This past month has been full of ups and downs and has been the most challenging yet rewarding month of my life. I have really enjoyed getting to know Carter and learning how to provide and care for him. My favorite thing is when he accidentally smiles-it melts my heart and makes all my frustration and sleep deprivation fade away. Doing all the "firsts" has been a blast- like his first bath, his first car ride, first outings, etc.
After Carter was born and we were moved to the postpartum floor, Kim and Jay went home to nap and my mom stayed with me until they came back later in the afternoon, at which point she went home to sleep. Carter got circumcised later in the day and did great. The first night in the hospital was really strange, all of a sudden having a new baby to care for. I hadn't slept at all in over 24 hours due to the night labor and delivery and then the amount of visitors we had during the day. I finally gave in around 4am and let the nurse take Carter to the nursery for a couple of hours while I got some sleep. Even though it was nice to rest for a few hours, I couldn't wait to have him back! We got to leave the hospital early (in the afternoon on Oct 11) because both Carter and I were doing so well.
Breastfeeding has been the most difficult experience during the past few weeks. Immediately after birth, Carter latched on right away and I thought he was going to instantly be a nursing champ. He latched here and there throughout the rest of the hospital stay, and even the day we got home. During the night our first night home, he refused to latch all night long at each feeding. I started to panic since he hadn't eaten in quite a few hours, and I woke up Kim and Jay to help me figure out what to do. I ended up pulling out my pump and using it for the first time and then feeding him the milk I had pumped, which seemed to satisfy him. For the next couple of days, I tried unsuccessfully to latch him at each feeding, and then I pumped and bottle fed. We had an appointment on the 13th and our NP was concerned that he had lost so much weight. It was a horrible, trying couple of days. I was so frustrated and exhausted and dreaded feeding time when he would just scream as I tried to latch him.
On the evening of Friday the 14th, after many tears, I finally decided that I was going to discontinue trying to latch him and exclusively pump and bottle feed him my breast milk. His weight was good on Saturday the 15th, so I knew he was finally getting enough to eat and was encouraged by that. At our next appointment on the 17th, he had gained even more weight and our NP supported my decision to exclusively pump. My mood began to improve and I dreaded feedings less and less. Although it was a lot of work to pump AND bottle feed, it was better than what I had been going through. On Wednesday evening, the 19th, I came down with Mastitis and was very sick until Saturday. Jay was such a huge help during these days, when I couldn't do much more than sit up to pump every few hours.
On Thursday night, my midwife preceptor Shelly stopped by with a shield for me to try. It was the one thing I hadn't tried yet, and I was very hesitant since I didn't want to go through the frustration that I went through before trying to get Carter to latch. I decided that it was worth a try, and tried it that night. Carter latched beautifully and I used the shield for every feeding for the next few days, followed by pumping to ensure my milk supply stayed. Jay and I went to a lactation consultant on Monday the 24th, and she verified that we were using the shield correctly and that Carter was getting enough to eat. I finally was able to stop pumping, which was the most freeing, wonderful feeling in the world! I currently use the shield at every feeding now and while I hope someday he'll latch without it, it is so nice to be able to breastfeed, which is what I had really hoped for in the first place!
It was really hard when Kim and my mom left. They were such a huge help to me and it was so scary to be on my own. After my dad and Val came and left, we were really on our own for the first time. It has been a learning curve but I think we are getting the hang of it!
Carter sleeps most of the day, but when he's not sleeping he is alert and likes to look around a lot. The most common comment from people is about how alert he is. Our favorite thing is the Morrow reflex-when he is sleeping and something startles him, he throws his hands up while staying asleep. Its pretty funny! He doesn't cry a lot, usually only when he is hungry. He loves to suck and likes his pacifier. He was really fussy for a couple of nights and didn't sleep much at all (the 27th and 28th) but since then he generally sleeps about 5-6 hours at night. During the day he eats about every 3 hours.
