Getting in the swing of sleeping

So, it's Paul's midnight snack... Past time. He has officially "slept through the night".
When doctors ask if your baby has "slept through the night" they are asking if they are sleeping 5-6 hours at a time sometime around midnight to 5 am. It's not the recommended 8 hours adults are supposed to get, nor is it the 10 hours nmy toddler sleeps (and thereby spoiling us). But it is something. And newborns aren't supposed to do so until they are at least 3 months old.
But Erin did sort of the same thing, and I know exactly why: the swing. Don't get me wrong, it was nice not waking up until 3-something. But it can be disturbing if you are a worrier like myself. Normally I wake at his first grunts, even if it's more for a bowel movement than food. But tonight he didn't do so until after I had pumped, and only after I stopped the swing. Which was why I didn't want him to nap in the swing during the day at first. But he's been good about waking himself up within a reasonably close amount of time to the 2 hour mark. But when he sleeps in it at night, and even sometimes during the day, he will sleep past the recommended 4 hour wake-up point. it's not all the time, but most of the time I have to stop the swing and/or uncover him to wake him. Which is why I've been trying to have him sleep in the bassinet more at night; at least for the first part of it (because he normally goes down then without a fight. Sometimes after the midnight snack he is wide awake (which was the problem very early on) and that's when I feel compelled to put him in the swing for the sake of my sanity.
But, as I said, I am a worrier; so when I awoke almost 6 hours after his last meal I was shocked and scared. I ran out to the living room and checked his breathing. It was normal and all was perfectly fine. But needless to say he is now peacefully asleep in the bassinet by my side, and with a full belly.
On a side note: I was even able to pump for 5 minutes, before he awoke, to relieve some pressure (which is what woke me up). I got over 5 oz. I'm sure I could pump right now and get some more, but ehh. I want my sleep, too. So, why am still up "talking" to you? Good question. Night!

Jeans

Today I fit into my pre-pregnancy jeans! That's about all I could do in them... But, hey, they fit. I could walk and stand just fine, it was the sitting that was uncomfortable. Today was the first day I really tried them, so I almost think I could have fit them before today. I know if they were pre-Erin-pregnancy pants they would definitely fit. But I didn't keep any of those after I lost the weight. The pregnancy jeans are a bit loose so it's a give and take. Maybe I'll just stick with the cargo and clam-digger pants till I can sit in the jeans.

Sleep

Last night Paul slept 5 hours straight. I'm sure he would have slept longer if I hadn't gotten up to pump. There have been a few times before I've had to wake him because he'd gone past 4 hours but for some reason this one was more memorable. Maybe because he went right to sleep at the start and straight back to sleep after. Didn't have to worry about getting him there, which can sometimes take him a long time. That and now I feel even more tired than when he doesn't sleep that long.

Products I'm lovin'

Okay, so it's after another midnight feeding and my mind is thinking hard while I'm trying to get to sleep. Right now it's stuck on items I feel make being a baby's mama so much easier. They are items I should think about buying for people at their showers and items that I will probably not get ride of that will end up in their hope chests. They are;
• woombies
• wubbanubbs

Products I will get rid of after the post-partum period But were great to have as a mom (and that I should definetly remember for people's showers) are:
• post-partum/cesarian underwear - great at holding in and helping to firm up all that loose skin after baby.
• lansinoh disposable breast pads - I used non-disposable ones after Erin was born along with these and preferred those. But with Paul, I think the disposable are better at stopping the leaks. Probably due to the amount of milk. But also the reusable ones you had to see which ones worked because some would stick to the nipple if there had been a leak and it would be slightly painful to take them off.
• lanolin - no nursing mom should be without this stuff.

And something every mom deserves is to feel sexy, which is why I love Hot Milk's nursing lingerie. It sucks that they are expensive (a bra runs $35-55), but you can usually find them on one of the mother sale sites at least twice a year.

