moo

and so it begins...

pictures, updates etc etc

i wonder why my child always looks terrified...?

there must be something about me invading her bath privacy that doesn't sit right with her. alas. i promise, she's usually laughing & doesn't live in a constant state of fear.

aaand is there anything more presh than baby feet:

oy- i just love her little wrinkles & chubs. i know that when she's 16 she's going to be praying that she has neither (and that i'm no longer trying to take naked pictures of her) - but for now, she does & they're all mine to show to the internet world.

(also- how do we feel about the post processing of these pics? i like the look, but think they might be a tad blown out...? any photogs out there- let me know!)

in other news:

my lovely child woke me up @ 2AM demanding to be changed, fed & held.

....wtf?!

now, i know for many of you mothers this is completely normal- but not for me! not my child! my child has slept through the night since day 1 & while she might wake up asking for her paci- she always goes right back down.

i can only assume that she's going through a growth spurt. lately, she's been sucking down 6+ oz within 5 minutes & eating way more than usual. so yes- that must be it.

so i changed her, fed her, burped her, held her & then brought her back to bed with me.

i don't know if there is anything more adorable than her little self all propped up between the hubs & i. and make that adorable x 100 when the husband, seemingly unknowingly, snuggles up to her with his hand on her tummy

::dies from swooning::

my my my.

anyways- thanks to an awesome sale on Albee baby, we are now the proud owners of 2 VERY cute Britax Marathon Carseats:

Orange

Cowmooflage

i came home last night to the 2 boxes sitting at our doorstep ::does jig::
the hubs brought them in when he got home & now we're fighting about who gets the cow one in their car. all of a sudden he's obsessed with cows...whatevs.

and last but not least: Boob News-
Operation Wean Day#???

no idea what day- but i can say it's going swimmingly!
the first week was pure hell- i was engored, leaky, in pain, weepy- kind of like being pregnant. however, thanks to cabbage leaves, sudafed & my body doing it's job of regulating,my goal is in sight.

i'm down to 1 pumping session a day & i'm only pumping 6-7 oz per side. this is down from an original:
4x per day = 60 oz.
then 3x per day = 60 oz.
then 3x per day = 48 oz.
then 2x per day = 32 oz.
then 2x per day = 20 oz.
and now 1x per day = 14 oz.

i must say- it's still feels weird that i'm no longer pumping enough to freeze or even get her through the day on fresh milk- but i keep reminding myself it's for a good reason.
i've started breaking out the frozen milk & i can see how quickly it's going to go if i don't space it out. so this weekend = buying oatmeal, making babyfood & researching formula.

i think we'll end up with Similac Sensitive because i've heard it's the most like breastmilk. i'm going to do some math & figure out what the bm to formula ratio needs to be so that alex can have breastmilk all the way until her 1st b-day.

i hate math.

p.s. stay tuned because i've been contacted & asked to do 2 reviews & giveaways within the next week!!!

#1: Boogie Wipes (starts Mon Feb 22)
#2: YoBaby Meals!! - Organic Yogurt for Babies and Toddlers (starts sometime within the next week or so- you know, after alex actually eats it :)

breastfeeding (or a lack there of)

per a request- i was going to type up a long entry about how alex refuses to breastfeed.

well what do you know? last night i offered her the boob, just to see if she had any interest, and she happily accepted it & drank her fill without any fussing.

what?! who is this baby??? she's definately not my kid! my kid SCREECHES at the site of the boob- in fact, all i'd have to do is un-hook my nursing bra tank & her head would whip around excorcist style & she'd glare at me as if to say, "if you try to put that thing in my mouth, i will end you!"

so what is this sudden change of heart? after all- it's been a month since she's last latched on. is it a fluke? was she too tired to fight? hmmm- do i dare try it again tonight???

i think i shall! maybe she misses it as much as i do. that must be it, right?

so, last night i sat there. breastfeeding my child, stroking her lovely hair & talking to her about everything in the world. it was a wonderful moment, which i cherished....until she bit me. HARD! wtf?! you LITTLE!!! that's it- you're CUT OFF! as i shrieked and desperately tried to break her latch, she had the gall to look up at me & smile. smile BIG - and then, laugh. LAUGH HARD!
evil child.

but anyway- we'll see.

but i wanted to type it out anyway:

about a month ago alex started fighting me tooth & nail when i tried to breastfeed her. her eyes, that used to light up at the site of my nursing tank coming un-done, now looked, frankly, pissed off. but the bottle- oh boy- her best friend! she'd see it coming & squeal with anticipation.
why?! it's the same stuff! what's the problem!
i tried different positions, i tried switching from bottle to nip (on the sly)- everything- but no go. she just wasn't having it. so instead of fighting with her, i decided to let her have what she wanted. the bottle. i started pumping exclusively & honestly, we were all much happier.

