Sunday, April 4, 2010

Baby Kate is here and goodness is she a beauty! :)


That's her furrowed brow expression at 2 days old...oh Mommy and Daddy are in BIG trouble!




Whooo, what a whirlwind it has been... Kate is napping and I finally have few minutes (seconds...??) to catch everyone up. I have not watched tv or been online since her birth... and no I can't imagine what I've done all that time either, especially since only 2 -3 hours/day has been sleeping... so here it is, my precious girl's "birth story":

Kate arrived on March 31 at 12:42 weighing 6 pounds 8 ounces and is 19 3/4 inches long. She's beautiful and more than I could have ever imagined! I went ahead and decided to have a c-section due to a more controlled environment and my retinopathy. You were all right, even though I was extremely scared of the surgery, it wasn't so bad after all and once I saw my beautiful daughter, it didn't matter anyway.

I am having trouble breastfeeding and it has been quite a challenge... one of the things I wanted most was to be able to breastfeed, but it doesn't seem to be coming naturally for me. I've gotten about 2 hours of sleep each night since she's been born (is that normal?!?) and am pretty tired, but trying as hard as I can. I am not giving up easily, but know that it may not work out... she is continuing to root around even after I feed her and never seems to be satisfied, but i don't know if it is lack of milk or if she is starting to pacify herself at the breast because she frequently falls asleep right when I put her back on. I guess we just have to figure it all out and I keep telling myself that regardless of what happens, she will be okay.

I just wanted to give you a quick update while I could. Kate is just so precious and it has definitely been love at first sight and even though we are struggling a little, she really is just perfect in every way and even in between tears and sleep deprivation when I see her little face, I can't help but smile and even with the exhaustion, frustration, fear and anxiety, this mommy thing is pretty awesome!!

13 comments:

Kerri. said...

I'm reading your entry from the hospital, where I'm laying low for the next two weeks until BSparl is born. (Darn preeclampsia!!) But your daughter, and your post, have brought tears to my eyes. CONGRATULATIONS on your beautiful, healthy baby girl, and thank you for letting me know it's okay "on the other side" of motherhood. :)

All the best to you and your pretty girl!!

meanderings said...

Have to agree - she's a cutie! You'll get through these first few weeks, exhausted, but you WILL get through it.
Best wishes to all of you.

Minnesota Nice said...

Oh my but she is going to be a fireball. I can spot 'em a mile away.
Congratulations on a job well done. Yours is the victory.

Unknown said...

How wonderful!! She's beautiful.

Sleepless nights are so normal it isn't even funny. :)

I had a heck of a time getting my daughter to breastfeed. Two things that worked:

Pacifier. I was kinda against them before she was born, but I had two "just in case" She was a comfort sucker. She'd eat and not want to actually eat anymore, just wanted to suck on something constantly. She'd fall asleep at the boob right after I'd put her back on then wakeup when I tried to take her off.

Getting to that point was a real challenge, though. She wouldn't nurse. I tried to get her to constantly and she would root, but she wouldn't accept the boob. It was super frustrating that first week out of the hospital. What worked was the "Nipple Shield." She was given sugar water through a bottle in the hospital and i blame that for making her need that darn thing. We used if for 5 months constantly - because I really wanted to breastfeed, so it was an okay compromise for me. Everyone else I have talked to only had to use it for a few weeks to a month. My daughter was just a weirdo. :)

Congrats on your awesome little girl!!

~Bethany

Layne said...

Congratulations!!! I'm so happy for you and that everything has turned out so well! Kate is absolutely precious and I love her name. And look at that hair!!

Be patient with breastfeeding, it will get better if you stick with it. New moms usually don't make milk (or make very little) for the first 3-5 days so as you milk comes in she'll be more satisfied.

Sounds like mom and baby are doing well! So happy to hear it!

Katie said...

Congrats! Kate is absolutely beautiful!! Glad to hear Kate is healthy and doing well, and that your c-section went well too :-)

I had the same challenges with breastfeeding. I agree with Bethany, try a nipple shield. I had 3 lactation specialists try to help me out, and then finally one suggested I try it and Zoey was FINALLY able to breastfeed. She's still using it, but I'm just glad to be able to breastfeed for now.

