then its another.
Annabelle's green liquid poop dilemma has cleared up. On the 14th ish, after her 1 month check up, her poop dilemma cleared right up. Her poop is the perfect mustardy yellow, seedy and perfect. But just as the Dr. predicted, her symptoms of Reflux flared up in the last week. She's had a few regurgitation episodes that freaked me out and she still seems to struggle with passing of gas or pooping, although that has seemed to have gotten better (or maybe we're dealing with it better?)
I've yet to figure out if in fact she had a hind milk issue or was it solely a milk protein intolerance issue. I have cut out the idea of a soy protein intolerance b/c we have reintroduced that back in and her stool is still a great color. I'm still keeping dairy out and feeding her as she demands - which is only about 7-10 minutes on one boob a feeding. Not a lot but it seems I do have an oversupply, which could be exacerbating the reflux or i can be mistaking reflux for this issue. I keep a lot of clothes handy and just let her let go as she pleases and catch the rest of the spray in the cloth... and its like niagara falls. Although it is getting better, so i have to believe my body is adjusting.
Sometimes i just think this is all part of the growing pains some mother-children go through, as my body adapts to her body and her needs. I'm doing my best to make sure i soothe her as best as i can when she is in pain and i try to continue to do the things that seem to work to make her happy.
She is sleeping less, so figuring out how best to let her nap has been hard. I'm going on the theory of first six weeks of her life should be completely on demand and as needed before i start trying to stick us both to a schedule we may not be ready for. But i am already thinking about her sleeping and how we will figure that out. I know that is probably our next hurdle to tackle and I haven't read up on anything to really know how we will attack this issue, but i'm already fearing and dreading it.
While it seems that most of my posts are only about issues we've had so far, i hope you realize that those issues are only a minor part of our days. Trying to coax a smile from her has been my main goal, as we got 2 out of her this past weekend but we know she's got some more in there somewhere. She's also starting to coo and caa a bit, which is so much fun. Trying to just focus solely on her and our time in this moment has been my main goal and its been so much fun. On the nice sunny days, we bundle up and head outdoors for a nice walk with Kota. A little fresh air is always nice and she seems to enjoy it.
I'll be posting more pictures soon. My mom is leaving us this coming Monday so we'll be on our own soon, and I will admit, I'm a bit freaked out. Any suggestions, advice, ideas to help me get through this new transition of being a SAHM on my own - please send my way! :)
Annabelle's 1st Photoshoot
did not go so well. It seems that taking newborn photos is best to be done in the first 2 weeks or so b/c that's when newborns sleep alot. It's the best opportunity to put them in adorable poses and they just sleep through the whole thing. Alas, we did not do that and took her photos at about 22 days. She was awake through it all, pooped twice and was not at all pleased.
She was awake though, but since she was too young to smile on command, they weren't the cutest of pictures but of course in our eyes, she still did adorably well and we love that we got some photos of her (aside from the hundreds my mom is taking).
Here are a few of her photos ...
So we got a few for memory sake, not exactly what I had hoped for but i'm glad we got them done :) We are using a couple of the photos for her birth announcements to go out this week :)
Happy Valentine's Day
 |
| Outfit courtesy of Annabelle's Aunt Dee |
Today was Annabelle's 1 month pediatrician visit and also the day she got her 2nd Hepatitis B vaccination shot. Since my mom is still in town taking great care of me, Larry stayed at work and she went with me to the visit.
Our pediatrician is great and he answered a lot of my questions, however my foremilk/hindmilk issue question he did not answer, and stated that he could not answer it - but referred me to the awesome lactation consultant he has on staff.
Things we learned at the visit today:
Annabelle is in the 75 %ile of weight gain - going from 7 lbs 1 oz (6lbs 8 ounces at her lowest) to 10 lbs today. Her height is in the 50 %ile with an increase from 20 inches to 21.5 inches and her head also was the same 50 %ile increasing from 13 to 14.5! Yay for growth.
Dr. Jones broke down her weight gain as 47 ounces in 32 days. So typically at an ounce a day, she is gaining more than that. So he called me a "champ" and a "success story" for breastfeeding and said she is growing beautifully and healthily.
