Week 1 Reflection

Our little boy is 1 week old today.  It really has flown by and I've spent most of it trying to savor every sweet moment because I know that in a few months, or even a few weeks, it will all seem like a blur.  I've taken a lot of pictures and video as well as writing these daily posts to help me always keep these memories as vivid as possible.  Here are some thoughts from our first week as parents:

The car ride home

Emotions run high (and low):  I've never been a very emotional gal but becoming a mother (as well as the crazy hormonal changes I'm undergoing at the moment) have made me a sap.  I just look at my baby or get a kiss on the cheek from David and tear up.  Today was probably the most emotional day by far.  For us, just the reality of it all setting in makes us feel happy and excited for what's to come as well as a little sad for the life we have left behind.  It is important to know that this is okay and normal.  I know that soon we'll wonder what we ever did without him!

Support: My husband is absolutely AMAZING!  He has taken over all of the household responsibilities which has freed me to focus on myself and the baby.  He has done the dishes and the laundry.  He has also prepared the freezer meals that I had made ahead of time on the nights that family and friends didn't bring us dinner.  He has been so helpful with Ayden, changing diapers and talking/singing to him.  It is so sweet to see him as a father. Our family and friends have also been wonderful bringing us meals and visiting with us to help the time pass.

Cave dwelling:  I feel as though we have become cave dwellers since we came home on Monday.  We've been keeping the blinds shut so I can nurse when/wherever without neighbors getting an eye-full and haven't left the house (except to go on a walk on Tuesday).  Needless to say, I'm starting to get a little bit of cabin fever.  We want to give Ayden a chance to build his immunities from my milk and weren't planning on taking him out for two weeks but I think we are going to run to the store to pick up a few things tomorrow.  Fresh air will probably do us both some good!

Healing:  Post partum healing is interesting.  I was fortunate enough to not endure any trauma down below (besides the usual swelling and pelvic achy-ness that any lady might experience after pushing a baby out of there... sorry if that's TMI).  That being said, I've felt well enough to walk around and do some small amounts of house work, etc.  so it's been difficult to make myself take it easy. I can say that I am very tired of wearing what I've deemed "diaper pads."  I'm looking forward to when things are back to normal in this department...

Breastfeeding:  My mother breastfed my sisters and myself and always spoke very openly about it to us.  Because of this, my sisters and I never had a doubt in our minds about whether or not we'd breastfeed our own babies.  Ayden is the 6th grandchild for my parents so I've also been able to witness my sisters nurse all of their babies before I had mine so it really wasn't too difficult to get the hang of.  Ayden had a little bit of trouble with his latch on the left side at first (he likes to keep his cute little bottom lip tucked in) but with some advice from my midwife, we've managed to get it straightened out.  The first few sucks when he initially latches on are the only time I notice that I'm a little sore because the milk hasn't let down yet and he's trying his very best to summon it.  Other than that we are doing great and I just love gazing down at him with his little hands clasped under his chin and his eyes closed just nursing away.  It makes me feel so good that I can provide for him in this way.

Cloth Diapering:  It's going okay.  We are using pre-folds until he grows into his pocket/hybrid diapers and the covers seem to be  irritating his umbilical stump :( .  We had some newborn disposables from my sister and the hospital so we've decided to use those every now and then to give him a break.  I've already done 2 loads of diaper laundry and have had some trouble figuring out the right amount of detergent for the size loads we have.  I suppose it'll be trial and error for the first little while.  We are counting down the days until that stinky umbilical stump falls off!!  I can't believe I haven't taken a picture of him in his cloth diapers yet...

Sleep:  Our first night home, Ayden woke up a lot.  He really only slept well if he was in the bed with us.  I know that co-sleeping is something that a lot of people do but it just makes us nervous.  Starting the second night home, though, he has done much better with sleeping in his rock and play sleeper for 2 solid hours between feedings.  I on the other hand am still a nervous wreck.  I wake up every 45 minutes or so to check on him.  I just can't help it!  Napping is also difficult.  I try (and fail) everyday to "sleep when the baby sleeps."  I am hoping to do better with this when David is back to work next week.  We'll see...

Napping in the Moby Wrap

Falling head over heels in love:  Getting to know our newborn has been unlike anything we've ever experienced before.  Ayden is our love personified.  We look at him in awe and just can't get over the fact that he's a little bit of each of us and that he's ours to keep.  We love him so much and want to be the most amazing parents for him.  We can't wait to show him the world and are also excited to see what he teaches us along the way.

Ayden has his first pediatrician appointment on Monday and I'll be taking him by myself since David will be back to work... Should be interesting! :)

Rock 'n Roll!!

~Sarah