abby had her five and a half month appointment yesterday. it went well, everything is going good, and she is right on track for where she should be.
she now weights 15 lbs 4 oz and is 25" long. it seems like she had this giant growth spurt overnight, she went from fitting in her size 2 diapers just fine to them suddenly being way too small, and i sense that the same thing is going to happen with her six months clothes very soon!
she can now "tripod" for a few seconds, and if she's on her back, she does a little crunch and tries to lift her head up to see what is going on. it's pretty funny. of course, she lets her head drop back down pretty hard but what can you do? she did that yesterday on the scale at the office :(
we saw dr graham and he gave us the go ahead to start meats, so we'll add those to her diet pretty soon!
so far abby has eaten:
sweet peas
sweet potatoes
squash
green beans
carrots (those seemed to upset her tummy)
and mangoes (she REALLY liked mangoes)
not sure what i'm going to give her tonight...maybe some squash or sweet potatoes? next time i'm at the store, i'll pick up some meat baby food for her dinner. they said that it was fine the way we've been handling solids (cereal during the day, fruits or veggies at night) and i'll add the meats to dinner, too.
she is getting to be so big!
i can't believe she will be six months in january.
her newest thing to do is to "scream" (it's a happy noise) and squeal really loudly while she is playing. she apparently CAN scoot on her tummy. maria said she did it at her house, but we haven't been able to get her to do it here.
these days, she spends a lot of time on the floor playing on her baby mat, with her Oring rattle and her activity ball toy thing. she still loves baby tv and gets very excited for vocabuLARRY and peekaboo i see you.
we ordered a larry plush, too. i am excited for it to come. she likes stuffed animals. she LOVES my pal violet so i hope she enjoys larry too
Sunday, December 15, 2013
Saturday, November 30, 2013
sweet potatoes
Gave Abby sweet potatoes tonight! That marks her second solid food. She seemed to like them better than the peas! She would open her mouth eagerly when she saw the spoon and stick out her tongue. She also sucked all the food off the spoon so it was clean, where with the peas she would leave peas inside the spoon part!
So those seem to be a hit. Not too surprising as they are a little more sweet. I guess it's a good thing b/c she is going to get those for about 2 more days. Next, I think we'll introduce carrots or green beans.
She was trying to chew on things a lot today. She was gumming down on her bib after her dinner... I keep looking for Sophie the Giraffe for cheap, but I think I might just suck it up & spend the $20 b/c I think she'll like teething with that, and it'll be easier for her to hold. She does gum on one of those water filled teething rings, but she doesn't really get the concept of holding the teether and then putting it in her mouth. I've been holding it for her, haha.
So those seem to be a hit. Not too surprising as they are a little more sweet. I guess it's a good thing b/c she is going to get those for about 2 more days. Next, I think we'll introduce carrots or green beans.
She was trying to chew on things a lot today. She was gumming down on her bib after her dinner... I keep looking for Sophie the Giraffe for cheap, but I think I might just suck it up & spend the $20 b/c I think she'll like teething with that, and it'll be easier for her to hold. She does gum on one of those water filled teething rings, but she doesn't really get the concept of holding the teether and then putting it in her mouth. I've been holding it for her, haha.
Friday, November 29, 2013
starting solid food!
We started Abby on solid food on Nov 21st. We started with just regular old baby rice cereal. We were all ready with our phones for photo & video and she barely even reacted!! She was just like, Oh ok we are doing this now? I'm eating with a spoon? That's cool.
She did seem to enjoy it, and she had no problem figuring out the spoon. In fact, she was barely even phased by the spoon, as I said. I had initially bought those metal spoons with the rubbery coating but I actually went out & got the Munchkin brand spoons b/c they are more spoon like as opposed to flat, and it's way easier to feed her.
We had her eat the rice cereal for maybe a week and a half before introducing veggies. I was going to start with fruit but everyone said you are supposed to start with veggies, b/c if you start with fruit they won't want to eat the veggies. We gave her peas about 3 days ago and again, barely any reaction from her! LOL.
She does seem to enjoy the solid food. She sticks out her tongue when she sees the spoon coming and I think she is starting to recognize the bowl & spoon when we come toward her. She is still only eating about a teaspoon of cereal at a time but we have been giving it to her in the thicker consistency and she is enjoying that. She eats about a tablespoon of the peas...we are going to do sweet potatoes tomorrow night so stay tuned for how that goes :)
***
We had Thanksgiving at my house this year...I thought Abby would be really overwhelmed with all the people (esp my family as they are LOUD) but she did ok. Obviously Maria and I were busy the whole time, so she was with a lot of other people: Caren, Nicole, Deanna, Caren's mom, and she did great. I managed to keep her on her schedule, too. (Kudos for mommy!)
She had a moment of being overwhelmed downstairs. We bought the high chair down there since that is where we had it set up for everyone to eat...and I guess all the people & the unfamiliar area (we are barely ever in the basement -- no furniture down there!) freaked her out! I wasn't down there, but Howie said that he sat down w/ his food & she looked around and got that quivery lip and that scared look in her eyes and started crying. We took her upstairs where it was quiet and she was ok. I also had to bring her in the bedroom to calm down for a bit so she would take her bottle, b/c she was crying in the living room. But overall she did really good, so I'm glad for that. Next year will be a bit easier since she'll be almost a year and a half old.
***
Speaking of which, someone is going to be 5 months old soon!!
These days she is blowing lots of raspberries, enjoys playing with her big bendy ball, chewing on all sorts of things, watching the cats (she smiles when she sees them now), and grabbing her toys if she is in a sitting position. She can roll over but she seems lazy about it, as in, she doesn't want to. She really dislikes tummy time. She starts to cry (like really cry, with real tears!) if you don't pick her up after a while. I was really trying to get her to do tummy time this morning and I wasn't picking her up right away and she was pretty upset by the time I did pick her up!
She likes to sleep on her side. Sometimes she just immediately goes on her side & starts to suck her thumb as soon as you lay her down. She enjoys her projector before she goes to sleep too.
She did seem to enjoy it, and she had no problem figuring out the spoon. In fact, she was barely even phased by the spoon, as I said. I had initially bought those metal spoons with the rubbery coating but I actually went out & got the Munchkin brand spoons b/c they are more spoon like as opposed to flat, and it's way easier to feed her.
We had her eat the rice cereal for maybe a week and a half before introducing veggies. I was going to start with fruit but everyone said you are supposed to start with veggies, b/c if you start with fruit they won't want to eat the veggies. We gave her peas about 3 days ago and again, barely any reaction from her! LOL.
She does seem to enjoy the solid food. She sticks out her tongue when she sees the spoon coming and I think she is starting to recognize the bowl & spoon when we come toward her. She is still only eating about a teaspoon of cereal at a time but we have been giving it to her in the thicker consistency and she is enjoying that. She eats about a tablespoon of the peas...we are going to do sweet potatoes tomorrow night so stay tuned for how that goes :)
***
We had Thanksgiving at my house this year...I thought Abby would be really overwhelmed with all the people (esp my family as they are LOUD) but she did ok. Obviously Maria and I were busy the whole time, so she was with a lot of other people: Caren, Nicole, Deanna, Caren's mom, and she did great. I managed to keep her on her schedule, too. (Kudos for mommy!)
She had a moment of being overwhelmed downstairs. We bought the high chair down there since that is where we had it set up for everyone to eat...and I guess all the people & the unfamiliar area (we are barely ever in the basement -- no furniture down there!) freaked her out! I wasn't down there, but Howie said that he sat down w/ his food & she looked around and got that quivery lip and that scared look in her eyes and started crying. We took her upstairs where it was quiet and she was ok. I also had to bring her in the bedroom to calm down for a bit so she would take her bottle, b/c she was crying in the living room. But overall she did really good, so I'm glad for that. Next year will be a bit easier since she'll be almost a year and a half old.
***
Speaking of which, someone is going to be 5 months old soon!!
