What a crazy week this has been so far! Knock on wood, but it seems every day gets a little more routine and less hectic. By the time we figure out this feeding schedule, I'm sure it will change! It is just all so worth it though. Kekoa cracks us up with all his little faces and noises. His nickname is "chirp chirp" because while he sleeps, he randomly will make a chirping noise like a little bird. It is so cute!
Kekoa eats about every 2 hours. He is a very vigorous eater. We also had his first doctor's appointment. Scott and I really like our pediatrician. She wanted us to go to a Weigh and Feed, this week. We went to Good Samaritan Hospital and did just that. We weigh Kekoa before he is fed. Then he nurses and we weigh him again. We all want to know about how much milk he is getting. After feeding, Kekoa was back up to his birth weight of 7 pounds! Yeah! The pediatrician is also very happy about that.
The Weigh and Feed is actually a breast feeding support group. It is in the auditorium, it is free, and there are fabulous lactation consultants there to help you and answer any questions. It is a really special feeling to have all these moms there, sitting around, talking, and nursing in a very safe and welcoming environment.
Kekoa's next appointment is Monday and then we have an appointment with a lactation consultant. It will be a one on one session for an hour. I would like to get more confident trying other nursing holds and to get Kekoa off the "nipple shield". He needs to use it right now to help him latch on correctly. The lactation consultant at Good Samaritan (one of the best in the Bay Area) gave me more confidence and said that Kekoa will eventually be able to latch without the nipple shield. She made me feel better that there was nothing wrong. And come to find out, many of my friends and other woman at the Weigh and Feed had to use the nipple shield too, some for even 3 months!! I now don't feel like such a freak of nature.
Scott and I are just enjoying every second we can with our little guy. It is crazy how much he has already changed. When I flip through my camera at all the photos, I am so surprised at the changes! I love how snuggly he is right now and how I can nuzzle him perfectly into my shoulder. He is so sweet and really only fusses when he is hungry. I enjoy every feeding with him, even the late night ones. This is such a special time for all of us as a family.
Scott is just a wonderful support. He comes and gets Kekoa after he nurses, changes his diaper, and then Kekoa usually wants more milk, so he brings him back to me. When I need to pump, Scott takes care of the bottles, bags up the milk, and gets the pump all set up for me. He gives me massages, which my shoulders, arms, and legs need due to all this nursing. He brings me food, so I can eat while I'm nursing. (In case you didn't know, breast feeding makes you ravenous. I've never been this hungry in my life...not even when I was training for my marathon and running 50 miles a week! If Kekoa is having a hard time getting to sleep, Scott will rock him, sing to him, and chant "Ohm"...which really soothes him and gets Kekoa to calm down. It is so cool because Scott used to chant Ohm when Kekoa was in my belly and it had the same affect on him!
Scott and I are a great team! Kekoa is so lucky to have such an amazing dad and I am extremely lucky to have the best husband ever!
Yesterday we had 2 visitors. Auntie Kim, who brought me delicious peaches and homemade cookies. Yummy! And Auntie Mary, who brought a delicious pan of gooey, cheesy, veggie/meat lasagna. It was all warm and everything! Because they were here, I was able to get some me time...shower and stretch....simple things. It was so nice outside and I haven't been outside. I took the opportunity to stretch on the porch and watch the clouds go by. I ate my lasagna on the porch and watched the hummingbirds feed at our hummingbird feeding, the ducks fly by, and just enjoyed the outside air. I was able to do some yoga on the porch on it felt so good to stretch all my muscles out. Crazy how much easier yoga is now that I don't have a 7 pound baby in my belly. I mean, wow, I can touch my toes again and actually take deep breaths! And I have my balance back!
Auntie Cassie made us dinner last night. She is an amazing cook, I wish I had been taking pictures of all the wonderful meals she has made us! Last night was chicken, butternut squash, and couscous...YUM! For dessert, strawberry shortcake on angel food cake with some yummy lemony sauce on it!! She is also helping me water my plants outside, does laundry for us, and offers to get groceries. What a great support!
Another great support has been my dad and Jenny. We stayed overnight on Monday after the doctor's visit. Jenny is amazing and I finally got some much needed rest. She went to Target for me, did laundry, cooked, changed diapers, changed clothes, pretty much everything and anything I needed. Scott and I are so grateful for both my dad's and Jenny's help and support! It is such a wonderful feeling to know you have someone you can rely on in this rewarding, but challenging time in our lives. Kaiwei is just adorable too and very interested in Kekoa. He is almost one now and of course loves to play with loud toys. We have to remember to turn then all off or the baby wakes up!
Today we have another outing. It is quiet hilarious to see us try to get out of the house. This was already challenging for me without a baby! Monday was a big learning lesson, since we forgot so many important things (not the breast pump backpack, but ALL the parts to actually pump. thank goodness Jenny had a pump at the house, or I would've been in trouble!). We are going to Auntie Betty's house for a big party, who has know me since almost birth. Her kids, who are more like my cousins, and my brother and I all grew up together. We are all about the same age and now we all have kids at the same time! It will be really special and I will definitely have some pictures up soon.
