So I thought I would take this short time while Caden is napping and Chris is napping to catch everybody on Caden's doings for the past 11 days. On his birthday he was a perfect angel. He hardly cried and he was so alert. He just looked around at everyone and everything. He seemed just content to sit and look. That first night was a little difficult because he would make all these little noises and we couldn't figure out what they were all for. Eventually we sent him to the nursery between feedings just so I could get some sleep and recover from labor and everything.
The second day was long long long. He was calm and content for most of the day but I could only get him to breastfeed on the right side. He showed a definite preference. He just wouldn't nurse on the left side and the nurse wasn't much help. Then the evening came and what had previously been an angelic child turned into a screaming one. We were feeding him and changing him and he would only stop crying when you held him. He would just scream if you laid him down in the bed. The night nurse that evening was amazing. She worked with us all night and finally helped us to get Caden to nurse on the left side too. She even let us co-sleep with him so that we could try and sleep. Eventually we decided that he just wasn't getting enough to eat because he wouldn't stay settled and so we supplemental fed him while still breastfeeding. He fell asleep for about 3 hours. It was great. It was just so nice to get to sleep.
The third day we were planning to be discharged from the hospital but we had to wait for Caden's circumcision. He didn't get that done until about 12:45 and then you have to wait an hour and then you can go home. So we left the hospital finally at about 2pm. It was wonderful to be leaving finally. We made it home and my mom had everything cleaned up at the house and perfect for us. She took Caden from Chris and I and just let us go pass out in the bedroom for awhile. That night started the same routine of being awake for most of the night all over again.
Mostly our days have been the same ever since. He went to the doctor on Monday and everything was okay. He gained his weight back to his birth weight and was otherwise considered healthy. We have been having a struggle at night time every night. He seems to want to be awake until about 2 or 3 am. Then after that feeding he will sleep between 2 and 3 hours but not always in his cradle. He doesn't like to sleep in his cradle. He would rather sleep with someone holding him. Everyone tells me this is a bad thing to do but when it is the only way to get any sleep I don't know what else to do.
Last night we supplemental fed him while simultaenously breastfeeding him again in the hopes that if we started him off with a full tummy he would sleep better but he woke up an hour after he had started feeding ready to be fed again. He did though last night fall back asleep quickly after every changing and feeding. The problem is that he wakes up feeds, changes, and then you get him back to sleep and then he is back awake in about 40 minutes. The last time around 3am I just laid him on my chest planning on moving him to the cradle after he had fallen deeply asleep but apparently we both fell asleep and woke up at 6am with him sucking on my neck. So I fed him again and changed him and held him through another round of hiccups (which he has about 4 or 5 times a day and he hates them.) and I laid him in the cradle hoping he would sleep and I just couldn't hold him anymore. He started fussing and Chris was good enough to get up and hold him. Chris rocked him to sleep and put him in his swing and I got to sleep some more.
Today he has been sleeping more than he has ever done during the day. He wakes up to be fed and changed and then he pretty much goes back to sleep. I think he has been seriously sleep deprived. He is too afraid that he is going to miss something even at night. Everything we have read says babies should be sleeping about 16 hours a day and Caden has been sleeping about 8. So maybe today he has finally tired himself out and we can get onto some sort of schedule. We will see.
Oh and he has some pretty amazing talents. He can lift his head up and control it pretty well on his own for a stretch of time. He really likes to lift it up and place his cheek next to mine. He can also roll over onto to his side and if you put him on the couch he has accidently rolled himself to his tummy twice. It scared him the first time and the second time he just looked freaked out. He also smiles sometimes and makes great faces. He also can scoot pretty well. If you put him on his stomach against your chest he slowly scoots up you until he gets wherever it is he thinks is more comfortable than where you put him. He is such a strong little man.
Anyway that is about all...more later
3 comments:
Great pictures! Ya know, the first couple of months seem like a blur now, but I do remember Preston having his days and nights mixed up for a while...I did, too! Eventually things sorted out and he started sleeping more at night. I think that whatever gets you guys more sleep is what you do! There were times when Preston would sleep with me or David, but he sleeps in his crib every night and for day naps now too. So somehow it works out!
P.S. That's awesome that he's so strong! It is surprising what newborns can be capable of. Go Caden!! :)
That's awesome to hear about! :) Go Caden (and go Mommy and Daddy) :) :)
Post a Comment