First Photo Shoot at 12 Hours Old

The hospital offers photo shoots in the rooms. Cameron was no more than 12 hours old when the photographer came into our room and shot these precious photos.

  

Welcoming Cameron Jonathan Harris

Here is how his journey into this world began. On Thursday, May 24th at 4:30am I got up to go to the bathroom as usual however, little did I know that today would be the day my water broke. It worked out well as far as cleanliness goes since my water broke in the toilet! When I sat down I was still half asleep and I greeted Charles as he was getting ready for work. I got done peeing but the fluid kept flowing and I told Charles I thought my water just broke. His response, “ are you sure?” I am pretty sure that I do not have that my pee in me and it just keeps flowing! Immediately we both got very excited but nervous at the same time since our big day finally arrived. Charles continued to get ready for work as he said, “the process is going to take awhile, I think I have time.” I decided to go back to bed and try and relax but of course that was very hard since my emotions were going a million miles an hour. I finally got up out of bed around 6am and took a shower and continued to time my contractions. They were pretty inconsistent from 2 minutes to 20 minutes apart.

 

10am, Last photo of my belly before leaving the house

Charles came home from work by 9am and got the last few things together. He asked if I had called the doctor and I said no because they told us not to call until our contractions were 3-4 minutes apart. He encouraged me to call anyways and I am glad he did. The doctor said that because my water broke I should have called right away because they wanted to see me. We got to our doctors office by 10:30am and got examined, however the doctor was not able to check my cervix at that time because there was so much fluid and they wanted to be extra careful not to do too much since there is a high risk of infection once the water does break. She immediately sent us over to the hospital and we were sent to triage for Labor and Delivery. They hooked me up to a monitor to measure the babies heart beat and my contractions for about 30 minutes. At that point since my contractions still were inconsistent, they set us out for 2 hours to walk around to see if we could get the process started again naturally. It was the most boring 2 hours!

At 2pm we got back from our long and boring walk and got admitted to our labor and delivery room. Of course they hooked me back up to more monitors to measure the babies heart rate and my contractions. We reviewed our birthing plan with our nurse but told her that we wanted to be flexible and do what was best for the baby and me. The doctor warned us in the morning that if the process was not speeding up by early afternoon that she wanted to start me on Pitocin. Around 5pm the nurse hooked me up to the IV’s and started me on Pitocin. This was an incredibly painful process because the nurse started me out slow and just kept increasing the dosage little by little.

 

2pm, just after being admitted to our labor and delivery room

I started the day saying I wanted no drugs but as time passed and I had tried out the natural methods (bath tub, rocking in a chair, walking, laying down, etc.) I could not take it anymore and was exhausted. The nurse offered me fentanyl, which was supposed to relax me so I could get some rest in between contractions but it was not helping since they were coming every 1-2 minutes. The fentanyl did not help ease the contraction pains. By 9pm, my nurse check my cervix and I was at 5cm, I knew I had a long ways to go still so I asked my nurse more about the epidural and decided to go that route.

The anesthesiologist came within 5-10 minutes of me asking for the epidural. He was great at explaining the process to me and walking me through the whole thing. It was tough though because I had two contractions as he was giving me the epidural and I had to be very still since the needle is injected into the spine. Charles was a great help in keeping me focused though the contractions! Within 10 minutes I began to feel immediate relief from the contractions and from the waist down I was pretty much numb. At this point I tried to close my eyes and rest for a bit and the nurse told Charles the process would start to slow down now so if he was hungry to go ahead and take the opportunity to get a break. Charles took the advice and was gone for about 30-45 minutes. While he was out the nurse checked my cervix again and I was now at a 10! She said that my body responded well to the epidural and relaxed enough to fully dilate. She said does your husband have a cell phone? We need to call him so that you can start pushing. I called him and he was back within 10 minutes.

 

10pm, After getting the epidural

10:45pm, nurse just told us that we were going to start pushing

It was now 10pm, our nurse called the doctor and updated her on my progress and she said that I would have to wait because she was in the middle of another delivery. Each time I had a contraction, I could feel the babies head in the birth canal and I had the urge to push but I had to wait. This was the best part about the epidural that I did not loose all sensation and I could still feel the babies head waiting to come out. By 11pm the nurse had me start practicing pushing and coached Charles and I through the whole process. She truly was AMAZING! The doctor came in around 11:30pm and could see the babies head crowning so she got all of her stuff prepared for delivery. Earlier I had told our nurse the significance of the day, how it was my parents 32nd wedding anniversary and what would have been my Nana and Papa’s 60th wedding anniversary (who’s house we live in). So she was really helping to get him out before midnight as well as the doctor. At 11:50pm, the babies head was 1/2 way out and I got to feel it with my hand which was very cool and we were waiting for the next contraction to get him the rest of the way out. We waited and waited and waited. Finally the doctor said, lets just try pushing without the contraction and see what happens. So I pushed and he came out by 11:56pm!!!

 

12am, Right after birth

 

Proud Papa and practicing his swaddling

The doctor placed him on my chest immediately and Charles cut the cord. As he was on my chest the nurse wiped him off. This process helps the baby regulate their temperature and heart rate as well as help my milk supply come in. He was on my chest for 20-30 minutes before they examined him. While he was on my chest, I asked him what he wanted his name to be. By this time Charles and I narrowed our list of 5 or 6 names down to two. The two choices were Kellen or Cameron and “he” chose Cameron Jonathan Harris. I also started breast feeding right away, even before they examined him.

He weighed 7 lbs 9.5 oz and was 20.5 inches long.

