My Favorite Baby Things

So after a couple months as parents, every new mommy and daddy discover that there are a few things that they love having.  Some of these things are discovered after you get baby home and take additional trips to the baby store.  I've tried to highlight ones that I either I didn't hear about beforehand or that have been especially helpful. 

Here is a list of a Few of My Favorite Baby Things...


The Moby Wrap - This thing is perfect for calming a fussy baby and having your hands free.  It was an impulse buy at Target and now my go-to gift for baby showers.  I'm sure we'll eventually use our Baby Bjorn, but until then, I'm loving my Moby wrap. 

The Itzbeen Baby Timer - I was constantly trying to remember when I last fed baby or changed her diaper to try to determine if her crying was hunger or something else.  Then, one Sunday, I saw a friend in the breastfeeding room at church using her Itzbeen timer and talked to her about it.  I decided I had to have one and have been so thankful for it. 

The Bouncer - I got my bouncer as a free hand-me-down from a friend at church.  For a while it was the only thing that baby girl would sleep in and now it's just handy for putting her down while I get myself some lunch or something. 

You can see pics of it in Naomi's last two monthly posts.

The SwaddleMe or SwaddlePod - Baby girl hates the process of being swaddled but she sleeps so much better this way and it's easier to use these things than a blanket.  The velcro kind are good, but the zipper kind are my favorite. 

The Diaper Genie - I didn't think that I wanted one because several people told me that it just unnecessary but I'm so grateful for it's odor eliminating power.  Our room smelled so poopy before we got it and we were constantly making trips to the outside trash can.  Now, it's much better.  Send a dryer sheet down with or after a poopy diaper and it works even better. 

Thoughts on some other baby products:

Breastfeeding pillows - I got a Boppy pillow as it was recommended by several friends, however it didn't really work for breastfeeding for me (Naomi kept sorta falling into the center).  I may try it again as she gets bigger.  I do, however, use it as a baby recliner - Naomi likes sitting in it on my bed while I get dressed and we "chat".  I got to try the My Breastfriend pillow once when breastfeeding at the hospital's women's link office after a doctor's appointment and found that it worked much better for us.  If I had to do it over, I would probably get it.  However, it really isn't as multi-purpose as the Boppy so... go figure. 

Swings - We got a little travel swing.  So far, Naomi hasn't been too into it so it really hasn't been the "neglectomatic" that some people label it.  She'll doze or hang out in it for a little bit, but not for more than about 15-30 minutes.  We'll see...

Gliders - It has been very helpful for calming Naomi, however, I will say you get what you pay for in this area.  We got a cheaper one from Target and while it's comfortable at first, it really starts to burn the bum after an extended sit.  I recommend taking a book and sitting in one at the baby store for an extended period before purchasing. 

We'll see what we think about toys and various other things as she gets older. 

Getting My Body Back

So, if you've been reading my blog, you know that I gained way too much weight with this pregnancy and I was already up a bit when I got pregnant.  The bedrest and preeclampsia really didn't help, but regardless of the reasons, I exited this pregnancy heavier than I've ever been in my life (and I've always struggled with my weight).  So, I'm now on a campaign to get my body back and I'm going to put it on my blog periodically as a sort of public accountability.  I'll start with the stats and then follow up with some brief  "How's it Going" chatter. 

Stats:
Top Pregnancy Weight - 214
Current Weight (2 months post delivery) - 185
Pounds Lost So Far - 29
Pre-Pregnancy Weight - 157
Pounds to go to Pre-Preg - 28 (halfway there)
Ideal Weight Range - 135 to 140
Pounds to go to Goal - 45


How's It Going?
Of course it's going slowly.  At first i dropped a good amount of weight because I was losing all my water weight from my massive swelling, but now the hard work begins.  So far, I haven't been too hard core with my diet.  I'm breastfeeding, so I want to be sure I don't short change my little girl since it requires 500 calories per day.  So, I'll probably buckle down on the diet a little more in the future.  For about the past month I've been working my physical activity level back up.  It's been really difficult, since the bedrest killed my muscle tone and I'm carrying around so much extra weight.  Tomorrow I'll teach my first Jazzercise class since before the pregnancy and I'll be resuming a regular teaching schedule next week so that should help.  In a couple months, Naomi will be ready for the jogging stroller and hopefully hubs and I will hit the trail again.  Gotta get back to running.  Well, I think I'll probably update again in about a month, so think some skinny thoughts for me. 