I had some concerns still with her stool color, whether she has an actual food intolerance, why she screeches when she passes gas/poop etc...
This was met with answers that led to more questions. Basically, the Dr does not think she has a food intolerance, but rather that she may have reflux which would explain her fussiness, spit up, hiccups, congestion and that an anal fissure (little tear) explains the blood in her stool that one day. He showed me where he saw the tear and reassured me that with a little bit of cream, she'd be better soon. He thought that explained her screaming/cries while passing gas/poop. He also thinks that she is getting enough hind milk and I should not be concerned with this issue; he says my supply is stellar (possibly overly so?).
I am still concerned... mostly b/c if you read about the imbalance issue, she fits into that category with similar symptoms as above - fussiness, spit up, green colored liquid stool, gas etc... So i'm a bit torn. I don't know if i can eat dairy or not - so i'm not. I'm introducing soy back slowly. I'm going to treat Annabelle as if she does have reflux - just in case she does, and be sensitive to those issues. I'm applying vaseline on her tiny butt to ensure a quick heal.
She got her Hep B shot and cried for a moment but was ok once i held her and kissed her. Those shots are awful for the parent, and this one was just one.
Overall the appointment was very informative, i love our pediatrician and should have scheduled to see the lactation consultant originally but will do that for our 2 month appointment.
Have any of you had any nursing issues? Anything I am going through sound familiar? I know they say the supply issue works itself out, but these days feel like weeks when I see my baby suffering and I can't help her. Any suggestions would be great!
Hope y'all had a great Valentine's Day!
1 Month Old
Dear Annabelle,
Today you are 1 month old!
This past month has been such an adventure as your father and I have started to get to know you. We've been the over protective first time parents you'd expect us to be, and we are learning as we go. So far you've been very patient with us and we hope your patience won't wear thin. We've had several visits to the pediatricians, mostly to check your weight and color - but aside from the normal initial weight loss, you've been packing the pounds like a champ. At your actual due date, you were well over 8 lbs - so who knows how big or small you would have come out, if you came out on time. You have the cutest little cries that make me want to just scoop you up and protect you from the world - regardless of that dirty poopy butt!
I often spend most of my time holding you and just staring at you. I breathe you in - your little baby breathe's, your hair, your baby fingers/toes... i can't get enough of you...
As first time parents, your father and I have gone through a range of experiences and feelings, some things include the following:
Lost your umbilical cord on day 7 (most of it anyways)
First tears on day 10
First Booger on day 13
First spit up on Day 14
First photo shoot on Day 22
Lifting and turning your head about 3 weeks
Projectile spit up all over mommy at 4 weeks.
First "coo" on mommy's birthday
You are staying up a lot more than in the first few days. You are also letting your opinions be known about certain things. and each day that passes, you are still a miracle to us and we love you so much! We are so excited to watch you grow ... and nervous of course that we may mess up! But sweet baby girl, we hope you know that this adventure we're on, we're on together as a family. We will try our best to not let you down.
Here are some photos of you on your 1 month!
Here you are, compared to the couch - small now, but growing fast.
We love you sweet baby girl!
Love,
Mommy & Daddy (& your brother Kota!)
Today you are 1 month old!
This past month has been such an adventure as your father and I have started to get to know you. We've been the over protective first time parents you'd expect us to be, and we are learning as we go. So far you've been very patient with us and we hope your patience won't wear thin. We've had several visits to the pediatricians, mostly to check your weight and color - but aside from the normal initial weight loss, you've been packing the pounds like a champ. At your actual due date, you were well over 8 lbs - so who knows how big or small you would have come out, if you came out on time. You have the cutest little cries that make me want to just scoop you up and protect you from the world - regardless of that dirty poopy butt!
I often spend most of my time holding you and just staring at you. I breathe you in - your little baby breathe's, your hair, your baby fingers/toes... i can't get enough of you...
