Working on a Schedule

I tried something new today. Rowen has been slightly fussier than usual for the past few days and I couldn't figure out what the problem was. He seemed to only want to be carried around the house; sitting still just wasn't an option. I checked his temperature and there was no fever, so I ruled out sickness. I realized eventually that he was just plain tired. He's been sleeping wonderfully at night (5-7 hours and then goes back down for another 2-3 hours); however, his daytime naps are usually short, lasting anywhere from 10-40 minutes. They are also usually taken in his swing or curled up on my chest. The only time he sleeps more than an hour is if he's in his carseat and we're on the go.

So today I decided to start working on somewhat of a schedule to help him get some more rest. I've learned that he sleeps very well when he's swaddled with the Halo Sleep Sack so I always use that at nighttime. Today, I thought it might work to treat naptime like bedtime. We have a wonderful bedtime routine that consists of being changed, swaddled, nursed, burped and laid in bed. So that's just what I did. And wouldn't you know it, it worked! He slept for nearly 3 hours and probably would have slept longer had I not waked him. I didn't want him to sleep too long so I woke him up after 3 hours to nurse and get ready to go to Nana's house.

I'm hoping the long nap won't keep him from sleeping well tonight. He's been down for about an hour so I guess we'll wait and see. My plan is to continue "scheduling" one 2-3 hour nap every afternoon for a couple of weeks. If these seem to be going well, I may consider scheduling a late morning nap as well. I'm not going to be super strict on the time of the nap just yet as long as he gets at least one good nap a day (for now). Eventually I'm hoping that he will "learn" to get sleepy around the same time every day and will kind of set up the pattern on his own. Hoping being the operative word.

This is just an experiment for now as are most things for a new mother. I'm learning things right along with him, and I'm enjoying every minute of it. Some experiments work out great for us and others just may not click. I guess this is true for most anything new so we'll try it for a while until we can determine if "scheduled naps" are right for us.

Miserable Mastitis

It turns out that sickness I wrote about on Sunday was much worse than a simple head cold. Since I still wasn't feeling well come Monday night and I still had a "clogged milk duct" I decided to look up Mastitis to see what the symptoms were. Sure enough, The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding described my problems to a "T". After talking to a friend who said I needed to go to the ER as soon as possible, I decided to check my temperature to see if I was running a fever; I wasn't, but I was in pain from the clogged duct. I called the OB department of my hospital and they transferred me to my midwife. She told me that since I didn't have a fever that it would be safe for me to wait until the morning to call the office for an antibiotic. First thing this morning, I called for an antibiotic and have been taking it all day today. Hopefully, the medicine will help clear this up for good. Mastitis is pretty miserable and I don't ever want to feel this way again.

Mommy's Don't Get Sick

It's been a few days since I last updated so I thought I'd post a quick one. Rowen has been doing so much better since last Sunday. He's still spitting up after some feedings, but it's minimal and not after every feeding. I'm so happy that he seems to be getting better. I'm not getting my hopes up yet, but it appears we're on the downhill slope of this whole issue.

I, on the other hand, have not been feeling the greatest. I felt a head cold and sore throat coming on on Friday. By Saturday, my nose wouldn't stop running and I developed a headache mid-day. Saturday night, I had trouble sleeping and Sunday morning I woke up with the same headache and body aches. I spent most of Sunday sleeping, and I'm so thankful that my parents were around to help out with Rowen and our two dogs.

I'm still not feeling the best, but I hope that I can get a good night's sleep and wake up tomorrow feeling like my good ol' healthy self again. I still believe that Mommy's should NOT be allowed to get sick.

What's Up, Doc?

It's been a few days so here's a brief update. Sunday night was a rough one. I don't know if it was something I ate or what, but Rowen was extremely fussy and would not stop spitting up. He soaked 4 spit rags after one feeding and cried for 2 hours. He was still spitting up when it was time for him to eat again! After that, I was extremely frustrated. Not with him, of course, but with the situation. I'm tired of hearing "he'll grow out of it" and "it's normal". He only gained 3 oz in almost 2 weeks and I didn't feel like my doctor was taking my concerns seriously.

I've decided to switch pediatricians. Mainly because of what I just mentioned; I don't feel like my concerns are being addressed or taken seriously. While my concerns may not be all that "concerning", they are to me as a first time mom. I want a doctor who will understand my feelings of worry as a new mom and who will address the issues and not just brush them off. If this spitting up is indeed something he'll "grow out of" then I'd like a doctor who will suggest ways to help him until he does grow out of it. I'd also like a rough time table: when should he grow out of it by? if he doesn't grow out of it by X months/years, what's the next step? would you like to see him again before his next well-baby appointment? These are just a few things that the doctor could have said to let me know that he truly cares about my son's health.

That said, I'm in the process of switching doctors. I hope that I'm making the right decision for Rowen. I want him to have the best care possible from someone who will take me seriously. I don't want to be the type of mom who rushes her kid to the doctor for every cough and sneeze, but I also don't want to be "brushed off" or made to feel silly for worrying. Hopefully we'll find comfort with a new doctor; hopefully we'll find answers.

