The first two weeks of Ava's life

Saturday, October 8, 2011:  11pm

Keren started having a different pain, could it be an actual contraction?  These were different from her “Braxton Hicks” contractions, more intense for sure.  After about 10 minutes another one hit.  My mind instantly jumped into semi-panic mode, could this be it?  Keren had downloaded a contractions app on her iphone and started timing them.  Some were 11 minutes apart, some were 8 minutes apart and one was 3 minutes apart.  They were all around 39 seconds long and Keren said not to worry, they need to be a minute apart. 

Easier said than done, I was in full worry mode right now.  I googled contractions and read for about 10 minutes.  Evidently they could be anywhere from 30 seconds to over a minute so this was in fact the REAL DEAL.  Keren didn’t seem too worried and laid in the bed timing the contractions.   She did not want to go to the hospital and possibly be told to go home but I didn’t care, I was ready to leave, now.  We decided to call the hospital and they said that when the contractions were evenly spaced then it was time to come in.  I called my mom and oddly enough, she answered the phone on the 2^nd ring.  It was almost like she new something was happening tonight.  I gave her an update and she said to call her as soon as we were headed to the hospital.  The contractions were still all over the place but they were increasing with intensity.  Keren told me to get some sleep but there was no way I could sleep next to her with all this going on.   I headed to the couch and amazingly enough, fell asleep.  It was 2am. 

Sunday, October 9, 2011:  5am

Keren woke me up at 5am and said “It’s time to go."  She couldn’t sleep at all and the contractions were now consistently hitting.  I’ve never jumped up into action so quickly, that early in the morning.  I put the dogs in the backyard to pee and jumped in the shower.  (I had to look/smell presentable when I met my first child)  I had packed my bag before falling asleep on the couch so everything was ready to go.  I grabbed my camcorder and started filming Keren leaving the house.  She was less than thrilled at my attempt to document this momentous occasion so early so I did a quick intro and we were in the car.  

It was a huge cluster of emotions at this point.  Excitement, nervousness and urgency at the same time.  I always remember movie scenes where they are driving 100 mph to get to the hospital and I felt like it was almost my duty as the husband to drive like Mario Andretti.  New Circle Rd was deserted at 6am on a Sunday so I’m confident our Pontiac Grand Prix GT could have mustered at least 130 mph but Keren was fairly calm so I set the cruise on 65.  Her contractions were strong at this point and I could tell she was in some intense pain when they hit, but she held it together well. 

Walking into St. Joe East hospital at 7am I took some more video, Keren still not amused with my cinematography efforts.  To make matters worse her left eye was very red as her contact was bothering her.  We checked in and the girl at the counter made Keren fill out a bunch of paperwork.  I was thinking we would be greeted by 5 doctors that would immediately put Keren in one of those beds with wheels and whisk her off ER style but that wasn’t the case.  Everything was very calm and seemed to move in slow motion.  After 10 minutes of paperwork we moved to another room, the room our precious little Ava would be born in. 

Room 273 was much different.  It had the fancy bed with stirrups that Keren would give birth in, sturdy vinyl couch for myself and visitors and plenty of room, it was big!  Our nurse came in and started hooking Keren up to all kinds of equipment.  She was dilated 3 centimeters so we had a ways to go to the magic 10 centimeters for labor.  When the contractions would hit, her body would tense up and I could feel the pain in her face.  The nurse told us that we should expect about a centimeter of dilation per hour so we had some time and to just relax.  7 hours, really?  I was ready for this baby to come now!  The nurse drew the shades and I laid down on the couch listening to the beeps of her heart monitor. 

I woke up at noon, I had slept for about a hour and half.  Keren didn’t sleep at all, how could she with those painful contractions?  Just then Keren’s grandparents, Pa and Doris came in to see us.  They were dressed very nicely as usual and I was a little embarrassed since I just woke up and had a big cowlick on the back of my head.  They talked to Keren for a while then we all held hands around Keren’s bed and prayed.  For the first time since her contractions had hit, I felt a bit calmer.  It was a nice feeling. 

