tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14320238148869633702024-03-12T19:51:14.052-07:00(Mis)Adventures with My BoysMelissa Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05282513177583364801noreply@blogger.comBlogger152125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1432023814886963370.post-62207063654813356912008-11-19T08:46:00.000-08:002008-11-19T08:55:49.167-08:00Very brief updateWow, it has been over 2 months since I've written. Yikes.<br /><br />The anniversary date went better than expected. We returned to our hotel room at 11:30 pm to find KB still awake, waiting up for us. NOT something we expected at all. The in-laws did not have it in them to "make" him go to sleep. AB was asleep in Thatha's arms. I suspect they didn't put him down the entire time, both to keep him sleeping AND to keep KB from jumping all over him.<br /><br />In other news:<br /><br />- The in-laws left last week. A week ago, in fact. I love having my house back. They helped out in their way. I will have to do a longer post on this topic.<br /><br />- S has still not found a job. His last day of work was August 8th. His severance pay and our benefits run out in mid-December. To say I am scared shitless is a gross understatement. I will have to do a longer post on this topic.<br /><br />- I returned to my contract job on Monday. I was not and am not totally ready, but given our household economic circumstances, I don't really have much of a choice. I guess the one saving grace is that S is home right now, so we don't have to put AB into daycare just yet. I'm starting out slowly, 2 days a week, and will probably work up to 3 days (as I was doing before I went out on maternity leave). I don't really want to work more than 3 days a week, but we'll have to see how S's job search goes.<br /><br />- Not really much else. I really need to figure out a routine for mornings. KB goes to preschool 4 days a week and has recently started asking to go on Fridays as well. Mornings are pretty chaotic trying to get KB ready, get me ready, get AB down for his morning nap, etc. I can't imagine what life will be like when S is getting ready for work in the mornings also.<br /><br />S has taken KB to school. I'm waiting for AB to wake up so I can nurse him one last time before dashing off to work.<br /><br />Honestly, I never saw myself going back to work before S did. Fingers crossed he finds a job soon so I can stop worrying.Melissa Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05282513177583364801noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1432023814886963370.post-21463642097074838732008-09-12T21:11:00.000-07:002008-09-12T21:22:50.291-07:00DreadI am upstairs. AB is downstairs with MIL. She is trying to put him to sleep. He is screaming -- the kind of scream where he's actually starting to go hoarse.<br /><br />My heart is pounding, my breasts are tingling, and I just want to go down there and make everything right.<br /><br />S doesn't want me to. This is supposed to be a dry run for tomorrow night, when the in-laws are keeping the boys so S & I can have an early anniversary date in the city.<br /><br />I could not bear the thought of leaving the kids here with the in-laws while we were over an hour away, so we are getting two hotel rooms close to the restaurant where we have reservations. I think it's a 10-minute cab ride from the hotel to the restaurant. Much better, if we need to get back quickly, than a 1+ hour drive home.<br /><br />But I am terrified. MIL seems even more inept with AB than she was with KB. I cannot figure out why. He is not difficult to put to sleep, although his mood does turn on a dime. He absolutely has to be soothed to sleep within 2 hours of waking up, or he screams bloody murder. MIL does not understand that and doesn't respect it.<br /><br />A couple of nights ago, she completely ignored AB's sleepy signs (we had stepped out to pick up KB, to talk to his teacher, and to buy him some shoes). I had told her we should be back well before he needed to eat again, but at her insistence, I left a bottle just in case. Of course, when we walked in, she was giving him a bottle. She said he had started crying and she couldn't get him to stop. One glance at the clock said he was sleepy, not hungry.<br /><br />I have horrible visions of her gorging him with 12 ounces of breastmilk tomorrow night while we are at dinner. I know she will keep him awake past his 2-hour window, and he will scream, and she will get all flustered that she can't put him to sleep, and she'll give him another bottle. Then she'll call me at the restaurant and tell me she's out of breastmilk and we need to come back.