Reflecting on Nolan's third week
So much happened in Nolan's third week of life, a lot of growth, a lot of excitement, and numerous occasions to test my patience and ability to endure.
Nolan physically appears to be growing as all his newborn sleep 'n plays and pants are resembling capris, they are so short on him! :) His baby acne is coming back on his forehead (I smear his face with breast milk during feedings) and his little finger nails are so long I had to cut them today while he slept in my arms. He's sleeping as well as one could hope for though no real pattern at this point and he's happy to sleep in his swing, vibrating chair, and bassinet. We hold him the first ten minutes after he's drifted off to sleep before putting him down and he has yet to wake up unhappy. Nolan is still wearing size newborn Huggie's diapers and all of his newborn clothing (mostly Carter's brand) with fold-over mittens. We bathe him every three days, which he really seems to like! He's so much more alert these days, focusing on bright light fixtures, the sun coming through the windows, and on faces if you are close enough. He hasn't been swaddled in a week and a half but does love to be wrapped in a blanket and "tucked in" (a blanket laid over him and tucked around him while in his swing, bassinet, and vibrating chair) but always frees his arms and places them up around his face, just like Emily! :)
Reflecting on this past week was a bit harder emotionally for me because this was my first week alone; my mom went home and David returned to work three days a week:
6/17 - Today we had to say good-bye to my mom, talk about a rough day. I think we all cried! She's such a big help with everything in and around the house, is so loving and attentive to Emily and Nolan, but most of all she's the support and encouragement I needed to feel confident in my mothering abilities this second time around. We are all really going to miss her and can't wait to see her over Fourth of July! I think Nolan sensed she was gone because he only slept an hour at a time today and his witching hour lasted over six hours this evening; however, he did finally drift off to sleep at 11:00pm and slept four hours. He woke only to eat but I had to burp him for nearly two hours to ensure he was completely gas-free and comfortable before putting him back down to sleep another two and a half hours.
6/18 - Thankfully, Nolan napped in longer stretches during the day today: one two hour nap at 11:00am and a four hour nap at 2:30pm. I sure did need that break to take a nap myself and just enjoy some time when both of my hands were free. ;)
6/19 - Father's Day, David's first with two children and what a wonderful day it was! Nolan slept seven hours last night (a three hour stretch and a four hour stretch!) and napped one to three hours at a time during the day. I felt so rested, I let David leave home to go shopping for a few hours... dad's need time alone, too! Nolan seems to really enjoy diaper changes and even liked the bath I gave him today, although he really does hate to be cold. I think laying the bath sponge in our tub and me getting in with him would be better, we'll have to try this soon.
6/20 - Nolan's growth spurt from the last week must be coming to an end (yeah!) because Nolan slept Midnight - 3:30am and was only awake to eat and be burped for an hour before going back to sleep from 4:00-7:00am. During the day today, he napped from 9:30-11:30am, 1:00-3:30pm, and 4:30-7:00pm today. That's the most sleep he's had (and the most naps I've gotten!) to date. I've also noticed that his nursing sessions are down to only 8-12 minutes per side, rather than 20-25 minutes per side and he's not so frantic while eating. He's also burping more calmly and the spit up isn't as prevalent nor happening at every feeding.
6/21 - Nolan followed the exact same "schedule" over night and through the day day as yesterday, dare we get comfortable?!? I think not. ;) David and I are finally catching up and feeling less exhausted from his growth spurt last week, which feels like perfect timing because David returned to work today. My first day home with both kids and it went really well, especially because Nolan slept so much, giving me plenty of time alone with Emily. Because Nolan's gas and reflux isn't improving enough, after talking to our Pediatrician we've purchased Mylacon gas drops and started giving Nolan a dose just before every feeding, as soon as he's up from a nap. We are also bicycling his legs, applying warm wash cloths to his tummy, and burping him really well during each feeding as well as after each feeding. Fingers crossed he can get some relief soon.
