Monday, January 05, 2009

Koen Jacob Daniel Chapman

*warning: one graphic picture half way down!!*

Koen (dutch spelling of Cohen which seems to have confused a lot of people? Means brave/daring...I just like the sound of it)

Jacob (my dad's name)

Daniel (Gary's dad's name)

9lbs 7oz, 20 inches, 10:30am, January 2nd

January 2nd, we went in for our scheduled C-section.
We were bumped a bit as it was the first day after a holiday but finally at 9am, they started wheeling me down to the OR. I had a fabulous team in there that made sure I was super comfortable. I actually really enjoyed the surgery as I asked lots of questions and even got to see the exceptionally large placenta and cord (no pics, sorry!). Gary was able to get some shots of Koen's head and body coming out of my abdomen and he said I should post one so don't say I didn't warn you:)

(they first grabbed him out under his ear so that is why it looks all crinkly)
When they pulled him out and I heard him cry (10:30am), I totally started crying. Then, the doctor announced it was a boy! I kept crying (for happiness, don't worry!). They let me hold him for a long time and then Gary went with him upstairs to the nursery.
I started getting nauseous but the anesthesiologist quickly pumped me up on some drugs and I felt great (ish). I was in recovery for one hour. I could wiggle my toes after 30 minutes but because they had given me nausea meds, I had to wait a bit longer. Sure enough, as soon as they were wheeling me upstairs I felt super nauseous again so we had to take our time. If I took more meds, I would've had to wait another 30 minutes. By the way, vomitting with an incision like that=no fun!!!
I had guessed that if we had a boy, he would be 9 lbs 2oz, well, he was 9 lbs 7oz. When they pulled him out I felt so light! I could tell he had a huge midsection. He is a whole 2 inches shorter than Kai was but has chubbier legs:) When I got back up to the maternity ward, it was a bit stressful as his blood sugar levels were so low. They had warned us before hand that if it was low they would like to supplement with formula and I gave the okay on that. What a fiasco that first 24 hours would be. Every 2 hours or so, I would feed him for 20 minutes and then Gary would give him a bottle of formula (he drank soooooo much...a 30-40mL bottle no problem at each feed). He was not latching on to me very well because I think he was confused between the two sources of food but our nurse was quite adamant. We also have realized since then that he is slightly tongue tied. Each nurse that came in over that 24 hours had different advice and I think I got quite mad at one. If one more person tried to man handle me, I would've lost it! He pooped 6 times that first day and has continued to do well in that department:) So, first night, I got 2 hours sleep. Oh ya, before each feed, they would prick his heel to measure his blood sugar. He must've been pricked about 8 times. Finally at 5am, on the second morning, he passed the blood sugar test and we weaned him off the formula!
Kai came to visit several times. He was interested in Koen for about 30 seconds (He said `Hi baby Koen') and then went wild in the hospital room. He is not yet home and I'm kinda savouring the last few hours of quietness! Everything is kind of a blur but family visited, my milk came in like crazy (grrrr....thought engorgement wasn't supposed to happen the second time around), my cold was my largest concern as coughing was causing great pain with my incision. Last night was crazy again as I only slept 3 hours due to my cold and attempting to pump/feed/take care milk issues. He was eating every 1-2 hours. My recovery from the C-section itself is going well and I have to remind myself to take it easy as I feel too good in some ways (I say that now but 2 days ago I was in a lot of pain).
So far, Koen is much more relaxed than Kai was (woohoo!!!!!! Please let this continue!!!). He will stop crying immediately if he is held and I'm praying this will continue. I feel more emotionally stable this time around and Gary and I can't stop staring at him and announcing how cute he is! Hard to say who he looks like but I see some of Kai and myself in him. He's got the Dekens dimples...woohoo! He really hasn't opened his eyes much yet but he did take a few glances at me when feeding at night. He takes much longer to feed but I think he is still figuring it all out. Well, better rest up before our wild toddler comes home!!!

