Our baby has arrived!
And we now know the answer to the question everyone was wondering for the entire pregnancy—baby number seven is another boy! We are—each one of us—beyond thrilled!
My littlest guy is almost five weeks old, and we are (I am) getting back into the swing of things, though slowly—recovery has been more intense this time, as I ended up needing a c-section, which I’ve never had before. (There are actually a few things that happened during this labor and delivery that I’d never experienced before … yet another reminder that, try as we might, our babies’ entrances into the world aren’t always within our control! I’m just so grateful that he and I are both safe and healthy.)
As always, I want to thank the providers at Myrtle Street Obstetrics & Gynecology, who cared for me through this whole pregnancy and during these early postpartum weeks. A special thanks goes to Dr. Birnbaum, who masterfully delivered the baby and has carefully monitored my blood pressure and recovery since the baby’s birth. I also want to thank the ICU team who managed my high blood pressure when I was first admitted to Saratoga Hospital, and of course all the labor and delivery nurses at Saratoga Hospital—I’d love to thank them each by name, but I’d be afraid of missing someone, which I don’t want to do, as they each made me feel so cared for and took such good care of the baby so I could rest and recuperate. Nurses are a treasure—I’ve thought so each time I’ve had a baby!
For the benefit of all of you planning to breastfeed or struggling with breastfeeding, I want to mention lactation consultant Kelly Duheme, who both made herself and all her knowledge and experience available to me and also gave me and the baby space to work on breastfeeding together—she’s a great resource! (To Kelly: We’re still working on it! I’ve been mostly pumping for the baby since our stay in the hospital and he’s plumping up nicely, and we’re still working on latching—I’m hopeful I can transition fully to the breast soon! To you readers: Five of my seven kids have had trouble latching on at birth, so I pumped exclusively anywhere from a few days to a few weeks until they were successful at the breast [and then went on to breastfeed for at least a year for all of them]. In addition to pumping, I’ve been supplementing with formula for this baby as well, as he’s got a great appetite and I haven’t always felt up to working on breastfeeding and/or pumping at various times over the last five weeks. But last week he latched on perfectly for the first time, on both sides! I’m confident that we’re nearly there. If you’re having trouble, don’t lose hope!)
My forever thanks also go to my parents, who have always done all they could to help us when having a new baby. In addition to the indispensable help of taking care of the other boys (especially when my husband and I are in the hospital), holding the baby while I take a shower (and other times as well of course), and Mom driving me and the baby to various doctors’ appointments over the last few weeks and to pick up the boys at school and after-school activities, they also always come through with delicious food, which this gestational diabetic looks forward to after every baby! For example, I’ve written before about Dad being sure to bring me Stewart’s milkshakes and Marino’s subs (aka Scudders, to you old Saratogians), which have become a very happy postpartum tradition.
Last but not least, I’m so grateful to my husband—he has taken care of almost everything since I was admitted to the hospital. Even now that he’s back at work, he still gets up extra early to take care of the entire morning routine, and makes dinner and takes care of homework and bedtime when he gets home each night. I don’t know how I could have taken the time I needed to get back on my feet without him doing all he’s done. He never complains, and he never makes me feel like a burden. He’s an amazing husband, father, and example to his sons.
As I come out of the newborn fog, I, for one, am very excited that it’s fall! There’s nowhere in the world as beautiful as the northeast at this time of year, am I right? I hope you all enjoy it as much as I plan to!
Kate and her husband have seven sons ages 14, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, and 4 weeks. Follow her at www.facebook.com/kmtowne23, or email her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
