The First Weeks

We were so lucky to have my mom here for a full two weeks after the baby was born.  It is so nice for Richard to be able to go to work (we don't like to use what little days off he has if we don't have to) and for me to still be taken care of and not have to jump back into mommy mode with a new baby while recovering from surgery!  :)  My mom is the best nurse ever.

My recovery has gone so well this time, I finally know the tricks to a nice smooth recovery.  I was on heavy pain meds and down to tylenol within the first week which was so nice!  I felt like I could do a lot more and was ready to be up and around way sooner than with the other two.

My mom and I enjoyed a nice quiet and delicious gluten free Thanksgiving while Richard took the big boys to his brother's house.  

We did a lot of eating yummy food, cuddling the baby, napping (for me), and mom was the best grandma as always taking care of all the boys and our house for two weeks.  We would not survive those first few weeks without her!  It is never fun when she leaves, but luckily this time we would be following her for Christmas in just a few short weeks.  I can do this, I only have to make it 2.5 weeks!

Going Home

Mom brought the boys to see us and the baby every day, but they didn't stay long on day three as they were getting sick of the hospital and we would be coming home later that afternoon anyway.  A typical C-Section stay is 3 days post delivery, but I am always so ready to get out of there and go home to my own bed and my family.  My mom is so great and helpful that I never have to worry if I am going to be able to manage because she does everything except feed the baby.  I stayed the full time at the hospital with Soren, I was less anxious to get home since I didn't have other kids that I was missing, but with Beckett I went home on a short stay and knew that I wanted to do the same this time before even going to the hospital.  My doctor is very laid back and had no problem with that.  She came in and visited with us for a few minutes in the morning and sent me home with stronger than normal pain meds because I can't take any anti-inflammatories (thank you Crohn's Disease) and because I was going home on a short stay.

With the first two babies we had to go to a discharge meeting in the morning so we were expecting the same, but when we hadn't heard anything Richard went out to the nurse's station to make sure they knew we were going home and we didn't miss the meeting.  Much to our delight they told us that they did away with the discharge meeting.   HURRAY!

After getting the baby and myself all squared away we headed home early afternoon.  The car ride home is always THE WORST!  It doesn't matter how slow you drive, I feel EVERY SINGLE pebble on the road.  Richard gets yelled at a lot on that drive home, it's not pretty.

We got home earlier than everybody was expecting, but they were so glad to see us.  They had been anxiously awaiting baby Wells homecoming for three days.  

Feels so good to be home with my sweet family!

Day Two

Day two the epidural comes out which is never fun, because then the pain starts to set in.  But after being confined to a bed for 24 hours I am always ready to get it out and get the healing process started.  From the start I felt like this recovery was going to go much more smoothly, I've done this twice before and finally felt like I knew what to expect.  I was able to get out of bed without too much help pretty quick which was nice.  We went on a few small walks around the hospital wing, that is never fun, it is slow and painful, but so important to the C-Section recovery.  There is a fine balance of taking it easy and getting your body moving so it can begin to heal itself.  

I always have problems going to the bathroom after my C-Section and this time was no different.  After trying several times with no success I had to have a catheter put back in so that there was not the risk of infection.  It was so frustrating and deflating to have to do that.  That was a big set back in my head, it is uncomfortable and makes those walks around the hospital wing that much more difficult.

Despite the urinary set back :) ...it was a great day of cuddling my sweet baby.  Paul (Richard's brother) brought Charlotte (my niece) to come see us.  Everybody would have come, but they were having some sickness so most of them had to stay away.

Day One

The C-Section was scheduled for 6am so we had to be at the hospital at 4am!  So early, but we didn't mind one bit, we were so ready to meet our baby boy!  I was really nervous for the administration of the epidural as it was very difficult and painful with Beckett, it did not go well last time.  But this was a whole new experience, still not pleasant, but it was bearable unlike last time.  So for me, the worst part was over once the epidural was administered.  A few minutes after that was done we were rolled back to the operating room, at about 5:45am.  Wells came into the world crying at 6:12am.  We were expecting him to be on the smaller end for weight, but he ended up being over 8 pounds, right in the middle of where Soren and Beckett weighed in.

After the C-Section we were rolled back to recovery where we got to enjoy two hours of nice relaxing time with  our new baby boy.  Then we were moved up to the postpartum room.  Mom brought Soren and Beckett to the hospital around 11:30.  They were so excited to meet the baby and Soren held him for at least 30 minutes, he did not  want to give him up.  Beckett was not  interested in holding  him, but was happy to sit near him and rub his head, belly and give kisses.  When it was time for mom and the boys to leave Soren said, "Can baby Wells come home?"  It was so sweet to see how excited he is to have his brother home.  Needless to say, this boy is going to be very loved by his brothers.

After dinner, my friend, Eli came to visit.  It was really nice to have her come visit at the hospital.  I felt pretty good all day so it was nice to have company throughout the day.

Baby #3

Wells Youd Christensen joined our family at 6:12am.

Weighing in at 8lbs. 5oz. and measuring 20 1/2 inches long.

He is a wonderful and sweet baby and we are so excited for him to be in our family.

Quiet Time

A Boy and His Dog

Beckett LOVES Radley, he is always looking for her and wanting to play with her.  His favorite thing is to dump out her water on the floor -- which also happens to be my least favorite thing...