I can't believe that my son turned 4 months old last week; it blows my mind! He is doing so well and changes so much from week to week. Here are his latest stats:
Weight: 14 pounds, 3 ounces as of last Thursday. He gets his next Synagis shot tomorrow, so I'll be able to see how much he gained in one week. This puts him in the 95th percentile on the preemie charts and in the 47th percentile on the regular growth charts!
Height: 23 1/2 inches. That means he has grown 6 inches in the past 4 months.
Head: I don't know, but it puts him in the 50th percentile for preemies and in the 7th percentile for his actual age.
His little personality has started coming out even more. He loves to eat, eat, eat! He SCREAMS if you don't feed him fast enough. I think he got his temper and his imaptience from me. Hopefully the next kid will inherit Fred's... If he could, he would snack all day. Also like me.
He loves to get his diaper changed. Or maybe he just loves to be on his changing table. That kid becomes all smiles! And we've moved from having smaller poops more frequently to one major blow-out a day. We go through a lot of clothes.
He is smiling and laughing so much more now! I waited so long for those sweet smiles and I can't get enough of them! He has a dimple on his right side when he smiles (and one on his left side when he screams...) and I make the silliest faces at him all in a vain attempt to see that smiley-dimple!
His legs are getting so strong! Too bad his head control still isn't where I want it to be in order for him to use his jumper - I think he'd love it. His head control has gotten a ton better, though! He turns towards us and looks around more than he ever has.
He SLEEPS THROUGH THE NIGHT!!!!!!! He will sleep a solid 9 or 10 hours. Now, I know that this can change in the blink of an eye, but I am enjoying it for now. And don't be too jealous - he is a TERRIBLE day-time napper. He will only sleep for 30 minutes at a time. So that usually means an intense night-time melt-down before bed.
His eyes are starting to darken up! I know they can continue to change for the next 5 months, but I'm liking that they're starting to look more like ours. He also has a little mustache, which I think is hilarious!
He seems to know us better. I know that he has known us all along, but I feel like he's starting to recognize us. And there have been a few times that he seems to want to be just with me. Which is kind of nice for a momma's heart.
Another change - I'm back at work. And it's going ok. Not great, not terrible, just ok. I think that our preemie experience was so traumatic (more than I had even realized), that I welcomed the break from the chaos. But I miss my Richie. I think that if I ever could go part-time, I would. I think for me that would be the perfect balance.
I think that about sums it up! I'm sure that I'm missing some stuff, but I'll try to remember when I post the updates on Richie's growth tomorrow!
Oh yeah, and I'll make sure to get some updated pictures of him, since he is so stinkin cute.
Richie-Roo!
Baby Sylvia :)
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Friday, December 18, 2009
Updated Stats
I've been a bad blogger. Sorry. But here is where we're at (with a promise for a longer post in the very near future):
Richie got his 2nd Synagis shot on Wednesday. He did pretty well - there was some definite screaming and the silent cry without breathing for longer than I was comfortable with, but a quick recovery. The nurse who comes to our house (!) weighed him and he was... 12 pounds, 12 ounces! Since it's been 2 days, I'm guessing he's even closer to 13 pounds now. That is a weight gain of 2 pounds, 3 ounces since last month. His head was also 39 1/2 cm. Great growing, Richie!
But (because there always is one), this also makes me nervous. My son is pretty huge for a preemie - in the 90th-plus percentile. He looks big. But here's the thing - he's still a preemie. He's still in the bottom quarter on the regular growth charts. His body was still premature and he is still catching up in every way. I don't want people to forget that. But I'm still proud of his progress!
I go back to work in 9 days. Boo. I am excited to have a break, but I'm also borderline hyperventilating over being away from my little guy all day. As far as he knows, Mom stays home with him all day! But that's going to change very soon and it makes me so sad.
Ok, that's all for now - my peaceful little one is now screaming from his crib. One guess: HUNGRY! (ALL.THE.TIME!)
Richie got his 2nd Synagis shot on Wednesday. He did pretty well - there was some definite screaming and the silent cry without breathing for longer than I was comfortable with, but a quick recovery. The nurse who comes to our house (!) weighed him and he was... 12 pounds, 12 ounces! Since it's been 2 days, I'm guessing he's even closer to 13 pounds now. That is a weight gain of 2 pounds, 3 ounces since last month. His head was also 39 1/2 cm. Great growing, Richie!
