Saturday, February 28, 2009
Snow & Sun
Thursday surprised us with a snowstorm that left 5-6 inches on the ground. It cleared up the next day and Conan and I went outside and walked around a bit. He is really enjoying the Baby Bjorn carrier that we got from Nick & Tombi because he can face out in it. He is very interested in the world!
Friday, February 27, 2009
Grandma Time!
Grandma Anita came out yesterday and spent the day with Conan. They had a lot of fun together, playing with toys and going for a walk outside to look at the ducks among other things.
It was great to have Conan taken care of while we did some serious housecleaning in preparation for going back to work. Hopefully the clean will last a while, because time available for chores is about to get really scarce!
It was great to have Conan taken care of while we did some serious housecleaning in preparation for going back to work. Hopefully the clean will last a while, because time available for chores is about to get really scarce!
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Eight Ounces
Yesterday we got some good news: Conan gained eight ounces in the last week! He's now up to 11 lbs 3 oz. This is a big deal, as he had not gained any weight at all between Feb 5th and the 17th. It seems my milk supply was not keeping pace with the needs of a growing baby with a Mapes metabolism.
Our new pediatrician, the wonderful Dr. Floyd, had prescribed me a medication to help increase my milk supply, but unfortunately I had a serious reaction to it and had to stop taking it just when it seemed to be starting to work. So last week we started offering Conan formula in a bottle twice a day after he nursed, and it seems to have really helped get him back on track. He'll take 2-4 oz. of it each time, he's a hungry little guy. Now that we've seen the results, we're going to start offering the bottle at every feeding. I'm a little sad that he won't be 100% breastfed, but it's way more important to me that he gets the nutrition he needs to grow up big and strong. And he'll still get all the antibodies and other good stuff from the breastmilk. In addition, we're hoping that he will start sleeping better and not be as fussy, now that he'll have a full tummy.
I have been surprised at every step of the reproductive process at how hard it really is. Getting pregnant, being pregnant, giving birth, dealing with a newborn, and lactating have all presented unexpected challenges. (I can't help but wonder if I might have had an easier time if I'd done it ten years ago.) Breastfeeding was something I expected to be really easy - I am a mama mammal, so by definition my baby and I should be able to do it, right? But my milk took a long time to come in (we were supplimenting with formula from a small tube (SNS) for the first several weeks of Conan's life), and then when it finally did come it was extremely painful. It took several weeks of suffering to get Conan trained in making a good latch, as he had a tendency to "bite" or clamp my nipple hard with his gums. I had some trouble with blocked ducts, not to mention cracked, chapped, and bleeding nipples. So it was really disappointing to realize that just when we had gotten the mechanics down that my milk production was insufficient. Sigh. But when we weighed him yesterday and saw how much weight he had gained, all my reservations about using the formula just disappeared. It feels so good to know he's getting enough to eat, that's all that matters. :)
Our new pediatrician, the wonderful Dr. Floyd, had prescribed me a medication to help increase my milk supply, but unfortunately I had a serious reaction to it and had to stop taking it just when it seemed to be starting to work. So last week we started offering Conan formula in a bottle twice a day after he nursed, and it seems to have really helped get him back on track. He'll take 2-4 oz. of it each time, he's a hungry little guy. Now that we've seen the results, we're going to start offering the bottle at every feeding. I'm a little sad that he won't be 100% breastfed, but it's way more important to me that he gets the nutrition he needs to grow up big and strong. And he'll still get all the antibodies and other good stuff from the breastmilk. In addition, we're hoping that he will start sleeping better and not be as fussy, now that he'll have a full tummy.
