Breastfeeding a Baby; The New Chapter

Our beautiful Lillian is now 9 days old, and she seems to be doing well. We are trying to breastfeed this time around and she is a little trooper. Every two and a half hours practically like clockwork. I had forgotten how sore it can make you in the first few days though, as obviously you can lose a layer or two of skin while they are nursing, and as you're trying to get positioning correct and all that fun stuff.

I know she is eating well though, as it seems that every diaper we change is a mess! And we change her a LOT. She's gone through two packs of newborn diapers nearly, in only 9 days!! :P

Today I've decided that I am going to pump at least once a day though, if only to increase supply, and give Justin a chance to feed her as well. It might not be a bad idea to have a bottle ready to go for car rides, just in case we can't get somewhere and stop for 45 minutes to an hour so I can feed her properly. I'm not planning on doing this often though, but it never hurts to be prepared.

Lily has incredible hiccups! Madeline was holding her, and looked at her pointedly and asked, "Lily, are you a Squeak Toy??"

It was adorable.

In other news:

Baron the Dachshund is a bit jealous, but he seems to like the baby and is most inclined to sniff at her when she is in her moses basket. I keep an eye on this interaction, but I really think it is healthy for both of them. This way the dog gets used to the baby and I can be sure that he won't nip or jump in to the basket with her. The cats could care less about her, although I think Evie may have had a pee on the rug when we brought the baby home, just to show that she thinks we already had enough pets and we could take this new one back to the store for all she cared.

Tonight Justin and Jeremy are going to a huge Soccer game here in Utah. This will be my first time alone with both of our girls. I don't foresee any issues, and I figure we can sit and play games until Madeline goes to bed. She's been promised ice cream though, so we will have to do that as soon as she is out of school. She did very well at her soccer game yesterday, and we've promised her an ice cream every time she gets a goal.

Well there's our update. Hope things are well with everyone!

The Result of Building a Being

Lillian Caren Wootton, April 18th 2011 6 lbs 13 oz 18 inches long.

This Is It.

It's 9:02 am. At 10:30 or so we are leaving for the hospital. The c-section is scheduled for 1pm, but we need to be there a bit early so they can get the IV going and all that sort of thing.

I'm not too sure how I feel. Most of me wants to cry, and sit in a corner, but I think that is just the hormones contending with the concept of major surgery, even if it is routine.

Don't get me wrong, I am absolutely delighted that we get to meet our baby today. Really I am, I think I'm in "pre-shock". If that's not a real term then it should be. It's that kind of semi-numb feeling that you get when you have complete knowledge of all of the proverbial crap that is about to hit the fan and FAST.

Having a baby is a wonderful experience. There are very few things that even come close to this day on an emotional and spiritual level. There are also few things better primed to remind you about your own mortality than surgery, and you can tell yourself that even though you have been through it before it's ok to be a little scared or apprehensive. Because it IS.

Baby, I can't wait to meet you. You have beat my insides black and blue, reminded me how much I dislike hiccups, given me a new respect for people who have acid reflux and have to live with it on a daily basis. You have already taught me that balancing two children is going to be an interesting experience, and that Madeline is going to love you to pieces.

Today is rainy and overcast. It's not the type of day that most people hope for when giving a being new life, but I welcome it. It is spring, and rain has always symbolized life and growth and rebirth to me. Blame Grandpa R for that one, his green thumb has been passed down and so has his outlook on nature. I hope you inherit this trait. Here's hoping that you bypass the hereditary seasonal allergies that are plaguing us at the moment. My throat is raw and my sinuses are sniffly. But the flowers have bloomed to herald your arrival.

You've just given me a bit of a wiggle, so you have to be waking up for the day. Boy do you ever have a rude shock awaiting you. Sorry about that. It's cold out here. We have clothes for you. It's rainy, but you will have a roof over your head. There are many arms waiting to wrap you up and snuggle you warm. There's not much I can offer you at this point. You and I are about to go through a miniature hell. But we will manage. One way or another, life gets on. And the best part about being human is that we can forget the pain, the cold and the unsettledness with little hardship. If women remembered how much it sucks to throw up for three months when they are pregnant, they most likely wouldn't have babies any more, and then where would we be?

Love you. I managed to write that above bit with only one tear. Someone up there give me strength to make it through today without bawling like a baby. You'll be doing enough of that for both of us as it is.

