10 Weeks, Little Two Style

We're all doing well here. LT does have a touch of reflux which is responding nicely to a daily dose of famotidine.

LT is sprouting like a weed, at her 2 month appointrment was 11.5lb and 22.5" tall which places her squarely at the 75th percentile for both. She's powered through size 1 diapers in the space of one 100 count box & 3 smaller packages. I put her in size 2's last night and they fit nicely so when the current supply of 1's is depleted that is it! Three month clothing is also starting to get snug - it feels like I just switched into it from newborn and I'm sure she hasn't worn everything even once! At least LO was in 3-6 and 6 month clothes in the winter so I don't need to stock up on warm stuff (though maybe some more long-sleeve shirts since I layer LT more than LO). It's been helpful having LO's stuff but at some point I know their 6 month season difference is going to catch up and I'll be shopping for both of them.

Related, I wasn't expecting LT to be on the upper end of the percentiles. My side of the family runs more petite, so why wouldn't one of the girls be smaller? Oh well, I guess they got my looks and DH's frame. Better that than the other way, I suppose. ;)

LT continues to get a 4oz evening bottle which she likes to supplement with a full nurse. Most nights that does get her through a good 4-5 hour stretch. I pay for it during the day though with her feeding every 1.5-2 hours. Perhaps that's also related to supply as when I've been able to or needed to pump I rarely get more than 3oz total? But as seen above she is growing like crazy, so it's obvious she's getting what she needs, even if it means she rarely has a decent nap (aka I barely get anything done).

As LT gets older, it's getting more obvious how alike they are. Of the pictures below where they are wearing the same sleeper and on the same pack & play sheet, LO is at 11.5 weeks & LT at 8 weeks, can you tell who is who?

Oh, LT just transferred successfully into the swing of wonder so I'm going to go do something I can only accomplish most effectively with the freedom of two hands: LAUNDRY. lucky me



*If you guessed that LO is on top and LT is on the bottom you'd be right.

12.5.14 And Beyond...

No surprises this time. This is a very good thing!

Got to the hospital around 6:45 Friday morning, did all the paperwork, and was settled into a combo birthing and regular room by 7:20 (maybe, some of these times were approximate, I wasn't looking at the clock or had other things on my mind).

Nurses got me hooked up to the IV system and the OB came in, confirmed I was still 3-4cm dilated, and broke my water at 7:40 before she did a c-section and then headed over to see her regular patients. Contractions started shortly after - pretty much went BOOM right into them, no easing at all, even before the Pitocin kicked in! Anesthesiologist fit the epidural in between two c-sections, and shortly after I was resting comfortably while my body moved right along. 

Around 10:45 the nurses checked my status and called the OB back over to the hospital since Little Two's head was 'right there' stretching things out. At 10:59, after pushing (and pooping, ew) through three contractions, LT came sliding on out.  That's right, from water break to delivery was 3hrs 20min. Damn, I'm good!

LT weighed in at 6lb 10oz and 19.5" long, and still did less damage than the 2lb smaller LO did!

Unlike LO, LT has been a champion nurser from the start (my poor nipples!) and I have had much more energy despite the normal levels of sleep deprivation. I think the latter is thanks to being much less stressed out by the circumstances of the birth, and LT not having any need for the NICU. Plus, I'm not pumping round the clock! I'm so much more relaxed!

Milk came in Sunday afternoon/evening and LT has gotten much more efficient about nursing since then. She went from 25-60 minute sessions on one side to my having to force her to finish 10 minutes on one side. Unfortunately that's pretty much at every 2 hours so overnight sleep is hard!

Still need to figure out the rocker/recliner/glider chair situation for LT's room, and much of the nursery supplies are everywhere vs. being put away, but we are plugging along very nicely.

LO is obviously still very tentative about this new addition to our family and the changes her arrival has made. Trying to give her some special one on one time so she doesn't feel isolated or neglected.

And now LT needs feeding again...

And Furthermore...

Why have the inevitable few pounds that have returned since Little One started self-weaning without my eating habits changing all gone to my hips and not some more desirable place like my boobs?

It's Back!

And you know, I didn't miss it one single bit.

Honestly, I thought it might just stay away for a while longer, but I guess somewhere between 18 and 19 months without is a pretty good run.

