Wow, I can't believe my sweet baby boy is 1 month old already! It seems like we were at the hospital yesterday. I guess that shows how fast life goes. This month has been stressful and emotional for me, and I have had to accept a lot of help especially from my mom. Each day I continue to try and learn what Jacob needs and wants and how to keep him happy instead of sad and fussy. I am also learning to adjust to my new life as a mommy which includes getting a little (actually, make that a LOT) less sleep, doing lots of things one-handed, and fitting in sleep and cleaning when Jacob is napping. As hard as it is, I try to cherish every moment and enjoy his cute habits, faces, and sounds. I know that he'll never need me this much or be this little ever again. But enough about me. Let me update you on our little man!
Jacob has been going back and forth with taking naps and sleeping at night. On good days he usually "wakes up" around 7:00 AM and then settles into a cycle of getting his diaper changed, eating, and going back down for a nap (although sometimes part of that nap is on Mommy's chest). Jacob's naps usually last around 1.5-2 hours on average, and he has one long stretch of sleep at night. Each day he also has one long stretch where he will fight sleep and cry non-stop. This is very frustrating for me, and I usually end up feeding him again to calm him or get him to sleep. He was sleeping about 5 hours at night (from 10:00-3:00AM), but lately he has only been sleeping from midnight 'til 3:30 and then 4:30-7:00. I am hoping that he will go back to his 5 hours stretch (or longer) soon, though. The good news is that Josh usually gives him a bottle while I go to sleep at 10:00, so I usually get a good 5 hours whether or not Jacob does. I did notice that on the 2 nights that Josh gave him formula he slept for a long time, so we may start doing a bottle of formula at bedtime to see if that helps him sleep longer.
Jacob also feeds on a pretty predictable pattern, unless he misses a nap and stays awake too long. Then he will eat every 2 hours, as it seems this is the only way to comfort him. Otherwise we are able to go about 3-4 hours between feedings when he takes a nap, plus that one long stretch between feedings at night. He has started spitting up more, though, so I am working on burping him and holding him upright as he falls asleep to try and minimize this.
Jacob has also started being more active and curious and will lift his head up when he's on my shoulder to look around at things. Even though I know he still can't focus that well (I love when he goes cross-eyed!) or see things very far away, it seems like he is so into the things around the apartment. Josh says he loves looking at the lights on the Christmas tree at night too! This week he was also able to roll himself over when I put him down for tummy time. Looks like we have a little over-achiever on our hands! Jacob also makes some really cute faces both when he's awake and when he's asleep. Oftentimes when he's sleeping he will smile or make a laughing noise, and these are so cute. He also likes to stick his tongue out as he is falling asleep. Jacob also makes cute little noises, especially when he is yawning. All of these developments are what get me through when he is having a rough day and being very fussy. I am really eager for him to be more active and alert during the day so I can do more with him. I have also started giving him more baths at night (not every day, though), but he is not a fan of these either. He starts out okay but then ends up hysterical crying and freezing cold. I think he has my poor circulation, because sometimes his fingers will be almost purple by the time we're done and I'm getting him dressed. The good part is that the bath usually wears him out and gets him ready for bedtime. Now I know why a lot of people include that in their bedtime "routine."
Overall he seems to be developing well, and I am eager to see how he changes and grows over this next month. I continue to cherish all the good days we have together and try to stay calm and relaxed when things get tough. I can definitely say that being a mom is way harder than you ever imagine it would be, but it is worth it and will be even better when he can sit up, crawl, and start to say his first words.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
2 Weeks
Okay I know I said I would stick to monthly updates, but things are going so well that I had to do a post just to show how much has changed in 1 week. It's literally like a lightbulb went on and things are clicking now.
First there are Jacob's sleeping habits. Jacob now sleeps in his crib thanks to a space heater that we placed at the foot of it. He loves the warm air blowing on him and is able to stay asleep when we lay him down. He typically sleeps 2-3 hours at a time and only wakes/fusses when he needs to eat/be changed. He also started sleeping for about 5 hours from 10:00PM-3:00AM. This has allowed me to get at least 6-7 hours of sleep in between his night feedings- yay! Unfortunately I'm still catching up on sleep from Week 1, but I know it will get better. Right now he has about 2 alert times during the day where we can hold him and let him look around. The only bad part is that he tends to have a hard time falling asleep after he has been awake. We are still getting used to soothing him and letting him cry a bit until he realizes he is just tired. Josh is much better at this than I am, so he gets some good Daddy snuggles when getting Jacob to sleep. During Jacob's alert periods, he is getting really good at holding his head up when we prop him up on our chests! I am excited for him to start to be more alert, so we can interact with him more.