These days she is blowing lots of raspberries, enjoys playing with her big bendy ball, chewing on all sorts of things, watching the cats (she smiles when she sees them now), and grabbing her toys if she is in a sitting position. She can roll over but she seems lazy about it, as in, she doesn't want to. She really dislikes tummy time. She starts to cry (like really cry, with real tears!) if you don't pick her up after a while. I was really trying to get her to do tummy time this morning and I wasn't picking her up right away and she was pretty upset by the time I did pick her up!
She likes to sleep on her side. Sometimes she just immediately goes on her side & starts to suck her thumb as soon as you lay her down. She enjoys her projector before she goes to sleep too.
Thursday, November 14, 2013
poor little neglected baby blog!
abby has been good these days. she is getting to be a lot of fun now. she laughs more often, and the silliest things are so funny to her. she loves if you crouch down in front of her swing and let her hit you in the face with her feet!
she loves tv, which i'm not sure is a good thing or bad thing, but whatever. she loves baby tv, and super why on pbs kids. on the baby tv channel, she loves vocabuLARRY and smiles so big when he comes on. she also likes rainbow horse and some of the other shows. but those are the ones that stand out. she smiles and laughs for a tv show she likes!!
she loves to play with her 'my pal violet.' violet sings and says abby's name and abby gets really excited, especially for the singing b/c her collar lights up. abby is a big fan of anything that lights up. we have a baby einstein take along tunes toy & it has lights that go in time w/ the music and she loves that too.
she's still such an easygoing baby. she barely ever cries, UNLESS you are feeding her and then take away the bottle to burp her. that makes her pretty mad and she gets that high pitched scream. i think she is going to have a temper when she gets older, so i guess we need to get prepared for that!!
i haven't started the solids yet....we've been keeping track of her formula & she's not eating over 32oz a day and i don't think she is ready yet anyway. she still does the infant tongue thrust thing and she doesn't seem like she needs the rice cereal yet. maybe we'll try closer to the end of the month. maybe she can't have thanksgiving dinner but she can have mushy baby rice cereal. yay? LOL
abby has been good these days. she is getting to be a lot of fun now. she laughs more often, and the silliest things are so funny to her. she loves if you crouch down in front of her swing and let her hit you in the face with her feet!
she loves tv, which i'm not sure is a good thing or bad thing, but whatever. she loves baby tv, and super why on pbs kids. on the baby tv channel, she loves vocabuLARRY and smiles so big when he comes on. she also likes rainbow horse and some of the other shows. but those are the ones that stand out. she smiles and laughs for a tv show she likes!!
she loves to play with her 'my pal violet.' violet sings and says abby's name and abby gets really excited, especially for the singing b/c her collar lights up. abby is a big fan of anything that lights up. we have a baby einstein take along tunes toy & it has lights that go in time w/ the music and she loves that too.
she's still such an easygoing baby. she barely ever cries, UNLESS you are feeding her and then take away the bottle to burp her. that makes her pretty mad and she gets that high pitched scream. i think she is going to have a temper when she gets older, so i guess we need to get prepared for that!!
i haven't started the solids yet....we've been keeping track of her formula & she's not eating over 32oz a day and i don't think she is ready yet anyway. she still does the infant tongue thrust thing and she doesn't seem like she needs the rice cereal yet. maybe we'll try closer to the end of the month. maybe she can't have thanksgiving dinner but she can have mushy baby rice cereal. yay? LOL
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
4 month appointment
Abby went to the dr yesterday for her 4 month checkup. All looks well.
I thought she had an ear infection b/c she was grabbing at her a little bit, and she seemed really out of it the other night (just really tired and not very smiley or playful) but she seemed fine the next day & never spiked a fever. So I was relieved when the dr said her ears were fine! they did confirm she is probably a bit young to be teething, but said that she could be grabbing her ears when she is tired, and it’s just something that babies do sometimes. Although she said they DO do it when they are teething too. So I guess if you see your kid grabbing their ear there is a lot of different things to try & rule out first. LOL
She weighs 13 lbs 12 oz (40th percentile) and is 23 ¾ inches long (20th percentile). Everything is on track developmentally, so that’s always good. they said that she is ready to start solids, so I was pretty surprised! I was not expecting that at all! I figured they would say around 5 months. The dr said that if she is consistently eating over 32oz a formula a day, then she is ready for solids. So we are keeping track of that for the next few days to see where she is. They didn’t seem too pushy about it, and basically said that if we don’t feel comfortable or it’s not working after we start with the rice cereal, then we can go back to formula only. So I guess we’ll have to see.
I thought she had an ear infection b/c she was grabbing at her a little bit, and she seemed really out of it the other night (just really tired and not very smiley or playful) but she seemed fine the next day & never spiked a fever. So I was relieved when the dr said her ears were fine! they did confirm she is probably a bit young to be teething, but said that she could be grabbing her ears when she is tired, and it’s just something that babies do sometimes. Although she said they DO do it when they are teething too. So I guess if you see your kid grabbing their ear there is a lot of different things to try & rule out first. LOL
She weighs 13 lbs 12 oz (40th percentile) and is 23 ¾ inches long (20th percentile). Everything is on track developmentally, so that’s always good. they said that she is ready to start solids, so I was pretty surprised! I was not expecting that at all! I figured they would say around 5 months. The dr said that if she is consistently eating over 32oz a formula a day, then she is ready for solids. So we are keeping track of that for the next few days to see where she is. They didn’t seem too pushy about it, and basically said that if we don’t feel comfortable or it’s not working after we start with the rice cereal, then we can go back to formula only. So I guess we’ll have to see.
Monday, October 28, 2013
We go to the dr for Abby's four month (!!!) checkup on Nov 5th. I feel like she has definitely gotten taller. She is not fitting into her three month sleepers anymore...she just started not fitting into them, her little toes were all scrunched up in the footie part of them, and the 3 month pants are too tight around her waist! I swear to god, this happened overnight!
Her body must not be that long b/c the three month onesies still fit her!
***
So I am a bad mom and I cut her finger pretty badly when I was clipping her nails. I got her thumb, of course, the thumb she likes to suck :( It bled terribly. I thought we were going to have to go to the ER and I actually called the pediatrician and she said to go, but then it stopped bleeding when we got her into the carseat. I took her in to see the dr the next morning (this was last weekend, Sunday night) and she was fine. We put neosporin on it for a few days & it's almost as good as new. It's a good thing they heal so fast!
I feel pretty awful and of course, I 'm not traumatized from cutting her nails!!
***
We also all just got over being sick. The worst of it was over the course of the week. Just bad head colds for all three of us. But at least Howie and I can take decongestant. :(
She's finally starting to sound less congested (and we feel better too) so I think we are all up on the up & up. We run a humidifier in her room, and that seems to help a lot too. Of course, i have the snot sucker & saline drops. The saline helps & she doesn't seem to mind that too terribly but oh lord, do not go near her w/ that snot sucker :(
She slept a ton this weekend (and so did mommy!) and I think we all feel a lot better.
***
She is so much fun these days. She laughs and smiles so much. She loves to be propped up in her boppy pillow on her stomach. She really enjoys playing on her activity mats and being read to. I like going to the library to get her new reading material! I can't wait until she is old enough and we can go and she can actually pick out books.
I really hope that she likes to read. I'll be so sad if she doesn't! I loved to read as a kid, still do :)
She gets SO excited when she sees Howie. It's so funny! She looks at him with this look of pure adoration. I mean, her whole face just lights up! He doesn't even have to be looking at her... he can be watching tv or something and she'll be looking at him all crazy!!
She is starting to notice the cats and watches them run around the house.
She loves her little mousie security blanket toy, and she recognizes it when we give it to her. Maria says that she gets excited when she sees her play gym, and I can attest that she gets excited when she sees her bottle too! LOL
that's all I can think of for now. I'll update again when we take her to the dr, and maybe even before then ;)
Her body must not be that long b/c the three month onesies still fit her!
