Motherhood Week 5

Kiernan had his first Christmas. We ended up going to a friend's house for dinner, but weather was definately against us. Fortunately the Suburban was quite capable of getting us through the drifted snow to the house that was only a half mile away. We got him a cute little Noah's ark coin bank for his present this year - not that he'll remember this Christmas anyway. We even had it personalized with "Nathan's Secret Stash" on it. It's the thought that counts though, right?

This week was the one-month checkup for Kiernan. After all the weight issues (see entries for weeks two and three) I have to admit I was a bit nervous about it. It all turned out fine though. Doc was surprised that he was already able to track things. Apparently they are not supposed to do that until 2 months of age. New stats are below:

Height: 22” (75th percentile)
Weight: 10 lbs 2 oz (75th percentile)
Head circumference: 15.25” (50th percentile)

As a side note, I am already down to my pre-pregnancy weight! Woo hoo! I haven't been trying to lose it either. Breastfeeding definately is a help in that area!

Motherhood Week 4

I got the cutest picture of Kiernan smiling. It's no easy task capturing those elusive smiles on film!

Since the first week Kiernan has had issues with gas/colic. We managed to get by thus far with Mylicon infant formula and a few techniques at home, which Beosig fondly refers to as “fart calisthenics”. Being the sucker I am for a good fart joke (go figure huh?) I constantly giggle at that term.

Anyhow, said calisthenics involve peddling Kiernan’s legs as if he were riding a bike or bringing his feet up towards his head as if folding him in half to help the gas move along in his system. We have also tried gripe water, which is a natural herbal remedy containing ginger and fennel – things known to soothe an unhappy stomach. All of this was used with mixed results.

Recently, it was suggested to me by a former coworker that we try going to the chiropractor. So, this week we made an appointment with a chiropractor. Treatment for infants is basically the same as for adults but on a much gentler level. Amazingly, it seems to have made a vast difference. Kiernan is far less fussy than before and seems more comfortable. We are going to continue seeing the chiropractor for the next few weeks and see if it continues to make a difference.

Towards the end of the pregnancy I began to experience some swelling – at times it was severe. Amazingly, this week I was able to wear my wedding ring again! Woo hoo! Maybe I will start to feel the tips of the middle three fingers on my right hand soon too. Those have been numb since the swelling began originally.

Kiernan is a month old this week. It’s hard to believe it was already 4 weeks ago that we brought him into this world to join the family. That also means it is the half way mark on the time I have left at home with him before going back to work. I am so not ready for that.

Motherhood Week 3

Monday was the scheduled weight check for Kiernan. To my delight, we are back up to birth weight of 8 lbs. 2 ozs! As a result we were told we did not need to continue coming in for weight checks. The next one will be at his one-month checkup.

Mom and Dad left on Friday, and none too soon. Mom and I have always butted heads from time to time. That has gotten MUCH better since I became pregnant and the arrival of Kiernan, but it does still happen.

The rest of the week was fairly uneventful except for finishing up the Christmas letters. Not bad considering how busy Kiernan is keeping me and the little bit of extra time that I have. Now to get all the thank yous cranked out too. It never seems to end.

Before Kiernan was born our neighbors and some friends of ours offered to make us some casseroles to eat after coming home so I wouldn’t have to worry about cooking. Our neighbors brought us a full meal – chicken, wild rice, apple salad, chocolate muffins for dessert, very yummy. Our other neighbor across the street brought us some turkey soup, and our friends brought us a couple of casseroles. It goes without saying that we were well cared for.

Mothers of colicky babies who are breastfed have to make a conscious effort to avoid eating foods that will upset baby’s stomach. Well, everything was going well until we dug into one of the casseroles from our friends, a chicken divan dish containing a small amount of broccoli. Boy was that a mistake. Kiernan suffered from that for about 48 hours before it passed through his system. Oh well, live and learn I suppose, right? It sure made for a long couple of days though!

Motherhood Week 2

This week brought Mom and Dad to Colorado to visit and meet their new grandson. They showed up at the house around 8pm on Tuesday. They brought with them a whole suitcase full of baby things like clothes, blankets, etc. Just when I had finished putting all of the more recent gifts away properly – now to start all over again. Sigh. Oh well, I guess I can’t really complain about it since they are gifts. Of course that brings to light even more thank you letters to write, a task that never seems to end these days. Someone needs to figure out how to put more hours in the day so these can get done.