Jacob is also feeding really well. At his 2 week check-up today he was up to 7 lbs 10 oz, which is almost a pound over his birth weight. The doctor was really impressed and said he's doing great! He usually feeds for about 30-40 minutes, which is kind of long but needed due to the length of his naps. I don't have him "on a schedule" for feeding, but he probably goes about 3 hours on average from the start of one feeding to the start of the next. He will also usually have 1-2 feedings that are only an hour or two apart before his long stretch of sleep at night, but the doctor said he's probably just storing up for all that sleep ahead of him. I have also started pumping once a day either at night or during one of his longer naps, and Josh will feed him with a bottle if I get tired and fall asleep before a night feeding. This will also allow me to give Jacob bottles if we're away from him or in a public place. I know that I can feed him in public if I really want to, but I just don't feel that comfortable feeding in a store or restaurant. This will also keep us from using formula unless it's an emergency. Jacob has done really well taking the few bottles we've given him, which is also good.
So that's the update on our little man for this week. As I said, I really wanted to give another update, since he has been doing so well. Here's hoping he will continue to thrive and adjust to life outside the womb over these next few weeks!
First there are Jacob's sleeping habits. Jacob now sleeps in his crib thanks to a space heater that we placed at the foot of it. He loves the warm air blowing on him and is able to stay asleep when we lay him down. He typically sleeps 2-3 hours at a time and only wakes/fusses when he needs to eat/be changed. He also started sleeping for about 5 hours from 10:00PM-3:00AM. This has allowed me to get at least 6-7 hours of sleep in between his night feedings- yay! Unfortunately I'm still catching up on sleep from Week 1, but I know it will get better. Right now he has about 2 alert times during the day where we can hold him and let him look around. The only bad part is that he tends to have a hard time falling asleep after he has been awake. We are still getting used to soothing him and letting him cry a bit until he realizes he is just tired. Josh is much better at this than I am, so he gets some good Daddy snuggles when getting Jacob to sleep. During Jacob's alert periods, he is getting really good at holding his head up when we prop him up on our chests! I am excited for him to start to be more alert, so we can interact with him more.
Jacob is also feeding really well. At his 2 week check-up today he was up to 7 lbs 10 oz, which is almost a pound over his birth weight. The doctor was really impressed and said he's doing great! He usually feeds for about 30-40 minutes, which is kind of long but needed due to the length of his naps. I don't have him "on a schedule" for feeding, but he probably goes about 3 hours on average from the start of one feeding to the start of the next. He will also usually have 1-2 feedings that are only an hour or two apart before his long stretch of sleep at night, but the doctor said he's probably just storing up for all that sleep ahead of him. I have also started pumping once a day either at night or during one of his longer naps, and Josh will feed him with a bottle if I get tired and fall asleep before a night feeding. This will also allow me to give Jacob bottles if we're away from him or in a public place. I know that I can feed him in public if I really want to, but I just don't feel that comfortable feeding in a store or restaurant. This will also keep us from using formula unless it's an emergency. Jacob has done really well taking the few bottles we've given him, which is also good.
So that's the update on our little man for this week. As I said, I really wanted to give another update, since he has been doing so well. Here's hoping he will continue to thrive and adjust to life outside the womb over these next few weeks!
Saturday, December 17, 2011
The Amazing Shrinking Belly
Okay I had to do a post just to show off the difference in my belly now that Jacob has been born. Below is the first belly shot I took at 12 weeks along when I was just beginning to get a tiny bump, then a picture of my belly at 38 weeks (the last time I took a belly picture), and finally a picture I took today at 9 days postpartum. My belly still has some jiggle to it (like a bowl full of jelly, perhaps?), but it looks as though I was never pregnant at all! I am also only 5 pounds over my pre-pregnancy weight. So I'm pretty confident that once I am cleared to work out I can tone back up and be back to my pre-pregnancy figure except for a few changes (I definitely fill out my shirts a little more than I used to, if you know what I'm saying...). Pretty impressive, if I do say so myself. It's amazing how the female body can heal after labor and delivery.
