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MrsFord's Pregnancy
My Due Date: November 4, 2017I have given birth!
Age: 40 years old
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Easton’s first 2 weeks of life!
By MrsFord » Posted Oct. 25, 2017 1:27pm - 385 views - 0 comments
Well, it’s been 2 weeks since our beautiful boy entered this world 3 weeks early. He is amazing and I love our new life. The first week of his life was pretty rough. We ended up having to stay in the hospital for 5 nights after he was born. He developed jaundice and had to spend a night under the lights. He wouldn’t sleep in the bassinet though so hubby or I had to be holding him st all times for the 24 hours. We did shifts of holding him under the lights to correspond with feedings. We had to wake him up to feed every 2-2.5 hours as he was so lethargic from the jaundice that he wouldn’t wake to feed himself and wouldn’t stay awake during feeds. He also lost more than 10% of his birth weight and my milk was not coming in very well due to the early delivery and my body not being ready on its own. The paediatrician recommended we “top up” with formula or donor milk (our hospital had a donor milk program). Hubby and I opted for the donor milk. That was a horribly hard decision as a new mother... not being able to make enough milk to help my sick baby and decided to supplement him with another mother’s milk... it made me feel like a failure... it was rough. The last 3 days in the hospital was putting him on my breast (he latched like a pro) to feed him and stimulate me as best as possible to try and bring in my milk, then hubby would feed him a donor milk bottle while I pumped (and next to nothing would come up)... I cried when I finally got 20cc to feed him as a top up instead of the donor milk. We were finally discharged on oct 15 after his bilirubin levels were down and his weight went up 30g. We had to return to the hospital everyday until the 19th for more bloodwork (which is horrible to watch be done) and weigh ins. He lost the weight he had gained the first night at home and then gained it back the following night.... he was still not gaining enough so the paediatrician put him on a formula top up and prescribed me a pill to up my milk production. We finally got the ok on the 19th to stop coming in everyday. I took him to the health clinic in Monday to weigh him and he was back up to 7lbs 8oz... I expect he will be at birth weight today when I go to weigh him. We are still topping up with 1 oz of formula if needed (I’m also trying to pump after feeds and am able to top up with pumped milk instead of the formula if he needs it). He feeds for about an hour every 2 hours... he pretty much won’t sleep anywhere than in my arms. I try diligently to put him into his bassinet to sleep after feeds and sometimes he will stay asleep in there, other times he screams until he’s picked up again. I’m getting really good and doing things with one hand! I joke to my husband that I should have practiced by doing everything one handed carrying a bag of sugar before baby came. All in all, I was in the hospital for 12 days. 7 days before he was born and 5 days after.... it was rough couple weeks. Nothing happened as I had hoped or planned for, but I wouldn’t change anything. Easton is growing and happy and healthy and I had no clue a piece of my heart was missing until he was born <3
My Journal
Easton’s first 2 weeks of life!
By MrsFord » Posted Oct. 25, 2017 1:27pm - 385 views - 0 comments
Well, it’s been 2 weeks since our beautiful boy entered this world 3 weeks early. He is amazing and I love our new life. The first week of his life was pretty rough. We ended up having to stay in the hospital for 5 nights after he was born. He developed jaundice and had to spend a night under the lights. He wouldn’t sleep in the bassinet though so hubby or I had to be holding him st all times for the 24 hours. We did shifts of holding him under the lights to correspond with feedings. We had to wake him up to feed every 2-2.5 hours as he was so lethargic from the jaundice that he wouldn’t wake to feed himself and wouldn’t stay awake during feeds. He also lost more than 10% of his birth weight and my milk was not coming in very well due to the early delivery and my body not being ready on its own. The paediatrician recommended we “top up” with formula or donor milk (our hospital had a donor milk program). Hubby and I opted for the donor milk. That was a horribly hard decision as a new mother... not being able to make enough milk to help my sick baby and decided to supplement him with another mother’s milk... it made me feel like a failure... it was rough. The last 3 days in the hospital was putting him on my breast (he latched like a pro) to feed him and stimulate me as best as possible to try and bring in my milk, then hubby would feed him a donor milk bottle while I pumped (and next to nothing would come up)... I cried when I finally got 20cc to feed him as a top up instead of the donor milk. We were finally discharged on oct 15 after his bilirubin levels were down and his weight went up 30g. We had to return to the hospital everyday until the 19th for more bloodwork (which is horrible to watch be done) and weigh ins. He lost the weight he had gained the first night at home and then gained it back the following night.... he was still not gaining enough so the paediatrician put him on a formula top up and prescribed me a pill to up my milk production. We finally got the ok on the 19th to stop coming in everyday. I took him to the health clinic in Monday to weigh him and he was back up to 7lbs 8oz... I expect he will be at birth weight today when I go to weigh him. We are still topping up with 1 oz of formula if needed (I’m also trying to pump after feeds and am able to top up with pumped milk instead of the formula if he needs it). He feeds for about an hour every 2 hours... he pretty much won’t sleep anywhere than in my arms. I try diligently to put him into his bassinet to sleep after feeds and sometimes he will stay asleep in there, other times he screams until he’s picked up again. I’m getting really good and doing things with one hand! I joke to my husband that I should have practiced by doing everything one handed carrying a bag of sugar before baby came. All in all, I was in the hospital for 12 days. 7 days before he was born and 5 days after.... it was rough couple weeks. Nothing happened as I had hoped or planned for, but I wouldn’t change anything. Easton is growing and happy and healthy and I had no clue a piece of my heart was missing until he was born <3
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