Cellulitis scaring

After The c-section for Paul I got a bacterial infection around my incision called cellulitis. No, this is not what women complain about having on their thighs and butt, it's an actual infection caused by Streptococcal or staphylococca bacteria which can enter through the cesarian scar. This is how mine came about, causing my incision site to ooze slightly then have other symptoms: skin red and warm to the touch, some pain (if any, but I attribute that to the massive amount of drugs I was already taking for the pain), fever, chills, and inflammation of skin around the incision. My inflammation wasn't around but rather above the incision. I don't think I would have even noticed something was wrong if it hadn't been for the bloody tape over the seuteurs. I remembered that with Erin's c-section I didn't have blood showing. So I called attention to it. And I'm glad I did, cause if the infection got too bad I would have had to stay at the hospital even longer.
But now that my belly is somewhat flattening out I am able to see the scaring a little better. I could always feel it though... The inflammation made my skin look and feel like red cottage cheese. It was numb where the infection was and has slowly started to get feeling back. But now my loosened skin reveals an even more stretch-mark type of battlefield. It still feels a bit like cottage cheese is under my skin's surface: normal skin tightness and elasticity with bits and chunks of stretched non-elastic skin mixed in at random. It feels very odd. I'm not as worried about my real birthing stretch-marks as I am these. I mean, you can't really see them if you aren't looking unless I gather that chunk of akin together, but that doesn't stop me from being able to feel it. It's a bit of looseness I'm afraid wont bounce back. I don't know much about this infection other than what I've read on the Internet so I'll be asking my dr about it at our next visit.

Test

Testing picture posts

Migraines and mommys don't match

Ugh. I have been fighting a massive migraine for most of the day. The oxycodone I took is finally kicking in so I feel good enough to stare at my phones screen long enough to do some stuff. But I was just about in tears (and slightly nauseous whenever Paul got upset. I'm very grateful it's a grandparent day for Erin cause I'm not sure I could have handled them both alone. It's not Paul's cries that make my stomach turn but the shushing noises to make him calm down. I'm in my house right now hiding from the sun and hoping my ears stop ringing. Even though I took medicine my face around my left eye still feels bruised like someone punched me really really hard. ugh. I'm going back to bed before my head explodes.


* I was going to include a picture of an exploding head but I almost threw up doing an image search for one and decided against it. Just image one of the many exploding heads from JJ Abrams Fringe series (and yes, this can include the bleeding eye ones because with all the pressure my temple feels I would not be surprised).

Pauls 2 week check up

Post for July 6, 2011

Today at 1130 was Paul's 2 week check-up. We actually saw Dr. Harp-Wetz now that she is back from maternity leave.
Weight: 9 lbs 3 oz
Length:
Head size:
So basically he has gained a pound since leaving the hospital but remains the same length.
Other things she said was that he was perfectly healthy and she didn't expect to see him back again until his 2 month.
Then there's the stuff with the belly button...

She said it is sticking out because it's herniated; which is not a problem and should go away by the time he is 2 years old. His hernia isn't bad enough to warrant surgery if he doesn't need it. But we are supposed to watch it because it can be more prone to infection (which can be very dangerous) than normal. Also because it is herniated, it will stick out more when he cries or strains. This has been causing the healed/dried up stub to remain fresh (Which is what I've been worried about). The dr put some silver nitrate on it to help seal it, which is perfectly normal. But by the end of the day, due to all his straining, the silver nitrate had worn off and the fresh wound remained fresh (and puss-like). She did say if it didn't look better or wasn't healing by the next couple weeks to go ahead and give her a call.
Other than that he is a perfectly healthy little boy!

Checking in

Let me just say, and please excuse my language, if you are going to take one (or both) of my children you'd better damn well answer my calls! My biggest fear is loosing them so when you don't answer my texts or phone calls I get anxious and start to worry. This is even more true when you repeatedly don't answer me... Especially I'd you are going a long distance or time I need those check-ins to happen. I understand people can't always get to their phone immediately. But when you are watching someone else's child be sure and call back as soon as you see the call/text.
For repeat offenders I will be forced to not allow this situation to have the possibility of arising again so that I won't have to worry about it. I do appreciate your willingness to watch them even while you are busy, but i cant emotionally deal with it right now. Thank you.

