Elliot had a massive poo-explosion while we were at a restaurant yesterday. It seeped out of the side of the diaper, through his jeans (yes, I had him in his first "outfit") and all down his leg to his sock. What a mess... And, to make matters worse, I didn't have my full diaper bag with me, so I only had an extra pair of pants, not a top (he was wearing a onsie that got all full of poo at the bottom), so I was carrying a mostly naked child around until we got home! But at least it was a mostly naked, happy and CLEAN child!!
So...we started him in cloth diapers last night, and so far so good - but no more poos yet, so we'll see how the cloth diapers handle that! It's a bit of a challenge to get the cloth diaper wrapped around him, and we're experimenting with different methods of folding. He really notices when he's wet now, so he's been a bit fussier today. Not to mention the 6 week growth spurt, which i think he's just starting - he's cluster feeding every hour!
Sunday, October 29, 2006
Thursday, October 26, 2006
October 26, 2006
Our little porker weighs in at pretty much 12 lbs - he's gained 4 lbs in the 5 weeks he's been in the outside world!!
his stats:
8 lbs 12 oz at birth
8 lbs 3 oz on day 2
8 lbs 11 oz on day 5
9 lbs 15 oz on day 18
11 lbs 15 oz today, at 5 weeks 1 day old!
Jay has the camera at work with him, but i'll try to update with a recent pic soon... i can't believe his growth! and the scale at the hospital is for babies up to 23 inches long, and he was pretty much touching it end to end... and he was 20 1/4 at birth!
the nurse at the breastfeeding clinic figured that the screaming he was doing when i try to feed him is due to my crazy over-active let down practically drowning the poor boy. the milk literally sprays out everywhere... no wonder he was screaming and pulling away! she gave me some tips on how to control that, so we'll see what happens in the next few days.
his stats:
8 lbs 12 oz at birth
8 lbs 3 oz on day 2
8 lbs 11 oz on day 5
9 lbs 15 oz on day 18
11 lbs 15 oz today, at 5 weeks 1 day old!
Jay has the camera at work with him, but i'll try to update with a recent pic soon... i can't believe his growth! and the scale at the hospital is for babies up to 23 inches long, and he was pretty much touching it end to end... and he was 20 1/4 at birth!
the nurse at the breastfeeding clinic figured that the screaming he was doing when i try to feed him is due to my crazy over-active let down practically drowning the poor boy. the milk literally sprays out everywhere... no wonder he was screaming and pulling away! she gave me some tips on how to control that, so we'll see what happens in the next few days.
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Breastfeeding woes...
As per the nurse at the breatfeeding clinic, i'm block feeding - i alternate sides for new feedings, every 2-4 hours, depending on demand, instead of switching to the other side mid-feed. yesterday, Elliot would nurse as usual on the right side (without the nipple shied, yay!), but when it came time to switch sides for the next feeding, he would nurse with the shield for 3-5 minutes, then start screaming. i could relatch him, but he'd suck 1-2 times then start screaming again. even calming him, burping him and the starting over would end the same way.
i've tried different holding positions and tried with and without the shield on the left side - no luck. i know it's not a supply issue, since i pumped the left after a screaming fit and got 5 oz from that side. he would be frantically giving hunger cues and i don't think it's pain related, since i switched him to the right side mid-screaming fit and he latched and nursed like normal - so i know he wasn't full!
so what do i do? i see 3 options - keep battling it out with him and hope he catches on again, always feed from the right but pump the left at each feeding and store it for later use, or keep up the block feeding - but pumping and bottle feeding from the left every time. i'm trying to get back in to the breast feeding clinic to see what they say/suggest, but that may take a few days... frustrating!
i've tried different holding positions and tried with and without the shield on the left side - no luck. i know it's not a supply issue, since i pumped the left after a screaming fit and got 5 oz from that side. he would be frantically giving hunger cues and i don't think it's pain related, since i switched him to the right side mid-screaming fit and he latched and nursed like normal - so i know he wasn't full!
so what do i do? i see 3 options - keep battling it out with him and hope he catches on again, always feed from the right but pump the left at each feeding and store it for later use, or keep up the block feeding - but pumping and bottle feeding from the left every time. i'm trying to get back in to the breast feeding clinic to see what they say/suggest, but that may take a few days... frustrating!
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
October 17, 2006
Well, Jay went back to work yesterday... I was apprehensive about handling everything on my own. Rationally, I knew I could do it, but I was worried about being overwhelmed and sleep deprived. But yesterday went great - 'm so proud of my accomplishments:2 loads of laundry, dishes, groceries and I kept our son alive!
Technically, I've been "on my own" since Saturday, as Jay put his back out and has been sleeping in the other room and hasn't been able to help as much with Elliot...
