Holy cow! I’m sore! I don’t know how much of it has to do with my 3 months of bed rest, and how much has to do with recently giving birth, but my arms, my shoulders, my legs, and my abdominal muscles feel like I just worked out for the first time after not exercising for, say, three months or so. My knee is also hurting, but I’m pretty sure that is related to the muscle atrophy from not doing anything for a long time.
Gaby is doing really well. She has jaundice, so she is having photo therapy. Basically that means she lies on an ultraviolet light blanket. She wears a little blue eye shade to protect her eyes from the light. Today her bilirubin count was a little higher, so the nurse expects it to take close to five days before she is off the light. The liver is supposed to break down the bilirubin, and her liver is still a little immature. Eating well and pooping well help her to get rid of the bilirubin, and while I was holding her today she had a huge poop (as huge as a 5 lb individual can produce), so that’s good. And I don’t even have to change it (yet). She is now eating pretty well (from the bottle, not so much from me). We went to visit her tonight and the nurse told me that she might be moved to the Critical Care Nursery on the 2nd floor. She is the most stable baby of all of them in the NICU (according to her nurse), and they are getting pretty crowded, so she is the best candidate for the move. They get the same care there, from the same staff of nurses. After the feeding, the jaundice, and the ability to maintain her body temperature, she will be able to come home. I don’t really know for sure how long that will be, but she is really doing well.
This is TMI (too much information), so you don’t need to read it. Remember that this is a record for me and for Gaby when she is older. When Gaby was first born they gave me instructions for pumping. They insisted that even a drop is valuable, and the first day I was literally handing over microscopic droplets to feed her. It was embarrassing. Day two there were like four drops. Still a little embarassing, but they told me it was all good, and to not feel too much pressure. On Sunday they let me try to feed her a little. After that I started producing a lot more milk. Unfortunately I had to go home without a good pump. They gave me a hand pump, but it was less comfortable, and less effective. Even so I was producing a lot more milk. Today finally I was able to rent a nice pump, so things are going better. Even so, nursing isn’t going great. I hope it gets easier.
noelle, hang in there on the nursing… i even had a hard time this time around with my 4th. my first time was difficult too… #2 and #3 were a breeze… it’s just different with every baby and every mother, but I promise will get easier as time goes by, and is so good for the baby. I had the help of some wonderful lactation consultants. I would highly recommend talking to someone if you’re still feeling discouraged or in pain. Just the reassurance from someone who knows what they are talking about can make a world of difference. Hang in there and congrats again on your beautiful beautiful little girl! jen
Gaby sounds like she is doing great! That is fabulous news. I think you have so many reasons to be sore that I just can’t name them all, but the great thing about being sore is knowing that the muscles in your body are alive and have gotten a good workout–watch out Richard Simmons, here she comes!!! I am glad you rented a nice pump. IT makes ALLLLLLL the difference. (or in my case, it at least managed to wean a good ounce out of me when a handpump did next to nothing.. . 🙂
Gaby sounds like she is doing great! That is fabulous news. I think you have so many reasons to be sore that I just can’t name them all, but the great thing about being sore is knowing that the muscles in your body are alive and have gotten a good workout–watch out Richard Simmons, here she comes!!! I am glad you rented a nice pump. IT makes ALLLLLLL the difference. (or in my case, it at least managed to wean a good ounce out of me when a handpump did next to nothing.. . 🙂
Hey you….everything is so normal…I'm sure the nurses & dr's are telling you that. Hang in there with the nursing…it always takes a few days to get it going…you're doing great. So exciting! Gaby is cute as she can be.
Gaby weighed exactly what Ems weighed. Ems was 6 wks early and had to stay in the hospital for a week. Her nursing wasnt too good either. I pumped and tryed to nurse her but while she was in the hospital it was hard. She would fall asleep and not seem too interested in the whole thing. When we got her home, I tried for about 3 days. I was in tears and I told Brennan that I just couldn’t do it. Brennan told me to give it one more day. I really was going to give up after that one more day. Ems must have known that I was serious~she started doing better and better and ended it ended up being a good experience. I sure struggled,so I would say to give it a little time!
I am so happy for your little family. She is a beautiful baby!
Love you, Tams
I can’t imagine going from strict bedrest to being a busy (and sore) mom of a 19 month old and a premie! I hope you aren’t feeling too overwhelmed Noelle. It sounds like Gaby is doing great… what a blessing. I also had a hard time nursing with my first. I remember pumping F-O-R-E-V-E-R and getting like an oz. on a good day. That all changes though so hang in there.
We are so happy for your family, I know it will be tough for the first little while… it always is but things will calm down and you will get to enjoy your girls… together… in your own home… soon and I’m sure that will feel great!
Noelle – I am so proud of you and can’t wait to hear more. I check in about every week or so and was so excited to hear that Gaby had arrived!!! I am sure it was good to see your home again, and to be with Rachel, but very difficult to leave Gaby behind. Please try to stick with the nursing. It makes a world of difference to the baby, and is an amazing experience for the two of you to share. There is nothing like it. Catherine was under the bili lights for 3 days after she was born, too. She loved it – it was so warm. It worried me because it was hard to wake her up to eat! What an ordeal this has been! How did Scout respond to your being home? Tell us more…. tell us more!!!!! 😉