But (because there always is one), this also makes me nervous. My son is pretty huge for a preemie - in the 90th-plus percentile. He looks big. But here's the thing - he's still a preemie. He's still in the bottom quarter on the regular growth charts. His body was still premature and he is still catching up in every way. I don't want people to forget that. But I'm still proud of his progress!
I go back to work in 9 days. Boo. I am excited to have a break, but I'm also borderline hyperventilating over being away from my little guy all day. As far as he knows, Mom stays home with him all day! But that's going to change very soon and it makes me so sad.
Ok, that's all for now - my peaceful little one is now screaming from his crib. One guess: HUNGRY! (ALL.THE.TIME!)
Friday, November 20, 2009
Being a Preemie Mom
My blog below for Prematurity Awareness was mostly a recap of Richie's arrival and subsequent NICU stay. I don't think I fully captured what I feel it means to be a preemie mom and all that goes along with it, so I'm going to attempt to do that here. I think being the mommy of a preemie is a very special job. It's one no preemie mom takes lightly and it gives mommy-hood a whole new perspective. But it's not without it's unique set of challenges and heartaches and happy days and elation.
- I sometimes feel robbed that I didn't get to spend the extra time with my in-tummy baby. I am grateful that we were able to meet him and I think Fred is secretly happy that Richie came early because then he got to spend the time with him, but I really enjoyed when it was just the two of us and wish it could have lasted longer (like 7 1/2 weeks longer...). I may have been uncomfortable and crabby and complaining, but there were also so many great things about it.
- The NICU made me uncomfortable. I always felt like an outside visitor - afraid to say and do the wrong thing. There were times I had to tell myself that this was MY baby and I could do what I want. But the reality is, that isn't true. You can't do what you want. The nurses dictate what you can and can't do, which at times is nice because you're a new parent and have no clue what you're doing and at times sucks because you're a new parent and all you want to do is be with your baby.
- As Richie grows, I sometimes forget he's a preemie. I read in another preemie mom's blog (sorry, I can't remember whose!) that they're preemies until they're 2. After seeing that, it really showed me that I sometimes forget that he's a preemie just because of his size. I really have to remember and watch it because there are things that preemies need to be extra careful of.
- The travel nurse came over this week to give Richie his first Synagis shot. While she was here, she said that parents are really the ones who can protect their babies the most (she was talking about germ protection). And I was thinking, we're really his only protection! He is with us 24/7 (or will be until he starts daycare) and is completely and totally dependant on us. While this is an awesome responsibility, it takes on a new meaning with a preemie. Preemie lungs are not as developed as a full-term baby. Any sickness that FT babies would be able to fight relatively easily is much, much harder for premature lungs and immune systems to fight off. This makes me terrified on a daily basis.
- Because he was so early (and because this flu season is extra-bad), we've been pretty much quarantined. We stay home almost all the time. Richie has been to a restaurant twice, been to Target once (during a non-peak time), and to a wedding (Fred was in it, so we had to go. I probably should have stayed home with him because it almost caused me to have an anyeruism). Other than that, it's been to the Dr.'s office. He's 11 weeks old today. When I talk about it with people, they all say they understand, but I can tell they don't really. It's amazing how few people understand what having a preemie is all about. I know I didn't before I had one.
- Parents of full-term babies want their little ones to stay little, I think. They fully enjoy this early-baby stage and enjoy watching their LO's grow, but would be ok if it wasn't so fast. Preemie parents have a different take on it. They want their kids to grow as quickly as possible, to get on growth charts and to make up for the time they would have spent in the womb. Fred and I get so excited when he's put on a lot of weight and that he's on the regular growth charts. I just hope that we don't forget to take the time to enjoy his early-babyness.
- Milestones. They don't mean as much to preemie parents. I think we have to learn to let that go. Other people don't understand that our babies won't reach them at the same time as full-term babies. I have to learn to understand that, too. I keep wanting my kid to be the exception and to reach all those milestones right on time. He hasn't and he won't. He was 32 weeks when he was born - of course he isn't going to be the same developmentally as a 2 month-old who was born at 40 weeks! But I have a hard time with that sometimes. I just want to give him all the best.