P.S.  I glanced at some Spanx today.  I'm thinking I may need those to smooth out some baby bumps...mmm...anybody worn those before or have any recommendations on them?

Two Months Old

 

My Little Cupcake!

My!  How time is flying!

Stats?  8 lbs 2 oz and 21 1/8 in

How is she sleeping? She's doing okay. Most of the time she'll sleep in 3-4 hour stretches at night, but occassionally she'll only do 2-3 hour stretches which makes for a rough night.  For a while she would only sleep in her bouncer (a fabric bowl shaped, vibrating chair similar to a papasan chair for those unfamiliar), but we finally got her moved back into her pack n' play bassinet.  Yay!  Next goal is to work on some definitive nap times and on taking those naps in her bed rather than on me.  We anticipate moving her into the crib in her room around 3 months but we'll see.  If your baby slept in your room for any length of time, when did you move him/her into her own room?

How is she eating? She's still a pretty good eater. We got her switched over to 100% breastfeeding this month, so I really don't know how much she eats now.  It was a tough transition but it's going pretty well now.  She's on medicine for her acid reflux, which is helping a lot, and we frequently have to give her Mylicon gas drops.  I swear there's no end to the spit-up; I'm sometimes amazed that there is still something left in her tummy. 

What new tricks does she do?  She's much more alert at the end of this month which has been a treat.  She smiles, makes all kinds of different cooing noises, stares at and tracks toys with her eyes, and has started holding her head up pretty well for short amounts of time.  Looking forward to next month's progress. 

Doctor Visit?  Her 2 month check-up went well.  She got her vaccinations.  Nursing her immediately afterwards really helped calm her.  She slept a lot that day.  She's pretty much at the bottom percentiles for both height and weight, but the doctor was still pleased with her health - she's just a petite girl.  He said that she was getting enough to eat which is reassuring. 

Other General Observations?  She loves to be held and would sleep on us all the time if she could.  Everyone says to enjoy this time because it's fleeting, so nobody better say anything about the state of my house.  :)  The cats still don't really want to be around her, but are slowly getting more brave (as they get more desparate for their own attention).   


I hear that there's a lot of growth and changes in the third and fourth months, so I'm really excited about that.  Until next time... one more picture (this one can be compared to last months). 

Thoughts on Breastfeeding

I'm going to dare to say the blasphemous and unthinkable - I hate breastfeeding.  I'm doing it anyway, because it's what's best for baby, it's cheaper than formula, and less clean-up than pumping and bottling.  Every woman's breastfeeding experience is different and this account merely tells you about mine.  Do not mistake this post for advice (or a solicitation for it) or for a prediction of your breastfeeding future (as your experience will of course be your own).  However, if you want a candid, uncensored account of one woman's experience (not the puppies and kittens crap they tell you in breastfeeding class), keep reading. 

I'll preface this little monologue by saying that Naomi and I had a bit of a rough start on the breastfeeding and this is a brief account of our journey.  Anytime a baby stays in the NICU the separation between mom and baby, along with whatever condition landed baby in the NICU, can make breastfeeding difficult.  We first tried breastfeeding the night she was born briefly; it went okay.  I didn't see her again for 24 hours (see Mag and NICU post).  During her NICU stay, it was a gradual switch from her IV to formula, so I didn't even get the opportunity to breastfeed until 4 or 5 days after she was born.  Additionally, I had trouble getting my supply to come in (likely due to separation from baby + dehydration from my mag experience + stress).  I literally pumped with the hospital pump for 3 days with 0 production until an hour long skin to skin kangaroo session with Naomi finally got me going.  So finally, we got to try it again and it went okay, not great, but okay.  While in the hospital, we worked with the nurses and the lactation consultants (they were great) on several occasions to start working on the breastfeeding, but we never did this more than 2 or 3 times a day and she was still getting formula to make sure that she got what she needed to get out of the NICU.  (Funny - it's amazing how quickly you get accustomed to the hospital staff seeing and man-handling your boobs.)

