Dominic Marcus McCool

Well, the day finally came for Cubby to make his entrance into this world. Dominic Marcus McCool was born on July 3rd, 2009 at 8:59am. He weighed 6lbs 5 oz and measured in at 18.5 inches.


After the many months of waiting, all the ups and downs, the bed rest and scares we had along the way...he was so worth the wait. He's perfect in every way. His little fingers and toes, his full head of black hair, his sweet little mouth...it's all just incredible and beautiful and still hard to believe.

I went into labor at 1am on Friday, July 3rd and moved pretty quickly from 3 cm dilated to 6 cm. By the time we got to the hospital and I got my epidural (thank God for the drugs!) I was fully dilated and ready to start pushing. Luckily there were no complications and everything went better then we could have ever hoped. We had two awesome nurses that showed me how to breathe and push (we had to bail on our Lamaze classes due to me being on bed rest) and their guidance coupled with Robs awesome coaching and encouragement made for a quick delivery.

Don't get me wrong, if it hadn't been for the epidural, I might have just died. The excruciating pain of the contracts caught me off guard. I was ready for painful, even really really painful..but nothing like how it actually went down. Wow. That was some gnarly shit.....wow. The epidural was painful too, and got worse when my water broke in the middle of it. But in the end, it was of course all worth it because our son is beautiful and precious and my pride and joy.

He spent a few days in the NICU due to jaundice, and even though it's a very common thing in newborns, it was still hard for me when I first saw him in the incubator. After a few tears, I stopped blaming myself and turned my attitude around, ready to cheer my son on. He conquered it like a champ and we got to bring him home yesterday. He's had more shots and blood tests then any newborn should have, and I cried for almost all of them, but the important part is that he's doing great now!

I'm still trying to get into some kind of routine with the feedings, which have been tough. Breastfeeding has always been our first choice but it has been much more difficult then I ever imagined. I have had practically every nurse help me and the lactation specialists coach and guide me but I'm still having a hard time with it. I've been supplementing with formula to make sure Dominic is getting all the food he needs, but it's still somewhat disappointing. I kind of feel like I'm letting him down, even though I know it's not my fault. It's exhausting and stressful to keep pushing it when there isn't the result you're hoping for, but I will keep trying my best and see where it goes.

There isn't a whole lot of sleep happening yet but I think that will come in time. He does ok during the day, sleeping for about 2 hours at a time then feeding and diaper change and back to sleeping. But at night time he's a little more fussy and doesn't sleep as much. I'm doing ok so far but definitely feel tired. I'm trying to sleep when he does as that's the number one piece of advice I've been given from people, but it's not always that simple. Once I get him to sleep, I have a small window to get a couple things done like empty the dishwasher or do a load of laundry. Once I do that, I crawl into bed and close my eyes. Once I fall asleep it's not long after that he's back up and ready to eat. All that being said, it's so worth it. To look at his sweet little face when he's in my arms, looking up at me....there is nothing like that feeling.

Rob has been amazing. He's such a natural with Cub and is a pro at diaper changing and rocking him to sleep. It goes without saying that son looks exactly like father and to see them together is something pretty amazing. Dominic knows it's his Daddy and is always very calm in his arms.

Just as I predicted, the hospital let us leave with him, just like that. It's crazy that we are now responsible for him and I have to admit, it's pretty overwhelming at times. I'm trying not to be an overly worried new Mom, but I admit I do check a hundred times to make sure he's breathing. But I think my fears will ease in time, as he gets bigger and isn't so fragile. In the mean time, I will do my best. I have had tons of experience with babies and kids and really didn't think I'd feel this unprepared. But it is SO different when it's your child. There are times that I feel like I have no idea what I'm doing. But these are the lessons learned, all part of the journey. I just have to trust my instincts and ask for help when I need it.

Dominic is such a sweet little boy in every sense of the word. I can still hardly believe he's here and the waiting is over. I look over at him and just sort of stare. He's so cute and small and his little mouth makes the funniest faces. I love him so much and am so glad he's finally in our lives!