Ugghh, I've been such a blog slacker! We have been busy going places and by the time we get home I am much too exhausted not to mention doing all of the evening routines before bed. I will do my best to get some posts going tomorrow, here's what I would like to blog about:
1. 1 month update with pictures
2. Medical updates
3. Favorite baby items, part 1
4. First weekend visiting grandma and grandpa in Iowa
5. Cloth diapering newborns
Please hang in there with me, I'll eventually start to feel like I'm not walking around in a haze, right?!?
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Thursday, July 28, 2011
3 weeks & Medical Updates
Sorry this is a little late, we've been busy :-)
Measuring: 6 lbs. 8 oz. today (3 weeks 2 days)...not good :-(
Sleeping: Soren goes 3-4 hour stretches at night, sometimes sleeps longer during the day
This week we... spent alot of time at MorMor and MorFar's house doing laundry and hanging out. We also had his swallow study done at Children's Hospital, and attended a church friend's wedding.
Medical Updates: I had been having some concerns about Soren possibly having reflux. He was spitting up often and large amounts of it. When we would lay him on his back, he would often spit up and ended up having choking episodes which was pretty scary. I noticed gurgling sounds and he would be fussy then gag and spit up. I spoke with our pediatrician about it and pushed to have it checked out. We were able to get him into Children's Hospital to have a swallow study done this past Monday. He was given a bottle with Barium and would drink it and x-ray shots would be taken simultaneously. This first test checked to see if he was aspirating fluids. They took 5 x-ray shots during the process, the first 4 showed everything looked good, but they decided to do one more, and on the 5th shot, it showed there was some fluid going down his airway; he then coughed multiple times. This showed that Soren was aspirating fluids, but luckily he would cough in response. They then gave him a thickened fluid and he had no problems with this. While nursing, I would notice that sometimes he would have coughing fits, but just thought it was because he was drinking too fast...come to find out he's aspirating (talk about feeling like a horrible mommy at that moment!).
The second test they inserted a feeding tube down his nose and gave him fluids with barium and took more x-ray shots to see if his anatomy looked good and if he was showing reflux; his anatomy looked perfect but he was showing some reflux.
The speech therapist who was involved in the testing said we would now need to feed him thickened liquids, and unfortunately a substance called "Simply Thick" which was safe to use with breastmilk was just recently recalled for use with preemies. There were no options to use with breastmilk. I felt so heartbroken and overwhelmed with the news we were given.
We went home and called our pediatrician to tell her the news. Luckily she thinks breastmilk has super powers and wanted us to continue breastfeeding, however if he ever needed a bottle, it would need to be formula thickened with rice/oatmeal cereal. She put him on Pulmicort nebulizer to keep his airways calm to hopefully prevent pneumonia, and also an oral-dissolving Prevacid prescription. So far we haven't noticed any changes, but we're hoping he'll start to feel better soon. Because of the aspirating fluids, he is at high risk to develop pneumonia and RSV, and we will now need to be extra careful with his exposure to others.
Today I wanted to get his weight checked again as I hadn't noticed any changes in his size. Last week at his 2 week appt. he weighed 6 lbs. 5.5 oz. which was basically back to his birth weight. Today (10 days later) he only weighed 6 lbs. 8 oz. Dr. B said he should be gaining an ounce a day, and he definitely didn't do that. Now we will need to alternate thickened formula (with rice cereal) in a bottle and breastfeeding. We will re-check next week to see how he's doing.
It's hard to deal with this as a mother, but I am SO glad I followed my motherly intuition and advocated for him to get checked. I know I have a tendency to overreact, but being with my son 24/7 helps me learn alot about him and how he's feeling. I will be updating the blog as we learn more.
At the wedding reception
Measuring: 6 lbs. 8 oz. today (3 weeks 2 days)...not good :-(
Sleeping: Soren goes 3-4 hour stretches at night, sometimes sleeps longer during the day
This week we... spent alot of time at MorMor and MorFar's house doing laundry and hanging out. We also had his swallow study done at Children's Hospital, and attended a church friend's wedding.