***
So I am a bad mom and I cut her finger pretty badly when I was clipping her nails. I got her thumb, of course, the thumb she likes to suck :( It bled terribly. I thought we were going to have to go to the ER and I actually called the pediatrician and she said to go, but then it stopped bleeding when we got her into the carseat. I took her in to see the dr the next morning (this was last weekend, Sunday night) and she was fine. We put neosporin on it for a few days & it's almost as good as new. It's a good thing they heal so fast!
I feel pretty awful and of course, I 'm not traumatized from cutting her nails!!
***
We also all just got over being sick. The worst of it was over the course of the week. Just bad head colds for all three of us. But at least Howie and I can take decongestant. :(
She's finally starting to sound less congested (and we feel better too) so I think we are all up on the up & up. We run a humidifier in her room, and that seems to help a lot too. Of course, i have the snot sucker & saline drops. The saline helps & she doesn't seem to mind that too terribly but oh lord, do not go near her w/ that snot sucker :(
She slept a ton this weekend (and so did mommy!) and I think we all feel a lot better.
***
She is so much fun these days. She laughs and smiles so much. She loves to be propped up in her boppy pillow on her stomach. She really enjoys playing on her activity mats and being read to. I like going to the library to get her new reading material! I can't wait until she is old enough and we can go and she can actually pick out books.
I really hope that she likes to read. I'll be so sad if she doesn't! I loved to read as a kid, still do :)
She gets SO excited when she sees Howie. It's so funny! She looks at him with this look of pure adoration. I mean, her whole face just lights up! He doesn't even have to be looking at her... he can be watching tv or something and she'll be looking at him all crazy!!
She is starting to notice the cats and watches them run around the house.
She loves her little mousie security blanket toy, and she recognizes it when we give it to her. Maria says that she gets excited when she sees her play gym, and I can attest that she gets excited when she sees her bottle too! LOL
that's all I can think of for now. I'll update again when we take her to the dr, and maybe even before then ;)
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
abby is getting so big these days! it seems like every time we turn around she is doing something new or has developed a new skill!
the most recent development is that she can laugh!! the laugh is still pretty elusive...she smiles a TON now but it's harder to make her laugh for sure. she was really cracking up over the weekend b/c we were standing her up on her feet (supporting her under the arms) and making her dance and she thought it was just the funniest thing!!
she is also starting to reach & grab things now, esp the toys on her baby activity gym. she really grips them! we are going to have to be careful so she doesn't pull the whole thing down on herself or move them up to the higher rings.
she is such a happy girl. when i go in her room in the morning, she is just laying in her crib waiting for someone to come get her....and when you lean over she smiles so big! it's so cute!
when we change her, she is totally fascinated by the butterfly decals on the wall & this arch thing that goes over the changing table with dangling flowers & butterflies. she *loves* when you shake them up for her!
next week we start bringing her to grandma's house during the day while we are at work. hoping it doesn't throw off her schedule too much!
the most recent development is that she can laugh!! the laugh is still pretty elusive...she smiles a TON now but it's harder to make her laugh for sure. she was really cracking up over the weekend b/c we were standing her up on her feet (supporting her under the arms) and making her dance and she thought it was just the funniest thing!!
she is also starting to reach & grab things now, esp the toys on her baby activity gym. she really grips them! we are going to have to be careful so she doesn't pull the whole thing down on herself or move them up to the higher rings.
she is such a happy girl. when i go in her room in the morning, she is just laying in her crib waiting for someone to come get her....and when you lean over she smiles so big! it's so cute!
when we change her, she is totally fascinated by the butterfly decals on the wall & this arch thing that goes over the changing table with dangling flowers & butterflies. she *loves* when you shake them up for her!
next week we start bringing her to grandma's house during the day while we are at work. hoping it doesn't throw off her schedule too much!
Monday, September 30, 2013
Abby can now clasp her hands together, in front of her. It's so funny. She doesn't really look at them with interest yet, but she does enjoy holding onto her own hands.
We also moved her up to the level 2 nipples on her bottles. She was taking so long to eat on the slowflow newborn nipple & I think it was frustrating her. Feeding time is going much faster now :)
I don't think she likes to be swaddled anymore either....last night we were trying to put her down in time to watch the Breaking Bad finale and she kept crying & squirming to get out of her swaddle. As soon as I took her arms out, she took her pacifier with no problem and just went to sleep!
We also moved her up to the level 2 nipples on her bottles. She was taking so long to eat on the slowflow newborn nipple & I think it was frustrating her. Feeding time is going much faster now :)
I don't think she likes to be swaddled anymore either....last night we were trying to put her down in time to watch the Breaking Bad finale and she kept crying & squirming to get out of her swaddle. As soon as I took her arms out, she took her pacifier with no problem and just went to sleep!
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Abby had her 3 month dr visit today (a little early, she will officially be three months on October 2nd)
She is 11 lbs 11oz and is 22 and a half inches long. She is now in the 30th percentile for height & weight. It was 20th before, so not quite as petite. :)
She was a total crab at the dr, but I guess that is to be expected. Now she is a little more vocal about things she doesn't like. So we can be absolutely sure she does not like the scale in the office, having her body measured, or having her ears checked.
She did however thoroughly enjoy the rotavirus vaccine (it's a liquid that they "feed" to the baby - it must be sweet b/c she slurped it right down). Strange kid.
***
She was much less crabby tonight. Thank god!!! Maria laid her back down this morning around 7am instead of letting her stay up until 9am and it made a difference. She was really missing those few hours of sleep!! Tonight was so much better than yesterday. I'm feeling quite relieved to be honest!
She is 11 lbs 11oz and is 22 and a half inches long. She is now in the 30th percentile for height & weight. It was 20th before, so not quite as petite. :)
She was a total crab at the dr, but I guess that is to be expected. Now she is a little more vocal about things she doesn't like. So we can be absolutely sure she does not like the scale in the office, having her body measured, or having her ears checked.
She did however thoroughly enjoy the rotavirus vaccine (it's a liquid that they "feed" to the baby - it must be sweet b/c she slurped it right down). Strange kid.
***
She was much less crabby tonight. Thank god!!! Maria laid her back down this morning around 7am instead of letting her stay up until 9am and it made a difference. She was really missing those few hours of sleep!! Tonight was so much better than yesterday. I'm feeling quite relieved to be honest!
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
overtired & cranky at night
Some nights Abby has a really hard time getting off to sleep. I am trying to figure out what to do b/c it's awful when she gets overtired, for her & for me!
I generally lay her down around 8pm after giving her a bottle. She is usually good at putting herself to sleep but lately, she seems to be having a hard time if she goes beyond tired to overtired. (A place you don't want to be.....trust me) I even got a white noise machine to try & help her drift off on those days she is having a hard time settling down.... it helped one night but not the next....so trial & error. She does enjoy the sound & the projector though. When she sees the projector she is very very interested in it!
As an aside, she is very interested in lights...we have a chandelier in the dining room & in her bedroom and she loves to stare at both!
So I think I am going to try & implement a bedtime routine and see how that helps. I hope it does b/c it is so stressful when she is overtired & can't settle down. I have asked Howie to bring up the recliner from the basement and I'll use that to rock with her for a little bit in the dark before laying her down.
I generally lay her down around 8pm after giving her a bottle. She is usually good at putting herself to sleep but lately, she seems to be having a hard time if she goes beyond tired to overtired. (A place you don't want to be.....trust me) I even got a white noise machine to try & help her drift off on those days she is having a hard time settling down.... it helped one night but not the next....so trial & error. She does enjoy the sound & the projector though. When she sees the projector she is very very interested in it!
As an aside, she is very interested in lights...we have a chandelier in the dining room & in her bedroom and she loves to stare at both!
So I think I am going to try & implement a bedtime routine and see how that helps. I hope it does b/c it is so stressful when she is overtired & can't settle down. I have asked Howie to bring up the recliner from the basement and I'll use that to rock with her for a little bit in the dark before laying her down.
three months!
