About this baby (the first month)

I wish I had started this sooner.  I was hoping I would have time to sit down and write by hand about our new life with Rowan.  I still want to do that, especially once he starts talking.  But for now, I can type much faster than I can write and he's already over 3 months old!  I need to start writing before I forget too many things.

The first month
Rowan was born at 12:08 pm on Saturday July 30 via C-section at Highland Hospital in Rochester, NY.  He was a week late and the surgery was planned - they thought he might be as big as 12 pounds!  When the doctor told me that I might have uttered some not so baby-friendly words.  He ended up being "only" 10 pounds, 12 ounces - still plenty huge and a little hard to get out.  They told me they had to use the vacuum - I don't really want to know much more about the mechanics of his birth.  It was intense, but I was just focused on his arrival.  I was just relieved to see him - and relieved my doctor had suggested planned surgery when I saw the size of his swollen head!

 His dad was there to comfort him right away

 Rowan appeared very healthy at birth, but the next day he had to be moved to the Special Care nursery.  SC is essentially a preventative measure - it's for babies with relatively mild problems that the hospital wants to observe as a precaution.  Rowan was The Angry Baby in the nursery.  He would get so upset that he would have a hard time breathing and his oxygen levels would drop.  He was also at risk for infection (common for babies born via C-section.)  I was not prepared for how traumatized I would be when they took him away from me.  The fact that I couldn't walk added to my feeling of helplessness.  Ben took me down to see him whenever I wanted, and each time I just cried and cried.  He was only there for about 24 hours, but it felt so long.  We were so excited and relieved when we were allowed to bring him back to the room with us.  So, I had a crash course in parental concern.  I still check on him several times when he is sleeping.

I had a very straightforward approach to pregnancy - I kept my "plans" to a minimum, knowing there was no way I could control everything.  As someone who is generally considered a control freak, this was quite a feat for me.  Other than the basics, most of preparation boiled down to "I'll do my best."  When people asked if I would breastfeed, I responded that I would try.  I'm glad I didn't have my heart set on it, because it didn't work out.  Sometimes I feel guilty about it and I have to remind myself that I did my best and Rowan is healthy and those are the only things that matter.

After four days in the hospital we came home.  We spent two uncomfortable nights upstairs before setting up camp in the living room.  Rowan was not (and is still not) comfortable sleeping flat on his back so for most of the first month he slept in his swing in the living room.  I slept first in the chair and then moved to the couch as I healed.

The first month was a blur of visitors, feeding, and sleeping.  This is why I wish I had started writing earlier - I remember the birth and our stay in the hospital vividly, but once we came home the days started to run together a bit.  We had very generous family and friends stopping by nearly every day - Rowan was showered with hugs, kisses, and adorable outfits and Ben and I were showered with hugs, kisses, and food. :)

Rowan's likes: snuggling, snuggling into mom or dad's shoulder, being held, pacifiers (for the first three weeks), eating, sleeping, baths (suddenly, after hating the first four)

Rowan's dislikes: changing clothes, changing diapers, baths (at first), pacifiers (after the first three weeks he acted like we were fools to offer it :)