matthew: 1 month update

post has been sitting as draft since July 5, 2012. Exactly 1 day after Matthew turned a month old.

~*Baby Stats*~

 

1 week measurements

weight: 8lbs 10oz

height: 21 3/4 in 

3 weeks measurements

weight: 10lbs 2oz

height: 22in 

1 month measurements

weight: 11lbs 2 oz

height: 23in

~*Coming home*~
Leaving the hospital without you was one of the hardest things Ive ever had to do. I knew you would be in good hands but I longed for the day I could bring you home. You spent a total of 6 days in the NICU, originally being put in for respiratory distress. Later things like a high temperature, low resting heartrate, and jaundice kept you in for longer than the initial 3 day requirement.

Mommy was discharged on Wednesday June 6th, and you were discharged on Saturday June 9th (my original due date). When they gave us the news  you would be able to come home, daddy & I were both excited and nervous at the same time. Once we got you home we new our lives would change and that there would be no nurses around to help for middle of the night feedings. ;)

~*Sleep*~
You're such a sleepy little boy. You sleep for about 2.5-3hours stretches. Only waking to have your diaper changed and get fed. I know this is normal for babies this age, but I cant wait untill your up and interacting with us for longer stretches of time. You take alot of naps in your swing and bouncy seat. And at night time you sleep right next to mommy in your co-sleeper. For a week, you actually slept in your bouncy seat, in the co-sleeper, because we couldnt get you to stay asleep. But I guess the vibration of the bouncy seat handled that for us. Then one night you just decided you didnt like that anymore. So we tried swaddling you and that seemed to do the trick. You originally didnt like being swaddled because when you were in the NICU you didnt need to be swaddled. You were stretched out with your arms out on a heating pad with a heat lamp above you.

 

~*Feeding*~
Well, during your time in the NICU, since you were required to wear a breathing helmet over your head, they wouldnt let you feed from my breast nor a bottle. Instead you were receiving all your nourishment through an IV.  Since my milk hadnt come in yet, this didnt bother me quite as much. But I still diligently pumped every 3 hours, and would have the nurse bring even the tiniest bit of colostrum to the NICU for them to freeze. Once you were able to take the helmet off, and my milk still hadnt come in fully yet, they unfortunately needed to supplement with formula. Not that I think anything is wrong with formula, but I really wanted to at least try to exclusively breastfeed you. The day before you were released, I was actually able to feed you myself for the first time, but still it was with a bottle. Luckily by this point I was producing enough milk to give you at least some breastmilk.

 

The day that you were released, the nurse suggested that I try getting you to latch. You did so good! And boy was mommy relieved, both mentally and physically (note: i suffered from engorgement the last two days he was in NICU). Once we got home and settled into somewhat of a routine, you were breastfeeding about 10-14mins on each side every 2-3 hours. Mommy started to get very exhausted, so we decided that we would do every other feeding with a bottle & formula. When you got a bottle it would be about 3 oz and you would sleep closer to 4 hours. We talked with the peditrician and he said as long as we didnt let you go past 4-5hours, when your blood sugar levels get low, then we would be fine. This made things alot easy, however, I did feel as though I had given up to quickly with the breastfeeding thing. I knew I was still doing it at least half the time, but it still made me sad some days. I feel like the time I spend feeding you is so much of a bonding experience for the both of us.

~*Other Details*~
Although you've always been a bigger baby, and mommy thought you would never fit into newborn clothes, you are still currently wearing the newborn sized clothing and diapers. Your umbilical cord still hasnt fallen off. Dr. Mirza says for some babies it just takes longer. Although its not the prettiest thing in the world, it doesnt really bother me, except for the fact I still cant give you a real bath. We can only give you sponge-like baths until it falls off. But boy oh boy, was the first sponge-bath at home quite interesting. Aunt Denise was here to help, as usual. And you didnt know if you liked it or hated it. We shall see how that goes in the future ;)

 

matthew~
since you came into mommy and daddy's lives, you've filled our hearts with more love than we could ever imagine. Your complete our family and bring smiles that could last us eternity. We love you so much and cant wait to watch you grow.
<3 always
mommy & daddy

As I play catch up with mothly update posts, please bare with me. At least you get to see a bunch of cute pictures right?!? ;)