Today, my nephew is three weeks old. I honestly cannot believe it has been three weeks since I held him for the first time. I can’t believe it’s been three weeks since I watched my sister give birth and become a mother. These three weeks have flown by, and I’m trying to savor every little moment with this tiny baby.

My sister has been breastfeeding Hayden, and he’s definitely a hungry boy! He loves being close to her, and I love watching her look at him with awe as she feeds him. She started pumping the other day (to get him used to a bottle for when she goes to work in a few weeks). She definitely doesn’t want to leave him, but she’s doing what she can as a single mom. Luckily, my family is very close, and my parents will be around to help, as will I.

Hayden is definitely a night owl. He likes to sleep during the day, and he stays up during the night. I think he gets that from my sister. I’m often able to make a short trip to visit after work, and I love holding him after he has been fed. He’s so sleepy at that point, and I enjoy holding him as he falls asleep in my arms. Sometimes, when he’s not tired, he just stares up at me as I remind him how much I adore him and how cute he is.

The other day, on his nineteenth day, I showed up as my sister was putting him in his carseat. (They were about to leave, and she had to finish getting ready.) He was being fussy, so she said, “Aunt Megan is here!” and handed him to me while she got ready, and he immediately stopped crying. He laid his head on my chest and just stared up at me. I love that he’s comforted by me.

He’ll be a month old next week, and the week after that, he goes for his first shots. My sister is nervous that the shots will upset him, of course. It’s just so different seeing her as a mom. I’ve known her since she was born (since she’s twenty-one months younger than me), so I’ve watched her grow up. I feel so lucky to be able to watch her grow as a mother now. It’s so beautiful seeing her care so much about her son.

*All photos taken using the iPhone instagram app. I also used the labelbox app for the labels.

[1 day old]

Friday, I spent 9am-5pm at the hospital with my sister and Hayden, just us three. It was nice to be able to spend alone time with them, and I was glad to help my sister out. She actually tried breastfeeding the night before, and he took right to it. He’s such a good baby! I ended up getting them both to sleep for about two hours before I left for the day, and my dad stayed with them that night.

The hospital allowed them to come home yesterday. I visited them for a couple hours. I was holding Hayden at one point, and he was starting to get hungry. He was searching me for his food supply! It was too cute, and after he ate, he cuddled up and fell asleep. He is just the most precious thing, and I’m already so in love with him. In fact, I woke up early today to finish up some homework, and I’m about to head out for another visit (since I’ll be working this week and the visits will decrease slightly).

[2 days old]

(I won’t be sharing too many private details as this is more my sister’s story to tell, but I’d really like to tell the birth story of my nephew from my perspective. It is something I’d like to look back on for the rest of my life.)

My sister went to the hospital twice with “false alarms.” Well, not really false alarms, but her body just wasn’t ready yet. Thursday morning, however, she woke up in pain. She was texting me about the pain, as was my mom, so I decided on my own to leave work early. At first, I wanted to go home to take a nap because I had a feeling about yesterday, and I wanted the strength to help my sister. Then, instead of turning toward home, I had the urge to go to my parents’ house, so I did. I was planning on telling Mom that if she wanted to take Amanda to the hospital, I would take care of picking up the kids (my brother and cousin) from school. However, when I got to the house, they were gone. I called immediately, and Mom said, “She’s just in so much pain, I’m taking her to the hospital! Can you take care of picking up the kids?” We were obviously on the same page.

I ended up heading home, and I threw some clothes in the wash. I thought I had plenty of time, and Husband was at school still. However, Mom soon text me sometime after 10:55 a.m. to let me know that my sister was at 4cm dilated and starting labor. Her waters were bulging, and she was 90% effaced. I called Husband and told him to head home as I waited for clothes to dry. Finally, my clothes dried and Husband was home. Everyone was calling me, and I have to admit I was getting a bit snappy. When Mom had called, I could hear Amanda screaming in the background, and I started shaking and crying, thinking I wouldn’t make it for her. I put a rush on it. (I won’t say how fast I drove, but it was faster than I should have been driving. I kept my hazards on. The hospital is over an hour away, and we made it in about forty-five minutes, I think.) It was after noon when I arrived, and Husband offered to park the car while I ran to my sister’s room.