Wednesday we had the second PKU test done for Kiernan. It is routine that one PKU test is done within the first 24-48 hours after birth and another at 8-10 days after birth. As part of this visit to the doctor’s office they checked his weight as well. Babies lose 10% of their body weight during the first week typically. Kiernan had lost a couple of ounces over that 10%. As I found out later, it really was nothing to worry about, but the doctor (not his usual doctor, one of the partners) decided otherwise. She came in and asked that I feed him as much as he would take and then we offer him 2 oz. of formula.

Much to my dismay he took almost the full 2 oz. of formula. The result was a baby that howled in pain during the next 24 hours while the formula worked its way through his system.

I have been against feeding formula to my son since before he was born and yet it is considered the norm in today’s world to do just that. Breastfeeding is proven to be far better than formula can ever hope to be and offers all kinds of benefits that no man-made concoction could ever achieve. Alas, I digress.

The result of the appointment was a referral to a lactation consultant and a follow-up weight check to be sure Kiernan was gaining and not losing weight going forward. Still, I was so upset from the formula feeding that I was flustered for the remainder of the day.

I called our doula for her thoughts and suggestions and then went to a lactation consultant. The lactation consultant offered some suggestions, which I immediately put to use and started seeing the difference in Kiernan right away (babies learn quickly when it comes to feeding). I bought a breast pump to help increase supply as well. The next day, I ran to Vitamin Cottage for some herbs that are known to assist with milk supply for nursing moms just in case. Within a day or so I could tell the combination of things were working. For the weigh in that was scheduled for Friday, Kiernan was expected to gain 1.5 ozs.

Meanwhile, Mom surprises me with the deer-in-the-headlights look when holding Kiernan and he starts fussing. Mom works in a daycare with toddlers – of all people I would have expected her to know how to deal with that, but I guess I was wrong. Dad on the other hand appears to handle fussy babies like a pro, quieting Kiernan down with little to no effort at all. I actually handed Kiernan off to them one morning where he wouldn’t go back to sleep, but I made a valiant effort and persisted until 5:45am first.

Friday finally arrived and Kiernan weighed in at 3 oz. heavier than the last weigh in. We exceeded expectations with how much he gained, however the doctor has asked to see him for another weight check next Monday.

My review of week 2 – this week went much smoother than week 1 since we now know a little better what we are doing and what works and what doesn’t. Having Mom and Dad around helped immensely. The whole weight gain thing was very disconcerting for me but it looks like we are making headway on it, so no reason to be concerned, I guess. Still, nothing can make you feel like a failure at breastfeeding like a doctor telling you that your kid should be weighing more and pushing formula on you. Something interesting to note – doctors are not taught much of anything about breastfeeding and what is normal and what is not as far as the weight gain from it goes.

Motherhood Week 1

I could never have been prepared for how great I would feel on just day two after giving birth. I wasn't really hurting, had no swelling, was tired but coping well. The neighbors commented on it too and how it took them almost a full week to feel good enough to walk around as much as I was - as you might guess these ladies had epidurals.

Today I feel awesome. I even did the dishes and laundry. I seem to have the urge now to shout from the rooftops that my secret is a natural birth and I did it! I am hoping that will go away soon before I offend someone or tell them more than they want to know.

This week has positively flown by. I can't believe the weekend is upon us already. Beosig will be working from home next week and Mom and Dad will be here to visit, and none too soon. I'm actually looking forward to the extra help with Kiernan.

Our first night home was the hardest by far - a claim I am certain most new parents would agree with. Poor little Kiernan had gas so badly it hurt me just listening to it moving through his belly. We tried rubbing his belly and rocking but nothing seemed to work to soothe him. I think I only got about 3 hours sleep total during the night. I let Beosig sleep as much as I could so that he could help out during the day and one of us would be awake enough to deal with it.

Each day after that first night becomes easier as we learn more tricks about what works to soothe Kiernan and what doesn't. It's amazing to me how quickly we are able to adapt these new methods and put them to use. We do still wake up about every 1 to 2 hours for feedings, but that is to be expected. Bouncing on the exercise ball is nothing short of a God send.

My review of week 1 - how do people with multiples (twins, triplets etc.) or single parents do it? It just doesn't seem possible. It's hard work to keep up with the feedings, diaper changes, etc. and still find time for yourself just for basic things like a shower! I must admit I'm glad we only have one. I've already told Beosig if anything were to happen to him I would never forgive him for it.