Happy Collin...and Mommy

Collin is doing wonderful today. He is getting more from me when he nurses (from 1.5 to 2 ounces) which makes me happy. I do still have to pump and feed him a bottle because he is still hungry after he nurses. We are getting there though. He did not used to get that much from nursing. I think his mouth is feeling better now that the thrush is cleared up so he will slowly get more from nursing. Yeah, I won't have to pump as much.

Since he is eating enough to be content, he is a happy baby and is not very fussy between nursing. He stays alert more and let's grandma Holmes and I play with him......and pick on him. Hey, I cannot help it.

He did well last night again. He went at least 4 to 5 hours between being hungry after 11pm. Grandma Holmes did have to get him out of his crib a few times because he woke up and was a little fussy. She was able to calm him down and he quickly went back to sleep.....as long as she was laying next to him. I am in trouble when she leaves.....and so is she. hahaha

Musical Bath

This morning during Collin's bath, he decided to play some body tunes for grandma and I. He warmed up with several "small notes" and then ended with a long, loud "note" and a few small "souvenirs". The end of the "song" was followed by a "clear fountain". I am so glad I decided to bathe him in his tub bath instead of a sponge bath in his crib.

Collin essentially slept from about 12:30am until 7:30am today. He did wake up around 4:30am and acted like he was hungry. I tried to nurse him on both sides and he fell asleep so I put him back to bed. He was probably worn out from the adventures yesterday and the feeding frenzy the last two days. Now, after nursing, he will drink at least 3 ounces from a bottle. Yesterday, he was averaging 4.5 ounces and even had 5 ounces one time. He must be in a growth spurt. I weighed him this morning and he still weighs 8lbs and 9.6 ounces (different scale from the doctor's office so him might have gained some weight).

We are going to class again this morning and get to see Addison and her mommy. The rest of the day, we plan to hang around the house which is fine with all 3 of us.

Out On The Town

Collin is very warm natured like his mommy and daddy. This morning, when I first started to nurse him, I thought he really warmed up fast against my side. Turns out the little squirt peed on me and him. I guess that was his way of telling me that he did not like the outfit that grandma picked out for him to wear this morning.

Collin got to see a lot of Houston today. My sister's wedding is next Saturday so I needed to find a wedding dress that I can nurse in. Yep, I am crazy because I plan to bring Collin to the wedding. Well, all of his potential babysitters will be there so I really don't have much of a choice. Plus, he is eating like crazy now days so I doubt I will have a reserve of milk built up by then for anyone else to be able to feed him while I am gone anyway. We did find some potential outfits for the wedding. I plan to have a "fashion show" tonight to see if overall outfit looks good. Then, it was time to eat and we went to Houston's because I knew it would be dark enough to nurse there. Well...it was so dark that Collin ended up giving me a hickey on my boob because I could not tell that he was actually latch on the side and not on the milk source. Can you believe it? WAY too funny. After lunch, we were off to the dentist for me. Then a quick stop at Target before we met my sister, Lisa, for a wedding dress fitting. She sure did look beautiful....even in the flip flops she plans to wear under her dress. We made it home in time for Collin to eat....again!

The best news of all for today is that Collin slept from 11pm until 6am. Grandma said he woke up around 4:30am but went right back to slept. I FINALLY got some really good sleep. After the 6am feeding, he went back to sleep after a little while and I got another nap. I still feel tired but I bet I will feel this way until Collin is 18 years old.

He is eating like crazy now. After nursing, he will typically drink another 3 - 4.5 ounces of expressed milk. I was hoping to be able to start storing some milk by now but he is eating everything I have.....even the stuff I had already frozen a few weeks before. His growth spurt came early for sure.

I have not heard back from the lactation consultants yet. I guess they are so stumped that they are too embarrassed to call me back. I will show up to the support group next Monday to see if they have an answer if I have not heard back from them by then.

Weight Update

We went to the pediatrician this morning. Collin now weighs 8lbs and 9 oz which is over a pound from last week. The doctor was really happy to see the improvement in his weight but still wants me to check in with her this Thursday to make sure that he continues to gain weight. This is good for Collin but means there is no change to the schedule we have been keeping. Last night, he slept from 11:15PM until 4:45am. However, he did not go back to sleep until late this afternoon. During that time and after the doctor appointment, he was hungry every 2 hours or even less. He was also more fussy today. I am sure it's because he is exhausted from not sleeping since this morning. I hope this means that he will sleep good tonight too.