The anesthesiologist came in pushing a small shopping cart with little vials of clear fluid.  He’s a nice enough guy and we make some small talk.  Keren is SO happy to see him as she is in major pain when the contractions hit.  He organizes everything and starts mixing fluids like a mad scientist.  He scrubs some orange looking fluid on keren’s back with little foam brushes that look like something you’d pick up in the paint isle at Home Depot.  He then inserts this HUGE needle right into what looks to be her spine.  I was amazed there was no blood and after he pushed the plunger in he turned his attention elsewhere.  The needle was sticking straight out of her back, suspended in air, lightly bouncing back and forth.  It reminded me of that scene from Pulp Fiction and kind of grossed me out.  Keren immediately felt better though, the anesthesiologist was her best friend now.  Her legs were numb and tingly, she said it was a weird feeling but the pain was gone.  She could feel the contractions hit but the pain was absent, such a relief.  

Keren’s parents showed up next and came in to check on us.  My mom was next to show up then Keren’s brother Brenden.  Time was flying by and I was hoping my dad would make it before the baby came as he had to drive from Louisville.  He showed up around 2:30 and brought me a sandwich from Subway.  I felt a little guilty eating in front of Keren as she couldn’t eat anything before the pregnancy.  All our family was now in the waiting room and I was in charge of calling them with updates. 

Around 3pm the nurse came in and said Keren was 9, almost 10 centimeters and it was time to start pushing.  I had my little Gopro HD video camera mounted up high on one of the closet doors behind Keren.  It shoots a very wide panoramic angle so it would capture everything happening in the room.  I also had another camcorder on a tripod ready to go.  I didn’t want to capture anything that would embarrass Keren but I thought it would be cool to have video of the initial moments of Ava’s birth.  Keren’s legs were high up in the stirrups and her belly was just huge.  I remembered Bill Cosby’s comedy skit where he said “push em’ out, shove em’ out, waaaaaay out!”  How appropriate because Keren was in the perfect position for such activity. 

Keren starts to push while the nurse coaches her.  I’m thinking this has to be practice as the doctor has yet to show up and the mood seems very relaxed.  Keren pushes a few times and the nurse tells her “you’ve got to push harder”.  I asked the nurse if this was practice and she quite promptly told me “Daddy, this is the real deal."  Holy cow, you mean the baby could pop out at any time?  I rushed to turn on the video cameras and the reality of the situation hit me like a ton of bricks.  I kept thinking…where is the doctor!

After 30 minutes of pushing with the nurse, Dr. Butler comes swooping in.  He’s dressed business casual but quickly gets into his blue gown attire.  A couple nurses wheel his personal cart over with a dizzying array of tools, gadgets and suction devices.  Things are about to get very serious.  Dr. Butler looks over at my video cameras and asks me if I plan on recording the birth.  It was a subtle way of telling me “Turn off the video cameras."  It wasn’t my intention to video tape anything that would embarrass Keren so I left them off, for now.  Dr. Butler’s tone was much more authoritative than the nurses when telling Keren to push.  It worked because Keren started to push harder.  He told me to help out so I started encouraging Keren to push also.  I was on her left side and had one arm pulling her left leg back and my other hand pulling her head forward.  There was a nurse on each leg pushing them back as well, it looked like torture.  Keren’s belly was enormous and I could tell she was physically exhausted after each push.  The doctor's tone was demanding but encouraging at the same time, I could tell he was very good at his job. 

Keren had probably pushed for an hour or so and it seemed like she might have to resort to a C section.  Dr. Butler then decided to use this suction device to help remove little miss Ava.  Evidently she was quite content  in mommy’s womb.  The suction device looked like a blue funnel you use to pour oil in your car, only smaller.  I tried not to watch too closely what was going on down at the business end of things for the fear of passing out.  I do remember the Dr. telling me this wouldn’t hurt the baby.  I appreciated his reassurance because it looked like he twisting and pulling that device with a fair amount of strength.  The intensity and focus in the room was at it’s peak now.  Dr. Butler was demanding that Keren push, all three nurses were encouraging Keren and so was I.  We really seemed like a team, I could feel that it was going to happen any time now.  After the next hard push, the head started to show then the contraction stopped and we had to wait for the next one.  I remember seeing just the top of her head, it was amazing, she had hair!  We waited for maybe a minute but it seemed like 10 hours, my mind was racing.  Could little Ava breath in that position?  The next contraction hit and just like that, she popped out. 

