Rounding out three weeks
So we made it to our three week mark!
The traumatic tongue clipping incident seems to have done its job and Caden is eating much better, although still having problems and nursing is pretty non-existent. We went to his second checkup to see if he had started gaining weight and * Hallelujah * he is up to Six pounds Six ounces!!! That is four since last week and two since he was born- both good signs. Also, since he eats breast milk almost exclusively (we give him one of the pre-mixed formula bottles every once in a while for late night feedings), it means that I am doing something right! No additives necessary!He managed not to pee through his entire outfit this time also.
We met with the lactation specialist later in the day and found that after the little surgery and with the help of a shield- he was able to get 12cc from nursing! In NICU he would try for thirty minutes and only get about 2cc, so this is also a very good sign. The bad part is that 12cc is a far cry from the 2-3 ounces he eats at each feeding (60-90cc). So we are on a new routine of trying to nurse for ten minutes three times a day before he gets his bottle, and between the hours of 6am-10pm, I am to pump every hour so that I make enough for him and so that he can hopefully start to get the hang of nursing. I was warned it is going to be a long road- which makes my return to work all the more daunting.
In addition to the new schedule, we also have to do tongue "exercises" with him. He still doesn't quite know how to work his little tongue, and rather than making a seal and cupping his tongue around the bottle nipple- he is still just flapping it most of the time. Every 3-5 sucks and he gets it right- but we have to use a pinky finger to encourage his tongue to form a seal. Kinda mean in my opinion- since he thinks anything in his mouth will be providing food- but I trust that it will work. He has been better about nursing- doesn't fight it and I can tell that he is actually getting something out of it- but it is still frustrating because I can hear/ feel/ see that he is still not sucking right and he gets frustrated from it, too.
FINALLY- I have started giving our little thunder maker gas drops in his bottles. This little boy could clear a room! It is really bad when he is waking up or when we are feeding him. The lactation specialist (who was AWESOME) explained that when he starts eating and salivating it signals the other systems in his body- like the digestive system to start moving, and that is why we get so much action while he is eating. Like the bodys way of making room for the new stuff to come in! Originally I decided to start giving it to him so that he would be a little more comfortable, and less stinky, but lately he has started to seem more upset with his flatulence- so I feel more justified in giving him a little anti-gassy help.
So that is what three weeks has landed us! We should be coming home from the hospital now- strange to think that, especially looking at him beside me. But we wouldn't change our early arrival for anything.
So how is mommy doing? Mornings are bad- I get some of the baby blues most days. Between getting up to him being unhappy, screaming at his diaper change, Vienna barking that she needs to go to the bathroom, trying to get the stuff ready to pump, pumping, feeding him, changing him again- it gets very overwhelming, and tears are not uncommon. I think daddy is starting to notice my low fuel even more- the problem is that having more people here wouldn't help any. I am still very protective over him eating and it would take a while to show someone how he needs fed and what to watch for- and I still have to pump every other hour. Nothing can really be helped. I try and get some dishes done every once in a while, and occasionally will throw in a load of laundry- but for the most part that is dads department.
Don't get me wrong, I love my son, and I love everything about him- I just get overwhelmed with everything around me some days. The wipe container was empty yesterday and it made me cry and then make a mess of his whole shelf when I couldn't easily get a refill out and all his soaps tumbled everywhere. Daddy comes home early from work for almost the remainder of the year- but help at 2 doesn't make much difference to me. I know he likes getting home early and things like laundry and dishes get done- but I don't see much of a difference- morning help from him would have been much better. You live and learn. I also get very frustrated by the whole nursing/ pumping issue. He doesn't nurse well, and I feel like a failure that he can't do it- then I try and pump and it doesn't seem like enough and he wants attention- and it just piles up until I am one sarcastic remark from tears.
I've contemplated calculating the monetary value of trying to find a part time job closer to home, or even a full time one closer to home that paid less but had more flexible hours. I am so overwhelmed now that I can't fathom being up with him twice a night and then dropping him off somewhere driving forty plus minutes, working nine hours- driving another forty minutes to pick him up then go home in time to rush dinner onto the table shower and go to bed. I think I will end up falling asleep enroute one of those directions and that wouldn't be good for anyone. Then I realize that lots of moms do it, and I again feel like a failure for not being able to. Yup, baby blues are pretty awesome! Next week I am going to try and enlist my dads girlfriend to meet me so I can get my hair cut (something that was planned for the week after he was born and had to be cancelled), get some newborn pis of him done and maybe try some xmas shopping. If I go in the middle of the day, it shouldn't be too crowded- and of course no one will come within a twelve foot distance of him. I think time out of the house may be what is needed, and I am not ready to leave him with any one just yet.
I can't handle being apart quite yet... I'll get there someday... maybe...
