With all of that being said... this was a rough two weeks. When school started I remember thinking, "If we can just make it to her being 6 weeks old, it will be fine." But getting to 6 weeks was a piece of cake; weeks 7 and 8 though were a whole different story.
Her stats: We will be taking her to the pediatrician for her 8 week update on Tuesday, so for right now we are not sure what her weight and length is. However, she has been eating so much lately and she is definitely growing quickly! In the last few days I have noticed that she is heavier to pick up and her belly is getting rounder. At her 6 week appointment they checked her Thyroid again, and unfortunately the test came back abnormal yet again. The levels aren't so high that the doctor is worried, however at her appointment Tuesday they will have to prick her little heel again and run yet another test. Please pray that the test will come back normal so that they don't have to try again! I am convinced that our girl is healthy because she doesn't have any symptoms of an overactive Thyroid, but obviously we need to see a normal test just to be sure. Also at her 8 week appointment she will have to get her first round of vaccines. Needless to say, I am dreading Tuesday... maybe daddy will just bring her.
Eating: Like I said above, Lydia has been eating so much more lately! At 6 weeks she was eating 4 times a day and once at night and now she eats 5 times a day, and once during the night. She "should be" dropping a feeding, but instead she has picked one up! She is getting more efficient though, and now she eats for 30-45 minutes rather than a full hour. Nursing continues to get easier and more enjoyable for me and now the things that I used to stress about or think were difficult are just second nature.
During these two weeks that she has been so fussy she has wanted her mommy and has wanted to nurse so much more often. She is taking her pacifier less and less, which I am happy about in some ways. However, it seems that I am kind of becoming her pacifier and while it is very sweet and flattering it can sometimes be overwhelming. But, I think as she continues to grow and change things will get better.
Sleeping: Lydia is definitely not fighting sleep as hard as she did in her 6th week. However, she MUST be held while she sleeps and this has been our biggest struggle. She will fall asleep peacefully in my arms or the Moby wrap, but then as soon as we lay her down she wakes up crying. It is so frustrating and obviously it is difficult to get anything done during the day when your arms are full with a sleeping baby! The infant carriers definitely help out a bit and yesterday and today she fell asleep twice in her swing (for about 15 or 20 minutes), but it would just be really nice if she would sleep by herself for a small amount of time each day. In the afternoons when I am home with her she cries anytime that I put her down, and as much as I love to hold her there are things that I really have to do, the main one being pumping for her bottle the next day. For the past two weeks every day she has laid on her Boppy pillow on the couch next to me as I pump, and she cries for 15 minutes straight every time! I feel better when she is right next to me crying than in the other room (I have tried both), but it is still terrible to hear her cry. I am getting more used to it and telling myself that I can't feel guilty because pumping really is something that I have to do, and it is impossible to do while holding her. I just really wish I could figure out some way for her to stay asleep for at least 20 minutes so that I can get things finished and she can be happy.
That is the story of her daytime sleep. Her night time sleep is just wonderful. At night, around 9:30 or 10, she wakes up for a feeding. I nurse her on one side, hand her to David to be burped while I get ready for bed, and then I feed her on the other side as she falls asleep. She has been sleeping in our bed, swaddled and sleeping on her back (so it is safe!), and it has been working out really well! She only wakes up once (between 3 and 4 usually) and I quickly feed her on one side and she falls right back to sleep and sleeps until 6:30 or 7. I barely have to wake up to feed her so I feel more rested and as long as she doesn't dirty her diaper David gets to sleep through the night! We both really love having her in the bed with us. I know it is a habit we will want to break eventually, but right now cosleeping is for us! It is funny how before you have a baby you think you will want different things than you actually do once baby is here. Hopefully by 3 or 4 months Lydia will be sleeping in her pack and play, but for now this is working perfectly.
What she loves: To eat, to be held, to be with her mommy. She is also starting to enjoy looking at toys. We have a little play mat with a koala bear and butterfly that hangs down from it and when she is happy she will just lay there and talk to them. So cute! She enjoys her swing that we got her while she is happy. She really watches the mobile as it moves and seems to enjoy the music.
What she hates: Sleeping alone, her car seat, waking up from naps. Diaper changes are getting better as long as she isn't sleepy!
Cute things: Her smiles and coos are so, so cute! She is talking so much more lately, especially to me, and I love to hear her voice. I also love when you can tell that she really sees things. It is amazing to just watch her learn right before my eyes. Truly amazing.