I have been surprised at every step of the reproductive process at how hard it really is. Getting pregnant, being pregnant, giving birth, dealing with a newborn, and lactating have all presented unexpected challenges. (I can't help but wonder if I might have had an easier time if I'd done it ten years ago.) Breastfeeding was something I expected to be really easy - I am a mama mammal, so by definition my baby and I should be able to do it, right? But my milk took a long time to come in (we were supplimenting with formula from a small tube (SNS) for the first several weeks of Conan's life), and then when it finally did come it was extremely painful. It took several weeks of suffering to get Conan trained in making a good latch, as he had a tendency to "bite" or clamp my nipple hard with his gums. I had some trouble with blocked ducts, not to mention cracked, chapped, and bleeding nipples. So it was really disappointing to realize that just when we had gotten the mechanics down that my milk production was insufficient. Sigh. But when we weighed him yesterday and saw how much weight he had gained, all my reservations about using the formula just disappeared. It feels so good to know he's getting enough to eat, that's all that matters. :)
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Bath Hatin'
Conan hates baths. It's a little better now that we wised up and took the newborn sling out of his Fun Time Froggy Bathtub (aka the baby torture device) but he still doesn't like being put in the water. We carefully fill the tub with just the right temperature and amount of water, line it with a towel to make it softer, and gently lower him into it, but he screams & struggles the whole time. He arches his back, pushes off with his legs, and flails his arms and head. It's not unlike trying to put a cat in a bathtub. It's a two person job - one to hold him in place, and one to actually wash him. One of our baby care books says 3-4 baths a week "is probably sufficient" since babies don't really get dirty, but we can only really stand to give him one quick bath a week. Luckily he doesn't seem to hold grudges...
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Seven!
Yesterday was a big day, we went into town in the afternoon for Gabe's & Charlotte's birthdays. We went bowling and then to Casa - two big "firsts" for Conan. And then... Conan slept for SEVEN hours straight last night!
He slept through from 8 pm to 3 am. I couldn't beleive it at first when I woke up and looked at the clock, but the engorgement assured me it was real. He woke up one more time before morning, and then when he woke up at 7 this morning he just happily played in his bed and let me sleep in for another half hour, then was all smiles when I got him up to change his diaper. I can't even begin to describe how good I feel today after such a good night. I'm sure it won't happen again for a long time, but that's OK. For the last week, he's consistantly slept 5 hours straight from 8-ish to 1-ish, and it's nice to feel like we're starting to have a schedule. Although if he wants to oversleep for his 1 am feeding, he can do so anytime!
He slept through from 8 pm to 3 am. I couldn't beleive it at first when I woke up and looked at the clock, but the engorgement assured me it was real. He woke up one more time before morning, and then when he woke up at 7 this morning he just happily played in his bed and let me sleep in for another half hour, then was all smiles when I got him up to change his diaper. I can't even begin to describe how good I feel today after such a good night. I'm sure it won't happen again for a long time, but that's OK. For the last week, he's consistantly slept 5 hours straight from 8-ish to 1-ish, and it's nice to feel like we're starting to have a schedule. Although if he wants to oversleep for his 1 am feeding, he can do so anytime!
Friday, February 13, 2009
Over the Mountains & Through the Woods...
To Grandma and Grandpa Pobst's house we went!
It was Conan's first overnight trip, and he did very well. We were worried that he might not like to sleep in a strange place, but he didn't seem to mind at all. The car ride was a little long, we had to stop and feed him about halfway through the trip both coming and going. He had a blast playing with Grandma and Grandpa, and they sure enjoyed his big smiles.
It was Conan's first overnight trip, and he did very well. We were worried that he might not like to sleep in a strange place, but he didn't seem to mind at all. The car ride was a little long, we had to stop and feed him about halfway through the trip both coming and going. He had a blast playing with Grandma and Grandpa, and they sure enjoyed his big smiles.
Monday, February 09, 2009
Toy Smackin'
Fun fun fun! 
Conan can entertain himself smacking the hanging toys on his baby gym for 10-20 minutes at a time. Which doesn't sound like much but it's about a decade in baby time. Best $9 I ever spent!
Conan can entertain himself smacking the hanging toys on his baby gym for 10-20 minutes at a time. Which doesn't sound like much but it's about a decade in baby time. Best $9 I ever spent!
Sunday, February 01, 2009
Seven-Week Smiles
He's getting really good at flashing us big ol' grins like this one - he's been working on it for a couple of weeks now. They sure do melt my heart.
He's seven weeks old now. Time sure has flown, I can't beleive I only have 4 more weeks of maternity leave! Three months off sounded like such looooong time last summer, but now that I'm here it seems pretty short. I can't really imgine trying to get back to work on the amount of sleep I'm getting right now - yikes. Hopefully that's going to really improve in the next month...
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