Carter had his 1 wk appointment last week and he passed with flying colors. The pedi was pleased with how alert he was. Also, the general rule is that babies should be back to their birth weight by 2 weeks.... well, Carter was 7 lb 7 oz, LOL! So yep, no worries about his weight. He also grew 1/4 in to bring him to 20.75 in. His little toes and fingers are so long! The only slight issue he had was that his right eye goops up- she said it may have something to do with his tear duct, or he may have scratched his eye/lid with his nails, so she prescribed us some gel to put on his eye twice a day. We go back for his next appointment on Friday.
Having a new baby in the house has been such a big adjustment. Daddy has been a great help by basically taking over the daily care of Rickybear. With both kids getting up all night, we are both exhausted. I think you forget how stressful and tiring and frustrating all of this is or else you wouldn't keep doing it over and over. Carter is eating every 3 hours or so and has about 12+ diaper changes a day. He eats like a piggy (about 18-20 oz a day) and gets the hiccups after nearly every meal. He doesn't spit up very much. He likes to be held and never likes to be put down. He won't go to sleep if we put him down awake. He doesn't like to lay flat on his back. He frequently rolls from tummy to back... I guess he is protesting tummy time! He has excellent head control and can push up on his arms, but can't hold it very long. His cord fell off at 14 days.
Breastfeeding has been a huge struggle. Something so natural should not be so hard! I took classes on it before we had Rickybear, but started supplementing with formula by the second night in the hospital when he was having trouble latching and was hysterical. He never did get the hang of it, so I pumped for 4.5 months, hardly making enough milk to make 2 bottles a day. At the end, the amount I was expressing was laughable.
This time around, I was even more determined. I made it nearly 4 days without supplementing. We nursed for hours on end but Carter would still be crying and hungry. He was also so impatient and wanted instant gratification. I began pumping at this point. We use Enfamil Newborn when we do supplement. Around the one week mark, Carter was drinking expressed breast milk plus 2-4 oz a day of formula. At two weeks, my production was up enough to where he is only drinking expressed breast milk, with a nursing session thrown in there in the middle of the night. Not the breastfeeding relationship I had planned, but I am so happy with the amount of breast milk he is getting. I feel like I am tied to the pump, but pumping 10 mins every 2-3 hours is better than nursing for 45 mins every 2-3 hours. I am getting anywhere from 20-25 oz expressed a day at this point. Oh, if Carter is especially fussy, I will give him an ounce or two of formula before bed in hopes it will be heavier in his tummy and help settle him down a bit.
As for me, I am healing well. No more pain, but I am still taking it easy and not doing anything too strenuous. From the time I got home, I was pretty much an emotional wreck. I doubted myself and it was honestly just so overwhelming. I had the baby blues last time and I had it again this time. I already get kind of down in the winter, but tied together with a new baby, I was crying several times a day. It got worse around 5 pm when the darkness set in. After about 2 weeks, my spirits lifted a bit. It's been 3 days since I randomly started crying, which must mean it's passing.
Lastly, I am 30 pounds below my pre-pregnancy weight. I am very proud of that, but I worry I might gain a little back. Since I am nursing, I am not supposed to be dieting. In fact, I am supposed to be eating an extra 500 calories a day. Regardless, I am pleased!
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