Abby goes to the pediatrician tomorrow for her 3 month checkup. It is
hard to believe that it has been almost 3 months already!
I was just thinking yesterday about how much she has grown and changed
since we bought her home from the hospital. She is fitting perfectly
into sleepers that were once too large on her. She is developing more
of a personality with her own preferences for things -- for example, she
really dislikes being in the other room while we are eating (ie, in the
swing in the living room - still in view but not right near us) she
would prefer to be right by us in her bouncy seat.
She is starting to take 6oz of milk now, seemingly overnight, LOL.
She's getting so big!!
I am curious to see how she has grown since the last appointment...less
excited for her to get shots :(
Monday, September 23, 2013
i have been meaning to make a baby book for abby for some time...i haven't been able to find a physical book that i liked, though so it has delayed me from starting. i figured i can write up little journal entries & print them out & keep them in a book or folder for her. so what if it's not in a cutesy little book? the idea is there & i'm sure she'll appreciate it all the same. i know i would love to have a baby book to read but alas, my mom is the least sentimental person EVER.
so, abby is almost 3 months old now (better late than never to start a blog, i suppose). she is very smiley & is starting to become a little more interactive. she really listens when you talk and i believe she enjoys hearing stories now.
she no longer likes her rock & play sleeper and would rather spend her time in the bouncy chair - furiously kicking her feet & making the little birdies on the mobile jump around. of course she still enjoys her swing - esp seeing herself in the mirror under the mobile.
she is starting to enjoy peekaboo and "i'm gonna get you!" games. she likes to watch the tv too. anything with lots of movement and color. she likes children's programming and watching daddy play final fantasy!
she is such an easy happy baby. she really doesn't fuss unless she is hungry. we are starting to have a hard time getting her to go to bed at night, so i got a white noise machine and we are hoping that will help her to drift off. otherwise, she is generally pretty good at putting herself to sleep. some nights are a struggle still, so hopefully the white noise machine will help.
we think she is on the verge of laughing!! i think she may have laughed this weekend, it certainly sounded like a laugh but she didn't do it again, so i'm holding out (same thing with the rolling over - she did it three times but i don't think she *knew* what she was doing or how she did it) hopefully soon, b/c baby laughs are SO funny and they laugh at the funniest things!
so, abby is almost 3 months old now (better late than never to start a blog, i suppose). she is very smiley & is starting to become a little more interactive. she really listens when you talk and i believe she enjoys hearing stories now.
she no longer likes her rock & play sleeper and would rather spend her time in the bouncy chair - furiously kicking her feet & making the little birdies on the mobile jump around. of course she still enjoys her swing - esp seeing herself in the mirror under the mobile.
she is starting to enjoy peekaboo and "i'm gonna get you!" games. she likes to watch the tv too. anything with lots of movement and color. she likes children's programming and watching daddy play final fantasy!
she is such an easy happy baby. she really doesn't fuss unless she is hungry. we are starting to have a hard time getting her to go to bed at night, so i got a white noise machine and we are hoping that will help her to drift off. otherwise, she is generally pretty good at putting herself to sleep. some nights are a struggle still, so hopefully the white noise machine will help.
we think she is on the verge of laughing!! i think she may have laughed this weekend, it certainly sounded like a laugh but she didn't do it again, so i'm holding out (same thing with the rolling over - she did it three times but i don't think she *knew* what she was doing or how she did it) hopefully soon, b/c baby laughs are SO funny and they laugh at the funniest things!
Thursday, September 12, 2013
First things first, Abby's ultrasound came back normal. I didn't get to
talk to a dr, I just talked to a nurse so I am not sure if the murmur is
gone but as long as everything is normal. I'll talk to the dr in more
detail at her next appointment
In other Abby news, she has cradle cap!! So gross & annoying, LOL. She doesn't have it really bad -- mostly it just looks like bad dandruff on her head but the flakes don't brush off. My ped said to rub her head with baby oil and then brush her scalp, so I've been doing that nightly and it has been helping a lot. Then today I gave her a bath & even more came off! So hopefully it will be completely cleared up in a few days.
I made my six week appointment for next week...so crazy. I can't believe that if I had delivered vaginally I would be back to work already....ugh. I couldn't imagine. I have about four more weeks of maternity leave. I'm glad I am finally feeling back to myself. I can lift things like I did before, etc. My incision seems completely closed, too so I have been putting lotion on my stomach. I was avoiding doing that while it was still kind of open -- the skin was so dry!
In other Abby news, she has cradle cap!! So gross & annoying, LOL. She doesn't have it really bad -- mostly it just looks like bad dandruff on her head but the flakes don't brush off. My ped said to rub her head with baby oil and then brush her scalp, so I've been doing that nightly and it has been helping a lot. Then today I gave her a bath & even more came off! So hopefully it will be completely cleared up in a few days.
I made my six week appointment for next week...so crazy. I can't believe that if I had delivered vaginally I would be back to work already....ugh. I couldn't imagine. I have about four more weeks of maternity leave. I'm glad I am finally feeling back to myself. I can lift things like I did before, etc. My incision seems completely closed, too so I have been putting lotion on my stomach. I was avoiding doing that while it was still kind of open -- the skin was so dry!
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
she is doing good. she is sleeping in her crib now. we just have to make
sure she is swaddled really really tight. i have given up on swaddling
with blankets and just use the sleep sack exclusively. that seems to
be working!! she sleeps in there during the night and we put her in the
crib for naps. sometimes she ends up in the rock & play out of
necessity but for the most part she is in the crib, which i think is
what matters most.
she is also sooo gassy. it doesn't seem to bother her most of the time. if it's really bad, we use the little remedies gas drops. i use the dr brown's bottles and we burp her frequently during feedings. she seems to eat really fast though - and i am wondering if that has something to do with the gas. i'm not sure how to remedy that, though.... it's funny -- she totally freaks out if you pull the bottle away during the feeding. i take it away sometimes to wipe her mouth and she gets all frantic. so we'll see. the pediatrician didn't seem to be worried about her gassiness - said it's normal. i am just glad it's not the formula. the kirkland is cheap - i would hate to go back to shelling out the $$ for similac.
she is also sooo gassy. it doesn't seem to bother her most of the time. if it's really bad, we use the little remedies gas drops. i use the dr brown's bottles and we burp her frequently during feedings. she seems to eat really fast though - and i am wondering if that has something to do with the gas. i'm not sure how to remedy that, though.... it's funny -- she totally freaks out if you pull the bottle away during the feeding. i take it away sometimes to wipe her mouth and she gets all frantic. so we'll see. the pediatrician didn't seem to be worried about her gassiness - said it's normal. i am just glad it's not the formula. the kirkland is cheap - i would hate to go back to shelling out the $$ for similac.
Thursday, August 8, 2013
so anyway. today was abby's ultrasound for her heart murmur. maria came
w/ me to help me out - i probably would have been ok by myself but it
was nice to have an extra set of hands. plus i didn't really know how
it was going to go, so i'm glad she came with.
we get the results hopefully this afternoon or tomorrow.
abby did SO good! this baby is so easygoing. i'm lucky that it took about twenty minutes for the tech to get in, so we had a waiting period...she normally eats around 8am so i was stressing a bit about how to feed her. so she ended up eating during that waiting period which meant she was in a good mood for the ultrasound. she just lay there while the tech did her thing. the tech was great, btw! she was good at talking to the baby & abby was totally transfixed by her voice and the new environment. she didn't even mind so much the doppler thing on her chest - except during the last little bit where they needed to do it on her neck to see the arteries. but by then, it had been 30 mins so who can blame her for starting to get fussy??