she could happily eat, my nips were safe from her teething frenzy & the husband could watch the 49ers lose in peace (haha)

not to say i didn't miss it- there's just something about having your child depend SOLEY on you for food that makes your heart swell- but her happiness was far more important than my "needs"

so that's what we've been doing. momma pumps & baby eats from a bottle. no biggie.
and most likely that's still how it will be 95% of the time. i'm going to try to get her to latch again tonight- but if she doesn't want to then she doesn't have to.

i'll just continue to warm up her bottles (she's freaking picky) and make sure she eats one way or another. such is life :)

updates/pictures- etc etc

soooo we left alex "alone" for the first time this weekend. we went to the fair on Sat for 2 hours & left her with my mother. it's so weird how sad i was to leave her! i knew we'd be back in no time but still- it helped that she was with my mom though. thankfully she'll be watching her when i go back to work so that helps alot.

anyway- we braved the fair, despite the rain, and ate more than can possibly be legal- the highlight? fried twinkies. OMG. want more. good times!

then we ran to pick up my nipple cream- and wow. that stuff is awesome. my nips feel so much better already- i haven't given alex the left nip since friday so i think i'll give it another day or 2 and then go for it. i'm a little gun-shy but meh!

------------------------------------------------------------------------

so- today is my first day home alone with alex- dun dun dun! brandon had to go back to the daily grind so we'll see how mommy does on her own.

it's 8:42am and i've managed to get dressed, eat, brush my teeth, feed alex, give her a bath, bath her, put her on her play mat & watch her pass out, throw in a load of laundry, do dishes, let the dogs out and STOP! and of course, update this thing :) not bad! i do miss having brandon here- it's fun to have him around & watch him hold/play with alex. but tis' life! he has next monday off (Colombus day) so that'll be fun!

anyway- so after going out to beakfast yesterday (with my in-laws & brandon's aunt/uncle) we went & bought a chest freezer so that we have somewhere to store all my milk:

ahhh! that's all from this past week! less than a week! i also bought another box of containers & a box of bags- the containers are getting to be too much so we'll give the bags a shot too.

then i made some pumpkin bread for brandon to take to work:

thank God the shortage has passed- that was rough!

then we watched the new family guy (not as funny- tsk tsk) and put alex down around 10:30ish (after she projectile vommed all over me & the couch- awesome) and i went to bed.

she's been doing fairly well at night. i got up @ 2am to pump & feed/change her. then she was back to sleep by 3:15ish. then brandon got up @ 5 & left for work @ 5:30 & she got up around 6:45. not bad. we'll still need to get a system in place, but it's only been a week. so we've got time :)

aaaand here are some pictures:

i'm going to assume that one day she'll stay awake long enough to appreciate this overpriced playmat...

eyes open for once! gaaah she's so cute! i love her!

<3

lactation consult

so breastfeeding has been going very well- the first day or so, getting her to latch on was almost impossible- i didn't know what i was doing & neither did she- but eventually we got it. we also used the bottle a few times.

after that, my milk has been INSANE! it came in on Monday morning & since then i am able to feed her MORE than enough and also bank close to a gallon of milk in the freezer....yes, almost a GALLON now! it boggles my mind that all that milk comes out of ME! nuts.

anyway- all was well except for my nipples. mainly my left one- the poor thing was so sore & tender & mangled. i mean, she would latch on & i would hold my breath & curl my toes for a good minute waiting for the pain to pass. it was aaaaweful. pumping wasn't bad, but she's a vicious latcher & it killed me every time.

so i talked to a nurse at the hospital who suggested that i ask my OB for a Triple Nipple Compound prescription. i guess this stuff is like gold for the nips. i also scheduled an appt with a Lactation Consultant.

i saw her on Fri and it was aaawesome! she watched Alex feed and said that her latch is "adequate"- this is because alex REFUSES to open too wide to latch on- but it's not bad enough that she'll destroy the nips- whew. she is, however, an AWESOME feeder with a very strong suck. the LC weighed her before & after a 10 min feeding and she gained 3 oz! she was very impressed & pleased. she said my milk supply is great & alex feeds awesome. however when she caught site of my poor left nip she looked pained- she suggested the Triple Nipple Compound as well & was quite happy to hear that i had already put in a request. YAY! she said that within 24 hours of using it, my poor nips will feel MUCH better. in the meantime she suggested that i give the left boob a break & simply pump from that side. since my right boob is pretty much fine, i've just been feeding alex on that side & pumping from both. whew!

