Ellie hits the 7-week mark tomorrow...and I only have three weeks left of my leave from work. I can hardly believe that we have gotten to this point already. A few short updates since last week:
The bambina is on a new formula AGAIN...now we are a Similac Advance household. Constipation doesn't make for a happy baby OR happy parents, so when the doc told us yesterday to switch to this new stuff, we did so gladly (even though 'name-brand' formula is soooo expensive...dang kiddo). Ellie rewarded our efforts with a nice normal poo this morning so I'm happy about that. Of course, with our track record, we'll may have to switch formulas again next week so stay tuned...
According to the home scale this morning, the little miss is a whopping 8.8 pounds. I don't know much 0.8 of a pound is exactly (I guess around 12oz?) but even so, she's showing more good growth. I have a feeling her newborn clothes will be a thing of the past soon enough...she's already graduating from her newborn diapers to the size 1s!
As for life in general, it's pretty good. I continue to get interrupted sleep at night, but I'm dealing with it. For someone who loooooooves her some sleep, that's definitely been a hard transition, but I'm handling it okay I think. Just in time for Ellie to reach that phase where she's able to sleep through the night, of course :) So far, her longest stretch is 5.5 hours, so we're making progress on that front, but it's almost time to transition her to her crib so I think a little backsliding will be in order.
We have a busy February and March planned - heading to Spokane over Valentines/Presidents' Day weekend for a family visit and one the first weekend of March to my hometown to see the fam there. I hope Ellie does well...she's a great car baby, but we haven't had to drive more than an hour at a stretch with her yet. I'm sure a few stops for food and snuggles will be in order, but that's okay by me.
For those of you that are my FB buddies or who have access to our Shutterfly site, I know there haven't been new photos posted in over a week, but we'll get there. We got a Nikon D3000 DSLR a week and a half ago and are working on the file sizes for uploading. Also, I've been lazy about doing it :)
January 26, 2010
January 20, 2010
Six weeks down, many more to go!
Yep, I made it to that 'magical' six-week mark of new parentness without losing my mind completely. Partially, yes, but that's to be expected. The husband and I have definitely had our shares of parenting ups and downs but overall, we have been very fortunate to have such a bright, happy, strong, and beautiful baby girl.
The last week has been quite eventful with respect to Ellie's development. She is taking so much more of an interest in her surroundings and even has some 'favorite' objects she delights in looking at - namely, the ceiling fan in the living room and the wooden letters that spell out "Elliot" on the wall above her changing table. She will stare and babble at them forever if I'd let her, I swear. It's adorable...she even smiles at the letters. Maybe she's a budding narcissist?
Ellie has also grown a lot. According to our home scale, as of yesterday, she's over 8lbs already. And I can tell she's getting longer too because her newborn sleepers are starting to get a little short on her. It's so gratifying to see her thriving now after all the weight issues we had early on...it makes me even more glad that we gave up nursing for formula when we did. While nursing was MY ideal feeding option, it wasn't working for HER and thankfully, we made a decision based on what was best for our baby and it's been a good one. We do deal with a fair amount of gassiness and poo-passing issues, but we switched to the generic version of Enfamil Gentlease formula today to help with that, and it seems to be working already. (Along with occasional doses of Mylicon, despite my misgivings about it...it works!)
I have 4 more weeks left of my leave, which is bittersweet. Yes, it'll be nice to get back to 'grownup land' and a routine of sorts, but I will miss spending so much time with Ellie, especially now that she's become so much more interactive and interesting.
The last week has been quite eventful with respect to Ellie's development. She is taking so much more of an interest in her surroundings and even has some 'favorite' objects she delights in looking at - namely, the ceiling fan in the living room and the wooden letters that spell out "Elliot" on the wall above her changing table. She will stare and babble at them forever if I'd let her, I swear. It's adorable...she even smiles at the letters. Maybe she's a budding narcissist?
Ellie has also grown a lot. According to our home scale, as of yesterday, she's over 8lbs already. And I can tell she's getting longer too because her newborn sleepers are starting to get a little short on her. It's so gratifying to see her thriving now after all the weight issues we had early on...it makes me even more glad that we gave up nursing for formula when we did. While nursing was MY ideal feeding option, it wasn't working for HER and thankfully, we made a decision based on what was best for our baby and it's been a good one. We do deal with a fair amount of gassiness and poo-passing issues, but we switched to the generic version of Enfamil Gentlease formula today to help with that, and it seems to be working already. (Along with occasional doses of Mylicon, despite my misgivings about it...it works!)
