So, we have been home with Grayson for about 2 weeks now. These 2 weeks have gone by so fast!! I want everything to slow down, because I know one day I am going to wake up and he is going to be starting daycare. I am dreading that day already!
Anyway, these 2 weeks have been some of the most rewarding (and hardest) days of my life!! Taking care of a newborn is hard business. The first few days were spent memorizing every detail of his perfect little face, learning how to breastfeed, figuring out when he was hungry, and functioning on little-to-no sleep. Some of the challenges of the first 2 weeks have been:
Breastfeeding: I remember how excited I felt when he actually latched on for the first time (you would think this would be a lot easier than it actually is)! Later, I learned that this latch caused a great deal of pain (don't listen to the books that say it doesn't hurt if the latch is correct; it DOES hurt for a few days until your nipples adjust). This got MUCH better after the first week though (TMI, sorry)! The hardest part about breastfeeding is not being about to see how much milk the baby is taking in. So, you simply have to feed him every time he acts hungry (which is pretty much all the time). At Grayson's first week weigh in, he had dropped from 6.12 lbs to 6.4lbs. This was a normal drop, but we were hoping for less. His next weigh in is this coming Tuesday. We will find out if he is getting enough from breastmilk alone, or if we will have to start supplementing with formula. I still plan to breastfeed even if we need to use formula some. Nothing has caused me more stress than breastfeeding, but I am determined to continue.
Bath time: You wouldn't think this would be a challenge. I mean how dirty can a newborn get? Well let me tell you, sometimes diapers do not hold "everything", and sometimes babies (especially boys) do not wait on a diaper before using the restroom. Even if you have learned to keep the sprayer covered, it will still leak all over. So, bathing is not always convenient. And poor Grayson; he HATES bath time!! He just wales the entire time, and it breaks my heart! It is so hard for me to listen to him cry.
Diapers: This is not necessarily talking about changing diapers. As a nurse, I have pretty much perfected the diaper change on >100 pound adults. So, this tiny, little human is so easy in comparison (even if he is kicking and screaming the whole time). However, he does require much more frequent diaper changes. And, they always seem to happen RIGHT when he drifts off to sleep! It is very tempting to let him sleep for just a little-bit with the dirty diaper... I haven't given in to this temptation though (yet :/). And dang, everybody was right when they said you could never have enough diapers! We have already ran out of newborn diapers, and are working on our second pack of size 1's. I think we will have to buy more size 1's before moving on to the size 2's (but only because he is so small). And that little diaper genie is very nice (and keeps the smell to a minimum), but it needs to be about twice its size (it probably wouldn't keep the smell to a minimum then, though)!
Sleep time: This has been, by far, the most difficult thing to adjust to. Either Grayson has a touch of colic that hits him at night, or he has his days and nights confused. He is such a good baby between the hours of 8AM-9PM. Then, all of a sudden he becomes super fussy and hungry all-the-time. I think he likes to comfort-feed when he is fussy at night. Sometimes I am feeding him for almost 4 hours (with little 10-15 minute breaks here and there). Grayson also HATES to sleep in his crip or his pack-n-play. We are slowly working on this. He got a little spoiled the first few days (by all the visitors wanting to hold him constantly, and by his mom and dad holding him whenever visitors weren't there). Now, he seems to think he should be held when he is sleeping. We have learned to wait until he is in a deep sleep (you can tell if this is sleep by picking up their arm and letting it drop to their body, if he has "limp limbs" then he is in a deep sleep) to even try to put him down. He can last for about an hour in his crib or pack-n-play now. However, he LOVES his swing and will sleep for hours in it (sometimes I have to wake him up so he can eat)! I don't want to put him in this at night when we are sleeping and not supervising him, though. Things may be looking up though. He is currently sleeping in his crib (and has been in there for 1.5 hours!!!)!!
Surgery recovery: I was not prepared for this at all! C-section was not even on my list of possibilities, so why would I prepare myself for the recovery process? Thank God Michael was able to have a week off to help me recover and take care of baby! The first week after surgery, I was in more pain than I was willing to admit and unable to do a lot of normal, everyday things. I only thought turning over in the bed was hard at 38 weeks pregnant. I also learned that our bed is way too high and too soft to recover from abdominal surgery. When you can't use your stomach muscles, it is so hard to boost yourself up into bed and then lie yourself back. I also had trouble admitting what I was able to do, and I would often over-do-it and regret it later in the day. Thankfully, my sweet husband reminded me often to take it easy and pretty much waited on me.
Don't worry though, as hard as this has been, it seems to get a little easier everyday! Grayson is now a CHAMP at latching and LOVES to breastfeed (maybe a little too much). Grayson still hates bath time, but I am getting a little faster at it. I don't think the diaper thing gets any better, but at least I know to go ahead and buy a pack every time I go to the store. I think sleep time is pretty much going to suck for the first few months (or more), but I am getting more used to hardly any sleep. And, the surgery recovery gets a lot better by the second week. I haven't had a pain pill in about a week, only hurting when I use my abdominal muscles, and getting stronger everyday.
Despite all of the challenges of having a newborn, I simply cannot imagine my life without Grayson. I love him SO much and am quickly learning how attached to him I am (no doctor is good enough for him, I worry about him constantly, and this 1.5 hours he has spent in his nursery is KILLING ME!). Michael and I have really been blessed with this gift from God!