Ok, that's all I can think of for now, but I'm sure there will be more. I am so tired - that's one thing that is no different for preemie parents - we're just as SLEEP DEPRIVED as full-term parents! :)
- I sometimes feel robbed that I didn't get to spend the extra time with my in-tummy baby. I am grateful that we were able to meet him and I think Fred is secretly happy that Richie came early because then he got to spend the time with him, but I really enjoyed when it was just the two of us and wish it could have lasted longer (like 7 1/2 weeks longer...). I may have been uncomfortable and crabby and complaining, but there were also so many great things about it.
- The NICU made me uncomfortable. I always felt like an outside visitor - afraid to say and do the wrong thing. There were times I had to tell myself that this was MY baby and I could do what I want. But the reality is, that isn't true. You can't do what you want. The nurses dictate what you can and can't do, which at times is nice because you're a new parent and have no clue what you're doing and at times sucks because you're a new parent and all you want to do is be with your baby.
- As Richie grows, I sometimes forget he's a preemie. I read in another preemie mom's blog (sorry, I can't remember whose!) that they're preemies until they're 2. After seeing that, it really showed me that I sometimes forget that he's a preemie just because of his size. I really have to remember and watch it because there are things that preemies need to be extra careful of.
- The travel nurse came over this week to give Richie his first Synagis shot. While she was here, she said that parents are really the ones who can protect their babies the most (she was talking about germ protection). And I was thinking, we're really his only protection! He is with us 24/7 (or will be until he starts daycare) and is completely and totally dependant on us. While this is an awesome responsibility, it takes on a new meaning with a preemie. Preemie lungs are not as developed as a full-term baby. Any sickness that FT babies would be able to fight relatively easily is much, much harder for premature lungs and immune systems to fight off. This makes me terrified on a daily basis.
- Because he was so early (and because this flu season is extra-bad), we've been pretty much quarantined. We stay home almost all the time. Richie has been to a restaurant twice, been to Target once (during a non-peak time), and to a wedding (Fred was in it, so we had to go. I probably should have stayed home with him because it almost caused me to have an anyeruism). Other than that, it's been to the Dr.'s office. He's 11 weeks old today. When I talk about it with people, they all say they understand, but I can tell they don't really. It's amazing how few people understand what having a preemie is all about. I know I didn't before I had one.
- Parents of full-term babies want their little ones to stay little, I think. They fully enjoy this early-baby stage and enjoy watching their LO's grow, but would be ok if it wasn't so fast. Preemie parents have a different take on it. They want their kids to grow as quickly as possible, to get on growth charts and to make up for the time they would have spent in the womb. Fred and I get so excited when he's put on a lot of weight and that he's on the regular growth charts. I just hope that we don't forget to take the time to enjoy his early-babyness.
- Milestones. They don't mean as much to preemie parents. I think we have to learn to let that go. Other people don't understand that our babies won't reach them at the same time as full-term babies. I have to learn to understand that, too. I keep wanting my kid to be the exception and to reach all those milestones right on time. He hasn't and he won't. He was 32 weeks when he was born - of course he isn't going to be the same developmentally as a 2 month-old who was born at 40 weeks! But I have a hard time with that sometimes. I just want to give him all the best.
Ok, that's all I can think of for now, but I'm sure there will be more. I am so tired - that's one thing that is no different for preemie parents - we're just as SLEEP DEPRIVED as full-term parents! :)
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Prematurity Awareness Day
"One in eight babies born in our country is premature. The rate of premature birth in America is higher than that of most other developed nations." - March of Dimes
November 17th is Prematurity Awareness Day and to celebrate, I will reflect back on the first 10 weeks of Richie's life!
First, I can't believe it's been 10 weeks already! That's crazy to me. It all started on August 16, 2009, when I first had preterm labor. I was 29w6d and 2 cm dilated and 60%effaced. I was given beta methazone for my baby's lungs and a shot to stop contractions. A fetal fibronectin swab was done and came back positive. I was sent home on bedrest.
