Operation Happier Baby and Momma

 I feed Mr. T almost every two hours during the day.  He nurses at 7:30 before going to bed, gets a bottle at 11:30 from my husband, and then still will wake 2-3 times more that night.  This is not working for me, but what are you going to do?  I have a big baby and he needs to eat a lot, right?  Well, today I learned that he does need to eat more, but maybe we can do something so he isn't needing to do the eating at night. 

This problem solving started when I called the doctor because he started spitting up again. He has gained 1.5 lbs since our 4 month appointment, so I thought maybe he needed his acid reflux meds adjusted.  The nurse did the usual discussion about my diet (and as you all know I am not adding things to my diet, but rather taking things away) and his eating/sleeping patterns.  She is convinced it can be better than it is...it just may take some tweeking.

So here is the initial plan:

• When he wakes up in the morning give him solids before nursing him.  (If he wakes up at 6 I can still nurse him and put him back to bed, but when I get him up for the day I should do solids first.

• Increase his solid intake from two times a day to three and always have either rice or oatmeal as part of the meal.  She prefers the rice cereal because she said it is easier on the stomach. This was not the case with Superman, but T is so different than S so I will try it. The idea is that the rice/oatmeal will be heavier in his stomach and hopefully keep him from spitting up. (I am making my own per the directions in Super Baby Food.)

• Work on getting "good" feedings during the day.  (Meaning: quiet room with minimal distractions and let him tell me when he is done.)  This will be difficult with a toddler, but is something I have already been working on.  

• If he wakes up in the middle of the night, try to get him to go back to sleep without eating. However, if he is hungry- feed him.  Hopefully after a few days he will stop being hungry and we will just need to break him of the habit of waking. 

Wish us luck!

The More You Know...L&D edition

I already know that this child's birth is going to be different than Superman's birth. It isn't so much that Superman's birth was horrible, but rather that it wasn't ideal.  I have learned about labor and delivery since then and I can see how a few changes could have made a lot of difference in how it went. 

I think it is helpful for me to share Superman's birth story first so that you can understand why I want to see things go differently this time around...so let's start there. 

Superman's Birth Story 

My water broke at around 7:30 in the morning January 1st.  I wasn't really having contractions yet, but when I called the hospital, they told me I should come in.  We took showers, packed the car, and then dropped the dogs off and got some McDonald's before we headed to the hospital arriving about 9am.

When I got there they confirmed that my water had broke (Duh!), but told me that I was only about 2cm dilated.  We walked laps around Labor and Delivery while we waited for our room to be ready.  By about 10am we were in the room.  I wanted to labor in the tub, but the doctor said that I couldn't because of the risk of infection (which is false, but I will go into that later).  Since I was also now hooked up to the IV and fetal monitoring, I was stuck in the room.  To help with the pain and encourage my cervix to dilate, I used the yoga ball and eventually tried the shower (for the pain).  Finally in the early afternoon my contractions started picking up and I decided that since I was planning on an epidural anyway, I might as well get one then before the pain got to be too bad. Unfortunately, it slowed the process down for me and a couple hours later they gave me pitocin to help me progress.  About an hour or two later I began to have some really severe pain in the lower left quadrant of my belly.  It appeared that I had a "window" in my epidural and we needed the anesthesiologist to fix the epidural.  He pulled it out a little bit and the pain went away.

Finally about 8pm they told me I was fully dilated to a 10 and could start pushing if I wanted to.  I (not knowing any better) said, "sure!" and I began the long, long effort to get Superman out.  I felt like I had no idea what I was doing.  I didn't think I was pushing correctly, but no one told me that so we just plugged along.  About an hour and a half to two hours into pushing the "window" came back.   It got so bad that I decided that I was done with pushing and gave up.  S had made zero progress towards being born at this point and I was told that his head was likely stuck on my pelvic bone.

The anesthesiologist came back and the doctor said that I had two options.  Turn up the epidural so I would be prepped for a c-section or try a narcotic.  He asked me if I thought I could push more if the pain wasn't there.  I told him that I thought so.  I can't remember exactly how it went, but basically he gave me 5 contractions to make some progress with Superman or I was going to need a c-section.

I don't know what that narcotic did exactly, but the pain went away, I could finally feel the pressure where I need to push, and S began to make slow, but steady progress.  Despite the fact that it took some time (2 more hours), I felt like I could run a marathon.  I couldn't get over how great I felt while pushing and excited that the end was near.  When he was close to being delivered, the doctor told me that the NICU staff was going to come in for the birth.  He was concerned that 4 hours of pushing had tired S out and they wanted to make sure he was okay (what they told me after he was born was that they were actually concerned that I hadn't been making progress because the cord was wrapped around S's neck. I was so relieved that this was NOT the case).  He told me that if all was well, Superman would be placed on my chest afterward, but if not they would need to take him.  Thank goodness he was fine.  At 12:05am, my husband cut the cord and S was placed on my stomach, where he stayed for the next hour and a half.