6/22 - I'm not sure if Mylacon works that quickly or if today was a fluke but Nolan hasn't spit up at all today and he's not as upset after eating when he needs you to burp him. He also slept like a champion last night, from Midnight - 2:30am, 2:50-5:50am, and 6:30-8:30am. During the day today, he napped a solid two hours at each nap! Other big news today includes me getting Nolan into my Ergo all by myself! It was so nice to get outside with Emily and enjoy the sunshine especially because this afternoon was a near disaster! I had to get Nolan fed, burped, changed, and in his car seat AND get Emily in her car seat plus have the diaper bag packed as I had to take Emily to School Skills at 3:00pm by myself. It was the first time I've left home with both kids! All was well at first: Nolan slept the entire way there and through the class and of course, Emily had a blast with her friends. Then, at 5:15pm, 15 minutes before the end of the class, Nolan woke up and was starving. I had to nurse him in public, alone, for the first time. It was 88 degrees outside and Nolan and I were sweating while I nursed him under my Bebe au Lait nursing cover. I think I flashed my boob to every parent in the class as well as half of Piedmont walking by. It felt like it took two days to burp Nolan and get him to stop crying and then, I realized the wetness I felt on my arm was not sweat, but poop as Nolan had leaked out of his diaper and through his clothes. I had to change his entire outfit while trying to wrangle Emily over to the benches as they were trying to close Gymboree. I began to panic at this point because Nolan was rooting, searching for my breast as he wasn't yet full. Ugh. Once I got Nolan dressed, I laid him in his car seat, carried him in his carrier and the diaper bag to the car while shouting at Emily to "get to the car now!" and once I got Emily loaded, I nursed Nolan in the front seat of my car. It took an hour and a half to feed him, burp him, and get him comfortable enough to buckle into his car seat. Emily was so patient and quiet, God love her! We finally got home just after 7:00pm and to say I was exhausted and frustrated is an understatement. I'm just not a good public nurser, clearly. I don't think I'll be doing that again. I think I'll drop Emily off and get back home, letting David pick her up from now on, until Nolan is on a real schedule and I get better at breastfeeding in public. Oh! And Nolan has yellow gunk in his right eye. Great.
6/23 - The yellow gunk looked worse today so we took Nolan to the Pediatrician. He has an infection from a blocked tear duct. We got a Rx for eye drops we have to administer four times daily and it should clear up in about four days. Our Pediatrician also noticed that Nolan's belly button had a piece of the umbilical cord still attached and had some dried blood in it so, he put some silver nitrate on it to help dry it out and sterilize it. Before leaving, we discussed Nolan's struggles with gas and spit up and our Pediatrician concluded that he has reflux, not just a little gas, and encouraged us to continue giving him the Mylacon and doing all the things we are doing to reduce his discomfort. We tried the pacifier again today; once Nolan was full and was looking to nurse for comfort but began to scream in frustration when my milk let down, I removed him from my breast, swaddled him tight, and offered him the pacifier while swaying & bouncing him. He did calm down and did fall asleep but wouldn't have anything to do with the pacifier. At least I was able to comfort him down!
Nolan physically appears to be growing as all his newborn sleep 'n plays and pants are resembling capris, they are so short on him! :) His baby acne is coming back on his forehead (I smear his face with breast milk during feedings) and his little finger nails are so long I had to cut them today while he slept in my arms. He's sleeping as well as one could hope for though no real pattern at this point and he's happy to sleep in his swing, vibrating chair, and bassinet. We hold him the first ten minutes after he's drifted off to sleep before putting him down and he has yet to wake up unhappy. Nolan is still wearing size newborn Huggie's diapers and all of his newborn clothing (mostly Carter's brand) with fold-over mittens. We bathe him every three days, which he really seems to like! He's so much more alert these days, focusing on bright light fixtures, the sun coming through the windows, and on faces if you are close enough. He hasn't been swaddled in a week and a half but does love to be wrapped in a blanket and "tucked in" (a blanket laid over him and tucked around him while in his swing, bassinet, and vibrating chair) but always frees his arms and places them up around his face, just like Emily! :)
Reflecting on this past week was a bit harder emotionally for me because this was my first week alone; my mom went home and David returned to work three days a week:
6/17 - Today we had to say good-bye to my mom, talk about a rough day. I think we all cried! She's such a big help with everything in and around the house, is so loving and attentive to Emily and Nolan, but most of all she's the support and encouragement I needed to feel confident in my mothering abilities this second time around. We are all really going to miss her and can't wait to see her over Fourth of July! I think Nolan sensed she was gone because he only slept an hour at a time today and his witching hour lasted over six hours this evening; however, he did finally drift off to sleep at 11:00pm and slept four hours. He woke only to eat but I had to burp him for nearly two hours to ensure he was completely gas-free and comfortable before putting him back down to sleep another two and a half hours.
6/18 - Thankfully, Nolan napped in longer stretches during the day today: one two hour nap at 11:00am and a four hour nap at 2:30pm. I sure did need that break to take a nap myself and just enjoy some time when both of my hands were free. ;)
6/19 - Father's Day, David's first with two children and what a wonderful day it was! Nolan slept seven hours last night (a three hour stretch and a four hour stretch!) and napped one to three hours at a time during the day. I felt so rested, I let David leave home to go shopping for a few hours... dad's need time alone, too! Nolan seems to really enjoy diaper changes and even liked the bath I gave him today, although he really does hate to be cold. I think laying the bath sponge in our tub and me getting in with him would be better, we'll have to try this soon.