I have 4 more weeks left of my leave, which is bittersweet. Yes, it'll be nice to get back to 'grownup land' and a routine of sorts, but I will miss spending so much time with Ellie, especially now that she's become so much more interactive and interesting.
January 14, 2010
What a week!
We are now in Week 5 of the Great Parenting Adventure. Ellie's growing like a little weed - she was 7lbs 2.8oz at her appointment last Friday and I'm sure she's at least a half-pound heavier already - and is changing so much! She's definitely gotten more interactive and is learning more about herself and the world around her every day. Her new trick is blowing spit bubbles...pretty cute, even if a bit messy.
It's been a busy week around here. This past weekend we had my brother-in-law and his wife, my mother, and my sister here for Ellie's baptism. Sunday morning, 8am service...I was sure it would be a mess, but it went off without a hitch and Ellie slept through the whole production! My uncle and aunt were able to drive up from Salem for the festivities, and my best friend woke up early to be a part of it too (but she lives about 5 minutes from us, so she didn't have to drive too far!). It was very special and we are so blessed to have Ellie and we are so glad we committed her as Christ's own forever.
Yesterday marked another seminal event in Ellie's young life - her first Blazer game! (Oh and she turned 5 weeks old too...haha) We had a pregame event for season ticket holders and two retired Blazer greats were there - Jerome Kersey and Terry Porter. They did a Q&A with fans, which I missed because Ellie needed some dinner, and then a trivia contest. The husband cleaned up - he got a Brandon Roy autographed team yearbook, $15 in food vouchers AND upgraded seats for the game (from our usual 300-level seats to 6 rows back at midcourt...not bad)! Also, we got this awesome photo of Terry holding Ellie - he was a big fan of hers, I must say. :)
All in all, life is good. I'd like to get more sleep, but I know it'll come in time. Once Ellie gets bigger and can hold more food in that darling belly of hers, she can sleep longer at night - and so can I! I also have my official 'back-to-work date' set for Feb 24, which seems far away, but time has flown by so fast with Ellie, that I know it'll be here before I know it.
January 6, 2010
Running on Fumes
Today is a tough day. The husband has been gone since Tuesday morning for work, and he returns tonight around 7ish. That isn't a terribly long time for him to be away but it feels like an eternity now that we are new parents and it's been just me in charge of Ellie for the last two days. Plus, it's weird being at home alone all day with her - newborns aren't the most interactive creatures in the world, so you find yourself talking to a little person who can only respond with a grunt or a cry - maybe a smile, if you're lucky. And since most of my friends work, I have no one to really hang out with during the daytime hours. So Ellie and I watch a lot of random TV, we eat every few hours (well, she does...I try to squeeze in a meal whenever she's quiet and/or napping), and I dink around on the interwebs. My house could use some vaccuming but I'm too tired to attempt it right now...maybe tomorrow after the husband has come home and taken part of Ellie's night shift for me.
As for the little lady, she's drinking approx 3oz of formula every three hours, sometimes more often, and doing well. She's becoming increasingly gassy, so we might have to look into getting some bottles that are angled to cut down on her air intake while she's eating. I'm open to suggestions and recommendations...I didn't do a lot of research on bottles while I was pregnant, because the plan was to breastfeed, but we know that didn't work out so yeah. Right now we just feed her from the 5oz Medela bottles that we got with my pump and as shower gifts...they aren't very fancy and I suspect they aren't designed for exclusively formula feeding.
We have a busy weekend ahead of us. Ellie is getting baptized so my brother in law and his wife, my sister, and my mother are all coming into town for the festivities. Add to that a weight check for the baby on Friday afternoon and it's going to be a doozy. But I'm excited to see everyone and for them to meet Ellie...she'll be a whole month old on Saturday! (She's officially 4 weeks old today)
As for the little lady, she's drinking approx 3oz of formula every three hours, sometimes more often, and doing well. She's becoming increasingly gassy, so we might have to look into getting some bottles that are angled to cut down on her air intake while she's eating. I'm open to suggestions and recommendations...I didn't do a lot of research on bottles while I was pregnant, because the plan was to breastfeed, but we know that didn't work out so yeah. Right now we just feed her from the 5oz Medela bottles that we got with my pump and as shower gifts...they aren't very fancy and I suspect they aren't designed for exclusively formula feeding.
