Kaitlynn's Homecoming - Week 1

Kelly and I have had a great first week with Kaitlynn. She is such a joy & blessing and is the apple of our eye! We're definitely bias to our baby girl, but she's had a fantastic first week and we wouldn't change anything about it!


Kaitlynn Leane Crawford
*August 20, 2009*

Thursday - Sunday morning
Thursday, August 20, 2009:
We had to spend 3 days & nights at Northside Hospital for our delivery. We had a scheduled C-Section that went very well and helped welcome our baby girl into the world on Thursday, August 20, 2009 at 5:23pm. She weighed in at 5lb. 14oz. at birth. By Thursday evening at her midnight weight check, she had lost 1oz. and was down to 5lbs. 13oz. Thursday was a great day! Not only were we finally able to meet our daughter, but our parents were able to be there and celebrate with us once we were finally in our postpartum room 8:30pm. One of my good friends, Ginny was also able to be with us the first night with our daughter. Once everyone left around 9:15pm, the fun began! We were up all night long with Kaitlynn. We spent a lot of time with our nurse working on breastfeeding techniques. Luckily, Kaitlynn was a fast "latcher," she just would get frustrated because the milk had not yet come in - obviously since it was the first night. Overall, besides the lack of sleep, the three of us had a great night! Kaitlynn stayed with us in our room the entire evening since I was trying to learn to breastfeed.


One of Kaitlynn's newborn pictures

Friday, August 21, 2009:
We had family at the hospital from 9:00am - 9:00pm. It was nice being with people, but exhausting as well. Our parents were there most of the day until about 3:00pm. We had a visit from Chris & Angi around lunch time. My twin brother, Mark & his wife, Bridgette came by with their 5-week old, Elizabeth. Kelly's sister Kristin, her husband Shea, Kelly's brother, Kevin & his wife Kelly G. came by Friday evening for a visit.


Uncle Mark & Kaitlynn


Aunt Bridgette & Kaitlynn


Aunt Kelly G. & Kaitlynn


HAHA precious Uncle Kevin :)


Uncle Shea & Aunt Kristin with Kaitlynn

Friday was a big learning day! We spent a lot of time working on breastfeeding once again. I was determined to leave the hospital with a breastfed child. There were definitely some emotional moments that day and times when I thought I couldn't handle the responsibility of raising Kaitlynn. Praise the Lord for my husband because he's such a great supporter and encourager. He was part of each feeding - helping me work with Kaitlynn. He encouraged me when I thought I couldn't do it and helped me work through my emotions when they started to get the best of me.


My amazing husband with our precious daughter....

Friday evening rolled around and Kaitlynn got her midnight weigh-in. She dropped 5oz. and was now at 5lbs. 8oz. We were not too concerned especially since we had been trying to breastfeed, but we didn't want to see her drop any more weight. We also sent her to the nursery for the first time during the night. After each feeding, we would have the nurse take her to the nursery for about 2 hours before her next feeding. We did this twice and felt amazing most of the next day!

Saturday, August 22, 2009:
We had another visit from my mom this morning! Kelly's parents left Friday afternoon but had made plans to come back down the next weekend once we were settled in at home.


Nana Watson

My older brother, David and his wife, Bonnie came down around lunch for a visit and to finally get to meet their newest niece. It was great getting to spend some time with them! We don't get to see them enough.


Uncle David


Aunt Bonnie

My twin brother & his wife came back Saturday afternoon before heading back home to SC. My dad came at the same time as them also. My mom dropped back by a little bit later that afternoon.


Uncle Mark, Aunt Bridgette, & Cousin Elizabeth :)


Grandpa Watson & his two granddaughters:
Left: Elizabeth - 5 weeks
Right: Kaitlynn - 2 days old


The two mom's :)
Left: Bridgette & Elizabeth
Right: Me & Kaitlynn


Uncle Kelly & Elizabeth


Our precious niece, Elizabeth Brooke Watson
*5 weeks old*

Lastly, Kelly's parents drove back down Saturday evening. My mom had planned on staying Saturday night, but realized she would have to get up at 5:00am to get to SC and prepare for her morning at work. So, she headed back Saturday night and Kelly's parents drove back in to town to watch Willa for us.