<br /><br />Why did I ever let myself get talked into this date? My stomach is in knots just thinking about it.Melissa Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05282513177583364801noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1432023814886963370.post-6805191654896336292008-09-08T22:30:00.000-07:002008-09-08T22:37:41.280-07:00Nursing is a full-time job!I love that breastfeeding AB is going well. I do. I love that he is filling out and actually getting rolls on his thighs.<br /><br />Sometimes as I watch him nursing, I hear him gulping and swallowing and marvel that I am making ACTUAL MILK! I'm feeding him! <span style="font-weight:bold;">Me</span>!<br /><br />Other times I wonder who is sneaking into our house in the middle of the night and feeding this child. It boggles my mind that I am producing 100% of his nourishment.<br /><br />Nursing sessions are still lasting forever. I know I should not complain. At least AB feeds about every 3 hours, not every 2 hours. And the last two nights have been lovely, with some 5+ hour stretches of sleep. <br /><br />But I do feel that I am becoming one with the couch. I feel as if there is a baby on my boob just about all the time.<br /><br />Tonight I took KB out to dinner after I fed AB. I wanted to spend some time with my sweet angel boy, just the two of us. I knew our relationship would be different once we had a second baby, but I wasn't prepared for how much I would miss him.Melissa Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05282513177583364801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1432023814886963370.post-49141437410004373762008-09-03T13:27:00.000-07:002008-09-03T13:30:33.671-07:00The view from hereAB just fed for an hour and a half (including a lot of falling asleep at the breast). Now he's in the bouncy seat while I contemplate eating something for lunch.<br /><br />KB is at preschool.<br /><br />S's parents have disappeared again. This time, they have gone off with his cousin to do a week of sightseeing in Northern California. But not the redwood forest; they saw that in 2002 and Heaven forbid they see the same thing twice.<br /><br />Remind me again why we spent $2800 to fly them here to "help us"?<br /><br />S is upstairs taking a nap. He said he would be up at 12:45. It's 1:30.<br /><br />I'm on my 5th load of laundry in two days.<br /><br />I am not happy.Melissa Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05282513177583364801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1432023814886963370.post-8899620781013348002008-08-28T14:00:00.000-07:002008-08-28T14:04:23.551-07:00Robbing Peter to pay PaulS's solution to decluttering the downstairs? Cram all the clutter into boxes and stack the boxes in the upstairs office.<br /><br />Yes, the same upstairs office that we are supposed to be CLEARING to use for AB's room.<br /><br />Sigh.<br /><br />So the downstairs is starting to look decent. The upstairs is in shambles.<br /><br />And he cut the lawn, weeded, and trimmed earlier today with his dad.<br /><br />I don't know who these people are who are coming over tomorrow. I'm wondering if I need to put on my nicest dress and my priciest jewelry. They must be Indian nobility or something!!<br /><br />Why can't he get this fired up about doing chores around the house on a regular basis? Why must it be to impress these particular friends of his parents?<br /><br />I still don't get it.Melissa Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05282513177583364801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1432023814886963370.post-71410413235985523482008-08-27T19:54:00.000-07:002008-08-27T20:00:22.947-07:002 months2 month appointment today.<br /><br />Weight: 10 lbs, 10 oz (25th percentile)<br />Length: 23 inches (50th percentile)<br />Head circumference: 39.5 cm (between 25th and 50th percentile)<br /><br />The pediatrician was pleased at the (almost) 2 lb gain in a month. He asked me "So, when did your milk finally come in?" Huh? I told him the milk was always there, it was the baby who wasn't taking it all.<br /><br />I felt very smug indeed when I told him that I stopped all the supplements of expressed milk immediately after AB's 1-month appointment.<br /><br />He agreed that I'd done a very good job of turning things around.<br /><br />Huzzah! And now I don't have to go back for 2 more months.<br /><br />AB has been VERY irritable today after his (4) shots. I don't think he's slept more than a couple of 10-15 minute stretches since we got home. He's pretty much been hanging out on the boob.<br /><br />I finally got him to sleep by swaddling him. Now I bet KB will wake him up when he and Daddy get home from swimming. Argh.Melissa Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05282513177583364801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1432023814886963370.post-61616772733372563992008-08-25T15:20:00.000-07:002008-08-25T15:39:04.186-07:00Same old story: no time- S is on a job interview. I'm glad he's interviewing, but this is for another start-up, and for many reasons, I would rather he get a job at an established company.