Leaving off from my last post...
We spent 2 nights in the hospital and went home on Sunday, March 28. The time in the hospital was a little stressful and scary, between recovering physically, trying to figure out what to do with this teeny tiny baby, and working on nursing. Jeremy was a total trooper and spent the night on the small window seat both nights. I could not have survived without him there with me! We had several sweet visitors at the hospital and all of the grandparents came back on Saturday to see us again. {I'm not sure if I specifically mentioned this, but grandparent names are as follows: Jeremy's mom - Lolly, Jeremy's dad - Pops, my mom - Mimi, my dad - Jeep (as in Geep as in GP short for Grandpa...a little convoluted, I know).} It was a little scary to leave the hospital (particularly because my last 2 nurses were incredible and I wanted to stay with them forever), but we were also really ready to be home with our puppies and our bed and all the new baby things we've gotten. Lolly and Pops met us at home around 4pm with lunch and loved on Sawyer while we unpacked and got baby things organized.
Our first 2 nights and full day at home were...tiresome. Neither of us really knew what to do and we were too scared to put Sawyer down in his crib when he slept (fear of him crying, I guess?) so we took turns holding him basically for 36 hours straight. Sleep-deprived is an understatement. It was ridiculous. I was so, so, so lucky though to have Jeremy there with me - in addition to taking Thursday off when I was admitted to the hospital, and obviously Friday when I delivered, he also took off the entire following week. We had lots of help from the grandparents and friends, but it was really fun to have the whole week together to figure out the whole parent thing! Tuesday we had Jeremy's previously scheduled GI scope (he's fine) and Sawyer's first pediatrician appointment, so the grandmas came to our rescue. Lolly took Jeremy to his appointment, and Mimi came over so I could shower and eat and then took Sawyer and me to the pediatrician. Sawyer loooooves his car seat and car rides, so getting out is so easy. Which makes my life easy! He did great at the doctor, and I LOVE our pediatrician, but we got some not-so-great news there. In the hospital Sawyer had slightly elevated bilirubin levels but not high enough to require being put under the special lights. I was instructed to supplement nursing with a little little bit of formula to help him poop it out, but I guess that didn't do enough and he was looking pretty yellow at the doctor. They had to do a heel prick to test his blood and it came back with bili levels that were too high. We got in touch with a medical supply company and we rented a portable light therapy table, which absolutely terrified me and stressed me out, especially when I was told he had to stay on it all night and all day except for feedings and diaper changes. He also had lost quite a bit of weight - he was born 6 lbs 6 oz, left the hospital at around 5 lbs 14 oz and weighed 5 lbs 8 oz on Tuesday. It's not my fault - my milk just came in that morning, and I was only supplementing with a couple syringe-squirts of formula. It was okay, and our doctor recommended nursing for 30 minutes then someone else supplementing with a 2 oz formula bottle. Lolly and Pops helped out again by coming over that night because I was so worried about Sawyer screaming all night on that light table...boy, was I wrong! Those formula bottles gave him a full tummy and he slept perfectly all night and all day the next day, just fussing to eat about every 3 hours. It was amazing! Jeremy and I got wonderful 3 hour naps between feedings and Lolly and Pops spent several hours of the night and early morning sitting in our living room with Sawyer so we could sleep soundly. We felt like new people on Wednesday! We went back to the doctor late that afternoon and Sawyer had gained 5 whole ounces since the day before, and after another heel prick, his bilirubin levels were normal and we were done with the light table! Such great news!
We went back to the pediatrician for a 2-week checkup and that went well also. He weighed a whopping 6 lbs 13 oz! I was so proud! It's still only in the 10th percentile, but our doctor said it's right where he should be at 2 weeks old.
We've had several other firsts in the past few weeks! First sponge bath. First night spent at Lolly and Pops' because mommy had a weirdo rash all over and went to the emergency room then slept off the medication. First professional pictures taken at True Expressions Photography {they'll be up online until about May 3- go here and the password is 'hamblen'}. First lunch and nap at Mimi's house. First weekend spent with Uncle Josh and Auntie Jamie. First public outing - home improvement shopping at Lowe's. First walk around the neighborhood. First huge, smelly, gross diaper blowout. First of many pees on mommy, daddy, Lolly and Mimi (separate times, of course). First holiday - Easter - and first visit from the Easter Bunny. First (and only) loss of umbilical cord stump! (First real bath in his tub will be tonight - it just came off yesterday, give me a break.) First time to meet a baby, Baby Adalyn born on April 19. First lunch out at Chili's with his aunties Pam and Becky.
