Newborn Baby Day 5

Day 5 - The big weigh in.

Total is the first weigh in for Baby J. The health visitor is due to visit to see how he is progressing. This is a moment that can fill a new mother with dread. How much weight has my little baby lost? Will I be judged as being a bad mother if my baby has not maintained birth weight?

Little J weighed 3.04kg at birth. He was not as small as you would think as this is only 6lb 11. He was very long, and very very skinny.

At the 5th day weigh in he had INCREASED!!!! to a fabulous 3.1kg (6lb 13). I am a very proud mummy, and suddenly the round the clock feeding seems worth it.

Newborn Baby - Day 3,4

Life with a newborn baby is always filled with wonder and excitement. Their little faces are so amazed by everything they see. All things are new to them, and they are taking every single moment in.

Life with a newborn baby and a toddler is frantic! Little E is full of excitement, jumping on all the furniture, crying when he does not get his own way, I feel like i have to have eyes in the back of my head as he wants to kiss and cuddle Baby J all the time. Little E wants to wake him up when he is sleeping, cuddle him when he is crying (because he has just been woken up), and carry him around! I am not sure how i am going to cope with both of them on my own. Thank goodness for paternity leave, and my Mother coming to stay when the Daddy is at work this week.

I am still on a high from the birth and completely unphased by the constant feeding and lack of sleep.

Day 3 Feeding = 9.40, 11.15, 2.00, 5.00, 6.00, 7.00, 9.40, 1.20, 1.15, 3.30, 4.20, 5.20, 6.30
Poor Baby J was very unsettled through the night, and the only thing that would calm him was feeding. I am not sure if I have done the right thing, however he has finally settled at 6.30am so something must be right.

Day 4 Feeding = 10.20, 11.30, 1.25, 3.50, 6.35, 8.15, 11.35, 2.30, 3.20, 5.00
Success! Baby J's feeding was a little more spaced out, although I was exhausted by 5am. I had to wake the Daddy as I can not stay up all night again.

Thank goodness for the Daddy, I would fall apart without him. From memory Baby J's feeding pattern is following the same pattern as Little E, and with any luck Baby J will sleep longer at night in a few days. I am feeling very tired from lack of sleep, but the reward from the hard work we have been doing is motivating me to stay positive.

I am not really getting any sleep in the day as we also have Little E to look after.

Oh, and thank goodness for Lansinoh. My nipples are sore, but no cracking thanks to the good old trusty purple cream!

Day 2 Feeding Frenzy!

The feeding frenzy continues. Baby J has been working very hard to build up a good mummy milk supply. Here is the list of Day 2 feeding (Sat 5th Feb)

10.15am
11.15 am
12.45 pm
1.20 pm
4.00pm
5.00pm
6.00pm
8.25pm
10.55pm
midnight
1am
2.45am
4am

Baby J sleeps in between each feed, and by 4am I am exhausted.
From 1am he is so windy and unsettled, I am reaching the end of my sanity when finally at 4am he settles and goes to sleep.

I would not wish any moment away, but I am starting to look forward to when times are more settled. The contrast between Little E and Baby J is huge. The biggest in when they were newborn is the amount of sleep Baby J needs. I know it is hard to remember what happens in the early days, but Little E was never a big day sleeper. Baby J sleeps all the time!

Now is my chance to rest!

Toddler Quote of the day

"I am not naughty, I am happy"

Mmm, we will see about that!

The royal wedding warm up.

Is it wrong that I am recording the film of will and kate?  This is my guilty secret of 2011, and I am hoping it will be good. In truth I know it will be shocking bad.  Am hoping FB does not notice, he is not the most observant at noticing what has been recorded on the virgin box.

Am also taping the highlight so I can wallow in royal glam when FB is back at work next week.

Pillow Talk

FB showed me a vibrating app he had downloaded on his new HTC phone.

"Ooohh" I said "that gives a whole new meaning to phone sex".

 

Could get a bit messy though, I thought to myself.

Day 1 - routine

Once we had settled in at home, I started the notes on Baby J feeding routine.  I am keen to feed on demand in the early days to establish breast feeding.  Here are the details,

 

RHS = Right hand side

LHS = Left hand side

 

4pm RHS

5.30pm LHS

Sleeping and hard to wake!

9.55pm RHS

10.20pm RHS

10.50pm LHS

11.45pm RHS

12.30am LHS

1.35am LHS

4.50am RHS

6.25am LHS

7.40am RHS

 

Wow, when I see it written down like this I have only one more thing  to say .... When do I get to sleep?

 

Day 2

It feels so good to be home.

 

My body feels completely drained of all energy, and I am starved of sleep, but I love it.

 

We are due to have the MIL visit today, which will be lovely.  Little E is so excited, he needs something to divert his attention.  He seems to spend most of his time jumping up and down on the furniture, running to give Baby J kisses, and running around with excitement.  I am so pleased that the Daddy will be home to help, it all seems a little too much at the moment.