<br /> <br />- AB is in the bouncy seat but is starting to get fussy (he just ate, so I know he's not hungry).<br /><br />- KB is at preschool; I'll go get him in a little bit<br /><br />- We had way too many activities this past weekend. That always screws up KB's nap schedule and AB's eating. He doesn't seem to like feeding outside when it's hot.<br /><br />- The in-laws have been gone since August 11th, but they return on Wednesday. They went to visit some other relatives in Chicago and Memphis. It has been SO NICE to just be a family of 4. I'm really not looking forward to having them back.<br /><br />- S is on a tear to declutter and to clean the downstairs. His parents have invited over some of their friends who are visiting the Bay Area from Seattle. S desperately wants to make a good impression on his parents' friends because of how much that would please his parents. Huh?? I would like to devote an entire post to how I feel about this. I know it's a cultural difference but the whole situation is beyond my comprehension.<br /><br />OK, AB won't give me any more time. Can you believe he will be 2 months old on Wednesday?!?!Melissa Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05282513177583364801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1432023814886963370.post-68032045086804101962008-08-17T17:53:00.000-07:002008-08-17T18:00:01.519-07:00The briefest of updatesBreastfeeding is going better. I think. AB weighed 9 lbs, 12 oz at group on Thursday. (After eating, he was up to a cool 10 lbs) Last week, he was 9 lbs, 4 oz at group. So 8 oz in 7 days. Not bad. <br /><br />He doesn't seem to like the right side much, for some reason. He grunts, twists my nipple, pulls off frequently. I don't know if I'm just holding him badly or what. I usually do cradle hold first and then switch to the football hold to let him empty the breast as much as possible. He does much better on the left side. I'm trying *not* to favor that side because I don't want Righty to dry up from lack of use.<br /><br />The biggest issue, I guess, is how frickin' long AB takes to feed. He's a sipper. He usually takes 45 minutes to an hour to finish both sides. He is not a one-boob man, oh no. He wants both boobs at every feeding. And he takes. for. ever. Sometimes he takes even longer than an hour.<br /><br />I'm trying to hang in there. I keep hoping that as he gets bigger and stronger, he'll get more efficient. I just wish I knew when that might happen. Nursing is literally a full-time job, and it's very, very difficult on the days KB is home with me.<br /><br />Luckily (or not), S is still looking for a job, so he's home with us right now. Oh, did I mention that he got laid off from his job? <br /><br />Yeah, so there's that.<br /><br />Have to run for now. AB is starting to fuss, and it's getting close to feeding time again.Melissa Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05282513177583364801noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1432023814886963370.post-78358774264582787772008-08-06T13:54:00.000-07:002008-08-06T14:00:02.265-07:00So much to write, so little time- No time. No privacy. I HATE having extra people in my house. FOUR AND A HALF MONTHS -- gah!!!!!!!<br /><br />- AB weighed 8 lbs, 11 oz at his one month appointment on July 30th. He gained almost a pound in 9 days.<br /><br />- The next day, at the breastfeeding support group, he weighed 8 lbs, 15 oz.<br /><br />- I have dropped all post-feed bottles and am nursing exclusively except the middle of the night. Then S gives AB a bottle and I pump. We both get back to sleep faster.<br /><br />- KB is really testing his limits lately. I think he's also testing me to see if I will still love him if he pushes me away. He refuses to say goodnight to me when he goes up to bed (usually I am nursing AB when KB's bedtime comes around). Breaks my heart but I think he's doing it all out of new-baby jealousy.<br /><br />- S's grandmother passed away very suddenly back in India. Her condition deteriorated so quickly that there was no time for my in-laws to get back. And S's grandfather wanted the funeral services completed by the next day, so there is no point of their going back now.<br /><br />- AB going through 6-week growth spurt, I think. Speaking of which, he's awake again and crying for boob. Hope to write more later.Melissa Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05282513177583364801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1432023814886963370.post-42038404301820947482008-07-26T21:39:00.000-07:002008-07-26T21:43:43.720-07:00Slow and steady...AB will be one month old tomorrow. One month! <br /><br />I think I've got to call the kids by their initials. Having both their names in this blog makes it entirely too Google-able.