Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Newborn Photos

I am blessed to have an amazing photographer for a best friend!  She came over when Marek was a week old and took his newborn pictures, sorry I’m just now showing you them!  Today he is 6 weeks old, it makes me sad to say it out loud…
It’s a strange shift to go from infertility (and the pregnancy from hell) where you constantly wish the time away, to a new baby where you desperately want time to stand still.  What if this is our only baby?  This may be the only 6 week old baby we ever have, just thinking about that scares me, makes me want to savor every minute.  Unfortunately feeling that way just makes the time go faster.
Here is my tiny boy… He barely looks like this anymore!






Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Breastfeeding Tips

I’ve heard a lot of horror stories about how hard breastfeeding can be so I made a point of asking around for tips before the little guy was born.  A few of these proved to be life savers so I figured I would share them with you all!
Disclaimer: I’m sure not all of these things will work for everyone; they just seemed to work for us.  Also I realize that I am very blessed to not have any supply issues which is one of the most common breastfeeding problems.
·         Read a breastfeeding book before the baby is born!
o   Waiting until you’re struggling is too late, bad latching causes a lot of nipple pain and is hard to get past once it starts, it’s smart to read up first (when you have time and aren’t exhausted) so that you can start off with a good latch.
o   My favorite book was Breastfeeding Made Simple, another option is The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding, I’m not a huge fan because they seem to push attachment parenting rather than just being a good breastfeeding reference.
·         Meet with the lactation consultant as soon as you can in the hospital
·         Try and have breastfeeding figured out before you leave the hospital
o   Many women are focused on going home ASAP, but I had lots of women encourage me to stay at the hospital where you have good breastfeeding resources before rushing home.  This seemed to work for us.
·         If you have large breasts or had a C-section the easiest position is football hold
o   The babies legs get tucked under your armpit and they lay on their side. (We still use this hold exclusively.)
·         If baby seems to be hungry and is trying to latch on but not actually sucking, put a pinky finger in their mouth and remind them how to suck, then pull it out and try again. (We still have to do this about every other feeding.  I would say this is the most important tip I got!)
And now for your viewing pleasure, some precious Marek bath time photos…


Monday, June 11, 2012

Time is going too fast...

Our little guy will be 6 weeks old on Wednesday… it makes me sad just thinking about it!  He’s so perfect, I just want him to quit growing so darn fast!
In an effort to slow time down and do a better job of chronicling it I’m challenging myself to 7 straight days of blogging.  I hope I can pull it off!
Marek is a very happy baby, unless he is pooping he just stares at the world around him calm and collected.  Pooping is another story though, he hates it!  I’m a little worried he may have food allergies but our pediatrician won’t test him until he has blood in his stool, so for now I’ve cut out dairy (which I shouldn’t eat anyway) and most eggs.  Dairy and eggs are the most common food allergies in babies.
So far he has been on several adventures, he spent Memorial Day weekend on the lake, the following weekend went on a 4.5 mile hike to a waterfall and then to a wedding on a river and this weekend attended his first pig roast. 
I hope all is well in bloggy-land, I promise to catch up on all of you soon!