Luke's First Week Home

Luke had his bilirubin levels checked the morning we were being discharged. His level was an 8.2, with above 9 being a concern. So, the next morning we had to take him to the pediatrician to have them checked again. His levels were fine the next morning.

The first 2 to 3 days the twins did not seem to notice Luke all that often. They went about their day as normal. When they would run by the swing, if he was sleeping they would say "shhhh." 

After the weekend, Brandon went back to work and it was just me and the boys. The twins did AMAZING. The only time I had to really explain to them they had to have patience was when I was nursing. Drake had a harder time with this than Hunter did, but Drake is also more of a momma's boy. Luke likes his swing which helps tremendously! I am able to play with the twins and spend time with them while he swings.

After the first couple days home the twins really warmed up to Luke. He is the second thing they ask about in the morning, because they have to ask about daddy first! ;)

They look for him and figure out where he is in the house. They ask to hold him, and stop and talk to him often. They bring him toys to share, and love to give him balls especially. They are getting much better at pronouncing Luke, rather than Kuke.

Luke has fit right into our lives perfectly. He is a happy baby, and very laid back. He only cries when he is hungry. He loves his SnugaBunny swing, and his Rock n Play Sleeper. He sleeps in the Rock n Play at night by my bed. I was not able to have the twins in the room with us because they were very LOUD sleepers. They grunted ALL night. Luke is very quiet, and I am able to sleep with him right by my side of the bed.

My big worry with breastfeeding was if he wanted to nurse constantly, but that has not been an issue. He eats every 3 to 4 hours during the day. He typically has anywhere from a 4 to 6 hour stretch at night. He nurses for around 15 to 20 minutes. He burps after every feed.

He is wearing Newborn size Pampers Swaddlers.

He is wearing Newborn size clothes.

He had an EXPLOSION in his diaper when he was 4 days old. Thank goodness I had him wrapped in a blanket while he was in the swing. I never experienced this with the twins, so he was breaking me in. He has also peed on my several times, which never happened with the twins.

The twins like to stand at the bath tub while Luke gets his sponge bath. He has had 3 since we have been home. Two of them due to randomly spitting up one afternoon. He had never spit up before, but he projectile spit up after 2 feeds. I had fish for the first time since nursing the night before, so I am unsure if the 2 are related. I plan to steer clear of seafood just in case. I don't like it all that much anyways :)

He lost his cord at 10 days old.

He is starting to peel on his hands and feet. His ankle is especially peeling from one of the hospital anklets being ridiculously tight. As soon as I realized how tight it was I cut it off, but not soon enough.

Just before his first bath!

Drake

Mommy and Drake reading !

Hunter and Daddy talking!

Luke getting some sunlight when we were concerned about his bilirubin levels!

Luke's first bath at home!

Proud brother Drake!

Sweet brothers ! My three boys :)

Drake figured out his toy from Aunt Kitty !

Drake and Luke

Hunter and Luke

Drake is proud of his puzzle!

Hunter and Luke

Drake being a ham!

Hunter watching Luke!

Luke's Birth Story

When I was 38 weeks 1 day I was woken up at 5 am with the worst migraine I have ever had in my life. I could barely walk to get to the medicine cabinet for tylenol. I woke Brandon up while I was stumbling around. As soon as I took the tylenol I got sick. I remembered the nauseau and head ache are symptoms of pre-eclampsia so I called the answering service to be sure I did not need to go in. They said I needed to come in to be sure it was not a blood pressure issue.

I call Brandon's mom to come sit with the boys until it is time to take them to Sandy. She comes over immediately, and we head to the hospital. Of course, this is right at rush hour traffic in Houston. When we arrive my best friend Krystil Burney is my nurse. It was great to have a friendly face. She checked my blood pressure and it was fine. I was given an IV with fluids and the head ache subsided. I was contracting every 6 to 7 minutes, but they were not painful. They kept me several hours and released me around 1 pm. I started losing my mucous plug this day since I was contracting so much. That evening my contractions got closer, 3 to 4 minutes apart consistently. They still were not unbearable, so I did not go to the hospital. I contracted all night.

The contractions were gone by the next day, so it was false labor. I was not too disappointed. I was really hoping to go into labor on my own to avoid a c-section. Not because my c-section was bad because honestly I had a great recovery. I was more concerned with my limitations. Not being able to lift the twins out of their crib being my biggest issue. So, I started walking, bouncing on a yoga ball, taking Evening Primrose Oil, eating Pineapple, eating Hot Cheetos, etc. Basically any old wives tale that may put me in labor :) Over the course of the next couple days I lost all of my mucous plug.


On Wednesday 3/13 I woke up at 5 am because Drake had set off his Barney book in his crib. It was playing songs through the monitor. I went to use the restroom and had quite a bit of blood. I went and woke Brandon up saying I think we are having a baby today. His reply, "Am I going to work?" I told him we would wait and see what the next hour was like. I went and called the answering service and explained what had happened. While on the phone I had a painful contraction. They told me I needed to head in and get checked. So, I called my mom and she headed over to sit with the twins until Sandy could get them.

