Sawyer's First Office Visit

What an exciting day we had today! We had a pediatrician appointment at 9:30. I've found that it's a lot more work to get a baby ready than I ever would have thought. I packed the diaper bag about three times before I felt like I had everything that he would need (for a 20-minute car ride no less). Then I didn't allow myself enough time to get ready I don't think. I forgot that I couldn't just grab anything out of my closet. I ended up wearing a denim maternity dress, but it's comfortable. I knew that I'd look at least six months pregnant after leaving the hospital, but it's still a surprise. Now I'm wearing a T-shirt and my Umbro shorts. It feels so good to get out of the gowns that I've been wearing the last couple of days. They make me feel like I'm sick when I don't feel sick in the least.

I am being hounded by Lorne, Mom, and Dad to keep my feet up. They are incredibly swollen. I'm going to post a picture but I don't know if it will do my feet justice. It's crazy because I had no swelling the entire pregnancy and now this. My fingers are a little swollen but nothing like my feet and calves. I have a kind of funny story. When I got home from the hospital I tried on my Aggie ring to see if it fits again yet. When I told Lorne I had tried on my ring he said, "Oh, your wedding ring?" I sheepishly responded, "No, my Aggie ring." I DID work harder for that ring after all. :) I'm glad that I had them sized before I got pregnant because it's a tangible reminder of how slender my fingers had become. It doesn't fit yet in case you're wondering, but I know I'll get there! Same with my wedding ring too.

The swelling may also be due to not going to Curves in a week. I'm really going to miss working out over the next six weeks. I'll also miss all of the ladies there. I'll still be able to walk with Rosie really soon I think. I feel stronger and stronger each day. I was planning on at least walking our block today when I realized that my feet are too swollen for my tennis shoes! How sad is that?

The appointment went really well. I really like Dr. Darrow. I knew that I would based on our interview in March, but it's totally different when she's working on my son. He now weighs 6 lbs 3 ounces so he's lost 10% of his birth weight, but that is normal. He is expected to return to 6 lbs 15 ounces in two weeks. I'm going to save the appointment receipt because they circled "Underweight" on the form. I want to show it to him when he is 6'3 and 200 pounds. :) The most important thing is that he is 19 3/4 inches long, not 18 3/4 which is what they measured in the hospital. I KNEW that they didn't measure him correctly. We decided that the nurses had more important things to do at the time than measure the little man. I'd rather they stabilized his breathing than get his measurements correct I must admit.

I only had nineteen questions for the doctor so I was proud of myself. I couldn't believe how nervous I felt as I filled out the paperwork in the waiting room. Would he be okay? Are we taking the best care of him? I was also nervous as we walked to the lab to have his bilirubin level checked. Dr. Darrow wanted to make sure that he wasn't jaundice as he has a hint of yellow on his face and about half of his chest. The tech pricking his heel commented on how strongly he was pressing against his hand. Mom has also been saying how strong he is. They considered his blood work "Stat" so they called back this afternoon and his level is 11.6. When the number is under 12 it is not considered jaundice so that was a relief.

We have a lactation consultation at Pediatric Place with a pediatric nurse practitioner tomorrow morning. He is considered a "Feeding problem" too. I think that there were other factors there, but I am embracing the idea of a one-on-one consultation nonetheless. I enjoyed every single one of them while in the hospital.

Lorne and I made a trip back to Presbyterian to the gift shop called A Mother's Gift. They sell breast pumps and all the equipment. The neat thing about this store is that they offer a 20% coupon if you deliver there. I was also allowed to have the tax removed because Dr. Watts wrote a prescription. Therefore I got a $320 breast pump for $252! What a deal right? Right! :) I can't wait to learn how to use it tomorrow! Okay, enough breast talk!

Here are some pictures:


Sawyer being checked by nurse Barbara. We were introduced to all the Aggie nurses since she noticed Lorne's Maroon Out shirt.


Dr. Darrow checking Sawyer's heart. He was NOT happy about being in only his diaper.


One pooped out baby. Aunt CoCo notice the Bugs on Board!


My swollen feet and tree trunk calves. Yuck!