Hang in there, the sleepless nights are way normal. I get really excited if I get more than 2 hours of sleep a night these days!! Everyone says it will get better, and I will just trust them :-) Congrats again, you are a great Mom!

Anonymous said...

Congratulations! She is gorgeous! So happy for you that her birth went well.

Sounds like you are having a "normal" (whatever that is!!!) first few days home. It is HARD. But so worth it. Keep trying with the breastfeeding. My daughter was in intensive care for 6 days and I couldn't breast feed that whole time (even with a bunch of nurses and a lactation consultant watching over my shoulder), it just wouldn't work for us. I pumped and she ate with a bottle. When we got home after a few days it just clicked.

One tip, when it clicks for you and Baby Kate, if you want her to ever take a pacifier, don't worry too much about "nipple confusion." Some people had me so worried, I didn't try a pacifier until she was a few months old. I waited too long to try. She would never take it. She never once used one. I was her pacifier. That was hard at times and made it especially hard for my husband when I went back to work!

You'll find your groove soon. Keep hanging in there.

Take care.

Sincerely,
Patti H. Livonia, Michigan

Christi said...

Congratulations! She is just precious.

Yes, the breastfeeding thing is tough. It didn't go real smoothly for me with my son either. And he got a bottle of formula for the first 24 hours since I was so out of it and just sleeping due to the anti-seizure meds they put me on (because of high blood pressure). So I ended up using the Nipple Shield, and used it the whole time I breastfed, which was until around 4 months. I went to a lactation consultant shortly after leaving the hospital, which helped but we were still not able to get off that Nipple Shield. I'm glad to hear Bethany had a similar experience. I also supplemented with formula the whole time because my little man never seemed satisfied and would feed for a long time on the breast which ended up wearing on me. I have a friend who's son never was able to latch well so she just pumped and gave it to him in a bottle. But she's had him on just breast milk for 7 months now! You just have to find what works for you and your baby and do that. Any way you go, your sweet little girl will get the nutrition she needs.

Best of luck to you! And it is wonderful being a Mommy, isn't it! Welcome to the club. :)

Windy said...

She is sooooooooooo pretty! Congrats!!!!!! Don't give up on the breast feeding yet, it definitely takes a little time! Hopefully you have some other moms who have experience with it that you can call on! I remember it being sooooooo hard at first, but once I got in a routine it was so easy! No formula making, bottle packing, etc..... but again, if you end up not being able to, not the end of the world and baby Kate will still be perfect! :) Happy thoughts and prayers for your family!

nici said...

OMG, she is just beautiful! I'm so glad that you and Kate are doing so well. You should be so proud of yourself -- a diabetic pregnancy is not exactly a walk in the park, but you and Kate came through it with flying colors!

I'm sure the breastfeeding thing will work itself out. Whether you stick with it or end up doing formula (or some combo in between,) I'm sure Kate will thrive.

And thank you for sharing your experience -- I am still about three months out, but already getting nervous about birth and the whole "being a mommy" thing. I only hope that I can handle it as well as you seem to be doing!

Laura said...

Yay, she's here and gorgeous! So, so happy for you and your husband! Wow, you did it!!!!

Well, you know I had a heck of a time breastfeeding my baby girl. I would pump for 5-10 min after I nursed her everytime. It was exahusting and still took over a week for my milk to come in. (I had to supplement with formula, for the first 10 days or so because she wasn't gaining weight.) But finally it ended up working, keep with it. It's just hard to figure it out in the beginning, especially with only 3 hours of sleep.

Congratulations again Suzanne. You are amazing and your beautiful daughter is so, so lucky to have you as her Mama. Take care of yourself, and get rest when you can!

Lots of love to you and your family!

Scott K. Johnson said...

Congratulations! What a beautiful daughter she is! :-)

Jillian said...

A belated congratulations! She's beautiful! I'm so happy that you are all healthy, safe, and sound.