The traumatic tongue clipping incident seems to have done its job and Caden is eating much better, although still having problems and nursing is pretty non-existent. We went to his second checkup to see if he had started gaining weight and * Hallelujah * he is up to Six pounds Six ounces!!! That is four since last week and two since he was born- both good signs. Also, since he eats breast milk almost exclusively (we give him one of the pre-mixed formula bottles every once in a while for late night feedings), it means that I am doing something right! No additives necessary!He managed not to pee through his entire outfit this time also.
We met with the lactation specialist later in the day and found that after the little surgery and with the help of a shield- he was able to get 12cc from nursing! In NICU he would try for thirty minutes and only get about 2cc, so this is also a very good sign. The bad part is that 12cc is a far cry from the 2-3 ounces he eats at each feeding (60-90cc). So we are on a new routine of trying to nurse for ten minutes three times a day before he gets his bottle, and between the hours of 6am-10pm, I am to pump every hour so that I make enough for him and so that he can hopefully start to get the hang of nursing. I was warned it is going to be a long road- which makes my return to work all the more daunting.
In addition to the new schedule, we also have to do tongue "exercises" with him. He still doesn't quite know how to work his little tongue, and rather than making a seal and cupping his tongue around the bottle nipple- he is still just flapping it most of the time. Every 3-5 sucks and he gets it right- but we have to use a pinky finger to encourage his tongue to form a seal. Kinda mean in my opinion- since he thinks anything in his mouth will be providing food- but I trust that it will work. He has been better about nursing- doesn't fight it and I can tell that he is actually getting something out of it- but it is still frustrating because I can hear/ feel/ see that he is still not sucking right and he gets frustrated from it, too.
FINALLY- I have started giving our little thunder maker gas drops in his bottles. This little boy could clear a room! It is really bad when he is waking up or when we are feeding him. The lactation specialist (who was AWESOME) explained that when he starts eating and salivating it signals the other systems in his body- like the digestive system to start moving, and that is why we get so much action while he is eating. Like the bodys way of making room for the new stuff to come in! Originally I decided to start giving it to him so that he would be a little more comfortable, and less stinky, but lately he has started to seem more upset with his flatulence- so I feel more justified in giving him a little anti-gassy help.
So that is what three weeks has landed us! We should be coming home from the hospital now- strange to think that, especially looking at him beside me. But we wouldn't change our early arrival for anything.
So how is mommy doing? Mornings are bad- I get some of the baby blues most days. Between getting up to him being unhappy, screaming at his diaper change, Vienna barking that she needs to go to the bathroom, trying to get the stuff ready to pump, pumping, feeding him, changing him again- it gets very overwhelming, and tears are not uncommon. I think daddy is starting to notice my low fuel even more- the problem is that having more people here wouldn't help any. I am still very protective over him eating and it would take a while to show someone how he needs fed and what to watch for- and I still have to pump every other hour. Nothing can really be helped. I try and get some dishes done every once in a while, and occasionally will throw in a load of laundry- but for the most part that is dads department.
Don't get me wrong, I love my son, and I love everything about him- I just get overwhelmed with everything around me some days. The wipe container was empty yesterday and it made me cry and then make a mess of his whole shelf when I couldn't easily get a refill out and all his soaps tumbled everywhere. Daddy comes home early from work for almost the remainder of the year- but help at 2 doesn't make much difference to me. I know he likes getting home early and things like laundry and dishes get done- but I don't see much of a difference- morning help from him would have been much better. You live and learn. I also get very frustrated by the whole nursing/ pumping issue. He doesn't nurse well, and I feel like a failure that he can't do it- then I try and pump and it doesn't seem like enough and he wants attention- and it just piles up until I am one sarcastic remark from tears.
I've contemplated calculating the monetary value of trying to find a part time job closer to home, or even a full time one closer to home that paid less but had more flexible hours. I am so overwhelmed now that I can't fathom being up with him twice a night and then dropping him off somewhere driving forty plus minutes, working nine hours- driving another forty minutes to pick him up then go home in time to rush dinner onto the table shower and go to bed. I think I will end up falling asleep enroute one of those directions and that wouldn't be good for anyone. Then I realize that lots of moms do it, and I again feel like a failure for not being able to. Yup, baby blues are pretty awesome! Next week I am going to try and enlist my dads girlfriend to meet me so I can get my hair cut (something that was planned for the week after he was born and had to be cancelled), get some newborn pis of him done and maybe try some xmas shopping. If I go in the middle of the day, it shouldn't be too crowded- and of course no one will come within a twelve foot distance of him. I think time out of the house may be what is needed, and I am not ready to leave him with any one just yet.
I can't handle being apart quite yet... I'll get there someday... maybe...
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