Gwyneth Eden: Weeks 7 & 8

Gwen's "Firsts": First time in an Ergo!  She loves it!  She stays asleep the entire time she is in it.  She also wore a headband for the first time and it was the most precious thing I have ever seen.

Funny Moment: David can get her to smile consistently!  I love watching him making smiley, goofy faces at her and she LOVES it.  She grins so big and will keep smiling until he stops talking and smiling at her.  I just sit there and laugh watching them go back and forth.  It is too cute.

High of the Week: We are officially breastfeeding!!!!! For the time being I feed her and then must pump, but I am slowly trying to get rid of the pumping part.  I am still very dependent on the Boppy and she is not the most efficient nurser, but I am happy to be working towards when it will be easy.  That is assuming it does get easy!

Low of the Week: These weeks were pretty good! Maybe we are finally getting the hang of this parenting thing. My low is simply that she is growing out of her newborn clothes :( I am so sad about it! My little tiny baby is getting big! I know I will just continue to love her more and more as she gets bigger but a part of me will miss this part of things.

Something I Learned: This confused me. I went to Target to buy some diapers. I had planned on buying another pack of newborns, but when I got there I quickly changed my mind. For Target brand, you got 36 newborn diapers for $6.99. For the size one Target brand, you got 50 for $6.99!!! 14 more diapers for the same price, hence why she moved up a size. Even the size 2 diapers had more in a pack than newborns. You won't fool this girl, Target!

Facts for the Week(s): 

Gwen's weight: 8 lbs 11oz
Size diapers: 1

Gwen's length: 21 inches

Number of Zumba classes taken: 2
How sore am I from Zumba: SO SORE

7 weeks

8 weeks

                                

8 Things I Didn't Know About Childbirth

Giving birth to Gwen came a little sudden to say the least!  I hadn't taken any birthing classes or even a hospital tour.  Maybe these are common knowledge, but here are 8 things I didn't know about giving birth!

1. When they break your water, it is no where near like peeing your pants.
It is like a waterfall.  If it breaks on its own maybe it is less surprising.  I was shocked at the amount of water this girl lived in!

2. The IV bag goes everywhere with you.
I had visions of laboring by walking around freely.  You of course can walk around but you must take the IV with you. That means taking the big metal rack thing they attach it to with you as well.  I did not feel as "free" as I had hoped!

3. Epidurals compared to contractions do not hurt at all.  
You would think a large needle going into your spine would hurt.  Not for me.  It felt a little like a bee sting, but that was way better than how horrible my contractions were.  

4. They numb the area before giving you an epidural.
This probably would have been helpful to know before going into labor.  It makes the epidural way less intimidating.

5. The doctor has a lot of crazy tools someone sets up...
Like scalpels and other crazy things.  Don't look at it.  I averted my eyes and David told me about it later.

6. Pushing is not as intuitive as you would think.
With having an epidural, I could not feel a thing.  I had the knowledge for what pushing was supposed to be like, but when you can't feel anything, its pretty difficult!

7. They may put an oxygen mask on you.
 It freaked me out and it actually made it harder for me to breathe.  I was a spaz though, you probably would be fine.

8. Having a good nurse is crucial.
Honestly, since I had no complications, I would say it was more important than having a good doctor.  Our nurse was amazing.  She helped us make decisions without pressuring us, encouraged me when I was about to die from the pain, and supported me when David had to leave the room during the epidural.  She was just phenomenal.  


Anything surprise you about giving birth?

Gwyneth Eden: Weeks 5 & 6

These weeks have just been a whirl wind!  She is almost 8 weeks old and I am just now posting this!  I just looked back at her 3 and 4 week pictures and am amazed by how much she has grown.  Gwen is packing on the weight and doing wonderful.  These past two weeks have had their challenges for sure, but I am hopeful that things will become more natural and less chaotic in the weeks to come!  