Daddy is out of town this week so Grandma Holmes flew in from Dallas to help out. She will be here until Saturday morning.

Stump the Consultant

Collin and I went to the lactation support group this morning at the hospital. I explained to the lactation consultant the problems we were facing (not getting enough milk while nursing but having enough milk supply) and she was stump about what the problem could be. She said that Collin looked and sounded good while nursing and was surprised to see that he only ate .3 ounces in 40 minutes. However, he gulped down 3 ounces of expressed milk I had brought with me. She took notes about our situation (week by week events) to talk to her peers to see what they could think of and call me back with suggestions. I have not heard back from her yet.

I guess Collin heard our conversation this morning with the consultants, because this afternoon, he ate more while nursing. He got 1.6 ounces (up from .5 to 1 ounce) but still not the 3 ounces he needs regularly to continue to gain weight. So...I continue to pump to make sure he is getting enough milk. Possibly, his mouth DOES feel better from the thrush and he will continue to nurse better and better each time.

I have an pediatrician appointment in the morning to follow up with the doctor about his weight gain. Since he is gaining weight, I am sure she will be happy with the progress.

All Smiles

Collin sure is smiling a lot these days. He has the cutest dimple on his left side. He is probably smiling because he is eating more and feeling more satisfied these days. He also knows he is seeing Addison tonight. We are meeting his parents at the Saltgrass Steakhouse for dinner once daddy gets home. I sure am smiling a little more because he is gaining weight and is more happy in between the times he is eating. He will actually lay in his pack 'n play and look out the window for at least 20 minutes. He really likes to listen to the birds and looks toward the sound of the train when it goes by. There is nothing wrong with this boy's hearing!

This afternoon, ex-neighbors, Brad, Rachel and Rowan, stopped by for a quick visit. Collin had just finished eating and was in a really good mood.

More Suggestions

I still had not heard back from the pediatrician yesterday regarding Collin's weight gain and lack of sucking while nursing. I did, however, hear back from the lactation consultant. Because I am producing enough milk, she thinks that Collin is not being efficient when nursing because his mouth hurts to suck because of the thrush. She said that we need to clear that up first and then worry about what to do about his sucking if that continues after the thrush clears. Many moms in the hot climate are facing thrush with their babies so she said that it's really common right now. So, to help clear up the thrush, I sanitized and washed anything that Collin or I touched in the last week: sheets, towels, burp cloths, clothes, bottles, pumping supplies, etc. This took half the day but I am sure it will be worth it. Then, she said that I am still extremely sore because we are passing the thrush back and forth. She recommended for me to not continue to wear the breast pads I am wearing but to air dry. Now, I am back to living in a dungeon again because I cannot have the blinds open and air dry. Also, I did notice while pumping, since I am doing this up to 8 times a day now, that my nipples turned purple after I pumped. She said that this is likely because I am swollen from the thrush so the pumping cone is probably too small now. I had to buy a larger one yesterday and this seemed to help some. I still turn purple but only half the nipple now.

Now, I have to wash mine and Collin's hands, wipe off the medicine from my nipples, weigh Collin, nurse him, weigh him again to see how much he ate while nursing, pump, feed him what I pumped, sanitize everything, put medicine on my nipples, wash our hands again and then have about 20 minutes before I do that all over again. I can't say I am bored these days.

He IS gaining weight though so it's all worth it. Last night when I weighed him, he was 8 lbs and 6 ounces on the rented scale.

New Friend

Collin and I had lunch today again with Dad. Chris really looks forward to these times when Collin and I spend some time at the shop. Afterwards, we were going to visit a friend that is on bed rest while expecting her second child. We did not end up going because her husband came home sick. I was not interested in exposing Collin to whatever he husband had so we did not go. Instead, I visited a high school friend of mine that had her first child about 3 weeks after Collin was born. Her name is Maria and her son's name is Matthew. Collin slept most of the visit which I did not mind when we got back in the car. ;) I have posted a picture of Matthew and Collin. Matthew was 8lbs and 1 ounce when he was born and is now a pound heavier. Collin is about the same length as Matthew (they are both really long) but about a pound less. Collin will catch up soon.

