Sunday, July 13, 2008

we have lift off

we made it home from the hospital!! didn't get out until near 7 i suppose. our pediatrician suggested checking for jaundice and so we had to wait for that test result. he came back 7.5 which i guess is low-risk so we got to leave!! yipee!!

the drive back was uneventful. we let him use a pacifier though many breastfeed people advise against it. our little sam likes to suck on everything though so the pacifier has not yet been a problem!

upon arrival to the house things got a little overwhelming! with the controlled environment of the hospital gone it was like we'd brought home a different baby! instead of our quiet calm little bundle who was easily soothed by an extra swaddle or a warming next to mom's skin, we got a fidgety crier who couldn't tell us what was wrong!! really what we found out is that our super hot humid non-air conditioned house is a wee bit different to the little one's skin and comfort level than the hospital air. it took mom and dad an awful long time to realize the little one simply didn't want to wear that hat in this crazy heat! dad also got a second window air conditioner in the bedroom, so little one is well on his way to comfort. (thanks to our friend nate for the air conditioner!! it's a life saver!)

things got a lot better after that, we all got a little bit of a nap. big news is that my milk is coming in (that's fairly quickly so great news!). not being able to breastfeed has been one of my main worries during all of this. when the milk started to come in it made me a little uncomfortable and has changed feedings a bit. right now we seem to be feeding more frequently, using one breast per feeding and alternating per feeding. don't know if this is what he needs or prefers, but at least it seems that i am then able to provide something to calm him when things get rocky and we can start to establish new routines for our new home. he is feeding well though! we struggle a bit to get a good latch on sometimes, but seem to have success nonetheless. upon arriving home we have had two diaper changes, some spit up, a burp -- life is good! we are still of course spending lots of time trying to figure out what his signals mean, and he is sleeping much less than he did at the hospital. hmmm. it will take us some time but mom and dad are in good spirits now.

things still hurt a fair amount, and i'm still swollen as can be, but i'm pretty much on topical pain treatment and some tylenol. not bad.

and the dogs are doing great! mabel senses my tension easily and gives space if things feel wacky, clyde is just too excited to really meet the little one. he sticks his nose through the slots of the crib to get another smell. both dogs have gotten to sniff the new addition, and we aren't seeing any jealousy or weird reactions yet -- just excitement.

more later...

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Sounds about 'normal', things are going well for you. I experienced that whenever our babies were taken to a new place, i.e. Grandma's, they didn't sleep too well. Once he figures out that Mom and Dad are still there he will be fine. I love you guys, wish I were there. But then you'd be nervous that you were bothering me! --Grandma Nemec