Eat, Sleep, Poop

July 26, 2013 (2 weeks old)

Three of the things that newborns are best known for...

Sierra is 2 weeks old today, and gaining weight fairly quick too! At her 4 day-old appointment she had regained the weight she had lost in the first day and was back up to 8lb 7oz. On Thursday (July 25) she was up to 9lb 4oz (which might I add was the estimate of what she would weigh when she came out). These are good indicators that she is doing well with her breast feeding! I am so proud of the little oinker... I am serious though sometimes she makes little piggy noises while feeding. It's so funny. I have quickly learned that she needs burping after every meal and usually half-way through a feeding too. This makes her gas less severe and her spit ups less frequent. Oh the lessons you learn through doing. Gus and I plan on introducing a bottle with breast milk in it somewhere around August 10th since he will have to feed her with one during my 3 hour escapade back to work on the 13th and 15th. So I have read up on it. I will need to pump and freeze (normal freezer breast milk will last up to 3 months, but the longer it is frozen the more Vitamin C it loses) 4oz servings for the little one. Whatever we don't use of a serving has to be thrown away. Or I can pump a little bit before and put it in the fridge, but only for up to 2 days. All recommendations vary but I will stick to the conservative side just to be safe. Also the process of unfreezing breast milk must happen slowly in the fridge, and when it defrosts it must only be stirred gently not shaken... Wow, there sure is a lot to remember... That's why I have a reminder on our fridge... Just in case we forget! I feel very strongly about breastfeeding her as long as I can because of all the benefits... maybe even up to 18 months, but more than likely only up to a year. At 6 months we will most likely start introducing solids (when I say that I do mean mashed up veggies etc.) and supplementing breast milk. 

Sleeping has been interesting. For awhile she would only sleep when we were holding her, but now I have been putting her down in her crib and bassinet for naps. If she is being really fussy we put her in the Moby wrap and walk around with her for a bit before she promptly passes out. We think the pressure and closeness resemble the womb state and make her feel comfortable. At night, all bets are off though. It is hard for us to get her into the bassinet for longer than a few minutes without screaming, and since Gus has to work again it really puts a damper on the sleep department. So we have been doing quite a lot of co-sleeping with very short bouts of bassinet sleeping. Yes, yes, we HAVE read all about the slight increase co-sleeping has for SIDs, but do keep in mind a large number of the cases were with people who drank heavily, smoked, or were obese. Luckily, these things don't apply to us so we are essentially in the clear as long as we have a sense of awareness about us when she is sleeping. I am on what feels like an "alert mode" with her. Sometimes she just slightly stirs and I jolt up. It's crazy... do moms really have super powers or is it just all of this oxytocin and progesterone flowing through our veins?! Anyhow, I loved reading this article about co-sleeping. It was among the first few positive articles I read about the subject. It also address the cons of it, but it lets you make up your own mind on what you feel is right. http://www.babycenter.com/0_sleep-sharing-the-family-bed_7753.bc I really enjoyed reading it, and it also brings up the good point of trying to "wean" her off of the habit around 6 months before it becomes engrained. 

On the poop front... we made the switch to cloth diapers two nights ago after I suggested we see if the disposable diapers we were given were from Costco so we could return them. They were and we were able to return them (with the member's number who bought them for us... so I had to tell them that we would be returning the gift unfortunately). Anyhow, my image of easy cloth diapering may have been slightly off, but I am starting to get the hang of it. I was given a nice stack of prefolds (http://www.greenmountaindiapers.com/prefolds.html) and some covers (I also bought some of my own covers) from my friend Jackie. Apparently, in my first few days of attempting this I was literally just folding them and putting them in the cover... okay for 1 year olds during the day, not okay for runny breastfed newborn poops. I was having many casualties. After going to a "Natural Moms" group I was enlightened (plus I did a little YouTube research to see what I might be doing wrong). This is a great video on the variety of ways to fold a prefold (unfortunately all the moms suggested snappies too but I only have pins... so pins it is) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDqa45EOHfE. I have also realized (yes this may be too early on to state, but) I think I like the All-in-ones (AIOs) like BumGenius 4.0 the best. These are "pocket diapers" that have an absorption layer insert that goes into a soft fleece-like pocket, and the whole thing gets washed after. Anyhow, there is one point that I do want to bring up whether you cloth diaper or use disposables... you have to put the poop in the toilet (unless it's exclusively breastfed poop only). http://alphamom.com/parenting/baby/the-straight-poop-on-cloth-diapers/ Either way, with cloth diapers you surely will want to spray (with a diaper sprayer...we bought a dog washing spray house that Gus hooked up to the toilet plumbing... super strong spray) them off into your toilet first so the stains come out easier.

