Susan updates
Dec. 30th, 2007 03:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jan_andreaThank you to everyone who left congratulations in my previous entry -- I'd love to answer everyone separately, but I've actually been spending very little time on the computer (which, for those who know about my all-day computer habits, is fairly shocking!) and I don't think that will happen :lol:
She's 3 days old now, and has been a little different on each day, which is neat. She mostly slept and had some quiet awake time on Friday. Saturday (gods, was that yesterday?) she spent the *entire* day nursing -- as in, people could hold her for 5 minutes, then she'd start rooting again and have to come back to me. Naturally that brought my milk in with a vengeance, but she spent most of last night sleeping (!!!) so I was fairly engorged when we woke up, although she nursed a few times during the course of the night. Of course, she's sleeping with me (I really wouldn't have it any other way -- it's so much easier and more cozy this way!) and that makes things simpler. Today she's been nursing great, with some quiet awake time and a little sling time, too. I need to figure out the wrap, and figure out how she likes to be held in it; unlike Stephen and Sophia, she seems to like the cradle hold, which is great with the sling but I haven't quite got the hang of it with a wrap yet. Doesn't help that my last newborn slinging experience was 4 years ago, so I'm rather out of practice! Actually, I need to take advantage of that to rewrite my newborn slinging directions, and get Kristi over here to help me take pictures of the process.
Mom went home a few hours ago, after staying with us for the last 3 days. I'm a little nervous about how we'll cope with the older kids and Susan; Mom's been doing most of the older-kid-care while she was here, and that was incredibly helpful. I hope we can get them to understand that they need to cooperate more with us, and that cooperation is the best help they can give, since they are all about wanting to help with the baby. We're certainly going to miss Gamma, though!
Her checkup on Friday was fine -- she was "officially" 7lbs 5oz on the ped's scale, and they measured her at 19", but I think Cilia's method (a measuring tape, rather than trying to hold a squirming, screaming newborn on a flat surface) was more accurate :) She had no signs of jaundice, though they said that 60% of newborns get it and just to nurse through it if she did after a few days. Everything was totally normal, and the ped was impressed with her head control and (once she stopped screaming at the poking and prodding) her alertness. No shots for a couple of months (we delay the Hep B until the kids go to school, since they're at essentially zero risk until then) so that's nice. We'll probably use the Sears' new Vaccine Book recommended schedule; it's a nice balance of important shots vs. actual risks (and I'd recommend the book highly for any new parent, or even old ones who are interested in vaccination). It's very well-written and quite balanced -- no fear-mongering in either direction; he looks at actual risks of the vaccines and the illnesses, rather than "O noes! All vaccines are teh evill!" vs "If you don't vaccinate your child, she will certainly die!"
Anyway :) I'd say her personality is very nearly between Stephen's and Sophia's. Sophia was content 99% of the time, and scarcely cried at all; Stephen was very unsettled from the get-go and took a long time to calm down. Thus far, Susan is very content when she is comfortable, but if she has a gas bubble or anything is making her unhappy, she'll let you know in a big way. I'm good with that, I think; Stephen is quite a charming young man, and Sophia has all the makings of a little hellion, so between the two of them would be a very well-balanced kid :) Of course, predicting personality at 3 days old would be stupid, so I'm just going to enjoy her temperment as it is :)
Right now she's sleeping on my lap, quietly REMing and occasionally sticking out her tongue and making little faces. I love that part :) And I'd forgotten how wonderful having a tiny baby sleep next to me is. Those teensie little hands, curled up legs, soft, warm head... it's blissful, really. I'm still sort of in awe that she's here. It was surreal when she was born; I had been using "One less contraction I have to go through before she's born... the only way out is through... after this peak, only n-1 more..." all throughout, and then pushing her out was like, "All I have to do is get her head through and we're *done* and I'll have her in my arms!" but it really wasn't until I was holding her that she was *real* -- like the silly sit-com moment "We have a baby!" It's dumb, but that's exactly how I felt. I feel so lucky to have her, like she's my "bonus" baby (since I really thought we would be done at 2 -- not because I wanted only two, but that was what DH and I had agreed on), and I am totally grateful to David that he agreed to try again. If I weren't an atheist, I'd call her a blessing, but... there's no non-faith-based word that conjures up the same sentiment. She *is* a blessing, for lack of a better word. What an amazing thing :)
She's 3 days old now, and has been a little different on each day, which is neat. She mostly slept and had some quiet awake time on Friday. Saturday (gods, was that yesterday?) she spent the *entire* day nursing -- as in, people could hold her for 5 minutes, then she'd start rooting again and have to come back to me. Naturally that brought my milk in with a vengeance, but she spent most of last night sleeping (!!!) so I was fairly engorged when we woke up, although she nursed a few times during the course of the night. Of course, she's sleeping with me (I really wouldn't have it any other way -- it's so much easier and more cozy this way!) and that makes things simpler. Today she's been nursing great, with some quiet awake time and a little sling time, too. I need to figure out the wrap, and figure out how she likes to be held in it; unlike Stephen and Sophia, she seems to like the cradle hold, which is great with the sling but I haven't quite got the hang of it with a wrap yet. Doesn't help that my last newborn slinging experience was 4 years ago, so I'm rather out of practice! Actually, I need to take advantage of that to rewrite my newborn slinging directions, and get Kristi over here to help me take pictures of the process.
