Girls’ Nights
Girls’ nights have a new meaning over here.
It’s me, Livi and Bella 😉
Livi is the party animal- she drinks all night, wets herself and cries, I’m the one taking care of her while Bella gives us the stink eye. We’re a fun group, for sure.
Yesterday was my first day at home with the baby while Tom went to work, and also my first entire night taking care of her on my own. Tom had to fly early today, and since his life is in his hands while he’s flying, he has to get real, quality sleep. So that means that Baby, Bella and I had the master bedroom,
and Tom was in one of the guest rooms. I missed him, but it was nice to know that he was just a couple of doors down if things went awry.
Even though I was anxious about it, we actually did pretty well considering that Livi is hungry every hour or hour and a half. Even though I feel like all I do is breastfeed and pump, I really want her to get what she’s needing, even though my boobs might fall off. I’m hoping that we find our feeding groove in the next couple of weeks. The good news is that I can usually get her out of the basinet before it turns into full-on scream mode, and we keep the salt lamp on by the bed so there’s a little bit of light, but it’s not too bright. The day is a lot easier than night, because even with very little sleep, I feel better during the day. Night makes me feel like a zombie.
Righty is still not producing as much as my left, Livi hates it and gets impatient, so for now it’s still feed on the left, pump on the right. Last week, we took her to the chiropractor for a little post-birth adjustment, to make sure that she wasn’t uncomfortable laying on her left side to feed on the right. She LOVED being adjusted –it’s more like a baby massage than anything- and we’ll probably take her back this week.
So we made it through our first day and night together, with only one major meltdown on both of our parts. It breaks my heart when she’s crying and I can’t figure out what’s wrong. She had just eaten, burped, and had a fresh diaper, so we walked around and rocked, I sang to her and she calmed down for a second… and right when we sat down again, waterworks and shrieking commenced. She was crying, I was crying, and my friend Michele called, whose baby is a week older than Livi, and we had a good chat about life.
As far as a schedule goes, we definitely haven’t settled into one at all, but here’s a snapshot of what today looked like:
12:40 am- wake up, feed, change diaper, back to sleep by 1:30
Repeat at 2:20, 3:30, 5:04, 6:10, and 9:00, when we woke up
9:30- 10 Get dressed while Livi is in the bouncy seat, make breakfast, drink tea, and pump at the same time (quite a sight, haha)
10:00am One more feeding before driving to the park to meet Kelly, Meara and their babies for a walk at 11
12:15 back home to eat, change diaper, burp her and she falls asleep while we watch Little Fockers
2:45 and She’s napping on her nana’s shoulder while I blog –both nanas came to visit today!- and I’m waiting for her to wake up for her next meal..
Check out the photo that Meg sent me last night while she was at my madre’s:
Baby Gina on the left, Livi on the right
There’s definitely a similarity, but I think she looks a lot like Tom, too
We made it out of the house today, which was definitely a success- even though Kelly and Meara had to help me figure out how to use the stroller. I think one adventure a day might be a good idea, just for some fresh air and a change of scenery.
(Orbit has a paparazzi shield- hilarious)
Slowly but surely, we’re getting the hang of things over here and I can already feel a closeness between us. I miss her while she’s napping, and I can tell this is going to be a very fun, crazy, rewarding adventure.
Sunday’s fortune:
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Love the picture!! The emotions run high and low–I remember a lot of tearful calls to my mom when trying to console my crying son in the middle of the night and the hus was already at work. It does get better!!
You are doing absolutely amazing, and ditto what the others have said about it getting easier…although some days it doesn’t feel like it!! More unsolicited advice..no one told me this when I was nursing my first born every hour or hour and a half, and he was screaming mad if I tried to stretch out his feedings by distracting him or having hubby hold him, etc., but you could supplement with formula to fill their tummies for a little longer, and to give your hubby a turn at an evening feeding or early mornng one before he leaves for work. Anyway, Just wanted to share that with you, although you sound SO much more in the know than I felt all those years ago!! By the way, you look fantastic also! I am a big believer in being active throughout pregnancy and the payoffs it gives you during and post delivery, and you are definite proof of that!! Enjoy your sweet little girl and just soaking it all in. It does fly by!!!
The fortune is beautiful and could not be more perfect. I just love these posts!
Your baby girl is BEAUTIFUL already! It’s pretty obvious she’ll be a stunner 🙂
agreed. she is so gorgeous and is gonna be a heartbreaker. Poor dad better get ready for the teenage years.
You;re doing so great!! I’m so proud of you!!!!!
Livi looks JUST like you! Ella was my twin when she was first born but there’s a lot of Michael in her too. Certain faces she makes. It’s so amazing how kids become chameleons.