Today's Baby and Bump Forum Post

I'm having a scan in two hours to see where baby is positioned, and I am so excited that I can not contain myself. If it wasn't for the fact that I have to fast for the 8 hours before, I'd really be having a great time of it! So I've been keeping myself busy by cleaning and having hubby take a picture of me and my bump at 37 weeks. But first, here's 27 weeks as a comparison: Then 37 weeks. Sheesh can you tell I'm tired? I'll update this thread with pictures from the scan today once we get home! YAY Edit: So we got our ultrasound, but our little one was not really co-operating much. She is head down, and her back is towards my belly button, which they tell me is a good thing, not that it matters since she will be born via c-section on the 18th anyway. The machine said she will be 7lbs +. We didn't get any actual pictures because she was facing away from the sonographer and was NOT willing to turn for her under any circumstances. But we did get a split second shot in the video she gave us that lets us see her cute little chin, perfect little cherub lips and pudgy little cheek. If you look closely you can even see nostrils. She is laying on her side in this picture, and the top of her head is to the right, although you can not see it. This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 910x508. We are SO excited.

Where'd the Go Go Juice Go?

We slept in till 9. Got up, did a bit of yard work, grabbed lunch and got groceries. We got home, unloaded the truck, put away the groceries.

I am now EXHAUSTED. Where'd all my fine nesting energy go? Out the window, that's where. And I'm fine with it, since it is Saturday, but I need a LITTLE bit more of that awesome go-go juice. I still need to finish the basement cleaning up!

________________________________________

Doctor's appt yesterday 10 am: Dilated to a 1, but not expected to progress any time soon. Scheduled the next appointment for next Wed, will have another ultrasound at that time to determine baby's position (And just so I can get more pictures!) Daddy and big sis get to go too.

Everyone tell her she needs to stay in there at least till then. We'll update with those pics when we have them. :)

Wishes

I'll hold my breath and make a wish, that someday my daughter will find these things are a part of her life.


I hope that she will see the world as a gate to endless treasures. That she will be fascinated by nature and science, languages and poetry. I hope that she will see the beauty in all things and ever be the optimistic one.

I hope that she will grow to respect others and to help others to achieve their goals as well as achieve her own. Also that she will be smart enough to know right from wrong, and walk the correct path.

I hope that she will hold her head high, but not look down her nose. That she will carry herself with poise and grace, but not walk as if she is God's gift to the world.

I hope that she knows she is beautiful, inside and out, without ever feeling that she is better than everybody else. That she has a sense of modesty, but also a sense of fashion and fun. That she is not afraid to mix things up a little, but won't get stuck in the mess.

I hope that she learns that life is short, but only in so much as it should be savored every step of the way. I hope that when she experiences pain, emotional or physical, that she is aware it will pass and that life will go on again.

I hope, beyond hope that she is happy, respectful, decent, creative and wise. I hope this for both of my daughters, and I know that my daughter Madeline is well on her way to achieving these things. Maybe short of the graceful walking part...she is a clumsy one at times.

And I secretly hope, beyond all hope, that she always remembers how much her family loves her, and will always be here for her.

Hopes and dreams are what we build our own lives out of.

Polish and Shine

There's something to be said for nesting instincts. There's also something to be said for Spring Cleaning and the fact that family will be coming to stay with us the week you are born. I've managed to channel all the nesting and quite frankly, I don't think our house has been this clean in a long long time. Considering I clean a lot as it is, that's saying something.

I've gone through closets and cupboards and kitchen and bathroom drawers. I went through the fridge and threw out anything that was turning, though I've yet to wash the fridge out, I am sure that's coming soon. I've cleaned out the linen closet, the pantry and the laundry room shelves. I've done laundry and dishes and scrubbed sinks and toilets till they sparkle. Upstairs is almost done. :)

Tomorrow I will wash the floors, and then Daddy gets home on Friday and can help me vacuum on Saturday.

Note: Shantelle and Jen did an awesome baby shower on the 26th for you, all in polka-dots and black and green and white. It was awesome fun and you have many new clothes now. The only things we are missing for you are some footie jammies for 0-3 months and a few pairs of tights to wear with your dresses.

We got a great night's sleep last night. Or at least, I got a great night's sleep last night. You probably wiggled the whole time, as you are want to do. I was so exhausted that I had a bath, folded some laundry and went straight to sleep. Waking only twice to take some Tums medication because you're kicking my stomach and I have bad acid reflux lately.

Oh baby. 19 days and you'll be here. We are so excited. Madeline keeps telling everyone that she is going to be a big sister and that she is going to teach you all sorts of things. I can't wait. :)

Dear Baby

Dear Baby,

It has been seven years since I last wrote a "Dear Baby" letter, but I think I still have the basics down. Tomorrow you will have been growing for 35 weeks, and you are certainly growing out of room in there! Your heart rate at the last doctor's appointment was 149, and you are now not really kicking so much as doing death rolls like an alligator. BOOM BOOM BOOM.

