Sleepy Head

I don't expect this to happen every night, BUT, Diego slept from 10 pm until 5:15 am last night! I, of course, woke up at 3:30 waiting for him to wake up, then panicking when he didn't. Don't ask me why, but I even contemplated waking him up! He slept so good and after he ate at 5:15 he even went back to sleep for an hour so Momma could get a little more sleep!

Feeding the baby while Grocery Shopping

We went grocery shopping a few days ago, to Costco and Wal-mart. Diego slept most of the time, but when we went into Wal-mart he woke up crying. I knew he was hungry and tried to feed him in his carseat while we wandered through the store, but he just didn't like it. So, I took him out of his seat and carried him to feed him. So many people commented on how cute he is! It's not that easy to feed a baby a bottle and walk around the grocery store! He was definitely happy though, and obviously relaxed because as we walked around he filled his diaper LOUDLY! LOL! With a little food and a diaper change, he went right back to sleep!

Sick!

My little man is sick, already! Diego started coughing and sounding a little stuffed up a few days ago and I started to worry. I called the pediatrician on Tuesday morning, because his cough sounded a little phlegmy (is that a word?). I took him in and they told me he is ok, but he does have some little virus, and unfortunately, virus = they can't do much for him. The good news, he hasn't had a fever! Do you know how heart wrenching it is to hear a 1 month old baby cough? It's terrible! I just keep wishing it had been me who got sick and not him. Eddie had the same symptoms about a week ago, so I'm sure this is where Diego got it. We bought a humidifier and used it last night, and it seemed to really help him. So, hopefully with some extra rest and the humidifier he'll be feeling better in no time!

We Survived

This is a little late, but last week Eddie had to leave Diego and I and attend in-service training work for 5 days. I was a little nervous about being "on my own" but it turned out great! I wasn't actually on my own...my WONDERFUL Aunt Tonia took excellent care of Diego and I. She came and visited every day, bearing gifts and good food, she is so thoughtful and caring. She has three kids of her own and leads a very busy life, but somehow made time to come and visit us every day. We miss her this week! Rachel came and visited two mornings, too. She would have been over every day, but she got sick early in the week. :( She also came bearing gifts and wonderful food...who could ask for more from a visitor right? She made wonderful homemade macaroni and cheese and yummy banana bread!

Eddie missed our precious little guy though, he called every day to see how things were going! Each evening when he came home, the first thing he did was greet Diego, it was so sweet!

He Smiled at Me!

Yesterday, for the first time, Diego smiled at me while he was awake! He's been smiling in his sleep since birth, but yesterday while I was changing his diaper and talking to him he smiled!! I know its involuntary, but it was just so darn cute! Some friends of ours were over last night and just as they were leaving I was taking to Diego again while he was on my lap and he smiled really big and they were able to see it too! I haven't been able to capture it on camera yet, but hope to very soon!

Mommy and Baby Outing!

Today, Diego and I had our first outing on our own. I was really scared. I haven't taken him in the car by myself and when Eddie and I have gone anywhere I've ridden in the back seat with him, so it was hard for me to not be able to see him while I was driving. I made the long trip to Target (right up the street from us) and when I pulled out of the garage he was screaming and I wanted to just pull right back into the garage and stay home, but I knew I needed to do it. For him and for myself. So, I pressed on and he was sleeping about a 1/2 mile from the house. I had never even put the carseat in or taken it out of the car on my own, so doing everything myself was sort of liberating. I had to tell myself, "you can do this Meghan." I don't know why going places with him has been so hard for me. I could just stay home all the time and be perfectly content, people could just come see me here. I know, I know, who wants to be a shut in, right? NOT ME! So, now I know I can take my child out places and its not a disaster. I'm not sure why I was so scared to do it, but I'm sure glad I did. We've been home from the hospital for almost 3 weeks now!

Breastmilk vs Formula

I've been pumping and feeding Diego breastmilk, but the pumping is really hard! I pump at least 8 times a day, which really cuts down on the time I can hold my baby. I want to stop pumping, or at least pump less so I can hold him and enjoy him more, but I am feeling guilty about giving him formula. Will he be missing out on antibodies to prevent illness? Will the formula upset his little tummy? Am I selfish for wanting to stop pumping? I still wish I could have actually breastfed him, and some have tried to convince me its not too late to try, but I just can't do it. I actually tried for a minute yesterday, but he got upset really quickly just like he had done before and I'm not willing to make the little guy fight for his food. It would be a lot easier to just feed him formula, but I'm going to try a few things before I switch over. I read an article in a La Leche League publication about a woman who pumped and fed her son her milk in a bottle for 6 months and only pumped 5 times a day. 5 times a day is manageable. I feel like pumping 5 times a day doesn't make it too hard to go places or hard to have people come over. This woman was able to pump 40 oz in those 5 sessions and keep up with her sons demand. I am going to strive for that, but if it doesn't work I may have to slowly switch Diego over to formula.