On a side note, our trip to Downieville was a success. The guys went mountain biking and I bonded with Sierra and did "online and work-related errands" (including stuff for Sierra). I also read read read about newborns... Did I nap much when Sierra fell asleep? Not really, although I know it's recommended and I sure did need it. Oh well. The meals I previously prepared and froze, I had decided to bring with us to eat on the trip and it worked out splendidly. We were all very pleased!

I think she has my nose, maybe?

July 20, 2013

When Sierra was born she had a lot of visitors, and a lot of people began pointing out her similarities to Gus or I. It is a weird feeling. Although, it is something we expected, searching for my face in my baby's is strange because I just see her as her. Either way, once I got home I started looking through some of my baby photos, and I asked Gus' mom to send me some she had of Gus too. This is what we have. My infant pictures are first, then Gus', then Sierra's. It's hard to tell especially so young, but you can decide for yourselves and leave us a comment to tell us what you think!

 

6 Days in the Life of Sierra

Sierra is a popular little girl! Grandparents and Aunts visit in her first days of life. Although Gus and I were exhausted it was extremely satisfying to see how happy she made our family. She also met the 4 legged members of our family. Gentle Oso is still timid in her presence, he is unsure what to make of all her noises and smells. Keta has taken on the role of mama dog, always checking on her to make sure she is ok. Now it's time for the 5 of us to establish our routine as a family. Soon we will head out on our first family vacation to Downieville. We'll fill our days with walks along the river with the dogs. We look forward to getting Sierra's feet wet in her first mountain river. We'll also take in the sites of this quaint gold rush town. Gus will be hitting the trails on his mountain bike, taking in some of the best terrain in greater Tahoe. 

 Our little quacker on day 6.

 Everybody wants a pic of the prettiest girl in town.

 Grammy is happy beyond words.

 Can't take their eyes off of her.

 Pop-pop has it covered.

 Even Grandpa Jeff made it all the way from Costa Rica.

 She even has a hat just for her.

 She's a mama now.

 The Wick family.

 Everyone crowd around the baby!

 We're so happy you're here!

 Arrrrgh!

 First day home.

 SIERRA!!!

 Mama dog checks her out.

 Hands free walks with the ergo carrier. (Oso still requires hands.)

 Nana Maryann.

 I'm still thinking on that one, I'll get back to you.

 You woke me up to put me in this!?

Snoozing with auntie Lyn. 

I was born to do this!

July 12, 2013 (Sierra's Birth Day)

The drive to the hospital is dramatized in most television or movie versions of labor, but for Gus and I it was pretty normal. Luckily what could have been an awful drive turned out quite fine. There was no traffic getting to Sacramento, so it only took us a little over 20 minutes, and the drive actually took my focus off the pain a little. I stared intensely at the cars and the  lines in front of us as each contraction hit. I was getting into a good breathing rhythm. I would push the pain out with each deep breath I took; I even used my hands in a Tai Chi like fashion. I felt silly but I didn't focus on feeling stupid in front of my husband... otherwise my labor would have been REALLY long.

We parked the car in the garage and entered through the emergency doors. Gus was having a hard time filling out the paper work for me, and I was just simply having a hard time. The contractions were still every two minutes and getting stronger. Just then I hear the doors open and a woman's voice with heavy breathing comes in, I look up from the wall that I am leaning on and see that it's another woman starting labor... What do ya know!? Finally we get the paperwork done and I am wheeled up to the birthing center. Things start to get blurry from here, but I will do my best.

We were given a good sized room and assigned an amazing nurse who was extremely accommodating. She helped us with everything. I got hooked up to the fetal monitor and the contraction monitor so they could see what was going on for awhile. I was checked, 1.5cm dilated and fully effaced... Progress since Wednesday! After an hour of monitoring I was "officially admitted" once the timing and strength of the contractions were confirmed. She was impressed with the strength and the frequency of my contractions for being a first time mom. She said normally first time moms move a lot slower, but based on the graphs it looked like I would be having "an intense and fast labor." I stuck to the intense part for sure, but the speed of the labor was another matter.

To get through the pain of the contractions we used a variety of techniques and positions. Sitting on the birthing ball while hanging on to the edge of the bed was helpful and getting in the shower with the water running on my belly was beneficial too. About 3 hours in (3:30am) we were getting tired, the contractions were strong and I needed Gus' support the whole time. He would breath and I would follow him, he would talk about something and I would allow my mind to think about he was saying, he suggested a new position and I took it. I needed to touch him and see him, and know he was with me. I was getting to the point where I would fall asleep for the 20 seconds between contractions and would actually start snoring and then wake up again with the next one. He actually was spotting me on the birthing ball to make sure I wouldn't fall off. At about this time, the nurse came back in to check my progress. 4cm. As she said that, I was looking at the chart on the wall that showed you what 4cm looked like. I was encouraged. 

