There's A New Kid In Town

We are pleased to announce the newest arrival to our family. Benjamin Thomas Raftis was born April 13, 2011 at 2:28 pm. He was a big boy, weighing in at 10.3 lbs and 21.5" long.

Mommy & Benjamin

As most deliveries, our delivery did not go as planned. After several ultrasounds showing his shoulder in the way and the prediction that he was going to be at least 10 pounds (big for my little 5 foot frame), the doctors recommended a c-section. This was also recommended because our first delivery with Isabella ended up with shoulder dystocia, which lead to a rough delivery and lots of blood loss.

In the end, our ultimate goal was to have a healthy mom and baby. So we agreed to the c-section. I was definitely nervous. But I had great doctors and nurses looking after me. They did an exceptional job, and my husband kept me calm through the procedure. I also have an awesome doula named Becky from Birth Roots Doula Collective. She has been such a support for both my husband and I. She has been supportive, kept us calm, kept us informed of our options pre and post delivery, and is still there for us whenever we have questions.

Proud papa!

Surprisingly I've been recovering much better this time around, even though I had a c-section. With our first child, I had a 36 hour delivery and was in recovery for over 8 hours before I even got to see my daughter due to the blood loss. I pretty much had no energy and was on bed rest for over a week. This time around I wasn't tired from a long delivery, they kept my blood loss under control and I never had any nursing issues. He latched right away!  Anyone who's had difficulty with nursing will know how frustrating and emotionally draining this can be.

So even though things didn't go as planned, it all worked out in the end. I have a healthy baby boy who his big sister adores! It's hard to believe it's been a week and a half already. It just seems like yesterday I was counting down the days on the calendar waiting for his arrival.

Big sister Bella visiting her baby brother for the first time.