When I got to the room, she was yelling. I went immediately to her side and started talking to her. She said, “it hurts!” and I said, “I know.” She came back with a, “YOU DON’T KNOW!” and I said, “You’re right, Amanda. I don’t know how bad it feels. Just remember that this pain is temporary. You’re bringing your baby into this world.” She suddenly had the urge to push. (I had reminded her days before that, even if she felt like she needed to push, she needed to wait until the doctors said it was okay. I guess she remembered this, because she started asking if she was allowed to push.) They told her she was at 8cm (yes, she went from 4cm to 8cm in just a little over an hour!), and that she’d have to wait until she was 9cm.

Amanda wanted an epidural. She wasn’t prepared for the pain (how could anyone be?!), but her platelets were low–due to a blood disorder she had when she was younger, I think–and the doctors didn’t want to risk paralysis. They did, however, give her something else to ease the pain. I remember, at one point, when she was pushing, she was mostly yelling. The doctor told her how ineffective this was and that she was tightening her belly, rather than anything down below. I told her, “listen to the doctor! He will coach you through the pushes. You have to do this for Hayden.” After that, she asked the nurse if she was allowed to push, and her pushes were great! My dad was in the room, too (after Amanda had been yelling, “I WANT MY DADDY!”), and he was counting out the pushes. He did a great job, and he was an amazing coach for her.

I remember that Amanda kept saying, “he’s not coming! When will he be here? It hurts so bad! My back feels like it’s breaking!” I said, “Yes, he’s coming!” The nurse told her that she could see his hair. Amanda started crying and forgot about the pain for a split second, saying, “he has hair?” It was a beautiful moment.

Eventually, knowing I had some time, I took my brother and cousin to grab some lunch in the cafeteria. I also ate because I hadn’t eaten all day. I then rushed back to my sister’s room, and Hayden was crowning at that point! They put a mirror at the end of the bed for her, and I think it really motivated her (plus, some of the pain meds were kicking in) because she wasn’t yelling as much. Any time she started to yell, I rubbed her head, and said “Shhhh, remember to breathe,” and she would stop yelling and start breathing. I kept an ice pack on her head because she was getting hot, and I stroked her hair. At this point, she was pushing about four times, ten seconds each, before taking a break. Finally, the doctors said, “IT’S TIME!” and I couldn’t hold back my tears anymore. The doctors rushed to put the bed in position, and everyone else got into position. Dad was at Amanda’s right side, timing out her pushes. I was at the left, keeping her cool, holding her head, reminding her to breathe. Mom was also at the left, holding her leg and reminding her to breathe, too. (Mom had a great view of Hayden, too!) I kept trying to motivate her between pushes, saying things like, “He’s coming!” and “I can see his head!” and that really helped her out. She pushed and pushed, and his head was finally out! The doctors told her to stop for a minute (I guess so they could turn him?), and then it was time to push again. She pushed (I don’t know how many times), and he was finally here at 2:08 p.m. after less than two hours of pushing (which I hear is amazing for a first-timer). I said, “You did it, your baby is here!” and she started crying immediately. Of course, that caused me to start crying (okay, it was more like sobbing), and I looked up and both Mom and Dad were crying. We heard Hayden’s cry, and Mom cut the cord. Amanda looked at me, and said “I did it! I did it without an epidural!” You could tell she was euphoric, and I thought she had completely forgot about the pain in that moment, but then she said, “I’m never having another one. I’ll just have Hayden.”

Hayden is such a healthy boy. They both had a slight temperature at first, but they were able to get them down. He weighed 8 lb, 8.5 oz and was 20.5 inches long. He has a healthy cry. Later, when Amanda was moved to another room, they finally brought Hayden back in to see her, and his eyes were on his mommy. (She was thinking about trying to breast feed, but in that moment, she decided not to. I told her that it was completely up to her. It’s such a personal choice!) Anyway, she fed him about 10 mL before burping him, then she was getting tired, so I fed him another 17 mL. He’s a healthy eater! I burped him, and he fell asleep in my arms.