Medical Updates: I had been having some concerns about Soren possibly having reflux. He was spitting up often and large amounts of it. When we would lay him on his back, he would often spit up and ended up having choking episodes which was pretty scary. I noticed gurgling sounds and he would be fussy then gag and spit up. I spoke with our pediatrician about it and pushed to have it checked out. We were able to get him into Children's Hospital to have a swallow study done this past Monday. He was given a bottle with Barium and would drink it and x-ray shots would be taken simultaneously. This first test checked to see if he was aspirating fluids. They took 5 x-ray shots during the process, the first 4 showed everything looked good, but they decided to do one more, and on the 5th shot, it showed there was some fluid going down his airway; he then coughed multiple times. This showed that Soren was aspirating fluids, but luckily he would cough in response. They then gave him a thickened fluid and he had no problems with this. While nursing, I would notice that sometimes he would have coughing fits, but just thought it was because he was drinking too fast...come to find out he's aspirating (talk about feeling like a horrible mommy at that moment!).
The second test they inserted a feeding tube down his nose and gave him fluids with barium and took more x-ray shots to see if his anatomy looked good and if he was showing reflux; his anatomy looked perfect but he was showing some reflux.
The speech therapist who was involved in the testing said we would now need to feed him thickened liquids, and unfortunately a substance called "Simply Thick" which was safe to use with breastmilk was just recently recalled for use with preemies. There were no options to use with breastmilk. I felt so heartbroken and overwhelmed with the news we were given.
We went home and called our pediatrician to tell her the news. Luckily she thinks breastmilk has super powers and wanted us to continue breastfeeding, however if he ever needed a bottle, it would need to be formula thickened with rice/oatmeal cereal. She put him on Pulmicort nebulizer to keep his airways calm to hopefully prevent pneumonia, and also an oral-dissolving Prevacid prescription. So far we haven't noticed any changes, but we're hoping he'll start to feel better soon. Because of the aspirating fluids, he is at high risk to develop pneumonia and RSV, and we will now need to be extra careful with his exposure to others.
Today I wanted to get his weight checked again as I hadn't noticed any changes in his size. Last week at his 2 week appt. he weighed 6 lbs. 5.5 oz. which was basically back to his birth weight. Today (10 days later) he only weighed 6 lbs. 8 oz. Dr. B said he should be gaining an ounce a day, and he definitely didn't do that. Now we will need to alternate thickened formula (with rice cereal) in a bottle and breastfeeding. We will re-check next week to see how he's doing.
It's hard to deal with this as a mother, but I am SO glad I followed my motherly intuition and advocated for him to get checked. I know I have a tendency to overreact, but being with my son 24/7 helps me learn alot about him and how he's feeling. I will be updating the blog as we learn more.
At the wedding reception
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Soren's Birth Video
Thank you SO much to Tami Tripp photography for her stunning work capturing some of our family's first moments!
Monday, July 25, 2011
Things I'm Learning about Motherhood
1. Listening to my child cry makes me want to cry...I have no problems staying calm listening to other people's children cry, but when Soren cries, it makes my heart break
2. The first thing people ask you when they see/find out you have a new baby, is "How is he sleeping?" It's still changing every night, but on average it's every 3 hours. And yes it is hard.
3. I love that I have the special touch of calming my child down. I love how I'm learning what he loves
4. Having an infant is not too terribly difficult. Luckily, my child is not a crier, and when he does cry it's usually because his paci fell out or he's hungry. They basically eat, sleep, and poop. Having a toddler I think will be much more demanding.
5. People LOVE babies. I can't tell you how many strangers have come up and talked to me after seeing Soren.
6. Point the penis down.
7. The "mother worry" is intense and very real.
8. When Soren turns his head towards me when he hears my voice, it makes my heart melt
9. Daddies have very special roles in a child's life; but mommies take on alot more responsibilities in regards to child-rearing. Why is that?
10. Mommy intuition is like none-other. If you feel like something is wrong, follow your gut.
11. Take burp rags and the paci EVERYWHERE you go. We have burp rags (prefold cloth diapers) laying all over our apt.
12. People are opinionated about everything related to child-rearing. Take in what's helpful and forget everything that's not.
13. Noticing yourself mirror your child's smile makes you smile even more.
14. The "baby smell" is the smell of spit-up... but I still love it :-)
15. Shopping at the mall with a stroller makes you realize how few elevators there are
To be continued...
2. The first thing people ask you when they see/find out you have a new baby, is "How is he sleeping?" It's still changing every night, but on average it's every 3 hours. And yes it is hard.
