My poor boobies! This week has really been ridiculously inconsistent regarding night feedings and pumping sessions.
Ariella had her 5 vaccinations at her 4 month check-up on Saturday morning. Since then, it's been very crazy at night. Normally, I feed her around 9-10pm (after a nap starting around 7:30-8:30pm). And, then she wakes up to eat around 1:30am, 3:30am, and 5:30am. And, then she eats between 7:30-8am before I go to work.
Well, both Saturday and Sunday nights she slept through the night! I'm talking 9-10pm to 5:30am! This was great for me for sleep. Early Sunday morning I didn't pump over-night (since I was sleeping!), but early Monday morning overnight I wound up pumping twice because of feeling uncomfortable. I got 10 oz, though! And, my milk pumping Monday continued to be freakishly high for me. I got 25.75oz total! The most I had ever gotten before in one day was 20.75oz.
But, then Monday night came...
It was HORRIBLE! She kept waking up in her bassinet every 45-60 minutes. I tried to sooth her in her crib most of the times, but I wound up feeding her overnight 3 times! And, then in the morning, she ate at 5:30am, 7am, AND 8am! Crazy stuff.
I was practically crying before work when Abuela (Spanish for Grandmother) arrived to take care of Ariella during the day. She felt sorry for me and offered to stay the night to take care of Ariella so that I could get some sleep. Maybe not so well-thought-out, but I happily accepted. It actually turned out pretty well for me. I went to sleep around 10pm (although Tyree wanted to watch tv, so that kept me up longer than it would have taken me to fall asleep even though I wasn't watching the show). Ariella was crying/fussing quite a bit (that also kept me up). Abuela was tending to her, so it wasn't a cry-it-out situation, but she was still loud and not asleep.
This was the first time Ariella slept somewhere other than in our room at night, so I'm sure it was a big change for her. We had the baby monitor on, with one receiver in our room and one for his mom in the guest room. Plus, there were fireworks going off for a while, too. Around 11pm, I asked Tyree how long we were going to let it go on before rescuing his mom. In my head I was thinking midnight. But, things either got quiet before that or I fell asleep, or who knows.
Around 2am, Ariella woke up crying. Tyree ran upstairs to help with the diaper change, and his mom warmed a bottle of my breast milk (I told her she could give 1 5oz bottle, but if Ariella needed to eat more, that I would need to nurse her.) So, she ate around 2am. I stayed in bed! It was such a strange concept for me, since I've done all the night-time feedings/soothings up until last night.
Tyree's mom said that she went back to sleep in her crib (don't know the details of that) and woke up around 5:30am. At that time, she got Ariella and brought her into the guest bedroom with her. She slept there until around 6:30am, when I came and got her to nurse.
I pumped a bit over 5oz from one side around 6am, and just 1.5oz from the other side (could have gotten way more, but I wanted to leave some for Ariella since I knew I would be feeding her soon). But, I had leaked like crazy over night! Leaked through the breast pad, bra, and shirt. So, that wasn't super fun. I fed Ariella at 6am and then at 7:45am before leaving for work.
Tyree's mom said that she thinks Ariella is still too little to sleep through the night and to sleep by herself in the crib! I think that's hilarious! But, it makes me feel good, like she approves of how we've been dealing with nights. It's been a crazy ride.
I'm worried about messing up my supply. My pumping numbers the day after the horrible sleep night were low. And, then I allowed an extra bottle the very next night after not having pumped well that day! Today's numbers are better. I'm not sure if I'll "make up" for the extra 5oz, but it should be close. I have plenty of milk, since I pump in the early morning on the weekends and usually don't use it. Plus, I pumped the crazy 25+ oz day on Monday. But, I don't want to tank my supply. I always like to pump as much as she drinks from bottles that same day.
It will be interesting to see what happens with her sleep tonight!
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
4 Month Doctor's Appointment
We had Ariella's 4 month appointment this past weekend (a little over a week after her 4 month birthday).
Here are her stats:
Weight: 15 lbs, 12 oz (75th percentile)
Height: 24 3/4 inches (50-75th percentile)
Head Circumference: 16 3/4 inches (50-75th percentile)
The doctor said that she's very proportional and is growing great!