Stats:
10-11-11, 1 day old: 9 lb 0 oz
10-13-11, 3 days old: 8 lb 7 oz , 21 in
10-15-11, 5 days old: 8 lb 15 oz
10-17-11, 1 week old: 9 lb 1 oz, 21 1/4 in
10-25-11, 2 weeks old: 9 lb 14 oz, 22 in
Milestones:
First baths
Smiles accidentally
Turns head side to side
Lifts head briefly when lying on tummy
Turns toward sounds
Stares at faces
Likes to stare at lights
Sucks on fingers
After Carter was born and we were moved to the postpartum floor, Kim and Jay went home to nap and my mom stayed with me until they came back later in the afternoon, at which point she went home to sleep. Carter got circumcised later in the day and did great. The first night in the hospital was really strange, all of a sudden having a new baby to care for. I hadn't slept at all in over 24 hours due to the night labor and delivery and then the amount of visitors we had during the day. I finally gave in around 4am and let the nurse take Carter to the nursery for a couple of hours while I got some sleep. Even though it was nice to rest for a few hours, I couldn't wait to have him back! We got to leave the hospital early (in the afternoon on Oct 11) because both Carter and I were doing so well.
Breastfeeding has been the most difficult experience during the past few weeks. Immediately after birth, Carter latched on right away and I thought he was going to instantly be a nursing champ. He latched here and there throughout the rest of the hospital stay, and even the day we got home. During the night our first night home, he refused to latch all night long at each feeding. I started to panic since he hadn't eaten in quite a few hours, and I woke up Kim and Jay to help me figure out what to do. I ended up pulling out my pump and using it for the first time and then feeding him the milk I had pumped, which seemed to satisfy him. For the next couple of days, I tried unsuccessfully to latch him at each feeding, and then I pumped and bottle fed. We had an appointment on the 13th and our NP was concerned that he had lost so much weight. It was a horrible, trying couple of days. I was so frustrated and exhausted and dreaded feeding time when he would just scream as I tried to latch him.
On the evening of Friday the 14th, after many tears, I finally decided that I was going to discontinue trying to latch him and exclusively pump and bottle feed him my breast milk. His weight was good on Saturday the 15th, so I knew he was finally getting enough to eat and was encouraged by that. At our next appointment on the 17th, he had gained even more weight and our NP supported my decision to exclusively pump. My mood began to improve and I dreaded feedings less and less. Although it was a lot of work to pump AND bottle feed, it was better than what I had been going through. On Wednesday evening, the 19th, I came down with Mastitis and was very sick until Saturday. Jay was such a huge help during these days, when I couldn't do much more than sit up to pump every few hours.
On Thursday night, my midwife preceptor Shelly stopped by with a shield for me to try. It was the one thing I hadn't tried yet, and I was very hesitant since I didn't want to go through the frustration that I went through before trying to get Carter to latch. I decided that it was worth a try, and tried it that night. Carter latched beautifully and I used the shield for every feeding for the next few days, followed by pumping to ensure my milk supply stayed. Jay and I went to a lactation consultant on Monday the 24th, and she verified that we were using the shield correctly and that Carter was getting enough to eat. I finally was able to stop pumping, which was the most freeing, wonderful feeling in the world! I currently use the shield at every feeding now and while I hope someday he'll latch without it, it is so nice to be able to breastfeed, which is what I had really hoped for in the first place!
It was really hard when Kim and my mom left. They were such a huge help to me and it was so scary to be on my own. After my dad and Val came and left, we were really on our own for the first time. It has been a learning curve but I think we are getting the hang of it!
Carter sleeps most of the day, but when he's not sleeping he is alert and likes to look around a lot. The most common comment from people is about how alert he is. Our favorite thing is the Morrow reflex-when he is sleeping and something startles him, he throws his hands up while staying asleep. Its pretty funny! He doesn't cry a lot, usually only when he is hungry. He loves to suck and likes his pacifier. He was really fussy for a couple of nights and didn't sleep much at all (the 27th and 28th) but since then he generally sleeps about 5-6 hours at night. During the day he eats about every 3 hours.
Stats:
10-11-11, 1 day old: 9 lb 0 oz
10-13-11, 3 days old: 8 lb 7 oz , 21 in
10-15-11, 5 days old: 8 lb 15 oz
10-17-11, 1 week old: 9 lb 1 oz, 21 1/4 in
10-25-11, 2 weeks old: 9 lb 14 oz, 22 in
Milestones:
First baths
Smiles accidentally
Turns head side to side
Lifts head briefly when lying on tummy
Turns toward sounds
Stares at faces
Likes to stare at lights
Sucks on fingers
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