Stratton's Debute: Part 2

After we spent some time with Stratton in our delivery room, they moved us to the mother/baby floor where we would spend the rest of our hospital stay. Stratton was wide awake and looking all around. It was fun to have him so alert! Shortly after we got to our room, Bryce's mom and dad and Paige came in to visit. Like everyone else, they thought Stratton was just about the sweetest baby there was! 

{Grandma and Grandpa Roholt}

{Aunt Paige}

 A nurse came in to give Startton his first bath. She gave him a sponge bath on a pad at the foot of my bed. Stratton did not like it at all. He cried for the whole thing. But, we all still thought he was cute! Next, she washed his hair. He was still a bit fussy because of the bath trauma, but he actually liked that part. 

{Stratton's first bath}

{Washing Stratton's head}

 We let our visitors stay for just a minute longer, and then decided to make the first attempt at nursing. It went ok. He latched for a bit on each side and just long enough on one side to give me a little battle wound. The nurse brought me some nipple cream and a nipple shield to help with that. He was able to do much better with the help of the nipple shield. It was great to be with just Stratton and Bryce. It was our new little family! I can still hardly believe it!

{Bryce was immediately in love}

{Happy new Dad!}

{New mom}

{Precious little Stratton}

By now it was like 1 am and we were all tuckered right out! We kept Stratton in our room with us for the first night. He was restless. He kept making little noises and coughing up amniotic fluid. Needless to say, we got little sleep! 

The next morning, Saturday, we got up to go to a breast feeding class. It was good. Breast feeding is something I always knew I wanted to do. I just never realized it was such a project. In my mind it seems like such a natural thing. That mom and baby will both know exactly what to do and do it without a fuss. Not so. Thankfully, I have the help of the nipple shield and I am glad to say nursing is going very well for me and Stratton. It has been a positive experience. 

Throughout the day Saturday, we had several visitors. We did not get pictures of everyone, but thank you to those that came to show support! 

{Grandma and Grandpa Bennington and my aunt Paula}

 We took our first family photo! I think we are a pretty good looking bunch!

{New and improved Roholt family}

 On Sunday we were ready to get our little man home. We got cleaned up, went through some paperwork with the nurse, and headed out. It was funny to think we were taking this little guy home with us to stay. We left without and baby, and walked back in with a baby! So nuts!! And so wonderful! 

{Ready to leave the hospital}

{Welcome Home Stratton!}

{Here we are!}

{Stratton looked so cute in his little outfit!}

 We had more family and friends come over on Sunday evening. Everyone wanted to come admire the new little addition!

{Uncle Curtis and aunt Whit}

{Aunt Tyanna and uncle Trevor}

{The new mom and dad with the new grandparents}

 The few days following Stratton's birth are now a bit of a blur. I wish I would have documented things a bit sooner. Time has just been flying! Here are some pictures of a couple of visitors that made it over to meet the new little man. 

{Aunt Chelsea}

{Uncle Wyatt}

{Great Grandpa Zoellner}

{My aunt Jan}

 We want to thank everyone who has shown us love and support! Thanks to the family and friends that brought us yummy meals to make it through the first couple days. We really appreciate your kindness! 

Bryce and I are still getting used to having Stratton as part of our family. It is certainly an adjustment. But, at the same time, it feels like he fits in perfectly. It seems like he is meant to be here with us! We can't imagine life without him already! We are grateful for the sweet spirit he has brought into our home!

 

Stratton's Debute: Part 1

Bryce and I are proud to announce that our little man has finally joined our family!! Stratton Bryce Roholt was born on June 22 at 8:47 pm. He weighed in at 7.7 lbs and was 20 inches long. We are so blessed to have him!

 At 40 weeks and 3 days I had about given up hope that little Stratton was going to come on his own. I had my membranes stripped for the third time that day and I was still not having the kind of contractions that were going to get a baby here. That same evening, Thursday, June 21, I was talking to some friends and they suggested using a breast pump to stimulate things and try to jump start something. I borrowed one from a friend and also bought some evening primrose oil. I am not really in to home remedies, but I was ready to try just about anything to avoid being induced. 

That night while I was sleeping, I had my first big contraction. It woke me up about 1:30 am. Bryce worked all day Thursday and into the night so he was not home. I breathed through the new sensation and was able to fall back asleep. At 2:30 I woke up with another big contraction. I was glad to see the pump and the oil had got things going. Bryce was still not home. I was able to fall back asleep. Again, at 3:30, I was woken up by a contraction. Bryce was still not home, so I gave him a call. He said he was just around the corner from our house. He got home, got showered, and climbed into bed with me. He fell asleep about 4:30, right when I was having another big contraction. I could not stay in bed any longer, so I got up and sat in the tub for a bit. As the morning went on, contractions kept getting closer together. Because Bryce had worked all day and all night, he slept while I watched Beauty and the Beast and breathed through them. At about 9:30 I told Bryce that he better start getting ready to go because I thought we would be heading to the hospital soon. He got ready, loaded the car, and had a bite to eat. I think at this point both of our heads were spinning. We were about to go have a baby! We had been waiting for this day for months and it was finally here!! We were both so excited! About eleven o'clock we decided it was time to go to the hospital. Contractions were about 5 minutes apart and getting more intense. We said a prayer, took one final picture as a non-parent-couple, and headed out the door.
 