As first time parents, your father and I have gone through a range of experiences and feelings, some things include the following:
- worrying about your slight wheeze (which turns out to be nothing - so far, we think its just dried milk);
- worrying about your various colored stools - figuring out your intolerances and thinking its milk protein and soy protein;
- attempting to give you a sponge bath, successfully giving you a sponge bath the next day;
- worrying about your umbilical cord began to fall off, we freaked out;
- attempting to give you a full blown bath - you pooped on the towel, successfully giving you a bath the next day - we don't think you liked it;
- by your third bath, you seemed to enjoy it more;
- watching you have your 1st and 2nd pku's (the 2nd hurt me more than it hurt you), your newborn hearing test, and your hepatitis B shot;
- you've been trying to lift your head and turn it on your own since the first week, you successfully did so on and wowed your father in your third week. We still worry as you face plant sometimes when you do this;
- you've learned that you could continue to be a lazy latcher; especially at night when I don't force you to open your mouth wide;
- you continue to be a sleepy nurser, which we are working on since you often sleep within 15 minutes of a feeding (if not sooner);
- both the things above have us concerned about if you are getting enough hind milk, since you've got some liquidy projectile green watery poops
- at 3 weeks, we caught a little blood in your stool - so i'm going dairy and soy free to see if you have a protein intolerance.
- you love car rides and sometimes get mad when the car stops for a few minutes;
- you can't get enough of the outside world and love to just look around all the time;
- you continue to make us laugh every time you pass gas or poop, making funny "ohhhh" faces before and smiling afterwards;
- sometimes you screech, strain and scream when trying to pass gas/poop, this really worries us. Daddy often makes a "shhhh" sound to try to soothe you. This seems to work half the time.
- you are starting to fuss more, but that may be you just learning to control your voice.
- you have such good hearing that you will zone in on where a sound comes from and follow that sound. Your grandfather thinks you actually can see him on the iphone when you facetime with him.
Lost your umbilical cord on day 7 (most of it anyways)
First tears on day 10
First Booger on day 13
First spit up on Day 14
First photo shoot on Day 22
Lifting and turning your head about 3 weeks
Projectile spit up all over mommy at 4 weeks.
First "coo" on mommy's birthday
You are staying up a lot more than in the first few days. You are also letting your opinions be known about certain things. and each day that passes, you are still a miracle to us and we love you so much! We are so excited to watch you grow ... and nervous of course that we may mess up! But sweet baby girl, we hope you know that this adventure we're on, we're on together as a family. We will try our best to not let you down.
Here are some photos of you on your 1 month!
Here you are, compared to the couch - small now, but growing fast.
We love you sweet baby girl!
Love,
Mommy & Daddy (& your brother Kota!)
4 weeks Old Today
Oh my goodness, does time fly?! I know we realize this more and more as we get older, but it really does speed up. I can't believe 4 weeks to the day, we were home with our little baby girl Annabelle for the first time.
In commemoration of that, our beloved Annabelle spit up all over me this morning :) It wasn't like "oh, look - she must have spit up." It was more of an epic spit up... as i was holding her upright over my shoulder to burp her, she burped. I said "good girl!" and then about 20 seconds later, she just barfed ALL over me, down my neck and back, down my tank top, onto the brest friend and the pillow supporting my back and then subsequently onto the couch (luckily we had our little doggy protection blanket on). Yup, it was impressive.
Thank the Lord almighty, my mom is here still b/c without her, I don't know how i would have handled it. Po' little Annabelle had spit up all over her neck, face, cheeks, ears, hair and down her newly changed clothes. She looked just a bit shocked and confused - rightly so, this is only her 2nd real throw up and 4th real spit up she's had. My mom held her while I prepared her bath, and the two of us successfully gave her a quick and cry-less bath. Something about grandma's just make the world go round in a better way, she just stared at my mom the whole time - usually she gives larry and I a little cry or 5 during this process. Then because my mom was here, I was able to jump in the shower and wash the spit up off of myself ... this would not have happened if I was here alone! Thank you Mama!!!
