He slept through the night!

Really! Last night was the first time Tyler slept from midnight to 4 am! I was able to sleep from 11:30 pm to 4 am, and Mike actually fell asleep with Tyler until 4 am (when he would usually wake me up at 2 am to hand-off Tyler). So, I fed Ty for about 45 minutes, and he went right back to sleep until 8 this morning! I think both Mike and I got more sleep last night than either of us has gotten since Tyler's birth!

Tyler's 5th week has been much better...and now time seems to have flown by. We can't believe he's over a month old now! He had a small bout of severe diaper rash (his poor little bottom was chapped and bleeding!) but the peidatrician told us to just rinse off his bum with water during each diaper change, and wipe with unscented baby wipes. We also had to blow dry the rash area, then dab Maalox (really!) on it to help with the open sores. We blew dry the Maalox, and then applied diaper cream (we used Butt Paste). Finally, we put his diaper on! Diaper changes became quite a production, but Tyler healed in a couple of days and now we know what to do if it happens again.

My breasts have started to hurt, I don't know exactly why, but they hurt more if I'm breastfeeding rather than pumping. I'm going to call my doctor to try and come in before my 6-week check-up and see what's going on. Tyler's definitely eating more now, and a lactation consultant from the hospital said that my breasts could be aching because I'm producing more milk for Tyler.

Mike and I are completely in love with our son, though! The feelings are so amazing! I could stare at Tyler all day, and Mike will look at him and just comment on how beautiful he is :) The other day, we talked about how we couldn't wait until Tyler was old enough to hug and squeeze tight. Right now, we just give him about a hundred kisses a day :)

I love to dance with Ty...we dance to Michael Buble and Gavin DeGraw. I think Tyler studies me when I sing to him. I hope he grows up loving music as much as I do!

Weeks 3 and 4

Week 3 - Just Me and My Boy

I was still pretty emotional during Tyler's 3rd week of life, so Mike graciously decided to stay home from work for a few more days. I still found myself crying about something every day, but Mike could easily console me and cheer me up. Tyler's original due date was Wednesday, February 15 (also Mike's 26th birthday!) and he was doing so well...keep growing, Ty!

I was anxious about Thursday, which was the first day Mike would return to work, but I ended up spending most of it feeding Tyler and catching up on missed sleep. On Friday, Tyler and I relaxed in the morning and went over to my sister-in-law's house to go for a walk with her and her girls. When Mike and his brother came home, we all went out to TGIFriday's to celebrate Mike's birthday. Tyler slept right through all the noise and chaos at the restaurant!

Happy birthday, Dad!

Week 4 - A schedule, sort of

On Monday, February 20, we took Tyler in to see his pediatrician for another weight check. He weighed 9 lbs even! All on breastmilk, thank you very much! That was President's Day, so Mike had that day off, and we were able to bring him to the doctor together.

Monday evening, I played volleyball for the first time since I was about 6 months pregnant. It felt awkward, but still good to move and exercise! I don't know what my doctor would say about it, but I didn't push myself hard and I would have stopped playing if I felt weak or was in pain.

The rest of the week was pretty uneventful. Tyler and I finally had a daily schedule...sort of! He's still up a lot during the night, and since Mike has to go to work, I nap from about 10 or 11 pm until about 2 am while Mike takes care of Tyler. Then, Tyler's all mine from 2 am on. I'm usually able to sneak in a nap or two during the day, especially in the morning, after Mike has left for work and Tyler's fed. We spend the afternoons either going for a walk or running errands. When Mike gets home, he takes over for a little while, and we also get to spend some adult time together.

I was a lot less emotional during Tyler's 4th week of life. I think the whole shock of a different life finally wore off (having somewhat of a schedule also helped!).

First days

February 25, 2006

Tyler is 4 weeks and 2 days old today! I'm playing a little bit of catch-up here...I want to record my experience as a new mom. This picture was actually taken the first day we had him home, when he was only 5 days old.

Week 1 - Healing myself
The first week was a little rough. Tyler was in the hospital for an extra two days so that he could be treated for jaundice. There were 5 or 6 other newborns in the hospital nursery being treated for jaundice, too, but since MY baby was in there, it was a big deal! I went home on Saturday, and my mom stayed with us the first week, while Mike went back to work. We spent Sunday and Monday driving back and forth to the hospital to visit Tyler and feed him every other feeding. While I was home, I would pump breastmilk and bring it to the nursery nurses so that they could feed him during the feedings that I missed. It was so hard seeing my little boy under those lights and leaving him each time. I must have cried at least once a day, especially when I thought of him in the nursery away from me and Mike. We were finally able to bring him home on Tuesday morning (January 31). That day, he already weighed 6 lbs 13 oz, almost his birthweight of 6 lbs 14.8 oz.

My mom was a great big help during that first week. She cooked, cleaned, did the laundry and dishes...I don't think my house was ever that clean before (or ever will be again!). My uterus was constantly cramping, not severe, but dull annoying cramps, and my episiotomy stitches hurt if I sat for a long time. So, I mostly lay down and put my legs up (to reduce the swelling in my legs), and only sat up to feed Tyler or pump. The breast engorgement hit me the day I went home from the hospital and lasted 3 or 4 days. My breasts were enormous! They were painfully hard, too. I wanted to pump all the time just to relieve the pain, but then couldn't pump too much or my body would just keep producing milk. When the engorgement finally ended, it was such a relief, and breastfeeding Tyler was 10 times easier. I used a nipple shield while engorged because Tyler couldn't latch on to my gigantic breasts!

We went to the pediatrician on Thursday, after we brought Tyler home, and he was looking good and the jaundice was definitely subsiding.

Week 2 - Family Time

The second week was a little easier, not much, but a little. My episiotomy finally started to feel better and the swelling in my legs and feet went away. I was sort of getting the hang of feeding Tyler and was a pro at changing diapers. I was finally feeling well enough to walk around and do some easy chores. Mike stayed home that week, too. It was so nice to have all three of us together! We took Tyler to the pediatrician for his 2 week check-up, and he weighed in at 7 lbs 5 oz! He's definitely gaining weight!

My hormones were still raging, and I think I cried about something or other every single day. Mike was was great about it, always there to comfort me but never getting annoyed at my roller-coaster of emotions.

That was the week that I began feeling overwhelmed, too. I was sort of dreading the end of the week, because I knew Mike would have to go back to work and I would be alone with Tyler. I didn't have a lot of confidence in myself yet and I was afraid I would mess up somehow. I also began dreading the nights and the lack of sleep. I hadn't yet come to terms with the new life we would be leading...no sleep and worrying about every little sound that Tyler made.