understand what you are going through. I had big issues with breastfeeding too, and sleepless nights etc. I think I was quite depressed with my 1st baby, it was hard. Anyways, now a lot of it is a blur and I can’t even remember. Oh and labour pain, yes. I could have never done it without an epidural the 1st time, 2nd time no problem, it was faster and no anesthesiologist around LOL. Enjoy your baby!
Sweet love!!!!!!!!!!! Not gonna tell my youngest stepdaughter about the labor since she is due in January! 🙂
Oh mama!! Those early days are a bit of a roller coaster! Feel free to text me anytime!! He is extremely cute and precious though!!
What an adorable perfect peanut! You look wonderful 🙂
Im so sorry to hear about the breatfeeding issues! I have been there! After some major nipple damage, i used a nipple shield when my son was a week old for about a week regularly, then would alternate using them and not for another week. I would cry sometimes dreading it, but knew i had to do what was healthiest for Wyatt. By the time he was 3 weeks it was easier, 4 weeks it took for it to be comfortable. We made it to 9 months breastfeeding. You can do it!!!
Congrats!!! He’s beautiful!! I’m so so happy for you all!
He is precious!! Congrats! And I gotta say…you are a champ! Enjoy getting to know Chase:)
SO precious! Make sure you pull this post out and give it a good read when you start thinking about #2 🙂 Just kidding. They’re so worth it!
Congratulations to you both on such a beautiful baby boy!
Also can I say a big thank you for telling your story ‘as it was’ and not sugar coating it – I can imagine it is the most wonderful thing but sometimes everything isn’t peachy perfect, and that’s ok! Hope all three is you stay healthy and strong – I can sure tell from your pics that you are all happy! 🙂
congratulations again! i’m so sorry you had mastitis 🙁 way to hang in there with the breastfeeding!! take care!
Congratulations Bean family! 😀 30 hours… HOLY MOLY. What a wonderful and exhausting time the last 2 weeks have been — whoa. You have certainly handled it like a rock star 🙂 Chase is perfect and amazing and such a lucky little boy — I love all the photos with Abner – so cute!
Sounds like a crazy whirlwind two weeks. Wow. Glad that you and baby chase are on the mend now. Congrats to you and the family 🙂
Bummer about the long labor. There is some serious pain that goes along with childbirth and breastfeeding! I think the hardest thing with baby #1 was the up all night sleep deprivation. No one can prepare you for it, but it will all get easier! xoxo
Wow – congratulations! That’s a whirl-wind couple of weeks.
Wow, you are amazing! ALL those hours without the epidural, and you were a rockstar, even if you felt like death, likely 😉 And you are beaming in every pic, as is your husband!! so happy for you and Chase is adorable!!
i love this little sneak peek into your life! praying for some consistency and some peace and a whole lotta sleep for you in the coming weeks!!
He is so darling!!! Congrats on Baby Chase <3
Oh man, you've had it all right at the beginning! You're doing great, mama. And you said it, it can only get better 🙂
By the way, your story of being late & getting to finally go into labor sounds a ton like mine, and you went into labor on my baby's birthday. awwwwww 😉
Adorable baby boy! I couldn’t help but think when I was reading this that I could have written the EXACT SAME THING 4 years ago! With my first born I had very similar issues with labor, delivery and breastfeeding, and had 2 more kids after that with more breastfeeding issues. But the good news is that it gets so much easier! Good luck getting through these tough few months because its definitely worth it in the long run!
Congrats to you all and thanks so much for sharing your new life with us! You guys have certainly had more than your fair share of challenges in the past two weeks. Sounds like you’re doing great though!
So awesome and beautiful! You are all looking radiant and joyful 🙂 Wishing you all the best!
Congrats on your new addition; he’s adorable. I had a really, really tough time with breastfeeding too, and even though I couldn’t supply 100% of my daughter’s food supply, I was glad I stuck with it for as long as I coudl in the end. Hoping things get easier and less painful for you VERY soon. 🙂
Hang in there mama! Nursing is the most unnatural, natural thing we do. And, Jada sucked at sleeping too. You learn to function just as you are doing. Every baby is different, so keep loving on Chase and all will be fine! Plus, he really IS a handsome baby!!!!!
Epic post girl 😉 xoxo Loved reading this!! Hang in there, as many moms probably have already told you things do get better. For the post part Madison does good nursing, but there are times we struggle. Love seeing all these pics!!!
Thank you for sharing your story with us! Sounds like a really hectic first couple of weeks… My sister did too when she had her baby but they soon fall into a routine after! You guys are definitely glowing, yes, Mr Bean too! 🙂 Congrats on the new addition, such a beautiful family!
thank you!
Another big congrats! Sorry to hear the first few weeks were a little rough! He is a very handsome little fellow!