Today, to mark this special occasion, I'm going through her closet and bags full of clothes to start putting the things she has outgrown away. I don't know if i ever mentioned how fortunate we are, but Larry's sister has two girls. She's been a rockstar about saving all these things for us "just in case" we had a girl - so needless to say, we have a ton of clothes. On top of which, one of my close friends also saved us some of her little girl's clothes! So from gifts and hand me downs, Annabelle is rockin' a HUGE wardrobe...one that apparently she is growing out of very quickly.
Her newborns won't fit. Her 0-3 months are fitting but some are tight length wise. So now onesies and pants are going to be her new standard outfit so she has the leg room to stretch and move about. Luckily, she's got quite the selection to choose from.
I can't believe that it was just 4 short weeks ago that we were blessed with this angel. I feel like she's been part of my life forever, yet i'm so new to what to do as well. It's still surreal but even amidst the digestion hurdles, a new sleep schedule, and being spit up or pooped on - the only times i get frustrated are when i can't seem to alleviate her pain or discomfort. It really is amazing to watch Annabelle grow and i am seeing life through a different view.
And needless to say, i'm feeling more and more grateful to my own parents, especially my mother!!! Thank GOD for mothers!!
Here's a few pics of Annabelle taken yesterday with her brother Kota. She's in an adorable puppy outfit our neighbor and sweet friend gave to her!
In commemoration of that, our beloved Annabelle spit up all over me this morning :) It wasn't like "oh, look - she must have spit up." It was more of an epic spit up... as i was holding her upright over my shoulder to burp her, she burped. I said "good girl!" and then about 20 seconds later, she just barfed ALL over me, down my neck and back, down my tank top, onto the brest friend and the pillow supporting my back and then subsequently onto the couch (luckily we had our little doggy protection blanket on). Yup, it was impressive.
Thank the Lord almighty, my mom is here still b/c without her, I don't know how i would have handled it. Po' little Annabelle had spit up all over her neck, face, cheeks, ears, hair and down her newly changed clothes. She looked just a bit shocked and confused - rightly so, this is only her 2nd real throw up and 4th real spit up she's had. My mom held her while I prepared her bath, and the two of us successfully gave her a quick and cry-less bath. Something about grandma's just make the world go round in a better way, she just stared at my mom the whole time - usually she gives larry and I a little cry or 5 during this process. Then because my mom was here, I was able to jump in the shower and wash the spit up off of myself ... this would not have happened if I was here alone! Thank you Mama!!!
Today, to mark this special occasion, I'm going through her closet and bags full of clothes to start putting the things she has outgrown away. I don't know if i ever mentioned how fortunate we are, but Larry's sister has two girls. She's been a rockstar about saving all these things for us "just in case" we had a girl - so needless to say, we have a ton of clothes. On top of which, one of my close friends also saved us some of her little girl's clothes! So from gifts and hand me downs, Annabelle is rockin' a HUGE wardrobe...one that apparently she is growing out of very quickly.
Her newborns won't fit. Her 0-3 months are fitting but some are tight length wise. So now onesies and pants are going to be her new standard outfit so she has the leg room to stretch and move about. Luckily, she's got quite the selection to choose from.
I can't believe that it was just 4 short weeks ago that we were blessed with this angel. I feel like she's been part of my life forever, yet i'm so new to what to do as well. It's still surreal but even amidst the digestion hurdles, a new sleep schedule, and being spit up or pooped on - the only times i get frustrated are when i can't seem to alleviate her pain or discomfort. It really is amazing to watch Annabelle grow and i am seeing life through a different view.
And needless to say, i'm feeling more and more grateful to my own parents, especially my mother!!! Thank GOD for mothers!!
Here's a few pics of Annabelle taken yesterday with her brother Kota. She's in an adorable puppy outfit our neighbor and sweet friend gave to her!
Adjusting to life with a newborn
When you are pregnant, people will often tell you "get as much sleep as you can" or "rest up while you can" or do this or that while you still can, as if stockpiling all this rest/sleep can be cashed in once your beautiful newborn arrives and you aren't getting consecutive hours of sleep. Well let me tell you folks, you can not cash those sleep/rest hours in, so i think that advice is kinda sucky. I think many people just say it to fill the gap... like its the thing to say. LOL.
