Photos of Luke's First Two Days at the Hospital!

YAY! Luke Boon is Here!

We are so proud and excited to announce the birth of our son Luke Boon, born on September 28th, 2013, at 7:18 am (he is exactly two weeks old today!). He weighed 8 lbs and 4 oz (3742 kg) and was 51 inches long. "Luke" means "bringer of light" and he has already brought much light into our family -- we are all so in love with him! "Boon" is in honor of Grandpa Boon, Jonny's father.

 

We are all doing very well. Luke is a very calm baby, is feeding well and can sleep up to four hour stretches at night which is a blessing (though last night he was up every two hours; I think he is going through his first growth spurt). He recovered his birth weight in just over a week and is thriving. He is very gentle and taking care of a newborn seems a lot easier this time around -- Jonny and I are more confident and relaxed. Thank you for your prayers, I know many of you are praying for me!

 

I have been healing well from the labor which was quite intense at the end! :) But it went well and I have already forgotten the pain... My last post from the hospital I was waiting for the medication to soften my cervix and it worked well. At 11 pm at night I was induced with Pitocin and just over 8 hours later he was born -- much quicker than my previous two deliveries. At 6:15 am I was 4 cm dilated and about an hour later he was born, so in that last hour things progressed very quickly. He would have been born a few minutes earlier if the nurses weren't changing shift at 7 am and my midwife didn't have two other women delivering at the same time, but in the end it all worked out well! :)

 

When Luke was born, it was so amazing to hear him cry and he was placed on my chest immediately which was very special. What a relief to have him out and see that he was well! :) He started to feed within the first hour and was a quick learner. We stayed in the hospital for two nights and we had a great experience there -- since we were not first time parents, the hospital staff really let us rest and took good care of us as needed.

 

I have been resting as much as possible at home since the birth and have been really spoilt by Jonny and my mother, who have made sure that I have everything I need. The midwives said I had to take it easy the first two weeks and that is exactly what I have been doing and have tried to sleep whenever the baby is sleeping.

 

Daniel came with vozinha e vovo Stephen to visit us at the hospital the afternoon he was born and it was so special. Daniel wanted to hold him immediately and kissed him just like he wanted to do. Daniel seems to be adjusting very well and when he is home, likes to have Luke be close by to him as much as possible.

OK, let me publish this post before Luke wakes up for his next feed. Next post I plan to share photos from his first week. You will see what a cutie he is! :)

At the Hospital!

We came in this morning as planned and baby boy was head down! So we didn't have to try to turn him but decided that I would be induced since I'm already 40 weeks and 5 days pregnant. They have put a bind around by tummy so that the baby will not turn again during labor. My cervix continues to be thick and so I was given a medication to soften it but it will take time (about 12 hours to act). Only once my cervix is softer will they give me Pitocin (oxytocin). So the baby is most likely to only arrive some time on Saturday morning. Jonny and I are at peace and just hanging out... I can't wait for lunch since I wasn't allowed to eat since last night in case I had to have a c-section -- I'm allowed to eat from noon here (it's now just past 11:00 am)! :)

 

The "bind" so he won't turn again!

 

Update on Daniel

 

My mother is coming over to join us for a few hours before Daniel returns home from Kindergarten. They have a fun afternoon planned together which includes dinner at McDonalds -- a huge treat for him! He is excited about meeting his brother but I'm not sure he fully "gets it" yet. From tomorrow his (our!) life will be changed forever and I'm curious to see how he will react to no longer being the "only child"...

 

Daniel is now finishing his 5th week of Kindergarten and is really enjoying it. He gets tired by the end of each week so we need to make sure he is in bed by 7:45 pm and he usually sleeps until 7:30 am. We do homework together after snack every afternoon and then he gets to play -- which often involves going to the playground with his friends from the neighborhood. He has adjusted well to being at school and is learning a lot. Once a week he gets to eat lunch at the school's cafeteria -- not more often because the food is unfortunately not that healthy. He loves it when he can eat there and gets his food all by himself (carries it on a tray) and then takes it to the cashier and enters a "pin number" for his account which he memorized quickly. What  a big boy he is -- I wish I was a fly on the wall to see him in action!

 

OK loved ones, this is the update for now! Your continued prayers are appreciated!

40 weeks and 3 days...

Hi loved ones!

 

The weekend has come and gone and we are still here, waiting for baby boy to arrive. These last 2-3 days I have really become more uncomfortable and often need help to sit and stand up -- baby just feels so heavy now. And I'm tired... not sleeping well at night and having a hard time moving from side to side when lying down. Jonny says he hears me groaning through the night! :) 

 

Anyway, the end is in sight now because yesterday at my midwife appointment we discovered that he was no longer head down but in a transverse position (head to the side and spine down by the cervix)! Aghhh, our boys like to keep things interesting! ;)

 

So here is the plan now: Friday morning at 10:00 am I will have the "version" procedure to try and turn him (I'll be getting an epidural so I'm not worried about the pain). If it works, I will be induced immediately so I can deliver him naturally; if it doesn't, I will have a c-section. So based on this, baby boy should be here by no later than sometime on Saturday! If I go in to labor naturally in the meantime, I'll have to go to the hospital quickly to check if he is head down... if he isn't, they still may try to turn him.