I called the pediatrician to see what she had to say about Collin's progress and if she had any suggestions. We played phone tag. I also called the lactation consultant to see what she had to say. I left a message and never heard back from her. The pediatrician will be at the office tomorrow so I will call her again.

Collin's thrush appears to be clearing up with the new, stronger medication. I am happy about that. My hands are getting really dry sterilizing the bottles and pumping supplies every time I use them.

Lots of Quality Time

Sorry I have not posted an update since Tuesday. Since Collin is eating every 1.5 to 3 hours and I am pumping at least 6 times a day, there does not leave much time to sit at the computer. Since Collin is still hungry when I am pumping, I have to play with him to keep him calm instead of being on the computer. Chris is home right now so I have a little free time.

Since I wrote last, I have found out that Collin is not eating as much during nursing. I have the supply but he is not getting it for some reason. I am calling the doctor tomorrow to see what she has to say about it. Even though he is not getting enough nursing, I am feeding him a bottle of breast milk to make up the difference (he should be eating at least 3 ounces at a time). This has helped increase his weight and kept him happy. He actually takes naps now during the day and is usually content between eating times without much interaction and comforting from me. As of this morning (and a different scale), he weighs 8 lbs up from 7lbs and 7 ounces. Yeah Collin!

New Feeding Routine

We went to the doctor today to check on Collin's weight gain. He now weighs 7lbs and 7oz which means he has only gained 2 ounces in two weeks (forget what the scale at the hospital says for now since the doctor is going by her scale). The doctor would like to see him gain at least an ounce a day so he can start gaining more weight. To monitor his weight gain, she wanted us to rent a baby scale. She wants me to weigh Collin (with clothes on) before and after he nurses to see how much he is eating while nursing. She would like to see him eat 3 ounces each time he eats. I also get to weigh him once a day (without clothes) to determine his actual weight gain. So far, I have been able to determine that he is only eating a little over an ounce after nursing for 40 minutes (which is too long anyway according to the doctor and lactation consultants). I then pump and still have at least 3 ounces left. This means I have the milk supply but Collin is just not getting it while nursing. So, I now have to nurse (to keep my supply up) and then pump afterwards to make sure that he gets at least 3 ounces per feeding session. Oh, the best part is that he is still hungry every 2 hours. Maybe if he is eating more, he will not be hungry as frequently. Let's hope so. I have to do the above until this Friday and then call the doctor to discuss the results. Based on the results and the discussion with the doctor will determine if we need to change anything with his eating routine.

He also still has thrush so we are on new medication that he has to take for a week. I like this one already because I have to administer it once a day instead of 4 times a day. I also have to apply some on me to not transfer the infection back and forth. This might help with his sucking abilities (this is my comment and not from the doctor). There is also special diaper rash ointment we have to use 3 times a day for a week because the infection could spread to the diaper area. Oh, the joys of parenthood, right?

Play Date

Collin had his first play date today with Addison. She is 6 1/2 weeks old. I met her and her mom (Kristin) at one of the lactation classes a few weeks ago. The four of us met for lunch today. Collin was all excited and stayed awake during the car ride. I guess Addison was not interested because she slept the entire time we were eating lunch. She must not be into younger men. ;)

He continues to want to eat every 2 hours. Loads of fun let me tell you. I did actually get some things done in between him wanting to eat even though he did not sleep the entire time. Maybe he will sleep tonight.

We went for another walk today. He now stays awake for these and looks around during the walk. I like this much better than the screaming-his-bloody-head-off walks we had when he first came home.

Feeding Marathon

Most of the day today, Collin was hungry every 2 hours. Since he usually eats for at least 45 minutes, this did not leave much time in between for napping, eating, etc before he was hungry again. Maybe he is going through a growth spurt. I think he got enough to eat during each session because he did not cry afterwards and pulled himself off most of the time. I hope this does not carry into the night tonight.

So far, his favorite books are Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? and Touch and Feel Kitten. I have read these to him when he is wide awake during the day.

Tomorrow, we were going to have visitors from out of town. They called tonight to cancel because one of their kids had the sniffles. I was appreciative that she called because I don't want to expose Collin to anything that could get him sick....at least as long as I can help it.