With this pregnancy I have a new love of baked goods, a decreased desire to shop (Which is NOT normal at all!) and an incredibly boosted desire to do crafty things like sewing and crocheting.

You seem to be most active at night when I'm trying to fall asleep ( between 8:30 and 11pm ) and first thing in the morning, because let's face it, your big sister Madeline has to get up at 7:00 am and no one likes that at all.

I'm getting nervous about going in for surgery again, even though I know how it all goes. I suppose no one is ever ready for surgery, you just have to suck it all up and get it over with. The blessing of this surgery is going to be you. :)

I am really looking forward to having a baby in the house again. I am mentally prepared for all that is involved this time, in diapers and feedings and naps and play time and days where you will most likely just be grumpy because you can be. I'm not too sure how I will be doing physically for the first month though. It took a while for my c-section scar from Madeline's birth to stop hurting, even though it had healed up on the outside it was still a little tender on the inside.

Madeline is super excited to have a sister soon, though I know she has no idea what is in store for her. We have given her two shelves in her room and she has closets to put all of her breakable things in so that you don't break them by accident, and she is really excited about her new room in the basement. If anything, remember that the first thing your big sister did for you was a selfless act of kindness. She gave up her room upstairs so that her new baby sibling could be closer to mommy and daddy. She says she can not wait to teach you to crawl, walk, talk and read. She asked for a sibling. She wanted you pretty badly. :) We're just all so grateful that we could have you.

Daddy is really excited too, although he's been working so hard lately to get all his work trips out of the way, so he can spend more time with you once you're here, that he has been exhausted. He painted your room green with Uncle Jeremy's help though, and it looks great!

Grandma and Grandpa McKnight will be here the day before you are born to help with the house and with your sister getting home from school. You and I are going to go in to the hospital with Daddy on the 18th of April 2011, and you will be born via c-section at 1pm or so. Then we will spend 3 or 4 days in a hospital room snuggling and spending time together with family and friends who come to visit and see you!

Baby, we have waited a long time for you, and we are so glad that we get to meet you in a month. Don't hurry. We're going to evict you 5 days early anyway! Might as well stay cozy in there with no rent. :)

Love you!

Mommy

Crafty Things

So we ordered that Moses Basket and it arrived five days from our purchase. It got here, and I realized that to attach the hood to the base it was just velcro. Well, as sturdy as that is, I could envision it adhering to all sorts of things, be that the car, peoples clothing or even the dog. So I rushed out to buy some ribbon that matched the theme in the room and I weaved it around the velcro to seal it all away. With the added benefit that it gave the basket a bit of color. I was feeling pretty crafty that day, I seem to get a lot of crafty days lately, so I made a matching pillow for the crib and had some leftover fabric. I used that to make a summer blanket for the Moses Basket that we can also use for a changing pad surface if we need to.

The basket is pretty large, but the only way I could think of to show that was to have Madeline lay down beside it. :)

Today I had a moment where I could sit down and used that time to make this cute little clipie/bow/flower organizer for the baby's room. It was so easy! I promised Madeline we would go look for a large frame for her very soon so I can make her one backed in purple to match her room.

Items in Her Diaper Bag

1. Diapers
2. Wipes
3. Travel Size lotion
4. Travel Size baby wash
5. Travel Size rash cream
6. Burp Cloth x2
7. Wash Cloth x3
8. Spare baby clothes
9. Bib
10. Pacifiers
11. Breast Pads
12. Udder Cover
13. Sling
14. Breast Pump
15. Bottle
16. Baby footie jammies
17. Changing pad
18. Pacifier clip/chain
19. Aveeno lotion for mommy
20. Baby hat

Soon to be added: Chapstick

The Truth About C-Sections

The below information was a reply to a few ladies on a pregnancy forum that I frequent, who had expressed their fear at having c-sections because they didn't really know what was involved in the process. I hope to have been honest with them, and that now at least they feel a little more informed.

The information you are looking for changes from person to person. I guess it really depends on how you look at life, what your pain threshold is, and how quickly the process happens.

My daughter was an emergency c-section. The only thing scary about it was that it was not planned for.

They give you a local anesthetic, which numbs you pretty much everywhere because they tend to just put it in your IV. Then they call in the dude that will give you your spinal block, which sounds awful, but because of the local anesthetic you won't feel it, so just focus on something else.

You will be able to feel things from your chest up, but they will be tingly and a little tiny bit numb. Like walking in out of the snow. They wheel you in to the OR, and put up the screen. They lay your arms out to the sides, making you form a T-shape. This is so that they can make sure your IV/pulse etc is good.