We have a busy weekend ahead of us. Ellie is getting baptized so my brother in law and his wife, my sister, and my mother are all coming into town for the festivities. Add to that a weight check for the baby on Friday afternoon and it's going to be a doozy. But I'm excited to see everyone and for them to meet Ellie...she'll be a whole month old on Saturday! (She's officially 4 weeks old today)
January 2, 2010
The Lactation Diaries - FIN
There is no more lactation to be had here at this house. Part of me is sad to stop so soon but part of me is very relieved....the milk supply wasn't increasing and Ellie wasn't getting any more enthused about working so hard for so little of Mommy's milk. So we are now exclusively on formula, and it's been much easier already. We make up several bottles at a time, especially before heading to bed, and we have them ready to go for each feeding.
I know that 'breast is best' but in this case, it just didn't work out...we gave it a good try though. It's very hard to nurse and supplement, especially when you have a kidlet who isn't terribly interested in nursing and is so small and just needs FOOD. So food she shall have, even if it isn't from my body. We feed her super-fortified formula (Enfamil Premium Lipil) and it's about as close to breastmilk as there is on the market today. She likes it well enough and eats well from her bottles...so that makes me happy. Happy baby, happy mommy. And happy daddy too :)
So that's it for the Lactation Diaries...but I'm sure I'll find another topic to 'diary' about as we continue along our parenting adventures with Miss Ellie D.
I know that 'breast is best' but in this case, it just didn't work out...we gave it a good try though. It's very hard to nurse and supplement, especially when you have a kidlet who isn't terribly interested in nursing and is so small and just needs FOOD. So food she shall have, even if it isn't from my body. We feed her super-fortified formula (Enfamil Premium Lipil) and it's about as close to breastmilk as there is on the market today. She likes it well enough and eats well from her bottles...so that makes me happy. Happy baby, happy mommy. And happy daddy too :)
So that's it for the Lactation Diaries...but I'm sure I'll find another topic to 'diary' about as we continue along our parenting adventures with Miss Ellie D.
December 30, 2009
The Lactation Diaries, Part III
Well, the little lady weighed in at a whopping 6lbs, 3oz at her two-week checkup yesterday! (Really, it was more like three weeks, because her doc was out for the holiday last week.) She's gained 10 oz in just a week - and we have a follow up visit scheduled for next Friday to see how much more she'll weigh then.
I think she's going through a growth spurt, because she is showing a lot more interest in eating - not at nighttime, which is hard, but we're still feeding even when she's sleepy - and her newborn clothes are finally starting to fit her wee body better.
I still don't feel like my milk supply is where it should be, which is also a little troubling, but I'm trying to stay positive and keep nursing and eating well and resting and drinking lots of water - I guess if it never gets to where she can exclusively be on the boobmilk, then we'll keep supplementing with formula. Whatever it takes to get my baby bigger and chubbed up, I'll do it.
I think she's going through a growth spurt, because she is showing a lot more interest in eating - not at nighttime, which is hard, but we're still feeding even when she's sleepy - and her newborn clothes are finally starting to fit her wee body better.
I still don't feel like my milk supply is where it should be, which is also a little troubling, but I'm trying to stay positive and keep nursing and eating well and resting and drinking lots of water - I guess if it never gets to where she can exclusively be on the boobmilk, then we'll keep supplementing with formula. Whatever it takes to get my baby bigger and chubbed up, I'll do it.
December 26, 2009
The Lactation Diaries - Part II
We had a follow up visit with the lactation consultant this morning and I was stressing. What if all our hard work had been for nothing? What if Ellie just wasn't gaining enough weight? What if, what if, what if?
Turns out my worrying was for naught. Ellie gained five whole ounces in only four days! The LC was very impressed and even suggested I try nursing her during our appointment to see if she would show more interest in the breast now that she's bigger. And she did! She did such a good job nursing (30ml in 10 minutes) that we no longer need to pump as long as she continues to nurse well. We are still supplementing with formula after each feeding session to make sure she gets enough nourishment while my milk supply continues to build itself back up.