***
so i think abby might have cradle cap!! i know!!! it's so gross. she doesn't have the oily kind (thank god) but she has these dry flakes on her head and around her eyes and brows. i thought it was just dry skin and was putting lotion on but it seemed to be getting worse. and even wiping her face all the time with a washcloth wasn't helping. so when i googled 'dry flaky skin on baby's head' - cradle cap popped up. boo-urns.
so now i am going to try washing her hair every night and then brushing it. hopefully that will do the trick, otherwise i will need to try putting olive oil on her head. i'll ask our pediatrician about it too to be safe. i hope it goes away - it looks awful. LOL.
we get the results hopefully this afternoon or tomorrow.
abby did SO good! this baby is so easygoing. i'm lucky that it took about twenty minutes for the tech to get in, so we had a waiting period...she normally eats around 8am so i was stressing a bit about how to feed her. so she ended up eating during that waiting period which meant she was in a good mood for the ultrasound. she just lay there while the tech did her thing. the tech was great, btw! she was good at talking to the baby & abby was totally transfixed by her voice and the new environment. she didn't even mind so much the doppler thing on her chest - except during the last little bit where they needed to do it on her neck to see the arteries. but by then, it had been 30 mins so who can blame her for starting to get fussy??
***
so i think abby might have cradle cap!! i know!!! it's so gross. she doesn't have the oily kind (thank god) but she has these dry flakes on her head and around her eyes and brows. i thought it was just dry skin and was putting lotion on but it seemed to be getting worse. and even wiping her face all the time with a washcloth wasn't helping. so when i googled 'dry flaky skin on baby's head' - cradle cap popped up. boo-urns.
so now i am going to try washing her hair every night and then brushing it. hopefully that will do the trick, otherwise i will need to try putting olive oil on her head. i'll ask our pediatrician about it too to be safe. i hope it goes away - it looks awful. LOL.
Friday, August 2, 2013
So we had our one month visit at the pediatrician yesterday...
abby is now up to 8lbs 7oz! damn! that is a pound a half gain from our last visit. she has been an eating machine though, so it's not too surprising. LOL. so i was glad that she gained weight. i figured she did - like i said in my earlier entry you can tell she had gained a ton of weight!! she is heavy now! when i feed her i actually use the boppy pillow to prop her up b/c my arm gets tired.
they also heard a heart murmur, which they said is very common. she said most likely there is a valve open that will close on its own, but to be safe, they want to schedule an ultrasound of her heart to be sure. so i am going on thursday to have that done. naturally, if you prefer to go to the pediatric one they only have openings at 8am. i don't think there is a huge difference between going through pediatric and the main hospital (the main hospital is certified to do it on children too) but the pediatric appt was sooner and the registration office said it's easier to get to, so we'll just do that. hopefully i can manage on my own and get out of the house on time! that is my main worry with early stuff. though i guess i had better get used to it for when i go back to work. :(
so i also asked about the baby sleeping in the fisher price rock & play sleeper... i think some people think it's a swing - this is more like a portable bed that has the baby sit up on a bit of an incline. she loves it and sleeps in it a lot - for a while there, she wouldn't go down in her crib - she would cry. so i would just leave her to sleep in the R&P. so she was sleeping in that thing the majority of the time - night & day. the dr advised against it just b/c then they aren't using to sleeping in their crib on a flat surface. so i was all worked up over that - like i made this huge mistake and how dumb i am, etc.
she slept in the crib last night, pretty successfully. we swaddled her super tight and after a few crying spells initially she went down just fine and slept for about four hours at a time. so i think we BOTH got better sleep - i was able to sleep in my own bed and i am sure her crib mattress provides better surface than the rock & play. i think i'm going to have more of a challenge to get her to sleep in the crib during the day, however. she falls asleep and then when i move her to put her in the crib....welll, she wakes up!! unless i swaddled her for her naps too? but she's a 1 month old baby, she just falls asleep randomly - there is no set nap time. :/ so i'll figure it out.
what i think i am going to do is set up the playpen so she can sleep in there during the day, since that is a flat surface. that way if she falls asleep in the living room i can just leave her and not worry about it.
abby is now up to 8lbs 7oz! damn! that is a pound a half gain from our last visit. she has been an eating machine though, so it's not too surprising. LOL. so i was glad that she gained weight. i figured she did - like i said in my earlier entry you can tell she had gained a ton of weight!! she is heavy now! when i feed her i actually use the boppy pillow to prop her up b/c my arm gets tired.
they also heard a heart murmur, which they said is very common. she said most likely there is a valve open that will close on its own, but to be safe, they want to schedule an ultrasound of her heart to be sure. so i am going on thursday to have that done. naturally, if you prefer to go to the pediatric one they only have openings at 8am. i don't think there is a huge difference between going through pediatric and the main hospital (the main hospital is certified to do it on children too) but the pediatric appt was sooner and the registration office said it's easier to get to, so we'll just do that. hopefully i can manage on my own and get out of the house on time! that is my main worry with early stuff. though i guess i had better get used to it for when i go back to work. :(
so i also asked about the baby sleeping in the fisher price rock & play sleeper... i think some people think it's a swing - this is more like a portable bed that has the baby sit up on a bit of an incline. she loves it and sleeps in it a lot - for a while there, she wouldn't go down in her crib - she would cry. so i would just leave her to sleep in the R&P. so she was sleeping in that thing the majority of the time - night & day. the dr advised against it just b/c then they aren't using to sleeping in their crib on a flat surface. so i was all worked up over that - like i made this huge mistake and how dumb i am, etc.
she slept in the crib last night, pretty successfully. we swaddled her super tight and after a few crying spells initially she went down just fine and slept for about four hours at a time. so i think we BOTH got better sleep - i was able to sleep in my own bed and i am sure her crib mattress provides better surface than the rock & play. i think i'm going to have more of a challenge to get her to sleep in the crib during the day, however. she falls asleep and then when i move her to put her in the crib....welll, she wakes up!! unless i swaddled her for her naps too? but she's a 1 month old baby, she just falls asleep randomly - there is no set nap time. :/ so i'll figure it out.
what i think i am going to do is set up the playpen so she can sleep in there during the day, since that is a flat surface. that way if she falls asleep in the living room i can just leave her and not worry about it.
Friday, July 19, 2013
we gave abby her first bath yesterday....after a poop explosion! it was
so bad. she had poo everywhere, so i figured that since her little
stump had fallen off the other day, that it was as good a time as any to
give her a bath. she didn't seem to mind the bath at all. :) we
filled up her little tub and put her in the newborn sling. she didn't
mind the water getting poured on her or being soaped up or rinsed off.
she did, however, mind very much when we removed her from the warm
water. LOL. we had a towel waiting for her so she was ok in a few
minutes.
this baby cannot stand being naked it seems - she hates to be changed too! she cries as soon as we unbutton her clothes...and as soon as her clothes are buttoned back up - she's ok again.
she really doesn't fuss very much at all. she only cries if she is wet or hungry. the rest of the time she is either sleeping or just alert and happy regardless of if we are holding her or have her in her little sleeper thing.
hard to believe that on tuesday she will be three weeks already! the time is going by fast.
this baby cannot stand being naked it seems - she hates to be changed too! she cries as soon as we unbutton her clothes...and as soon as her clothes are buttoned back up - she's ok again.
she really doesn't fuss very much at all. she only cries if she is wet or hungry. the rest of the time she is either sleeping or just alert and happy regardless of if we are holding her or have her in her little sleeper thing.
hard to believe that on tuesday she will be three weeks already! the time is going by fast.
