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Cole's Hearing Test: Auditory Brainstem Response

Welp, the day ive been dreading for the past month has finally come. Cole failed his first two hearing tests in the hospital for his left ear when he was first born, so today we went to the hearing clinic at ISU For his ABR (Auditory Brainstem response) test.

 So what happens is the ABR gives information about the brain pathways for hearing and the cochlea (inner ear). The procedure is painless and the baby is asleep the entire time. 

ABR screenings  record brain wave activity in response to sound through electrodes that are stuck onto his forehead and behind his ears. 

 I wasn't too worried about his hearing loss because he had only failed his first hearing tests by a small percentage and could most likely be from amniotic fluid. But what stressed me out most was the fact that this test can take 1-2 hours and must be asleep for the entire thing. 

Luckily he slept like a champ through the whole thing. 

Today was also Justins first day of dental school so my mom was kind enough to make the drive up to help me watch Clara during this whole thing. 

All in all things look positive for Cole and he was able to pick up loud and quiet sounds in both ears. ¡Yay! He just has a bit of inflammation in his left ear that needs to be watched. 

Cole's Birth Story (Part Two)

FAMILY OF FOUR

I love that phrase, "family of four." I'm writing this post one week after Cole was born and let me tell ya, my family feels so complete right now (don't get me wrong, I'm sure makes babies are to come in the future) but at this moment in time, two babies is just what our family needs.

BIG SISTER 101Justin picked Clara up from the house once we were settled into the hospital room we'd be staying in for the night. Her meeting her brother for the first time was priceless. Mimi and Papa had arrived not much before she did but her attention was on the baby (and that's sayin something). She kept saying " Hi baby brother, me Clara." She was so soft and gental and so happy. I even have the cutest video of her kissing him on the nose.

As you can see from the pictures above, she loves showing off her brother to all of our visitors. She has done really well this week and hasn't shown any signs of jealousy having to share her parents (I give most of that credit to Mimi who stayed with us giving her lots of attention). 

Call us crazy but we decided to start potty training this week. I figured now was the best time because Cole sleeps so much giving me time to focus more on her. I could tell she was ready for a while but my pregnant body was too tired and sore to chase around a toddler. It took three accidents in a row before she realized that going in the potty meant she got a teddy graham. She hasn't wet her panties since. She is even going number two which makes this mamma so proud.

Clara has also been the best little helper this week too. I've been letting her pick out Coles outfits and she's been helping me change his diapers (aka throwing away diapers). Let's hope all of these good vibes continue when Justin starts school next month.

NURSING STRUGGLES

Ok people, I've heard that all babies are different and I've heard stories about how  hard the first weeks of nursing can be. But I always thought the struggling mamas were just talking about engorgement and poor latching. I didn't know that some full term babies struggled to eat even though it's instinct. Clara was pro when it came to latching from day one (hence her squishy cheeks for her first six months) so when Cole came along, I was completely confused. 

I couldn't get him to wake up long enough to nurse and when he did make an effort to eat, he wouldn't close his mouth. So frustrating.  

That first day in the hospital, he went 8 hours without eating!! I was REALY concerned. I would try nursing every two hours but no luck. I even had the lactation consultant come in to help (which seemed pointless since I already knew what I was doing). The nurses didn't seem worried but I didn't want him to become dehydrated. 

Things finally turned around when he threw up more gook (luckily in front of the nurse). They took him back to empty his stomach again. Finally he started to nurse after that!! 

We still struggle now that we are home from the hospital. He has been so darn sleepy but I'm really trying to nurse often to build up my milk supply. He still struggles to close his mouth to make a latch, but I think he's just really excited for boobs haha. 

HEARING TROUBLES

Cole failed both hearing tests in the hospital for his left ear. We are scheduled to go to the hearing clinic on August 1st, so I'll keep you all posted. 

POST PARTUM 

(My least favorite part about baby making). This recovery has been so much  quicker than my first.  By day 3 I felt like my normal self walking around and licking up around the house. I had an episiotomy with Clara and couldn't even sit up until the end of the second week. 

I gained the same amount of weight this pregnancy (35lb) only this time I'm not losing it as quickly which is annoying. My hair has also begun to fall out which didn't happen last time until month three post partum. So ya, I'm one hot mess but hey at least my body doesn't hurt