Annabelle sleeps in 2.5-3.5 hr slots. This goes on a 24 hr basis. So during the night, I sleep when she does and I don't when she doesn't. During the day i try to catch a nap when she does, but i usually will be lucky if i get one nap in the day. Through her other naps, I work on getting household chores done. Now that i'm past my first three weeks, I'm doing more around the home although my mom is doing most of the cooking for me still (thankfully). Once she leaves, I'll add one more to-do which will be to make dinner during the night.
I'm not really sure how i'll adjust to life once my mom is gone. I figure it's gonna be a lot harder when its just me to watch Annabelle and she'll be sleeping less as time goes on. However, I'm hoping that once we can get into a schedule, things will be a little more fluid. I'm hoping to have some "me" time in the evenings when Larry gets home from work - I'll head to the gym and grab a shower after (luckily, the gym is in our building, so i'm only a call/text away and I can be home in 2 minutes).
Since we are still working on getting into a good routine with the nursing, I haven't bottle fed her yet. Once we get this nursing thing down pat (hopefully by week 6), I'll start pumping and introduce the bottle to her and Larry can start to feed her when i'm away during my "me" times. This will also give him some more hands on time while giving me a moment of sanity. We may try to introduce this earlier, as I do want to start going to the gym next week, but we are taking it one day at a time.
Soon, once the weather permits, I'll take Annabelle on Kota's evening walks so that Larry will have one less thing to do in the evenings when he returns from work and it will get Annabelle outside with some fresh air.
So, I'd like to think i'm adjusting but I know it will be a very harsh reality once my mom leaves me to do this on my own. It's a gradual adjustment, so if any of you moms have any advice for me, let me know now so i can start working on things while I have that support here!
How was it for you ? Adjusting to life with a newborn? All suggestions and advice are welcome! :)
Annabelle sleeps in 2.5-3.5 hr slots. This goes on a 24 hr basis. So during the night, I sleep when she does and I don't when she doesn't. During the day i try to catch a nap when she does, but i usually will be lucky if i get one nap in the day. Through her other naps, I work on getting household chores done. Now that i'm past my first three weeks, I'm doing more around the home although my mom is doing most of the cooking for me still (thankfully). Once she leaves, I'll add one more to-do which will be to make dinner during the night.
I'm not really sure how i'll adjust to life once my mom is gone. I figure it's gonna be a lot harder when its just me to watch Annabelle and she'll be sleeping less as time goes on. However, I'm hoping that once we can get into a schedule, things will be a little more fluid. I'm hoping to have some "me" time in the evenings when Larry gets home from work - I'll head to the gym and grab a shower after (luckily, the gym is in our building, so i'm only a call/text away and I can be home in 2 minutes).
Since we are still working on getting into a good routine with the nursing, I haven't bottle fed her yet. Once we get this nursing thing down pat (hopefully by week 6), I'll start pumping and introduce the bottle to her and Larry can start to feed her when i'm away during my "me" times. This will also give him some more hands on time while giving me a moment of sanity. We may try to introduce this earlier, as I do want to start going to the gym next week, but we are taking it one day at a time.
Soon, once the weather permits, I'll take Annabelle on Kota's evening walks so that Larry will have one less thing to do in the evenings when he returns from work and it will get Annabelle outside with some fresh air.
So, I'd like to think i'm adjusting but I know it will be a very harsh reality once my mom leaves me to do this on my own. It's a gradual adjustment, so if any of you moms have any advice for me, let me know now so i can start working on things while I have that support here!
How was it for you ? Adjusting to life with a newborn? All suggestions and advice are welcome! :)
Post Partum Visits/Appointment
After Annabelle's birth, we had a couple post partum visits and then our post partum appointment at the birth center.
Since we were able to go home within hours after Annabelle's arrival, the post partum visits take place in our home. The day after Annabelle's birth, we had our first pediatrician visit. The next day, which was a Sunday, Laura - the midwife who "caught" Annabelle stopped by our home. She did some general check ups - temperature, heartbeat, blood pressure for me and checking temperature and color on the baby - as well as she checked my goods down there to see how i was healing. She also checked my tummy to make sure my uterus was going back into place. We also talked about how i was feeling emotionally and if i was able to digest all that had happened and how I felt about the birth (if i was even ready to think about that).