I am glad that I'm not going to have to encourage it to reappear through hormone manipulation though - which was the flip side of my thinking it might stay away a while longer.

The only two questions I have are:
1. Did it return because Little One weaned herself / did Little One wean herself because the milk started to change with the hormonal changes?

And More Importantly:

2. Why the hell did it have to return the day before we are due to leave to enjoy a long holiday weekend????

My 2 Month Old...

Ah, forget it. I can't tell you there has been much change - sure she's almost double her birth weight and has grown a few inches longer making much of the crop of newborn size clothing obsolete - but the cycle of sleep, eat, and poop pretty much remains the same.

And speaking of poop, we have had some issues there. As in too much poop, too runny poop, in every diaper. Overall, too much of an indicator that something isn't right with the innards or what goes into the innards. For 4 days over Labor Day weekend (Friday - Monday) Little One got nothing but formula*. And the diaper rash which had only gotten worse since she left the hospital despite liberal applications of various ointments and balms healed in two days, I changed diapers that were just wet, and I was concerned that she hadn't pooped in two days (fyi: if you do the thermometer or q-tip up the rectum trick to induce poop be prepared for a quick response).

On Tuesday I reintroduced breast milk, Wednesday that's all she got, and the bad poop was back by Thursday morning. Now I'm trying to feed both formula* and pumped breast milk, at alternate feedings, and am hoping that the combination settles things back down. So far it seems to be working for her...but I'd love to go back to straight breast milk if I can provide it since formula is expensive! (It's interesting that with BM she can go 4 hours but the same amount of formula and she's hungry again after 3. Shouldn't it be the other way thanks to the slower absorption rate of formula?)

Also still relying on the bottle since the amount of milk she receives from a direct feed is questionable (so I'm debating now on how long to keep the hospital-grade pump and if it's worth it to get a pump-in-style or other pump and how they compare to the hospital-grade version) thanks to both latch and continuing production issues.

It's weighing heavy on me. This realization that without changing my diet my milk may not be the best thing for her, and the doubt that even changing my diet may not resolve the issue, also the question of whether my production will be able to keep up with her needs. And again I ask, why can't this be easy?