Monday, July 15, 2013
we went to the pediatrician today for another weight. she is up to 6 lbs
13oz, but still 4oz away from her birth weight. boo. i thought for
sure she would have been up to her birth weight, at least. :( the
pediatrician didn't seem too worried though and we'll see them again on
august 1st for her 1 month checkup. (a whole month!!)
everything else looks good though, and they weren't overly concerned about her weight since they know i switched to just formula feeding. she is taking 3oz every 3 hours so they said that's totally normal and she should catch up on her weight gain soon, esp now that we know exactly how much food she is getting.
so all is good in abby world!
not much else has been going on w/ us. obviously we are spending most of our days at home with the baby! i have managed to read the first two fifty shades books. the writing is pretty shitty but somehow i can't put them down (ahem, twilight). but sadly, these are even worse writing than twilight. i mean, it's pretty bad but again - they sucked me in. i had even marked the 1st one as abandoned on goodreads and then i found myself going back to it, LOL. stupid mommy pr0n.
i think i am starting to get back to feeling normal. yesterday i did a load of laundry , woo. i just can't carry the basket so i sort of drag it behind me, hehe. i'm not pushing myself too hard, though. i need to sweep & vacuum. i will probably sweep in the kitchen soon but vacuuming is going to have to wait unless i can get howie to do it or my mother in law... but anyway. not pushing myself too hard - it's hard but oh well. gotta do what i gotta do. yesterday i put away all the laundry, yay!
i can sleep on my side now, too. i have been sleeping on my back since i was in the hospital & from when i got home. i hate sleeping on my back, so i'm glad to be back on my side at least. looking forward to a time when i can sleep on my stomach!
everything else looks good though, and they weren't overly concerned about her weight since they know i switched to just formula feeding. she is taking 3oz every 3 hours so they said that's totally normal and she should catch up on her weight gain soon, esp now that we know exactly how much food she is getting.
so all is good in abby world!
not much else has been going on w/ us. obviously we are spending most of our days at home with the baby! i have managed to read the first two fifty shades books. the writing is pretty shitty but somehow i can't put them down (ahem, twilight). but sadly, these are even worse writing than twilight. i mean, it's pretty bad but again - they sucked me in. i had even marked the 1st one as abandoned on goodreads and then i found myself going back to it, LOL. stupid mommy pr0n.
i think i am starting to get back to feeling normal. yesterday i did a load of laundry , woo. i just can't carry the basket so i sort of drag it behind me, hehe. i'm not pushing myself too hard, though. i need to sweep & vacuum. i will probably sweep in the kitchen soon but vacuuming is going to have to wait unless i can get howie to do it or my mother in law... but anyway. not pushing myself too hard - it's hard but oh well. gotta do what i gotta do. yesterday i put away all the laundry, yay!
i can sleep on my side now, too. i have been sleeping on my back since i was in the hospital & from when i got home. i hate sleeping on my back, so i'm glad to be back on my side at least. looking forward to a time when i can sleep on my stomach!
Sunday, July 14, 2013
* i decided to formula feed. i hope no one thinks less of me for making
this decision, i didn't make it very lightly. i decided it was best
for me & abby after i would spend entire days crying. i also just
really did not like nursing - which surprised me. i would cringe
everytime it was time to feed her. :( we would nurse for an hour
sometimes & then she would still be hungry and take an ounce or two
of formula and it was just so much more enjoyable for me to feed her
from a bottle, i felt like we got to bond more b/c she wasn't frustrated
with getting food and i wasn't upset either.
i've been a lot happier since making my decision and life has been a lot smoother for all of us. so i'm at peace w/ my decision.
* we had our week of no visitors which was the best thing we did. we are starting to have people over again. my dad & stepmom came here yesterday for a few hours, and it was nice. i know people wanted to see abby really bad but we really needed that time to ourselves so i have no regrets. we just needed to get into a routine and learn how to take care of a baby! things are mostly under control - the house doesn't look like a bomb went off (though it does need a thorough cleaning - howie straightens up but he doesn't clean). we also need groceries but i don't think i'm going to be able to grocery shop for a while. :( i'm not even driving at this point
* that's another thing - recovering from a C section. ugh. :( i just want to feel normal. i'm not really in pain anymore but i do get a little pain in my lower right side if i do too much. plus, my incision is still weeping. yesterday i bent over after my shower to put lotion on my legs & a bunch of dark yellow liquid spilled out of it! apparently that can happen right up until six weeks. i kind of hate that it is going to take me six weeks to feel back to normal and i only get 2 add'l weeks for maternity leave. seems like BS to me. i mean, you had a major abdominal surgery and a newborn baby to take care of, so it's not like i can just lay around, you know? at least i have an add'l 2 weeks of PTO so i can still have some time to enjoy. it sucks b/c i can't do any of the things i though i would at this point - we haven't gone on any walks, etc. it'll be 2 PP as of tuesday so i guess i should just have more patience.
* abby sleeps so much. ped said it's normal but it still seems worrying. we don't have to wake her up for feedings anymore, though. she is pretty good about waking herself up right on time (every 3 hours at this point) and we generally feed her 3oz or so. she stays awake sometimes and we give her the tummy time (which she tolerates really well!) but then it's back to beddie bye. i have been worried about her getting a flat head b/c she sleeps so much. :( we hold her, of course, but we can't be holding her 24 hours a day....she spends a lot of time in the rock & play sleeper in the living room. she goes into her crib at night.
* she tolerates tummy time really well! she is so good at lifting her head already. she lifts her head up off our sholders when we have her upright when burping her, she was doing that in the hospital even. she can turn her head from side to side when on her tummy too. she is not really scooting anywhere on her blanket yet but she can definitely move her head, so that's pretty cool to see. she is a restless sleeper too. she throws up her arms up over her head and wiggles around and makes all sorts of noises. we swaddle her at night with a sleepsack swaddle so she doesn't startle herself awake. she doesn't seem to wake herself up in the rock & play sleeper but it's a smaller space than her crib...in the crib she gets on her side & then she wakes up. i'm glad that i ended up having a sleep sack in the stuff that was donated to me by my coworkers b/c we didn't buy one ahead of time. we only have one b/c i couldn't see paying $20 for another one in NB size. i do have one for 13-18 pounds but it's like enormous and super long so we aren't using that on her yet. she is still in NB size clothes & diapers. not sure how much she weighs....we go to the dr tomorrow for another weight check. :)
i've been a lot happier since making my decision and life has been a lot smoother for all of us. so i'm at peace w/ my decision.
* we had our week of no visitors which was the best thing we did. we are starting to have people over again. my dad & stepmom came here yesterday for a few hours, and it was nice. i know people wanted to see abby really bad but we really needed that time to ourselves so i have no regrets. we just needed to get into a routine and learn how to take care of a baby! things are mostly under control - the house doesn't look like a bomb went off (though it does need a thorough cleaning - howie straightens up but he doesn't clean). we also need groceries but i don't think i'm going to be able to grocery shop for a while. :( i'm not even driving at this point
* that's another thing - recovering from a C section. ugh. :( i just want to feel normal. i'm not really in pain anymore but i do get a little pain in my lower right side if i do too much. plus, my incision is still weeping. yesterday i bent over after my shower to put lotion on my legs & a bunch of dark yellow liquid spilled out of it! apparently that can happen right up until six weeks. i kind of hate that it is going to take me six weeks to feel back to normal and i only get 2 add'l weeks for maternity leave. seems like BS to me. i mean, you had a major abdominal surgery and a newborn baby to take care of, so it's not like i can just lay around, you know? at least i have an add'l 2 weeks of PTO so i can still have some time to enjoy. it sucks b/c i can't do any of the things i though i would at this point - we haven't gone on any walks, etc. it'll be 2 PP as of tuesday so i guess i should just have more patience.
* abby sleeps so much. ped said it's normal but it still seems worrying. we don't have to wake her up for feedings anymore, though. she is pretty good about waking herself up right on time (every 3 hours at this point) and we generally feed her 3oz or so. she stays awake sometimes and we give her the tummy time (which she tolerates really well!) but then it's back to beddie bye. i have been worried about her getting a flat head b/c she sleeps so much. :( we hold her, of course, but we can't be holding her 24 hours a day....she spends a lot of time in the rock & play sleeper in the living room. she goes into her crib at night.