Gwen's "Firsts": First time wearing a bathing suit!  She also had her first blow out diaper that David got the privilege of changing. 

Funny Moment: My mom and sister, Kelly, were over last week and I had just got done feeding Gwen.  My mom was holding her and she spit up as usual.  Kelly has not been around many babies and almost threw up when she saw the spit up!  Sorry sissy!  We will have to get you used to newborns!

High of the Week: Thanks to the help of a wonderful lactation consultant, I am officially no longer exclusively pumping!  For anyone who has ever exclusively pumped, you know this is a big deal.  Pumping=horrible.  Yes, there are some perks to it, but overall I am happy to be able to at least start down the path of breastfeeding.

For the time being, I have to nurse her and then pump afterwards.  Since I keep getting mastitis (see below), they want to make sure I avoid getting it again!  This whole feeding process takes an hour and half... yikes.  I am putting in the work now to hopefully give my self an easier time in the future.  

Low of the Week: Mastitis.... AGAIN!!!! No joke.  I had it when she was 3 weeks old and then came down with it gain at 5 weeks.  To make it worse, it was on the 4th of July.  I spent the day in bed trying to not let myself quit pumping and be done with it all.  Luckily, the next day more antibiotics were called in and I began to feel better.  Let's hope this is it!  I am not sure I have it in me to endure through another round.

Something I Learned about Newborns: When they dream it may be the cutest thing I have ever seen. Gwen coos and makes all sorts of adorable faces.  I won't lie though, I described it to David as, "It sounds like she is dreaming as though a puppy died!"  She looks very concerned when these dreaming sessions occur.

Facts for the Week(s): 

Gwen's weight: 7 lbs. 3 oz.... I know right?!
Cloth diapers purchased: 15
Types of cloth diapers: Flip and BumGenius
Fun baby gear purchased: Ergo!  Thanks for the discount Zulily!
Date night: Despicable Me 2 and Cold Stone!

5 weeks

6 weeks

Gwyneth Eden: Weeks 3 & 4

We are just loving life with Gwen.  At times (a lot of times) it is challenging, but we are learning a lot and starting to figure things out.

We took some family pictures with David's family over the weekend.  They turned out awesome.  Here is my favorite!

Gwen's "Firsts": She went to Bob Evans, Target, and the zoo for the first time!  Taking her to the zoo was great!  Now I know that if for some reason she refuses to sleep, I will put her in the stroller and walk around.  She was out the whole time. 

Funny Moment: Gwen really needed a bath, but we were having friends over for dinner so it was just going to have to wait.  David decided he could do it by himself and was up for the adventure.  He undressed her (no diaper) and carried her into the bathroom.  Seconds later, I hear him yell.  He walks out of the bathroom and is covered in pee!  She got his shirt and shorts!  You can't leave a diaper off that girl for any amount of time without expecting to be covered in poop or pee.

High of the Week: Cuddling and hanging out with Gwen.  I am not sure if all babies are like this, but she LOVES to be held.  She could be fussing and grunting without ceasing and as soon as you pick her up she is calm.  I love having a baby that likes to cuddle!  She is so cute!  It is really great when you are holding her after feeding her and she just smiles away.  I know it has nothing to do with me at this point, but its definitely adorable.

Low of the Week: Mastitis.... really bad mastitis!  I thought I just had a clogged duct a week ago.  I had woken up with a fever, chills, and felt achy all over.  It was miserable.  I called my doctor and she gave me a prescription since it sounded infected.  Days went by with little improvement.  I was taking ibuprofen to keep my fever away enough to where I could take care of Gwen.

When it still was not improving, I went into the office where they ordered an ultrasound to make sure I did not have an abscess.  I will not go into details about what that is or how they treat it :)  Turns out I did not!  I just needed stronger meds because that infection would not go away.  You know its bad when your doctor is shocked with how bad it is.  I currently am taking my medicine and feeling much better! 