The pace was very quick at this point, Dr. Butler clamped off the umbilical cord, he let me attach the other clamp which I fumbled securing the first couple times then I cut the cord.  He immediately let Keren hold our baby for a minute or two, it was a moment in my life I’ll never, ever forget.  Keren was exhausted but the smile on her face as she looked at our daughter spoke volumes.  Ava Reese Salehi was born at 4:25pm. 

The nurses took Ava and started to clean and check her out.  She wasn’t crying that much and was pretty slimy.  She weighted 6 lbs. 13 ounces and was 19 inches long.  She sort of looked like Popeye because one eye had goop in it and was closed while the other was wide open.  She was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.  The mood in the room was much lighter now, everyone was in good spirits and joking around.  I was busy taking video and hugging Keren.  I called my dad and told him to spread the good news.  They would have to wait 45 minute though till they could come see Ava. 

I had the video camera rolling when our family came in.  My mom rushed to pick up Ava first, she reminded me of one of those shoppers on black Friday mowing down people to get the latest ipod.  Everyone was so excited to see her, it was awesome to see both of our families sharing in such a special event.  The first family members to see Ava were:  My mom, dad, sister, AJ  (sister’s boyfriend), Keren’s dad, step mom Brenda and her brother Brenden. 

After 15 minutes the family had to leave as they needed to give Ava her first bath and take some more measurements.  I went with the nurse and watched her bath Ava.  She had been calm, until now.  She turned bright red and screamed at the top of her lungs, she wasn’t a fan of the water.  After the sponge bath I saw Keren’s grandparents walking down the hall looking for Ava.  They fawned over Ava like she was their own, it was really nice to see.  After a few minutes of getting acquainted with their newest great grandchild they said a prayer for her.  Ava is lucky to have such a loving and caring family.

Later in the evening we were transferred to another room where we would spend the rest of our hospital stay.  It had a nice couch for me to sleep on and was very spacious.  My long time friend, Steve Reckmann  stopped by that evening with his niece to see us.  He’s been one of my best friends and it was really great to see him.  Keren’s parents stopped by again that night and gave their support.  Keren's sister also stopped by that night to see little Ava.  She had been in Colorado with her family and just returned that evening.  It was an exhausting, emotional day.  One I’ll absolutely never forget. 

Monday, October 10, 2011

They took little Ava away to the nursery last night so we could get some well needed sleep.  That was great but nurses, tech and doctors kept coming in to check on us and the baby starting at 7am.  They brought Ava back to us in her little plexiglass cart and she was very calm and sleeping well.  The day flew by and many people stopped by to visit.  My friend Barry Williams stopped by and brought us a gift card to Babies R Us.  Keren’s grandparents Pa and Doris stopped by at the same time as Barry.  My dad came by but I had gone home to walk the dogs.  My mom, sister and Aunt Fati stopped by as well, Aunt Fati brought Ava a nice play set with stuffed animals.  Keren’s coworker friend Shalan Miller stopped by and her boss Reeby came as well.  My step mom Janet brought us a couple of yummy cupcakes and held Ava for a while.  Keren’s sister, step mom and dad stopped by again to say hi towards the end of the night.

The hospital gave us a very nice steak dinner with cheese cake, chocolate cake and sparking grape juice that looked like champagne.  It was an extremely busy day with all the visitors but we really appreciated everyone coming by to see us and Ava.

We decide to keep Ava in the room with us thinking this parenting stuff is really not too difficult.  Around 3am after coming to the conclusion that we have no idea how to get Ava to sleep we call the nursery and they took her away.  They took her hand and footprints for our baby book while she was away also.  Sleep deprivation was kicking in at this point. 

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Todays the day we get to take little Ava home!  She seems to be doing great and were excited to show our little daughter her new home.  While Keren got dressed I walked around the hospital shooting video and taking pictures for the video I’ll put together of her birth.  Time had flown by and it was somewhat surreal going back to the room where Ava was delivered.  It was only 2 days ago but it seemed like she was born 30 minutes ago. 

