Even before I was pregnant with my daughter, I wanted to breastfeed my daughter. I thought I was going to have to work, so I wasn't sure if I would be able to. I am actually staying home with her, so I have been able to breastfeed. It was a struggle at first, but once she caught it has been great. She loves it and is so healthy.
One thing I never understand was when discussing the benefits of breastfeeding no one mentions the cost. Formula is expensive and breastfeeding is free!
The first week was rough. She was so tiny and had a little bit of jaundice so she kept falling asleep. She also would get so upset that she couldn't eat. Her weight dropped and we ended up having to stay an extra day in the hospital. We were so scarred. They kept pricking her heel to check her blood sugar and her poor little heel was bruised. We hated hearing her cry every time they did it. It tore me up. We had to supplement a but with formula.
Monday, two days after she was born we had the most wonderful nurse named Joyce. She was a true God send. She is a lactation consultant and was so helpful. I ended up taking my girl to see her a few times.
We finally got to leave on Tuesday, 3 days after she was born. We had been in the hospital since Thursday. We were so ready to go home.
She was doing much better on the right side than the left side. Apparently this had to do with my nipple on that side. We did try to use a nipple shield. I didn't give up and she finally caught on. She loves it now.
We did have trouble getting her to take a bottle. She apparently hates formula , so I ended up having to pump and use a Dr. Brown's slow flow bottle to get her to drink out of a bottle. I only have a hand pump, so pumping isn't super efficient.
I plan to keep breastfeeding her at least until her first birthday and more than likely longer.
Sunday, October 8, 2017
Tuesday, August 1, 2017
Joanna's birth story
Joanna's birth story
I have been wanting to write down Joanna's birth story for a while. Almost 2 months later I am finally doing it. It's not as fresh but hopefully I will remember.
March 2nd I had a 38 week appointment. My blood pressure was high which is normal. They rechecked it and it was still high. Because of this and protein in the urine they decided I should be induced. This was a Thursday, since I couldn't go in Friday or Saturday. I would need to go in that night at 8. They wanted me to be induced between 38 and 39 weeks. I would be 39 weeks on Sunday, which was why they needed to go in that night. I was freaking out a little. I called my husband and let him know what was going on. I did not feel ready. I had not washed any of her clothes and had not written thank you notes.
I went home packed and tried to get some things done. My husband got the car seat base installed. He went to part of his class and then we went to chik fil a to eat. It ended closing for several weeks for remodeling.
We arrived at the hospital and had to go to women's and childrens. I changed into a gown and they started me on pitocin. They monitored my blood pressure and both Joanna and my heart rates, I was also attached to an iv. I didn't sleep well. Neither did my husband who had to sleep in a chair. The next day they kept checking to see how far I had dialated. I started having contractions. I did not progress enough so she was not born that day. They turned everything off so I could rest. We would start again the next morning at 6. All I had been able to eat was jello and broth. One of the nurses tried to get me something to eat. I ate half a turkey sandwich and then threw up. Something I had gotten used to during my pregnancy.
The next day my contractions got significantly worse. We had to wait until I got to 6 cm to have an epidural. I had always said I wanted to do a drug free birth. Due to the pitocin, my contractions were extremely painful. I am no less of a woman for having an epidural. At some point they broke my water. The contractions became much more manageable with the epidural. At some point I felt something so I called a nurse. It was pressure. I was at 10 cm. It was time to go.
Pushing really took a lot out of me. I had no idea how exhausting it would be. It lasted about 1.5 hours. She was almost ready to come out but something was blocking her. They ended up having to do an epistiotomy. Almost immediately after, our girl was born. She was placed on my chest and they took her away to weigh her and clean her, Joanna Pauline our last name was born on Saturday March 4, 2017 at 5:14 pm. She weighed 6 lbs 3.5 oz and was 19 inches long. She only had a little bit of dirty blonde/light brown hair. A surprise considering how much hair I have, She was perfect and beautiful. We were instantly in love. I was stitched up. Big brother did get to come see her for a little bit. We were fortunate to have Joanna in the room with us. The next day was rough. I will write about that in another post.
March 2nd I had a 38 week appointment. My blood pressure was high which is normal. They rechecked it and it was still high. Because of this and protein in the urine they decided I should be induced. This was a Thursday, since I couldn't go in Friday or Saturday. I would need to go in that night at 8. They wanted me to be induced between 38 and 39 weeks. I would be 39 weeks on Sunday, which was why they needed to go in that night. I was freaking out a little. I called my husband and let him know what was going on. I did not feel ready. I had not washed any of her clothes and had not written thank you notes.
I went home packed and tried to get some things done. My husband got the car seat base installed. He went to part of his class and then we went to chik fil a to eat. It ended closing for several weeks for remodeling.
We arrived at the hospital and had to go to women's and childrens. I changed into a gown and they started me on pitocin. They monitored my blood pressure and both Joanna and my heart rates, I was also attached to an iv. I didn't sleep well. Neither did my husband who had to sleep in a chair. The next day they kept checking to see how far I had dialated. I started having contractions. I did not progress enough so she was not born that day. They turned everything off so I could rest. We would start again the next morning at 6. All I had been able to eat was jello and broth. One of the nurses tried to get me something to eat. I ate half a turkey sandwich and then threw up. Something I had gotten used to during my pregnancy.
The next day my contractions got significantly worse. We had to wait until I got to 6 cm to have an epidural. I had always said I wanted to do a drug free birth. Due to the pitocin, my contractions were extremely painful. I am no less of a woman for having an epidural. At some point they broke my water. The contractions became much more manageable with the epidural. At some point I felt something so I called a nurse. It was pressure. I was at 10 cm. It was time to go.
Pushing really took a lot out of me. I had no idea how exhausting it would be. It lasted about 1.5 hours. She was almost ready to come out but something was blocking her. They ended up having to do an epistiotomy. Almost immediately after, our girl was born. She was placed on my chest and they took her away to weigh her and clean her, Joanna Pauline our last name was born on Saturday March 4, 2017 at 5:14 pm. She weighed 6 lbs 3.5 oz and was 19 inches long. She only had a little bit of dirty blonde/light brown hair. A surprise considering how much hair I have, She was perfect and beautiful. We were instantly in love. I was stitched up. Big brother did get to come see her for a little bit. We were fortunate to have Joanna in the room with us. The next day was rough. I will write about that in another post.
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