As of today, Sophia is two weeks old. I cannot believe that two weeks has already gone by.
This also means that my mom is leaving very soon, but let's not think about that right now.
At the moment, I've got my little girl snuggled and sleeping in the Moby wrap, and I was attempting to go through a massive pile of clothes that we received from one of Art's Filipino Aunties. And then I decided to just go on the computer instead.
Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about Sophia's birth story. I'm almost done writing it, but I haven't had a ton of time to work on it. [Partly because we've been going out pretty much every day. And partly because I've been trying to organize a ton of baby pictures, but every time I open up my pictures folder, my computer slows right down to a crawl.]
But I promise: that post WILL go up before she graduates from college. ;)
Quick prayer request: it seems our little sweet pea is not gaining weight like she should. Ideally she would be back up to her birth weight by now, but she is several ounces shy of that (and has been for a few days). I've seen a lactation consultant twice, and they, along with my doctor, keep telling me that I'm doing everything right, and that Sophia is healthy.
I think the problem might be that Sophia doesn't eat with gusto when she's at the breast. She likes to get sleepy during feeding time, and she ends up burning the calories that she's taking in with prolonged, weak sucking. I'm trying not to be too worried about it (but that's akin to trying not to breathe. I'm just being a typical new momma). I know that I can always supplement for a while if I have to, but the point is that I want my little girl to grow.
Your prayers would be much appreciated.
And speaking of feeding, I must end this post because it's time for lunch for this one!
March 29, 2011
March 21, 2011
Mommy and Baby Update
Today is the first day since giving birth that I have had more than 20 minutes on the computer. So far, I have spent it reading blogs.
Sophia didn't eat very much at her last feeding, so I don't think I have much more time to be on here. Which means today will not be the day where I share her birth story.
But I will give an update.
She is six days old today, and her umbilical cord stump fell off in the middle of the night. When she was two days old, she had lost 9 ounces. At three days old, she gained back one ounce. She will be weighed today, and I'm praying that a few more ounces have been added.
She is a very sleepy girl, and hardly fusses at all. Which is a good thing, except when it comes to feeding. It takes an hour or more to get her fully fed, and sometimes (like the last feeding), she just falls asleep without getting as much as I think she could (and should), so then I know we'll barely make it two hours between feedings.
Actually, I would like to ask for your prayers about this one. I know it's not bad that she's a sleepy feeder, but what is bad is that she doesn't suck vigorously, which means she's not drawing enough breast into her mouth, which means she's only getting tiny sips when she needs to be gulping.
We went to see a lactation consultant last week, and I was given a nipple shield, which has helped. But it's not meant to be used forever. I keep praying that Sophia will learn to breastfeed without it. I don't think I'd be as worried if she wasn't also jaundiced. So yeah. Prayers are greatly appreciated.
Also, since she doesn't fuss a lot, she rarely cries when she's hungry. So we sleep with her in our bed, and I'm learning what her hunger cues are. I never thought I'd be a cosleeper, but now it just makes sense. I love having her that close at night, and I'm not worried about rolling over on her or suffocating her. Plus, I feed her right there in the bed at night, so once we're done, we can just lie down and go to sleep.
And how am I doing? I am healing well. I'm probably on my feet more than I should be, (and more than my midwife would like me to be), but sitting for long periods of time also hurts. Plus, I feel like the movement is helping me heal, as long as I don't move in such a way that would damage the area where I was stitched. I'm still very careful about that.
My friend Sozan, and Art's parents were here for two whole days after I gave birth. I am so very grateful for their help. I was able to stay in bed and just concentrate on me and Sophia, and they took care of everything else. And just when they had to go home, my mom arrived, and she'll be here for two weeks.
And after that, the church is going to set up a meal chain for me. I continue to be amazed and humbled by all the love and support and help and generosity and encouragement that is around me. God is so good. So very very good.
Art went back to work today. It was wonderful to have a full week with him at home, and he had the option of taking more time off. But he is now the sole source of income for us. I think it was hard for him to leave this morning, but that means he'll spend all evening cuddling with her to make up for it. He's such a good dad.
Well, I expect Sophia to be calling any minute now (although she's cuddling with Grandma right now, so I might have a few more minutes yet). But I need to make sure that I get some food in my tummy.