* she tolerates tummy time really well! she is so good at lifting her head already. she lifts her head up off our sholders when we have her upright when burping her, she was doing that in the hospital even. she can turn her head from side to side when on her tummy too. she is not really scooting anywhere on her blanket yet but she can definitely move her head, so that's pretty cool to see. she is a restless sleeper too. she throws up her arms up over her head and wiggles around and makes all sorts of noises. we swaddle her at night with a sleepsack swaddle so she doesn't startle herself awake. she doesn't seem to wake herself up in the rock & play sleeper but it's a smaller space than her crib...in the crib she gets on her side & then she wakes up. i'm glad that i ended up having a sleep sack in the stuff that was donated to me by my coworkers b/c we didn't buy one ahead of time. we only have one b/c i couldn't see paying $20 for another one in NB size. i do have one for 13-18 pounds but it's like enormous and super long so we aren't using that on her yet. she is still in NB size clothes & diapers. not sure how much she weighs....we go to the dr tomorrow for another weight check. :)
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
the fun and excitement never ends around here....
so last night we are sitting on the couch watching tv and i reached down to under my stomach and it felt all wet. so of course, i freaked out and jumped up - front part of pants and between legs were wet but i hadn't peed and obviously i've had the baby so it's not my water breaking. ;) so we go in the bathroom and my incision was weeping pretty bad....my staples were removed this morning, so we were thinking maybe that was why. but then we saw some actual blood too, toward the bottom of the incision (toward my pubic bone) so we called the dr and he said to go to the ER.
so we called his parents to come over and watch the baby for a minute and we went to the ER. they checked that everything under the incision (like my abdomen) was all intact (it was - thank god) and then checked for infection. they said everything looked fine and that it was normal for it to weep like that - i was apparently very swollen when they did the c section since i had so many IV's in the hospital (b/c i was so dehydrated from vomiting)
it was weeping before but only a small amount, this was a ton of weeping, like dripping all over the place so that is why we called the dr right away. if there wasn't actual BLOOD he would have just seen me in his office today....
but it's better safe than sorry. and we got a scrip for some antibiotics to prevent an infection. i'm just glad they didn't need to gauze pack it b/c then it would be open and that would scare me. esp being alone next week....
so scary. and it didn't help that yesterday was a super emotional day for me anyway. i've been nursing and then pumping for 20 mins after each session and it's been SO hard. i can never get a nap in, b/c by the time we nurse and then i pump and maybe use the bathroom or eat something, it's time to do it all over again. it's been incredibly depressing for me. yest i was ready to just throw in the towel but the idea of spending $150 on formula when i MAKE food that is BETTER for her just kills me and i couldn't do it in good conscious. so i asked the advice of my cousin and she said that i should just nurse at this point and start weaning off the pump cycle to maybe 5-10 mins every other time. that will make things so much easier, i think, and really help my perspective on things.
i'm just glad howie has been so great during all of this. he is so understanding of my crazy mood swings even, i think he just hates to see me so upset and stressed out and i get overwhelmed and cry for no reason. it's been hard. i think eliminating the pumping will help my sanity, esp when he goes back to work
so last night we are sitting on the couch watching tv and i reached down to under my stomach and it felt all wet. so of course, i freaked out and jumped up - front part of pants and between legs were wet but i hadn't peed and obviously i've had the baby so it's not my water breaking. ;) so we go in the bathroom and my incision was weeping pretty bad....my staples were removed this morning, so we were thinking maybe that was why. but then we saw some actual blood too, toward the bottom of the incision (toward my pubic bone) so we called the dr and he said to go to the ER.
so we called his parents to come over and watch the baby for a minute and we went to the ER. they checked that everything under the incision (like my abdomen) was all intact (it was - thank god) and then checked for infection. they said everything looked fine and that it was normal for it to weep like that - i was apparently very swollen when they did the c section since i had so many IV's in the hospital (b/c i was so dehydrated from vomiting)
it was weeping before but only a small amount, this was a ton of weeping, like dripping all over the place so that is why we called the dr right away. if there wasn't actual BLOOD he would have just seen me in his office today....
but it's better safe than sorry. and we got a scrip for some antibiotics to prevent an infection. i'm just glad they didn't need to gauze pack it b/c then it would be open and that would scare me. esp being alone next week....
so scary. and it didn't help that yesterday was a super emotional day for me anyway. i've been nursing and then pumping for 20 mins after each session and it's been SO hard. i can never get a nap in, b/c by the time we nurse and then i pump and maybe use the bathroom or eat something, it's time to do it all over again. it's been incredibly depressing for me. yest i was ready to just throw in the towel but the idea of spending $150 on formula when i MAKE food that is BETTER for her just kills me and i couldn't do it in good conscious. so i asked the advice of my cousin and she said that i should just nurse at this point and start weaning off the pump cycle to maybe 5-10 mins every other time. that will make things so much easier, i think, and really help my perspective on things.
i'm just glad howie has been so great during all of this. he is so understanding of my crazy mood swings even, i think he just hates to see me so upset and stressed out and i get overwhelmed and cry for no reason. it's been hard. i think eliminating the pumping will help my sanity, esp when he goes back to work
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
i have really been wanting to write, but as you can imagine i'm a bit limited for time these days :)
so, abby is a week old today! our first week was a total blur - we spent most of it in the hospital. i was bedridden for the first two days - my legs were totally numb all day tuesday and that night and i had compressors on, and i think they were on until middle of day wednesday. also i had a catheter, so i wasn't able to get up at all. howie was great though - the babies aren't put in a nursery at the hospital where i delivered, so she was in our room the whole time. he cleaned all the dirty diapers plus had to do everything for me (getting me water, etc) b/c i couldn't do it for myself. the nurses were great too - it was pretty terrible to be in such a helpless position (people had to come and clean me off and change my pad those first few days!) it got better when my IV was out - i was still in pain and stuff, but at least i could move around freely and use the bathroom on my own. we could have gone home on thursday but we decided to stick it out the night since my insurance would cover it, just to make sure we had everything together. we went home on friday morning..
i think our biggest mistake the first week by far, was having people over. it did nothing but stress us out and take away the focus on the baby. my family does NOT understand nursing or why it was taking so long, etc or the fact that we had to feed every 2 hours and it was just getting out of hand. people would be over for too long, not getting a hint when to go (my family) and we were missing feedings and it was super important that we kept to a schedule since abby had lost 10% of her body weight since birth and we needed for her to gain weight.
things have been better. breastfeeding is getting better - i'm still not making quite enough to satisfy her but i nurse and then pump so we are doing our best. we are supplementing with formula but i feel ok about that. i'd rather her be full & happy even if it means eating formula. she does get mostly breastmilk so i think it's better than nothing.
we went to the pediatrician yesterday and abby's weight gain was twice what they expected, so we're good there! so relieved. :) and i went to the dr for me today to get my staples out of my c-section. i can start driving in 2 weeks though my dr recommended not to if i didn't absolute have to. i can resume all normal activity at 6 weeks....which is hard for me b/c i hate being so helpless but i need to heal....
i have to say how wonderful howie is though. he is an amazing father, more than i could have EVER hoped for. he has bonded so well to the baby and helps so much - he changes diapers and gives her tummy time, etc. basically whatever we need outside of feeding. he feeds her the bottles sometimes if i'm doing something else. i feel like crying when i think of him going back to work, though. i just don't know how i am going to do this on my own. :( esp with the pumping after each feeding. i need to ask if that is absolutely necessary or if it's ok if i just start pumping a few times a day instead. not sure how that works.
so we'll see. i have a week more with him....maria can help too but i'd rather have howie. LOL
so that's it for now!! hopefully i can update again soon. i miss writing!
so, abby is a week old today! our first week was a total blur - we spent most of it in the hospital. i was bedridden for the first two days - my legs were totally numb all day tuesday and that night and i had compressors on, and i think they were on until middle of day wednesday. also i had a catheter, so i wasn't able to get up at all. howie was great though - the babies aren't put in a nursery at the hospital where i delivered, so she was in our room the whole time. he cleaned all the dirty diapers plus had to do everything for me (getting me water, etc) b/c i couldn't do it for myself. the nurses were great too - it was pretty terrible to be in such a helpless position (people had to come and clean me off and change my pad those first few days!) it got better when my IV was out - i was still in pain and stuff, but at least i could move around freely and use the bathroom on my own. we could have gone home on thursday but we decided to stick it out the night since my insurance would cover it, just to make sure we had everything together. we went home on friday morning..
