Introducing...JASPER FELIX WHITNEY

It's true. Our baby has come. I certainly did not anticipate the events of the last few days. I guess pregnancy and having a baby is as unpredictable as everyone says.

Thursday Night: Steve suggested we go out to dinner seeing that when the baby came we might have to slow down on the whole "dinner out" thing. We went to the King and I so I could order some spicy Thai food. I had not felt much during the day--even managed to get Addi out for her two walks. I had two pains real close together while we ate. As Steve was paying I stood up and realized I was sitting in a puddle (draw your own inferences). We RACED to the hospital.

I do not want to brag or jinx myself by saying that not only was my pregnancy a piece of cake, the labor was even easier! As soon as I got my epidural I was cracking jokes and having a great time with Steve and Cathy the nurse. I thought it was a really fun night.

Two hours after I started pushing the doctor discovered that Jasper was facing diagonal and battling his way out with my bone. He had 2 large scrapes on his head. The doctor believed that if his heart rate stayed stable I could get this baby out but she was beginning to think things were getting scary. Jasper was stressing himself out. No C-section for me...I suggested using a vacuum and they were happy to oblige. One vacuum cleaner and five pushes later and Steve and I had our new baby, Jasper Felix Whitney.




Friday: I couldn't help but just watch as my new little boy slept next to me in the room. He had the cutest little whine while he slept. As it persisted for a while I began to think maybe he was swaddled too tightly so I called my nurse. His heart, lungs and blood sugar seemed to be just fine, but he was taken to NICU for observation. I was told he would be back in a "couple of hours".

Hours passed. No baby. I went to NICU to feed him. They let me know that there were some concerns but that he would be back with me by early afternoon.

Early Afternoon: No baby. I went again to feed him. They let me know that he would have to stay overnight in the NICU because he couldn't keep his temperature regulated and it kept dipping. They did some cultures and also placed an IV in his hand and began antibiotics. They thought because he had scraped his head in the womb that he could have an infection. I would have stayed with my baby forever but anytime the nurses needed me back at my room they would track me down and I would have to leave.

All Night: Every two hours my nurse would come into my room and wake Steve and I up. We would walk down a very long hall to the NICU, wash our hands up to our elbows for no less than 3 minutes and sit together while I fed our baby. It was probably one of the hardest nights of my life.
Jasper with his IV

Saturday: Happy Halloween!! Jasper stayed in NICU until about 3:00 p.m. My dad came to see him and must have been our good luck charm. We were able to walk with the baby back to our very own room! Now we could be a family.

Sunday: Home again, home again. We were the last in our wing to be discharged. We had to wait to make sure all of Jasper's cultures checked out okay. Once they did, we hit the road and didn't look back. What a wonderful and scary experience! I never knew I could feel so elated and so worried all at once. Everything worked out perfect and I am the mother to the most wonderful and precious little boy in the world!
Jasper Felix Whitney
Born: October 30, 2009, 2:43 a.m.
Weight: 7 pounds
Length: 21 inches