Welcome to parenthood

So Jason and I are starting to experience real parenthood now that Jalen is getting used to being in this world and becoming more comfortable with showing his feelings. My mom went home yesterday so today was my first full day home alone with him. We did pretty well too, I fed him when I gt up, changed him and then he went right down for a nap in his Pack-n-Play long enough that I got to shower, get ready, do some laundry, feed Ali and Laila and grab a snack. I felt so accomplished! I am learning very quickly though that new moms don't eat. Going from me needing to eat almost every couple hours to only eating a snack for breakfast, a snack for lunch and when Jason gets home, an actual dinner, is quite a change but my body seems to be adjusting easily because I am actually not that hungry either. I am breastfeeding him every 1-2 hours now and every 3 hours at night and changing about 10+ diapers a day. They say 4 poopy diapers and 6 wet ones are a good sign that he is eating enough, well we meet that quota by the early evening so I assume he is getting enough but we'll see when he gets weighed on Monday.

We are also now needing to use our Pee-pee Tee-Pees when we change him because he, like clockwork, shoots a stream straight in the air at us as soon as the diaper comes off and the wet wipe touches him. He is going through a fussy stage right now and it usually comes right about the time we are getting ready for bed, he acts hungry but won't eat, doesn't need a diaper change and is pretty much inconsolable for a few hours but when he does eventually fall asleep, he is out and I have to really wake him up.



Napping with mommy


Learning to play in his bouncer--he was batting at the elephant but I don't know that he was meaning to or just was hitting it coincidentally as he flailed his arms.



Being fussy

Dancing around with Grammie

A video of Jalen waking up from his nap and all of his funny little faces he makes right when he is waking up...enjoy!

More pictures & many more and more to come

Just a few pictures from the last couple of days...enjoy!

Why the C-section and More Pictures!

Jalen turned 1 week old yesterday and is doing very well. He sleeps all the time and waking him up to feed him is becoming very difficult in the middle of the night and takes me sometimes 45 minutes to an hour to do so but it is so precious to just watch him sleep too, he makes the cutest little expressions.

Everyone has been asking me why I had the c-section so I figured I would explain on here. First of all, it was not an emergency and was my choice. I have always had problems with my hip joints and towards the end of my pregnancy started having pains and catches in my pubic symphysis joint. When I read up on these catches and issues during late pregnancy I found out that some women dislocate their joints during a vaginal delivery and end up having months of recovery and often cannot walk or need to use a walker for a while. I always knew there might be a chance that I would need a c-section but thought I would see how things progressed and make my decision based on that and what my doctors and nurses thought. I was induced via prostaglandin gel and started having contractions that lasted 4-5 minutes long and were so intense I would rate them a 9 or 10 on a 0-10 pain scale (and I have a pretty high pain tolerance), also all of my pain was back pain too so it was extremely uncomfortable to say the least. The nurse was concerned because Jalen's heart rate was increasing due to the contractions being right on top of one another and when she was checking me she thought the birth canal might be too narrow for him to come through and I might end up needing an emergency c-section. Based on this and the major fact of my hips being the way they are, I told my nurse that I wanted to go forward with the c-section, 7 hours after being admitted to the hospital and within 15 minutes I was prepped for surgery and in only minutes later, Jalen was here!

I am doing well recovering but was told I cannot drive until I get clearance next week from my doctor at my 2-week check up. I also cannot reach overhead, push a vacuum, lift over Jalen's weight or pretty much do anything but sit, which is about all I have time to do right now anyways since I am nursing or pumping all day. Jalen's next appointment is on Monday with mine so I am excited to see how much he weighs and feel confirmed that he is getting enough from breastfeeding. It's easy to know he is when it is pumped and measured but sometimes it is hard to tell how much he is getting on his own so I have just been going of him acting satisfied and time feeding.

Jalen at home

We are home and settled in and getting used to being parents now and everything is going great! Sleepless nights, tired days, feeling like all I do is feed him, but all the while amazing! Jalen is such a good boy. He doesn't fuss much at all except when he is being changed (he hates being cold and not having clothes on) or right before he nurses. I have him on a feeding schedule of every 2-3 hours so I have to wake him up in the middle of the night to nurse which is so hard because he is so peaceful and adorable when he is sleeping. The dogs are adjusting well too. Laila is very cautious around him and has changed from leaping onto the couch to quietly and slowly climbing up. Ali just wants all attention on her but when Jalen cries or makes a sound she is very alert to him. Jalen got weighed yesterday and as all babies lose some weight when they leave the hospital, he is now 5 lbs 15oz and the doctors think he looks and acts very healthy!

We gave Jalen a sponge bath today. He cannot have a full submersion bath until his umbilical cord falls off and he heals from his circumcision (which should be within the next week-10days). I have a doctor's appt on Monday for an incision check and Jalen has his next appt on the 24th for a check up. I am doing pretty well but struggle a bit to stand up from sitting and really have to have help to move around in bed since I cannot use my abs to do anything. each day is getting easier though.

Here are some pictures we have taken since being home with him, there are just too many cute photo-ops!