i think our biggest mistake the first week by far, was having people over. it did nothing but stress us out and take away the focus on the baby. my family does NOT understand nursing or why it was taking so long, etc or the fact that we had to feed every 2 hours and it was just getting out of hand. people would be over for too long, not getting a hint when to go (my family) and we were missing feedings and it was super important that we kept to a schedule since abby had lost 10% of her body weight since birth and we needed for her to gain weight.
things have been better. breastfeeding is getting better - i'm still not making quite enough to satisfy her but i nurse and then pump so we are doing our best. we are supplementing with formula but i feel ok about that. i'd rather her be full & happy even if it means eating formula. she does get mostly breastmilk so i think it's better than nothing.
we went to the pediatrician yesterday and abby's weight gain was twice what they expected, so we're good there! so relieved. :) and i went to the dr for me today to get my staples out of my c-section. i can start driving in 2 weeks though my dr recommended not to if i didn't absolute have to. i can resume all normal activity at 6 weeks....which is hard for me b/c i hate being so helpless but i need to heal....
i have to say how wonderful howie is though. he is an amazing father, more than i could have EVER hoped for. he has bonded so well to the baby and helps so much - he changes diapers and gives her tummy time, etc. basically whatever we need outside of feeding. he feeds her the bottles sometimes if i'm doing something else. i feel like crying when i think of him going back to work, though. i just don't know how i am going to do this on my own. :( esp with the pumping after each feeding. i need to ask if that is absolutely necessary or if it's ok if i just start pumping a few times a day instead. not sure how that works.
so we'll see. i have a week more with him....maria can help too but i'd rather have howie. LOL
so that's it for now!! hopefully i can update again soon. i miss writing!
Monday, July 8, 2013
she was born on tuesday, july 2nd at 11:04am. 7 lbs .09oz 19 inches
long, via c-section. we are so in love! i have been wanting to write
but as you can imagine, things have been hectic and i was in the
hospital from monday to friday morning :(
so abby's birth story:
i started having a sharp pain in my upper right side on sunday night. it lasted an hour or two - i called the dr and he said not to worry about it and we'd check it out at my next appointment. so that night - the pain gets increasingly worse, more intense and i start vomiting. we go to the hospital at 5am and i get checked into labor & delivery. i'm in terrible pain and i can't hold anything down. they do all sorts of tests and everything is coming back fine. i end up getting sent for an ultrasound to check on my gall bladder & kidneys...the blood work was coming back normal but i was still in pain & puking. this was over the course of the day on monday....monday night they were going to check us out b/c it seemed like i was able to hold down a liquid diet and water....so we were getting ready to go and then i puked again, so they kept me overnight. monday had to be the WORST night of my entire life. the pain was unbearable. i was in this horrible labor bed trying to sleep and i could only sleep on one side and after a while, THAT would hurt too! turning over was excruciating, and if i lay on my back i was extremely nauseous. it was terrible.
so the next morning, they keep coming in and checking on me but i'm not getting any updates and they aren't talking about running any more significant tests...so i'm beginning to think something is up....what are they waiting for? i doubted i was going home since i was still puking and i would have refused to leave until they knew what was going on. i could NOT go home with that pain and wait it out for labor. at this point i had still not progressed at all.
so the dr comes in around 8am maybe? and he says that my white blood cell count jumped up and they are getting concerned....my vitals were good and so were baby's but they coudln't figure out why my WBC jumped up. he said he thought i might have appendicitis which is extremely difficult to confirm diagnosis in pregnant women since it ends up moving due to the baby!! so i had a surgical consult and they decided that they would deliver the baby by c-section and take out my appendix at the same time!
it sounds crazy, right? i didn't even care at this point, i was like get me on a gurney and LET"S GO. howie was a lot more concerned than i was but i knew it was the best way - what was the point of waiting for me to go into labor, esp if my wbc count went up. the dr felt like we should do this before something hit the fan and i agreed!!
so howie started calling everyone and letting them know and they started prepping me for surgery at 9am (at this point things moved FAST) by 10am i was in the operating room getting a spinal tap (which did not hurt at all compared to the pain i was in) and at 11:04, she was welcomed into the world!!
i ended up not having my appendix removed after all (which i am kind of glad for b/c it would have been like dealing with recovering from 2 surgeries at once, sheesh) but it turns out all the pain was CONSTIPATION! the baby was apparently sitting on my bowels in such a manner that i was all backed up. which i found kind of odd since i was regularly pooping until saturday night you know? but either way.
the c section was so bizarre to go through. you obviously can't SEE what they are doing but you can feel it. and i could FEEL them moving around my organs after she was born and i flipped out!!!!!!!!!! the aneshegiolist RAN for more morphine. holy crap did that hurt.
but it was all worth it and i'd do it again if i had to!!
so abby's birth story:
i started having a sharp pain in my upper right side on sunday night. it lasted an hour or two - i called the dr and he said not to worry about it and we'd check it out at my next appointment. so that night - the pain gets increasingly worse, more intense and i start vomiting. we go to the hospital at 5am and i get checked into labor & delivery. i'm in terrible pain and i can't hold anything down. they do all sorts of tests and everything is coming back fine. i end up getting sent for an ultrasound to check on my gall bladder & kidneys...the blood work was coming back normal but i was still in pain & puking. this was over the course of the day on monday....monday night they were going to check us out b/c it seemed like i was able to hold down a liquid diet and water....so we were getting ready to go and then i puked again, so they kept me overnight. monday had to be the WORST night of my entire life. the pain was unbearable. i was in this horrible labor bed trying to sleep and i could only sleep on one side and after a while, THAT would hurt too! turning over was excruciating, and if i lay on my back i was extremely nauseous. it was terrible.
so the next morning, they keep coming in and checking on me but i'm not getting any updates and they aren't talking about running any more significant tests...so i'm beginning to think something is up....what are they waiting for? i doubted i was going home since i was still puking and i would have refused to leave until they knew what was going on. i could NOT go home with that pain and wait it out for labor. at this point i had still not progressed at all.
so the dr comes in around 8am maybe? and he says that my white blood cell count jumped up and they are getting concerned....my vitals were good and so were baby's but they coudln't figure out why my WBC jumped up. he said he thought i might have appendicitis which is extremely difficult to confirm diagnosis in pregnant women since it ends up moving due to the baby!! so i had a surgical consult and they decided that they would deliver the baby by c-section and take out my appendix at the same time!
it sounds crazy, right? i didn't even care at this point, i was like get me on a gurney and LET"S GO. howie was a lot more concerned than i was but i knew it was the best way - what was the point of waiting for me to go into labor, esp if my wbc count went up. the dr felt like we should do this before something hit the fan and i agreed!!
so howie started calling everyone and letting them know and they started prepping me for surgery at 9am (at this point things moved FAST) by 10am i was in the operating room getting a spinal tap (which did not hurt at all compared to the pain i was in) and at 11:04, she was welcomed into the world!!
i ended up not having my appendix removed after all (which i am kind of glad for b/c it would have been like dealing with recovering from 2 surgeries at once, sheesh) but it turns out all the pain was CONSTIPATION! the baby was apparently sitting on my bowels in such a manner that i was all backed up. which i found kind of odd since i was regularly pooping until saturday night you know? but either way.
the c section was so bizarre to go through. you obviously can't SEE what they are doing but you can feel it. and i could FEEL them moving around my organs after she was born and i flipped out!!!!!!!!!! the aneshegiolist RAN for more morphine. holy crap did that hurt.
but it was all worth it and i'd do it again if i had to!!
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