She's definitely ours!

When Allison was born, everyone asked, "Who does she look like?" I said, "she definitely doesn't look like me" But I knew she was ours and they didn't switch her at the hospital because Blake took a picture of her when she just came out and it's the same baby. Blake's mom was looking at baby pictures she has and said she looks more like Brandt as a baby. She has alot of hair on her (on her back, ears, arms, forehead) which she gets from Blake's Okinawan side.

Since the weeks after we took her home, I've noticed a lot more things that make her ours. She has this serious face (she gets from Blake), we try to get her up for feedings and she's a heavy sleeper (just like me), she kicks off her blanket when she's sleeping (just like me), and I just realized today that when she stretches while she's sleeping, I do that too!

OMG - I'm a cow!

Tomorrow will be exactly 4 weeks since Allison was born. Our last day at the hospital, my milk came in. A few days at home, and I told Blake, get the pump out, it's sore. So a little while after we got home, I started pumping my milk. Since Alli favors the right boob, that side usually gives more milk, about 50 mL. The left boob gives 20-30 mL. That's pretty much how it's been from the beginning, but this morning when I pumped the right side gave 90 mL, and the left gave 50 mL. It's almost doubled overnight! I couldn't believe how much came out. These boobies are milk producing, money saving, babies that could probably feed the whole planet when the sun dies, and there is no food on Earth.

She's FAT!

Birth weight: 7 lbs. 9.2 oz.

Apparently, when babies are born, they tend to lose weight. But they're not supposed to go past 10% of their original birth weight. Well, on our last day at the hospital, she had already lost 8% of her birth weight.

The day after we left the hospital, we went to our first Dr.'s visit. Her weight was now a whopping 6 lbs. 11 oz. That's 11.5% of her weight she lost. She told us, 10% is the cutoff because if babies lose any more then usually their electrolytes are off balance, (she could have too much potassium or sodium) and it would affect her brain. So she sent us off to the hospital to get a blood test. We got the results in a couple hours and she said they were a little high, but not high enough for her to have to go into the hospital again. We just had to feed her more and come back the next day.

After trying to feed her every 2 hours, we went back the next day and her weight was again 6 lbs. 11 oz. The doctor said it wasn't great but at least she didn't lose any more weight. Her mouth wasn't dry like yesturday so she looked a little more hydrated. She said if we keep feeding her every 2 hours then we should be ok. Come back in a week and a half for her 2 week baby visit.

At her two week baby visit, we were confident that she had put on enough weight, her belly was getting bigger, she seemed to weigh more. When she went on the scale, she was 7 lbs exactly. The doctor said he wanted it to be back to her normal weight but since it isn't, we'd have to supplement her feedings with formula. Come back on Friday to check how much weight she'd gain.

OK, we were SURE that this time she'd be bigger. We fed her breastmilk AND formula. Mostly every 2 hours, or when she'd wake up. Before she got on the scale, I told her, think FAT, think FAT. Her weight... 7 lbs. 8 oz. YAY!!! She finally made it to close to her birth weight! What a huge "weight" off my shoulders. My baby is FAT!!!

Sleep Deprivation

Ok, she's been a pretty good baby. She sleeps a lot and cries only when she has to be changed, fed, or burped. Just twice now that we've been home, she kept me up from 3am - 5am. The first time, we figured out that we didn't feed her enough, once she was fed again, she was fine. Last night tho, I fed her both boobies, and still she wasn't sleeping. Usually in the middle of a feeding, she'll kinda close her eyes and suck. Last night she didn't even blink! Her eyes were sooo big. I tried swaddling her and putting her in her bassinet, but she started crying a few minutes later. So I picked her up, but was super tired so I tried holding her til I knew I couldn't then put her back in her bassinet. Nope, she wasn't going for it.

I fed her again, and she finally went to sleep. I just can't imagine doing that EVERY NIGHT. I was getting all frustrated cuz those pillows were looking awfully nice and my back was sore from hunching over to breastfeed. Thank goodness Daddy wasn't gonna go in to work today because he could feed her the next feeding so I could sleep!

