Proud To Be A Mom

Xander's Nursery 

This is the set-up of Xander's nursery. We also have a playpen, swing and a bouncer now too. We tried to have everything set-up. Luckily two baby showers, one thrown by my family and one thrown by my husband's work, really helped us out. We decorated the room with frogs, turtles, snails, Fraggles, Marvel super hero characters and blue and green paint. All the shelving really helped. We also have a twin bed in there now so when we are exhausted and trying to watch him we can just fall asleep in there. My nesting was complete when we finished the room and I just got more and more anxious to have him enjoy it.

Crib, Fraggles

Closet

Changing Table

Marvel Wall

Wall and Shelf and Highchair

The First Week 

From hospital to home to our first doctors appointment

We spent three days total in the hospital. The first mostly consisted of having him. They told me to sleep afterwards but I was too excited to have him there. They did take care of all the diapers for the first day. I decided to breastfeed until we got home where I planned to pump. The evening he was born they had a lactation nurse come in and give me all kinds of tips to get him started on nursing. The showed me different position and how to get his mouth to attach. By the time we actually tried it he just latched on like a vacuum cleaner. There was no need for any of the tips. Oh my did it hurt though. Apparently it was supposed to feel like that, nothing was wrong at least, but he was a little barracuda. Basically it felt like someone was giving you consistent pinching titty twisters. Oweeee. The first few days, basically the time I was in the hospital I was only producing the colostrum not actual milk yet, but everything went fine. He was eating about every hour those days. We did get him circumsized while we were in the hospital. My doctors office sent over one of their doctors to perform this. That was the first time he had left my side since he was born. They gave him some Tylenol which was supposed to help but he came back crying. It was horrible to hear him cry like that, but it didn't last long. Once he was back in my arms he quickly calmed own. When the nurses came back to check on him he was bleeding a little more than normal so they took him again to have another doctor check the wound and he stopped the bleeding. They taught me how to bandage the site and clean him without getting the umbilical cord too wet. The newt day they did a hearing test and a jaundice test and then we just waited to be checked out. They also gave me a small package with a drop of his blood to use for DNA purposes to keep in my freezer. I also received free formula, diapers and two small diaper bags. They gave us a shirt for the baby and one for my husband with the little footprints on it. It was so exciting and nerve wrecking to take him home. They finally checked us out and had us bring up the car seat to put the baby in. I had to ride in a wheelchair until we made it out the door.
When we got home I couldn't leave his side. When he was asleep I filled out his baby book and looked over paperwork the hospital had given us. Then next day my milk came in. No one warned me what that would feel like. My boobs got so engorged I looked like an over-done porn star. They were stretched to full capacity, as hard as rocks and on fire. I tried to use the electric pump I had bought to help but it did nothing. I used ice packs and cold compresses to relieve some of the swelling and pain. My husband thought they looked great but oh my did they hurt. After some manual pumping, nursing and the electric pump they finally calmed down after about 48 hours at full capacity. No one warned me about that and it took me by complete surprise. I went out and bought a manual pump after that and it works wonderfully now. That first full day home we scheduled his first appointment with the pediatrician. We took him to the doctor that Thursday after he was born. They weighed and measured him. He was still slightly jaundiced so they recommended another appointment in a week and he had to stay home for that week. Basically he wasn't getting his full color yet and they were trying to be careful. I asked about jaundice and they said there wasn't really anything I could do to help but just wait and see. They also said it didn't hurt him or really have any effects that we would notice, but it mean his immune system was not as strong as it could be. That's why we had to keep him home. He ate about every two hours and his dad and I barely slept that first week.

First Picture

Second Picture

He was so tiny

After a sponge bath

My little man

Oh my it's so sweet

He was so precious

Loves his pacifier

Brag Pictures 

3 weeks

6 weeks

6 weeks

7 weeks

7 weeks

09/04/08 Don't I look cute to go to the park today

09/04/08 YAY Park

Curly hair after bath time