There is so much upheaval about the benefits of breastmilk vs formula, but I just don't know. I know several kids who were never breastfed and who never get sick. And I know several kids who were breastfed and get sick all the time. I really want what's best for my son (what Mother doesn't?) but finding the right balance without guilt is really hard for me. I really wish babies came with an instruction manual!!

Bath Time & Diapers!

Today I gave Diego his first bath in his little bathtub. He HATED it! He cried the whole time, so I was quick. He was probably in the water for 3-4 minutes max. He cried so hard, I felt so bad! I have given him sponge baths until now, and I think I'll go back to them for a while. Maybe in a few weeks he'll enjoy the bath a little more.

In the middle of the night last night, I we switched to size 1 diapers! The newborn size are good up to 10 pounds and since Diego is just about there, I decided he didn't need to squeeze into them anymore. The size 1's are a little big, but probably more comfortable for him. I remember when the newborn size were a little roomy for him, as of yesterday he had no extra room at all!!

2 Week Check Up

On March 11th, Diego had his 2 week check up with his pediatrician. He is already 9 lbs 15 ounces and 22 1/2 inches long! This means he's gained 1 lb 3 1/2 ounces and grown 2 inches since birth...he's a big boy! We really like the pediatrician we chose for Diego, her name is Dr. Melanie Ronai and she is very sweet, kind and gentle with Diego. I had a hard time because they had to poke his little heel and get some blood for a 2nd PKU test today, so not only did they poke his heel, they had to squeeze it to get the blood out. AND, when they measured him I had to hold his head while the assistant stretched his poor little leg to get a good measurement. He cried, and so did I. What am I going to do when he has to get shots in 6 weeks? I just hate seeing my little guy cry, for any reason.

The things you learn as new parents...

We have learned several new things since we came home from the hospital with Diego:

1. People aren't lying when they tell you sleep is a thing of the past! The first few nights I think Diego might have slept better if I wasn't constantly checking to make sure he was still breathing! He does sleep longer stretches at night now, the longest is 5 1/2 hours, woo hoo!!

2. Did you know babies can poop and pee projectile? We've been peed on several times, but the poop, well, our 2nd day home he pooped with such force while I was changing his diaper that it shot to the closet, which is about 3 feet away from the changing table. All I could do was laugh and call for Eddie to come in and see!!

3. Babies do really cute things. Diego does this adorable little sneeze thing, and I wish I could catch it on video, but I haven't been able to. He sneezes a lot, but sometimes he goes to sneeze and doesn't, and instead makes this really adorable little "ooohhh" sound, Eddie and I both just love it!

4. Its ok if the umbilical cord stump falls off when the baby is only a week old. Diego's umbilical cord stump fell off when he was 7 days old and I freaked! I called the family birthing center (since it was a weekend and I didn't want to bother the pediatrician) to make sure it wasn't too early. I had it in my head that it would take weeks for the thing to fall of and I was convinced I had been too rough with him and it pulled off. The birthing center nurse put my mind at ease. As long as his belly button wasn't bleeding or oozing, it was fine. So, now little Diego has a regular belly button.

5. Not every baby likes to sleep in a bassinet. The first few nights we were home we couldn't figure out why Diego would fall asleep in our arms and once we put him in his bassinet he would wake up after about 15 minutes. I finally decided it was too isolated in there and he wanted to be close to us. We bought a little bed for him that fits in our bed between our heads, so he is far away from our pillows and blankets...it was the BEST $40 we ever spent. He sleeps MUCH better now!

