Moving Along ...

So Preston turned three weeks old this weekend. I can't believe it! Well, I can believe I have a three week old because I have felt every single day of the last three weeks. However, I can't believe I have a three week old baby. I'm still adjusting to our new reality.

I'm still pretty much having to stay at home unless Kevin is home and we go out for dinner or something. I'm trying not to look at it as being " trapped" at home though. I'm just getting plenty of one-on-one time with my sweet Preston. :) Although tomorrow I have a doc appointment in the afternoon. This will be mine and Preston's first "real" trip out of the house together. Is it sad to admit I'm a little scared? We aren't planning on introducing a bottle until next week some time and with his schedule still not being really defined, I worry about having to handle my first experience with a screaming hungry newborn while out in public. But It has to happen some time, right. Gotta earn those stripes. :0

So the latest news:

I will start pumping this week and introduce a bottle when he is about 4 weeks--next week.  We have been waiting to make sure our breastfeeding routine is well established before doing so. But we are also not wanting to wait too long and have a little one who is totally breast dependent and won't take a bottle. This is a big, exciting step!

We have been working on putting Preston on a schedule. We are not being too rigid, as he is still so young, and we are all still learning one another, but the goal is to have him on a pretty good predictable schedule at some point. For the first three weeks I subscribed to full attachment theory. I let Preston decide what he needed and when and I just went with it. Part of the reason I did this was to build up my milk supply properly and so I could learn Preston's needs better. However, fulfilling his every demand on a whim is not something I can live with forever. The exhaustion of doing this is insane. I thrive on structure and routine and I think kids do to. So even though we are not being too rigid, or depriving Preston of having any of his needs met, we are using the Baby Wise system. He bucks the system some throughout the day and I have to often readjust our times and schedule, but that's okay. He's only three weeks old. It will get better. But we are working to put him on a three hour block schedule currently.

I've also started doing infant massage on Preston. I purchased the recommended grapeseed oil for babies and gave him his first body massage last night after his bath. I think he really liked it! I plan on doing this regularly for him. I believe there are so many great benefits of touch. It stimulates the brain in so many great ways, and his brain is currently growing at a ridiculously rapid rate. I also think this is such a sweet bonding time. And, of course, it has to feel good to him. He likes it when I massage his brow and cheek bones. :) He's like his Daddy--looooves touch.

Preston likes to be cuddled. When he is being held you really have to cozy him up for him to be comfortable and soothed. I have some friends who swear by the Moby Wrap. But I haven't bought one because I didn't want to spend the $50 for something that I wasn't sure he would like. So I have made my own Moby Wrap from an online tutorial and instead spent $20.  We went and got the material yesterday and I got it all cut and washed and we're in business today. Preston has had an off day with his schedule and Kevin has been working on an outside project all day, so I haven't had a chance to put it on and get him situated in it to see how he likes it. But I'm really excited about it! I hope he loves it. I have a friend who has an 8 week old and she has her little one all cozied up in her Moby Wrap all the time so she can get stuff done around the house. I'm hoping to do the same. :) I'll keep you posted.

I plan to get Preston weighed again tomorrow. It is way stressful to have a newborn who doesn't seem to nurse for a very long time and doesn't seem to want to conform to a schedule because I don't know if he is eating enough or getting enough when he does eat. He prefers to only nurse from one breast at a time, which the lactation consultant and his pediatrician don't recommend--they prefer that he take both breasts in one feeding-- he almost will never latch on to the other breast when it's offered after the first breast during a feeding, and he only nurses for 10-15 minutes when he unlatches himself. Sometimes he will sleep for two hours after his feeding ( like I'm wanting him to) other times, he wakes up almost immediately after being put down and can't make it 3 hours in between feedings--instead it might be an hour, or two, or every hour for a few hours. He pees and poops plenty--and when for the most part seems satiated.  The schedule aside, I just want to know he is getting enough and gaining weight like he should. He also seems to be what they call a "rester". A baby who likes to nurse for a bit, then "rest" for about 10 minutes, then he will want to finish nursing. So it's really difficult to discern if he's done or just resting. I've called the lactation consultant about a billion times and talked to numerous friends who are currently breast feeding in an effort to see if I should be doing anything any differently. I'll be glad when things get more predictable. Lets hope for good news tomorrow at his weigh in!


We had a pretty good weekend. We went out to dinner and I had a coveted Sangria Swirl margarita. I felt a little guilty, but I know it's no big deal. The pediatrician told me that I need to stop when I start to feel loopy. Otherwise, he said drinking is a non issue. Preston had just nursed and wasn't going to nurse again for a few hours, so I figured we were good for me to indulge in a single margarita.  It was sooo good too. Kevin worked on an outside project that we started a couple of weeks ago. I'll be really glad when it's done, as he spends most of the weekend daylight hours outside working on it. I've found when he's home I really love having someone around to talk to!

So tomorrow I start week two of being home alone while Kevin is back to work. I hope it is a little better than week one. Last week was a little rough. :) But I know it all gets better from here---Preston's schedule and my emotions..:)