Anyhow, this post is supposed to be about the first week, not how mentally my life has been turned upside down! =)
In the hospital we did pretty well. Isabella was eating well and sleeping well, and was overall a very easy baby. I was struggling a little with recovery thanks to my extra tears, but we were managing well. Once we arrived home I felt confident that things would continue on that same path. Of course, true to her in utero behavior, Isabella just wasn't going to have that! =) The first night home she screamed on and off for about 7 hours. We were on a 20 minute cycle of settling her down and having her work back up again. Ultimately it was that she was hungry and was so worked up she wouldn't or couldn't latch. We finally gave in and gave her an ounce of formula that we luckily had on hand from a freebie bag. I was broken over this. All those hours of screaming and I couldn't feed my baby? I was heartbroken to say the least. But after she had a full tummy and a little rest, I was able to get her to latch on in the morning. We also happened to have a doctors appointment scheduled that day and they brought in the lactation consultant for me.
After that, it felt like we had a new baby. I was given a nipple shield, which essentially turns your breast into a bottle. My shape makes it difficult for my tiny baby's mouth to latch on quickly, and she happens to be very impatient adding to the challenge. So now she has something to latch onto quickly, which usually results in a quick start to the feeding. Unfortunately now I feel a bit tied to it, so the next step as she gets a bit bigger and hopefully a tiny bit more patient will be to ween her off the shield and back onto the breast. But we're taking it one step at a time. Right now I just want to make sure my quickly growing baby is getting everything she needs. And really, she is getting breast milk still which is the most important thing.
Other important things about the first week? She is a great sleeper generally speaking. Sleeps most of the day in fact. She has even given us a couple of long rests, 4.5 hours and last night we even got 6 hours from start of feeding to start of feeding! (So really more like 5+ hours of actual sleep...) I know they say newborns are "supposed" to eat every 0-3 hours, especially on breast milk, but I tried waking her up to feed and found that a fussy baby that has been woken up is just as difficult to feed as one that is too hungry. So I am letting her tell me when she wants to eat and just watching for those early signs. She is a sleeper like her mom and dad so as soon as she starts stirring I know it is time to get her eating. So far mostly so good. We did have one rough night again a couple of nights ago, but it was just a learning experience for us to figure out her signs. She didn't need to eat but was crying like she did. Turned out she was just over tired (we'd had several visits that day) and needed some extra comfort. Her tummy was probably working hard too, which also doesn't help. Once we gave the "happiest baby" method a real effort, we had a sleeping and quiet girl.
Every day is a learning experience. We are definitely still figuring out who this little person is and how she communicates her needs. It's so easy to want to listen to the "experts" about what the baby is "supposed" to be doing, especially when you are struggling. Ultimately though I feel like we have a pretty good connection with Isabella and we are figuring out what she needs. Mostly that is working. =)
Nick goes back to work on Friday so I am trying to enjoy every second of our family time before that happens. I can't believe how fast it all is going! I'm also hoping my body decides to heal itself just a tad quicker so I can feel more functional when it is time for me to be on my own. I guess I can always call in reinforcements if I am just not ready. Thank goodness for our wonderful family and friends! I know there is a safety net if I need it.
With that, I'll leave you with a picture of our beautiful girl.
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