We still need to make sure she eats at least 8 times a day, so I don't know if I'll get caught up on sleep, but the husband should be able to do so, which will be nice since he's going back to work soon and needs to get more than 2 hours of sleep at a time. At least I can nap during the day with the baby :)
Turns out my worrying was for naught. Ellie gained five whole ounces in only four days! The LC was very impressed and even suggested I try nursing her during our appointment to see if she would show more interest in the breast now that she's bigger. And she did! She did such a good job nursing (30ml in 10 minutes) that we no longer need to pump as long as she continues to nurse well. We are still supplementing with formula after each feeding session to make sure she gets enough nourishment while my milk supply continues to build itself back up.
We still need to make sure she eats at least 8 times a day, so I don't know if I'll get caught up on sleep, but the husband should be able to do so, which will be nice since he's going back to work soon and needs to get more than 2 hours of sleep at a time. At least I can nap during the day with the baby :)
December 25, 2009
The Lactation Diaries
It has been quite a week, feeding-wise, with Ellie. First, we had to go to the pediatrician on Monday morning because the Little Miss was vomiting profusely all night before. They ran some tests, asked us a lot of questions and we ended up with a diagnosis of reflux (not terribly uncommon, especially in little babies) and a prescription for liquid Zantac, that we now give her twice daily.
And we found out that she was back down a full pound from her birthweight. NOT GOOD. So I made an appointment with a lactation consultant for Tuesday morning to see what the heck was going on. She told me to bring Ellie, my breast pump, and a log of her feedings/diaper changes so she could help me figure out a plan of attack to get weight back on our little girl. NOTE: Ellie weighed 6lb 10oz at birth. By Tuesday's lactation appointment, she was down to 5lb 9.6oz.
So we developed a plan where I was to feed Ellie from the breast every three hours while the husband prepared a bottle of 30ml formula and pumped breastmilk combined. This worked for a few feedings, but by Tuesday night, Ellie still wasn't nursing well enough off the breast to get any real nourishment and I was in tears. So I called the LC nurse back on Wednesday morning and we decided to stop the "Battle at the Breast" and just have me pump every three hours while the husband fed her a bottle of 50ml formula/pumped milk. And to increase the amount to 60ml if her tummy could handle it. (60ml is about 2oz of liquid, if you've forgotten your metric conversions.)
So far, it seems to be working. Ellie is filling out in the face and belly already and her diaper output has increased a lot too! (This is a good sign - the more that is coming out, the more she's digesting and getting nourishment from the food.) It's hard though - both the husband and I are chained to the schedule so that means we are feeding her often and neither of us get anymore than 2.5 hours of sleep, if we're lucky, at a stretch. I wonder if this is sustainable...I've still put Ellie to the breast every so often, if she's showing signs of hunger, and she'll nurse, but it's still rather ineffective - I can tell by the shallow sucking she does and the few swallows she gets.
Stay tuned for more updates to The Lactation Diaries, a special supplement to your otherwise regularly-scheduled blog.
And we found out that she was back down a full pound from her birthweight. NOT GOOD. So I made an appointment with a lactation consultant for Tuesday morning to see what the heck was going on. She told me to bring Ellie, my breast pump, and a log of her feedings/diaper changes so she could help me figure out a plan of attack to get weight back on our little girl. NOTE: Ellie weighed 6lb 10oz at birth. By Tuesday's lactation appointment, she was down to 5lb 9.6oz.
So we developed a plan where I was to feed Ellie from the breast every three hours while the husband prepared a bottle of 30ml formula and pumped breastmilk combined. This worked for a few feedings, but by Tuesday night, Ellie still wasn't nursing well enough off the breast to get any real nourishment and I was in tears. So I called the LC nurse back on Wednesday morning and we decided to stop the "Battle at the Breast" and just have me pump every three hours while the husband fed her a bottle of 50ml formula/pumped milk. And to increase the amount to 60ml if her tummy could handle it. (60ml is about 2oz of liquid, if you've forgotten your metric conversions.)
So far, it seems to be working. Ellie is filling out in the face and belly already and her diaper output has increased a lot too! (This is a good sign - the more that is coming out, the more she's digesting and getting nourishment from the food.) It's hard though - both the husband and I are chained to the schedule so that means we are feeding her often and neither of us get anymore than 2.5 hours of sleep, if we're lucky, at a stretch. I wonder if this is sustainable...I've still put Ellie to the breast every so often, if she's showing signs of hunger, and she'll nurse, but it's still rather ineffective - I can tell by the shallow sucking she does and the few swallows she gets.
