One week ago today we were at the hospital having just found out (around 11am) that my water had broken just over 4 weeks early. After 22 hours or so of hard labor and giving in and getting an epidural, our little girl was born at 6:54am on Sunday January 27th, 2013 - exactly four weeks early.
She had a rough start and was taken directly to the NICU where she has been ever since. Each time we see her she's a little bit better.
Sunday she was having some difficulty breathing normally - she was breathing really fast.
Updated January 6, 2014 (is this right?)
Monday - CPAP to help her breathe
Tuesday - off the CPAP and just with a tube to give a bit of pressure to help her breathe
Wednesday - lights for the jaundice
Thursday - off the lights because she pulled them off her face
Friday - told that Monday she'll go home as long as everything is fine, may be over the weekend?
Saturday - Out of the incubator!
Sunday - weight going up
Monday - HOME
Monday, January 6, 2014
Thursday, December 26, 2013
Weaned from the pump!!
Ok so I never actually got around to writing this when I did wean which was now A LONG time ago. But I wanted to just write about weaning in case people did a search or in case I ever have to go through it again. When Mariko was about 8 months old or so, I started weaning from the pump. I was pumping 5x a day at that point and it was driving me nuts. I also realized that if I stopped around 9 months that I should have enough to get her pretty close to a year. So, I started by tapering the amount of time on the middle of the day pumps, planning to consolidate those from 3 to 2 and to leave the early morning pump and the before bedtime pump alone. So then I went down to 4. It's amazing how 4x a day was so much more manageable than 5 and I wish I had done it sooner because honestly my supply didn't really suffer at all. The first day or two I had to go back up in time, pumping nearly 35 minutes on those two middle of the day pumps.
Pumping times
5x a day: 5,9,1,5,9
4x a day: 5,10,3,9
3x a day: 9,1,9
2x a day: 9,9
1x a day: 9pm
Dropping to three took about a week and a half (as did going from 5 to 4) instead of my estimated week or so. Going to three was amazing because it meant taking out the early morning pump. I hadn't been pumping in the middle of the night for a while but when Mariko woke up to eat I was getting up to pump so it was anywhere from 3-5am and then I was waiting until her first nap usually around 8:30 or 9. The three times a day was amazing. Only twice during the day while she was awake was incredible. No more 5pm pumping (right before dinner time and when my mom was getting home) and I could kind of fudge the times a bit if I needed to. Going 12 hours without pumping was incredible. Then from there I dropped to 2 and that was even better. I would wait until her first nap to pump and then not again until after she was in bed! I was also able to do the nighttime pump earlier so I could go to bed earlier if I wanted which was awesome. Finally I dropped to 1 pump and after a week or so of that, I decided I wanted to see how long I could go. I had gotten down to about 15 minutes. So, I decided that I would just wait and see. I ended up going 36 hours and pumping during a morning nap right before leaving for PEPS. After that, I was done!
The first week I felt great and I thought, wow this was easier than I thought! But then week 2 and in to week three was really hard. I was uncomfortable and in pain but I didn't wan to pump. So I would massage in the shower. I read everything. Some people said ice some said warm, some said massage some didn't, some said bind them and wait it out. The tight bra was painful and I gave up on that really quick. The ice wasn't comfortable but I did that and it seemed to help me. That and cabbage leaves which help with clogs.
I honestly couldn't believe that I was finally done and the pump stayed on the desk for a long time. I kept thinking I was going to have to pump again. Finally after 3 weeks or so, I put it away and it's still away! There is no way that I miss it. None at all. I am honestly amazed that I made it as long as I did. At the final tally (on the last day that I put in more than I took out from the freezer) I was at 2124.5 ounces. Amazing. Tomorrow Mariko will be 11 months old and I have about 550 ounces left in the freezer. I don't think that will last another month as that's not even 20 ounces a day. But, it will be close. Very close. I am so amazed at myself for making it that long! Honestly, if we have nursing issues again, for me to EP for this long, I'm going to either need a nanny at home with Mariko, or she's going to need to be in childcare during the day. I can not imagine doing this with a 2 year old (or however old) at home, and an infant. NOT POSSIBLE.
What a ride it was and I'm glad it's over! The only thing I miss is the bigger boobs. I am excited to soon go and get new bras though, as my old ones don't fit! So excited to not be wearing nursing bras and tans any more!
To anyone reading this who is pumping: Hang in there as long as you can but don't feel bad when you need to stop. It's hard to stop. I had a much harder time dropping from 5 to 4 and 4 to 3 than I thought. Then at 2 I thought, I could do this longer. But, I'm glad I stopped when I did. I hated the pump and I hated being attached to it for so long everyday. 2.5 hours everyday for months. Do what you can and never feel bad, or let anyone else make you feel bad, for stopping. You can only do as much as you can and it's more important that you be there for your baby and be a happy and healthy mama!