{40 Weeks and 4 Days}

{Right before the hospital}

 We got checked into the hospital and were all settled by about noon. By then, my contractions were about 3 minutes apart and I could hardly bare them. I cried with each one. Bryce and I both knew that labor could last for hours and crying with every contraction was no way to handle it. I decided to get an epidural. The anesthesiologist was wonderful! He was very kind and made us feel comfortable with the choice of having an epidural. Once it was in place, I was glad for my choice. I was able to relax and sleep between contractions and I was able to breath through them when they came. I could still feel quite a bit of pressure on the left side of my belly with everyone, it was rough, but the relaxation and breathing techniques we learned in our Hypnobirthing classes made it bearable.

{Our labor room}

{Best friends waiting to have a baby}

  Our doctor, Dr. Blackett, came in to check me a little before 6. She said I was at 10 cm! She wanted me to do an hour of "Rest and Descend" time to allow my body to continue working on it's own to get the baby further along. After the R&D time, we started to push. It was hard work, but people make this part of labor into much more than it was for me. I would give 3 good pushes with every contraction and was able to rest in between. It was tiring for sure, but the time past quickly and I was excited to get the baby here. It also was more comfortable than the contractions I had been feeling all evening. The anesthesiologist decided that the pain I was feeling with every contraction was probably a result of how the baby was positioned and pushing against me. It was creating a hot spot that was not allowing the medicine in that location. I was grateful the baby had moved far enough down that I was no longer having that pain. I pushed for a little less than 2 hours and my nurse called Dr. Blackett to tell her she could see the baby and she should come back to deliver him.

Dr. Blackett arrived around 8:30 pm and got all prepped for delivery. With one contraction the baby's head was showing. I felt it and I was relieved that he was finally about here. Two more contractions and his head was out. With the fourth, his whole body. He was here!! It was a miracle! They put his blue/purple, perfect, little body on me and I was looking at my baby!! Bryce was standing next to me and I felt so happy as I looked up at him in awe about all that had just happened. It was so peaceful. I knew the nurses and Dr. Blackett were still bustling around us, but I honestly felt like Stratton, Bryce, and I were the only people in the room. I was looking at the perfect little body, completely stunned. He was ours. Forever. And, he was finally here! It was amazing.

 We were able to stay in our delivery room for an hour with Stratton before they gave him some shots and vitamins. He was super alert. It was amazing to have his little eyes looking right back at us. My mom and dad had been at the hospital for the past couple hours so we invited them in to see their new little grandson. They thought he was pretty great!

{Cuddling after he got all cleaned up}

{Meeting Grandma and Grandpa Bennington}

I did not mention Bryce much in my story above. He needs his own excerpt. He was a champion the whole day! With him working all day and all night he was sure tired. And, you know delivering a baby is no Sunday picnic! He was supportive and loving through the entire labor and delivery.He was my best cheerleader. He helped me stay calm and took care of me. He helped me sneek sips of water while the nurses were out, he spoon fed me ice chips, and he held my hand while I cringed through the pain. I think he thought seeing my progress was pretty cool. He gave me a play-by-play as I pushed and we got closer to meeting our little man. Thank you, Bryce for being so wonderful. I don't know how easy this delivery would have been without you! You are already the best dad ever!

{Proud daddy!}

 

39 Weeks

We are getting super close to D Day! I honestly cannot believe this pregnancy has gone so fast. I think we are ready, but I must admit, I don't really know what ready means :) Hopefully we will soon find out! In my mind I associate being close to delivering a baby with being miserable. I am thankful to say that is not at all the case for me. I feel great! Lately I have not been able to sleep through the night, but I still have plenty of energy throughout the day. I think it is the anticipation of greeting our little man that gets me through! We went to the doctor today and for the 3rd week I was told there is little progress. Not exactly what I want to hear. I am 2 cms and 90% effaced. I guess we better start walking more and eating spicey foods! We are so anxious to meet our little man!

{38 Weeks}

{39 Weeks}

{no more naked nursery walls!}

{cute little valance I made for the baby's room}

 

Thats Me!

When I showed up for my first day of work at my new job they had things all ready for me...

{staff assistant desk}

{outside my advising office}

  Ah...now that looks AWESOME! 

Things are going great! I really feel so excited to go to work each day and it has not felt like a burden at all. In fact, I am kinda bumbed that I will be leaving for maternity so shortly after starting. Everyone has been so kind and welcoming so far! I am so happy to be part of the USU College of Agriculture! Go Aggies!

 

Oh that Belly!

I have always thought taking belly pictures would be one of my favorite things during pregnancy. It is always fun to see how people change from week to week. Sadly, when it finally came down to me actually taking the pictures, I was really a slacker! I guess I felt like there was not much to show, so I never really gave it much thought. Luckily, I did manage to take a few. 

So now, for your viewing pleasure, the belly show:

{19 weeks}

{21 weeks}

{31 weeks}

{33 weeks}

{34 weeks}

{35 weeks}

{37 weeks}

Pretty fun! I wish I would have taken more, but I'm glad I have some! I can't wait for our little man to join us!