I told Gus I had enough energy to try and get through a few sets of contractions alone and that he should sleep because I was going to need him more later. That only lasted about 20 minutes before I woke him up in pain. Shortly after that, I was puking all over the floor from the pain. This general "laboring" went on for another 4 hours, when the nurse came back in and checked me again. I was 7.5cm. This is good, I thought, I can make it through this as planned. Then the contractions started coming every minute and my contractions started spiking off the chart for over a minute, before sharply coming back down. Unlike the pretty graphs you see in the books about what contractions look like... "nice waves" mine looked like huge cliffs with a plateau in the middle that went into the land of pain before dropping back off into the 15-20 second abyss of normalcy. What the f*@%! I went through this until about 12:30pm because every time I got checked again I hadn't made any progress from around the 7.5-8cm mark. 

Around this time I start to lose it. I can't get any sleep between the contractions and I am losing focus of my controlled breathing. I can't keep it together, and start to cry. I just want to sleep, I tell Gus, which is about all I can manage to say between the pain. He looks at me and I can tell he is in pain, seeing me in pain. I hate that I can't be stronger, and keep it together better. The doctor comes in shortly after to check on me, the doctor I had met once before (so he didn't really know my intended birth plan). "Oh, so you're a first time mom, and you're planning on doing this without pain medication? Wow, good for you, you're brave." Hmmm. Maybe I am considering pain medication now. The doctor leaves and Gus starts asking me to think about it as a possibility. "You need sleep to push," he says. "You need to have energy for the rest of this." Within 15 minutes I am consenting to an epidural, all-the-while apologizing for "not being strong enough." "Stop apologizing!" Gus demands. "No one is judging you, honey. You've done so good already!" Luckily, I knew it might have to happen because of the position of the baby (OP). 

I got the epidural, which didn't work the first time (but worked the second time, 20 minutes after he came back and adjusted it). I could still feel the contractions, but only the peaks of them and not the whole thing. The nurse and Gus knew it worked because I immediately fell asleep for 1.5 hours after it kicked in. Not long after I woke, the doctor suggested breaking the waters. I had no idea of what to expect. It relieved more pressure and felt good actually. Unfortunately, we quickly discovered the baby had passed meconium in the waters. I was scared that she was in danger... but as the nurse said, "Meconium happens." (What a good OB nurse joke). "We deliver healthy meconium babies all the time. It is expected when you are this overdue." 

I was checked again a little while later and was at 9.5cm. Where I stayed for another 2 hours. At that point my nurse wanted to see if I gave a practice push perhaps the "rim" would move out of the way. Well, my practice push sent my baby into "distress" which is where she stayed for 4 minutes (90 BPM her normal was 140 BPM). So at that point, they figured they would let the baby descend on her own or perhaps drip a little pitocin to help the contractions push her down. So we used pitocin and by 4:30pm the "rim" had moved and I was at 10cm ready to go. This is the part I was waiting for! Now we needed the doctor back. 

He got there at about 5:30pm and I had my first practice push about 5:45pm... "Wait, wait, wait!" he said. "Don't push her out! It looks like you are going to be a good pusher." I told him, "I was born to do this." (My dear friend, Amy, has been sending me inspiring quotes and packages in the mail throughout my pregnancy. Most recently she sent me a bracelet that said this very thing on it.) Funny thing is, that after I was told to push it only took 4 contractions with 3 pushes per contraction to get her out. He had me stop before she got to the perineum and he eased her out with mineral oil, and then had me push again. Once her shoulders were out he asked me if I wanted to take my baby out; so I reached under her arms and placed her onto my belly. When I saw her face for the first time I was awe-struck. Something inside of me changed forever. It was not only love, but what the breaking of the long awaited anticipation felt like. As I said to one of my friends when I was asked about being a mom, "It is what I never knew that I have always wanted."

The cord was wrapped twice around her neck when she came out, so her initial tests were low, but she quickly recovered and all scores improved. After she was given to me Gus and I looked at one another in awe and amazement of the beautiful baby we had created and brought into the world and we cried. I held her in my arms and nursed her right away (she knew exactly what to do). Shortly after that we sent in Grandmas (my mother and Gus' mom), then Grandpa (my dad), and then the aunts (Gus' sister and my sister). We told everyone to come back the following day around noon. 

That night I could barely keep my eyes off of her. I stayed up almost the whole time staring at her. My body was sore in ways I have never been sore before. I had more respect for mothers than I had ever had before. I knew a sense of joy, accomplishment, and love that I had never known before. Gus and I had officially started our family together.

Gus, the first-time dad.