3. I love that I have the special touch of calming my child down. I love how I'm learning what he loves
4. Having an infant is not too terribly difficult. Luckily, my child is not a crier, and when he does cry it's usually because his paci fell out or he's hungry. They basically eat, sleep, and poop. Having a toddler I think will be much more demanding.
5. People LOVE babies. I can't tell you how many strangers have come up and talked to me after seeing Soren.
6. Point the penis down.
7. The "mother worry" is intense and very real.
8. When Soren turns his head towards me when he hears my voice, it makes my heart melt
9. Daddies have very special roles in a child's life; but mommies take on alot more responsibilities in regards to child-rearing. Why is that?
10. Mommy intuition is like none-other. If you feel like something is wrong, follow your gut.
11. Take burp rags and the paci EVERYWHERE you go. We have burp rags (prefold cloth diapers) laying all over our apt.
12. People are opinionated about everything related to child-rearing. Take in what's helpful and forget everything that's not.
13. Noticing yourself mirror your child's smile makes you smile even more.
14. The "baby smell" is the smell of spit-up... but I still love it :-)
15. Shopping at the mall with a stroller makes you realize how few elevators there are
To be continued...
Friday, July 22, 2011
Bathtime! 1-2 weeks
Soren seems to really like bathtime once his body is in the water. In the beginning we were using the pink washtub from the hospital, which seemed to work out great. Now we've been using his bathtub with the newborn sling. When I put him in the water his eyes open wide and he looks around. We've also discovered that his hair gets curly when we dry it...every day his hair seems to be getting curlier, just like momma's :-). We've been doing a bath every night because he spits up so much; it's my favorite time of day! Here's some bath pictures:
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
2 Weeks Old!
Wow time is flying by! I can't believe my little man is already 2 weeks old, it feels like just yesterday we brought him home! Here's some updates on how Soren has been doing this week:
Measuring: 6 lbs. 5.5 oz. at his pediatrician appt. on Monday, 19.5 inches long
Eating: Soren is getting to be a much better nurser. We have eliminated the need to pump and use the nipple shield, we are going au-naturale now. He eats every 2-3 hours, with more frequent feedings in the evening and less frequent during the night.
Sleeping: Soren is up around every 4 hours at night to eat, but two nights ago he went a 6.5 stretch! He currently sleeps in bed with us either in the First Years Close & Secure Sleeper, or on my arm cuddled next to me. He gets very active when it's bedtime, just like he did in the womb. We're finding if he sleeps next to us, he sleeps great! We're hoping to break this soon, but a happy, restful baby equals happy, restful parents.
Likes: Soren likes to be swaddled, his paci, bathtime, being held, being 'worn' both with the Baby Bjorn and the Moby, car rides
Dislikes: Soren does NOT like diaper and clothes changes, when his paci falls out, and choking on his spit-up :-(
This week we... have had lots of visitors, went to a reunion, visited Kyle, Monica, Kylie & Ben, went on our first Mall excursion just Soren and momma, stayed in the air conditioning as it is extremely hot here in Minnesota (!!!), and visited my acupuncturist who helped bring Soren into our lives.
Measuring: 6 lbs. 5.5 oz. at his pediatrician appt. on Monday, 19.5 inches long
Eating: Soren is getting to be a much better nurser. We have eliminated the need to pump and use the nipple shield, we are going au-naturale now. He eats every 2-3 hours, with more frequent feedings in the evening and less frequent during the night.
Sleeping: Soren is up around every 4 hours at night to eat, but two nights ago he went a 6.5 stretch! He currently sleeps in bed with us either in the First Years Close & Secure Sleeper, or on my arm cuddled next to me. He gets very active when it's bedtime, just like he did in the womb. We're finding if he sleeps next to us, he sleeps great! We're hoping to break this soon, but a happy, restful baby equals happy, restful parents.