<br /><br />No real time to write, except to say that at breastfeeding support group on Thursday, AB weighed 8 pounds even. Gain: 4 ounces in 3 days. I've got to keep up the supplements until his one-month appointment on 7/30. I'm betting the pediatrician wants to see something close to 8.5 pounds.<br /><br />And btw, the lactation consultant also concurred that I need to find a new pediatrician ASAP. She gave me the name of someone to call.<br /><br />I'm very tired, and I need to go back through the last few posts and edit names. Certainly don't want the in-laws to see all my bitching about them. ;-)Melissa Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05282513177583364801noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1432023814886963370.post-53833285996889859632008-07-23T14:09:00.000-07:002008-07-26T21:46:11.798-07:00How do my ILs drive me batshit crazy? Let me count the ways...If I had the time, and the energy, I would enumerate them all. But I fear that would take days.<br /><br />- MIL gives me constant updates on AB. If his eyes are even the slightest bit open, she proclaims "He's wide awake!!" And thinks this means she should play with him. If he has his eyes closed, "He's fahst asleep". If he cries at all, it's because "He's hungry!" <br /><br />- FIL and MIL both refuse to let AB go to sleep. They want to be holding him all. the. time. If he is still, and shows signs of drowsiness, they will snap their fingers in his face or whistle loudly to wake him up. Holy shit, does this piss me off. Then when he inevitably startles, MIL will tell me "He doesn't want to sleep."<br /><br />- FIL gives me no personal space while nursing. For several days, I tried going out to the living room and sitting on the couch to nurse. FIL would pace around the house and walk right up to me while I had my boob out. So I decided, screw it. If he wants to see my boobs, he can see them. Now I just sit in the family room and if he's around, he gets a free show. <br /><br />- MIL talks to KB as if he's about 12 months old, high-pitched 'parentese' and all. It's incredibly condescending and annoying. I don't think KB cares for her too much. <br /><br />- MIL and FIL both accost KB the second he comes home from preschool. They try to force him to give them hugs. They don't seem to understand that at this age, they would have better luck letting KB come to them.<br /><br />- MIL thinks we should eat every single meal together. They will wait and wait and wait for me to eat lunch with them, even when I tell them that I am busy with AB and that they should go ahead.<br /><br />- They drink water and then put the used glasses on the dish drainer as if they are clean. YUCK!!!<br /><br />- They use about 6 coffee cups per day, each, instead of rinsing and re-using them. The dishwasher fills up quickly because they drink so much coffee and have several snack times every day.<br /><br />- I have absolutely no personal space anymore. I feel as if I need to be entertaining them. If I want to hang out in my room, with my baby, I feel guilty that I'm not downstairs with them. If I stay downstairs with them, the conversation is stilted (or non-existent) and I am bored out of my ever-living mind.<br /><br />This is going to be the longest 4 months ever. How did I forget how much they drove me insane after KB was born?<br /><br />S talks about how much "help" they are/will be. Ha! They are certainly no help around the house, they are actively ruining AB's sleep/wake cycles, and just having them here is making me miserable. The only thing MIL does that is helpful is to give AB his post-BF bottle. And once the Lact-Aid arrives, she won't even be doing that.<br /><br />Honestly, I wish my parents could have stayed and the ILs were the ones who had already gone back home.Melissa Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05282513177583364801noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1432023814886963370.post-44416154539096491582008-07-22T16:28:00.001-07:002008-07-26T21:46:34.668-07:00DeflatedYesterday we had another weight check at the pediatrician's office.<br /><br />7 lbs, 12 oz.<br /><br />Same as 5 days before. :-(<br /><br />The doctor all but called me a shitty mother right to my face. He did say, "You are treading on the very edges of my patience...no, let me say it even better: You are seriously trying my patience."<br /><br />So I've got to step up the supplements and figure out what in the hell is wrong with our breastfeeding mojo that AB can't gain weight unless I'm giving him extra at every feeding.<br /><br />Lact-Aid is on order and I hope will be here Friday.