When I returned to the room, Keren had dressed Ava up in a really cute outfit.  White shirt with polka-dots, pink pants with a pink bear on the rear and a white bow.  It was the cutest thing I’d ever seen and I have to admit I got emotional seeing her.  It was a really nice moment and yet another I won’t ever forget. 

We strapped Ava in the car seat and walked down the hallway to the car.  As much as I wanted to get home, I had this feeling of not wanting to leave.  It had been such an incredible, positive and comforting experience.  Maybe part of it was the fact that we going to be on our own now with the responsibility of this tiny human being in our hands.  Ava was great in the car seat and enjoyed the car ride home.  Keren sat in the back seat of the Grand Prix with her, I felt like the luckiest limousine driver in the world.  Ava didn’t cry at all on the ride home, I don’t think I’ve ever driven that cautious in my life.  Two hands on the wheel, keeping a careful eye on all the mirrors it was a bit nerve wrecking.  We arrived home safe and sound, anxious to see how the dogs would greet Ava.  We didn’t let them get too close but they were definitely mystified by her presence.  Murphy was overly curious and that made Keren a little nervous.  Shelby seemed to be more anxious when Ava would cry.  Today was the first day Ava heard a piano.  While Keren held her I played Moonlight Sonata.  She seemed to stay calm, maybe she has already developed a taste for Beethoven?  

Later than night my mom came over, she was dieing to see Ava and help out.  She stayed the night which was a HUGE help.  Keren and I got some well needed sleep while mom stayed up rocking Ava to sleep. 

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Ava’s first pediatrician visit was today at 9:30am.  She appears to love riding in the car and slept the entire time.  Her bilirubin levels (when elevated can lead to jaundice) are up to 15 from 10 the previous day.  She’s a little bit more fussy than in the hospital and the pediatrician tells us “welcome to parenthood”.  When we got home, Keren’s sister Melissa stopped by and brought us some great food!  She had cooked a breakfast casserole and chicken broccoli casserole which were delicious.  She visited with Ava and rocked her to sleep in the glider.  Later, my dad, sister and her boyfriend AJ stopped by to see Ava and cooked us dinner.  Ava was getting fussier and she hadn’t pooped all day which was unusual because she was averaging 4-6 diapers the previous day.  We decided to call a nurse helpline and got some advice.  Later, my mom arrived to stay the night again and help out.  Poor mom was up all night with Ava as she would fuss and hardly go to sleep.  Something wasn’t right and we were looking forward to our pediatrician visit in the morning.   

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Back at the pediatricians office at 10:30am and Dr. Lewis says Ava’s bilirubin levels are in the danger zone at 19.8  She is noticeably more yellow, has lost 6 ounces of weight and needed to go to the hospital immediately for light therapy.  Keren’s milk evidently was slow to come in (which is very common) so Ava wasn’t getting any nutrients.  This is the reason the jaundice levels spiked.  We drove straight to Central Baptist and got checked in.  Central Baptist wasn't as luxurious as St. Joe East but the nurses were beyond nice and helpful.  They gave Ava an IV and she didn’t even cry at all.  We put her under these intense blue lights in our hospital room and she immediately slept well.  For the first time in two days Keren and I get a chance to relax, being back in the hospital is actually a little comforting. 

We stay the night and Ava sleeps amazingly well the entire time under the lights.  Evidently jaundice makes babies sleepy and I believe it.  Keren and I sleep together in the hospital bed, it’s a little cozy but we both sleep perfect.      

Friday, October 14, 2011

Dr. Lewis arrives in the morning and gives us the good news.  Ava’s bilirubin is down to 10, half what it previously was!  We are cleared to leave the hospital and anxious to get home.  The last two nurses we had were so nice, they treated us like we were family.  It was much colder leaving than when we arrived so we bundled up Ava pretty good.  Ava was much better when we got home, Keren’s milk was coming in well and Ava was creating many dirty diapers for us.  Things are starting to look up.