Straight sleep

After months of sleeping on my side or reclined I am finally sleeping straight on my back. This past week I moved back into the bedroom and have slept with just a pillow under my knees to take some pressure off. it feels so good to lay like this! I normally am a side sleeper but it is so nice to feel like I'm not always hunched over in life right now. Now if I can just get a few more hours I'd be golden.

Pumping (the second time around)

The first time I pumped after Paul's birth was June 26, 5 days after he was born. I got a full 2 ounces! I was not prepared for this! I was even more so not prepared when I pumped a complete 8 ounces justa few days later (June ?). This was deffinetly different than how it was with Erin. with her I was barely getting .25 of an ounce that first bit. it took forever for me to pump a full 8 ounces! Like 4-6 months! It hasn't been a regular event, but I do get around 4 ounces at a time right now. I'm so not used to this. It must be because I got pregnant so close to stopping breastfeeding Erin... I was actually a number of months pregnant (4, I think) when I stopped nursing her. I don't know, it might just be how it is with consecultive pregnancies.

Growing up

More of a quick note but: my little buby is growing too fast! He's already 3 weeks old! Where has the time gone? It does not seem like just yesterday but it does seem like we've got a rhythm going. I don't want him to grow any more (says my mommy voice because the rest of me does so that he can become the person he's supposed to). It seems like this is the way it should be, not him reaching milestones, walking, and ultimately leaving the nest (yes, more mommy voice)! *sniff, sniff*

Best birthing advice

I was thinking about some of the best advice/nuggets of wisdom I've received over the course of my pregnancies and thought I would share some (if you can think of any that I missed please feel free to add it in the comments). Now I know I've only had c-sections, but I did have my water break on it's own with this last one and with the first I did start to have her vaginally. So I realize I can't speak for all types of labor other than the fact that some of the advice was from my first pregnancy (when everyone thought it'd be naturally) and from what I heard from other recent first timers that did it that way:
You will shake uncontrollably after giving birth - this one is true for both types of delivery. I know after my cesarians they took me to the recovery room and smothered me with warm blankets to help but both the nurses and I knew I wasn't shaking from the temperature of the room. Your body will go into shock and shake.
Breastfeeding shouldn't hurt... Ever - this advice came from multiple professional sources: LLL personnel, LCs, and nurses. It was bard for me to believe at first because all the people telling me to be sure and toughen up my nipples to be prepared. But after the first time of getting my little girl attached I was estatic with the fact that it didn't hurt. All that worry for nothing. But then I for lazy in my positioning (mainly because how long I was letting her nurse for) and it started to hurt. It was hard getting her off and repositioning so I just beared with it. But if I had corrected her I wouldn't have had all the problems I did. My muscles were so weak and I was just not willing to hold her properly for the full amount of time. I guess if this advice doesn't ring true with you take the other side of it and toughen things up.