I started to contract regularly while we were waiting on my mom, and OH MY GOSH were they painful. Not like the week before. I was walking through them, breathing, etc. I did not want Brandon to talk to me while I was having one. I told him this better be the real thing because I am not coming home in this kind of pain. I was 39 weeks that day and I would have a c-section before I was willing to be sent home. I was in so much pain. My OB was out of town for spring break, and the one day I could NOT go into labor was Tuesday 3/12. The doctor on call this day will not do VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean) When we arrived to the hospital they say they are calling that Dr. I nearly had a heart attack. I asked immediately why that Dr was being contacted. He had 30 minutes left in his shift. Thank goodness. I wanted to at least have the chance to try for my VBAC. They checked me and I was 3 cm dilated and 60% effaced. This was definitely progress since the previous week. The on call doctor that came on at 7 am came in to speak with me. He addressed the VBAC risks, and said he would need to contact my doctor's office because it is not listed in my chart whether my incision is horizontal or vertical on the inside. If it was vertical, I would be having a c-section. Thankfully, he was told it was horizontal and we were given the go ahead. So, he told me I had to have an epidural immediately because he wanted to place a monitor on the babies head to be able to tell how strong the contractions are and we would know immediately if something happened and I needed a c-section. Sounds good to me, I am NOT trying to be superwoman here :) He also ordered that my water be broken to speed up the process. This was all decided by 9 am. I got my epidural, which was easy. I had no issues with it when I had it for my c-section, so I was not worried. We waited until noon for the doctor to break my water and place the monitor. They got busy, and it felt like forever waiting. I especially wanted this process to pick up the pace because the following day was my nephew Aiden's 3rd birthday. I really wanted them to have their own birthday's and not have to share.

At noon I was still dilated to a 3 and 70% effaced. So, the doctor ordered pitocin. At first, I completely stressed out because my OB had told me several times I could not have pitocin. So, I talked to him about it before consenting and he said pitocin could not be used to start my labor, but could be used once I was in labor. I consented to having the pitocin.

I was exhausted in the afternoon. I slept most the afternoon!

They checked me at 3:00 and I was 6 cm dilated and I have no clue what the effacement was. I had a head ache throughout the day that was not getting better. They were scared to give me Tylenol since I had not eaten. They thought it would make me throw up.

They checked me at 5:40 and I was 9.5 cm and fully effaced. They said the baby was still at a -2 station meaning he was very high. The doctor said he would check back in 20 minutes. So, at 6:00 the nurse checked me and I was 10 cm and ready to push. The nurse called and let the doctor know we were going to be practice pushing. She told me be prepared to push for an hour.


I had Brandon, my nurse, and my birth session photographer in the room for delivery. I pushed one time, and the nurse told me I had them fooled. She was able to see his hair on the first push. I pushed a second time and she was able to see most of his head. She told me to stop she was calling the doctor. I sat up and told them it was so hard to push with a head ache. I felt like my brain was going to come out my ears. As soon as I finished my sentence I asked for a bed pan. The nurse and Brandon were standing by me holding it. I threw up 3 times, and heard "Oh my god, we have a baby!" from the nurse. Apparently Luke had made his way into the world while no one was looking! We were all in complete shock. He was out from near his elbows up. I had no idea what to do. I told her I would not push anymore. She laughed and told me go ahead. He came right out, and started crying on the bed. Mind you, the bed was not even broken down as a labor and delivery bed where the bottom is taken off. The nurse had Brandon press the "Staff Assist" button above my head. Immediately several nurses rushed the room. They took Luke over to the warmer and started doing his assessments. I was so excited to see his rolls! The doctor made his way in a couple minutes later. He was very understanding about the situation. He was the one I delivered my placenta with, and he sewed me up from the tear that Luke gave me.

Luke Arthur Olive

3/13/13

6:09 pm

8lb 7 oz

19.5 Inches

Our Family

On his way home :)

All in all, I had an amazing VBAC experience. Total labor was 13 hours. My recovery has been absolutely perfect. Breastfeeding is going really well. When Luke was disharged he weighed 7 lb 14 oz. The twins had a hard time in the hospital, but I expected that. They are terrified of their pediatrician's office. So, the hospital freaked them out. Once we got home, they adjusted perfectly. They adore their baby brother. They ask for him as soon as they wake up, and ask to hold him. They tell me to "Shhhhh" if he is asleep.



38 weeks { LUKE }

My last pregnancy is coming to an end. It is a bittersweet feeling.

At 34 weeks I was sent for an ultrasound to see if Luke was still measuring larger than average. He was still nearly 2 weeks ahead, and weighing in at 6 lbs. They told me it could be off by as much as half a pound. I gave birth to the twins a week later, and they were 5 lbs 10 and 5 lbs 11. So, I figure it was probably pretty accurate.

The heartburn has really kicked in this last trimester. I have Braxton Hicks contractions which I never had with the twins. I actually have back pain and hip pain. I never had this with the twins. I feel like I am experiencing more "normal" pregnancy symptoms this time around. My pregnancy with the twins was easy. Yes, I was on bed rest at 27 weeks, but I never had ANY pain. Ever. Until the day I went into labor. Some of Luke's movements actually make parts of my stomach tender. Again, I never had that with the twins!

