2 Week Neonatal Update

There’s a bazillion things to do and I’m quite sleep deprived now he’s out. (He’ll be 2 weeks tomorrow.)

Birth stats:

Name: Liam Andrew Townsend

APGAR Scores: 1 min: 8,    5 mins: 9

Weight: 3010gms

Length: 47.5cm

Date: 19.12.14

Time: 0724

Liam does have long arms and legs, with big hands and feet.

His eyes are a really dark colour for now. My hubby says dark blue?

For the first week he was in the humidicrib because he was on monitors and such, being checked for heart rate, oxygen, breathing and such. Because of the fast vaginal birth he still had fluid from the womb in his longs and his breathing was very irregular. He wasn’t allowed to be ‘released’ until about day 5, on the 24th of December.

I was expressing after every feed t build up my supply, firstly 10 mins each side, then I built up to 20-25 mins. At first I expressed half a ml, then 1, then 2, then 5, then 10, then 15, 20, then it was arun d 30-40 for ages (week 2) and the most I’ve expressed to date was 75 ml.

I cried when i tried expressing at home cos my pumps were shitty and I was used to the awesome pumps at the hospital, so I bought an electric Medela pump from an old high school friend. Even though it’s loud, it’s better because it doesn’t require any hand pumping, so you have a free hand once it’s on, and you can set it to pump hard or soft. (The other, shittier ones I had were the Avent Manual and electric pumps.)

He kept losing weight, but they discharged him from hospital anyway, telling me to top him up after each feed, which I did. In his first weigh at home, he had lost a further 65 grams! After I bought the new pump and upped his top-ups he gained 75 grams in 2 days! at his last weigh in (yesterday) he had gained another 100 or so, so they seemed happy and told us to only give 30 ml topups but he’s still wanting around 40-60 per feed. His next check will be at his 2 weekly appointment, and then again at a 6 week mark.

His umbilical cord clamp fell off last night.

He seems quite strong for his age; He can already turn his head side to side by himself, shuffle forward with his legs when on his belly and lift his head, and if being held vertically he can push up with his head and arms to his waist. If lying on his back he can pull his head up a bit, and he has a strongish grip with his hands. His suck reflex is getting stronger and stronger.

Breastfeeding is going well for the most part; he has minimal issues latching and wantng the breast. despite bottle topups and being offered dumies and formula on occasion, it doesn’t seem to have confused him or out him off of the breast, and breast milk, which is AWESOME.

He’s feeding around every 2-5 hours lately, on demand, and he usually likes a 30-60ml topup with either breastmilk or formula.

We’re trying to get him into a routine of formula top-ups at night to make him fuller and sleep loner, and breast milk top-ups during the day.

I’m beginning to learn his patterns, traits, habits, and distinctive cries and whimpers now.

So far he looks more like me and my brothers than my husband. (Shrugs) especially his ears and nose. 😛

he looks a little like my mother in law when he frowns though, and his eye shape is similar to hers.

Over the past 2 weeks for the baby we’ve bought Sudocream, as he got bum redness 2 days ago.

We’ve taken many photoshoots of bubsy, such as; hands and toes, christmas shoot, newborn left on the doorstep, little boy in blue, and newborn wrapped in white rug.

We still hope to do the hand and footprints, proper shoot with him and us together, and some more newborn-type shoots. I’m hoping to get them done either today or tomorrow, before he gains too much weight and looses the new-born look and temperament.

Things I’ve been doing:

Feeding him formula at night and breast milk at day to get him fuller.

Reading him stories (i try to read him 1 a day.

Repeating calming phrases when he’s upset, such as “you’re ok” and “mummy’s here.”

Saying “Hello” “Goodmorning” and “Good night” at appropriate times.

Singing my made up “wakey wakey baby” song when he falls asleep between feeding sides.

Singing along to my breast pump to waste time and take my mind off the boredom and pain.