I’m already so in love. He’s such a beautiful baby, and he looks so much like Amanda did when she was a baby. I’ve often mentioned how my sister and brother are my “babies.” I’ve always felt so protective of them. Amanda and I are only twenty-one months apart, so we’ve always been close. I’m seriously bubbling with pride right now. She did such an amazing job, and I’m so glad she wanted me there with her. She is an amazing woman, and I know she’ll be a great mother.

Well, I’m sorry of this was long, but I wanted to write about my experience. I’m actually about to get ready and head to hospital again to see Hayden and Amanda. I want to thank every one for all of the well wishes! My sister really appreciates the support. She is now a single mother, so she needs the love and support right now.

P.S. Amanda said to me afterward, “so when will Hayden have a cousin?” and I laughed and said, “After that? It might be a long while!” because OUCH. Birth is definitely a beautiful thing, though.

Also, I’m thinking of allowing blogger friends to chip in their spare change so that I can buy her a pack of diapers/wipes or something else she’ll need from bloggers! If you’d like to add your spare change, let me know!

[N is for Nephew--Part of the Alphabet Project]

Hayden Riley, born at 2:08 p.m. on February 24, 2011. 8 lbs., 8.5 oz and 20.5 inches long.

Birth story (from my perspective) to come.

My sister went back to the hospital last night.

Yesterday, she had her weekly check-up. When she got there, she was between 1.5 cm and 2 cm dilated. The doctor decided to strip her membranes, and they also went ahead and scheduled an induction for Monday/Tuesday if Hayden doesn’t arrive before then.

My sister then made the hour-long drive home and she started having contractions. They ended up being five minutes apart, and she had ten in less than an hour, so Mom took her to the hospital again. I thought that this definitely had to be it! Husband and I packed up the car (again) and made the drive to the hospital. I went to her room, and she looked miserable. Her contractions weren’t “major” according to the monitor, but she was having them really close together. The doctor checked her and she was now 2.5 cm dilated and 70-80% effaced. They said they’d come back in an hour to check again.

An hour finally passed, and they checked and everything was the same. They said they were going to call the doctor to find out what to do next. (They would either a) Let her walk around for an hour and check again; b) Let her walk around for two hours and check again; c) induce her labor; or d) give her a shot of morphine and send her home.) They ended up coming back a while later and said the doctor had decided to send her home. My sister opted out of taking the shot of morphine,  though.

Right now, she’s still having contractions and they’re making her very uncomfortable. The nurse told us to come back when she can’t walk/talk through her contractions OR her water breaks. I just feel bad for my sister because she’s so uncomfortable right now. I just hope she remembers that the pain is temporary and that she will have her beautiful son as a reward through all of this.

Anyway, please keep her in your thoughts! It looks like it might be a long ride.

Monday night ended up being a long night. Husband and I were cooking dinner when my sister called to say she was headed to the hospital. (Her due date is this Sunday, the 27th.) She wasn’t feeling well the other day, and she’s been having back pains for weeks now. Her doctor told her the back pains were due to the position Hayden is in, but when she called Monday night, they told her to go to the hospital (I guess because she’s so close to her due date). (Also, her doctor is on vacation this week, so she’s dealing with a different doctor right now.)

Anyway, I told her to just go ahead without me and let me know what she heard. The hospital is an hour drive from where we live, and I didn’t want to make the drive if it was false labor. Well, after dinner, I was getting anxious, and I knew she wanted me there with her, so Husband and I decided to go. We loaded the car (with my camera, magazines, textbooks for school, etc…) just in case, and we headed to the hospital.

It seemed like it took a while for them to get her into a room, but as soon as we got there, they had called her back. Around 9:30 p.m., the doctor checked her, and she was 1.5 cm dilated (which is the same from her doctor’s appointment last Thursday) and 50% effaced. She was also having contractions (that she wasn’t really feeling, which surprised the doctor a little bit). Her mild contractions were two to three minutes apart, while the major contractions were eight minutes apart and usually lasting thirty seconds or less. After about an hour, they checked her again and nothing had changed.

