Thursday, September 30, 2010

Weight check & 3 week pics.




It's been a week since Jaxson's last weight check. He weighed 7lbs 9 oz last Thrusday, today he weighs 7lbs 12 oz. Yeah he gained weight but the doctor still says it is not enough. He only gained half of what he should have in a week. He is supposed to be gaining an ounce a day and he only gained 1/2 ounce a day. So he told me I need to figure outif I am producing enough milk or not. Also, I need to put him on the boob for 15 min, burp him and then put him on the other boob for 15 min. Everyone tells mesomething different how the heck am I supposed to get it right with such conflicting responses from doctors? At least I didn't get yelled at this time. It was a different doctor. He said it's good he is gaining but he needs to pick up the pace at this point. So, I'm still stressed over all this but at least he is gaining something. If I have to do more formula then so be it, but I'm not gonna give up the breast feeding. We go back on Monday for his 1 month checkup so hopefully this weekend we can fatten him up some more. This is so frustrating.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Failure to Thrive

Failure to Thrive, what a terrible thing for a first time mom to see written about your baby. That hurts my heart just writing it. I know it isn't my fault, but it still doesn't make me feel any better.

This has a been a very trying week. Jaxson had his 2 week check up on Monday. We get there and they ask the normal questions for a physical, then they take him to be weighed. Last time we were there was when he was 5 days old and he weighed must have weighed about 7 lbs. He had lost some extra weight after being born which is normal. So when they weighed him on Monday he only weighed 7 lbs 3 ozs. The doctor started freaking out about how he hadn't gained enough of his weight back yet. He said we had to make sure nothing was wrong so he sent us for more tests, which meant more heel pricks for our baby. We had lots of questions for the doctor but he kinda rushed us tothe hospital. So they took 3 vials of blood and they asked us to wait 15 min to make sure it was a good draw. Sure enough, the nurse comes out and says they have to do it again because the draw was bad. I had already been crying since being in the dr. office and having to get him stuck again just killed me. So, we did the draw again and finally it was good to test. We got the test back later that day and of course they were fine. I never thought anything was wrong with him, I was just exhausted and sad for him.

So we get a call from the doctor and he says we had to supplement formula every 4 hours. So we had to feed him every 2 hours for the next 3 days. Luckily the grandparents and my sister were able to help out and let us sleep for a bit or we would have been wiped out. He said if Jaxson didn't gain weight by today, then he would have to put him in the hospital. Long story short, after a long and very tiring week, Jaxson gain 6 ozs. So now he weighs 7 lbs 9 ozs. We still have to feed him more often but we can start to extend it now and I don't have to give him formula unless I need to. We have to go back again for a weight check next Thursday just to make sure whatever we are doing is still working.

We think the problem was that I was breastfeeding him incorrectly. I was feeding him for 10 minutes on each breast instead of letting him finish one whole side so he could get the fatty milk that comes at the end of the session. Basically I was giving him skim milk. I was justfollowing what I was told from the hospital. They tell you so many things when you are on drugs and out of it, so maybe they told me something different but I don't know. It's all so confusing.

Friday, September 17, 2010

2 week pic

Looking a lot like daddy this week.
Such a sweet boy.

Monday, September 13, 2010

First week

The first week with Jaxson has pretty much been a blur. We had family over to help us out which was great. I know we wouldn't have been able to do it alone. It's been trying at times and really neat at times. I've had a few breakdowns in the midst of all this but I know it will all get easier as all 3 of us get to know each other better and Jaxson gets bigger. Tony has done so good at being a dad so far. He has taken to it so naturally and I knew he would all along. I, on the other hand have been trying to get better from my c-section so I have missed out on some of the bonding time that everyone else has had with him. I know it will all change as family isn't here everyday help us take care of him and I will be his main caretaker during the day. I'm still very emotional about having the c-section. I don't know why exactly. Too many hormones going through me right now. Can't wait for those to go away or at least settle down at bit. Overall, it has been a blessed week, ready for week 2.