Postpartum Me: I really feel great! I had some kind of stomach virus this past Thursday which was definitely no fun, but in general things are going well. I had my postpartum check up and the doctor said everything is good! I hadn't lost as much weight as I had expected to, but I am actually really happy with how I currently look. In a lot of ways I like the more womanly shape of my body now. However, I need some clothes that really fit me because having pants that are a little too tight is not fun. I have been able to fit into a lot of my pre-pregnancy pants for a while now, but they just aren't comfortable to wear for a full day. Most of my shirts are just fine, and my sweatpants and leggings are great, but I would like to find maybe one pair of jeans and one pair of more professional pants that were comfortable to wear all day long.
I was so excited that the doctor cleared me for any and all workouts but now the question is WHEN in the world will I fit that into my schedule! Even though I was pumped to get back into pilates and weight lifting, this past week none of it has happened. I am hoping that as Lydia becomes a little less attached (literally) to me, I will be able to find 15 minutes here and there to do a pilates video or do some bicep curls :)
A lot of people have asked about how post partum hormones have affected my emotions, and I really feel pretty normal in this way too. I know I am very blessed to have such a supportive husband and family and I think that without the immense amount of help that I have been getting it would be hard to feel normal emotionally. Everything is very overwhelming at times, but for me I think that going back to school has brought some normalcy to the immense change that I have gone through. Every day I still get up, get showered and go to UK, a place I have been for 7 years, and I go to class, something I have been doing since age 5, and I get to have adult conversations. I am thankful that I don't have to be away from my girl for more than 3 hours at a time, and once I do get home the difficult task of homework hangs over my head, but in general I think that jumping right back into the swing of everything helped me to feel like "myself" again very quickly.
I am definitely weepy somtimes; I usually cry when she cries hard, especially at night. Lately I have also been feeling unsure of myself when it comes to making decisions (like the decision to hold her for every nap, let her sleep in our bed, or laying her down to cry while I do must-needed tasks). I am not used to being unsure of myself... if you know me you know I am a pretty confident person. But I think that I just need a lot of encouragement as I make tough decisions about how to get through every busy day. I think that this is normal, and again I am thankful to have David and my mom, and others, telling me that I am doing a good job and reassuring me that I can't spoil her this young :)
Heaven-sent baby items:
1) Every week so far I have had a different type of baby carrier on her, but I have yet another. A Moby wrap!! They are a little bit expensive, but I am telling you, if you think you would like to "wear" your young baby, just get one. They really are awesome. Lydia falls asleep right away when I strap her close to my chest with the Moby and it is so comfortable for me whether I want to do housework, or lay down for a little bit on the couch. The material is soft and stretchy and there are multiple ways that they baby can lay in the wrap depending on their age. I really love mine (currently Lydia is sleeping soundly in it right up against me) and I don't know what David and I would have done without it these past two weeks.
2) A large baby swing. David and I had a very small hand-me-down swing and Lydia just hated it. We broke down and invested in a larger one last weekend and it is crazy the difference that it has made. Lydia doesn't love it to fall asleep, or stay asleep in, like I have heard a lot of babies do. However, when she has her happy and awake times, it is a great place where I can lay her down to be entertained and to learn while I get some things done. She loves the motion, music and mobile and I am very happy that we got one. We got a Graco, and it was about $130 (we got 25% off though!), and it is just fine even though it is one of the cheapest options as far as larger baby swings go.
3) Cloth diapers. We have been using cloth diapers for 3 weeks now and I truly love them. I am hoping to be able to write a good how-to cloth diaper post soon since I know that I read lots of blogs when beginning to cloth diaper, but for now I will just tell you that I love it. We did it because we knew it would be cheaper, and better for the environment, but I thought it would be significantly less convenient. But it is so, so easy! And now I prefer them big time to disposable diapers. We use gDiapers because that was the brand we got from David's sister-in-law for free as a shower, but there are so many brands and options out there. If you have ever considered cloth diapers I encourage you to look into it, even if you have busy, crazy lives like us!
Words from Daddy: Sometimes Daddy is just not Mommy. I want to be there for her and make her feel better but sometimes I just have to accept that she wants her mommy.
It has been amazing to see her interact with us! She can tell when people are around her and she really looks around to see their faces.
Look at how much she has changed!!
Sorry that this post was so long again! I feel like I don't write for so long and then I have to write a book to catch you up on everything. I hope to get better about writing also as we keep figuring out our schedules. Now I am going to hand the girl off to Daddy (hopefully it will go well!) while he watches the Cats play. I hope to paint my fingernails and toenails before giving Lydia a bath and going to bed. Ahhh... the Saturday nights of a new mommy. I often feel lame, but honestly, I love the slower life that we live these days.
No comments:
Post a Comment