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Guess where we were Saturday morning?  Yep, at the pediatrician’s office at PAA to check her jaundice levels.  Little Ava was kicking butt, her levels had dropped again to 9.2 and she had gained 6 ounces to 6.5 lbs!  Dr. Hosinski said she was doing excellent and we should come back in two weeks.  We celebrated by going to Panera for a $16 bagel.  I left later in the day and my mom came by to help out with Ava and stay the night.  Mom bought Ava several nice gifts that have helped out greatly.  She bought a really nice mobile for the crib with remote control.  She bought a little bath tub which we used for her first bath.  She bought her a really neat swaddle that buttons up.  No more fiddling with blankets and hoping Ava doesn’t perform a Houdini escape act.  The best thing mom bought was this teddy bear that emits a noise that mimics the sound of the mother’s heartbeat in the womb.  We have used this bear almost every day since and really think it helps calm Ava down. 

Sunday, October 16, 2011  (One Week Old) 

Keren’s parents stopped by today on Ava’s one week anniversary.  They brought us mini pizzas and cashews.  (my favorite)  Robert and Brenda took turns holding Ava and talking to her.  It’s obvious all of her grandparents love her very much.

Monday, October 17- Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Keren and I both felt a little sick these days, could be a touch of allergies.  No visitors these days and Ava did well with the occasional sleepless night.  I managed to make the gym Tuesday and Wednesday and Keren took care of Ava while I was gone.

Thursday, October 20, 2011
Keren called me on the phone really excited because she saw Ava laugh for the first time!  She was breast feeding Ava and she was drifting off to sleep.  During this nursing nirvana she let out a quick giggle and did it a few times each lasting only a couple seconds.  I wish I could have been there to see it, Keren said it was the cutest thing she’d ever seen.

Friday, October 21, 2011

Ava had a couple “firsts” today, her first official bath at home and her first “photo shoot”.  She was good for most of the bath and seemed to really enjoy having her hair washed.  (what little she had)  When mommy began to wash her back she went into full wail mode and we quickly got her scrubbed down and dried off.  Keren put some powder on her and she smelled REALLY good.  She quit crying when Keren dried her off and seemed to like that part as well.

  We went to a friend of Melissa's who is a photographer and lived in the neighborhood just down the street from us.  We arrived at 10:30 am and she had a little studio set up in the front bedroom.  She wrapped Ava in a blanket and put her in this wooden bucket for the first photos. (was really cute)  Ava had just eaten and was semi-conscious at this point.  Posing her was super easy needless to say.  I brought my camcorder and took video of the photo shoot.  After about an hour of shooting Ava woke up and became fussy.  The photographer wanted to do a couple more poses but decided we should come back on Monday as little Ava wasn’t in the mood to pose any longer.  

My mom and sister came over to see Ava in the afternoon.  Roshan took a bunch of pictures of Ava and mom couldn’t hold Ava enough.  Our neighbor, Steven, brought his 2 year old daughter Maddie over and met Ava for the first time.  Maddie is such a cutie and kissed Ava on the cheek when we asked her to.  Ava also met our other neighbor, Aaron as well.  Tonight was the first night we let Ava sleep in the pack n’ play.  She did really, really good!  She slept for 3 hours then woke us up to eat.  She went back to sleep easily and in another 3 hours woke again.  We are beginning to think this is easy.  (ha)

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Today was an “interesting” day and started out great.  Weather was absolutely beautiful and Kentucky’s football team actually won a game.  (against Jacksonville State)  Keren’s grandparents, Bob and Doris brought us lunch and spent some time with Ava.  They brought her a very nice pink blanket with many proverbs from the bible on it.  They also brought her a little bear as well.  Ava was very good for both of them and Bob’s experience with babies showed.  He held Ava for some time and she seemed to enjoy his company.  Our neighbor Steven came over again and brought Maddie as well.  Maddie loves our dog Murphy and she enjoyed seeing Ava as well. 

The rest of the day is where it gets interesting.  My dad had dropped off his Buick Le Sabre earlier in the day to have me put new front brakes on.  After I installed the new brake pads, in the process of backing out of the garage, dad runs into the front of our garage, then backs up into my 4Runner.  The brakes had no pressure initially and required a few pumps to restore pressure.  I forgot to tell him this and the resulting damage was pretty impressive.  We were grateful no one was hurt and this will surely make for a funny story for years to come.  Keren was inside with Ava and she said the noise was literally like a car coming through the house. 