I remember those days…ALL I did too was feed, pump, burp, changer, repeat every hour and a half. It’s tough but it gets so much easier. My left never produced anything and Ella used to get SOOOO mad at it punching it and yelling at me when I tried giving her that side. I tweeted you the song we used to sing to her (COPS: bad boob bad boob..whacha gonna do when it comes for you…)
Now, both sides produce so much. I still think my right gets a little bit more, but my left still makes a lot now. Last nigth was actually the first night EVER that she slept like 12 1/2 hours straight. I woke up in so much pain, I had to get her up I was like…I need to feed this baby! Then I pumped after I fed her and still got like 8 ounces in like 10 minutes. That’s the best. The first couple of weeks I’d pump for like 30 minutes, then Ella would eat..and it was too rom the battery on the pump not sucking hard enough. Once I figured out that little gem I was good to go.
I talked to a lot of my friends that BF and they told me in the beginning their babies preferred one side over the other.
Love these posts…you make me recall so much I didn’t write down myself. Good times. So precious. Although I have to say that 8 months is my absolute favorite stage yet!
It’s so cute that you both are holding your hands in almost the same exact way 😀
She’s a beautiful baby! Is it just the photos, or does she have HUGE eyes? (I don’t mean that in a bad way!)
yes, her eyes are huge!
Wow, she looks like a porcelain doll
You are doing great!!!!. Breastfeeding is not easy. Thought I would pass on some advice… My daughter (also named Olivia) is 11 months. She also had a preference for one side and still does, but we are still going strong with breastfeeding =). Try side laying and breastfeeding, it was my lifesaver. Side laying is amazing because you can relax or even nap and do a sneaky boob switch (give her the boob she doesn’t like). Also, breast compression (pressing your breast when Olivia is sucking) will help with the flow. Good luck momma!!!
Your daughter looks exactly like you! She has Tom’s eyes.
It will get easier!
My son is 9 months old and he is a much more efficient feeder now!
Our schedule was much like yours the first month or so. (the first 2-3 months is the hardest!)
Co-sleeping and nursing in the side lying position saved my life and let us both get great sleep those first few months.
This might sound crazy but… I think she looks a LOT like your brother in the pic you posted of him recently!
OMG you are SO incredible for keeping the content on your blog going SO STRONG in the midst of all the baby craziness!! Way to go Gina!!!! Olivia is so absolutely precious and I can’t wait to keeping reading more about your incredible journey 🙂
I agree! I think that it would be so difficult to be able to keep all of those things balanced!
thank you! <3
Wow, my daughter is 8 1/2 years old, and have forgotten some of the things when she was a newborn! I remember she would be up odd hours of the night, like 3-5am and would just cry. Not sure why they do that and people call it colic and it is frustrating for everyone. Sometimes there isn’t anything you can do to sooth them, but make sure you take care of yourself too. Sometimes I would have to put my baby down in a safe spot, remove myself for a minute to keep my sanity then jump back in. Congratulations on your little lady 😀
Wow she has beautiful big eyes!
AW love the fortune & the salt lamps (: (: (and the big Buddha head too, hehe) Livi definitely looks a lot like you did !!!
Gina, don’t forget about the white noise app I told you about. It worked WONDERS for Avery’s meltdowns (and therefore my meltdowns). Maybe it won’t work for Livi but it’s free so it’s worth a shot. Just turn it on when she starts crying.
Or you could take her near a sink or the bathtub and just run the water. I’ll be shocked if neither the app nor the water works for her. Good luck!
running the vaccuum cleaner works for a lot of babies too
Yup! Or the hair dryer! When my son was a newborn he took his mid-morning nap everytime I dried my hair, haha. By the time I finished he’d be passed out.
I remember the nocturnal feedings and feeling like I was the only human awake at those hours. Especially with Noah (who will be 10 on Saturday) b/c the winter nights seemed extra long…I also always found it amazing that pre babies I could party all night and still function the next day…but stay up with a baby all night and be a total zombie the next day. 😉
Hang in there on the nursing front – once you find your groove it’s so worth it!
She is a mini-Gina! It will get easier, I was an emotional Mama the first few weeks. I just cried all the time and for no reason it seemed. It is hard when you don’t know what they want but it will get better. Does she like a swing? That often calmed my baby down a lot-the movement made such a difference. My girlfriend turned on the vacuum cleaner-it calmed her baby down. Theory is it was very loud in the womb–I also played music for my little one and she loved it. Hang in there!
Haha, your girls night sounds like a total party ;P I had no clue that you can bring babies to the chiropractor?!
P.S. The picture of you and Liv is adorable- you can def see the resemblance and it’s precious how both of your hands are almost in the same position!
No need to change her diaper all night! I was doing that until I realized i’m unnecessarily waking her up more. Try just feeding in the dark and see if you get more sleep.
i have to wake her up a little or she’ll snooze while she eats
I know you have a team of experts at your fingertips but I wonder if she’d be more alert while eating if you spaced her longer? It’s been a while but I don’t recall ever doing FIVE night feedings! You must be exhausted!
you have no idea. i am a zombie.
She is beautiful! She is going to have huge eyes…she definately looks a lot like your husband.