6/20 - Nolan's growth spurt from the last week must be coming to an end (yeah!) because Nolan slept Midnight - 3:30am and was only awake to eat and be burped for an hour before going back to sleep from 4:00-7:00am. During the day today, he napped from 9:30-11:30am, 1:00-3:30pm, and 4:30-7:00pm today. That's the most sleep he's had (and the most naps I've gotten!) to date. I've also noticed that his nursing sessions are down to only 8-12 minutes per side, rather than 20-25 minutes per side and he's not so frantic while eating. He's also burping more calmly and the spit up isn't as prevalent nor happening at every feeding.
6/21 - Nolan followed the exact same "schedule" over night and through the day day as yesterday, dare we get comfortable?!? I think not. ;) David and I are finally catching up and feeling less exhausted from his growth spurt last week, which feels like perfect timing because David returned to work today. My first day home with both kids and it went really well, especially because Nolan slept so much, giving me plenty of time alone with Emily. Because Nolan's gas and reflux isn't improving enough, after talking to our Pediatrician we've purchased Mylacon gas drops and started giving Nolan a dose just before every feeding, as soon as he's up from a nap. We are also bicycling his legs, applying warm wash cloths to his tummy, and burping him really well during each feeding as well as after each feeding. Fingers crossed he can get some relief soon.
6/22 - I'm not sure if Mylacon works that quickly or if today was a fluke but Nolan hasn't spit up at all today and he's not as upset after eating when he needs you to burp him. He also slept like a champion last night, from Midnight - 2:30am, 2:50-5:50am, and 6:30-8:30am. During the day today, he napped a solid two hours at each nap! Other big news today includes me getting Nolan into my Ergo all by myself! It was so nice to get outside with Emily and enjoy the sunshine especially because this afternoon was a near disaster! I had to get Nolan fed, burped, changed, and in his car seat AND get Emily in her car seat plus have the diaper bag packed as I had to take Emily to School Skills at 3:00pm by myself. It was the first time I've left home with both kids! All was well at first: Nolan slept the entire way there and through the class and of course, Emily had a blast with her friends. Then, at 5:15pm, 15 minutes before the end of the class, Nolan woke up and was starving. I had to nurse him in public, alone, for the first time. It was 88 degrees outside and Nolan and I were sweating while I nursed him under my Bebe au Lait nursing cover. I think I flashed my boob to every parent in the class as well as half of Piedmont walking by. It felt like it took two days to burp Nolan and get him to stop crying and then, I realized the wetness I felt on my arm was not sweat, but poop as Nolan had leaked out of his diaper and through his clothes. I had to change his entire outfit while trying to wrangle Emily over to the benches as they were trying to close Gymboree. I began to panic at this point because Nolan was rooting, searching for my breast as he wasn't yet full. Ugh. Once I got Nolan dressed, I laid him in his car seat, carried him in his carrier and the diaper bag to the car while shouting at Emily to "get to the car now!" and once I got Emily loaded, I nursed Nolan in the front seat of my car. It took an hour and a half to feed him, burp him, and get him comfortable enough to buckle into his car seat. Emily was so patient and quiet, God love her! We finally got home just after 7:00pm and to say I was exhausted and frustrated is an understatement. I'm just not a good public nurser, clearly. I don't think I'll be doing that again. I think I'll drop Emily off and get back home, letting David pick her up from now on, until Nolan is on a real schedule and I get better at breastfeeding in public. Oh! And Nolan has yellow gunk in his right eye. Great.
6/23 - The yellow gunk looked worse today so we took Nolan to the Pediatrician. He has an infection from a blocked tear duct. We got a Rx for eye drops we have to administer four times daily and it should clear up in about four days. Our Pediatrician also noticed that Nolan's belly button had a piece of the umbilical cord still attached and had some dried blood in it so, he put some silver nitrate on it to help dry it out and sterilize it. Before leaving, we discussed Nolan's struggles with gas and spit up and our Pediatrician concluded that he has reflux, not just a little gas, and encouraged us to continue giving him the Mylacon and doing all the things we are doing to reduce his discomfort. We tried the pacifier again today; once Nolan was full and was looking to nurse for comfort but began to scream in frustration when my milk let down, I removed him from my breast, swaddled him tight, and offered him the pacifier while swaying & bouncing him. He did calm down and did fall asleep but wouldn't have anything to do with the pacifier. At least I was able to comfort him down!
Aww, hang in there Mama! To practice nursing in public, I used my nursing cover and no nursing pillow when we had guests over instead of retreating to another room. This allows me to socialize while nursing and perfects the technique without the stress. Sounds like Emily is adjusting so well and is being an excellent big sister!
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