<br /><br />Oh, and my in-laws are driving me up the motherfucking wall. And they just arrived on Wednesday.Melissa Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05282513177583364801noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1432023814886963370.post-39619903583207794842008-07-17T08:11:00.000-07:002008-07-26T21:46:59.751-07:00P.S.I am very proud to say that all the supplements AB has gotten post-hospital have been expressed breast milk. Go me! :-)<br /><br />During our hospital stay, my milk hadn't come in, so he got 7 1-oz shots of formula while he was under the bili lights.<br /><br />So far, I've been able to keep up with his demand. Hooray for More Milk Plus!<br /><br />I am not averse to formula -- KB never could get the hang of breastfeeding, and I had my own problems post-partum, so he ended up being formula-fed after about 5 months.<br /><br />Still, since AB is most likely my last baby, I want to give BFing every chance to work, and I'm happy we're making good progress. I know it's early days yet, but I really, really, REALLY want to make this work. <br /><br />Thanks to all of you who are cheering us on!!Melissa Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05282513177583364801noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1432023814886963370.post-14537252463753504302008-07-16T22:19:00.000-07:002008-07-26T21:47:33.804-07:00Huzzah!AB weighed 7 lbs, 12 oz at the pediatrician's office today. I was astounded!!<br /><br />We are also done with the bili blanket. YEA! We can have AB snuggled in bed with us again. I missed sleeping with my little man.<br /><br />We'll have another weight check on Monday. We're supposed to continue with the supplements, but I'm going to try my damnedest just to nurse more. I had already cut the supplements down to 1 extra oz per feeding for the last couple of days. Had gone up to 1.5 - 2 oz per feeding to try to put more chub on the bub.<br /><br />AB is already waking up a lot more often to nurse now that he's out of the bili blanket. I will supplement after nursing if I feel like he didn't get much, but I'm not going to automatically give a bottle every time.<br /><br />Tomorrow is the breastfeeding support group, so I'll get another weight check as well as a weigh-feed-weigh. I'm very curious to see if AB is taking more at a time now that he's bigger.<br /><br />I think the pediatrician was also very surprised at our progress.<br /><br />Will have to write more tomorrow. I'm exhausted, and need to grab a few winks before the next feeding.Melissa Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05282513177583364801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1432023814886963370.post-76392276596563976602008-07-14T22:05:00.001-07:002008-07-26T21:47:52.875-07:00Weighty mattersWent to the lactation consultant's office at the hospital today to do a weigh-feed-weigh and a naked weigh for AB.<br /><br />He took almost 2 oz from me, nursing on both sides. That was mid-afternoon. He definitely drinks more in the mornings.<br /><br />His naked weight? 7 lbs, 8.8 oz, after nursing. Woot! My breastmilk doesn't suck ass. We've managed about a 6 oz weight gain since Friday. Go us.<br /><br />Definitely need to get a supplementer, though. I don't mind supplementing for a bit if I need to, but AB needs to get more efficient at the boob, and bottles aren't exactly helping in that department.Melissa Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05282513177583364801noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1432023814886963370.post-13230703216856596652008-07-13T20:57:00.000-07:002008-07-26T21:48:33.000-07:00BetterThanks for the comments about BFing, and the advice about block feeding. I will have to try that. <br /><br />I do have "The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding" and have been reading the sections on slow weight gain over and over.<br /><br />The bili blanket is definitely keeping AB too warm and cozy. We have to wake him to feed, and he's pretty lazy most of the time. I hope this is due to his feeling all comfy and *not* because of the bottles.<br /><br />I'm going to be ordering a Lact-aid tomorrow. The environmentalist in me doesn't want all the disposable bags, but...<br /><br />AB's bili level was 14.3 this morning. Yea! The pediatrician on call wasn't our doctor, so she didn't want to make the decision to take AB off the bili blanket. We'll call our doctor tomorrow to talk about next steps.<br /><br />I've been pumping after every feed (and before some others) and I'm just worn out. My boobs are totally soft right now. I hope this isn't a bad sign. I'm terrified of losing my supply already. Going to lie down and try to catch a nap before the next feed.