 

So the saga continues and I ask for your continued prayers. Last night when I was praying, God comforted me by reminding me that despite the difficulty in waiting and just feeling so uncomfortable, very soon I would experience great joy in meeting our baby boy. Thinking of this has brought me peace. And just the thought of seeing Daniel meeting his little brother for the first time gives me such joy and excitement! Can't wait to share photos of that moment with you very soon!

Still Waiting!

Hi Loved Ones,

 

Well, I honestly didn't think we would still be waiting for our baby boy to arrive on September 20th but here we are! He continues to be very active and head down (I believe) but I haven't had any consistent contractions yet. On Tuesday my cervix was softer and I was 1 cm dilated... so things seem to be happening. Overall I'm doing well, though at times I feel a little anxious waiting (or just tired of it) so your continued prayers are much appreciated.

 

According to my first scan at 8 weeks I am now 40 weeks and 1 day pregnant, but my midwife reminded me that I'll only be 40 weeks this Sunday based on the first day of my last period. So if I use the latter date (September 22nd), I still have two more days until the expected due date! Somehow knowing that helps me wait more patiently... :)

 

Hopefully sometime this weekend we'll have good news to share!

Good News!!

I had the ultrasound this morning and baby is head down again and the amniotic fluid is better! Thank you for your prayers! I cancelled the appointment I had with the obstetrician this afternoon and now we just have to wait for labor to start naturally... I hope the baby comes sometime this week but I trust my body knows when he is fully ready. I have been having some more painful contractions (especially at night) but they don't stay around for long. And last time I was checked (last Wednesday), my cervix was still thick and no dilation. I'll be 40 weeks this Thursday! Here are some photos of me this morning and of our baby!

 

He's got our lips!

Amazing to see his face!

Chuby cheeks!

Pregnancy Update: 39 Weeks!

Hi Loved Ones,

 

So I'm now 39 weeks pregnant and we are just waiting... My mother and step-father arrived on Tuesday which has given me a lot of peace because I know Daniel will be well taken care of when we have to go to the hospital.

 

I have been feeling very tired and have not been sleeping well at night. But thankfully I have been able to rest as much as I need during the day -- on Wednesday, I officially started my "maternity leave" so I now don't have to worry about work anymore. This past Monday when I had my last ultrasound (because I'm over 35 I have to have them every week starting from 36 weeks), my amniotic fluid was on the low side and I was asked to stay on "bed rest"as much as possible and drink lots of fluid. To our relief on Monday, our baby boy was head down... BUT, when I went to the midwife for my weekly appointment on Wednesday, he was breech again! Just like his big brother who kept turning until the last minute! I was so surprised since I did not feel him turn over and he had been head down for about two weeks.

 

The plan now is that on Monday (if labor doesn't start until then), when I go in for my next ultrasound, if he is still breech and if my amniotic fluid is high enough, I will go and see an obstetrician on the same day who will check if I can have the baby turned manually (everything has to look just right for this to take place, including position of the placenta). If so, I will most likely be admitted to the hospital on the same or next day to try and turn the baby. If he is successfully turned (which is likely given that he is still able to turn alone quite easily), I will be induced immediately so I can deliver him before he turns again. If they cannot turn him, I will have a c-section. We feel this is a good option since I will be well into my 39th week but of course we are praying that labor would start naturally, that the baby would go back to being head down and that my amniotic fluid would be normal. So we do ask for your prayers as well!

 

If he is head down on Monday and the amniotic fluid is OK, we will continue to wait... but we will only be able to make a decision once we have all the information from the next ultrasound.

 

Despite all the uncertainty, I'm at peace and trusting God with His perfect timing. What matters is that soon we will be meeting our baby boy -- so exciting!

Back in July: Butterflies!

Another fun outing we had in July with my dad was a visit to a butterfly garden. Hundreds of butterflies were flying around us, all of different sizes, colors and species. And the butterfly exhibition was inside a beautiful garden which was just a pleasure to walk through. We definitely must go back for a visit since it's only about 15 minutes from our home.

This is the way to the butterflies!

Jonny was fascinated by this large caterpillar -- you could hear it eat!

30 weeks pregnant!

We loved that in the middle of the garden, there was this small "library" that children could borrow a book from during the visit!

Back in July: Blueberry Picking!

On the fourth of July, we went blueberry picking at a farm close to our house. It was our first time and we all loved it! We would definitely like to do this every year from now on. We now have a better idea of what to expect and how to choose better berries -- we realized later that we were in the wrong row and that we could have picked much bigger and riper berries. But they were still yummy and I made a delicious blueberry crumble, after we ate loads of them fresh. My dad said he never thought he would have had the opportunity to pick blueberries and was so impressed with the whole experience. Great to still do "new" things at his age!

29 weeks pregnant!

From a distance looking at the people picking blueberries!

We got to go on a tractor ride to where the blueberries were.

Back in June: My (Ana's) 36th Birthday

As I have become older, I haven't been that excited about my birthday. I used to be like Daniel and just loved to celebrate my birthday. But now I prefer to keep it simple... maybe when I turn forty I'll have a proper celebration. This last birthday was special nevertheless, since my Dad was there and I got to eat a typical Brazilian chocolate cake that was just divine! It was also special to be pregnant on my birthday and have Daniel cuddle up to me when we sang Happy Birthday -- next year will be quite different, since I'll have 2 boys to cuddle!

So happy to have my daddy there with me on the day!

And the Brazilian chocolate cake was better than I had expected!

What a lovely cuddle!

I was 27 weeks pregnant.