Sunday, October 23, 2011 (2 Weeks Old)  

Was a challenging morning as Ava woke up at 7am and wouldn’t go back to sleep.  She seems to always be hungry, even after 45 minutes of breast feeding.  When she wakes you better get her fed quickly or she will break into full crying mode in a hurry.  It’s funny to watch her latch onto the boob, she does it so quickly and with great intensity.  We call her our little “baby shark” because of the swiftness she goes after Keren’s boob. 

Ava slept for about 3 hours during the day but that’s it.  My dad came over to drop off a new shelf and car charger to replace the ones he busted yesterday in the crash up derby episode.  My sister and AJ also came over as they were all going to Keenland together. 

At 6pm Ava had a few visitors, my dad, Roshan and AJ came back from Keenland and all took turns holding Ava.  Keren’s dad also stopped by at the same time to see his little Persian princess (as he affectionately calls her).  Ava was very good with all of them and didn’t cry at all.  Roshan took a bunch of pictures also.  The evening went pretty smoothly, Ava breast fed, I swaddled her and rocked her to sleep in the kitchen while the faucet ran.  This seems to be the latest technique that lulls her to sleep.  3-4 minutes of water faucet rocking seems to do the trick.  Hopefully we don’t get water bill shock in a month or so.  Ava is sleeping as I write this, almost 4 hours straight!  Woo hoo!

Monday, October 24, 2011

Today was a little eventful as we can’t figure exactly why Ava gets fussy all the time now.  Ava did really well last night, she slept in the pack n’ play and would wake up on her own every three hours.  Keren breast fed and I’d change the diaper and coax her to sleep with the water faucet technique.  Even though she was going to sleep fairly quickly I only got 4 hours sleep and Keren got 5.   

  We took her back to the photographer’s house in the morning to take a few more photos and she did great.  She was wide awake so that did make getting the perfect pose challenging but overall it went well.  We can’t wait to see the pictures.  Throughout the day Ava was a little fussy and had trouble going to sleep.  It seems that when you hold her and talk to her she’s fine but the minute you put her down she cries.  We’re not sure if she’s getting enough to eat as she seems hungry all the time.  We started writing down how often she eats again and she ate a total of 10 times in a 24 hour period.  Keren’s sister Melissa stopped by tonight and brought us some more food.  Melissa has been awesome, Keren is lucky to have such a supportive sister.

Tonight Ava was very fussy 30 minutes after Keren breast fed.  I broke down and gave her a 2 ounce bottle of formula and she downed it immediately.  She was still fussy but was definitely full.  (I tried giving her more formula but she wouldn’t take it)  After 3 or 4 burps she was all bright eyed and calm.  Finally!  Diaper change, quick swaddle, turned on the vacuum cleaner (new trick we picked up) and 10 minutes of playing Canon in D on the piano and she was asleep. 

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Today was Ava’s 2 week checkup at PAA and she is doing awesome!  She is up to 7 lbs. 1 ounce which was 4 ounces more than her birth weight.  Dr. Hosinski said its great to see babies weighing more than their birth weight after 2 weeks.  She had grown half an inch to a whopping 19.5 inches.  She’s looking like she might be a tiny little thing as she’s at the 17^th percentile for weight and length.  The doctor was overall very happy with her progress and Keren’s breast milk is evidently providing plenty of nutrients. 

Ava was up for a while during the day then we all took a nap for a couple hours.  Our neighbors, Steven, Kelly and Maddie came over to see Ava.  This was the first time Kelly had seen Ava and she gave us some great information on babies, breast feeding etc.  They are pregnant so our neighborhood will be full of babies pretty soon.  Around  6pm we took Ava for her first stroller ride! The weather was absolutely beautiful with the temps in the low 70’s.  I walked the dogs while Keren pushed Ava in the stroller.  She seemed to love the ride and was wide awake for the first half.  I took video and pictures of Keren pushing the stroller will put together a video soon. 

I think we kept little Ava up a little too long today as she had trouble going to sleep tonight.  I played the piano, sang to her in the kitchen with the faucet running and swaddled her but nothing would work.  Keren finally breast fed her again and she was sound asleep at 11pm.  All in all a good day.