She asked us if we had started Ariella on solids yet, and I said we were planning on waiting until 6 months, as is recommended. And, the pediatrician said that was fine, so no issues there. She asked if Ariella was sleeping through the night yet, and we said no - that she wakes up 1-3 times a night. She said that Ariella should be starting to sleep through the night soon. I asked her what she meant by "sleeping through the night", and she said 7:30pm - 7:00am!
Boy, that's a far cry from where we are. She said "you might need to let her fuss a little to get her to go to sleep". I'm definitely not a fan of "Cry It Out", so we'll have to see how it goes. I had bought Ariella a new crib mobile with a projector on it (that several moms recommended on my What To Expect messageboard). And, we have the baby monitors. So, we'll have to see when we want to do the transition to the crib.
Back to the appointment - The doctor checked her hip mobility, which was great. We mentioned that it seemed like her tear duct was still clogged. She said that it clears up for the majority of babies with that by 6 months. After that, a smaller percentage will clear up by 12 months. But, then she would probably need to have it un-clogged. So, hopefully hers will clear up very soon.
And, we asked her about Ariella's eyes crossing occasionally still. (As some background, my dad had 1 lazy eye and had to have surgery to correct it. And, Eileen (a cousin) had an eye problem that could have been corrected if it had been caught in infancy, but because it went undetected until age 5, it could not be fixed. She said it was a problem as a result of steroids that her mom had to take for her while pregnant. Well, at week 19, they gave me steroids to boost her lung development during the pre-term labor scare. So, I want to stay on top of potential eye problems.) Dr. Panasci said that when she shined the light in Ariella's eyes, that her pupils responded appropriately and in line, but that if we were still noticing a problem (I can't remember if she said at 6 months or at 1 year), that we could schedule a specialist eye appointment. I think I'm going to push for that regardless of whether or not we notice her eyes crossing, just to be on the safe side.
And, then came the vaccines - the second dose of the same 5 she got at her 2 month visit. She was a champ, just like last time. She did cry, and her right leg bled more than it should have (the nurse had to check it an extra time), but it was ok. I nursed her afterwards, and she was asleep after a few minutes when we were in the car.
Overall, an excellent visit!
Here are her stats:
Weight: 15 lbs, 12 oz (75th percentile)
Height: 24 3/4 inches (50-75th percentile)
Head Circumference: 16 3/4 inches (50-75th percentile)
The doctor said that she's very proportional and is growing great!
She asked us if we had started Ariella on solids yet, and I said we were planning on waiting until 6 months, as is recommended. And, the pediatrician said that was fine, so no issues there. She asked if Ariella was sleeping through the night yet, and we said no - that she wakes up 1-3 times a night. She said that Ariella should be starting to sleep through the night soon. I asked her what she meant by "sleeping through the night", and she said 7:30pm - 7:00am!
Boy, that's a far cry from where we are. She said "you might need to let her fuss a little to get her to go to sleep". I'm definitely not a fan of "Cry It Out", so we'll have to see how it goes. I had bought Ariella a new crib mobile with a projector on it (that several moms recommended on my What To Expect messageboard). And, we have the baby monitors. So, we'll have to see when we want to do the transition to the crib.
Back to the appointment - The doctor checked her hip mobility, which was great. We mentioned that it seemed like her tear duct was still clogged. She said that it clears up for the majority of babies with that by 6 months. After that, a smaller percentage will clear up by 12 months. But, then she would probably need to have it un-clogged. So, hopefully hers will clear up very soon.
And, we asked her about Ariella's eyes crossing occasionally still. (As some background, my dad had 1 lazy eye and had to have surgery to correct it. And, Eileen (a cousin) had an eye problem that could have been corrected if it had been caught in infancy, but because it went undetected until age 5, it could not be fixed. She said it was a problem as a result of steroids that her mom had to take for her while pregnant. Well, at week 19, they gave me steroids to boost her lung development during the pre-term labor scare. So, I want to stay on top of potential eye problems.) Dr. Panasci said that when she shined the light in Ariella's eyes, that her pupils responded appropriately and in line, but that if we were still noticing a problem (I can't remember if she said at 6 months or at 1 year), that we could schedule a specialist eye appointment. I think I'm going to push for that regardless of whether or not we notice her eyes crossing, just to be on the safe side.