Little things

Some little things I've learned about Jaxson so far.
  1. He cries like a girl, which is so cute. But then again, maybe all babies cry like girls at first.
  2. He will occassionally purr when nursing.
  3. He has Tony's eyes.
  4. He is a trooper. Got stuck inthe heel 3x last week for jaundice and barely cried.
  5. He is stubborn like his mom and dad.
  6. He likes to sleep on his side.
  7. He has big hands and feet.
  8. He likes the right boob, doesn't care for the left. I find this strange and frustrating.
  9. He also like to play for a few minutes before breastfeeding, I'm told this is called Mouthing.
  10. He is such a sweet boy.
  11. He can already hold his pacifier in his mouth.
  12. He loves his daddy and mommy.
  13. He likes to go outside and look at the sky.
  14. He likes to be swaddled but also fights to get his hands out during the night.
  15. He has an angel kiss above his right eye.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Welcome to the world Jaxson Blake Ricciardo


Jaxson Blake Ricciardo entered the world at 6:37pm on Friday, September 3, 2010. He weighed 8.3 pounds and was 21.25 inches long. He has light brown/blondish hair. He came out screaming bloody murder and didn't stop for about a half hour. I had to have a c-section because we had some complications with his bp dropping really low with the contrations and I hadn't progressed at all in 3 hours. His head was starting to become coneheaded. So the doctor said it was the only way to get him out without putting both of us at risk. As soon as Iheard I had to have the c-section I began to cry. This was not the way I wanted things to go. I was so scared but everyone reassured me it would be okay and I'd see my baby boy in a few minutes. Tony got in his scrubs and my mom kissed me and cried as we went on our way.

The c-section wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I thought it would hurt but it didn't. I'm glad they didn't tell me when they were going to start opening me up because it would have made it worse. Tony stayed behind the curtain with me and before we even knew they began, we heard this crazy loud scream coming from Mr. Jaxson. Tony stood up and saw them pulling him out of me. He said it was really neat. He got to watch them sew my uterus upwhile it was on my chest. Jaxson just screamed the whole time even after they took him out of the room. They laid him on my chest and I met my boy. He was so cute and small. Tony looked so proud and happy in the pictures we took. The doctor said once he got in there, my uterus was swelling so the c-section was the only way to get him out safetly and he was glad we decided to do it. That made me feel much better about it.

They had to take me to recovery for a couple of hours. My epidural was making me shake so bad that I thought I was gonna shatter my teeth. They had to give me 4 shots of demerol to get it to stop. Tony took the baby to show everyone while I was in there.

We had lots of visitors throughout the weekend. We went home on Monday, September 6. Everything is pretty much a blur at the moment. I'm still trying to remember as much as I can.

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Last day with an inside baby

Well, it looks like tomorrow is the day. I really don't think he is coming on his own today so we will just have to give him a push (no pun intended) tomorrow. My body has slowly lost steam this week. I feel pretty crappy and just ready to get the show on the road. I feel a little sad and guilty about this week because I really don't feel that excited or scared or anything other than ready to get this baby out of me and start our next chapter. I haven't really been able to enjoy this last week with him inside me because I am just so over being pregnant at this point. I don't know if other people feel this way or not but that's just how I feel right now. I know tomorrow I will feel completely different about everything and I will be excited and scared and everything else that comes along with all this but for now, I'm over it all. Tomorrow I will probably be a mess of emotions and that's okay.

Overall, I've enjoyed parts of being pregnant and I've loathed parts of being pregnant. Would I do it again in the future? Probably maybe. At least next time I will have an idea of what I'm in for. I've enjoyed the kicks and wiggles and loathed the devil that is acid reflux.

Baby,
We are excited and scared to welcome you into our world tomorrow. I hope we can be the best parents that we can be. We will love you and protect you with eveything we have. See you soon.

God,
Please watch over us and keep us all safe and healthy. I know I'm asking a lot but please make tomorrow as pain free and stress free as possible and give us strength and courage to get through the long day. And thanks for blessing us with this little miracle baby.

Stay tuned...