Chris is off work tomorrow. Should be fun to spend time with the family. :)

Nights

The nights with Collin are getting better and better. He is still awake for some of the time (usually after the 3am nursing session) but he is not usually crying during this time like he has the previous nights. He is wide awake cooing and looking around. A customer of the bike shop gave us this musical thing that connects to the crib. It plays lullabies and has lights. Collin enjoys looking at this. He did this for about an hour last night and still was awake after that. I will take this any early morning over having to pace the floor with him because he is crying non-stop.

He is also going longer between getting hungry in the early morning hours. This morning, he at at 1am and then not again until 6am. Thank you Collin! During the day though, he is now hungry every 2 - 3 hours. I feel like I have just feed him when he gets hungry again. This makes it VERY difficult for me to get my rest and that is catching up with me. I was not feeling so well last night and went to bed earlier than usual. I did get some good sleep last night since Collin did not get hungry when he usually does during the early morning.

We are going to stay home today because I think yesterday at the bike shop was a lot for him. We were there over 4 hours and I feed him twice there. I don't think he ate as well as he normally does at home because he had to eat under a blanket while I was at the shop. The kid runs hot anyway (like his parents) and the blanket made it worse. I am sure we will go for a stroller ride though because it's another beautiful, warm day today.

New Class and Weight Update

Yesterday morning, Collin and I went to a Birth, Baby and Beyond class at the hospital. It's every week on Thursday morning. Each week, there is a different topic and there are occasionally outside speakers for the topic. Yesterday's topic was taking better baby pictures. Collin and I met a friend and we plan to have lunch together occasionally. Her name is Addisson and she is 5 weeks old. Her mother's name is Kristen. Collin is already scoping out the older woman...oh no!

While we were at the class, there was a baby scale there so I weighed Collin to see if he had gained any weight since Monday. According to the scale, he has gained 4 oz since then. That is awesome! He should be gaining an ounce a day so this means he likely gained 2 oz a day since Monday. I know this made me happy to see that he is gaining weight now. He sure is eating a lot so I hoped that he was gaining something.

Yesterday afternoon was a spit up session for Collin. He spit up three different times in an hour. I was glad I was not going out that day because he managed to get my shirt, pants and the floor messy with spit up.

This morning, we are going to the bike shop at Diary Ashford to work on taxes and then have lunch with Dad. He was really excited about this when I told him our plans this morning.

Gifts and Lunch with Dad

Collin sure has had a good day today. First, he had a bath again this morning to wake him up to eat around 6:30am. He was not as fond of it this time as he was the last time. Then, Tracey came for a short visit around 10am. She brought some gifts: 3-6 month sleeper, really soft blanket and a Peek-A-Boo Soother (hangs on the crib and plays music with water noises). While she was visiting, TWO more gifts arrived in the mail. One was from Great Aunt Darlene. She sent the most adorable outfits: a onesie with ants on it (hmmm...is that because she is an aunt again?), a jumper with ants and some overalls. I cannot wait for Collin to be big enough to wear these. Grace sent us a baby carrier for me to wear and hold Collin once he is able to hold his head up on his own.

We just got back from having lunch with Dad. We all really liked this time together so I am going to try to do this at least every Wednesday because this seems like a good day for Chris.

Last night was not a bad night. Chris helped with one of the feedings. I am pumping again after Collin nurses because he is still hungry and has eaten all of the reserves. I am tyring to catch up with him and have extra but he keeps eating it. Maybe he will actually start gaining at least an ounce a day like the doctor wants to see him do.

Tomorrow, we are going to a Birth, Baby and Beyond class at the hospital. The topic is "Taking better baby photos". There will be a speaker and a chance to meet other parents that live in the area.

All Three of Us

Chris was home most of the day so we got to hang out as a family. After breakfast (at 11:30am), we went for a walk for about 30 minutes. Collin and I really like these walks because we get outside and away from the house. Chris made lunch and then we all took naps (yes!).

Last night, Collin did not want to sleep much. He was awake from 10am until 4:30am. I had him during this time. Fortunately, he did not cry much but did not want to go to sleep either. I read 4 of his books to him which helped a little. He really liked Puff the Magic Dragon that grandma Holmes brought with her when she came to visit. I think he liked it because I sang the book to him instead of reading he. He really likes singing (Chris sang to him everyday while we were still in the hospital). I feed him during this time too which I thought would help put him to sleep but it did not. At least he is latching on and eating much better these days.

