Annabelle 1 Month

1 month!

3 days old

This month has flown by. I can't believe that my sweet baby girl is already 1 month old. She is such a beautiful baby that has brought our family so much joy. Annabelle was 7lbs when she was born and weighed 6lbs. 10oz. when we left the hospital. It's normal for babies to lose weight, no big deal. The doctor wanted to see her the next day to check her weight again. Due to the icy weather we were unable to make that appointment. So, we went on Monday. She still was losing weight and needed to be seen again later the same week.

1 week old

I had decided during the pregnancy that I was going to nurse Annabelle. She had trouble latching at the hospital but the few times she did, she did great. So we kept going when we got home. She struggled to latch but when she did, she nursed for about 20 minutes every 2 hours or so. I thought she was getting enough because there really is no way to measure how much they eat when they are breastfed. She consistently had wet and dirty diapers. Unfortunately she still wasn't gaining weight. Her weight dropped to 6 lbs. 2 oz. The doctor was concerned. She told me to supplement with formula. The nurse sent us home with a few sample cans to get us started.

2 weeks old

So I continued to nurse Annabelle, then gave her a bottle afterwards for each feeding. I didn't think it was going to bother me giving her formula but it did. I sat with her and cried as I nursed her, then gave her a bottle, then pumped. That took 1 1/2 hours! And then I had to do it all again in another 30-45 minutes. All the while I could hear my boys in the living room arguing with each other. I really struggled with the decision to stop nursing her and just give her formula. I had posted on Facebook my struggle and had an out pour of support from my friends. One comment really brought things into perspective for me.She reminded me that God gave me a healthy, pregnancy, an uncomplicated birth, and a beautiful healthy baby girl. He didn't however give me the capability to nurse my children. I made the decision that was best for Annabelle, for me and the rest of my family. Even with this new precious baby, I am a mom to 3 boys who need me.

Valentine's Day

Now that Annabelle is a formula fed baby, things have returned to normal. Normal? Wrong word. Things have settled down as we all adjust. Annabelle has reached her birth weight and then some. At her 1 month check up, she weighed a whooping 8 lbs. 7 oz. She's getting to be a big girl! She eats 4 oz every 4-5 hours and has slept for about 5 1/2 almost 6 hours at night now that she is swaddled. Maybe next month she will move to her crib in her room. 

Welcome Annabelle Joy

January 23, 2013 @ 9:48 am Annabelle Joy Knott entered the world and completed our family.

Here's her story, it's quite the adventure!

I woke up at 5:45 to the pain of a contraction. The contractions were about every 5 minutes. Now, all the baby information says to wait until you have contractions every 5 minutes for an hour before calling the doctor. Are you kidding me?! I called right away, knowing my previous deliveries happened very quickly. I simply informed the operator that I wasn't waiting and I was going to the hospital now. 

I woke Steven up and told him it's time. He quickly showered and got dressed. I called my mom and Steven's parents to let them know we were going to have a baby today.  I woke up the boys and told them to get ready, I paced around the house knowing that mine and Annabelle's bags were already packed but I had nothing ready for the boys. I packed clothes for Phillip, crayons and coloring books, VSmile and his Whizz Kid. The boys were very excited knowing that their sister was going to be born.

We all got in the van that very chilly morning and headed down the street. I heard a noise coming from my van  as Steven drove. A familiar sound but not a good sound. We got to the gas station by the house and found we had a flat tire. WHAT?! So Steven filled the tire and we drove back home to get his car. Contractions were still every 5 minutes and very uncomfortable. We drove back home, unloaded the van and quickly got into Steven's car to find out that the gas light was on. We had to stop again at the gas station.  

From our house to Wake Med Cary is about 16 miles. On a normal day it takes about 20-25 minutes to get there driving up Hwy 55 and over US 1. This morning we got stopped at almost EVERY red light between home and the hospital. I think we went through maybe 1 or 2. 

We finally made it to the hospital. Steven walked me inside and I went to registration. He went out to park the car and bring the boys in. Since we had come in the week before, almost all the paperwork was complete. I never had to go to registration before. I was always taken back to a delivery room. 

I got settled into my room at 6:55. I was told that Deb was the mid-wife on call. I had no idea who she was, never met her before. I was checked and was told that I was between 5-6 cm. I really hadn't made much progress from the week before when I was discharged at 4cm. I was hooked up to the monitors and was told to relax. My mom and Steven were both with me. I was given the option of sitting in the bathtub. I had never done that before and thought it would help me through the contractions. The hot water felt great but I think to caused things to progress more quickly. 

At 9am I was 8cm. This was the longest labor of all my children. I had opted not to have any pain medicine. I wanted to have a natural birth again. I had felt the urge to start pushing. 9cm @ 9:18.

The urge to push was getting greater. I was told to start pushing at 9:30. My mom and Steven were both very encouraging and helping me through the pain. All the pain was worth it and ended at 9:48 when she was born. Ten long little fingers, ten long little toes. She was perfect!!

Steven and I used the phone and did FaceTime with the boys to introduce them to their new little sister. They were not allowed to come back and see us due to hospital policy during flu season. They were so excited!!