Pump It!

I never thought I’d be this excited about a breast pump – but I am! My breast pump came in the mail today! See, here’s the thing. I just thought that my boobs would produce milk naturally and I’d be able to feed Jack and the world would just be wonderful. Well, reality check, it doesn’t always happen like that. Without going into too much detail, I’m not producing a ton of milk, so we have to supplement with formula; however, I am committed to giving him as much breast milk as possible, because the benefits are so good for him, so pump about six times a day. The lactation consultant at Northside said part of the reason for the lack of breast milk may be that I didn’t get to breastfeed with the hour after Jack was born since he was in the transitions nursery. In fact, I didn’t even try to breastfeed Jack until he was almost 18 hours old. This is apparently a big no-no. You really should try to breastfeed in the first hour and every hour to two after that for the first day or so. The reason I didn’t was because, since the cord was wrapping around his neck, they had to overfeed him formula in the transitions nursery to make sure the cord didn’t do any damage with his swallowing and spitting up. Basically, they feed him between 30 – 60 ml (about 1 to 2 oz) and made him spit it up. He did great, but that also made him not want to nurse, which was a signal to my body that it didn’t need to produce milk. (It’s truly amazing the way a woman’s body works after having a baby.) ANYWAY, for the past six weeks, I’ve been renting the mother of all breast pumps from the hospital. This, by the way, is totally safe. It’s a special pump that is made for multiple users. You should never share a regular breast pump because your milk can be contaminated. I ordered my own pump over a week ago. It’s supposed to be a really good one (Medela Pump in Style) and it finally got here today. Isn’t it funny how, a year ago, a breast pump would have been the last thing I was excited about, but today, when the FedEx guy rang the doorbell, I jumped up and ran to the door like it was freaking Santa Claus! Oh man, I am OLD! :)

A precious gift

Part of Chris’s Father’s Day gift was a good night’s sleep. Honestly, I think it was his most favorite part of his gift. He went to bed just before midnight (which is normally his bedtime, even before we had a baby) and slept until 7:30. I’ve given him this “gift” three times since Jack’s been born. I take the baby downstairs and handle all late night feedings and diaper changes. It's amazing the difference in him on the days after those nights. I have said time and time again that staying home with Jack has been a lot more work than I expected. Amazingly awesome, but still, it is a lot. I definitely have a new appreciation for Stay at Home Moms and Dads; however, for those who work full-time and then come home every day and do it, too…well, WOW. Hats off to all of you! I am dreading going back to work in July for several reasons. Mostly because I don’t want to leave my baby, but there is a part of me that just wonders how in the heck we are going to do this! I’m exhausted staying home with him as it is and so is Chris. Of course, we aren’t the first parents that have gone through this and we won’t be the last, but still. Anyway, needless to say, Chris was very happy with his night o’ sleep. It’s amazing what a good, solid 8 hours will do for you!

We love Daddy!

I know Father’s Day is for the Dad’s, but I was really surprised about how important and special Father’s Day was to me this year. I was so excited when I woke up Sunday morning and not because I had any major plan. I was just thrilled to celebrate this day with Jackson and Christopher. It was a very low key day, with biscuits for breakfast and then packing up the car and heading to Vogel State Park for a picnic lunch. We had a great afternoon walking around the park and spending time together. It was a beautiful day and one day I know Chris and I will remember forever!

Shots hurt...even when you aren't the one getting them

Wednesday was Jack’s one month doctor’s appointment. He got a great checkup and lots of praise from our awesome pediatrician, Dr. Chastain. I absolutely love our pediatrician. I mean, almost as much as I love Kerianne at my OB. Anyone who really knows me knows that is a lot! Our baby weighs 9 lbs, 13oz and is 22 inches long. That is the 50^th percentile, which means he is an average baby – not overly big or small. He is already doing 2 month reflexes, which impressed Dr. Chastain. She said he was very alert and overall, she was very happy with his growth and development. Obviously, this made us very happy parents.

He did get a shot, which was more painful for me than him! All day, I thought I was going to cry, but when we got the appointment, I was totally fine. I thought I would be okay. But when he actually got the shot, and I saw his little face get bright red, I lost it. He only cried for a millisecond and then went right back to sleep, but it totally broke my heart. I didn’t realize how hard it would be to see him in pain. I know it was over quickly, but it still hurt – for both of us.

There's a reason they make the "Baby on Board" signs for your car...

I did some silly things when I was pregnant. See the blog posting from March. It’s called Baby Brain and I thought it would go away after Jackson was born. Well, guess what people – it doesn’t! In fact, it becomes something much more interesting: Mommy Brain! Mommy Brain is a combination of Baby Brain + Sleep Deprivation, which is just so much fun! Here’s a couple of the great things I have done with my newfound Mommy Brain:

1. I took a shower with my underwear on…the best part is that I knew something wasn’t right in the shower, but it actually took me about two minutes to realize what it was.

2. I wash a used disposable diaper. I had just changed Jack’s diaper first thing in the morning after Chris had left and I was getting up a load of Jack’s laundry. I remember picking up the diaper and thinking “I need to throw this away” but somehow it ended up in the washer. Luckily, it was a pee pee diaper and it showed me just how much Pampers can hold!

3. So, the other night, we had been out running errands and I was driving. It got too late for us to cook dinner (like 9PM), so we went to Chick-fil-a. Well, I’m sitting in line and I’m turning the lights on the car on and off because it just looks really dark outside. Chris says, “What are you doing?” I said, “I think there’s something wrong with the lights. I think they must be out because it’s so dark outside!” Chris then says, “Hey genius. You’ve still got your sunglasses on.”

The good news is that Mommy Brain doesn’t seem to cause you to do anything that would harm the baby. It’s just silly, stupid things that make for fun conversation! :)

Mr. Sandman, Bring Me a Dream

I have to say that we are pretty lucky when it comes to Baby Jack. He’s a good baby. Yes, he has his fussy times, but what baby doesn’t? Overall, he’s a good sleeper, eater, and pooper. You can’t beat that! But it IS hard getting used to new schedule of every three hours, which, of course, includes midnight, 3AM and 6AM – times that I am not used to at all. I’m trying to sleep as much as possible during the day (when he sleeps), but that’s not always easy.

If I had to give one piece of advice to any parent-to-be, it would have to be sleep all you can now because it definitely is a thing of past and a luxury. The funny thing is I really can’t remember what day-to-day life was like without Jackson, but the one thing I can remember is sleep!

All By Myself

Today is my first day going solo. Chris went back to work today, so it’s just me and Jack. Chris has been such an amazing help the last three weeks that I was nervous about today, but so far, so good! Right now, Jackson is snoozing away in his pack and play, which normally would mean I would be napping, but right now is Riley and Bella time. The poor puppies have been getting the cold shoulder since Baby Jack’s arrival. The fact that Jack is in the pack and play is kind of a big deal for me. I've been a little, shall we say, hovering around him. I thought I'd be a badass and this kid would be sleeping in his crib within a week or two. Yeah, no. He sleeps at night in the bassinet which is literally right next to our bed. During the day, he's been on his boppy or giraffe mat so I could see him and keep him close. But today, I put him in the pack and play so I could let the dogs out for a bit. I am pretty proud of myself right now! I am hoping to get into a better schedule, which would include time for the dogs and regular naps so that I can plan out my day a little better. I never realized how much work one little person can be! It seems there is always something for him – a diaper to be changed, or he’s hungry, or there’s laundry to be done (his, not mine) – and then there’s the normal house stuff – playing with the dogs, dishes, laundry. And here I am playing on the computer. Oh well – everyone needs a break every now and then!