 

Our first visitor arrived at 10am, which was a lovely surprise.  She brought her little girl (one of Little E's Biatches) who shared toast with Little E.

 

My Brother is bringing my Mummy to stay tonight.  I am looking forward to her visit, and just spending time with her. 

 

Baby J is so gorgeous, and his hair is so velvety soft I can not stop stroking it.

 

These early days are heaven, and I am soaking up every moment.

The first day

After breakfast Baby J and I made our way back to our room (I was quite impressed to remember where it was).  We then settled into the morning feed.

 

Why is it that just when you are in the middle of a great feed with a newborn baby, you are interrupted?  Just as Baby J was on a mammoth 30 minute feed and counting, a midwife came in to usher us off to the pediatrician.  I manged to delay her a few minutes, but was under pressure to go home today so did not want to miss the slot.  Thank goodness I am a chilled Mummy or the pressure would be too much and could ruin the flow of breastfeeding.  Midwives take note please!  I was told to have him naked and ready to go at any minute.

 

Just as I was wrestling Baby J's clothes off in preparation and Baby J was still suckling hard on the Mummy milk, the Daddy walked in with impeccable timing to help.  It was great to see the doctor together, as the Daddy missed the opportunity when Little E was a baby.  I felt so proud of my new little baby all perfect and tiny.

 

Baby J was signed off with no problems by everyone who came to check him.  We happily left at 3pm, and I started to feel quite emotional about seeing Little E once more.  I had only left him over night, but it seemed like forever.  He has been staying with the childminder, and having a fabulous time telling everyone about Baby J. 

 

 

A quick trip to Tesco to buy a thank you gift for the childminder and champagne for us, and I could not walk (all be it gingerly) into the house quick enough.  It felt so good to give Little E a big cuddle and lots of kisses, and he was soooooo very excited to meet Baby J.

 

Suddenly Little E seems like a giant!

The First Morning

I think I got about four hours sleep on the first night. This sounds O.K. considering I have a newborn baby, however it was not Baby J that stopped me sleeping, it was my excitement about having him.

FF had left me the laptop, and after a little re-arranging of the room I settled into watching a few movies while Baby J was feeding.

There are two things I dislike about staying in hospital ...
1. It never gets dark enough to sleep
2. Just as you are dropping off from sheer exhaustion after a sleepless night, you are woken at 6am for breakfast

Imagine my joy when
1. I was shown how to turn out the lights in my room (I wondered what all the switches were for)
2. There was no early call for breakfast. I was overjoyed to be told I had to walk to the day room for a buffet breakfast. With great pride I pushed Baby J in his goldfish tank to breakfast and mingled with other mums. The chat went a little something like this,
"OMG, it was you screaming yesterday, did they forget about you."
"Ummm yes!"

Hands on Father

How far does a Dad have to go to be considered a hands on Dad?

 

My mother is always telling me how impressed she is with my Brother and his hands on parenting.  She acknowledges that The Daddy is very good with Little E and Baby J, however does not fully appreciate how much he does.

 

I had lunch today with a very dear friend who told me that he used to do the night feeds when his little darling was a baby.  I assumed he meant the weekends, however he informed me that he did it all the time ... even in the week!

 

This is amazing to me, and quite un-necessary, however he told me his wife suffered from migraines if she had to wake up and do the 3am feed.  My dear friend is currently going through a little marital hardship, however I can not help but wonder if his loving wife knows how lucky she is.  I am sure he has not had his just rewards for his efforts.

 

How many men would have 5 months of interrupted sleep, to rise from their bed, go to the nursery, go downstairs and feed their baby at 3am in the morning, every morning.

 

I can only think of one, and I hope he knows how wonderful he is.

The first night

We settled into our lovely private room at about 10pm. I ignored all the comments from any midwives about remembering me from earlier in the day (you never know when they may come in handy.)

We ordered some out of hours dinner, FF set up the laptop so I had some entertainment and left Baby J and me to get some well deserved rest.  This is easier said than done when the adrenaline is pumping and the excitement of a new baby is peaking.

I think I dozed for a few hours in between feeding and checking Baby J was ok. We had a busy hour at 1am where Baby J filled his nappy four times with the sticky black poo.
I had a few words with Baby J, as am convinced there was already some conspiracy with the Daddy. There will be none left in the morning if he does not stop and the Daddy will miss all the fun.

Baby J seems more sensitive than Little E. He hated pooing, giving out little cries each time.  He gets most disgruntled at bringing any mucus or milk up in his mouth, but rather than spit it out, he swallows it back down. Little E was sick almost from the moment he was born, but already Baby J is proving how different he will be.

This is such a magical time, and I am treasuring every moment

Scary things my toddler says #1

Looking out of bedroom window onto kitchen roof and garden ...