When we got home we continued to mix formula and breast milk.  I usually pumped, but we kept trying to breastfeed a few times a day.  Most breastfeeding attempts were incredibly frustrating and I understood why so many women give up (and don't fault them for it).  They talk about how breastfeeding bonds mommy and baby... the only thing we were bonding over was our mutual frustration and tears.  There was yelling/cursing and crying on my part, usually as a result of the crying/screaming, struggling, and clawing at my breast on baby's part.  I felt horrible about all of this - anybody whose yelled and cursed at their newborn can tell you about the guilty tears and apologies that come afterwards.  Brian and I discussed giving up and just pumping and bottling.  I discussed it with a close friend and my OB.  We took a 2 day complete break from the breast and just pumped and bottled. 

Then, I decided to start trying again.  I worked really hard to maintain my calm and patience.  It got better.  We increased to me breastfeeding all day and just pumping and bottling at night (we wanted to be sure that she got plenty at night so she would sleep).  At first I didn't think I had any supply issues until Naomi hit a growth spurt and needed about 3 ounces while I was producing about 2 and it seemed that I couldn't catch up.  At that point, I started taking fenugreek and stopped taking my allergy medicine.  Of course, the best solution is to increase breastfeeding, so we set aside a weekend to convert to full breastfeeding (all day and all night).  It was a little rough at first, but we succeeded and Naomi is now completely a breastfed baby.  She eats faster than any other baby I've known, based on conversations with other moms.  During a good feeding, Naomi can drain each side in about 5-7 minutes and only needs 10ish when she's fussy because of gas issues.  Most lactation consultants seem to say to leave baby on the breast as long as they need/want.  However most nurses and doctors seem to tell me that about 10 minutes per side is sufficient and after that you become a human pacifier.  I'm not sure there is a "right" answer since all babies are different (with some falling asleep during feedings), but for me no more than 10 minutes works. 

Although we succeeded, it still has its difficult moments.  I sometimes really hate being food.  Any woman whose breastfed can tell you about feeling like Bessie (and if she's worn a double electric pump, she can tell you about looking like it too).  :)  Naomi still gets really frustrated sometimes.  She's a very impatient eater - the minute she knows it's mealtime she'll cry until she's successfully latched and sometimes between sides as well.  (The impatience was also a problem initially since she was started on a bottle and the breast is much slower, both in initial letdown and in flow.)  She also has a tendency toward a really shallow latch from starting on the bottle and I have to work really hard to get her latched correctly.  She still claws me on the breast sometimes; she also sometimes flails, bats my breast back, bops her head, shakes her head back and forth, starts trying to suck before she's latched, and does countless other counter-productive things.  I have to keep telling her to let Mommy drive.  I've gotten better at being patient (unless it's the middle of a sleepless night and she claws my nipple, then I sometimes lose it).  She's also getting better as she gets a little older and gains a little more control over herself.  I also sometimes hate being chained to her feed times.  Life seems to be lived in 3 hour increments and I frequently just prefer to stay home or rush home because it's just easier to feed her at home.  Another little hiccup is that sometimes if Naomi is crying a little for gas and I hold her, instead of Brian, she starts wailing thinking that it must be mealtime. 

Well, I guess that about covers it.  At almost two months, I'm still breastfeeding and it is getting better every day for the most part.  I think we'll probably continue until around 6 months and then maybe pump and bottle until 9 months, but we'll see what happens.  I completely understand any woman who decides that she just can't do it and I don't fault her.  Also, although it didn't end up being my experience, I know many women who just couldn't breastfeed for medical reasons (issues with their own bodies or with baby's body).  Lately it seems that some groups want to vilify women who don't breastfeed their babies and many women feel like they aren't being good mothers if they don't breastfeed.  I say hogwash!  You can still be a great mom without breastfeeding, you can always pump and bottle, and formula was invented for a reason and plenty of babies have grown up just fine and dandy on it.  So have your own experience, whatever it is, and don't feel bad about it.  Well, it seems another feed time is upon me... night, night. 