Superman did have a fever when he was born, but it was low enough that they weren't too worried.  When they finally gave him a bath, the fever broke, but at that point the pediatrician on-call was already told about the fever and a series of labs were ordered.  For the most part, this was not that horrible, except that they tested his sugar levels and they were low.  They were low again that morning so we were told that we needed to give him some formula to help get them back up.  Superman seemed to hate that stuff so he didn't drink much.  It caused me a lot of stress that morning that they were forcing me to give him formula.  However, in the end I was grateful to have some formula, because we ended up needing to use it to "top him off" on days 3 and 4 because my milk was delayed (did this with the help of a lactation consultant so that it did not impact my milk production- I do not recommend doing this without their help).

Now that you know the story, next up is all the lessons I learned and things I will do differently.  Stay tuned for that post next!!

Superman is 14 Months Old!

I can't believe that Superman is 14 months old today.  Time continues to speed past me and has me routinely searching for a pause button. 

I realized today that I hadn't done a "Favorite Moments Friday" in a long time and wanted to take the opportunity to update you all on Superman.

WALKING
Superman is officially walking!  He still hasn't figured out how to stand up without pulling himself up on something or someone, but that will come in time.  He has gotten so good at walking that he can walk and drink from a sippy cup, dodge our dogs and their tails, change directions easily, and has even broken in some hard soled shoes for when it is wet outside.

TEETH
He has 14 teeth!!! The most surprising part about that is that he has gotten 4 of them in the last week (the two bottom molars came in last Wednesday, the upper right canine came in on Friday and then his upper left canine came in on Monday). 

SLEEP
Superman goes to bed about 7pm and wakes about 7am.  Although sometimes the wake up can be earlier and sometimes it can be as late as 7:30am.  He is still doing 2 naps, although the second nap is hit or miss in terms of quality and length.  Part of me really hopes that he will hold onto the second nap, but the other part looks forward to being able to go on bigger adventures in the afternoons. 

TALKING AND SIGNING

He says, "dada" and other versions like "da" and "dad" for both his dad and the dogs.  He will say "yeah" for yes and has started saying a mumbled "night night" when someone waves goodbye to him.  He has said "mama" and meant me twice.  I am sad that he doesn't say it consistently, although I am trying to appreciate the fact that some day I will want to change my name from Mama because I will hear it non-stop.  He is also starting to really babble with more sounds and intonation. He will even hum or sing to music when we are in the car.  

I think he is on the verge of signing A LOT more.  I think it is a matter of taking the time to teach him them.  He signs 'all done' pretty routinely.  He will sign 'more' when he is reminded and when I ask him to ask nicely instead of grunting, he will sign 'please'.  He will also sign 'eat' (by sticking a finger in his mouth) and 'drink' (open palm to mouth as if to blow a kiss goodbye) once and awhile.  He waves 'goodbye' and signs 'milk' and I can usually differentiate between the two. 

PLAYING
We have been going to an indoor playground for about a month now and I am constantly amazed at the things he picks up.  He will frequently find older children that will engage him in peek-a-boo or other game.  He will also mimic what the older kids are doing.  He loves to go down the little slide and can do so just holding onto my hand.  He is beginning to want the toys other children have and I am learning how to coordinate sharing with the other children and their parents.  I am grateful that the other parents are so understanding. 

My husband taught Superman how to put the mega blocks together.  It is so fun to watch them build structures together.  S seems to be very thoughtful in the blocks that he chooses.  He will sometimes only want the blocks with one connector and then other times he will want ones that are the same color. 

S is very cuddly and huggable lately.  He loves giving hugs to his stuffed animals and his baby doll.  The other day he put his baby doll on his little ride-on toy and pushed her around, just like his dad does with him.  My heart melts every time he shows how caring he is through hugs and sharing his toys and food with us.  I really look forward to seeing how he uses his kindness as he gets older. 

We went swimming at the local pool recently and I was glad we had went.  He took a little bit to get used to the water and that really surprised me.  He finally got comfortable and enjoyed blowing bubbles in the water and just putting his face in the water.  We have plans to go more regularly now so that he doesn't forget how much he likes it.  (smiley face)

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I think that is it, you are all caught up!  Till next time...