 

"Me climb on my roof"

 

Errrr ... I don't think so, now where do I safely hide the keys to the window locks?

Too calm to be in labour ... you must be joking!

Baby number 2 is born ... Short version ...

 

More contractions Wed night, only turned out not to be wind this time

Thursday 3rd Feb woke up 4am.  Contractions still coming.

Little E dropped off at Childminders, and we are in the hospital 9am.

Examined and 2cm dilated, told can go home.

Refuse to go home, so given bed on anti natal ward.  Contractions are strong and I can feel my cervix dilating.

Tens machine set up 10am, and I started asking when can get gas and air.

Told over next few hours by midwives, contractions irregular, am not in labour, no gas and air on anti natal ward.  I am too calm to be in labour.

2.30pm waters break.  Midwives ask me if I am sure, and look disappointed when they find I am right.

Contractions start coming with no real break.  Still midwives are not convinced I am in labour as still too calm!

 

2.50pm connected to monitoring machine, told we will be checked in 10 minutes. Midwife goes on break and no-one comes back to check.

Buzzer pushed 20 mins ... we ask why we have not been checked.

Buzzer pushed 30 mins ... I tell them I can feel the head ... no reaction from midwives.

Me screaming 40 min .. FF goes to ask for pain relief.  Suddenly there are about 4 midwives coming to have a look.

 

Finally I am examined.  Midwife looks shocked and tells me I am 8 1/2 cm dilated, and they can feel the head.  Congratulated me in doing it with no pain relief, (they do not class tens as pain relief)

Tell me I can go to delivery suite. 

Moved to delivery suite 3.47 pm

FF helps me onto delivery bed.

Gas and Air (finally)

New midwife attempt to put monitoring belt on, gives up when she hears my scream.

Moves to the action end, tries to put on gloves ... no time as they are thrown aside and the head is out.

Next contraction the body is out, and my beautiful Baby J is born at 4pm.

 

No intervention, no pain relief, no pushing. 

Perfectly natural, perfectly relaxed, perfect Baby.

Any Twinges Yet???

With only 4 days to go until my due date, THE question has started.

Any twinges yet?

The midwife looked disappointed yesterday that nothing had happened. No twinges, no show. I left with a gentle wave, and the news that I would now not be seeing them until after the baby is born. My next schedule appointment is with the consultant at 40weeks + 6 days so all I have to do now is put my feet up and rest. The midwife advised I may not make it that long .... only Baby can decide that I said.

The Daddy got a little spooked last night after I explained what 3/5 engaged meant, and updated him on what the midwife told me. I was feeling quite uncomfortable after wearing myself out vacuuming half the living room (we live in a small terrace). Baby no.2 was prodding and poking me in places he should not, and I had eaten a very large dinner. My tummy was aching, and the braxton hicks were on full form.

I may have thought the twinges were starting, however I could feel a small popping sensation at the top of my rather large belly. "I think it is wind" I said.

After another hour of this, The Daddy kept asking if I was sure I was OK, and maybe I should text the childminder to warn her something may be happening. "Ummm, no ... " I said pausing for a moment, "oooh, definitely wind!" and finally the pressure started to ease.

Pregnancy ... so dignified!

Baby No.2 ... What to pack in my hospital bag???

Baby No.2 is just days away from being born! I am now in week 4 of my maternity leave, and completed the task of hospital bags last week.

I feel a small sense of triumph that my hospital bags are packed and in the car waiting for THE big event.

I use the plural 'bags' because there are four in total.

1. Food bad. This was the first bag to be packed (I know my priorities). Food bag contains cereal bars, chocolate, water, crisps, fruit pots, nuts ... and so on to keep my energy levels up during labour, and for however long afterwards that I may be staying in hospital.

2. Baby Bag. I finished packing this bag next and it contains
6 Vests
6 Sleep Suits
Blanket
Nappies (Nature Baby)
2 pairs socks
2 hats
4 Muslins
1 Bag Cotton Wool
1 Going Home Outfit
1 Snow Suit

3. The Mummy Bag. Finally last week, I finished the mummy bag (part a) which contains all the things I need for labour and immediately after. It contains
Slipper Socks
Lip Balm - for the Daddy to apply whilst I am using Gas and Air
Tens Machine
Mini Toiletries (Shower gel, shampoo, conditioner, hand cream, moisturiser, face wipes)
2 Maternity Bras
2 Pairs washable Breast Pads
PJ's, which I intend to live in for at least one month after the birth
Toothbrush, Toothpaste
Pants, pants and more pants (disposable, and a new multi pack from George which was a bargain £3.50 for 5)
Hairbrush
Maternity Pads
Book (never going to get read)
Pen and notepad - to make notes of contractions, feeding times etc.