Papa Crawford


Nana Crawford

Saturday was a great day overall. Kaitlynn did a better job with breastfeeding and it was not as much an emotional day for us as the day before. At her midnight feeding we got the news that she had dropped another ounce from the night before. She was now 5lbs. 7oz and in the 7% which meant we had to try feeding her every two hours! I began to cry because I felt like a terrible mother at this point. For some reason my daughter was not keeping weight and definitely not gaining it either. I began to pray and Kelly began comforting me. Trying to feed Kaitlynn every two hours was exhausting and overwhelming. She did well with her first two feedings, but after that she just wasn't ready to eat nor was she interested. Finally I decided to talk with my nurse and she told me that it would be okay - it takes time for babies to get the hang of breastfeeding. Also, once my milk really started coming in we would see an improvement with her weight gain. So, Kelly & I decided to keep Kaitlynn on her three hour feeding schedule at that point. All we could do was pray.


Our 2nd family photo

Sunday, August 23, 2009:
Time to go home! Sunday was an exciting day - we had the end in sight and we were preparing ourselves to take Kaitlynn home with us around 12:00pm. By Sunday, we were feeling more confident with breastfeeding, and Kaitlynn was doing a lot better with it as well. I felt good about going home and continuing to breastfeed without the supervision of nurses and lactation specialists.


Waiting on our nurse to discharge us!


Heading home!!

When we got home, Kelly spent the afternoon catching up on some much needed rest and I spent some time with my daughter. This was the first out of four occasions where I had an emotional breakdown. Kaitlynn & I sat together on the couch in silence for 2 hours. I questioned myself and began to get nervous about taking care of her alone once Kelly goes back to work next week. Thankfully he has the entire week off to spend with us. The emotions calmed once Kelly got
up - things began to seem more normal. The day got better and things went exceptionally well throughout the day & night.

We were both so happy to finally be home with our daughter and to spend some time with our precious Willa Grace as well.

Brief overview of Monday - Wednesday
August 24th - 26th

Kelly took the week off to stay at home with Kaitlynn & I. My doctors & nurses at Northside explained to me that I was not able to do anything physically from housework to walking our dog. Also, I am not able to workout or walk for exercise for 6 weeks because of my surgery. Little did I know that walking period would be tough even around our complex for 5 or 10 minutes!!

Monday we took Kaitlynn to the doctor for her 1st pediatrician check-up since the hospital. We had our appointment scheduled for Tuesday at 1:15pm, but because of her Saturday evening weight check, the pediatrician on call wanted us in the office Monday instead. Her check-up went very well. She gained 2oz. and was at 5lbs. 9oz. total. We were so excited because that reassured both Kelly & I that she had taken to breastfeeding and was getting enough to cause her to gain weight. The pediatrician's goal for her is to be at birth weight by her 2-wk check-up.


Getting weighed in - 5lbs. 9oz!


All snuggled up!
Waiting on the pediatrician to check her out.


Proud daddy at 1st check-up visit!


I love my baby girl!!

Tuesday & Wednesday were pretty uneventful - we stayed at home, and spent time relaxing and enjoying our new daughter. We had no visitors these 2 days which was great, but seemed so weird since we've had so much company from the hospital and over a few days at the house!! Our big event was giving Kaitlynn her first bath :) I was nervous so Kelly did the job fur us!


Kaitlynn's 1st bath with daddy!


Mommy & Kaitlynn for some snuggle time after the bath


All clean & ready to sleep!

Overall, Kaitlynn's first week at home has been great!! She has slept well at night and is doing excellent with breastfeeding. We've definitely enjoyed our first week with our daughter!!

Here are a few additional pictures from Kaitlynn's 1st week!


Daddy & Kaitlynn hanging out


My favorite spot with my daughter!


Willa Grace loving on her baby sister :)
The two of them make us smile!


Willa Grace


Kaitlynn Leane

Kaitlynn's Birth Day Story

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Kelly and I headed to our doctor's appointment around 9:00 Thursday morning. We were not expecting what was about to become one of the most exciting days we'll experience together.