Making sure I have all equipment ready BEFORE I commit to a feed / change / bath.

Using: top to toe bathwash on occasion, using chux wipes with water for changing, and sudocream, rather than wipes which we think caused the rash. using huggies babywipes, cos pampers are too big, and cause him to wee everywhere.

Cleaning under his balls after poos, and making sure his penis is facing DOWN when I put the nappy on.

MY PROGRESS:

(For myself I’ve bought nipple cream: hospital recommended Lansinoh?? and neighbour recommended one from palmers, but I haven’t got that one yet.)

For myself I’ve also bought Coloxyl, as I had constipation, and still do on and off, as well as more iron supplements, and some ointment for my blood clots i my legs (which I got on the 23rd, 3 days after I gave birth.) The blood clots are in the superficial veins on both legs. I also have to have some injection in the stomach every day for anti-inflammatory-ness for the clots. I had 2 scans for the clots, and upteem thousand million gazilion checks of my legs. They gave me T.E.D. compression stockings to reduce the swelling but they are too small. Apparently my claf was 68cm and the stockings only went up to 66cm in the hospital. I’ll try to order some bigger ones online when I can. there was much debate amongst doctors and nurses about whether the too small stockings are helping or hindering, as they keep bunching up. As of yesterday I’ve taken the damn things off! As a hint, if you ever have to put some on, you can wash them in the shower and just pat them dry, and to get them on use the bag on your foot and slide them over that ;P

Apparently the stitches are healing now, and the bleeding has slowed down considerably. I think the bleeding will stop by Saturday, but am unsure. They said I could bleed for up to 6 weeks though.

For cleaning of the stitches I was advised to use salt water on the area. I tried it but hated the feeling, and it made it smelly and itchy and weird, so I didn’t do it after the first 2 days. Yesterday i tried putting witchhazel on the pad, but it made everything ache and feel awful, so from now on it’s water and regular pad changes only!

GIFTS RECEIVED:

So many, so I’m bound to miss them. I wanted to do hauls and such but who’s got the time!!!

From memory I got gifts from:

My hubby: A blue bear and 2 balloons from the gift shop

Dad: $100

Perry: $50

Shaun and Som: A toy giraffe, a card, and 1-2 outfits.

Sarah: A family (3 peas in a pod) ornament and a christmas decoration saying ‘LIAM,’ which must’ve gotten packed somewhere because I can’t find it and I’m SPEWIN’ cos it was gorgeous!

Nora (M.I.L): a $300 flight here to help us out, “Liam” snowman ornament, leather sandals, a little christmas outfit, and a $140 giftcard for Coles (for christmas for us.)

Marie from across the road: Toy, card, suit.

Anne and Annie (Noras friends): summer growsuit and pull on booties, cards.

Ana: Card, and 2 music sticker packs for me.

Mum: Perfume, Card, Small brown teddy, savlon and Curash Nappy Cream, chocolate, small travel pack of creams and powder for bubs. (There may have been more but I forgot.)

Music Corner (work): A congrats card.

Hospital staff: Bounty bag 2, a chrissy card, and a cancer council christmas bauble.

Steph (Mother Carer): A bag of books, and some helpful pamphlets and handouts, including 2 books for bedtime (1 had a CD), one with black and white shapes (because that’s all they can see for now,) and a recipe for lactation cookies, which she’s going to help me cook on saturday. Hubby and I went shopping for the ingredients yesterday but I couldn’t find the main ingredient; ‘Brewer’s Yeast’.

A little girl called Charlotte who is now 9, and was in the special care unit I was in 9 years ago!: An entire laundry hamper of goodies, including things like maternity pads, tissues, nappies, a teddy, muslin wraps, small food cups for when he starts solids, etc.

Natalie T,  who sold me the breastpump for $60: A whole bag of beautiful, great condition clothes from her son, 0000 to 00.

ANON: 2 smelly sticker packs. (WE don’t know who this was from!?!?!)