Two Months Old

Rowen is two months old today! I can't believe how quickly time is going by. I am so incredibly lucky and blessed to have such a wonderful baby boy. He has changed my life dramatically, for the better of course. Being a Mommy is all I have dreamed of and even more.

Now, not every moment of these past two months has been joy-filled. There have been several times when I get frustrated and feel like I can't keep up with all of his demands. Sometimes it feels like he's crying for no reason, or at least no reason that I can figure out. Waking up several times a night is exhausting. Getting spit up constantly creates laundry that I don't really have time to do. Showers are but a distant memory... But then he smiles at me and melts my heart. Or he coos at me and brings happy tears to my eyes. Little things like that truly make every stressful moment worthwhile. Little things like that remind me that I have the best job in the entire world: being a mom.

I'm thankful that I'm able to stay home with my bug every day. I cherish every day with him and enjoy watching him grow and change. I know that he will grow up all too quickly and I don't want to miss a thing. I'm excited for him to reach major milestones such as laughing and sitting up on his own; rolling over and crawling; walking and talking. But for now, I'll enjoy the quick little smiles and innocent, gentle coos of my amazing baby boy.

Shots suck!

Rowen had his 2 month well-baby appointment this morning. He weighed in at 9lb 10oz and was 20 1/2 inches long. He's at the 10th percentile for his weight and off the chart (below) for his height. The pediatrician doesn't seem concerned about any of it because he's staying right where he has been all along. He's just tiny like his mommy.

After the check up, came the shots. My little bug did so awesome! He cried for a brief second when they stuck him and for a minute or so afterward. I picked him up as soon as she was done and he calmed down quickly. I nursed him and he fell asleep. I could not believe how tough he was through the whole thing.

He got fussy right before we got home and cried for about 45 minutes straight at home. I just cuddled him and rocked him and rubbed his legs to help keep them from getting stiff. I gave him Tylenol (which is what the pediatrician said to do) to help with the pain and fever and nursed him again. He's currently sleeping in his swing.

I feel so bad that he has to go through this pain, but I remind myself that a couple days of pain now is better than the chance of him getting a serious infection or disease later in life. I believe that vaccinating my child is what's best for him, even if it's hard (emotionally) to do. After all, what doesn't kill us only makes us stronger; and strength is something every mother needs.

Halle-poo-yah!

Rowen finally had a dirty diaper this morning! And by dirty, I mean D-I-R-T-Y! He just decided to let loose! Leaked through the leg holes on his diaper and onto his sleeper. I couldn't have been happier!

After not having a bowel movement since Monday morning, I'm sure this brought him some relief. It also made me feel better knowing that everything was still running smoothly in his cute little body. The greenish color was gone, so I'm hoping this block nursing is helping with the lactose problems.

Since this morning, he has had one other dirty diaper and the "contents" were normal as well. I never thought I'd be happy to change a dirty diaper, but sometimes it's the simple things that make a mother's day.

Tummy Troubles :(

Rowen has been having tummy troubles lately. He's been spitting up since he was about 2 weeks old, but he was still gaining weight so the pediatrician didn't seem concerned. He said it was probably reflux and gave me a few suggestions to try to fix it. Well, needless to say, the suggestions didn't help; he still spits up after nearly every feeding.

Recently, his bowel movements have been quite explosive and tinged with a green color; they've also caused a slight diaper rash on his poor little bottom. I did some research and found that (breastfed) babies who have green diapers could be having trouble digesting the lactose in the breastmilk. It's not to say that they're lactose intolerant, but it could be a sign that he's getting too much lactose. Too much lactose is often caused when there is an imbalance in foremilk and hindmilk (didn't know you'd be getting a breastfeeding lesson by reading my blog now did you?). This is corrected by a process they call "block nursing", or nursing on one breast exclusively for a set amount of time (usually between 2 and 6 hours).

So, we've been trying the block nursing and it seems to be helping some. I've also decided to eliminate dairy from my diet (temporarily at least) to see if it helps him also. The problem I'm encountering now is that he HASN'T pooped. :( I can't tell if his bowel movements are better (not green) because he hasn't had one. I know that infrequency is not a sign of constipation, so I'm just patiently waiting for a dirty diaper. Although, I have to admit it's nice not having to spray out dirty diapers (we use cloth) every day.

We go back to the doctor on Friday so I've compiled a list of all of my questions and concerns to bring to his attention. I'm worried that he'll suggest that I stop breastfeeding or that I supplement formula into his diet. I really don't want to go this route as breastfeeding (the process) has been going really well and we both enjoy it very much. I know that it's ultimately my decision and, while taking my pediatrician's advice into consideration, I will decide to do what I feel is best for my son.

So, what's this all about?

I decided to start a blog about my life as a new mom. I'm not going to hold anything back, so read at your own risk. Being a mom is tiring, stressful, messy, frustrating, and rewarding all at the same time-and I'm only 8 weeks in! I hope you'll enjoy reading about the situations that my son, Rowen, and I go through together and the ways in which we deal with them.