I never really thought about how I would handle things like going to the bathroom - for the last 4 weeks, Jay has been with me and there was always someone available to watch over Elliot. My trick is to put E in his car seat and lug him around the house with me.
I know so many others do this all on their own from day 1, and I really admire them... I'm just also really proud of myself for being able to be a good stay at home mom for the first time!
Today is day 2 "on my own"... and we're going to the mall when Elliot wakes up from his nap. It's a sunny day, and I need a walk - plus, he loves being outside!!
Technically, I've been "on my own" since Saturday, as Jay put his back out and has been sleeping in the other room and hasn't been able to help as much with Elliot...
I never really thought about how I would handle things like going to the bathroom - for the last 4 weeks, Jay has been with me and there was always someone available to watch over Elliot. My trick is to put E in his car seat and lug him around the house with me.
I know so many others do this all on their own from day 1, and I really admire them... I'm just also really proud of myself for being able to be a good stay at home mom for the first time!
Today is day 2 "on my own"... and we're going to the mall when Elliot wakes up from his nap. It's a sunny day, and I need a walk - plus, he loves being outside!!
Saturday, October 14, 2006
Mommyhood
I'm loving it! It's challenging, we're by no means in a set routine, but things are going very good with us. Whenever Elliot wants to eat/sleep/poop, we accommodate him. And he's so good at snuggling and cuddling!
We started a bedtime routine, as getting him to sleep is sometimes a battle. So at night, we feed him, bath him, swaddle him and rock him for 20 minutes then put him down to sleep. He usually sleeps for 2 hours, then wakes to eat again. Then there's a diaper change and more rocking, and (usually) another 2 hour sleep. This is repeated as long as possible! During the day, he's alert more (we had a few nights were he was wide awake - not fussing, thankfully - for 5-6 hours... so not good for mommy and daddy!)... our daytime "routine" is pretty much eat, change, rock/hold for 20 minutes then we put him down to sleep in the swing. Usually get about an hour at a time, longer if someone is holding him.
Today we have a play date with the other 2 couples from our Lamaze classes. They both had boys, too! It will be neat to see them all together!
Yesterday we went for our newborn photo shoot. The little proofs he showed us on the screen looked amazing. He said we should have real proofs in about 2 weeks - I can't wait!! Elliot was such a cooperative baby, and he only peed on daddy once! (The dangers of naked-baby photo shoots!)
We *seem* to have solved the breast feeding issue. His latch still isn't perfect, but he's able to nurse on the right side without using the fake nipple shield. Turns out I have flat nipples, and he has a recessed chin and a curved hard palate (newborns tend to have a flat palate that curves as they mature), all of which contribute to him having to work very hard at a proper latch. Poor little guy, the deck is stacked against him! But we're determined and are muddling through it all.
He's such a big boy! Last week, we had him weighed and he was already 9lbs 14.8 oz - which was an increase of 19 oz in 9 days - and newborns usually average a gain of 1 oz per day! So he's a hefty little man - so adorable!
We started a bedtime routine, as getting him to sleep is sometimes a battle. So at night, we feed him, bath him, swaddle him and rock him for 20 minutes then put him down to sleep. He usually sleeps for 2 hours, then wakes to eat again. Then there's a diaper change and more rocking, and (usually) another 2 hour sleep. This is repeated as long as possible! During the day, he's alert more (we had a few nights were he was wide awake - not fussing, thankfully - for 5-6 hours... so not good for mommy and daddy!)... our daytime "routine" is pretty much eat, change, rock/hold for 20 minutes then we put him down to sleep in the swing. Usually get about an hour at a time, longer if someone is holding him.
Today we have a play date with the other 2 couples from our Lamaze classes. They both had boys, too! It will be neat to see them all together!
Yesterday we went for our newborn photo shoot. The little proofs he showed us on the screen looked amazing. He said we should have real proofs in about 2 weeks - I can't wait!! Elliot was such a cooperative baby, and he only peed on daddy once! (The dangers of naked-baby photo shoots!)
We *seem* to have solved the breast feeding issue. His latch still isn't perfect, but he's able to nurse on the right side without using the fake nipple shield. Turns out I have flat nipples, and he has a recessed chin and a curved hard palate (newborns tend to have a flat palate that curves as they mature), all of which contribute to him having to work very hard at a proper latch. Poor little guy, the deck is stacked against him! But we're determined and are muddling through it all.
He's such a big boy! Last week, we had him weighed and he was already 9lbs 14.8 oz - which was an increase of 19 oz in 9 days - and newborns usually average a gain of 1 oz per day! So he's a hefty little man - so adorable!
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