6. Showering is a luxury once you bring home a baby.

7. Cleaning the house no longer matters.

Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding started off ok in the hospital, however, once Diego had to be placed under the lights for his jaundice it got a little rocky. Pooping and Peeing are how the body gets rid of the bilirubin, so the doctors and nurses were really concerned with his eating and making sure he got enough to eat to rid his body of the substance. They had to supplement my feedings with formula, which we did not object to at all, but once he tried the bottle it was a little difficult to get him back to nurse. He was also given a pacifier while he was under the lights, to soothe him which may have played a part in my difficulty breastfeeding. We have no regrets or complaints about how things were handled in the hospital, not one. We wanted our son to have enough to eat to get rid of the bilirubin, and the last thing we wanted was for him to be upset under the ligths when we couldn't soothe him ourselves. I continued to try and breastfeed Diego while we were in the hospital and some feedings were better than others. The nurses were really helpful. When we left the hospital, this was my main concern. Our first night home we did some formula supplementing and the next day went to see the lactation specialist. They were very positive and helpful and our first goal was to get Diego off formula and within 1 day we were successful! But then the fighting began. Each time I tried to nurse he would fight me. Sometimes he would eventually latch on, but other times he would just get really upset and only take the milk from a bottle. After 3 more visits to the lactation specialist and a lot of fighting, I was done. I didn't think my sweet little boy should have to fight to get food, so I decided to pump and give him breastmilk in a bottle. Things have been much more peaceful around mealtime for him now, no more getting upset...unless he gets too hungry before the bottle reaches his mouth. :)

BiliLights and Lungs

When Diego was 24 hours old, the nurses in the nursery began to think he looked a little jaundiced. They ran a blood test to see what his level of bilirubin was, and it came back a little high. Diego and I had a blood incompatibility, he is B+ and I am O-, which means that my blood attacked his and started breaking down the red blood cells in his body, causing the jaundice. The pediatrician came in to let me know what was going on and that Diego would need to be under the bililights (phototherapy) for at least 24 hours to help rid his body of the bilirubin and clear up the jaundice. I was immediately devastated. My baby could no longer be in my room and the only time I could hold him was when it was time to feed him. I cried and held him as long as I could, until they told me it was time for him to get under the lights. The other thing this meant was that he probably would not be discharged at the same time as I was, but there was no way I was leaving the hospital without my baby. Fortunately, Silverton Hospital allows Moms to stay in the hospital and "room in" while their babies still receive treatment. The only difference would be they would not be giving me pain medication any longer. I was able to stay in my roomy delivery room and everything. So, Diego was placed under the lights and every 3 hours I got to hold my precious baby and feed him, but then had to let them put him back under the lights. The poor little guy had to wear a mask to protect his eyes under the lights and he got so upset every time they put it on him, it just broke our hearts. I had to go to my room to sleep, which was really hard for me to leave him there. After 12 hours, they tested his bilirubin level and again and it had dropped, yay! 12 more hours and another check and it had dropped enough for him to come off the phototherapy lights! He got to come back to our room, but needed to stay in the hospital for at least another 24 hours so they could be sure the bilirubin level wouldn't spike back up. They checked the levels again in 12 hours, still great! Again in another 12 hours and still great!

The first night he was able to be back in our room with us, the nurses were concerned with his breathing...it was a little bit rapid. They checked it at each feeding and informed the on-call pediatrician, who checked him our last morning at the hospital. Other than the rapid breathing, they couldn't find anything else...he was getting enough oxygen and everything. The pediatrician called up to a neo-natal specialist at OHSU to consult and he suggested a chest x-ray just for good measure to make sure everything was ok. The chest x-ray showed some irregularity in Diego's lungs, but nothing they were concerned about. They gave us some tips on what to watch for in case his breathing became labored for him, and said we could take him home! I'll admit it, I was scared to go home. I was scared we wouldn't know how to take care of our baby. I cried the whole car ride home. Once we got home, all I could do was hold my precious new baby and just stare off into space. After about an hour, I finally relaxed and we settled in.