And, then came the vaccines - the second dose of the same 5 she got at her 2 month visit. She was a champ, just like last time. She did cry, and her right leg bled more than it should have (the nurse had to check it an extra time), but it was ok. I nursed her afterwards, and she was asleep after a few minutes when we were in the car.
Overall, an excellent visit!
Monday, June 21, 2010
4 Months Old!
Ariella is growing so fast, it's insane! We have her well-baby checkup this Saturday, and we'll get her new official measurements. And, we'll have the 5 vaccinations again (no fun). And, I'll bet the pediatrician will talk about introducing solid foods. I think we're going to stick with the breast milk only until 6 months (as is recommended by all of the baby associations as being the absolute healthiest). But, I'm sure the doctor will say we can start solids if we want.
I'm thrilled that I've made it through 4 months of exclusive breast milk. She's gaining so many health benefits. And, if I can make it through 6 months, then I think she'll also have the extra protection against diabetes and obesity. Ariella's been gaining weight wonderfully, and she's never been sick. (She has had a clogged tear duct, but I don't think that really counts.) So, I think the breast milk has been great for her. It's been a journey for me - sometimes more difficult than others (mostly because of having to pump while at work). But, I feel proud that I've made it this far.
Ariella can do assisted-standing now (which her daddy is really proud of). She sits straddling Tyree's leg, and pushes herself into a standing position from there (with him holding her hands). Granted, it's only a couple of seconds, but he's extremely excited about it.
We have Ariella sleeping in her bassinet at night almost exclusively, and she's doing fine with it. She slept all the way through the night one time, but then went back to her regular pattern (waking up to eat around both 12:30am and 3:30am (and then of course 5:30am and then 7:30am). There's still a long way to go with that, but every so often she'll skip her 12:30am feeding, which is nice for me. Tyree sleeps through all of it most nights, so it doesn't affect his sleep too much. Me, on the other hand, it's a wonderful surprise when I can sleep for 4-5 hours straight.
She's still only rolling the one way (so, no back to stomach yet), but I'm not worried. She likes to try to scoot/crawl once she's on her stomach, though. She really wants to be mobile. Everything will come in time, though.
I'm thrilled that I've made it through 4 months of exclusive breast milk. She's gaining so many health benefits. And, if I can make it through 6 months, then I think she'll also have the extra protection against diabetes and obesity. Ariella's been gaining weight wonderfully, and she's never been sick. (She has had a clogged tear duct, but I don't think that really counts.) So, I think the breast milk has been great for her. It's been a journey for me - sometimes more difficult than others (mostly because of having to pump while at work). But, I feel proud that I've made it this far.
Ariella can do assisted-standing now (which her daddy is really proud of). She sits straddling Tyree's leg, and pushes herself into a standing position from there (with him holding her hands). Granted, it's only a couple of seconds, but he's extremely excited about it.
We have Ariella sleeping in her bassinet at night almost exclusively, and she's doing fine with it. She slept all the way through the night one time, but then went back to her regular pattern (waking up to eat around both 12:30am and 3:30am (and then of course 5:30am and then 7:30am). There's still a long way to go with that, but every so often she'll skip her 12:30am feeding, which is nice for me. Tyree sleeps through all of it most nights, so it doesn't affect his sleep too much. Me, on the other hand, it's a wonderful surprise when I can sleep for 4-5 hours straight.
She's still only rolling the one way (so, no back to stomach yet), but I'm not worried. She likes to try to scoot/crawl once she's on her stomach, though. She really wants to be mobile. Everything will come in time, though.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Rough Day Sunday
Ariella had a rough day Sunday - lots of crying and fussing. We never did figure out what was wrong. Tyree talked with the doctor on the after-hours hotline, and she said it could be an ear infection and to bring her in Monday. But, we thought maybe it could be teething or her eye (from the clogged tear duct) or who knows what. We were trying everything to make her feel better - rocking, walking, taking her on a walk in the stroller worked well (we did that twice), and taking her in the car worked well (we did that twice, too). But, she wouldn't sleep, didn't like playing on the floor or in her jumper. She was just very fussy overall. Oh, and she kept eating her fist. And, she gnawed on my knuckle for a good 10 minutes. So, I was thinking maybe teething. We did the infant tylenol, teething tablets, and baby orajel. But, I don't think any of that really helped. Luckily, she slept well that night - even skipping waking up at 1am.