We had our normal vital checks -
My BP was normal: 112/72
My weight gain: 27 lbs total
Kaitlynn's heart rate: 159
Fundal Measurement: 37cm
Dilation: still just barely 1cm

Doctor Walters talked with both of us about our previous days' visit to the hospital because of the continuous contractions & pains that I was experiencing for a long period of time. Because of our past two hospital trips, contractions/pains, and the fact that my body was not dilating at all (barely 1cm), she began discussing a few options with us. She first asked me how I felt about a C-Section. I told her how I was planning on having a vaginal delivery and had no thought towards a C-Section. She told me that the only difference between the two was I would feel pain upfront with a Vaginal Delivery verses pain afterwards with a C-Section. I really didn't want to go through with surgery because I thought it would seem like I was just "throwing in the towel." Yet, Dr. Walters explained to me that I wouldn't be giving up since I've already been experiencing prelabor for 2 weeks now and most likely would have 2-3 weeks left of it. Because I couldn't seem to make a decision, she then decided to ask Kelly what he wanted to do. He simple said that he was tired of me being in so much pain and wanted to have the C-Section. Dr. Walters told us to sit tight and she would call to arrange our surgery for 5:00pm that day! WOW!

I looked at Kelly and became very emotional. I told him I couldn't believe we would be meeting our baby girl that afternoon. We spent a few minutes talking about our excitement and nervousness over the news we just received. Kelly was able to calm my fears and we were ready to go meet our baby girl. Dr. Walters came back into the room about 10 minutes later to explain that our surgery was set for 5:00pm and we needed to arrive at the hospital around 2:00pm to wait for a room and get prepped. We thanked her, said we'd see her soon, and headed out the door to finish a few things at home!

We spent some time calling family and a few close friends to let them know of the upcoming exciting news. My mom was on her way down at this point, my dad was in Statesboro with some customers hoping to head back early afternoon, and Kelly's parents were heading down hoping to see us before surgery. We also spent some time getting a few things done around the house since our parents were staying here to take care of Willa while we were in the hospital. We were not looking forward to staying there for 3 nights.

Little did we know how fast it would go by and how thankful we'd be
for the time we were there!!

1:00pm rolled around and my mom got to the house. We spent some time explaining in more detail everything that went on at our doctors appointment. It was good having her at the house before we had to leave for the hospital.

1:30pm came - Kelly and I grabbed our bags and left for the hospital while mom took Willa for a long walk. ::::I was not happy having to leave my 'baby' girl.::::

2:00pm - We arrived at the hospital, we checked in with Labor & Delivery for the 3rd time this month! The lady at the desk actually remembered us from being there the day before!! Pretty amusing.....sort of! After checking in, we waited for just a while for a room to be ready. Supposedly August 20th was a very busy day in labor & delivery!! Lots of babies being born :)

3:30pm Once we were able to go back to our room the nerves kicked in again. We met our nurse, who was amazing! She was prepping us in a labor/delivery room before moving us to surgery. My mom was also there for a few minutes before Kelly's parents arrived. Our parents were able to spend some time with us in our room for about an hour before I received my epidural. It was so comforting to be around family before my surgery!!


Me and my mom before surgery

First, I was hooked up to the monitors, had blood work done, had an IV started in my left ARM, not hand - thank goodness - and waited on the epidural. I was very nervous at this point, but Kelly was by my side the entire time! The nurse left for a short period of time which gave Kelly and I a few minutes to catch our breath, and get ready for such a life-changing experience. He sat down on my bed and said a pray for us and for Kaitlynn as we prepared for our upcoming surgery. His prayer & God's comforting grace relieved my fears and worries over the surgery and I was able to go into the room with confidence and knowing that Kelly would be by my side and God was keeping the three of us completely safe!

**Kelly & I waiting on the epidural and spending a few last minutes together before meeting our baby girl**

4:30pm - Once the nurse came in who would administer the epidural, I began getting very nervous. I hate pain and anything to do with it. Yes, an epidural takes the pain away but you have to experience receiving one before that happens :) However, God was so good to me because I got a local first through a shot to numb the area for the epidural. It was fabulous! I had no idea what to expect from the epidural, but I thought it was hilarious when I couldn't move my legs.


Kelly & I ready for surgery and to meet our baby girl!

5:00pm - My nurse came in, rolled me down the hallway to the surgery room and had Kelly wait outside for about 5 minutes while they got me prepped and ready to go. Those were the longest 5 minutes I've ever experienced! I was not a fan being alone, but once Dr. Walters - my OB - walked in my nerves calmed a bit and then Kelly was finally let back into the room. We were prepped and ready to go! Things went very quickly. They doctors checked twice to make sure I was completely numb to pain before beginning the C-Section. I was not able to feel an ounce of pain, however you feel tugging, pushing, and pressure. It feels a lot different though since there is no pain involved. Regardless of all the pressure, I knew I'd be okay! Kelly was sitting right with me the entire time - he never left my side, never let go of my hand, and kept talking to me during the entire surgery to help keep me calm. I will never forget the first thing he chose to do once our daughter was born. After they showed us Kaitlynn over the drape, they took her to get cleaned off and asked Kelly to come watch. Before he ever left my side, he leaned in - told me how proud he was of me, how much he loved me, and gave me a kiss. That was when I told him I was okay and wanted him to go be with our daughter since I couldn't be with her quite yet.