<br /><br />Thanks for all the good thoughts and the advice. I have a feeling I'm going to need a lot of support in the next few weeks.Melissa Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05282513177583364801noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1432023814886963370.post-33540932957567977842008-07-12T17:19:00.000-07:002008-07-26T21:49:33.736-07:00UpdateAB is having a very hard time. His weight gain is not just slow, it is non-existent. His birth weight on 6/27 was 7 lbs, 9 oz. His discharge weight on 6/30 was 7 lbs, 2 oz, and he dropped to 7 lbs even a few days after that. This past Tuesday, he was still 7 lbs even. His pediatrician said we had until Friday to turn his weight around and then we were going to have to start talking about supplementing. We were sent to the lactation consultant immediately to create a plan for getting back on track.<br /><br />My theory is that AB isn't getting enough of my hindmilk when he nurses. His stools have been more brown than yellow, with very few seeds. The LC suggested pumping for 5 minutes before each feeding to make sure AB gets the hindmilk sooner.<br /><br />At Friday's ped. appointment, AB had only gained 1 oz. And the pediatrician said his jaundice looked worse. He sent us to the hospital to get another bilirubin check. He said if the level was 16 or above, he was going to seriously consider re-admitting AB to the NICU. It came back 17.1. I guess the ped. took pity on me, because he is giving us a chance over the weekend to treat AB at home with a bili blanket. It was delivered yesterday evening and we've been using it ever since (except for a couple of night-time feedings, which were too difficult to maneuver with the blanket).<br /><br />We're also supplementing -- luckily, I had been pumping since the day after my milk came in, so I have a little stash in the freezer. I didn't want to start bottles for another couple of weeks, but I guess we will have to work on re-learning breastfeeding once AB gains weight and gets rid of his jaundice.<br /><br />We go in tomorrow for another bilirubin check and I hope I'll be able to send out another update soon. It's hard for me to get online with everything going on. It is hard for KB to understand why Mommy and Daddy are so stressed out and why we are spending so much time with AB. We're trying to give both boys the attention they need but...it's tough. <br /><br />I hope we don't have to keep up the bili blanket more than a couple of days.<br /><br />All good thoughts are appreciated as we work on getting AB healthy.<br /><br />I am hoping that, with weight gain and increasing strength, AB will get better at nursing and I can stop the pumping and supplementing. Somebody please tell me that's not wishful thinking.Melissa Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05282513177583364801noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1432023814886963370.post-146092679679516072008-07-04T03:53:00.000-07:002008-07-26T21:49:57.133-07:00Waking up a sleeping baby?Yes/no?<br /><br />Should I be waking AB up to eat every 2 hours at this stage? <br /><br />Most of the time, he wants to eat somewhere between 2-3 hours after his last feeding. I try not to let him go any longer than 3 hours during the day, but should I be feeding him more often and waking him up if necessary?<br /><br />KB always wanted to eat every 2 hours on the dot, so having this laid-back baby is a new experience for me.<br /><br />AB eats pretty well, but I still feel like he's not draining the breast. I don't want to risk a supply problem, but I dread the idea of pumping after every feeding.<br /><br />OK, you breastfeeding mamas, here's your chance to give me tons of advice. Bullet points very much appreciated in my sleep-deprived state. :-)Melissa Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05282513177583364801noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1432023814886963370.post-68346206179307789442008-07-02T22:46:00.001-07:002008-07-26T21:45:05.371-07:00He's here; we're homeA*idan T*homas arrived June 27, 2008 at 1:02 pm.<br /><br />Length: 20 inches<br />Weight: 7 lbs, 9 oz<br /><br />He was kept away from me for 5 full hours after delivery because he was born with fluid in his lungs (a problem common for c-section babies). Even after the fluid was removed, his respiration rate was very high (around 100 when the doctors wanted to see < 60). I was not allowed to see him, touch him, or feed him. <br /><br />This sucked mightily. But we were reunited around 6 pm Friday night and all was well until Sunday, when AB's bilirubin level (12.7) suddenly placed him in the high risk category for pathologic jaundice. He went into an isolette in the NICU (at our hospital, the same as the nursery, and luckily for me, right across from my post-partum room) around noon on Sunday.<br /><br />I was able to feed him every 3 hours, but he was only allowed out of the box for 30 minutes each time.<br /><br />This again sucked mightily.