Stay tuned for more updates to The Lactation Diaries, a special supplement to your otherwise regularly-scheduled blog.
December 19, 2009
Weekly Post - to keep the goal intact
This week has been absolutely nuts, so I didn't have a lot of time to post. Having a new baby takes up a lot of time, in case you didn't hear. A LOT OF TIME. But I'm so happy with Miss Ellie, who isn't terribly fussy (yet) but who is terribly cute and cuddly.
I intended to post earlier this week, maybe not some Musings, but at least something about what it's like to have a kiddo. But that's kinda hard to put into words...the main thing, which is pretty obvious, is that the days are no longer yours, they belong to the baby and her needs. I spend a lot of time nursing, burping, cooing, cuddling, soothing, you name it. Whatever she needs, I'm on top of it - unless the husband gets to her first. (He can do everything but the nursing part, and believe me, at 3am there have been times when I wished upon a star that he could lactate.)
Anyway, I love being a mom. It's not always easy and there are times when I do miss my freedom, but overall, I wouldn't trade my new life for anything.
I intended to post earlier this week, maybe not some Musings, but at least something about what it's like to have a kiddo. But that's kinda hard to put into words...the main thing, which is pretty obvious, is that the days are no longer yours, they belong to the baby and her needs. I spend a lot of time nursing, burping, cooing, cuddling, soothing, you name it. Whatever she needs, I'm on top of it - unless the husband gets to her first. (He can do everything but the nursing part, and believe me, at 3am there have been times when I wished upon a star that he could lactate.)
Anyway, I love being a mom. It's not always easy and there are times when I do miss my freedom, but overall, I wouldn't trade my new life for anything.
December 12, 2009
New Normal
I used to hate that phrase: "new normal." It's so overused that it hardly means anything anymore. Unless, of course, you are a new parent. Then new normal means A LOT. Like not taking shower time for granted. Or learning to function on a solid 3 hours of sleep. Or obsessing about the contents of your kid's stomach based on the contents of her diaper. Or measuring a day not by hours or minutes, but by how many times the baby has eaten and for how long at a stretch.
But New Normal is good...at least mine is. The husband and I are adjusting pretty well to life with our new little Elliot Delaney (you can call her Ellie, we do). It helps that my stepmom is here to help us out - that extra pair of hands and mom experience definitely comes in handy - until Tuesday. So far, we have been very lucky with our little lady...she is a good eater, good sleeper, and pretty much the most beautiful baby that ever graced this Earth. (Not that I am biased at all, of course.)
My body is NOT yet normal, but it's getting there. I still look about 4-5 months pregnant and I'm healing from some um, tearing that is a little less than comfortable. But give it a few weeks, I'm told, and my new normal body won't freak me out nearly as much. I must say that after gaining 37 lbs (yes, I'm admitting my total weight gain for posterity's sake), I'm not TOO freaked out by my flabby midsection and not-so-rapidly shrinking ass. Nine months on, nine months off is my new motto.
And since this has been a wordy post, I'll wrap it up for now (also, my new mom brain is mush at best) and leave you with a photo of the World's Most Perfect And Amazing and Beautiful Newborn Baby Girl:
But New Normal is good...at least mine is. The husband and I are adjusting pretty well to life with our new little Elliot Delaney (you can call her Ellie, we do). It helps that my stepmom is here to help us out - that extra pair of hands and mom experience definitely comes in handy - until Tuesday. So far, we have been very lucky with our little lady...she is a good eater, good sleeper, and pretty much the most beautiful baby that ever graced this Earth. (Not that I am biased at all, of course.)
My body is NOT yet normal, but it's getting there. I still look about 4-5 months pregnant and I'm healing from some um, tearing that is a little less than comfortable. But give it a few weeks, I'm told, and my new normal body won't freak me out nearly as much. I must say that after gaining 37 lbs (yes, I'm admitting my total weight gain for posterity's sake), I'm not TOO freaked out by my flabby midsection and not-so-rapidly shrinking ass. Nine months on, nine months off is my new motto.
And since this has been a wordy post, I'll wrap it up for now (also, my new mom brain is mush at best) and leave you with a photo of the World's Most Perfect And Amazing and Beautiful Newborn Baby Girl:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)