1 month old

Here is one of the pictures used in Braden's birth announcement. Sorry we couldn't send one to everyone.

Yesterday Braden had his one month check-up. He weighed in at 7lb 2 oz. and his lenth is 20 1/4 inches. He's at the bottom of the growth chart, but he started out small, so it will be a while before he catches up. The Dr. says they hope for a 1 oz/day growth. It's been 25 days since he was last weighed and he's gained 19 oz. So, he's a little behind, but the Dr. isn't worried saying he is within normal range.

We're still breast feeding and overall going well. We had an episode this past weekend where I apparently had a crack/blood blister in a nipple and Braden consumed a little blood. Disgusting, I know. He spit up pink, blood tinged milk a couple times. I went back to using a breast shield for a while to let things heal and we'll try to wean off of it in the next couple days. Since yesterday he's been eating like a fiend. He must have heard the Dr. say he was small and he's trying to catch up. :) He's been eating often every 2- 2.5 hrs and often for 45 minutes total. We also have introduced the bottle the last few days with breast milk. He took to it with no problems. Curtis has been feeding him each time and is enjoying the baby-daddy bonding time. :) The first time we gave him the bottle, he took 3 oz and then woke up hungry again less than 2 hrs. later. The next day we gave him 4 oz. and he was still acting hungry rooting and trying to suck on his hands. So, we gave him 2.5 oz more and he took it without even slowing down. 6.5 oz for a 1 month old seems like a lot, but apparently he was hungry and he didn't even spit any of it up. So, if this little boy keeps eating like this, he'll catch up eventually. :) But, might wear me out in the process. At least he's still doing well at night going 4-5 hrs at a time between feedings and sometimes even 6-7. Overall I don't feel horribly sleep deprived. I guess I'm getting used to getting my rest in smaller doses.

More pics

Braden was given an embroidered t-shirt from a Wild Birds Unlimited store owner. Here he is sporting his up and coming love of birds like his grandparents. :)

Braden's first bath was not the most pleasant of experiences for him. You can see he was not too happy about it.

But, getting wrapped up in his froggie towel helped. :)

Braden continues to be a great baby. He slept 6 straight hours last night. It was wonderful and I feel somewhat rested today. He has had some issues with spitting up lately and I'm learning that he doesn't do well to lie flat on his back after eating. We are continuing to get into a routine, but some days I feel like all I do is nurse. . . . when it takes 40-45 minutes each time between eating, changing, burping etc. . . Then a little over 2 hours later we're doing it again. Whew. I am trying to enjoy each moment though. I try to find time to work out a little bit and if I can accomplish one other thing during the day (laundry etc) I feel like I've actually done something.

It's hard to believe on Thursday he'll be 4 weeks old already. Time is flying. . . .

Our precious boy!

Both of the above pictures were taken today. Isn't he the sweetest?!!!!!!

The decal on Braden's wall. So true. . . . .

Braden and Chloe getting to know each other. She still isn't too sure about him and isn't a fan of our attention being divided, but overall she is adjusting well.

Braden right before leaving the hospital.

This is the first post I've done since Braden was born. Curtis has done the last 2 since I was unable with everything going on, obviously. We're now home and adjusting well. My parents stayed with us from Sunday, Jan 25th through the morning of Thurs, Jan 29th. It was such a blessing to have them here. My dad cooked up a storm in my kitchen and my mom helped to clean, do laundry, organize my kitchen etc. It was wonderful. After they left, Curtis was still home the rest of the week. It enabled us to try and establish a routine together before he had to return to work. At the end of the week and through the weekend, I started to feel crummy, had one very sore and red breast and developed a fever of 102. I called my Dr. and determined that I had mastitis and was quickly put on an antibiotic. As if recovering from a C-section and taking care of a newborn wasn't enough. . . .it was a rough couple days.