I am really enjoying my time home with this little boy. He is so cute and sweet and looking into his eyes just melts me! We laugh a lot during the day - when he smiles, when he cries and sticks out his bottom lip to make the ultimate pouty face, when he outdoes his father with massive toots, when he makes silly noises while he sleeps, when he makes his "fat and happy" grunts while he eats. I love it all. I love getting to know him better and better, what he likes and doesn't like, what his cries mean. The last couple nights have been a little rough - he's been fussing a lot between 1am and 4am, but even then I can't do anything but love him! I don't mind snuggling him on the couch until he settles down and falls asleep in my arms. Typically he sleeps well between feedings and is eating between 2 and 4 ounces each feeding (he can be super duper lazy sometimes). Breastfeeding didn't work out for us, which is the one thing about labor and motherhood I was dead set on doing and was sure would work for me. I tried to be open and flexible about most things throughout my pregnancy and delivery, but for some reason I just never worried about breastfeeding not working. If I was going to stay home for longer than 6 weeks with him, I might have worked a little longer on it, but I didn't want to spend my time fighting with Sawyer when it was time to eat. I pumped for a while so he was still getting breast milk and supplemented with formula, but now we're moving towards formula only. I still get very disappointed and feel guilty, but it does make feedings much easier. Other people can feed him if need be, it's easy to leave the house and just pack bottles, and I still get to snuggle him and look into his eyes while he eats. As for me - I am feeling great! I was lucky to have delivered such a little peanut - I felt great even the very next day after Sawyer was born, and within the first week felt totally normal again.
{And would you be horrified to know we did not take his picture with any bluebonnets despite the name of this blog and his timely birth right before bluebonnet season? Shameful.}
Here are some pictures from the past 4 weeks:
Our first 2 nights and full day at home were...tiresome. Neither of us really knew what to do and we were too scared to put Sawyer down in his crib when he slept (fear of him crying, I guess?) so we took turns holding him basically for 36 hours straight. Sleep-deprived is an understatement. It was ridiculous. I was so, so, so lucky though to have Jeremy there with me - in addition to taking Thursday off when I was admitted to the hospital, and obviously Friday when I delivered, he also took off the entire following week. We had lots of help from the grandparents and friends, but it was really fun to have the whole week together to figure out the whole parent thing! Tuesday we had Jeremy's previously scheduled GI scope (he's fine) and Sawyer's first pediatrician appointment, so the grandmas came to our rescue. Lolly took Jeremy to his appointment, and Mimi came over so I could shower and eat and then took Sawyer and me to the pediatrician. Sawyer loooooves his car seat and car rides, so getting out is so easy. Which makes my life easy! He did great at the doctor, and I LOVE our pediatrician, but we got some not-so-great news there. In the hospital Sawyer had slightly elevated bilirubin levels but not high enough to require being put under the special lights. I was instructed to supplement nursing with a little little bit of formula to help him poop it out, but I guess that didn't do enough and he was looking pretty yellow at the doctor. They had to do a heel prick to test his blood and it came back with bili levels that were too high. We got in touch with a medical supply company and we rented a portable light therapy table, which absolutely terrified me and stressed me out, especially when I was told he had to stay on it all night and all day except for feedings and diaper changes. He also had lost quite a bit of weight - he was born 6 lbs 6 oz, left the hospital at around 5 lbs 14 oz and weighed 5 lbs 8 oz on Tuesday. It's not my fault - my milk just came in that morning, and I was only supplementing with a couple syringe-squirts of formula. It was okay, and our doctor recommended nursing for 30 minutes then someone else supplementing with a 2 oz formula bottle. Lolly and Pops helped out again by coming over that night because I was so worried about Sawyer screaming all night on that light table...boy, was I wrong! Those formula bottles gave him a full tummy and he slept perfectly all night and all day the next day, just fussing to eat about every 3 hours. It was amazing! Jeremy and I got wonderful 3 hour naps between feedings and Lolly and Pops spent several hours of the night and early morning sitting in our living room with Sawyer so we could sleep soundly. We felt like new people on Wednesday! We went back to the doctor late that afternoon and Sawyer had gained 5 whole ounces since the day before, and after another heel prick, his bilirubin levels were normal and we were done with the light table! Such great news!
