Neil holding and feeding his baby brother for the first time! Note their coordinating outfits (just kidding!).
Physically speaking, I am doing extremely well. I have always healed quickly from my surgeries, so I was hoping that this time would be the same, but I certainly didn't want to assume, especially considering the surprises of this pregnancy. But, true to form (Praise God!), I am healing very well and very quickly, as far as I'm concerned. I have taken less pain medicine than ever before which is a pretty good indicator of where I am.
There are, however, a few odd physical problems that remain...
My headaches...they have persisted here and there, and that is frustrating. When I forget to take my blood thinner (which has happened several times, oddly enough), my headache shows up. Now, maybe that's all in my head (no pun intended), but it just seems strange that that is the time I get my headaches, and almost always in the same place, around my left temple.
My cough...I have a persistent and terribly annoying cough. Now, prior to Wednesday morning, I had absolutely no cough or signs of a cold at all. But beginning sometime after the delivery, my voice went all strange on me. Sometimes when ordering hospital food on the phone, the cafeteria staff couldn't understand me. I figured it was nothing, but it continued. Eventually my voice got better, but I still have this cough. Coughing + c-section incision = not fun.
My vision....for those of you who know the story of our Hunt, you will remember that I had vision problems in my left eye, likely as a result of a blood clot which led to a stroke which led to high blood pressure. After Bart was delivered, I noticed that my vision wasn't quite right, which of course, concerned me. While I was in the hospital, I couldn't exactly pinpoint the problem, only that something wasn't quite right. After getting home, I noticed that my right eye vision was steady but that my left eye seems to be having trouble focusing? I'm still not sure exactly, but something isn't quite right. It does seem to be getting a little better by the day, but it's an odd, unsettling problem to have.
My incision...the pain at the incision site is minimal, and for this I am so thankful. If I push myself during the day and don't rest, I am definitely hurting by evening, but on Day 8 after surgery, I really couldn't hope to feel any better than I do. I am up and down stairs with relative ease, and I can bend over with hardly any pain (way less pain than when I had the babies in there!). So great!
Please pray...
-that my incision would continue to heal well.
-that my vision would get more and more clear as the days go by.
-that my headaches would subside (and that I wouldn't forget to take my blood thinner!).
-that my cough would GO AWAY!
And now, for the precious little baby lying here next to me.....
Bart oftens puts his hands up to his face, like he's contemplating some of life's great mysteries. And he almost always has a furrowed brow.
Here's how you can be praying for Bo...
Bart is tiny. He was born at 5 pounds, 10 ounces; dropped to 5 pounds; and increased his weight to 5 pounds, 3.5 ounces before leaving the hospital. On Monday at the doctor, he was down to 5 pounds, 3 ounces, but yesterday, he was up to 5 pounds, 5 ounces. Our pediatrician was happy with that, saying that he needs to be gaining an ounce a day.
It was explained to us at the hospital that some "borderline babies" (babies born right on the 36/37 week full-term border) will act older than they are, some younger. Bart seems to be acting younger and, agreed our pediatrician yesterday, even looks younger than he is. One way that this shows itself is through his eating habits...he's just not strong enough yet to be suckling appropriately. Because of this, I am pumping, and we are supplementing with formula when needed--all on top of the normal breastfeeding schedule.
Please pray that Bart would grow! Right now the only clothes he can wear are size Premie--those are made for up to 5 pounds. Newborn clothes are for 5 to 8 pounds, and 0-3 month clothes are for 8 to 11 pounds. I should post a picture so you can see the difference in clothing size....he would be absolutely swimming in a 0-3 month onesie right now!
Also, pray for us as we undertake the demanding breastfeed/supplement/pump schedule. He is doing really well overall, but obviously we need his growth to be moving in the right direction.
Physically speaking, we really are doing well. How thankful are we for this??! So thankful!
Thank you for praying with us for these specific things...God hears our prayers, and He will answer!
Beth colored these pictures for Bart, with a little help, so I hear. They were on the wall waiting for him when we got home from the hospital. She "scribble scrabbled" the one on the right because she "thought that Bart would like it more since he's a baby". That was so thoughtful!
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