23 comments:

  1. WoW!! What a beautiful litle boy! Congratulations!

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  2. That is wonderful! He is beautiful! Much larger than the baby I saw delivered by c-section. I'm glad things are going well for you. I hope you are able to rest. Blessings. Ash

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  3. Okay, Annika was looking at the pictures of Koen before I realized the c section pic was there...needless to say she was a little weirded out. He is a very cute baby and I hope he does stay good for you :o) Happy mom = happy husband and family.

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  4. Anonymous3:15 PM

    De-lurking to congratulate you on the birth of baby Koen! I love the name, and he's a handsome little fellow! (You don't know me - I clicked onto your blog somehow through like 3 or 4 other ones, starting with my cousin Heather Toews', but I've been reading your blog for a few months) God bless!

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  5. Anonymous3:16 PM

    Congratulations! I love the pictures (even the graphic one lol). I hope you guys are able to adjust smoothly with this new addition to your family.

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  6. Anonymous4:12 PM

    Congratulations!!!

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  7. Congrats again! Love, love, love his name. And I think the shot of Koen coming out of your belly is awesome. Catching that moment of them first coming in to the world is priceless. I love the picture my mom got of Livi crowning. It's a little more revealing though and only gets shown to those who ask...

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  8. Your photo of the three of you after the c-section looks almost the same as Kai's! Gary looks like such a proud Daddy in both! :)

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  9. The story and the photos had me tearing up a little... beautiful. I'm so happy for you guys.

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  10. Anonymous5:52 PM

    Congratulations!
    ...and that is by far the coolest picture ever!

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  11. Anonymous6:08 PM

    Congratulations! He is adorable... all curled up and looking comfy on Gary. Hope you get enough relaxation time and enough cuddle time with Koen and enough sleep time to keep sane! God's blessings in the new year for your entire family!

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  12. Congratulations from the Campbells! What a cute little guy. I love the name - Cohen was on that "future baby name list" that Mike and I love to toss around! Good luck with the sleep!

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  13. Anonymous8:25 PM

    Congrats Gary and Louise! He is absolutely perfect and adorable! All the best to you guys...we know you'll have many joyful years with your boys!! :)

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  14. Anonymous8:26 PM

    sorry Louise....forgot to sign off on your note!

    Cath, Sean and Olivia Tucker

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  15. Congratulations!!! We are so happy that all went well. Looking forward to hearing how Kai adjusts and seeing your family grow :)

    Michelle and Brian

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  16. Congrats! He's adorable and I love the name!

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  17. Congratulations, looks like a nice healthy baby!

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  18. Congratulations, you guys!! So happy all things went well. We were thinking of you and praying for you. Welcome baby Koen!

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  19. CONGRATS!!!! Koen is an awesome name and he is SUCH A CUTIE!!! hope the recovery goes well. blessings to you guys!

    ps...what photo of him coming out is really cool! thanks for sharing!

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  20. congrats! he's super cute! seeing kai with him, i think they totally look alike. i'm so gald you have another boy. two of a kind is so much fun!

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  21. somehow weezer, you look pretty good in the pic of you on the OR table, considering what you just went through! Hm! Good stuff!

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  22. Anonymous5:49 PM

    Congratulations on little Koen!

    Lynn

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  23. Wow that was a great photo to get of him coming out! He looks more like 37 weeks to me with all that vernix! Wowzers you might have been pregnant for 2+ weeks still! Then he really would have been a big baby!
    So glad to hear your all bonded and feeling good this time!
    Lots of love to you 4.
    Red
    O and dont listen to the ones who tell you not to pump that access milk! If it sits in there you run the risk of mastitis...once your body figures out how much Koen needs it will slow down on production to match the needs. Hot showers, hot compresses, keeps it flowing!
    Nice job Louise I'm so proud of you, youre a great mamma!

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