Oh BTW, her umbilical cord came off this morning when I was changing her. Yay, she doesn't have that ugly black thing sticking out!

Breastfeeding - not all it's "cracked" up to be

If you've never done it, it seems so easy when they show you the videos of women breastfeeding, or you read books, and they tell you the positions and you're like "Hey I can do that!" but you never see the cracked, bleeding nipples! Thank goodness for Lansinoh. Protects your boobies from the cracking, or when it's cracked and bleeding, helps to heal that too. They give you a big tube of it when you deliver at Queens.

Another hardship of breastfeeding was my little sucker was a hard sucker! At night she would go back to the nursery so we could get some sleep. They gave her a pacifier and apparently she was the hardest sucker out of all the babies in the nursery. YAY.... NOT! We needed the help of a lactation specialist while in the hospital because she just wasnt latching on correctly. She did the finger suck technique (sticking a finger in the mouth and trying to train her to suck correctly) and found everytime she was attached to my boob, she would use her tongue to spit it out, then suck my boobie back in. Ok, so imagine she does that to you boob EVERYTIME! ouch...
I don't know if my boob is tougher or she has learned to suck better, but it doesn't hurt anymore. Took about a week and a few days to get it but I think both Allison and I got the hang of it. I really wanted to give up in the beginning cuz it just didn't seem like she was getting better, or I was any better and getting her on it, but if you just keep sticking to it, you'll both eventually get the hang of it. Don't give up... gambate!

It's over

The worrying is finally over, Allison was born healthy on Aug. 28, 2008 at 12:33pm. The thing I was worried about was the C-section, but I was numb and the epidural gave me a tired and fuzzy feeling that I didn't think it was too bad. It was over in less than 30 mins cuz we were late going into the OR, apparently they weren't ready for us at 12pm. And Allison was born at 12:33pm. It was fast, all I felt was tugging when I guess her head got stuck and they were trying to pull her out.

The pain wasn't too bad. After the surgery I was still numb, and I guess they said the epidural would wear off so I should take a percoset. I was like, "Ok" and soon after... barf. It was a little too strong, but I was drowsy while people came to visit. I woke up at 12pm, and felt pretty good. I was walking by 5am (I know this cuz the nurse came to wake me up and check my vitals)

It's now 5 days after the surgery and I'm only taking ibuprofen for the pain, which doesn't occur too often, only when I stand for long periods, or move in a certain way. I think it was lucky that Allison didn't turn so I HAD to do the C-section. She was 7 lbs 9.2 oz, and if I waited a week for her to come out she probably would've been 8 lbs... almost 9 lbs. and THAT would have been painful!

C-section - The good, the bad

I guess it's better that I know BEFORE that I am gonna have a C-section. I read in Jenny McCarthy's book that they had planned for a vaginal birth but the baby's heartbeat was slowing so they had to have an emergency C-section. So I'm a little more mentally prepared for it, but when the doctor told me yesturday we'd have to schedule it, I got a bit scared. So I was trying to think of the good and bad of having it.



Good:

1. I'll know exactly when baby will be born - right now it looks like 08-28-08 (Thursday).

2. I won't have to go through contractions (woot!)

3. I won't be all stretchy down there.

4. I won't have to have an episiotomy.

5. I get to stay in the hospital an extra day. (don't know if thats good or bad)

6. I don't think it takes as long as labor.

7. I get pain meds.

8. I can stop doing my kegels.



Bad:
1. It'll take longer to recuperate.

2. I won't get to hold baby too long right after birth.

3. I'll be awake during surgery and wondering what they're doing on the other side of the sheet.

4. Blake will have to do most things like cooking and cleaning and washing the laundry for a while. (oh this is bad for him :))

5. I'll have a scar, probably where I can't really see it anyways.

6. It could get infected. I'd just have to take antibiotics.