Mom went home a few hours ago, after staying with us for the last 3 days. I'm a little nervous about how we'll cope with the older kids and Susan; Mom's been doing most of the older-kid-care while she was here, and that was incredibly helpful. I hope we can get them to understand that they need to cooperate more with us, and that cooperation is the best help they can give, since they are all about wanting to help with the baby. We're certainly going to miss Gamma, though!
Her checkup on Friday was fine -- she was "officially" 7lbs 5oz on the ped's scale, and they measured her at 19", but I think Cilia's method (a measuring tape, rather than trying to hold a squirming, screaming newborn on a flat surface) was more accurate :) She had no signs of jaundice, though they said that 60% of newborns get it and just to nurse through it if she did after a few days. Everything was totally normal, and the ped was impressed with her head control and (once she stopped screaming at the poking and prodding) her alertness. No shots for a couple of months (we delay the Hep B until the kids go to school, since they're at essentially zero risk until then) so that's nice. We'll probably use the Sears' new Vaccine Book recommended schedule; it's a nice balance of important shots vs. actual risks (and I'd recommend the book highly for any new parent, or even old ones who are interested in vaccination). It's very well-written and quite balanced -- no fear-mongering in either direction; he looks at actual risks of the vaccines and the illnesses, rather than "O noes! All vaccines are teh evill!" vs "If you don't vaccinate your child, she will certainly die!"
Anyway :) I'd say her personality is very nearly between Stephen's and Sophia's. Sophia was content 99% of the time, and scarcely cried at all; Stephen was very unsettled from the get-go and took a long time to calm down. Thus far, Susan is very content when she is comfortable, but if she has a gas bubble or anything is making her unhappy, she'll let you know in a big way. I'm good with that, I think; Stephen is quite a charming young man, and Sophia has all the makings of a little hellion, so between the two of them would be a very well-balanced kid :) Of course, predicting personality at 3 days old would be stupid, so I'm just going to enjoy her temperment as it is :)
Right now she's sleeping on my lap, quietly REMing and occasionally sticking out her tongue and making little faces. I love that part :) And I'd forgotten how wonderful having a tiny baby sleep next to me is. Those teensie little hands, curled up legs, soft, warm head... it's blissful, really. I'm still sort of in awe that she's here. It was surreal when she was born; I had been using "One less contraction I have to go through before she's born... the only way out is through... after this peak, only n-1 more..." all throughout, and then pushing her out was like, "All I have to do is get her head through and we're *done* and I'll have her in my arms!" but it really wasn't until I was holding her that she was *real* -- like the silly sit-com moment "We have a baby!" It's dumb, but that's exactly how I felt. I feel so lucky to have her, like she's my "bonus" baby (since I really thought we would be done at 2 -- not because I wanted only two, but that was what DH and I had agreed on), and I am totally grateful to David that he agreed to try again. If I weren't an atheist, I'd call her a blessing, but... there's no non-faith-based word that conjures up the same sentiment. She *is* a blessing, for lack of a better word. What an amazing thing :)
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no subject
Date: 2007-12-30 10:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-12-31 12:15 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-12-31 12:46 am (UTC)Anyway, thanks for allowing me to be there and I'm glad that it was a help.
I miss you too,
mum
no subject
Date: 2008-01-14 05:43 pm (UTC)I think Rigid Discipline was the order of the day for the pre-BC women :lol: And lots of help from the older kids with younger. Still, makes me glad we have BC now!
no subject
Date: 2007-12-31 04:01 pm (UTC)