Our First Week

I can't believe it's been over a week now since my baby boy was born! My how time flies! Don't all new parents say that? Well, it's true! Here's a little about how our first week was. Now, keep in mind, this is my blog, and some of the things I write on here are more for my own recollection since I don't keep a diary, so yeah!

The first 48 hours after Clayton was born were miserable. I was sick, tired, overwhelmed, and he wasn't eating or going to the bathroom well. For whatever reason they decided to circumsize him on the same day he was born, so at 5pm they took him for his little minor surgery. Babies are supposed to urinate within 8 hours at the most after their circ, and our poor guy did not pee until nearly 13 hours after. We were very concerned but the nurse was keeping a close eye on him. He was also not getting enough to eat off of my colostrum, so we were having to supplement with a bottle in order to get him to sleep. After trying to breastfeed him every two hours for nearly 45 minutes at a time my nipples were raw, and I was drained and frustrated. I didn't understand why he was not satisfied, even after he ate so "much", or so I thought. Darren and I were beyond tired and on our both nights the nurse took him to the nursery for a while so that we could sleep. I felt like a failure of a mother. I was so upset and was crying because I couldn't believe I had to send my new baby off with strangers because I was too tired to deal with anything. Hospital food was terrible so we were not eating well. The physical and mental exhaustion that we endured while in the hospital was terrible. I hate to say it, but it really was! We were finally discharged from the hospital on Saturday right after lunch. We couldn't wait to get home and be in our own bed, with our own things, eating our own food.

Once we arrived at home we were greeted by wonderful decorations that Darren's family had put up for us. My mom and his family also had cleaned our house and it was so refreshing to walk into it all nice like that! We had a bunch of visitors the first day we were home, and everyone thought Clayton was just the cutest thing ever! The next few days were equally as hard as the hospital days were. I was barely getting any sleep because he wanted to eat almost every two hours, plus I was not used to all of the little noises that he makes while sleeping, so everything woke me up. He was still not going to the bathroom very regularly so that was also concerning me. I had a wealth of worry for my little man, and the stress really got to me. I began to have a case of the "Baby Blues". They (the internet and other moms) say that it is normal to feel the roller coaster of emotions shortly after delivery. Your hormones are out of whack, you're not sleeping well thus your serotonin is not replenishing, and you're on pins and needles wondering if you're doing everything right. I had a few days when I cried multiple times, mostly when triggered by something. One day I was super sad because I missed our dog. She usually is always in the house with us and slept in our bedroom, but since the baby was home she was having to spend more time outside. Dumb, I know, but this was a trigger. Then, I was sad because I missed my husband and spending time with him. Even more, I was sad because I was worried about my baby and his health. We were having problems with his bili levels also, so knew we had to go back to the hospital on Monday to check his bili levels.

Monday we had his levels checked and they were slightly elevated, so they told us to come back again the next day. We were able to let him have some indirect sunlight time and this seemed to help because on Tuesday his levels were down! On Monday we also had his first pediatrician checkup, and the doctor said that everything looked good.. minus the bili! My milk had come in on Sunday so things were starting to get better as little man was eating more and seemed to be a little more satisfied after feedings than he had been when he was only getting colostrum.

I believe it was Tuesday when I finally broke down and called my best friend, Cristina. I needed some advice from a friend, and I knew she was just the person to call. She reassured me that all of my baby blues were normal, and she gave me advice for how to get some better sleep! She suggested doing shifts overnight. This meant I would care for and feed Clayton for a period of time and then I'd take him to my mom and she'd take care of him. We decided that I'd take the first shift until 3am or so, and she'd take the rest of the night. I was able to pump to give her breastmilk to feed Clayton while I slept. This turned out to be the best thing ever. Not only did I start to feel a million times better, but I swear Clayton was able to start eating and sleeping better. Plus, the diapers continued to need changing! That boy, once he started to fill them, he has not quit! ;-)

From then on I have been a new person. I have my appetite back, I'm happier, and everyone tells me I look better! I felt like the walking dead those first several days.

In other news..... We gave Clayton his first bath, which he hated... but we found out that he was just cold! If you keep a washcloth over him during the bath then he's a happy camper! He has MULTIPLE times peed all over my bed and himself because I'm not quick enough with the new diaper! I swear! He kicks too much while changing him to keep anything over his little man parts, haha. This morning he baptized himself so had to get another bath. Hehe... He is changing daily. He is so handsome! He now stays awake for longer periods of time which is so fun. His eyes are beautiful!

Here are his likes and dislikes! He loves: Being swaddled, being held, laying on Daddy's chest, swinging in his swing, rocking in his bouncer, eating, snuggling, staring at Mommy, tooting (ok, maybe he doesn't like this but he is good at it!), peeing on Mommy (hehe). He hates: Diaper changes (only when he's really hungry and anticipating that food is next!), being naked, laying flat (such as in his crib or cradle), and when he gets the hiccups. Poor baby gets them A LOT! He also gets gassy after eating so we have to make sure to get all of the burps and toots out or else he is not happy!

It has been a great week and we love our baby boy so much! I also can't believe how happy it makes me feel to see Darren with his baby boy! Last night Clayton fell asleep on his chest and I swear it was the cutest thing ever. Darren will give him kisses all of the time which is so sweet. I love my husband and he has been amazing. Now I'll get into all of that! Darren was not only the best coach through labor, but he was the best nurse afterward. I won't go into gory details but he helped me with many aspects of recovery. He didn't mind any of the by-products of labor. He even stood by my side after all of my crying fits. He reassured me that I was a great mom, how beautiful I was, etc etc... He is THE BEST husband ever.

Our baby boy is adorable... I may be biased... and I promise to keep this blog updated, even though it's hard to find time! ;-) Enjoy some pictures!