Leo James Drapp came into this world on April 21, 2017 at 4:54 pm. He weighed 9 lbs. 3 oz and was 21 3/4 inches long. I was so thrilled this little man was finally here for me to love on. He was absolute perfection! After my miscarriage it was hard for me to believe that this baby of mine would actually be a reality, so the relief I felt after he was here is indescribable. Here is a little bit about Leo's birth story...
Leo had been measuring large throughout my entire pregnancy so in order to ensure he wouldn't be over 10 lbs the doctors wanted to deliver him early. I was very nervous about induction because I went into labor with the other two on my own and right on time. However I was extremely uncomfortable (couldn't even take my boots off anymore)...
and nervous that I would have complications from delivering a large baby so I was on board with the 39 week induction.
Being induced actually ended up being my easiest labor and delivery to date. We dropped Owen and Grayson off at my mom's house the night before, woke up early and headed into the hospital to check in at 6AM. The nurses began pitocin right away and before contractions began it was like a date for Brad and I. We watched the morning news, read magazines, Brad had his coffee. It was great! Here we are on our luxurious date at the hospital...
Contractions started and they really never got too strong before Dr. Cottingim told me I could order the epidural. I had a hard time saying okay to this since I wasn't contracting hard and with the other two babies I was in a lot of pain before I received it but I went along with it. It really was no big deal and once I got the epidural around noon I was much more relaxed. The doctor broke my water around 2:00 and then it was time to push around 4:40. I didn't feel anything, which wasn't the case for the other two and I didn't have to push for very long before Leo was born.
Leo came out screaming, I remember a couple of times thinking our other babies never cried this loud or this much in the hospital. It had me concerned. Nursing didn't go smoothly at first for him. He had a difficult time latching and wouldn't stay latched for very long periods. The nurses were pushing that if he didn't have good breastfeeding sessions that I would have to supplement with formula because of his weight they were worried about his blood sugar. I felt a lot of pressure from the beginning and if it were my first child I think I would have been more concerned.
Owen and Grayson came to the hospital bearing gifts for mommy and their baby brother. They were so excited to meet him and were in love with him from the moment they knew he existed. Seeing my three boys together completely melted my heart. Our family was finally complete.
We loved our snuggle time with the littlest boy in the hospital.
I was nervous about coming home to a house with three boys and I was right to be concerned.
Life with three was the biggest adjustment for me. The big boys are loud and active and were not used to being quiet and gentle. I was exhausted and Leo was still struggling to nurse efficiently. Luckily Brad took off work for one week and kept the boys busy so I could rest and work on feeding Leo.
Brad took the boys to the zoo...
and to some parks and to and from preschool on the days that they were in school. Sweet Owen had to stop at church and say an unprompted prayer for mommy and Leo on one of his bike rides with daddy...
After two weeks of Leo being fussy and not nursing well I went to see a lactation consultant. She said that Leo was tongue tied and that is why she believed he wasn't nursing well. The following day I took Leo to an ENT who then clipped his frenulum, no numbing, just clipped it in his office while I was holding him. There were a lot of tears and they weren't just coming from Leo. It took another two weeks for Leo to learn how to nurse appropriately and then things started to improve. He was much happier and more satisfied (once his mouth healed) and I could actually sit him down for longer periods of time because his belly was full.
Life with three boys has been nothing but chaotic, loud, exhausting and at the same time sweet, exciting and full of love. We are completely overjoyed and tired!