Two weeks later, I went to my Dr's appointment. It was September 1st and I was 32 weeks pregnant. No progress was made and a repeat fetal fibronectin swab again came back positive. I was sent home on bedrest.
On that Thursday, I started to feel more contractions. Since they were more than 5 in an hour, I called my Dr.'s office. They told me to watch them for a couple of hours and see if they got worse or stayed the same. If they got better I could stay at home. They didn't get better, so in we went! I didn't pack anything, I didn't bring anything but my purse and a book for Fred.
It was a busy day in L&D - I attribute it to the full moon! I had to wait to be seen and when they finally checked me, I was 3-4 cm dilated and 80% effaced, with a bulging bag of water. Yikes! I got another shot of terbutaline and they told me they were admitting me for at least the night to try and stop them.
We started an IV with penicillin for Group B Strep and fluids. I started taking another medication to stop the contractions. Then we waited (and no eating for me, just in case!). That night, the contractions were getting worse, not better. I had a lot of back labor and my contractions weren't registering that strongly on the monitor. The nurses had to actually sit by my bedside and feel my stomach whenever I said one was coming. I honestly don't think they really believed that I was having as many contractions as I was.
At 8 am, the Dr. came in and said she'd consulted the neonatologist and together they decided they were going to let me have my baby that day! Terrified, excited, exhausted, surprised - all words that were pretty fitting. I was 5 cm at that point and 100% effaced. I got my epidural and waited.
At 1:30, I was 10 cm - ready to go! I started pushing around 1:45. Because he was sunny side up, he wasn't budging much. He started to be in distress and they threatened me with a c-section, but he came out at 2:51 pm! He didn't cry, but I was never worried because I saw his eyes looking all around. I think he scored a 1 and 4 on his apgars, but then was upgraded to an 8. I got to hold him for about 1 minute and the whole time he was making little cries that sounded like "yeah". Then they whisked him away. Here he was just a few hours after he was born and when I got to see him again:
Our NICU stay was both easy and hard. I was easy because Richie didn't have any health problems or need anything major done to him. His head scan was clear and he breathed room air starting on day 1. He did have jaundice and was under the billi lights for almost a week. He also was in the isolette for about another week. But most of his time was spent as a feeder/grower. I think that's the best way to spend your NICU time, if you have to be there. He had a little neighbor that had been born at 27 weeks and was on oxygen and looked like he would be there for a while. I felt so bad for those parents - they didn't even live in the state! They had been visiting family for their baby shower. Scary.
I say our NICU stay was hard because it SUCKED HARD CORE to leave him there every night. When we drove away from the hospital the first time, it was so much harder than I thought it would be. I was so jealous of all those parents that got to take their babies home with them when they left. It was even hard while I was still in the hospital because I had an empty bassinet in my room, directly across from my bed. In hindsight, I should have asked them to move it. The last few days, I spent all day right at Richie's bedside. Labor and Deliver had to use the parenting rooms for post-partum patients, so me and another mom just hung out in the Special Care Nursery annex, where our babies were. It was the 3 babies, the two of us, and one nurse.
Once we introduced a bottle, Richie started getting feeding down like it was nobody's business! It was amazing how fast he caught on and how soon afterwards we were able to go home! It was so wonderful knowing we would be able to take our little guy home. Here he is the night before discharge:
He came home at 5 pounds, 13 ounces. It was an adjustment being home, but it was SO MUCH NICER than being in the hospital! Here Richie is one day before his one-month birthday and only 5 days after discharge. Two days earlier, he had gained weight and was up to 6 pounds, 3 ounces.
And at two months, we are so blessed to have him in our lives. It's hard to picture life without him, even though he's only been in the world a short time! At his two-month check-up, he was 9 pounds, 6 ounces and gaining steadily!
And even though I'm stressed, overwhelmed, and majorly sleep-deprived, I wouldn't trade being Richie's mom for anything in the world.
November 17th is Prematurity Awareness Day and to celebrate, I will reflect back on the first 10 weeks of Richie's life!
First, I can't believe it's been 10 weeks already! That's crazy to me. It all started on August 16, 2009, when I first had preterm labor. I was 29w6d and 2 cm dilated and 60%effaced. I was given beta methazone for my baby's lungs and a shot to stop contractions. A fetal fibronectin swab was done and came back positive. I was sent home on bedrest.