You feel a bit of pressure, and they pull out baby. They will do a quick check of your ovaries and any nearby internal organs for cysts or abnormalities (I mean they're in there already, they might as well have a look-see and catch anything odd without sending you home to find out later about it)

They make sure baby is breathing, then wrap him/her in blankets and put on the little hat, then let you see them before they take them off quickly to the neonatal care unit to do their sight and hearing tests and take a blood sample.

I sent DH with the baby at this point. I'd rather he be with her and make sure she was fine. I had a lot of people helping me out.

Then they suture everything up and send you off to recovery.

In recovery, you've lost a bit of blood, but not to worry, baby gave you a lot of extra blood this whole pregnancy, so you had some to spare anyway, and now she doesn't need it anymore. But between that and the medication you are going to feel cold. You'll shiver, but this is your body coming off the medication and it only lasts a little while. They will bring you warm blankets (They felt like they were right out of the dryer after my mum had done the laundry when I was a kid! :P)

Once you're "Stable", as in no longer freezing your fanny off, you will be taken to your own room.

They will come to check how much bleeding you are having. They want to make sure that as much tissue is passed (The er, normal way) as possible. This will decrease chances of infection later. They removed the Placenta during your operation, so now it is just the thick layers of membrane that you built up on the walls of your uterus to protect baby that needs to be shed. Women who have had babies typically bleed for 2 to 6 weeks after having baby. So have a lot of "Overnight" sanitary napkins at your disposal.

You get to stay in this private room for 3-4 days and have baby with you as much as you'd like. They come to help you breast feed if you want them to, they will teach you to change diapers if you've never done that before, they will even teach you to bathe baby properly. Speaking of bathing, you can't have a bath for a week or so, but you can shower. you just can not soak your incision.

The incision is less than the width of a pencil lead, and it will be 5 or 6 inches long. It will look a lot worse when you first get it than it will when it has healed, I PROMISE you. I can still wear bikinis on the beach and no one is the wiser.

Hospitals bring you food, drink, clean bedding and information. Not to mention, they have brought you the best thing ever. Your new baby.

Please do not be scared ladies. If I had known how this process was going to go before I had it done myself I would have shrugged it off. It is not a bad process at all. They keep you well medicated so you don't feel pain, and it is all over within an hour.

*Hugs*

Again, everyone has a different experience, and I know well enough that sometimes things go not so well. But I've a few friends that can back me with their experiences being similar, so I imagine most of them are like mine.

Good luck, DON'T PANIC.

Portable bed for baby!

This amazingly cute moses basket should be arriving tomorrow! I am so excited!

Rockabye Baby

Pillows, cushions and boxes. Those are what little girl's rooms are made of. In part anyway. HURRAY FOR PHOTO UPDATES!

The Bits and Pieces

It's crunch time. We're down to 54 days till the due date, which means we can subtract 5 days from that to find out when baby will be here. 49 days.

Today, so far, I have ushered Madeline off to first grade, gone for groceries and put them away. That was enough to wipe me out. Making lunch was even an effort.

I've started rebuilding the food storage so that we can live a little more comfortably with the supplies we have at the house. The end result is intended to give us more time to spend with baby, and getting those precious hours of sleep without having to run to the store for diapers and wipes or a can of veggies for dinner. Honestly the more diapers I have in food storage, the safer I feel. I think I should start buying them in size 1's now though. I have three packs of newborn diapers. I am well aware that those won't do it most likely, but I have no idea how much our new little miss will weigh in at.

Shantelle and Jen have started planning a baby shower for me. I am incredibly grateful and very happy that they are. It has been 7 years nearly since we last had to think about babies in our house and though we kept a decent amount of stuff from having Madeline, we are still low on a lot of stuff, and I think that the baby will like having SOME clothes that are not handed down from her big sister, and that are seven years outdated in style!

So far I have:

2 x diaper cream - $3 each

2 x baby wash $3 each

2 x baby lotion $3 each

1 x baby oil $3 each

5 x wipes $2.50-$4.00 each depending on size

3 x diapers size N $8.95 or so per pack

2 pacifiers $5 for a pair

3 bottles $5 for regular Gerber ones set of 3. ( I'll buy more after my shower, but I figure that might be something people buy.)

Nursing pads $8 <-- This is one of those things that no one ever tells you about. It sure made having Madeline a little awkward, when your shirt gets soaked through while you're out in public. Sorry if that's TMI, but it's true.