4. The Mummy Bag. (part b). With things I may need if I am staying in over night or longer. It contains
2 sets of PJ's
More pants!
More Maternity Pads
Portable DVD player and DVDs

Now I can relax and know that everything is organised, and all I have to do is wait until the time is right for Baby No.2 to make an appearance.

Heart melting moment

After watching the first episode of a new cbeebies programme "charlie bear" for the fifth time in a row, Little E turned to the Mummy and said,

"Mummy build rocket like charlie bear to go to moon?"

Well, I could not move fast enough to build Little E his first rocket (out of the new version of stickle bricks). I smiled with delight as he ran round he room zooming to the moon.

Before I had a baby, the main contact I had with children was vicariously through the clones of child obsessed mothers at work.

These clones of child obsessed mothers have only one topic of conversation ... their children.  From the minute they conceive a little switch flips in their head that blocks out all other thoughts but that of the child and pregnancy.

Husbands and boyfriends turn into annoyances who serve no purpose other than to be a hindrance and are constantly complained about for "not helping out", "not understanding their needs" or heaven forbid "wanting sex!"

Any conversation about the evening or weekend turns into a list of achievements for their little darlings at ballet, football or school, or showing off about  how many parties they have attended.

New recruits come in the form of unsuspecting expectant mothers who proudly announce their joyful news.  The clones of child obsessed mothers flock round the victim to turn them into a clone as quickly as they can. The victim is bamboozled with a series of questions ...

How many weeks are you?
When are you due?
Was it planned?
How long were you trying?

The victim (soon to be cloned into a child obsessed mother) can not help but be flattered by the attention, and enjoy being a membed of this popular club.  It is easy to get sucked in as an expectant mother.  So much is happening to your body, life will never be the same again, it is good to have someone to talk to who has been through if before.

Some dads form their own child obsessed fathers club.  I overheard one last week showing off to an expectant father about the performance of his newborns poo.  He enthusiastically explained about the contence of his sons nappy from birth to present age of 6 months, including how the nappies leak, and how far up the babies back the poo travels.

These conversations are facinating for parents, however mean nothing to single folk, and must be depressing for anyone desperate for a baby but not fortunate to have one.

I try hard to resist the charms of the child obsessed mothers, doing my best to remember what it was like before i became a clone.  I don't want every conversation i have to be about Little E.  I am more than just a mother, i have a social life, a fabulous boyfriend, hobbies and crazy neighbours to talk about.

I would love to pretend that i am the perfect role model of a working mother, however i fail most days.  Sometimes all i want to do is talk about Little E, what he said, what he ate, i even read out texts from the childminder telling me how long he slept for and if he snored!  I make excuses to myself that it is not my fault.  People should be honest and tell me i'm boring, but they don't.  I get encouraging noises and requests to bring Little E  into work to meet everyone.

Maybe it is time i was honest with myself, and admitted that i am a fully fledged signed up member of the group of child obsessed mothers, however i think i i will resist just a little bit longer if i can and keep living the lie.

The Daddy showed Little E how to wee wee standing up yesterday.  We have been encouraging Little E to wee wee on his potty for some weeks.  Little E always seems very enthusiastic, runs and mounts his potty as though it were a horse, sits down for no more than 2 seconds and then runs off to wee wee on the floor.

 

Little E's reaction to the Daddy wee wee standing up demonstration was "wa-owww!!!" followed by lots of laughing.

 

This gave us some hope that Little E now understood what he should be doing and would enjoy sitting on his potty to wee wee.

 

The next night, in the bathroom.  Little E was ready to get out of the bath. 

 

The Mummy ... "Little E would you like to get out of the bath and do a wee wee on your potty?"

 

Little E, climbing out of the bath with great effort ... "Yeh. Yeh. Wee wee"

 

The Mummy helped Little E out of the bath.

Little E ran over to the Potty, mounted it, sat for 2 seconds.  Stood up, moved less than one foot.  Grabbed his willy saying "wee wee" and wee'd on the floor!

 

Little E seemed so pleased with himself, he tried to do more wee wee.  By the time his bladder was empty the Mummy had 2 puddles to clean up, and Little E was quickly dunked in the bath with the Daddy for a final once over.

 

The Daddy ... "Little E did you do a wee wee on the floor?"

Little E ... "Yes, dhat" (Pointing to the puddles, very proud of himself)

The Daddy ... "Very good, however try in the potty next time"

Little E ... "Yes, wee wee dhat"

 

In order to prevent too many more puddles on the floor I suggested that the Daddy should do another demonstration of wee wee, only this time wee wee into the potty.  The Daddy was not too impressed with this, saying it would be too weird.  I think he may be right!

 

 

The best Mummy moments are made of this ...

Hot sunny weather.
Driving with the windows down.
Listening to Little E giggling in the back as the wind blows the magazine he's holding up and down, to and fro.