Likes: Soren likes to be swaddled, his paci, bathtime, being held, being 'worn' both with the Baby Bjorn and the Moby, car rides
Dislikes: Soren does NOT like diaper and clothes changes, when his paci falls out, and choking on his spit-up :-(
This week we... have had lots of visitors, went to a reunion, visited Kyle, Monica, Kylie & Ben, went on our first Mall excursion just Soren and momma, stayed in the air conditioning as it is extremely hot here in Minnesota (!!!), and visited my acupuncturist who helped bring Soren into our lives.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
1 Week Old!
Dear Soren,
Today you are one week old! Mommy keeps thinking back to one week ago when her life changed in amazing ways when you entered the world. Mommy is currently working on your birth story, but one moment she will never forget is when the nurse brought you into the room after mommy's c-section recovery and your 4-hour NICU monitoring. I instantly cried when you entered in the room, I cried "My baby, it's my baby! Do you know how long I've waited for you?!?" I cry just thinking about that beautiful moment. After I talked to you, you opened your eyes for the first time. I couldn't stop smelling you, kissing you, crying and rejoicing in my little miracle. There was not a dry eye in the room.
The last week has been a beautiful blur while daddy and I have been working on establishing a routine and learning more about your likes and dislikes. So far we've figured out that you LOVE your pacifier; you HATE being changed as we think you get cold, but the second we put the paci in your mouth the world is at peace. You seem to enjoy your swing and also when daddy "shhhhs" you in the ear to calm you down. Breastfeeding is a love-hate experience for you. You are kinda stubborn (and 'lazy' according to your pediatrician) and don't like to work to let the milk down. Momma has been pumping a little bit before and trying many different things to get you to latch on. Once we get you latched on, you love to nurse and go to town. Daddy knows you must be a 'Johnson' based on your stubbornness. Daddy stays calm and is a great supporter in our breastfeeding endeavors! So far you wake up every 2.5-3 hours to nurse which is perfect!
Also this week you have had many visitors! There are so many people who love you and find you to be adorable...momma has to agree! Last night we had Tami, our photographer, come over to take some newborn pictures of you and you did great! You made sure she knew that if she takes off your dipey, you will pee :-). Also this week we went to your cousin Kylie's baptism. You got to meet Kylie and Ryker for the first time and all of us had a great time ooggling over the babies.
(From left to right: Ryker, Soren, Kylie)
Today you are one week old! Mommy keeps thinking back to one week ago when her life changed in amazing ways when you entered the world. Mommy is currently working on your birth story, but one moment she will never forget is when the nurse brought you into the room after mommy's c-section recovery and your 4-hour NICU monitoring. I instantly cried when you entered in the room, I cried "My baby, it's my baby! Do you know how long I've waited for you?!?" I cry just thinking about that beautiful moment. After I talked to you, you opened your eyes for the first time. I couldn't stop smelling you, kissing you, crying and rejoicing in my little miracle. There was not a dry eye in the room.
The last week has been a beautiful blur while daddy and I have been working on establishing a routine and learning more about your likes and dislikes. So far we've figured out that you LOVE your pacifier; you HATE being changed as we think you get cold, but the second we put the paci in your mouth the world is at peace. You seem to enjoy your swing and also when daddy "shhhhs" you in the ear to calm you down. Breastfeeding is a love-hate experience for you. You are kinda stubborn (and 'lazy' according to your pediatrician) and don't like to work to let the milk down. Momma has been pumping a little bit before and trying many different things to get you to latch on. Once we get you latched on, you love to nurse and go to town. Daddy knows you must be a 'Johnson' based on your stubbornness. Daddy stays calm and is a great supporter in our breastfeeding endeavors! So far you wake up every 2.5-3 hours to nurse which is perfect!
Also this week you have had many visitors! There are so many people who love you and find you to be adorable...momma has to agree! Last night we had Tami, our photographer, come over to take some newborn pictures of you and you did great! You made sure she knew that if she takes off your dipey, you will pee :-). Also this week we went to your cousin Kylie's baptism. You got to meet Kylie and Ryker for the first time and all of us had a great time ooggling over the babies.
(From left to right: Ryker, Soren, Kylie)As far as growth goes, here's the past week's measurements:
Birth- 6 lbs. 6 oz., 20 inches long
Friday, leaving hospital: 5 lbs. 12.8 oz.
Monday ped. appt- 5 lbs. 15 oz., 18 3/4 inches long
Tuesday ped. appt.- 6 lbs. 1/2 oz.
Birth- 6 lbs. 6 oz., 20 inches long
Friday, leaving hospital: 5 lbs. 12.8 oz.
Monday ped. appt- 5 lbs. 15 oz., 18 3/4 inches long
Tuesday ped. appt.- 6 lbs. 1/2 oz.
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