she also said that there is NOTHING wrong with bottle & breastfeeding. it's ok to give the girls a break & feed her via bottle 1-2 times a day. fortunately, alex take the bottle & the boob just fine so that pleases me.

she also watch me pump for a minute & we determined that the 24mm soft breast flange was a TAD to small so i went & picked up some 27mm and i must say, even thought they're not soft cupped- they feel MUCH better.

so all in all, all is well! i can pump, feed & etc etc etc. i picked up the TNC (prescription) today and applied it after i fed/pumped. i'm going to give the left nip another day or so before i let Alex back at it- it should be pretty healed up by then.


so yeah! i HIGHLY suggest seeing an LC if you're having ANY problems/concerns with/about breastfeeding. they are so helpful & awesome!

one week old!

miss alex is 1 week old today! whew! time flies!


she's so freaking cute- gaaaah!!!


me on the other hand....yikes. i look rough.

AW'ing my breastmilk stash :)

and i know i like to see these:

1 week post partum. i think i'm going to get a Belly Bandit today to help tightn things up (hopefully)

i have more info, updates, etc- but i have to go. i'll finish later!

birth story

after my 41 week 1 day appt on wed 23rd my OB decided that i def had progressed some- i think i was at a 2 or something- anyways, so she said i could wait until 42 weeks (um, i think not)or i could come in the next day for an induction (sounds like a plan)

so on thurs 24th @ 41 weeks 2 days i checked into the hospital @ 7:30am. after the nurse butchered my hands (for the IV) they started me on pitocin at 8:30am (after doing another internal)- they upped my dose every 30 min & monitored me for 20-30 min stretches. when i wasn't being monitored i was walking around to keep things "moving"

i had very managable contractions after a few hours on the pitocin & when my OB checked me around 2ish she said i was at 4cm and my cervix was very thinned out and etc etc. wonderful! she offered the epidural then but i held off because i really wasn't in any pain.

well about 2 hours later i was at 5 1/2 cm & the contractions were starting to hurt quite a bit so i decided to get the epidural while i could still sit still. after 2 tries (and a few tears) the epidural was in and they started the medicine...oh my GOD! i don't know how women go without it- God bless them! that stuff is GOLD!

anyway- so that was around 4:30ish and i sat in bed & labored away. it was so nice not to be in pain- the only thing i could complain about was the fact that i was STARVING!!! it eventually made me pretty nauseous so they gave me some zofran. wonderful!

my OB broke my water around 6:30ish and that seemed to get things moving even more.
i napped a bit & around 10:15ish she checked me again & said i was completely dialated and ready. she gave me about 30 min to "get ready" (ie: empty my bladder with the help of a catheter) and i started pushing- after 45 min, out she came! it was so...awesome/weird/surreal. i got to watch with the mirror and the husband got to hold my leg & watch as well.

alexis praise came out screaming at 11:22pm at a hefty 8lbs 3oz & 21 1/2in long- and that was AFTER she had pooped 3 times! they put her on my chest as they cleaned her up a bit & i started bawling. she was so perfect. ::squee::

seriously- TONS of hair and long, long fingers & toes. her hair was the talk of the ward ;)

anywho- after a bit the husband cut the cord & they took her off to do their thing. i delivered the placenta & my OB took a look. at first she thought there were no tears but then she found a small one & i got 2 stiches. i had some "vaginal abrasions" but otherwise i was good to go.
after she was done the nurse cathed me again & got me cleaned up. i couldn't walk yet so she wheeled me to the nursery to take a look- alex was pinking up nicely & sound asleep. so they wheeled me to my room and showed me how to take care of "things" down there.

they brought her in about an hour later and showed me how to nurse- she's not so great at latching on and she's a bit of a lazy eater so it was interesting. eventually she did eat & continued to do so until we left the hospital on sat.

we're home now & while the first night was HELL, last night was much better (thank you sleep incliner & swaddle me blanket)

my milk came in this morning around 4:30am (ouch & wet) but she still won't latch on & stay- so i pumped this morning & it was sweet relief! i also fed her with a bottle & i could have cried because the poor thing finally got some food in her. yay!

so that's that! probably more info than you want or need but hey :)
i'd do it all again in a heartbeat- OH, and take EVERYTHING the hospital provides. those mesh undies, pads, tucks, dermoplast are freaking heaven!!!

and here's my little lady:

i'm so in love. freaking crazy!