Baby #2- 11 weeks

December 18, 2010
How far along: 11 weeks 

Baby's size: lime

Symptoms: The nausea seems to be getting better, but I have been really tired this week. 

Sleep:  Figured out that I can't take a nap in the afternoon and sleep well at night.  Otherwise, sleep is good. 

Total Weight Gain:  total down 4 pounds

Maternity clothes:  I have been wearing a lot of maternity clothes.  My belly is slightly bigger, but I just look chubby.  All my normal shirts are now tight in the belly area so it is just more comfortable to wear the maternity ones.  I have discovered that I hate my maternity jeans...or rather I am remembering that I hate them.  They drove me insane last pregnancy because they would never stay up.  I am not in search of new jeans.
Best moment this week: Some friends and I did a cookie exchange.  I know this isn't pregnancy related, but those cookies and other treats were sooooo good. :)

Movement: too early

Food cravings: nothing really sounds good

Gender:  ?????

Labor signs: none

What I miss: feeling better

What I'm looking forward to: being able to tell people--only a little over a week to go!

Weekly Wisdom (aka what I learned this week): A cookie exchange doesn't have to be just cookies.

Milestones: moving into maternity clothes

Emotions: still riding the emotional roller coaster

Tandem Nursing:  
Nursing only morning and night
Supply: low.  I have had to supplement in the mornings a few times this week.
Pain: None
Nausea while nursing: None  
Positions for nursing: cradle hold
Other thoughts on this: Our nursing days are numbered.   It is becoming obvious to me that my supply will not stick around with just two feedings which is highly disappointing.  He is still getting breastmilk in his bottles (mixed with whole milk), but I don't know how much longer he will put up with a low supply on my end.
 
Till next week!

Birth Day Remorse

A year ago today I was heading to the hospital...didn't get my baby till 5 minutes into the next day, but it is still a day I will remember forever.  Unfortunately with this remembering comes a lot of odd guilt and remorse.  I know this will sound silly to many of you, but I am hoping at least one person out there gets what I am feeling.  I am remorseful that Superman wasn't born till the 2nd.  


Seriously, I feel silly just typing it, but it is true.  I feel like if I had held it together and tolerated the pain a little better I could have pushed him out while it was still January 1st.

You may be asking yourself, "why does it matter?"  It has nothing to do with having a New Years baby if that is what you are thinking.  The whole day the doctor was sure that he was going to be born that day.  It was me that had to take a break 2 hours into pushing because the pain was just too much.  It was me that didn't know what I was doing so I didn't get it done.  It has to do with the fact that it doesn't feel like he was born on the second.  I labored all day on the 1st.  I pushed on the 1st.  I was in pain on the 1st.    I expected him to be born on the 1st after all that I had gone through.  


All of this makes me worried that every year on January 1st I will be feeling all nostalgic about his birth and not so much on the 2nd.  Please tell me I will get over this stupid emotional tie to January 1st and begin to appreciate that the 2nd is truly his birthday.  

Baby #2 - 7 weeks

November 20, 2010
How far along: 7 weeks 

Baby's size:  blue berry

Symptoms: Still nauseous and tired.  I also have been having some pain around the left ovary.  If it continues I think I may have to call the dr. :(

Sleep: OK - We just traveled to Kansas City to visit my husband's family and I am having a heck of a time falling to sleep.

Total Weight Gain:  same as last week (-2#)

Maternity clothes:Not even close.

Best moment this week: Telling my in-laws that we are pregnant.

Movement: too early

Food cravings: nope...too nauseous.

Gender:  ?????

Labor signs: none

What I miss: nothing really

What I'm looking forward to: my first doctor's appointment (December 6th)

Weekly Wisdom (aka what I learned this week):  I am lacking wisdom this week.

Milestones: none

Emotions: I am living every single emotion under the sun. 

Tandem Nursing:
Supply: seems to be doing ok
Pain:YES! Especially when he latches on. 
Nausea while nursing: minimal this week
Positions for nursing: With the nursing pillow in the cradle hold, but now that I am at my in-laws I don't have a nursing pillow.  Still using the cradle hold and he seems to be doing ok. 

Till next week!

Teething sucks

Superman has taken to flailing his body about when he is in pain from teething.  He arches his back, waves his arms, pushes off of me with all of his might and screams.  If I put him down?  He screams louder and usually throws his body in such a way that he ends up hitting his head....which just makes him scream louder.  So I hold on to him with both of my arms- tight, especially if I am walking because he has even flung himself into a wall when I wasn't careful enough.  Fun times.