Two weeks later, I went to my Dr's appointment. It was September 1st and I was 32 weeks pregnant. No progress was made and a repeat fetal fibronectin swab again came back positive. I was sent home on bedrest.
On that Thursday, I started to feel more contractions. Since they were more than 5 in an hour, I called my Dr.'s office. They told me to watch them for a couple of hours and see if they got worse or stayed the same. If they got better I could stay at home. They didn't get better, so in we went! I didn't pack anything, I didn't bring anything but my purse and a book for Fred.
It was a busy day in L&D - I attribute it to the full moon! I had to wait to be seen and when they finally checked me, I was 3-4 cm dilated and 80% effaced, with a bulging bag of water. Yikes! I got another shot of terbutaline and they told me they were admitting me for at least the night to try and stop them.
We started an IV with penicillin for Group B Strep and fluids. I started taking another medication to stop the contractions. Then we waited (and no eating for me, just in case!). That night, the contractions were getting worse, not better. I had a lot of back labor and my contractions weren't registering that strongly on the monitor. The nurses had to actually sit by my bedside and feel my stomach whenever I said one was coming. I honestly don't think they really believed that I was having as many contractions as I was.
At 8 am, the Dr. came in and said she'd consulted the neonatologist and together they decided they were going to let me have my baby that day! Terrified, excited, exhausted, surprised - all words that were pretty fitting. I was 5 cm at that point and 100% effaced. I got my epidural and waited.
At 1:30, I was 10 cm - ready to go! I started pushing around 1:45. Because he was sunny side up, he wasn't budging much. He started to be in distress and they threatened me with a c-section, but he came out at 2:51 pm! He didn't cry, but I was never worried because I saw his eyes looking all around. I think he scored a 1 and 4 on his apgars, but then was upgraded to an 8. I got to hold him for about 1 minute and the whole time he was making little cries that sounded like "yeah". Then they whisked him away. Here he was just a few hours after he was born and when I got to see him again:
Our NICU stay was both easy and hard. I was easy because Richie didn't have any health problems or need anything major done to him. His head scan was clear and he breathed room air starting on day 1. He did have jaundice and was under the billi lights for almost a week. He also was in the isolette for about another week. But most of his time was spent as a feeder/grower. I think that's the best way to spend your NICU time, if you have to be there. He had a little neighbor that had been born at 27 weeks and was on oxygen and looked like he would be there for a while. I felt so bad for those parents - they didn't even live in the state! They had been visiting family for their baby shower. Scary.
I say our NICU stay was hard because it SUCKED HARD CORE to leave him there every night. When we drove away from the hospital the first time, it was so much harder than I thought it would be. I was so jealous of all those parents that got to take their babies home with them when they left. It was even hard while I was still in the hospital because I had an empty bassinet in my room, directly across from my bed. In hindsight, I should have asked them to move it. The last few days, I spent all day right at Richie's bedside. Labor and Deliver had to use the parenting rooms for post-partum patients, so me and another mom just hung out in the Special Care Nursery annex, where our babies were. It was the 3 babies, the two of us, and one nurse.
Once we introduced a bottle, Richie started getting feeding down like it was nobody's business! It was amazing how fast he caught on and how soon afterwards we were able to go home! It was so wonderful knowing we would be able to take our little guy home. Here he is the night before discharge:
He came home at 5 pounds, 13 ounces. It was an adjustment being home, but it was SO MUCH NICER than being in the hospital! Here Richie is one day before his one-month birthday and only 5 days after discharge. Two days earlier, he had gained weight and was up to 6 pounds, 3 ounces.
And at two months, we are so blessed to have him in our lives. It's hard to picture life without him, even though he's only been in the world a short time! At his two-month check-up, he was 9 pounds, 6 ounces and gaining steadily!
And even though I'm stressed, overwhelmed, and majorly sleep-deprived, I wouldn't trade being Richie's mom for anything in the world.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
The Latest Stats
He's on the regular growth charts!!!! He is growing perfectly and is doing great!
Weight: 9 pounds, 6 ounces!