Pumping times
5x a day: 5,9,1,5,9
4x a day: 5,10,3,9
3x a day: 9,1,9
2x a day: 9,9
1x a day: 9pm
Dropping to three took about a week and a half (as did going from 5 to 4) instead of my estimated week or so. Going to three was amazing because it meant taking out the early morning pump. I hadn't been pumping in the middle of the night for a while but when Mariko woke up to eat I was getting up to pump so it was anywhere from 3-5am and then I was waiting until her first nap usually around 8:30 or 9. The three times a day was amazing. Only twice during the day while she was awake was incredible. No more 5pm pumping (right before dinner time and when my mom was getting home) and I could kind of fudge the times a bit if I needed to. Going 12 hours without pumping was incredible. Then from there I dropped to 2 and that was even better. I would wait until her first nap to pump and then not again until after she was in bed! I was also able to do the nighttime pump earlier so I could go to bed earlier if I wanted which was awesome. Finally I dropped to 1 pump and after a week or so of that, I decided I wanted to see how long I could go. I had gotten down to about 15 minutes. So, I decided that I would just wait and see. I ended up going 36 hours and pumping during a morning nap right before leaving for PEPS. After that, I was done!
The first week I felt great and I thought, wow this was easier than I thought! But then week 2 and in to week three was really hard. I was uncomfortable and in pain but I didn't wan to pump. So I would massage in the shower. I read everything. Some people said ice some said warm, some said massage some didn't, some said bind them and wait it out. The tight bra was painful and I gave up on that really quick. The ice wasn't comfortable but I did that and it seemed to help me. That and cabbage leaves which help with clogs.
I honestly couldn't believe that I was finally done and the pump stayed on the desk for a long time. I kept thinking I was going to have to pump again. Finally after 3 weeks or so, I put it away and it's still away! There is no way that I miss it. None at all. I am honestly amazed that I made it as long as I did. At the final tally (on the last day that I put in more than I took out from the freezer) I was at 2124.5 ounces. Amazing. Tomorrow Mariko will be 11 months old and I have about 550 ounces left in the freezer. I don't think that will last another month as that's not even 20 ounces a day. But, it will be close. Very close. I am so amazed at myself for making it that long! Honestly, if we have nursing issues again, for me to EP for this long, I'm going to either need a nanny at home with Mariko, or she's going to need to be in childcare during the day. I can not imagine doing this with a 2 year old (or however old) at home, and an infant. NOT POSSIBLE.
What a ride it was and I'm glad it's over! The only thing I miss is the bigger boobs. I am excited to soon go and get new bras though, as my old ones don't fit! So excited to not be wearing nursing bras and tans any more!
To anyone reading this who is pumping: Hang in there as long as you can but don't feel bad when you need to stop. It's hard to stop. I had a much harder time dropping from 5 to 4 and 4 to 3 than I thought. Then at 2 I thought, I could do this longer. But, I'm glad I stopped when I did. I hated the pump and I hated being attached to it for so long everyday. 2.5 hours everyday for months. Do what you can and never feel bad, or let anyone else make you feel bad, for stopping. You can only do as much as you can and it's more important that you be there for your baby and be a happy and healthy mama!
Friday, October 4, 2013
And so we begin weaning from the pump!
I started weaning last weekend - I am down to 4x a day from 5 and it makes such a huge difference! Having to pump only twice during the day while she's awake instead of 3 times (and 4-5 hours apart instead of 3+) makes such an amazing difference in my day. I think I might have been less resentful of this whole thing overall with 4 instead of 5.
Supply has dropped a little bit but not much and I am slowly decreasing the time, especially with the two middle of the day pumps. I am concerned about dropping another though as that will mean going to only 3 and each one 8 hours apart. Right now the only time I go that long is at night and then I don't notice it because I'm not awake! The plan is to do that this weekend but I think I might need more time of dropping down the middle of the day pumps before I can do that. I'm focused mostly on dropping time off the 10am one so that I can make it to 1pm.
So far I'm still adding to the freezer stash and have nearly 2000 ounces! The freezer in the garage has three full shelves and I may need to use the bottom one as well.
Supply has dropped a little bit but not much and I am slowly decreasing the time, especially with the two middle of the day pumps. I am concerned about dropping another though as that will mean going to only 3 and each one 8 hours apart. Right now the only time I go that long is at night and then I don't notice it because I'm not awake! The plan is to do that this weekend but I think I might need more time of dropping down the middle of the day pumps before I can do that. I'm focused mostly on dropping time off the 10am one so that I can make it to 1pm.
So far I'm still adding to the freezer stash and have nearly 2000 ounces! The freezer in the garage has three full shelves and I may need to use the bottom one as well.