At 35 weeks I was not dilated at all. She checked me because I had to leave work because I was in so much pain I knew I could not actively monitor during our benchmark. It was mainly lower back and lower stomach pain. We think he may have been starting to drop and that is what caused my level of uncomfort.


We were supposed to take Maternity pictures at 35 weeks, but the weather was cold and the boys woke up sick. So, that did not happen. We rescheduled for 36 weeks.


At 36 weeks I was dilated 1 cm. She said with me being a second time mom, she would have been happy with more progress. I was fine with the progress.

We went to take maternity pictures. The boys still had some what of a runny nose. THey woke up in a great mood, so we got dressed and headed to take pictures. Oh. My. Gosh. Once we arrived they hit meltdown mode FAST. Our photographer is who keeps them during the week and one of my best friends. I cannot imagine how much worse it would have been with anyone else. They did not want to stand near me, sit near me, smile, etc. I was at the point of giving up, but Sandy kept telling me I was going to want these pictures. So, Brandon went walking with the boys and she took some photos of me by myself. We were then able to get a couple of the boys and I. In the end, her daughter Natalie sat in the car with them and Sandy took some photos of Brandon and I. The picture of the boys kissing my belly that I have dreamt about having ... ya that was NOT gonna happen.

At 37 weeks I was dilated 1 cm and my cervix was softening.

At 38 weeks I was dilated 1.5 to 2 cm and my cervix was making progress. She said she could definitely tell a difference since my last appointment. She also stripped my membranes at this appointment.

Two days later I woke up around 5 am with the most horrific migraine I have ever had in my life. I could barely walk. I tried to take Tylenol and immediately started throwing up. The pain was excruciating. So, I called the doctor and asked what I needed to do. They wanted me to come in and be sure I was not developing pre-eclampsia. I called Brandon's mom to come sit with the boys until Sandy would get them around 8. Brandon drove me to the hospital because I knew I could not drive. Thankfully, I was not developing Pre-E. I was contracting every 6 to 7 minutes. So, I got an IV to help with the nauseau and stayed until around 1 pm. Throughout the day I lost my mucous plug, so we knew the contractions were actually making progress.

That evening the contractions became 4 minutes apart. They were becoming painful and hurting in my stomach and back. I called the doctor again, and they said to wait until I was unable to speak during a contraction. Around 3 am, the contractions slowed down and I was able to sleep. Since then, I have not had them as strong or consistent. So, Mr. Luke is not ready to make his appearance, and that is okay with me as of right now. I am really praying I do not make it to my scheduled c-section on March 20th at 9:45 am, but if I do that is okay too. I was hoping to not have a c-section strictly due to wanting to be able to lift the twins sooner and be more active with them.

My OB did not get to deliver the twins since they came on Easter. She is now out of town for Spring Break. So, I am unsure if she will deliver me this time depending if and when I go into labor. My 39 week appointment will be with Dr. Cooper, a different doctor in the practice that I did meet while on bed rest with the twins when he was on call for rounds. On Tuesday March 12th, the one doctor in the practice that will NOT perform a VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean) is on call. So, I am praying to not go into labor on this day!

So, I am 9 days away from my c-section. I am walking, bouncing on an exercise ball, eating pineapple, eating spicy foods, taking Evening Primrose Oil, and doing basically any old wives tale that may help Luke to enter this world before the 20th :)




Here are my maternity pictures from 36 weeks ...

Luke's Dr. Seuss Nursery

When we found out we were having a boy, I was deciding between a Dr. Seuss nursery and a camoflauge nursery. After seeing this bedding on Pinterest, I was leaning towards Dr. Seuss!

I ordered it from Momma's Boytique and she did a FANTASTIC job. I made a few changes to the one she had listed, and she was completely open to changing it. 

Then, I came across this nursery on pinterest, and fell in love! Basically everyone thought I was nuts when I said I wanted to paint his nursery turquoise.

I found some of the details on Etsy, and others on Amazon.

I ordered the custom switch plate from this Etsy shop. I also ordered my Thing 1 and Thing 2 decal from the same shop.

The custom changing pad cover is from this Etsy shop. I also have the red one. They fit well and hold up in the wash!

The decal is from Etsy. The shelves are spice racks from IKEA. The diaper bag, Cat in the Hat toy stacker, and lamp were all found on amazon. 

The Cat in the Hat decal is from this shop on Etsy.

The prints that are framed I ordered on Zulily when there was a Dr. Seuss event. They are also on Amazon. I bought the white frames at Wal Mart. 

The decal above Thing 1 and Thing 2 is from Amazon.

I found these wall decals at Target. They are cute, but not my favorite. These are not the best quality. 

My boppy cover is custom from this Etsy shop. I have since ordered another one as a gift. I highly recommend paying the extra $8 for the zipper. I did not realize you could do this, and it is a PAIN to get on and off!! Nonetheless, I absolutely love it and use it all the time!