But, we are definitely doing well now. Curtis is back to work this week and Braden and I are on our own. I'm starting to feel like I have a routine and getting Braden on a good feeding/sleeping schedule. This sweet boy has done so well with sleeping (knock-on-wood). I'm feeling quite spoiled. For the last 4-5 nights, he has slept 4-5 hrs at a time and I'm even having to wake him up much of the time. So, I'm not feeling terribly sleep deprived- not like I expected. He also is eating very well. At his 1st Dr. appt. last Friday, he had already gained weight back to his birth weight. He was 5 lb 8 oz when we left the hospital, and as of 8 days old was back to nearly 6lb. The Dr. was very pleased as he said that most breast fed babies don't reach their birth weight until at least 10 days.

I'm definitely enjoying being at home with Braden! He is such a joy and a blessing. Sometimes we just look at him and marvel at the miracle of his life. I know all babies are miracles, but with the difficulty of his conception he seems more so. He is a miracle of modern medicine and a gracious, loving God. We feel blessed beyond words to have him in our arms. I wasn't sure if this day would ever come and feel so honored that God would allow us this opportunity. Even if he is the only child we'll ever have. . . it's OK. We feel like we've won the lottery with him!

We had professional pictures taken of him this past Saturday. If you'd like to view them, they'll be up until February 10th. The website is http://www.sprinklesoflight.com/ Go to "clients" and type in password: braden . We think they are very precious and we'll have a hard time choosing.

We are Home:) More Pics of Braden

Braden and family are now back at home! We got home this afternoon around 1pm. Amy's parents are staying with us until Weds. Curtis has this entire next week off. Braden is doing great but very sleepy today. It is a chore trying to get him awake enough to nurse but hopefully that will continue to get better each day. Chloe and Braden met for the first time this afternoon and Chloe is super curious about her new baby brother!

Here are some more pictures of Braden.

Pics of Braden!

Introducing Braden Lee Burkholder!!!

He's finally here!! Amy went into the hospital last night at 4pm to be induced. She labored throughout the night until around 10am this morning but was only dilated to 4 centimeters. Although her contractions were strong they were too far apart for labor to progress properly. Amy was started on another drug pytosin sp? to try and get the contractions closer together. Although this did help speed up the contractions it also caused Bradens heart rate to drop which is not a good sign. Basically this meant that the placenta was wearing out and not providing enough blood and oxygen during the contraction. After 2 hours of contractions Amy hadn't dilated any further and her doctor said that it was her feeling that labor was not going to progress fast enough to keep Braden out of stress and that that actual pushing at the end of labor could cause an emergency. After talking it over with the doctor we all agreed that the best course of action would be to stop the medicine and do a c-section while Braden was still doing well. So that's what we did! The surgery went GREAT! Mom and Baby are doing very well. Braden was born at 2:40pm weighs 6lbs and is 20 inches long! Praise God for our baby boy! We are so grateful for everyones thoughts and prayers and for all of our supportive family and friends!

Getting closer

My appointment with my OB yesterday was rather uneventful. Basically everything is the same as a week ago. My belly is still small. In fact she said my belly has been the same size since December 17th. She didn't do another ultrasound, but did check his heartrate and quizzed me about his movements both of which are fine. She did explain more about what to expect this week. Basically I'll go in tomorrow afternoon and they will start me on a vaginal suppository drug to begin to get my body into labor. She said the dose is given every 4 hours and usually takes 3-4 doses to get my body started. So, it's easier to begin slowly through the night. The following morning I may be started on pitocin depending on that progress. Supposedly some people start into labor without the pitocin. She did warn me that if things don't progress despite all the meds I may be given two options of either C-section or go home to let things progress on their own for another 24 hours. We're praying against both of those possibilities. We pray that my body responds well to the meds depsite the fact that I'm not dialated at all yet.

Tomorrow is my last chance to get everything ready, pack my bags and get to the hospital. It will be a crazy couple days. We'll keep updating so watch for anything new and of course pictures. :)