<br /><br />Monday morning, I fed AB at 6:30 am and went back to my room to wait for the results of the morning's bilirubin test. Our pediatrician came in around 8 am to tell me that amazingly, AB's level had gone down to 10.4. In his experience, he had never seen a baby with ABO incompatibility and jaundice turn things around so fast.<br /><br />In other words, my baby is a rock star!!<br /><br />AB was removed from the blue lights and we were both given the go-ahead for discharge, even though we technically could have stayed until Tuesday.<br /><br />Knock on wood, breastfeeding is going well, sleep is going well, and AB is a seriously mellow baby.<br /><br />KB is one very proud big brother. We are trying to let him help out as much as possible, and he really is a great helper.<br /><br />Much more to say, but I should take advantage of this time to sleep. Will try to post again when I can.Melissa Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05282513177583364801noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1432023814886963370.post-85180247845988776612008-06-26T10:40:00.000-07:002008-06-26T10:43:19.278-07:00The best-laid plans...Suddenly the cloth diaper question is the least of my worries.<br /><br />Apparently I am having a baby tomorrow!!!!!<br /><br />The ob-gyn's office called a little while ago to reschedule my c-section because my doc has a family emergency and needs to go out of town.<br /><br />And now to make a list of all the last-minute things we absolutely HAVE to get done today.<br /><br />I guess this is my equivalent of going into labor a few days early?!?Melissa Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05282513177583364801noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1432023814886963370.post-4141661158920914412008-06-25T15:38:00.001-07:002008-06-25T15:53:40.534-07:00To cloth, or not to cloth?I have so many posts rattling around in my brain, but nary a moment to post.<br /><br />And I'm running out of time. Yikes.<br /><br />So, my current dilemma.<br /><br />With KB, we tried cloth diapering. Or at least, we had the very best intentions. <br /><br />We started by using a diaper service. It seemed simple enough. The diaper service would bring us stacks of clean cloth diapers. We would use them and toss them into the disposal bag said service provided each week. No rinsing required. Then, the night before our next delivery date, we would set the bag of soiled diapers on the porch and the lovely diaper fairies would replace this with a bag of fresh diapers.<br /><br />Simple, right?<br /><br />Except. Except that our parents, each of whom had cloth diapered us, suddenly grew fumble-fingered when trying to use the cloth diapers. Was it the absence of old-fashioned safety pins? Had they become spoiled by the disposables used by the other grandkids?<br /><br />S also seemed bumfuzzled with the whole cloth diaper thing. <br /><br />We tried Fuzzi Bunz but S didn't like the way they made KB seem uncomfortable at the waist. "Too bulky," he proclaimed. <br /><br />So we gave up.<br /><br />I'd like to try again. S is still adamant that the cloth diapers we've tried thus far are "too bulky" and not the "form-fitting" cloth diapers of his youth. He definitely doesn't want to use the diaper service again, which frankly, sucks. That method of cloth diapering will be much less work for me, as I'll be the one doing the laundry.<br /><br />Please help. What cloth diapering system do you use? How much work is it on a daily or weekly basis to keep up with the diaper laundry? How do I soak/wash diapers? Do BF poopy diapers need to be swished in the toilet, or soaked, before washing? Is my washing machine going to be yucky and dirty after washing poopy diapers?<br /><br />Don't laugh. I seriously need all the advice I can get.<br /><br />And if I do go back to the diaper service, what diaper covers should I get? I pretty much gave everything away and am starting from scratch.Melissa Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05282513177583364801noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1432023814886963370.post-53836987579280426252008-06-20T23:16:00.000-07:002008-06-20T23:17:43.555-07:00GulpHow can my scheduled c-section date be only 10.5 days away?<br /><br />Seriously.<br /><br />How did that happen?Melissa Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05282513177583364801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1432023814886963370.post-92076248858259576752008-06-12T09:14:00.000-07:002008-06-12T10:07:01.331-07:00It's too darn hotJust checked weather.com for this zip code. 72 degrees, feels like 72.<br /><br />My ass.<br /><br />I've just been out in the back yard, setting up drying racks for Round One of sun-bleaching some baby clothes that soaked in Biz + Oxi-Clean for almost 24 hours. (Wish me luck on that, btw).<br /><br />There is no way it's only 72 degrees. Ugh, I dread the afternoon. Especially upstairs.