12 Weeks into my pregnancy- just a tiny bump starting to grow!
38 Weeks- 11 days before Jacob was born
9 days after Jacob's birth
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Jacob's First Week
It has already been one week since Jacob entered our lives, and there have been many ups and downs along the way. This is kind of a long, detailed post, but I am going stir crazy here and needed something to keep myself busy in the middle of the night when I'm holding or feeding him. After this I will mostly do monthly updates that are more general. Here is an update on his first week:
The beginning of the week was probably the hardest for Jacob. He was fussy constantly and always wanted to be fed. He also would not stay asleep very long, especially when put into a crib or bassinet. Although I had moments of frustration throughout the week, these first few days were very emotional and made me feel like I wasn't doing a good job even though I knew that wasn't true.
Sunday night things started to turn around a little bit. Instead of constantly feeding at irregular intervals Jacob started feeding about every 2 hours. When he got done he was actually satisfied, so he could be held without fussing until the next feeding. On Monday Josh and I took him for his first doctor's visit, and he had gained an ounce. The doctor said that Jacob looked great and that there was nothing we needed to be concerned about health-wise. That night he was also able to sleep in the bassinet for about 30 minutes before he got fussy. This allowed me to get a little sleep, so I counted it as a success.
Tuesday was kind of an up and down day. Jacob was still going about 2 hours between feedings except for one cluster of small feedings around 10 AM. He also started spitting up during some of his feedings, so Josh and I kept having to suction his mouth out and wipe off his face.At night I tried swaddling him and putting him in the bassinet, but he only slept in there long enough for me to go to the bathroom. The one good outcome was that I was able to soothe him back to sleep by rocking or patting his back instead of feeding him. I knew he wasn't hungry based on when he had last eaten, and he only cried for a few minutes before falling back asleep in my arms.
Wednesday was Josh's last day at home with us. Jacob did a great job feeding, and he even lasted 4 hours between some of his afternoon/evening feedings. We did decide to purchase some formula so that Josh could feed him a bottle while I got a longer nap that night. We will only use the formula until I can pump enough to have a supply of bottles handy for when we're away from the baby or so Josh can feed him while I get extra sleep. Josh said he took the bottle right away. That night I once again tried to get Jacob into the bassinet or crib for some of the night, but it was still not working. After a few minutes he would start fussing and need to be rocked back to sleep. I did well with soothing him, though, and only feeding him at normal feeding times.
We finished Jacob's first week at home with me being on my own for the first time with him. In the morning Jacob had his newborn pictures taken. The photographer got some super cute pictures, and he cooperated for most of them after I fed him and got him to fall asleep. She also brought a space heater to keep him warm during the photo shoot and suggested I try using one to heat up his crib at night. She said this worked for her son, so I had my mom pick up one up at Walmart to try that night. I also put one of his soft, fuzzy blankets on the bottom of the crib to see if that texture was more appealing to him. Jacob slept for two 30 minutes stretches in the crib before fussing and needing to be held or fed. Jacob also lost his umbilical cord stump in the middle of the night. I went to change his diaper and noticed it had fallen off into the side of the diaper. So now he has his cute little bare belly button!
Wednesday was Josh's last day at home with us. Jacob did a great job feeding, and he even lasted 4 hours between some of his afternoon/evening feedings. We did decide to purchase some formula so that Josh could feed him a bottle while I got a longer nap that night. We will only use the formula until I can pump enough to have a supply of bottles handy for when we're away from the baby or so Josh can feed him while I get extra sleep. Josh said he took the bottle right away. That night I once again tried to get Jacob into the bassinet or crib for some of the night, but it was still not working. After a few minutes he would start fussing and need to be rocked back to sleep. I did well with soothing him, though, and only feeding him at normal feeding times.