The visit overall was similar to any other appointment, very gentle and tender. Laura guided me to think about our experience but was to quick to give me an out, in case I was overwhelmed in any way. I really appreciated how considerate and respectful they were to me as a new mother, a woman and lastly a patient. I also like how they would always ask "dad" how he was doing.
Since we had yet another pediatrician visit on Monday, Claudia decided to come on Tuesday for her post partum visit. Like Laura's visit, we did the standard stuff and then just talked about how we were doing.
Both women were very awesome about giving suggestions and advice, whether it was about breastfeeding or just post partum rest.
Today I had my Post Partum appointment. Typically held at 2 weeks, i had to cancel and was only able to go today. I had my appointment with Laura and we went over some basic stuff. She was really interested about any questions or concerns I had and my recovery both physically and emotionally. She went over my vitals, checked my abdomen muscles to see that they were back in place and also my goods down there. I always appreciate how when it comes to MY nether regions, she tells me what she's going to do before she does it and explains everything she is doing. Makes what can be awkward and uncomfortable, a little less so.
Everything came out ok. My flora is still balancing itself out, but 3.5 weeks out and my vitals are all good, i'm down 2.5 lbs from where I started pre-pregnancy, my ab muscles are back in place, and starting next week i may try to take some "me time" and hit the gym.
I have another post partum visit about a month from now, and at that visit I'll have to think more carefully about family planing and any questions I may have about that.
Post partum care is pretty important. A healthy mom can only benefit a healthy baby, so its good to get attention for the moms as well as the babies. How was your post-partum visits/appointments? Did they help your recovery? Any advice for new mom's like me in this post partum recovery period?
Since we were able to go home within hours after Annabelle's arrival, the post partum visits take place in our home. The day after Annabelle's birth, we had our first pediatrician visit. The next day, which was a Sunday, Laura - the midwife who "caught" Annabelle stopped by our home. She did some general check ups - temperature, heartbeat, blood pressure for me and checking temperature and color on the baby - as well as she checked my goods down there to see how i was healing. She also checked my tummy to make sure my uterus was going back into place. We also talked about how i was feeling emotionally and if i was able to digest all that had happened and how I felt about the birth (if i was even ready to think about that).
The visit overall was similar to any other appointment, very gentle and tender. Laura guided me to think about our experience but was to quick to give me an out, in case I was overwhelmed in any way. I really appreciated how considerate and respectful they were to me as a new mother, a woman and lastly a patient. I also like how they would always ask "dad" how he was doing.
Since we had yet another pediatrician visit on Monday, Claudia decided to come on Tuesday for her post partum visit. Like Laura's visit, we did the standard stuff and then just talked about how we were doing.
Both women were very awesome about giving suggestions and advice, whether it was about breastfeeding or just post partum rest.
Today I had my Post Partum appointment. Typically held at 2 weeks, i had to cancel and was only able to go today. I had my appointment with Laura and we went over some basic stuff. She was really interested about any questions or concerns I had and my recovery both physically and emotionally. She went over my vitals, checked my abdomen muscles to see that they were back in place and also my goods down there. I always appreciate how when it comes to MY nether regions, she tells me what she's going to do before she does it and explains everything she is doing. Makes what can be awkward and uncomfortable, a little less so.
Everything came out ok. My flora is still balancing itself out, but 3.5 weeks out and my vitals are all good, i'm down 2.5 lbs from where I started pre-pregnancy, my ab muscles are back in place, and starting next week i may try to take some "me time" and hit the gym.
I have another post partum visit about a month from now, and at that visit I'll have to think more carefully about family planing and any questions I may have about that.
Post partum care is pretty important. A healthy mom can only benefit a healthy baby, so its good to get attention for the moms as well as the babies. How was your post-partum visits/appointments? Did they help your recovery? Any advice for new mom's like me in this post partum recovery period?
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