So I went to the doctor today to make sure that he is in fact "just" teething.  Doctor says that it is in fact his teeth and to hang in there.  We had a short discussion about orajel...one of his nurses had told me to not use it unless I really needed to because it can swell the gums and delay the teeth from breaking through.  The doctor had not heard this before and said that it sounded like we needed to throw everything at the molars at this point.   I agreed. 

We used it when we got home...that and ibuprofen and a couple Humphrey's teething tablets.  I was totally going to throw everything at it.  I guess I could have used gripe water too, but didn't think about it till now.   So all the meds are in him and we head to bed.  For the first time in 3 days he actually drinks from his bottle (only a few ounces, but I will take it).  Then he goes to bed and sleeps really well for an hour (not the 2 hours that I am used to, but I will take it).  Then I go in to get him and he doesn't scream!! In fact despite a little bit of "I'm just waking up" fussiness, he was delightful! 

I am thrilled that we have found something that helped (fingers crossed it continues to work)...I just wish I knew which of the things that we gave him did the trick or if all of it was needed.  I guess that is the down-side with throwing everything you got a problem. 

Baby Love

He looks at me...and I melt.

He reaches for me...and I melt.

He scrunches up his nose and giggles...and I melt.

He bobs his head to the music...and I melt.

He stops himself in the middle of his play to throw himself at me...and I melt.

He takes a step away, but turns around to make sure that I am still there...and I melt.

He cries out in pain or tiredness or simple sadness...and I melt.

I will never be able to describe this feeling adequately.  It isn't like I have never felt love before....I have felt it from my family and friends...and obviously from my husband.  But this is different. 

This is a love that stops me in my tracks 100+ times a day. 

This is a love that changes my mood in an instant.  

This is a love that seems so pure and perfect while feeling so unbelievably strong and unwavering.

This is a love that surprises me.

A whole lot of everything...

I have lots of different thoughts running through my brain today so here it goes....

Not surprisingly, a lot of you feel or have felt the same feelings I have had about being a mom lately. Beyond the few comments here, I have received a couple emails from friends and my sister got her mommy friends to comment on her Facebook page and it feels great to know that other moms "get it". I feel so honored to belong to the "Mommy Club" where other moms stick up for each other, help each other out, and routinely remind us that we are in fact doing a good job. Thank you!!

Through the last post I put out into the universe that I needed help entertaining or playing with my 2 month old. "They" say when you put your desires out into the universe, the universe will answer (or something along those lines). Well I had my "New Mom Group" through the hospital that I delivered at yesterday. It is run by an amazing postpartum doula (she also works for the hospital) that has begun to bring in guest speakers periodically. Today we had the visitor that I had been needing....the owner of a local Gymboree!! By the time she was done I felt like I had some more tools to be entertaining to my baby. She showed us a position to sit in to play with our babies, gave us these beach balls that allowed our babies to do "tummy time" in a new way, sang some songs (some I knew already thanks to being a teacher), and played with the parachute. I think we will wait to actually go to Gymboree till Sam is older, but I am grateful for the tools I now have.

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On a side note, I thought I might share my journey of weight (gain and) loss. I know that so many moms struggle with their weight after having children and although that isn't my personal issue...I am still overweight and struggling with it. You see, when I got pregnant I was about 50 pounds over weight...that is really hard to admit because I lost 50 pounds with Weight Watchers just a few years ago. Life happened though and it is what it is...now I just have to do something about it. So a few weeks ago I signed up for Baby Boot Camp and Weight Watchers.

Baby Boot Camp is a postnatal workout class where you get to bring your baby in a stroller as they kick your butt back into shape. Seriously, many of the women in my class are these amazing athletes now (granted they have toddlers now so they may have been at this awhile). I have come a long way since my first class and I am already starting to feel physically better. During my last class I ran/walked over 2 miles and averaged about 5.5 mph! I have a long way to go, but I am really enjoying my butt kicking 3 times a week.

I go to Weight Watchers on Tuesdays...and yes, today I weighed in. So far I am down a total of 4.8 pounds in the 3 weeks I have been going! I feel like I am starting to get back into the groove of things. Thank goodness for the extra points you get when you are nursing. I definitely need them!

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I don't really know what the organization of my blog will look like over time, but I see myself sharing with you all aspects of my new found SAHM life. I hope you are finding that you can relate to what I have to say and continue reading. Please take a moment and become a fan of this blog on Facebook, find me on Twitter, or subscribe to the new posts (using the 'Subscribe to' button in the right hand column). I would also love to hear from you, so don't be shy and leave a comment when the mood strikes you!

Love,

Mommy C