We finished Jacob's first week at home with me being on my own for the first time with him. In the morning Jacob had his newborn pictures taken. The photographer got some super cute pictures, and he cooperated for most of them after I fed him and got him to fall asleep. She also brought a space heater to keep him warm during the photo shoot and suggested I try using one to heat up his crib at night. She said this worked for her son, so I had my mom pick up one up at Walmart to try that night. I also put one of his soft, fuzzy blankets on the bottom of the crib to see if that texture was more appealing to him. Jacob slept for two 30 minutes stretches in the crib before fussing and needing to be held or fed. Jacob also lost his umbilical cord stump in the middle of the night. I went to change his diaper and noticed it had fallen off into the side of the diaper. So now he has his cute little bare belly button!
As you can see it's been a rough week for me with trying to get him to sleep on his own instead of in someone's arms, but he is definitely worth it. The times when he is alert and calm are so special, and I love when he's cuddled up and sleeping in my arms (althought not so much in the middle of the night). I am really thankful for all the help I've had, especially when I've been running on little sleep and needed a nap while someone else fed or held him. I guess right now I am glad that he sleeps at all at night, and I will just keep working on getting him to be more independent with this. Hopefully by the end of the month I will be able to get him to sleep for an hour or more at a time on his own. Until then I will just have to adapt to this night owl lifestyle.
Happy Birthday Jacob!
1 Week Old!Sunday, December 11, 2011
Jacob's Birth
Well, the day we had been waiting for finally arrived, so here's the play-by-play of how things went down after my last update. As I mentioned in my last post, I woke up Wednesday morning still having some contractions after the doctor's appointment. By about 2:00 the contractions were coming about 5 minutes apart on average and starting to get more uncomfortable, so I calles the dr's office and was told to head to the hospital. When we got there I was put in a triage room so they could monitor me and see if I was in true labor before putting me in a labor & delivery room. I was still 2 cm when I got there so they had me lie on my side first to see if that did anything. Then Josh and I were told to walk around the floor for an hour. I had to stop walking with each contraction to breathe through it, but I was scared there wouldn't be any progress and we'd be sent home. When we got back to our room I was at 3-4 cm, so they had us walk for 30 more minutes while they got us admitted & moved to a labor room. The contractions felt like really bad menstrual cramps just like I had been told, but the worst part was the pressure in my outer hips. Basically it felt like really bad, cramping pressure that wrapped all the way around my hips & pelvis. Josh was great and massaged my lower back to help with the pain.
After our walking we moved to our labor room. Now I knew we would be having a baby! They gave me a birthing ball (just an exercise ball) to sit on to help open my pelvis more and help with some of the pressure. The baby was facing the wrong way, so I kept getting back labor which didn't help with all the pressure. The ball helped, because I could lean forward on the bed to help the baby turn and help some with the contractions. When they checked me later (about 8:30/9:00) I was still only at 4 cm, but the pain was getting much stronger. I knew labor would be long, but the lack of progress really frustrated me. I had a bit of a breakdown at that point, because I was in so much pain and knew we had so much farther to go. Some doctors came in then to tell me about the epidural, and I decided it was time to get it. I just couldn't keep going through all this pain. And let me tell you, those things are amazing! I felt so much better. I was also able to get some sleep before it was time to push.
At 2:40 AM I was finally ready to start pushing. It took almost 2.5 hours-ugh! The first hour made no progress, because I couldn't feel where to push. The epidural was too effective. Then they turned it down so I could start to feel a little. I was not happy about this, but it wasn't as bad as I thnought. The worst part was that Jacob's put was pushing against my left rib for half the pushing, so every time I leaned back to take a breath I hadto push up through that pain. Finally these two new nurses came in to hold my legs back, and they were much more aggressive in getting me to push hard. This did the trick, and Dr. Lee was called to deliver the baby. I started to get emotional again, because I was excited to see him and overwhelmed by all the hard work. The nurses thought something was wrong, but I told them they were good tears.
Then at 5:03 Jacob came into this world. I was sobbing and could not believe this baby was ours and that I delivered him! Josh cut the cord and took pictures while they examined Jacob. Then I finally got to hold him in my arms. It was all over, and our sweet baby boy was here. Life will never be the same!