Cord Blood Donation

This is just a quick note to tell everyone about cord blood donation.  I was planning on doing cord blood donation but, as mentioned, not much of the end of my pregnancy and delivery went as planned.  So, since I wasn't able to do it, I want to make up for it by trying to inform other women about it and encourage them to do it.  Whenever your pregnant you hear all about cord blood banking from all the private companies seeking to make money off of it, but you hear very little about cord blood donation. 


Why donate cord blood (particularly instead of banking it)?  Cord blood banking is very expensive (an initial investment of a couple thousand dollars and an annual storage fee).  Also when you bank cord blood for your own use it is pretty much a gamble since you may or may not ever use it and it may or may not even be able to help your child on the off chance that he/she gets sick.  However, when you donate cord blood it can be used as soon as it is needed by someone - frequently used for blood cancers like leukemia (from what I gather).  Cord blood donation is free.  Your donation is catalogued and if you ever do need it and it is still available, you will be able to use it. 


What happens if I don't bank or donate my cord blood?  It is thrown in the biohazard bin and disposed of.  Just think, something that is thrown in the trash could be used to save someone's life. 


Note - This is not stem cell research or anything like that.  It's like donating blood or bone marrow, only it's painless.  They send you a kit, your OB takes a little course on how to collect it to get certified, and you send it in.  (If you happen to go to a partnering hospital, it's even easier than that.)


For more information on how to donate your cord blood, check out this website:


http://www.marrow.org/HELP/Donate_Cord_Blood_Share_Life/index.html

Reflections on Our First Month as Parents

I'll start this post by repeating the words that everyone keeps saying to us, "It gets better.  Really, it does."  So, our first month is really more like our first 3 weeks, since we didn't take her home for a week.  The first month is really difficult - the lack of sleep, figuring out her cues/cries, the lack of sleep, the complete obliteration of anything resembling your life before the baby, the lack of sleep and did I mention the lack of sleep. 


Of course you love your baby, but it is a little difficult to remember that at all hours of the morning when she's crying.  Everyone says to sleep when the baby does, but that's very difficult.  I have things that need to get done, especially since I didn't get to get everything done before the baby that I wanted to do.  Not to mention, when she sleeps, I've got to manage to go to the bathroom, eat something, clean up after myself, etc.  We've done our best to still manage to nap here and there.  I will say that we've quickly learned that all the "rules" for babies are more like guidelines.  Really, you just do what works for your baby and your situation. 


If I'm being perfectly honest, I've had moments when I've wondered what the heck I've gotten myself into and why I made this choice, when I've looked back wistfully at our carefree life pre-baby with complete envy, and when I've thought that I'll never be good at this mom thing.  I'm guessing that I'm not alone with that.  Add on the post-partum hormone swing and it can feel like a rollercoaster.  I've never been much of a weepy type of gal, but this month has seen a whole new side of me and a massive increase in the productivity of my tear ducts.  Happy tears, sad tears, frustrated tears... all kinds. 


The other thing you hear a lot is that it's totally worth it.  Well, I hope they're all right about the getting better and the totally worth it - I'm sure they are.  Here's to the months of it getting better and it being totally worth it. :)  After all she really is a cutie and in the quiet moments she really does bring a smile to my face (and one of those little happy, sappy, sentimental tears). 

One Month Old

Naomi is One Month Old!

I can't believe it's been a month since we had Naomi.  That's just crazy.  I'm going to try to do a monthly post of Naomi and her progress, answering a few basic questions. 

How is she sleeping?  She's doing okay.  We're working our way up to sleeping 3 hours at a time. 

How is she eating?  She's always been a good eater.  Even the NICU nurses sometimes called her a piggy because she would down a bottle so fast.  Right now we're feeding her primarily breast milk and supplementing with formula.  We've been trying nursing and pumping.  The nursing is difficult, but I'll cover that more in my later post on breastfeeding. 

What new tricks does she do?  (That's what my brother, Derek, always asks.)  Mmmm...not really any yet, but she does hold her eyes open a little more.  We'll see how next month goes, but from what I understand, most of the good tricks start around the 3 month mark. 

That's all for now.  It'll be two months before I know it.