Reed Thomas is here!!!!

This post is a little late, but we've been a little busy. ;)

Reed Thomas Veltema arrived on April 23, 2010 at 8:32 AM. He weighed in at 7 pounds, 6 ounces, and 19.5 inches.

Read on for his birth story, or stop here if you don't like that stuff. LOL!

On Friday, April 23rd, I woke up at 3:00 AM with some pretty uncomfortable contractions. I got out of bed, sat on my yoga ball to try to relax a bit, and started timing the contractions. They were coming every 4 minutes. After almost an hour, I decided it was time to go to the hospital...AGAIN. I got Brandon out of bed, called the doctor, called Brandon's mom, and called my mom. Brandon's mom came over to stay with Dylan, and off we went! The contractions were pretty intense by the time I got to the hospital. I think I was making the security guard who was pushing my wheelchair pretty nervous. I stayed pretty calm though...just breathing through them.

When I got up to the birth center around 5:00 AM, we found out that I was 5cm dilated. I was so excited! On our "trial run" at the hospital the day before, I was only 2cm. PROGRESS! We realized that we were about to meet Reed! My mom met us at the hospital to see Reed's birth. She was there when Dylan was born too.I tried to be strong and handle the contractions on my own, but I ended up ordering the epidural pretty quickly. All I could think about during the contractions was how pleasant my labor and delivery with Dylan was once I got the epidural. Luckily, I had a very similar experience with this epidural. It brought relief quickly, and I was able to relax and rest as my labor progressed.

My doctor arrived at the hospital around 8:00 AM. She came in and checked me, and I was 9cm dilated! She told me that we would be having a baby before 9:00, and she went to change her clothes to get ready for my delivery. When she came back just before 8:30, I was ready to push. I like to use a mirror when I deliver. I know that totally grosses people out when I tell them, but it helps me to be able to SEE the progress I make with each push. Plus, I think birth is BEAUTIFUL! :) First push, we could see the top of Reed's head crowning. My doctor turned around to get some things ready because she could tell he was going to come out quickly. I said, "Awww! Here he comes!", and one of the nurses repeated it, "yup, here he comes!" This startled my doctor, and she spun around so fast, thinking she was going to have to catch a flying baby. LOL! Second push, Reed was born! Don't hate me too much. I had been in labor for 2 days! :)

The doctor noticed that Reed had passed some meconium in the womb, so his throat was suctioned out well. Then they wanted him to cry, but all he would let out were a few little whines. Almost instantly, there was a pediatrician and about 5 nurses swarming my room. They gave him some oxygen and kept trying to make him cry, but he wouldn't. He was breathing though, and his color was just fine, nice and pink. After a few minutes of terror for Brandon, my mom, and I, the pediatrician said "He's fine, he just doesn't want to cry." SCARY! They finally gave him back to me, and we all breathed a sigh of relief. He was perfect! We were instantly in love! :)

Reed took to breastfeeding like a champ, which makes me very proud! He has been a very good eater from the beginning. Since I had gestational diabetes, they monitored Reed's blood sugar levels very closely for the first day. His poor little foot was poked SO MANY times, but he still never cried. His blood sugar was too low at one point that first day, and we couldn't get him to wake up enough to nurse. We supplemented with formula for that one feeding. He immediately perked up after eating. It was just what he needed. The nurse warned me that he might struggle with latching on after having the bottle, but he did just fine. :)

We didn't really hear Reed cry until our last night at the hospital. He finally found his lungs at about 3:00 in the morning while he was waiting for Mommy to feed him.

Today, he is 2 weeks old! He still doesn't cry a whole lot. He's been such a good baby so far! Reed has already slept through the night twice. Last night he only woke up once to eat. We are very blessed! We have wanted him for so long, and sometimes its still hard to believe that he's really here! Dylan is such a proud big brother. He loves to show everyone "his new baby". He loves to give Reed hugs and kisses, and he loves to help us take care of him. He has adjusted so well! We are loving every minute of our new life as a family of four!!! :)

Next on our agenda is figuring out when will be the best time to take our adoption process off hold. We are anxious to be matched with our daughter and begin the process of bringing her home! :)