Baby Girl - 1 Week Old!

A few hours old

Baby Girl turned one week on Monday of this week! We spent the first few days in the hospital with some respiratory issues, but we got out days earlier than anticipated and came home on Thursday afternoon (and I bawled all the way home that we were finally leaving the hospital & getting to take our baby home). 

She hasn't lost any of her hair that I can tell, she is vocal about everything! She "talks" to us when she eats, sleeps - everything. There are very few times she isn't making a noise of some kind! She sleeps wherever we put her! Crib, bassinet, pack & play, swing & bouncer! She loves her Boppy infant positioner & that will make her happy when nothing else will! While she loves her Bouncer she hates the vibration feature on it! I never knew it was possible to love anyone or anything as much as I love her! And seeing John with her makes me love him all the more!

Having a newborn has overall been easier than I honestly expected! The first night we got to room-in at the hospital, it was really rough! We were transitioning off of formula supplementation & to breast milk supplementation only, so she wasn't feeling full and wanted to cluster feed all night long. I think we may have slept a whole hour, maybe two out of the entire night. Now that we're home, night time feedings are difficult, I have trouble prying my eyes open & sitting up to tend to her needs, but the more I heal the easier it is! At night, she sleeps at least 4 hours between feedings, sometimes as much as 5 hours! Her awake periods during the day are more & more alert and lengthy as each day passes.

40 hours without sleep!

Nursing is going great! I was really concerned about it at first since we didn't get skin to skin contact after delivery (with the complications) and we couldn't hold her for over 24 hours. My first time pumping we were able to get a few ml of Colostrum for her to be fed by syringe but after that I  couldn't much of anything while pumping ... until my milk started coming in & now I swear I could feed twins! She only had to have supplementation with formula for a few feedings and we haven't had to use any since we came home! We've also gotten the okay from our Pediatrician to exclusively breastfeed & not supplement anymore. I'm having to use a nipple guard to get her latched well, I'm attempting to wean her off, but she only latches well without it about every one out of four times. It's slow, but it's progress!

 

She has become a pacifier baby. I *really* didn't want that, but since we moved her off the passifier that the hospital put her on {(without my permission... grrr...) Part of the reason the first night rooming-in was so awful} we've fixed her latch & suck with the help of the amazing Lactation Consultant at the hospital. I've put her on Mam passifiers & we don't seem to have any new suck/latch problems.

Coming Home!

When we took her to the Pediatrician last Friday, she was down to 8 pounds, 3.5 ounces from her original birth weight of 8 pounds, 12 ounces. It is considered an acceptable weight loss, but I'm hopeful that she is putting some of it back on before her next appointment this upcoming Monday (I really don't want to revisit supplementation or formula!).

We had a busy, busy first week with lots of visitors! We truly loved seeing everyone, but it's been nice that this week it has slowed down some & we have been able to scheudule our visits less often & with fewer people at a time. It has made life much easier on this Momma and I've done better emotionally now that I get more cuddles with my little pumpkin and am not just having her passed back to me when she is crying or needing something just to have her being cuddled by someone else the moment the need was met. 

Tomorrow we're taking Baby Girl on her first day trip! My brother is the Drum Major at his college & when we went to see him a few weeks ago the football game was rained out so I haven't gotten to see him conduct this year. Tomorrow is the last game of the season so we're headed to Marshall (3.5 hour drive) - wish us luck!

Postpartum: Day 1 - 3 was really rough! I had a natural vaginal delivery with no complications. I can't imagine the added soreness if there had been issues or stitches or anything really. In a lot of ways I found recovery way worse than the actual labor or delivery! With contractions at least you get a break between them, recovery pain is constant.

Medication wise, one dose of Advil usually does the trick & gets me through the day.

 (It's not a great picture, but I love it - My Dad's family that gathered on Saturday to meet Baby Girl. In true form, we couldn't get the timer feature to work on the camera & couldn't really reach the corded shutter release.)