Another weight on me is the disparity between her actual age and adjusted age in trying to track milestones. Some seem to apply to one and some the other, and I'm just left feeling confused about what she should be able to do when as none of the regular 1st year baby books I have address exactly how the tracking is different for a preemie, just mention that it's different. Yay. Seriously, she's actually 9 weeks old, but only 3 weeks adjusted. I have no idea what I should be looking for her to be able to do. And yet on Monday she's due for her 2 month shots. It makes no sense.

~~~~~

On the good news side of things, I got my flu shot this week, so that's checked off my to do list.

And she's finally put on enough weight and length to break out the baby bjorn - hurray for being able to do things in the house with both hands while still having her close to me, and for having a way to go shopping since the matching stroller to our car seat is being used by the person who lent us the car seat. Chicco products are great but they don't play nice with other products, including the so-called universal stroller frames, so I've been putting off some shopping I wanted to do because I didn't want to have to lug the car seat in and through stores which do not offer shopping carts into which I can place the seat to spare my arms.

Oh, I changed my mind and decided we needed a pack & play after all for travel (and at home since the moses basket is about to be outgrown, and with our dog, napping on the floor is not an option) and it worked very well over Labor Day for both changing and sleeping. We also have the automatic bouncer which is awesome. Though the current favorite is the swing. Thanks, Erika, for the recommendation!

What else? I hear that Little One looks like me on a regular basis, which I don't know if it's true or not since I don't really see it myself. Since I'm out with her much more than DH is out with her, it makes sense people see me in her. Or it's just one of those things people say when they don't know what else to comment on. She's still so unformed that I think it's hard to know exactly who she takes after or if there are parts that take after one of us over the other.

So, here I am, sleep deprived (why does she choose the nights I most need sleep to not want to go back to sleep herself after a feeding?) but moving closer back to my pre-IF-medication weight, and am able to report that while my shape has definitely changed to the more hippy, my jeans from last year still fit! And on that happy note I will leave you.


*Yes, those are two different formula brands - gotta love a doctor's office freebie. But the Enfamil seemed to go down and stay down better than the Similac which is what she started out on at the hospital. Figures since Similac sent me $5 coupons and Enfamil cheaped out at $1. But I'm thinking that once the current can of Similac runs out I'm going back to the Enfamil - it also mixed better with fewer bubbles.)

My 1 Month Old...

(Otherwise titled: Holy Crap, I have a 1 month old!)

...has been seen sucking her thumb on more than one occasion.

...weighs almost 6 pounds - up a pound and a half from birth weight.

...is still wearing newborn size clothing. (Which is fine since we were given a LOT of newborn size clothes. It just gives me time to get her into all of the outfits. Though why people gave long-sleeve and long pantsed heavy weight newborn size outfits for a baby born during one of the hottest summers on record, I can't explain. Some days a onesie seems like too much clothing, I'm not putting her in anything much warmer. So any more we receive from this point out are going to get exchanged for larger sizes.)

...is currently a Pampers girl. I had bought a pack of Huggies on sale and she's only had blowouts while wearing those; so, Pampers it is (until I try something different as she grows).

...mostly loves being swaddled, though will also fight to get one arm out mid-nap. (The Aden & Anais Muslin wraps we received as a shower gift are excellent, though one of the prongs on my wedding band has gotten caught on the loose weave and picked it pretty easily.)

...is getting better at breastfeeding though we still aren't there 100%. Not sure we will be if my supply doesn't pick up some. (yeah, that's a worry for me)

...lets me sleep through the night. (Just kidding. Mostly it's doesn't let me sleep at night.)

...is still the cutest darn baby I have ever seen. (Sorry guys, mine's cuter, at least to me. Your perception may vary, but I guess you can't make that judgment without seeing a recent picture. I'll have to work on that.)

Status Updates...For The Week.

Bullets from the brain dead...

• My feet are slowly unswelling. The 5 1/2 bags of IV fluids during labor did not help. I don't know why I was expecting this to magically disappear once Little One was ejected. Today has been the best day yet.
  
• So far, at 5 days post-partum, I am down 6 pounds. Leaving only 10 pounds to get to pre-pregnancy weight. WAIT> don't hate me...please, I still look 6 months pregnant from the side since my abdominal muscles and so on are weak, weak, weak, and I am almost continually starving (especially after the 2AM pumping) so I'm sure that these numbers will change for the worse as time passes and I eat more.
  
• The window cleaners came this morning - it's been 3 years since their last visit, so more sunlight is coming in than in a long, long time. It's so worth the $$$. And was one of those things I had scheduled to occur before Little One came. Next week - the carpet cleaners.
  
• Wednesday Little One was taken off the billi lights and moved out of her isolette into an open top bassinet. She also was allowed to put on one of the outfits we brought. All together now...AWWWWWWW. Unfortunately her billi levels went back up Thursday so she was back under the lights without her outfit. :( BUT she should be back to the outfits as of Friday evening.
  
• Thursday I returned to the nursery after lunch to find the nurses taking a blood sample while Little One screamed. It probably upset me for longer than it did her since the sample taking was followed almost immediately by a bottle and almost an hour of sleepy snuggles with me.
• Also Thursday her bottle was up to 25ml (plus 2 more so she wouldn't suck air) from the first feeding of only 5ml. An ounce is 30ml, so she should be there and beyond before I know it. My girl puts it away like a champion!
• Pumping is getting easier and more productive. I'm so glad I can do this for her since I can do so little else until she stabilizes her billi levels and gains enough weight to come home. Though I have to admit the overnight wakings take more time than when she was still safely ensconced in my body and all I had to do was pee.
• I think it was Amalah who promoted the Target breastfeeding tanks...she knows of what she writes! Very comfortable and perfect for the 90+ degree weather which has settled in.
• I spoke with one of the doctors on Friday - the chances are very good if Little One can gain and hold onto weight after coming off the IV fluids and go through one day of scheduled unlimited feeds and one day of unlimited feeds on demand that she will be able to come home on Tuesday. Eeeeek!
• The doctor also confirmed a minor tongue tie which has not prevented her from guzzling from the bottle (they would address it if it were causing feeding issues on the bottle), but I am still concerned might be an issue on the breast. Certainly something which I will be discussing with the pediatrician sometime next week. (Thanks go to, again, Amalah, for bringing this to my attention.)