5-10th percentile
Height: 20 1/2 inches
Not on charts yet, but close! Making steady growth - only 3 percentage points away!
Head: 14 1/2 inches
4th percentile
Weight: 9 pounds, 6 ounces!
5-10th percentile
Height: 20 1/2 inches
Not on charts yet, but close! Making steady growth - only 3 percentage points away!
Head: 14 1/2 inches
4th percentile
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Richie is 2 Months Old!
It's amazing how time flies! He goes in tomorrow for his 2-month shots, so I'll update on stats after that, but in the mean time, here are some pictures of Richie on Halloween!
As a pumpkin...
And as a lobster!
Friday, October 30, 2009
Pumping
With Richie being a preemie, it's especially important that he gets breast milk, if possible, to help him get immunities that he didn't get a chance to get in utero. So I've been giving him as much breast milk as I can make. But here's the thing: I HATE pumping. HATE.IT. And nope, I don't like breastfeeding much, either. I know, I know - it's a natural thing and I should feel like a mother when I do it, right? Nope. I just don't enjoy it at all - and it doesn't make me a bad mom.
It's funny though - people seem to look down on me for not breastfeeding. He's still getting my milk, people! And I do nurse him sometimes - usually when I sleep through a pumping session and he wakes up hungry. But the problem with that is that he just is a slow eater when breastfeeding and I worry that he doesn't get enough. Since he was premature, I wanted to make sure that he was getting enough to eat so that he could gain weight. Pumping made measuring that easy. AND, since we wanted to take him home, introducing a bottle was the way to make that happen fastest. And if I had to do it over again, I would do it exactly the same. Getting to spend a week or who knows how much longer at home over being in the hospital is worth not mastering breastfeeding. So worth it.
I'm looking into meeting with a lactation consultant to see if I can make breastfeeding more comfortable for me, but I also don't think that breastfeeding will be realistic long-term because I'm going back to work. I will continue to pump for as long as humanly possible (up until he's one), since I know it's best for him. But I still look at every week as one more week down. Right now we only have 44 weeks left.
But this is why I do it:
And it's all worth it. :)
It's funny though - people seem to look down on me for not breastfeeding. He's still getting my milk, people! And I do nurse him sometimes - usually when I sleep through a pumping session and he wakes up hungry. But the problem with that is that he just is a slow eater when breastfeeding and I worry that he doesn't get enough. Since he was premature, I wanted to make sure that he was getting enough to eat so that he could gain weight. Pumping made measuring that easy. AND, since we wanted to take him home, introducing a bottle was the way to make that happen fastest. And if I had to do it over again, I would do it exactly the same. Getting to spend a week or who knows how much longer at home over being in the hospital is worth not mastering breastfeeding. So worth it.
I'm looking into meeting with a lactation consultant to see if I can make breastfeeding more comfortable for me, but I also don't think that breastfeeding will be realistic long-term because I'm going back to work. I will continue to pump for as long as humanly possible (up until he's one), since I know it's best for him. But I still look at every week as one more week down. Right now we only have 44 weeks left.
But this is why I do it:
And it's all worth it. :)
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Big Guy
Our little chunkster is now almost 8 pounds! He weighed in at 7 pounds, 13 ounces at his weight check yesterday! He no longer needs any fortified breastmilk (even though, to be honest, we weren't really fortifying it anymore) and is very close to being on the charts without needing to adjust his age! This is all good news for our little chunky monkey.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Life with Richie
My big boy is over a month old now! I can't even believe how fast time flies.
They always say that "life is going to change so much when the baby comes." I knew this. I mean, OBVIOUSLY. But I don't think I was completely prepared for just how much or in what ways life changes. It's one of those things you can't completely prepare for until you go through it, you know?
Richie is not on any set schedule - he wakes up when he's hungry and he sleeps a lot. He has a couple of "awake times" during the day where he'll just be awake for about an hour stretch. He goes through a lot of diapers, which is a good indicator that his digestive system is working just fine!
Being a preemie parent is stressful - I don't know how much isolation is good for him (or me) and I worry all the time that he will get RSV. I'm going to be a basket case next weekend when we go out of town with him to a wedding.
But mostly I just look at him and can't even imagine my life without him.
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