Breastfeeding may not protect moms against MS relapse

Wed, Jul 6, 2011 (HealthDay News) -- Hopes that breastfeeding can reduce flare-ups of multiple sclerosis have been dimmed by recent research in Italy.
Researchers at the University of Florence found no support for prior studies connecting breastfeeding with lower disease activity for women with the degenerative nerve disorder commonly known as MS.
Instead, they determined that women who were sicker tended not to breastfeed, leading to the conclusion that some breastfeeding mothers had fewer relapses simply because they were healthier.
"Breastfeeding should not be encouraged as a protective factor without an accurate evaluation of the specific patient characteristics," said Dr. Emilio Portaccio, lead author and neurologist in the university's department of neurology. "Our study is important due to a lack of a consensus on whether breastfeeding should be advised against in order to resume therapy soon after delivery."
Women with MS are cautioned not to take medications while breastfeeding. The findings suggest that nursing may not be possible for women "with high disease activity," said Portaccio. Those women should be counseled that MS drug treatment soon after delivery should be an option, the authors said.
Multiple sclerosis, a progressive autoimmune disorder characterized by deterioration in physical coordination, affects about 400,000 people in the United States. It strikes women twice as often as men, with symptoms varying greatly from one person to another, according to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
Typically, the disease goes into remission, sometimes for long periods of time, and flare-ups during pregnancy are rare, according to the society.
"The reason is not yet fully understood," said Portaccio.
But the effect of pregnancy on the course of the disease is "at best neutral," Portaccio said, noting that other autoimmune disease activity also declines while women are carrying children. During that time, an immune system "switch" changes from a "pro-inflammatory status to an anti-inflammatory status that promptly reverts after delivery." Symptoms then increase to an "even higher" level for a few months. Pregnancy is not believed to cause any long-term worsening of the disorder, however.
Several drugs are used to fight MS, which attacks myelin, the protective covering of nerve cells, causing inflammation. They are not considered safe for use during pregnancy, however.
For their study, the researchers looked at 298 women with full-term pregnancies from 2002 to 2008 at 21 MS treatment centers throughout Italy. Of those, about 34 percent breastfed their babies for at least two months. The remaining mothers, who breastfed for zero to two months, were labeled the non-breastfeeding group.
Follow-up lasted for a year. After adjusting for factors such as age and level of disability, the researchers found no significant difference in relapse rates between the breastfeeding and non-breastfeeding groups.
The only predictor of postpartum disease activity was the number of relapses before and during pregnancy, the researchers found.
The study, published online July 6 in Neurology, was conducted on behalf of the MS Study Group of the Italian Neurological Society.
The findings are "in line with what one might expect," said Dr. Fred Lublin, a neurologist at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City. "Healthier women tended to breastfeed."
The study "did not resolve the issue of breastfeeding," added Lublin, who is also director of the Corinne Goldsmith Dickinson Center for Multiple Sclerosis at Mount Sinai. "These studies are all observational and it's hard to draw a conclusion of cause and effect from an observational study." A controlled study is needed, he said.
One expert expressed concern about the study's methodology. Dr. Emmanuelle Waubant, a neurologist at the University of California San Francisco Multiple Sclerosis Center, said that grouping women who had breastfed for less than two months with those who did not breastfeed at all could have affected the findings.
"Breastfeeding affects hormone production," which could affect disease activity, said Waubant, who is also an associate professor of neurology at the university.
But Lublin, who did not share that concern, said the researchers had used established criteria for group selection set by the World Health Organization.

-- Ellin Holohan

Copyright © 2011 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Baby's First Bath

Paul had his first bath at home today (June ?, not the date of the post). Erin even helped out! It was very sweet of her but it meant we had to be extra attentive. I was so preoccupied that I didn't get the camera out! I'm sorry, Paul, it was a momentous event I was unable to document properly. I was able to get a few pictures after while you lay drying in my arms. The one below was the best.

It was pretty good as far as infant baths go. He screamed a little. We had to use soaked washcloths because the shower bit wasn't working. Erin helped out with a washcloth by dripping water over him. There were a couple times she got close to and on his face but it was still all good.

Pauls big growth spurt

Paul's definitely going through growth spurt. Yesterday he was nursing what seemed like every hour.
He's now eating very little and sleeping a ton. When he eats it's one side for not very long and he seems like he's fighting it

Post partum yuck

Since yesterday I've been feeling really really bad. Last night it felt like an ms onset (flu-like symptoms). My body was sooo very achie and I got so nauseous I couldn't even think about drinking water without it making me feel like I was going to vomit. This was after dinner when these feelings set in so I was lucky I had already eaten.

Sleep?

Erin has been so worn out these last couple of days that she's sleeping well into 8:30. Chris says this is a good thing for me because I can sleep a bit longer, too. But I have to say that's only true if both of them stay asleep during that time. Paul doesn't agree with his dad and likes to be wide eyed awake in the mornings after his morning pooh. And until that point in time he's only "asleep" in the sense that his eyes are closed because he starts kicking and grunting loudly way before that point.
But it's okay. I've been fortunate enough to get at least a couple hours sleep during the day either during Erin's nap time or while she is with someone.