They called a doctor for a second opinion on what to do, and they ended up deciding to send her home. By this point, it was after 11:00 p.m., and we finally got out of there by closer to 11:30 p.m. We made the drive home, and it was nearly 1:00 a.m. when we finally tucked ourselves into bed.

It was definitely a long, tiring night. (I ended up not even sleeping well because I was so worried that my sister would text me with the real deal.) I knew there was the possibility that they’d send her home, which is why I struggled with the decision to go or stay home. I’m glad I went, though. I know I felt better by being there, and I know my sister was glad I was there. Even though it wasn’t the “real deal” Monday night, it was a great practice run!

It’s really hard to say when Hayden will be here. Like I said, he’s due this Sunday, but who knows! My sister goes to the doctor today, so we’ll know if anything has changed.

I’m just really excited about meeting my nephew, and I know my sister is over-the-moon about it.

Do you have any suggestions on what I could take to the hospital to keep me occupied or to help my sister keep her mind off the pain? I thought about taking my laptop (so she could watch Netflix instant play), but I’m not sure how much stuff is too much stuff.

Update at 2:49 p.m.: My sister had her check-up and she’s now between 1.5 cm and 2 cm dilated. The doctor went ahead and stripped her membranes, and they scheduled an induction for Monday, February 28th, if Hayden doesn’t decide to come before then!

On Saturday, my sister hit the thirty-sixth week mark in pregnancy. This means that my nephew’s due date is now THIS MONTH. (Um, what happened to January?) We also had her baby shower on Saturday, and it was lovely.
It’s really hitting me that in less than four weeks, I’ll be an aunt. My “little” sister will be a mother and will be spending her time taking care of her son. I’m amazed at how quickly these months have flown by. Though I’m excited about meeting my nephew, I want this next month to take it’s time. Even though my sister is excited about meeting her son, I want her to enjoy the last month of her first pregnancy without wishing it away. It’s just a waiting game now. She has been having some contractions, actually, but nothing major. Just one or two a day. It’s amazing to think that he could be here any day now, though. I’m looking forward to holding him and playing with him and teaching him lessons I’ve learned. Most of all, though, I look forward to watching my sister become a mother and navigate her way through this new life she is starting with her little boy. (And you better believe I’ll be taking pictures along the way.)

[B is for Baby Bump -- Part of the Alphabet Project]

[My sister at 22 weeks, 5 days]

[I was able to hear my nephews heartbeat, and it was beautiful]

[The way Loki lays on the chair, with his paws tucked underneath him.]

[The way Eris curls up, so tiny, when she's sleepy.]

[My sister's baby bump at 13 weeks, 2 days. (She'll be 14 weeks on Saturday.)]

[Florida skies and roadtrips.]

[Being with my husband & enjoying the world.]

What are you loving right now?

My sister has been living with me for two weeks now. Since Husband and I have lived alone for a year (the first year of our marriage was spent living with his parents), we’re still getting used to having someone else in the house. I’m so glad that I can give my sister a home right now, though, with her own bedroom and her own space.

[8 weeks]

So far, she’s been doing well. She’s eating better; she’s gaining weight; she occasionally feels nauseous, but even that hasn’t been as bad; she’s applying for jobs; she’s growing (physically & mentally) right before my eyes. I’m proud of her.

She hasn’t been to the doctor yet. In the beginning, she went to the Women’s Care Center to confirm her pregnancy, but her first doctor’s appointment isn’t until August 2nd. By then, she’ll be about ten weeks along, so she’ll have her first sonogram. Right now, the tentative due date is at the end of February, but we’ll know a more accurate date next week. For now, though, she’s approximately nine weeks along, and she’s carrying a baby the size of a green olive. (We’ve been keeping track thanks to an application on my iPod touch.)

[9 weeks]

I’m thinking of trying to talk her into doing a weekly/bi-weekly guest post here with how things are going. What do you think?

*Sorry for the color differences in the two pictures above. They were taken in different rooms with different lighting.