Your nightly schedule is giving me flashbacks…I am tired just reading it! It gets better each day…hang in there!!
Girls are so much fun to hang out with as the grow…I am having the best time with my daughter…I can’t even imagine my life before her, it is like she has always been here.
Congrats on doing such an awesome job keeping up with your little girl. One tip I would like to relay about production and the little ones frustration is just to stay clm and stick with it. Keep offering her that breast, even if she fusses because she will empty it better than any pump. When this happened to us my lactation consultant gave us a tube to use, they use it for tube feeding, but I just threaded it into her mouth at my nipple after she latched, I had the other end in a small amount of pumped breast milk, an ounce or 2, this way she was able to get volume she desired and I had the good nursing on that breast. It helped her stop refusing my breast on that side, increased my production because she was nursing strong at that breast and helped lessen my pumping after feeding oh and she slept a little longer between feedings, it was a godsend, you might wnt to ask you Lactation. Consultant to show you
Aww it sounds like you certainly have your hands full and that your Girls nights are certainly crazy these days!! Growing up, my mom has always told me about how when she would hold me as a baby, she would talk to me about all the fun we were going to have someday- about how we’d go out to coffee and be best friends and all of the things we would do together. I know that hearing about it later has always made me smile plus it might be a nice way to chat with your little girl during those late nights.
I know the last thing you need is somebody else to tell you what to do, but I want to emphasize that responding to her requests for food now will set you up for great supply later. They hit growth spurts (one at three weeks, and so on) and those increase your supply if you respond to her demand. If you don’t, you could fall behind.
And remind yourself that sometimes babies just cry. Not because they need anything but they just cry. Your job is to make sure she cries in your arms while you try to calm her down, not to fix it for her.
I promise it gets better! You’re doing great. Try to at least let her try on your less favored side first because her sucking is a lot more efficient than the pump.
And above responders are right that you don’t have to change her diaper. If she’s falling asleep during feedings it’s not necessarily bad! it might just mean that she’s full. I remember trying everything to get her awake but if she’s still gaining weight well and having enough wet diapers, you don’t need to worry about waking her back up.
It gets better fast, I promise. You’re doing GREAT so just hang in there.
Hang in there! The first few weeks are definitely tough, but it DOES get easier! 🙂 You’re doing great, Mama!
One of the hardest/most rewarding things to learn as a new mom is that sometimes babies just need to cry. When you feel you’ve done all you can and she’s still screaming,then put her in her crib and set the timer for 15minutes. I used to do that nearly every day when my girl was really little and it seemed to really help both of us to be happier. Good luck and happy thoughts!
love her almond shaped eyes!
I Just remembered something that might help you–about 3 months into my son’s life and nursing adventure, someone told me that the first of the mama’s milk (once the baby starts eating) takes care of thirst, and the last part (the “hind milk”) has more fats in it for hunger. So I was feeding my baby all the time and then pumping whatever was left and freezing it. I didn’t know if there was credence to what they told me, but sure enough when I went back to school and my husband would use the milk from the freezer (which was mostly hind milk), not only did my son plump up, he also stopped needing to eat as frequently. Just a little nugget of info I wish I’d had to start 🙂
I know you’ve gotten a TON of advice already about BF’ig so take this with a grain of salt…My LC told me that even though it seemed the baby preferred one side over the other, to KEEP putting her on both (even with pumping) becuz the baby stimulates and drains the boob WAY more efficiently than a pump can. So don’t give up! And you are doing GREAT! I also had a NONSTOP-nursing girl…in the beginning she ate so much that I definitely did feel like a walking/talking boob. There was even a couple of times where she was nursing and I had to multi-task. LOL I was bathing my DS when Avery started to scream in her little bouncy seat….so I had to nurse her in the bathroom. Not my most favorite of nursing spots, but we made due!! 🙂
Me again… more breastfeeding talk… it’s very very lonely cluster feeding at night. It’s not so bad if you have an efficient feeder – one who wakes say every 3 hrs, feeds 10mins a side and goes back to sleep and lets you also go back to sleep until the next feed. I swear that’s what I thought it was going to be like. I also had cluster feeder babies who would just cry and cry if not feeding. We eventually diagnosed our ones with silent reflux (as they won’t spewy babies). Putting crib on a tilt. Having white noise (static tuned on radio) and the baby swaddled really really helped. I also in the end, despite wanting to ‘put baby down awake so he got used to falling asleep on his own’ would breastfeed 15-20mins a side and then feed him alseep and try the lower into crib and escape option, because it was better than NOTHING. Oh how lonely (and resentful I got) about being up and the night while everyone else was sleeping!
Great pics! Olivia’s eyes are down right DREAMY!!! super cute.
Random question– where is your bedding from? It’s so pretty!
thank you! the pillows are home goods and target, the sheets and down comforter were bought at the resort i work at
I am obsessed with that fact that you call your daughter Livi its sooo adorable!!!