*AMAZING*

5:23pm - Kaitlynn was born and welcomed into the world by me, Kelly & our fabulous team of doctors & nurses. I saw a glimpse of her before they took her and cleaned her off. I told Kelly to go see her for me, which he did, as well as take several pictures. I was crying at this point - so emotional from the experience and anticipating meeting my daughter for the first time. Before Kelly & Kaitlynn went to the recovery room without me, he brought her to me so I could finally see her and meet my precious child. When they left, I cried again and started talking to the doctors to pass the time while I was being stitched up, stapled, and cleaned.


Our daughter, Kaitlynn Leane Crawford
Born on 8-20-2009
5:23pm
Weight: 5lbs. 14oz.
Length: 19.5 inches

5:45pm - I finally made it to the Recovery room and was reunited with my amazing husband and beautiful daughter. We were down here for about 2 hours. They wouldn't let us go up to our postpartum room until I could move my legs! It took forever for the epidural to wear off, probably because I supposedly asked for some extra pain meds during surgery :) Again....me & pain = terrible enemies!! These two hours were breathtaking, very memorable, and so special to both Kelly and I. We enjoyed being together with Kaitlynn for such a lengthy period of time! This was a new start to our family - the addition of our first child.


After Kaitlynn's first bath in the recovery room

Mommy & Kaitlynn

Daddy & Kaitlynn

Meanwhile....my parents & Kelly's parents had been waiting in the Waiting Area since 4:30pm - they had no idea they'd be waiting 4 hours with a planned surgery before seeing us and meeting our daughter! Thanks everyone for being so patient and waiting :) Also, sometime during the "waiting" time, Ginny - a good friend of mine - showed up as well, so she got to partake in the waiting game with our parents!

7:45pm - Finally, we were taken upstairs to our postpartum room. Our families had no indication that we had already gone upstairs. We were with the nurse right away and were not able to go get them until 8:30pm.


Our first family picture -
Kelly, Kristen & Kaitlynn Crawford

8:30pm - Our parents + Ginny were finally able to come into the room to see how all of us were doing. Everyone wanted to make sure Kelly & I were doing okay, and then finally meet our daughter. She was so precious and we were excited about everyone finally meeting her!! Everyone stayed until about 9:15pm and then headed out for the evening. It was great being able to see our families and let them know we were okay, but it was also nice having some time to get to know our daughter and begin learning how to take care of her!! Little did we know this would be a night of no sleep......

Nana Watson

Nana Crawford

Grandpa Watson


Papa Crawford

Ginny Sneed came by for a visit as well :)

Between nurses & techs coming in the room, Kaitlynn learning how to breastfeed, having mine & Kaitlynn's vitals taken, receiving pain medicine, having liquids & popcycles brought in, and Kaitlynn not adjusting quite yet to the bassinet = no sleep for me or Kelly. I do have to say - Kelly was amazing the first night as well as every night since the birth of our daughter! But, this first night, even though I was having a tough time sleeping myself, he took the initiative of looking after our daughter and letting me lay in bed and rest, whether with my eyes closed or open and alert. He was so attentive to her & her needs, except for the feeding part of course :) But, as attentive as he was to our daughter's needs.... multiply that by 100 and that's how attentive he was to me during our entire hospital stay and ever since we've been home!

Long first night....Kelly looks a little more refreshed than me,
but I guess since I went through the surgery, that's normal :)

But....Kaitlynn definitely makes our
long nights worth it!!

God REALLY new what I needed in a husband and he blessed me with Kelly - the most amazing husband and man I could have married. I can't go through parenthood without him and he was right there beside me during the entire hospital stay and will be beside me throughout the rest of our lives as husband & wife, and as parents!

To end such an emotional day & a new story in our lives....the C-Section was wonderful! I will have to have C-Sections for each pregnancy, but after experiencing this past one, I definitely am looking forward to going through pregnancy & surgery for Kelly & I to meet our future children when God blesses us with them in his timing!