Monday, I called and scheduled an appointment for her for 12:20pm (I wanted to get either an early or a late one so that we could both go, but no such luck. So, Tyree worked from home and took her to the appointment, and I went into work.) She was better Monday, though - not fussy or crying like she had been, although she might have seemed more tired. Tyree told me that she weighed 14 lbs, 2oz at the appointment (she had weighed 14 lbs, 4oz when I took her in for her clogged tear duct a few weeks earlier - but when I took her, they weighed her with her outfit on, whereas she was stripped down to her diaper for the weigh-in yesterday). As it turns out, they couldn't find anything wrong with her, and the doctor was appalled that we gave her the baby orajel. (Apparently, there are some potentially fatal side-effects from it, so I have thrown that away.) But, no ear infection, which was really good. And, she said Ariella isn't teething (although I don't know that I'm fully convinced of that, but who knows).
Maybe she's just had an intellectual growth spurt and is getting bored with her current activities. Or maybe she just had a fussy day. It was so out of the ordinary for her, though. I feel really sorry for parents with babies who are just difficult all the time. But, at least she's back to normal now.
Monday, I called and scheduled an appointment for her for 12:20pm (I wanted to get either an early or a late one so that we could both go, but no such luck. So, Tyree worked from home and took her to the appointment, and I went into work.) She was better Monday, though - not fussy or crying like she had been, although she might have seemed more tired. Tyree told me that she weighed 14 lbs, 2oz at the appointment (she had weighed 14 lbs, 4oz when I took her in for her clogged tear duct a few weeks earlier - but when I took her, they weighed her with her outfit on, whereas she was stripped down to her diaper for the weigh-in yesterday). As it turns out, they couldn't find anything wrong with her, and the doctor was appalled that we gave her the baby orajel. (Apparently, there are some potentially fatal side-effects from it, so I have thrown that away.) But, no ear infection, which was really good. And, she said Ariella isn't teething (although I don't know that I'm fully convinced of that, but who knows).
Maybe she's just had an intellectual growth spurt and is getting bored with her current activities. Or maybe she just had a fussy day. It was so out of the ordinary for her, though. I feel really sorry for parents with babies who are just difficult all the time. But, at least she's back to normal now.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Rolling Over, Sounds, Etc
Ariella started rolling over from her stomach to her back last Friday (so, a little younger than 3 1/2 months). It's quite exciting to see her taking her first steps to mobility!
She's also really vocalizing a lot more. We had a "conversation" last night when Tyree was at his guitar lesson that lasted quite a while. She's started doing a lot more consonants - l, g, b, etc. And, she cooos a lot, especially in the morning when she's happy when she first wakes up. It makes the restless nights all worth it (restless for me, she sleeps pretty well). We started her on the Your Baby Can Read program last weekend (the materials are MUCH better than the MonkeeSee program), and she's started "talking" back to the video. It's so cute. And, she LOVES the part where they sing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star". Her eyes are really wide, and she definitely pays attention. Tyree even took some video of her watching it, but we need to do it again so that he can get the "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" part.
We went to the Renaissance fair out in Wentzville for the Memorial Day weekend. We saw a fire-eating/sword swallowing show when we stopped to sit down for a break. Ariella actually took notice when he blew the big fire ball! Her head backed up, and she had an expression like "Whoa!". It was cute, and we got some great pictures.
She's also really vocalizing a lot more. We had a "conversation" last night when Tyree was at his guitar lesson that lasted quite a while. She's started doing a lot more consonants - l, g, b, etc. And, she cooos a lot, especially in the morning when she's happy when she first wakes up. It makes the restless nights all worth it (restless for me, she sleeps pretty well). We started her on the Your Baby Can Read program last weekend (the materials are MUCH better than the MonkeeSee program), and she's started "talking" back to the video. It's so cute. And, she LOVES the part where they sing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star". Her eyes are really wide, and she definitely pays attention. Tyree even took some video of her watching it, but we need to do it again so that he can get the "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" part.
We went to the Renaissance fair out in Wentzville for the Memorial Day weekend. We saw a fire-eating/sword swallowing show when we stopped to sit down for a break. Ariella actually took notice when he blew the big fire ball! Her head backed up, and she had an expression like "Whoa!". It was cute, and we got some great pictures.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)