Parenting Lesson: I guess this is a part of parenting, but I learned a valuable lesson in freezing breast milk.  You are supposed to freeze it flat!  I had been freezing it standing up.  Wow, you would never believe how much more you can cram into your freezer by freezing it the way the instructions say.

Something I Learned about Newborns: I learned that preemie babies smile more than a full term baby!  This makes a lot of sense because she is a super smiley girl.  It ends up fading and she will catch up with a full term baby.  So sad!  I love her little smiles!

Facts for the Week(s): 

Projectile poop that hit me: 0
Projectile poop that hit David: 3 or 4 :)
Gwen's weight: 6 lbs. 1 oz!
Gwen's weight percentile: 1%... she made it on the chart!
Current favorite show I watch while feeding Gwen: Cupcake Wars!

Wearing her cupcake outfit to be festive!

3 weeks old

4 weeks old

What having a Newborn is like for Me

We look so rested, relaxed, and perfect with a newborn, don't we?

Having a newborn is actually tough.  Seriously.  People told us this and explained especially how hard the first 6 weeks were.  What did I do?  Acted arrogant and like I knew everything.  Yeah, whatever, so you get a little sleep deprived!  Just sleep when the baby sleeps and you deal with it!  Right, parents?

Haha!  Oh, Stacy.

I often tell David how fun things people are doing look on Instagram or Facebook.  I suddenly want to go do all those things or hang out with those people.  Why?  Because like the article, "Stop Instagramming Your Perfect Life", explains, social media portrays a better, more desirable view point on real life.

How does this relate to having a newborn?  It makes me think I am the only one struggling.

Am I the only one who motherhood doesn't come easily?  Am I the only one who is stressed out all day?  How about wanting to throw their pump out the window? Or has no idea when their baby is hungry or simply sticking their tongue out because she is about to puke all over me?

No, I am not.  I let myself believe I am the only one who has no idea what they are doing because I compare myself to what others are doing based on their pictures and how their life appears.

I know they struggle and that they also are stressed out.  You go from 0 to 100 instantly.  There are no days off or even hours off.  It is all the time and that WILL wear you down.  It doesn't matter how much exposure to newborns you have had.  You probably have never taken care of one every day, all day with your hormones out of control.

Now, I love my baby girl.  She is the cutest baby ever.  Yes, I am biased.  I think its cute when she sneezes, sleeps with her hands behind her head, and I even think its pretty cute when she smells.  I am sure the last one will fade :)

So, if you wonder if you are the only one struggling you aren't.  I am.  There is a grace for all that.  There is grace for when I don't want to give Gwen a bottle because when she spits up it makes me stressed.  There is grace for when I don't want to even try breastfeeding because I am afraid I will fail.  There is grace for when my iPhone falls on her.  Don't judge me.  She is fine!

When you see or read about her, know that our life is no where near perfect.  I am doing the best I can, but it won't ever be perfect.

Look at these pictures for instance.

Look how much fun we have taking pictures!  Just kidding.  These pictures came out of trying to cheer me up because shortly before this I was crying about feeling guilty and like I didn't measure up.

Be encouraged that you are doing the best you can and that is all you can do.  It is ok if parenting looks "easier" on other people.  We all know there is nothing easy about it. The good news is having a baby is awesome regardless of the work and mental breakdowns.  Gwen is a blessing and we love her!

I am not complaining and this is not a "cry for help".  I am just letting you other moms know that I have a hard time like you and I only have one kid who is 3 weeks old.  

I will leave you with this picture.  

This is us doing the best we can.  Babies aren't supposed to sleep with extra bedding, but she spits up constantly.  I don't want to have to wash the padding on her Rock 'n Play so I improvised.

Gwyneth Eden: Weeks 1 and 2

Phew! I can't believe this little girl has been here for 2 weeks already! She is such a sweetheart.