After our walking we moved to our labor room. Now I knew we would be having a baby! They gave me a birthing ball (just an exercise ball) to sit on to help open my pelvis more and help with some of the pressure. The baby was facing the wrong way, so I kept getting back labor which didn't help with all the pressure. The ball helped, because I could lean forward on the bed to help the baby turn and help some with the contractions. When they checked me later (about 8:30/9:00) I was still only at 4 cm, but the pain was getting much stronger. I knew labor would be long, but the lack of progress really frustrated me. I had a bit of a breakdown at that point, because I was in so much pain and knew we had so much farther to go. Some doctors came in then to tell me about the epidural, and I decided it was time to get it. I just couldn't keep going through all this pain. And let me tell you, those things are amazing! I felt so much better. I was also able to get some sleep before it was time to push.
At 2:40 AM I was finally ready to start pushing. It took almost 2.5 hours-ugh! The first hour made no progress, because I couldn't feel where to push. The epidural was too effective. Then they turned it down so I could start to feel a little. I was not happy about this, but it wasn't as bad as I thnought. The worst part was that Jacob's put was pushing against my left rib for half the pushing, so every time I leaned back to take a breath I hadto push up through that pain. Finally these two new nurses came in to hold my legs back, and they were much more aggressive in getting me to push hard. This did the trick, and Dr. Lee was called to deliver the baby. I started to get emotional again, because I was excited to see him and overwhelmed by all the hard work. The nurses thought something was wrong, but I told them they were good tears.
Then at 5:03 Jacob came into this world. I was sobbing and could not believe this baby was ours and that I delivered him! Josh cut the cord and took pictures while they examined Jacob. Then I finally got to hold him in my arms. It was all over, and our sweet baby boy was here. Life will never be the same!
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Could today be the day?
Yesterday after work I went to my weekly doctor's appointment and left with some unexpected news. The doctor was going to schedule me to be induced on Saturday, Dec. 10th. When he checked me I was in between a 1 and a 2, and I was 70% effaced. He stripped my membranes and made me contract and dilate to 2 centimeters- not comfortable at all! Then he said to come back in Thursday, so he could check me again. If it seemed like maybe some progress was made he would induce on Saturday. He felt like the baby and I were ready.
When I got home I was having contractions the rest of the night. Some were 10 minutes apart, others were farther apart. I didn't really time them that much, but I knew the doctor had gotten something started. They seemed to slow down before bedtime, since I was sitting on the couch relaxing. I figured they would probably be gone in the morning, and I would be at work as usual. Throughout the night I got some more contractions- basically one every 1-2 hours, although I can't be sure since I was sleeping. (Warning: TMI coming up) At about 5:00 I went to the bathroom and noticed some blood. I called the doctor, but he said not to worry since my contractions were far apart and there wasn't much blood. I decided then to just get up and get myself ready for work. I kept having contractions about 5-10 minutes apart and noticed I was probably losing the mucous plug or having some bloody show when I went to the bathroom. After calling my mom I decided I needed to call in to work. Since then the contractions have still been kind of irregular but have been getting closer together and some have been more painful. Josh was supposed to go to a meeting in East Peoria, but I called him after he left and told him to just come home to be with me. He's now trying to get some extra sleep while I keep myself busy and try to stay relaxed. That's about all that's been happening so far. Hopefully this is the real thing and not a false alarm!
When I got home I was having contractions the rest of the night. Some were 10 minutes apart, others were farther apart. I didn't really time them that much, but I knew the doctor had gotten something started. They seemed to slow down before bedtime, since I was sitting on the couch relaxing. I figured they would probably be gone in the morning, and I would be at work as usual. Throughout the night I got some more contractions- basically one every 1-2 hours, although I can't be sure since I was sleeping. (Warning: TMI coming up) At about 5:00 I went to the bathroom and noticed some blood. I called the doctor, but he said not to worry since my contractions were far apart and there wasn't much blood. I decided then to just get up and get myself ready for work. I kept having contractions about 5-10 minutes apart and noticed I was probably losing the mucous plug or having some bloody show when I went to the bathroom. After calling my mom I decided I needed to call in to work. Since then the contractions have still been kind of irregular but have been getting closer together and some have been more painful. Josh was supposed to go to a meeting in East Peoria, but I called him after he left and told him to just come home to be with me. He's now trying to get some extra sleep while I keep myself busy and try to stay relaxed. That's about all that's been happening so far. Hopefully this is the real thing and not a false alarm!
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