Labor & Delivery

I went into labor on Saturday, February 23rd at 4 am. It started with mild, cramp like contractions every 10 minutes or so. I told Eddie he should probably stay home that day, as I was pretty sure this was labor. I called my doctor and he said to come into the hospital when the contractions were 3 to 4 minutes apart. So, I layed down in bed and tried to rest while watching movies. Eddie took a nap, which was good because I wanted him to be as rested as possible. The contractions steadily increased in intensity and were more frequent. I soon realized that trying to go potty made me have really bad contractions, one lasted almost 10 minutes. I tried to get through them by breathing and/or walking around the house. By about 4 pm they were about 5 minutes apart and more intense than I could handle. I called Dr Dalisky again and told him I really wanted to come in now, and he said ok. I could tell Eddie was really nervous as we loaded the car with the hospital bag and drove to Silverton to the hospital. He drove pretty fast, which was good because just getting into the car made me have a really intense contraction and I had at least 3 more before we arrived at the hospital. We arrived at the hospital at about 4:30 and my Mom was there to meet us. Do you believe they actually make you fill out paperwork? I had to stand there and try to read some papers and sign them while I was still having contractions!! I asked for my epidural while I stood there!! Finally, Dr Dalisky checked me and I was dilated to a 4, which meant I got to stay and I could have my epidural. I was relocated to a labor room and a few short minutes later, the anestesiologist came in to give me the epidural...woo hoo!! I knew I wanted an epidural the whole time I was pregnant, but that didn't mean I wasn't a little scared of having a needle go in my spine...by this time, I forgot about the fear and it was great! There was no pain or discomfort while the catheter was inserted into my back. Funny thing though, when he pushed on my back to find the right spot, my water broke! The medication kicked in really quickly and I became a much happier in-labor Meghan. By this time Tonia and Erica were there too, and Rachel and Sawyer came for a quick visit! I no longer felt any pain, but did panic a little when my left leg started to lose its numbness after an hour, so I got another boost of medication! I was SO hungry, but they don't let you eat until after baby arrives, except popsicles, jello or fluids. I asked for a popsicle and at half of it, then immediately started to feel nauseated. A few minutes later I puked all over myself! I even had a barf bag and tried to throw up in that, but because of the angle I was laying, it just spilled everywhere! YUCK! After that I decided no more food, only water! My Mom, Erica and Tonia were in it for the long haul and left to go get more comfortable clothes. Max even came in at midnight with a book and an energy drink! Eddie never left my side, the while time and was very encouraging. I wanted him to eat because I knew he would get really cranky if he didn't, but he felt so bad after I threw up that he wouldn't do it. The nurses kept checking me and I had to have my water broken again by Dr Dalisky and I wasn't fully dilated until after 3 am. Finally, I got to start pushing. Eddie was such a trooper, still not leaving my side except to use the restroom and giving me sips of water whenever I asked. I caught him snoozing a few times in between pushes, and it brought a smile to my face...he never complained, not once. He just kept telling me what a good job I was doing! After about an hour of pushing I had Eddie bring me my iPod to listen to for a little motivation. I had created a special playlist titled "labor" with songs I thought would be motivating. I couldn't keep the headphones in my ears, so finally I cranked the volume and everyone could hear it. Dr Dalisky finally asked what I was listening to and just laughed when I told him it was Honkytonk Badonkadonk! I got a 102 degree fever during labor and had to have antibiotics to prevent any infection to the baby, but the pharmacy at the hospital didn't cooperate and I didn't receive the antibiotics until after the baby was born. Luckily, he did not receive any infections. By 4 am, still pushing and still no baby, 5, 6, 7, finally at a little after 8, after 5 full hours of pushing, Dr Dalisky offered to help get the baby out with forcepts. I was really scared at first, not knowing if this would hurt the baby, but I was reassured and Eddie and I agreed it was time for our baby to come into this world! Not only that, about an hour prior to this the epidural medication machine had begun to beep loudly because the medication was running out, and they wouldn't give me any more! They began setting up the room to deliver the baby and at 8:55 am on Sunday, February 24th, 2008 our Diego came into this world! He was 8 lbs 11.5 ounces and 20.5 inches long. They immediately put him on my chest and Eddie and I both cried. He was SO BEAUTIFUL! Earlier, Eddie had joked with Tonia, Erica and Mom about telling Dr Dalisky he didn't want to cut the umbilical cord but that he wanted to bite it, but never really intended on telling him that. Well, when it came time to cut the cord, Dr Dalisky said to him, "A real man would bite this cord." We all erupted in laughter! Someone had tipped off the doc! Our baby was just absolutely gorgeous! Eddie then went to the waiting room and gave everyone the good news, Its a boy! It took us a few hours to decide on the name, but we decided on Diego Samuel Diaz and it fits him perfectly!

My first thought after delivery? What can I eat?? And I scarfed down scrambled eggs and toast! I hadn't eaten in over 24 hours and I was STARVING! All things considered, the labor and delivery of our baby was a very pleasant experience for us. The time flew by, the pain is forgotten and we have a beautiful baby boy!