Gas after surgery

Obviously this one, though short, is a bit on the "TMI" side. Fair warning.
It's been 2 weeks since my cesarean and I am experiencing some major gas. I expected it those first few days, and it was hard to pass but was encouraged to do so by my doctor (in fact, did you know that after surgery you are required to fart before you can get solid foods?). It was hard mainly due to the pain of the incision but also because the constipation.
But now it's 2 weeks later, I'm having perfectly normal bm (at least one a day, which is actually more than I used to do) and am still having gas problems. They don't smell, most of the time, but they do get quite loud. So let me just apology for that sound, yes: it is me.

Toddler troubles

So since the c-section I haven't been allowed/able to lift Erin. This has made it especially difficult due to her timing. She has started the "testing phase", where she is constantly questioning her and our limits. This seems like it would be a hard phase to deal with anyway (not to mention exhausting). But since I am limited in what I do it seems even harder. I know I'm doing okay with it, but just barely. I'm so tired in the first place that I get frustrated easier. I know she's still a baby, sort of (toddlers are babies, right?), but it still irks me when she doesn't listen... Which seems to be a lot. But I know as I get better so will these parenting skills. I'm sure if she knew the word she'd call me a bitch sometimes, which I'm actually fine with.
But I was sitting there with Paul as dada gave Erin her bath and thought, honestly thought about it for the first time in a long time, about how it would be with my MS. It's not something I keen on thinking about but it sort of hit me: this is probably what it would be like with a flare up.. On a good day, which makes me worry just a bit. But that is something I will deal with when it gets there.

Worry Wart

So this is Paul's belly button. His umbilical cord has just fallen off and there is a large amount of pus with some blood oozing from it coming from the stump.

Pooh on pooh

They say that breastfed babies rarely get constipation. Well, I think Paul is constipated and he is breastfed. Yes he has dirty diapers but that's not what it means: with babies it's about the consistency and ability to push it out. Paul's is very hard, when it should be runny and he definitely has a hard time pushing it out. It seems to hit him worst at night... In the middle of the night.

Bassinet babies

So Chris and I picked up this $300 white wicker Pottery Barn bassinet at jbf for $150 right before Erin was born. At first we were apprehensive about the buy, a bit worried we had spent that much on an item we weren't even sure we'd ever use.
But since then Erin slept in it for months in our room, Brooklyn did the same at the Wards, and now we are repeating the process with Paul.
We had it out in the living room and were going to wheel it into the bedroom each night. But right now I'm sleeping on the recliners in the living room, so he stays right there with me. Once I feel good enough to "get out of bed" (quite literally; it's the bending and pushing myself from a full laying position, which is why the recliners are nice) both of us will move into the bedroom where he will stay until he grows out of it or hits 3 months, whichever comes first.
But I think it's really cool that this buy, that we questioned, is quickly becoming a family heirloom.

Schedule

Paul's schedule is all sorts of backwards! I mean, it's past 2 am and I still haven't gone to sleep... And that's after trying to from about 10pm yesterday on! I am not upset, like how I was when Erin did this kind of thing, I'm remaining calm. But I'm afraid of how it's going to effect me when Erin wakes and I have to watch the both of them alone (while still not able to lift her). I know I get real short fused when I don't get enough sleep so I'm going to have to watch it (because I know Erins at the testing phase).
Anyway, he sleeps so much during the day I almost forget he's awake all night and start to worry that he's not awake enough. He doesn't oversleep during the day. He's very reliable in getting his food about every two hours (a schedule he has set for himself, I might add). But then he goes right back to sleep. By the time the night comes I forget and think he'll continue this routine... But he doesn't. Urgh. It's so tiring. If it was just him it'd be different because i could rest when he does too. But with active Erin, I really need these few hours of sleep. Speaking of which: goodnight.