We went back to the pediatrician for a 2-week checkup and that went well also. He weighed a whopping 6 lbs 13 oz! I was so proud! It's still only in the 10th percentile, but our doctor said it's right where he should be at 2 weeks old.
We've had several other firsts in the past few weeks! First sponge bath. First night spent at Lolly and Pops' because mommy had a weirdo rash all over and went to the emergency room then slept off the medication. First professional pictures taken at True Expressions Photography {they'll be up online until about May 3- go here and the password is 'hamblen'}. First lunch and nap at Mimi's house. First weekend spent with Uncle Josh and Auntie Jamie. First public outing - home improvement shopping at Lowe's. First walk around the neighborhood. First huge, smelly, gross diaper blowout. First of many pees on mommy, daddy, Lolly and Mimi (separate times, of course). First holiday - Easter - and first visit from the Easter Bunny. First (and only) loss of umbilical cord stump! (First real bath in his tub will be tonight - it just came off yesterday, give me a break.) First time to meet a baby, Baby Adalyn born on April 19. First lunch out at Chili's with his aunties Pam and Becky.
I am really enjoying my time home with this little boy. He is so cute and sweet and looking into his eyes just melts me! We laugh a lot during the day - when he smiles, when he cries and sticks out his bottom lip to make the ultimate pouty face, when he outdoes his father with massive toots, when he makes silly noises while he sleeps, when he makes his "fat and happy" grunts while he eats. I love it all. I love getting to know him better and better, what he likes and doesn't like, what his cries mean. The last couple nights have been a little rough - he's been fussing a lot between 1am and 4am, but even then I can't do anything but love him! I don't mind snuggling him on the couch until he settles down and falls asleep in my arms. Typically he sleeps well between feedings and is eating between 2 and 4 ounces each feeding (he can be super duper lazy sometimes). Breastfeeding didn't work out for us, which is the one thing about labor and motherhood I was dead set on doing and was sure would work for me. I tried to be open and flexible about most things throughout my pregnancy and delivery, but for some reason I just never worried about breastfeeding not working. If I was going to stay home for longer than 6 weeks with him, I might have worked a little longer on it, but I didn't want to spend my time fighting with Sawyer when it was time to eat. I pumped for a while so he was still getting breast milk and supplemented with formula, but now we're moving towards formula only. I still get very disappointed and feel guilty, but it does make feedings much easier. Other people can feed him if need be, it's easy to leave the house and just pack bottles, and I still get to snuggle him and look into his eyes while he eats. As for me - I am feeling great! I was lucky to have delivered such a little peanut - I felt great even the very next day after Sawyer was born, and within the first week felt totally normal again.
{And would you be horrified to know we did not take his picture with any bluebonnets despite the name of this blog and his timely birth right before bluebonnet season? Shameful.}
Here are some pictures from the past 4 weeks:
Auntie Sarah was our very first non-family visitor!
Emily, Justin and Sean visited us later on Friday evening
Kevin came by Saturday for baby holding lessons - what a natural!
I loved snuggling Sawyer in bed!
Pops (and Lolly) couldn't get enough!
Father & son
Sawyer's too cute UT going home outfit. I was so worried the newborn size would be too small...I was wrong!
He had a matching blanket of course!
Jeremy soothed Sawyer by discussing different sports he could play and which positions he might be good at.
Getting ready for the pediatrician - this little onesie just swallowed him!
Tuckered out from the doctor - he loves car rides!
First date with baby Adalyn (supervised by me, and Adalyn's parents Gary & Gianina)
Auntie Becky came from Dallas!
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Paige couldn't nurse either. I had PPD until October because if I felt so guilty and sad. If you ever need to talk it through, I will listen!
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