I thought I would have more time for blogging and writing updates, but it turns out a newborn, especially a preterm newborn, requires some time! Hopefully once we get out bearings things like writing can happen more often.

Gwen's "Firsts": Well, she had had her first time doing a lot of things like crying, having breast milk, getting her diaper changed.  Some of my favorites are the first time I heard her hiccup and sneeze. Adorable. 

Funny Moment: David left to go do laundry. It was my first time taking care of Gwyneth by myself. I noticed her diaper was dirty so I prepared to change her. Well, I found out the hard way this girl has projectile poop. A poop covered arm, stained carpet, and 4 diapers later, we tackled that poopy diaper. Good thing I was able to laugh or else there may have been a melt down.

High of the Week: Other than her being born, bringing her home was amazing. To be in our own territory and learn how to take care of her in our space was so freeing. We didn't have certain standards to try and meet. We could sleep in our own bed, have significantly more space, and best of all, no one was checking on us 24/7. We love having our sweet girl home!

Low of the Week: Learning how to breastfeeding a preterm baby. As if breastfeeding wasn't hard enough, having a baby a month early adds significantly more challenges. Currently I am not able to and must pump then give her a bottle. It is exhausting and frustrating to say the least. I hope that in a couple weeks we can try and give breastfeeding a chance. If I am honest, I feel like I am missing out. I know for right now I am doing the best thing I can for her, but it is still hard for me to accept.

Parenting Lesson: Always have the next diaper ready. I have been told this and didn't listen. Lesson learned.

Something I Learned about Newborns: They make a TON of noise. Sometimes she grunts without ceasing for hours. Sometimes she hiccups. Sometimes she sounds like a cat. This girl is always making noise... Especially between 12:00 am and 4:00 am :)

Facts for the Week(s): 

Gwyneth's Birth Weight: 4.4 oz

Days in Hospital: 5

Days until David is Back at Work: 3 :(

Total Weight Gwen has Gained: 7 oz

Google Searches Containing the Word "Grunting": infinite

1 week

2 weeks

Birth Story of Gwyneth Eden: Part 3

10 cm!  What?!  We were told that once you reach 5 cm, it is normally a centimeter an hour.  This would have put us at 3:00 am, not 10:45 pm!

That was the reason I was in pain.  She was moving down and in ready position!

Katie sat me up and to allow for the baby to drop even lower and prepare to push.  The cart of delivery tools and who knows what else was wheeled in and set up.  I chose to not look at this cart.  Seeing scalpels and weird looking birthing instruments would not be beneficial!

Shortly after, Dr. Choi and at least 5 other nurses came in.  At this time it was around 11:30 pm.  I had no idea what to expect for the pushing portion of delivery.  Some women I knew pushed for hours while others could have simply coughed and their baby would have flew out.  An oxygen mask was put on my face to help me breathe.  This actually just freaked me out and it kept sliding into my eye.  I would have breathed much more effectively without it!

It was then time to push and meet our baby girl!

I was instructed in how to push and breathe.  I could not focus and figure out what they wanted me to do.  Do you take a deep breath and then hold it and push?  Do exhale while pushing?  How do you hold your breathe for that long and have the energy to push?

These were all the things running through my mind, but could not ask.  They were telling me to push so I just went with it!  The first couple pushes were not effective at all.  With lots of people giving me directions,  I could not figure it  Dr. Choi then said the baby's heart rate was dropping and they would use a vacuum to get her out as soon as possible.

That was all I needed!  You tell me my baby's heart rate is dropping and I will figure out this pushing thing real fast!  Two more pushes with the assist of the vacuum and the baby was out!

At 11:52 pm on May 31, Gwyneth Eden came into the world. 

For arriving 4 weeks early, doctors have been astonished by how well she has been doing.  She spent no time in the NICU.  She is just a small baby!  We are so in love with this little girl!

Birth Story of Gwyneth Eden: Part 1
Birth Story of Gwyneth Eden: Part 2