Weight Gain - Not Me :)

This morning, Collin and I went to a lactation support group sponsored by the Texas Women's Hospital where Collin was born. They have scales you can use to either weigh the babies or weigh the baby before and after eating to determine how much milk they are drinking. I did both this morning. Collin weighed 7lbs and 9 oz. which is 4 oz more than what he weighed last Tuesday at the pediatrician. I was also able to determine that he ate 2.2 oz during the hour that I was there. Right now, he should be eating at least 3 oz. so I am going to give him a bottle with at least an ounce of breast milk after he nurses. This should help him gain the recommended weekly weight of at least 7 oz. Our next pediatrician appointment is next Tuesday and we will find out if he has gained enough weight by then to make her happy.

He is starting to make cooing noises which are really cute. He focuses more on mine and Chris' face when we hold him close. He really likes looking at light (like out windows or at the skylight in the kitchen). If he is crying, I use this to help soothe him...sometimes it works at least.

Walk

The walk sure did help....me at least. :) The rain this week is really messing with walking regularly. I cannot even look out the window and tell if it's going to rain or not. It was raining earlier this afternoon when the sun was out. Go figure.

Well, I thought he was napping....gotta run.

Grocery Store

Yesterday was a little better than Friday. I am listening to my new mother instincts instead of the doctor and the lactation consultant. Instead of waking him up every 3 hours, I am letting Collin let me know when he is hungry. Friday was every two hours and yesterday was every 3 hours. That was better and what the doctor wanted anyway. He did go for four hours between eating through the night. I was actually able to get 2 1/2 hours sleep between each time he ate.

I am also letting Collin eat until he is full or falls asleep. He has not been as bad and when we first started nursing. Instead of marathon eating for 1 1/2 hours, he is eating for a little over an hour or even less. Hey, maybe we are both getting the hang of this.

Yesterday, Chris heard in my voice that I was not having a good afternoon so he came home early. After Collin ate (and dad took a nap), we all went to the grocery store. This was Collin's first grocery store experience. He sleep the entire time. Yeah! I am sure that had to do with the car ride on the way there. He does love a good car ride and this usually puts him to sleep.

Today, September 9th, he got another bath this morning to help wake him up a little. I think the baths are helping keep the diaper rash away. Let's hope so at least. It was a photo opportunity as well.

Collin is napping right now, hallelujah. We plan to go for a walk much later this afternoon. I might try to take him to CVS to print some pictures since I have not had a chance to do this yet.

Hungry Little Man

After not getting much sleep last night, Collin has been eating every two hours today so far. I have also given him a bottle of breast milk (at least an ounce) after most of his "meals". Between eating, he is really restless and does not want to sleep. After not sleeping much last night, I thought he would at least get in a good nap or two today already. I have tried everything that I can think of including walking outside in the stroller to using the car seat inside as a rocker. Just as I think it's safe to put him in either his crib or pack and play, he starts to cry. This is not helpful if I am trying to fix me something to eat or use the restroom. I just finished pumping so he could have some extra milk after the last nursing session and he is sleeping on my lap. I have not tired to get up yet fearing that he will wake up again. Oh well, he will be hungry in about an hour based on wanting to eat every two hours so far.

I thought about going for a car ride next if he does wake up. I will be in Friday traffic so it might not be too helpful because of all the starts and stops.

He did have his first real bath yesterday morning in the newborn tub. He did not like it at first but settled down after about 5 minutes. He sure did smell good. Later that night, he threw up after eating so he does not smell that great anymore. :)

As instructed by the pediatrician, Collin is now eating every 2.5 to 3 hours. It did take two sessions for him to figure out that he will not be waiting 4 to 5 hours between eating and not getting a bottle with breast milk. He is now nursing for a total of 40 minutes and then we play for about 15 minutes. During the day, he does fall asleep after that...most of the time. At night, we do have to stay up with him for at least an hour after he eats. I do think his early mornings are better than they have been. Maybe he is growing up and getting the hang of it. However, since he eats every 2.5 to 3 hours, this does not leave much time in between meals to do much of anything else. I thought I would run an errand early this afternoon but have not been able to make it out of the house. It's been raining most of the afternoon, so that has not helped.

We went for a walk this morning for about 20 minutes. He was awake for most of it.

This evening, we plan to see Mimi for her birthday dinner.