Claire slept in her crib for the first time the other night... I thought it might be a struggle since she had been sleeping in the rock-n-play sleeper for so long, but she didn't mind it at all. Now if I could just convince myself to turn off the audio on the baby monitor, I might be able to sleep through all the false wake-ups where she squeals and then immediately falls back asleep.
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Nickname of the Day - Hungry Hungry Hippo This child eats constantly! When she's hungry, she'll beat her face on the chest and shoulder of whomever's holding her, or she'll open and close her mouth like a baby bird... We had Claire's newborn photo shoot last Sunday with Elizabeth Ann Photography. It lasted about 2.5 hours! She was pretty fidgety and it took a lot of soothing to get her to go to sleep so we could get some pictures without her hands and feet flailing everywhere. Luckily we were able to get a couple at the beginning of her with her eyes open before she finally fell asleep! Click here to go to the gallery... password is Clair (yes, that's an incorrect spelling of her name). Enjoy!
Food Coma
We took Claire to her first doctor's appointment on Monday... as we suspected, it seems that my milk has not fully come in yet and Claire wasn't getting enough to eat. That's why she was sleeping all day and crying all night. I had an appointment with a lactation consultant at the hospital that same day and they put me on a plan to breastfeed her, and then supplement with formula while also pumping for some time after each feeding to try to increase my milk supply. She had another doctor appointment today and she gained 4 ounces in two days. She's a much happier baby now -- she actually has awake time where she's just 'awake' and not screaming and she let me sleep for 3 hours last night. Diaper changes are now mostly drama-free, though that seems like a limited time offer, so you really have to get it done while the gettin's good. Born on June 27, 2013 at 11:03 am 7 lbs, 7 oz 20 inches long Claire's Birth Story I woke up on Wednesday at 2 am with something that felt like mild contractions every 15 or so minutes. They weren't bad, but sleeping through them was impossible so I got up and played on the computer for the rest of the night. By morning, they were still going and I decided that I wasn't going to work just in case this was going to turn out to be the real deal.
My doctor did not want to let me go past 41 weeks because of my age, and Wednesday was 40 weeks and 3 days, so it was time to get the show on the road. I had an doctor appointment and a chiropractor appointment already scheduled for that day. At the chiropractor, he did some pressure points (OUCH) that are known to induce labor in the right circumstances. But my contractions had stopped before I even got to my appointment. At the doctor appointment they stripped my membranes which is where they separate the membrane that connects the amniotic sac to the wall of the uterus. This is also supposed to be a good way to induce labor. Eventually in the evening, the contractions came back, every 15 minutes, every 10 minutes, but still not very strong, but strong enough to be annoying. I went to bed early and defeated. At 11:00, Kevin went to bed and I got up because I couldn't sleep anyway. They say early labor can last several days and I was not looking forward to not sleeping for days only to have to induce labor at the end of it all. I sat down down and started playing on the computer and the contractions started coming quicker. I called the OB Triage line at the hospital and explained what was going on and they said to come in and get checked. I woke Kevin up (he had JUST gotten to sleep), and we arrived at the hospital at midnight. 5 hours later, I was still in OB Triage, writhing around on the little gurney bed hooked up to monitors, waiting for them to decide whether to admit me or send me home. The contractions were getting a lot stronger and a couple minutes apart, but my cervix wasn't dilating much. Luckily they decided to admit me, and I finally called my doula. My plan was to try to go natural, but leave my options open. They let me labor in the jacuzzi tub for a while, and then I spent the next hour dancing a very bad merengue around my room. I was in good spirits and telling stories to my doula between contractions. I was dilated to about 7.5 when I decided I wanted the epidural (one of the best decisions I have ever made.) They made it so that I could still move my legs and I could feel everything that was going on, minus the pain. The baby had retreated a little backwards from where she was earlier in the day at the Dr. office, so I chose to wait for a couple hours and see if she would descend any further. When she didn't, we decided to just push her out -- and less than an hour later, she was coming into the world screaming bloody murder. Wow, that kid has some lungs! Kevin cut the cord, they stitched me up and left the three of us together for a while to bond. Momma and baby are doing great, though she's on an opposite sleep schedule from everyone else. She has the bluest eyes, but we don't get to see them very often because she sleeps most of the time and when she's not sleeping, she's screaming. Hopefully will get some hints from the pediatrician tomorrow! Two weeks ago, I was begging her to stay put through the Black Forest fire, but now that the danger has passed (and so has my due date... well, almost) I'm ready for her to come out. I keep taking her up to the nursery and saying "Don't you want to see your pretty room?" haha. She's not having any of it, she's pretty comfy in there. So, we wait. I have another doctor appointment on Wednesday and then will probably find out when they are going to serve her the Eviction Notice.
Until then, we continue to tidy up the house, putting everything away from our fire evacuation scare. Kevin got some new lights to install in the basement (pics of the basement to come at some point, we've had some work done down there!) My mom flies in tomorrow for three weeks to help us out... we need all the help we can get! Come out little baby, we're all waiting for you!! |
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