Life with Liam...so far
Adjusting to life with a newborn baby has been a roller coaster of emotions. Some days I love it and welcome the stress and utter lack of bureaucracy, but other days I just sit and cry while nursing the baby because I feel like I'm being pulled in more directions than I can handle.
Sometimes I think postpartum depression is kicking in, but that is usually cured with sleep and popping a placenta pill. I admit--the placenta pills absolutely reek and, most of the time, I am reluctant to put the stinky thing in my mouth. However, I do notice a difference in my emotional stability after taking a dose, so when it comes time to swallow one, I just pinch my nose and take a big gulp of water.
I went to my first La Leche League (LLL) meeting this week, and it proved a smart decision. The group that assembled was quite large, so there were many conversations going on at once. But it made me feel a lot better about what I/we have done so far with regard to feeding Liam. The people at the hospital told us to feed him every 3 hours and said it was important to wake him to do so. They also said I have to pump every 3 hours to keep up my milk supply. Well, the mothers at LLL said it was fine to let the baby sleep and that if you can't pump every 3 hours, your supply will be fine. Talk about setting my fears to rest. Somehow, I trust other mothers' experiences more than the hospital party line. It took a load of stress off of me, and I came home and just enjoyed trying to nurse the baby. He wasn't fussy and latched immediately.
I swear that he has a direct connection to my emotional state when I sit down to nurse. If I'm stressed at all, he fights me the entire time and it's a pretty discouraging session. But if I go into it relatively calm, I either laugh when he is fussy or he just latches without any issues.
We took Liam to his next follow-up appointment with the pediatrician. She gave him a clean bill of health and said that she doesn't need to see him until he's 2 months old. Woohoo! He weighed 7 lbs 4 oz and measured 21 inches long. I can't believe he's gained over a pound in the last 2 weeks and grown 2 inches! I just looked back at his pictures from when we were in the hospital, and he's changed so much. It's terrifying how quickly babies grow when they are this young. It's over in the blink of an eye.
Overall, despite my crying spells, I am happier than I can remember being in a long time. I cherish the skin-to-skin time with Liam and am constantly amazed at how calm he gets when he lays on my chest. I cherish the unlimited kisses I get to give him on his forehead, cheeks, neck, and belly. I realize that it won't be so easy to sneak these as he gets older. I cherish the hugs and snuggling that are as calming to him as they are to me. I love the tiny sleep noises he makes. I love watching his lower lip stick out in a distinctive pout just before he's about to start screaming. Or when his lower lip trembles as he screams at the top of his lungs. (Of course, the screaming is unnerving when it wakes you from sleep, but it's still kinda cute in its own way.) I love talking to him as though he knows what I'm saying, and sometimes he even responds with a grin or smirk or he raises his eyebrows at me. He can't really see me/us yet, but I am looking forward to when he can and when he becomes a bit more interactive.
<3 p="">
Sometimes I think postpartum depression is kicking in, but that is usually cured with sleep and popping a placenta pill. I admit--the placenta pills absolutely reek and, most of the time, I am reluctant to put the stinky thing in my mouth. However, I do notice a difference in my emotional stability after taking a dose, so when it comes time to swallow one, I just pinch my nose and take a big gulp of water.
I went to my first La Leche League (LLL) meeting this week, and it proved a smart decision. The group that assembled was quite large, so there were many conversations going on at once. But it made me feel a lot better about what I/we have done so far with regard to feeding Liam. The people at the hospital told us to feed him every 3 hours and said it was important to wake him to do so. They also said I have to pump every 3 hours to keep up my milk supply. Well, the mothers at LLL said it was fine to let the baby sleep and that if you can't pump every 3 hours, your supply will be fine. Talk about setting my fears to rest. Somehow, I trust other mothers' experiences more than the hospital party line. It took a load of stress off of me, and I came home and just enjoyed trying to nurse the baby. He wasn't fussy and latched immediately.
I swear that he has a direct connection to my emotional state when I sit down to nurse. If I'm stressed at all, he fights me the entire time and it's a pretty discouraging session. But if I go into it relatively calm, I either laugh when he is fussy or he just latches without any issues.
We took Liam to his next follow-up appointment with the pediatrician. She gave him a clean bill of health and said that she doesn't need to see him until he's 2 months old. Woohoo! He weighed 7 lbs 4 oz and measured 21 inches long. I can't believe he's gained over a pound in the last 2 weeks and grown 2 inches! I just looked back at his pictures from when we were in the hospital, and he's changed so much. It's terrifying how quickly babies grow when they are this young. It's over in the blink of an eye.
Overall, despite my crying spells, I am happier than I can remember being in a long time. I cherish the skin-to-skin time with Liam and am constantly amazed at how calm he gets when he lays on my chest. I cherish the unlimited kisses I get to give him on his forehead, cheeks, neck, and belly. I realize that it won't be so easy to sneak these as he gets older. I cherish the hugs and snuggling that are as calming to him as they are to me. I love the tiny sleep noises he makes. I love watching his lower lip stick out in a distinctive pout just before he's about to start screaming. Or when his lower lip trembles as he screams at the top of his lungs. (Of course, the screaming is unnerving when it wakes you from sleep, but it's still kinda cute in its own way.) I love talking to him as though he knows what I'm saying, and sometimes he even responds with a grin or smirk or he raises his eyebrows at me. He can't really see me/us yet, but I am looking forward to when he can and when he becomes a bit more interactive.
<3 p="">
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