<br /><br />Had my 36 week appointment yesterday. Because of the spotting, got a surprise cervical check (yowza, was hoping to avoid those this time around!) and a swab to rule out a bacterial/yeast infection. All looks good; cervix is tightly closed and even though there is still blood pooled "in the vault" as the PA said, it's all old, brown blood. Would greatly prefer to have no blood but will take brown over bright red any day.<br /><br />When I was giving my urine sample at the beginning of the appointment, noticed a lot of stringy solids in the cup afterwards. Sorry if TMI. I'm guessing this may be more of my mucus plug? I really don't know; I don't recall losing mine with KB last time so am not 100% sure I know what I'm looking for.<br /><br />What else? We took KB to a ceramics-painting place last night, ostensibly so he could create something for S for Father's Day. We went with three other kids (between the ages of almost-3 and almost-4) and their moms, and one other dad for good measure.<br /><br />Let me just say: four very active, rowdy preschoolers and a shop full of ceramic objects do not mix well. Amazingly, nothing got broken. However, poor S ended up wrangling the kids pretty much the whole time. He was not happy at being the babysitter. I don't blame him.<br /><br />Luckily, there was a "Kids' Cave" complete with TV & DVD player, so that held the kids' attention for a few minutes here and there.<br /><br />KB chose a dinosaur to paint for Daddy. Before all the kids lost interest in painting and started running around the shop like crazy, S gave the T-Rex its base coat of taupe (KB's choice). KB later added some jazzy green stripes before losing interest altogether.<br /><br />I painted a photo frame and hope to use it for the first good picture I get of my boys together. I didn't paint names on it because we <span style="font-weight:bold;">still</span> haven't settled on a name for the baby. I still like "Ketan". S has now added "Aidan" to the short list. (Funny aside: folks on the Indian side of the family think the name Aidan sounds sooooooo exotic!!)<br /><br />Hope the objects turn out well. We'll see tomorrow after they're glazed and fired!<br /><br />OK, washer has stopped. Time to dry the laundry, and then start on the pee-soaked sheet, blanket and PJs from last night. KB's first accident since he started wearing underwear overnight on Saturday. My fault for letting him drink nearly an entire bottle of water on the way home from painting.Melissa Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05282513177583364801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1432023814886963370.post-60105378231543836792008-06-10T15:02:00.000-07:002008-06-10T15:04:32.143-07:00Still spottingStill brown. Had some brown globby mucus in the toilet earlier today.<br /><br />Called ob's office; they said not to worry. Easier said than done.<br /><br />Maybe I will get my wish of spontaneous labor before my scheduled c-section date after all.<br /><br />Will have my regular 36 week appointment tomorrow morning and we'll see where things stand.<br /><br />But I did pack my hospital bag and shave my legs today, just in case.Melissa Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05282513177583364801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1432023814886963370.post-72271724155864022902008-06-09T21:47:00.000-07:002008-06-09T21:56:55.051-07:00SpottingFiled under "Things that make you go <span style="font-style:italic;">hmmmmm</span>"<br /><br />It was very hot today. The Prius's thermometer read 97 when I was out this afternoon around 3 pm.<br /><br />When I picked KB up from school, we headed to the pool. For the first time in a long time, I got into the pool with him. It was cool and refreshing and fabulous.<br /><br />Did not notice anything out of the ordinary until I went to use the bathroom just before doing KB's bedtime routine. Lots of brown spotting on my panty liner. Hmmm. I have not had an internal exam lately. I did have an internal check with a speculum on May 29 because of some fluid leakage, and had some spotting for a couple of days, but that ended a while back and I can't imagine this is related to that cervical irritation.<br /><br />And no, I have not had sex lately either.<br /><br />Paging Dr. Google.<br /><br />I cannot find anything that indicates swimming could be a contributing factor. <br /><br />Could be nothing, could be the start of losing my mucus plug (?), could be something more ominous. Not going to go there.<br /><br />Will keep an eye on things overnight and may go in to the ob's office tomorrow.<br /><br />Of course, if the bleeding turns bright red before morning, I guess I'm going to the hospital. Good thing I turned in my registration paperwork today.Melissa Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05282513177583364801noreply@blogger.com1