Aidan's First Six Days in Pictures

We welcomed Aidan Alexander

on Sunday, September 21st, at 9:04pm

after 24 hours of early labor (starting Friday night around 8pm) and 24 hours of active labor (starting Saturday night around 8-9pm). The complete story will be posted soon of what started as his natural, unmedicated home birth ended up with a hospital trip and a very much needed C-section. Baby and mom were released from the hospital on Thursday after baby checked out okay! But for now, here he is!

After he arrived green. We heard a lusty cry..., and then Alex carried him out of the operating room to the nursery so they could begin working on him. As the doctors began to close me up!

Weighing 8 pounds 4 ounces

and

21" long

(all I can say is the 80 grams of protein daily, 3-4 quarts of water, chlorophyll, healthy momma's tea, & dark green leafy veggies daily sure did pay off in a bright & healthy baby boy!)

This is the first time I was able to see Aidan, 10 hours after he was born. He's on oxygen, IV with glucose, an antibiotic drip, ...as well as other monitors. (His cone headedness disappeared halfway or so through the first day.) As you can imagine, this was emotional, and your heart just ached wanting to hold him and kiss him, as he was struggling to breathe. Alex, my midwife, and the nurses were amazing to us--in their support, love, and well wishes.
How helpless you feel when you cannot pick your baby up. The nurses and Alex kept reminding me not to exhaust myself, however, I spent as much time as I could in the nursery touching, kissing, and talking to baby Aidan. Whenever Alex or I were near him, he would stabilize. Go figure.

My first kiss.

Daddy's gentle hand.

The first time I held Aidan, I was also holding a tube for oxygen so he could continue to have help breathing. This was approximately 24 hours after he was born. Amidst our conversation (albeit it was me talking to him one-sided) I asked him out loud if he was an Angel (and in my head I'm thinking a Child of Light), and he answered in the softest whisper, "yup." He then preceded to root and nose into me--whereupon, I promptly asked his nurse if we could let him try to latch on...HE WAS ROOTING (despite everything he had went through, and this being our first time he was being held by me)!!! Praise the Lord! (I was told he was on glucose [grr....] so that he would have enough calories to fight off any infections and help him to have energy for the meconium to work its way out of his lungs. I didn't think he'd have a chance of finding any colostrum, because I'd been pumping every hour for 15 minutes at a time--I was thinking hopefully this wouldn't interfere with his treatment...and only make him that much stronger, because he would know how to latch on once the milk did come in.) Like I said, whenever we were near he would begin to breathe more oxygen on his own...by this time with skin to skin contact he temporarily was stabilized. The nurse made the phone call to the doctor, and within minutes Aidan was perfecting the latch-on. What amazed me, I thought he may try for 5 or so minutes. Nuh-uh. Over 60 minutes. We were in heaven!

I promise many more pictures will be posted of Aidan at

home, happy, sleepy, and in love...very soon!