We've got a lot of 6 month and up clothing, but not so much in the newborn to 6 month range. Poor Madeline and her acid reflux made sure that a lot of those clothes were tossed out poorly stained or otherwise trashed.

I'm not stocking up on formula, I really want to breastfeed this baby. In the event that we end up going the formula route, it seems that formula is anywhere between $14.99 and $30 per container for dry powder. Liquid is cheaper, but obviously won't last as long.

I've stocked the diaper bag up:

1/2 pack N diapers

Pack of wipes

burp cloth

washcloth

pump

travel size wash and lotion bottles

diaper cream

extra clothes for baby

a bottle

pacifier

changing pad

Most likely other things are in there too, but these are off the top of my head.

We've got her nursery done, and the larger purchases are complete. We still need monitors and a few clothes (those are on the list for tonight's shopping trip), and we need to get a baby gate and my moses basket. Those aside, the only remaining purchases are nightgowns for me at the hospital, nursing clothing and some baskets to put on her bookshelf so that I can toss random little things into them and the room still looks clean.

Me:

I have been feeling tired, too hot, off balance and bored. I've gone on a clean the house binge, decorated bedrooms, and tried to be as prepared as we can be for the inevitable. I have off and on acid reflux, my back is starting to be a major pain, and I am not sleeping at all well anymore. Tylenol sucks. Colds suck. (I've had sniffles since I found out I was pregnant in August...)

Baby:

She's moving about in there a lot. She's beating up my lungs and my bladder at the same time. I think she must be finally running out of room though. Tomorrow is my next doctor's appointment.

Anyways, I hope that was a decent update. I've got to get ready to go get Madeline from school!

Family Blog Repost: Baby's Room

Baby's room is almost complete! It's just short a throw pillow, a cushion for the back of the rocking chair, a toile cribsheet and a baby! Gee, this is going really fast!

Repost from Family Blog: Baby Onesie

I saw this green onesie at the Dollar store, and honestly thought I was going to buy them all. I really should have bought at least two of them! I had the idea in my head of decorating them myself for uniqueness, and I was looking for something in the same color scheme as I have been doing the baby's room. This was perfect. :)

Safety Dance

Yesterday was a doctor's appointment day. It took me fifteen minutes from walking in the door to leaving. We had a listen to the heartbeat which is still really good, and we measured my tummy. She gave me a prescription to ditch this lousy sinus infection and an order for my RhoGam shot. Then I went shopping. :)

I found this travel set at KMart (One of the last ones in existence so I hear) for $135.00. I am so thrilled that it matches the baby's room colors. It is the PERFECT stroller for going to the zoo or the mall. May be a bit too bulky for international travel though. Good thing we still have some little strollers kicking about from Madeline.

YAY! We now have the means to bring our baby home! I am so excited. :)

Nursery Works

Sorry to anyone who follows our family blog, this post is a bit redundant, but only to keep track of things for baby's scrapbook.

A while back I made the baby a lampshade to match the quilt I made her for her crib. Well now the baby's lamp finally has a base! I think it turned out beautifully. We need to paint the walls and get rid of the blue for a pale green, hang some art work and finish with the baby bedding ( Crib skirt, decent sheets, a small pillow and a diaper stacker ) and we are good to go. Baby isn't going to get a lot of new things, since big sister Madeline's crib, swing, play pen, high chair and booster as well as most of her old clothes were packed away for the next child, so I wanted to make her a few things that were special and just for her.

A quick photo op.

27 weeks, 6 1/2 months pregnant.

26 weeks

Today we wandered out to get a good idea as to what type of car seat/stroller combination we would like to purchase this time around. We found that most places are incredibly expensive, for large bulky travel sets. Then we tried Burlington Coat Factory, which as it turns out, has a larger selection of strollers than even Babies R Us.

We will most likely go back in next month and get the stroller set we liked. As we were at Target today looking through their selection I saw a cute green polka-dot crib sheet which I had to buy as it was $9, and we were in the market for some baby hangers. Seems that the little miss will be well clothed thanks to many family members at Christmas, as well as Shantelle and Jen handing down a few very cute outfits from their own children. Not to mention the clothing that I kept as Madeline grew out of them.

I spent the past hour cleaning up the baby's nursery and trying to pick a paint color. We're going with a decent green with the intention of using cute green bedding. The crib is a natural wood color, and the bottom half of the walls are white with a small wood detailing to separate the two colors.

I've had a terrible cold for the past week, and have been sleeping a lot more than I am accustomed to. The cough is incredible and my nose will not stop running. I was down for two days with a low grade fever, but baby miss just kept on kicking about, so we're pretty sure she's fine and dandy.

I'll update with pictures of the nursery after the paint goes up.