I'll leave you with a couple of pictures of our sweet girl. Isn't she the prettiest girl in the world? :)
Sophia didn't eat very much at her last feeding, so I don't think I have much more time to be on here. Which means today will not be the day where I share her birth story.
But I will give an update.
She is six days old today, and her umbilical cord stump fell off in the middle of the night. When she was two days old, she had lost 9 ounces. At three days old, she gained back one ounce. She will be weighed today, and I'm praying that a few more ounces have been added.
She is a very sleepy girl, and hardly fusses at all. Which is a good thing, except when it comes to feeding. It takes an hour or more to get her fully fed, and sometimes (like the last feeding), she just falls asleep without getting as much as I think she could (and should), so then I know we'll barely make it two hours between feedings.
Actually, I would like to ask for your prayers about this one. I know it's not bad that she's a sleepy feeder, but what is bad is that she doesn't suck vigorously, which means she's not drawing enough breast into her mouth, which means she's only getting tiny sips when she needs to be gulping.
We went to see a lactation consultant last week, and I was given a nipple shield, which has helped. But it's not meant to be used forever. I keep praying that Sophia will learn to breastfeed without it. I don't think I'd be as worried if she wasn't also jaundiced. So yeah. Prayers are greatly appreciated.
Also, since she doesn't fuss a lot, she rarely cries when she's hungry. So we sleep with her in our bed, and I'm learning what her hunger cues are. I never thought I'd be a cosleeper, but now it just makes sense. I love having her that close at night, and I'm not worried about rolling over on her or suffocating her. Plus, I feed her right there in the bed at night, so once we're done, we can just lie down and go to sleep.
And how am I doing? I am healing well. I'm probably on my feet more than I should be, (and more than my midwife would like me to be), but sitting for long periods of time also hurts. Plus, I feel like the movement is helping me heal, as long as I don't move in such a way that would damage the area where I was stitched. I'm still very careful about that.
My friend Sozan, and Art's parents were here for two whole days after I gave birth. I am so very grateful for their help. I was able to stay in bed and just concentrate on me and Sophia, and they took care of everything else. And just when they had to go home, my mom arrived, and she'll be here for two weeks.
And after that, the church is going to set up a meal chain for me. I continue to be amazed and humbled by all the love and support and help and generosity and encouragement that is around me. God is so good. So very very good.
Art went back to work today. It was wonderful to have a full week with him at home, and he had the option of taking more time off. But he is now the sole source of income for us. I think it was hard for him to leave this morning, but that means he'll spend all evening cuddling with her to make up for it. He's such a good dad.
Well, I expect Sophia to be calling any minute now (although she's cuddling with Grandma right now, so I might have a few more minutes yet). But I need to make sure that I get some food in my tummy.
I'll leave you with a couple of pictures of our sweet girl. Isn't she the prettiest girl in the world? :)
March 15, 2011
I'm a Mom!
I think most of you guys are also my friends on Facebook, but I thought I would share here very quickly that Art and I had a baby girl this morning!
Sophia Grace was born at 12:36 am, 6lbs 110z, 19 inches. Art chose the name Sophia because it means Wisdom.
I had 18 hours of labor, but seriously, it only felt like 9, because the first 9 hours were so mild and inconsistent, I wasn't even sure if it was the real thing!
She was born in the water, after 45 minutes of serious pushing. I tore some, but nothing serious that won't heal in a couple of weeks.
I'm very much planning on doing a detailed labor and delivery post in the future. I feel like I could do one today, but I know I'm supposed to rest as much as possible, and I will do what the doctor ordered.
Sophia Grace was born at 12:36 am, 6lbs 110z, 19 inches. Art chose the name Sophia because it means Wisdom.
I had 18 hours of labor, but seriously, it only felt like 9, because the first 9 hours were so mild and inconsistent, I wasn't even sure if it was the real thing!
She was born in the water, after 45 minutes of serious pushing. I tore some, but nothing serious that won't heal in a couple of weeks.
I'm very much planning on doing a detailed labor and delivery post in the future. I feel like I could do one today, but I know I'm supposed to rest as much as possible, and I will do what the doctor ordered.
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