I cannot say enough great things about our labor and delivery nurse, Richelle. We had one to one nursing care from her and she really never left our side unless she went for a break and at that point someone else relieved her, so we never were alone. It was so nice having her because she just too charge and coached both Charles and I through the whole process. She was great about saying, please tell me if you want me to stop telling you what to do but both of us never found her pushy. She was also the one who took us downstairs to our postpartum room around 2am and introduced us to our new nurse and gave her an update on Cameron and I. The nursing staff in the postpartum unit were great as well and let Charles and I rest. If they noticed we were sleeping they would try their best to come back later to check vitals or give medicine. All of the staff were very helpful with teaching me how to breastfeed and offering different tips and tricks.

 

2am, on our way to the postpartum room

 

Charles and Cameron bonding and changing his first poopy diaper

We had lots of visitors on Friday between family, nurses and doctors. Yet at the same time we were able to rest because Cameron pretty much slept for the first 24 hours. So he only woke up to eat every 2-3 hours. Saturday we were finally discharged around noon and got to go home!!! We had several visitors waiting for us at home to meet Cameron and take care of Charles and I. Overall, we are all doing great and I will keep posting updates as the weeks go by.

 

5/26, First car ride! Get to go home.

39 Weeks

 

Any day now until the little guy arrives! If you are wondering, he is still nameless but we have some ideas. Charles and I have decided to wait until we see him to give him a name. This week fatigue has really set in. I have still been going to work but my days are much shorter than normal. Sleeping has been very difficult as well this week. I think it is a combination of discomfort, excitement and anxiousness to meet him.

Last week we had a doctors appointment on Friday and I was still at a 1 and he measured 38cm. Hopefully our appointment this week will bring better news. My blood pressure was a bit high and I have been retaining a lot of water in the past week so my doctor was somewhat concerned. She had me check my blood pressure again on Monday and it was back down to normal and I was showing less signs of water retention so that was good. At our appointment this coming, Friday we are going to talk about the options moving forward if he does not come by June 2nd. She does not want me to go much more than 1 week past my due date of May 26th.

I have been receiving a lot of advice from people on what I can do to induce labor and we have been trying but so far no luck. At this point he can come at anytime! Charles and I feel ready, or at least as ready as we can. I feel very good about being off from work and all of the tasks I have delegated.

Your baby's the size of a watermelon!

• Baby keeps growing, despite being so crowded in there. He probably weighs around 6.2 to 9.2 pounds and measures about 18.9 to 20.9 inches.
• He's probably able to flex his limbs now.
• His brain is still rapidly developing -- he's getting smarter by the week!
• His nails may extend past his fingertips.

New Furniture, Floors & Bathrooms

 

 

Upstairs Living Room and Dining Room

 

Guest Room and Upstairs Bathroom

 

Downstairs Couch Area

  

Downstairs Bathroom

38 Weeks–Happy Mother’s Day!

  

Last Wednesday I went to the doctor and I was 1cm dilated! We have another appointment this Friday so hopefully there will be more progress. I am ready to be done. In the past week I have experienced some insomnia and more frequent bathroom trips in the middle of the night. I have not experienced any strong contractions but I can tell my body is practicing.

We packed our overnight bag for the hospital last weekend as well as installed the carseat in the car. We are feeling as ready as can be at this point and cannot wait to meet our little one.

For Mother’s Day we went over to my parents house and my Dad cooked dinner for everyone. It was in the low 80’s so being outside felt really good!

Your baby's the size of a pumpkin!

Baby is about 18.9 to 20.9 inches long and weighs about 6.2 to 9.2 pounds. Her head is now about the same circumference as her abdomen.

• He may have about an inch or so of hair already.
• He's slowly shedding that white goo on his skin (called vernix caseosa) but you might see some of it at birth.

37 Weeks

Last Friday we went to the doctor and everything is still looking good!  My belly measured 36cm, blood pressure is still normal, babies heart rate was good and my cervix is starting to soften but no signs of dilation at this point. I am having Braxton Hicks contractions so my body is starting to practice. They are not painful, just a weird cramping feeling. The doctor is predicting him to be about 8-8.5 pounds at birth.  My feet are getting more swollen as the last few weeks go by. I plan on working up until the day he comes, however it is getting harder and harder to get around so we’ll see if I last.

I also got my Tdap vaccination for whooping cough or pertussis which is at an epidemic high in Washington State right now if you have not heard.  For those of you who are around children often it is recommended that you also get the vaccine because it is treatable for adults but can be deadly to children. The vaccine is available from your doctor as well as local drug stores. http://www.doh.wa.gov/EHSPHL/factsheet/pertussis.htm?gclid=CJjMntDc768CFaUZQgodnyV2Vw 

 

We spent most of our Saturday in a labor and delivery class learning about all of our labor options, what to expect, coping techniques and how to prepare. It was very informative and helpful. Both Charles and I feel much better now that we have the basic information that we need. The birthing suites are very nice as well and the hospital provides 1 to 1 nursing care throughout the whole delivery!

His room is pretty much complete now and everything has been opened, washed and put away. It was quite the project but fun and my mom helped me a ton! I could not imagine doing it along. She was also a huge help in the gift exchange process which was a daunting task in itself. 

 

He is the size of a winter melon!

Yay! Baby has reached full term. He likely measures around 18.9 to 20.9 inches and weighs about 6.2 to 9.2 pounds. He's gaining about 1/2 ounce each day.

• He's practicing some skills: inhaling, exhaling, sucking, gripping and blinking.
• He's getting his first sticky poop (called meconium) ready for his first diaper.