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Pumping
We are getting seriously close to the time in which I get to start weaning from the pump and amazingly the only thing I can think of is "why am I doing that again?" and "will there be enough milk to get her to a year?" Crazy right? I mean all I have done for the last 8 months is complain about how much I hate pumping - it takes up too much time (3 hours a day), it means that I don't get to sleep (because I still get up to pump at 5am every morning) and that it's the last thing I think about at night and the first thing I think about in the morning. It is the center of my universe (well, second to Mariko anyway). My day revolves around it - when will Mariko sleep so I can pump? and trying to fit it in when we have other things to do. I have pumped more hours than I care to think about and pumped who knows how many ounces (I have it written though starting from the end of February so I'm really only missing the first month and I can probably guess based on what she was eating because at that point, honestly, I was just barely making enough to feed her).
So this weekend I will go down from 5 pumps to 4. Doesn't seem like a big thing but over the last few days Mariko has been eating like a champ and it makes me think that maybe I won't be able to get her to a year. Yes, plenty of kids do just fine on formula (Jason, Jeffrey and I!) but I feel like since that was my goal, I want to make it. I'll spend a week at 4, a week at 3 a week at 2 a week at 1 and then hopefully be done. I've read about others doing it and they say from 2 to 1 is the hardest and then at the end you might have to pump a couple of times (every 2 to 3 days or so) until you no longer feel like you need to. So. I will be done when she turns 9 months old, or there abouts.
When we go to Medford I will bring the pump (since this will be just after I get done with my week at 1) however I am hoping that I will be able to make it the whole trip without pumping. We shall see.
It's weird how I thought this was going to be so easy. I hate spending all this time with the pump, but it really is more difficult than I thought it would be. Reading what other people wrote about trying to wean and then not seemed crazy to me but now that I'm getting closer to doing it, I get it. Not making it to a year makes me seem like a failure even though I never planned to make it that far. I planned to make it to 6 months and I have gone way beyond that. I have done the best I can for Mariko and I will get her darn close to a year. I look forward to spending time with her and enjoying her nap time (and maybe being able to be productive and play some clarinet or something?) instead of running to the pump every time she goes down for a nap.
So this weekend I will go down from 5 pumps to 4. Doesn't seem like a big thing but over the last few days Mariko has been eating like a champ and it makes me think that maybe I won't be able to get her to a year. Yes, plenty of kids do just fine on formula (Jason, Jeffrey and I!) but I feel like since that was my goal, I want to make it. I'll spend a week at 4, a week at 3 a week at 2 a week at 1 and then hopefully be done. I've read about others doing it and they say from 2 to 1 is the hardest and then at the end you might have to pump a couple of times (every 2 to 3 days or so) until you no longer feel like you need to. So. I will be done when she turns 9 months old, or there abouts.
When we go to Medford I will bring the pump (since this will be just after I get done with my week at 1) however I am hoping that I will be able to make it the whole trip without pumping. We shall see.
It's weird how I thought this was going to be so easy. I hate spending all this time with the pump, but it really is more difficult than I thought it would be. Reading what other people wrote about trying to wean and then not seemed crazy to me but now that I'm getting closer to doing it, I get it. Not making it to a year makes me seem like a failure even though I never planned to make it that far. I planned to make it to 6 months and I have gone way beyond that. I have done the best I can for Mariko and I will get her darn close to a year. I look forward to spending time with her and enjoying her nap time (and maybe being able to be productive and play some clarinet or something?) instead of running to the pump every time she goes down for a nap.
Friday, September 20, 2013
Medford, OR
Toshi was offered an interview in Medford, OR. This is the first interview that he's been offered for a job that would start in July once he's done with fellowship. I am excited that he got an interview but I'm not excited about how far away it is. However, at this point it's the only one he's gotten and we need to be realistic about where we might end up. There are not a lot of radiology jobs and this may be the only one. However, I'm trying to be hopeful about it all and since we still have 9 months maybe something else will turn up.
He scheduled the interview for November 1st. We will leave on the 31st and drive down to Medford. They are putting us up in a hotel (I am going to call once we've got info and see about if we are going to have a fridge and a kitchenette and if not see if we can pay to upgrade to one. With Mariko I think that having a bigger room and a kitchenette will be really really helpful.) We will stay there Thursday night, Toshi will interview on Friday, we have a dinner on Friday night. We'll stay in Medford Friday night and then Saturday we will see the town. After that we will drive to Coos Bay to see Clarks and stay with them Saturday and Sunday night. Monday we drive back. Should be an adventure with Mariko - first time for her a in a hotel!
He scheduled the interview for November 1st. We will leave on the 31st and drive down to Medford. They are putting us up in a hotel (I am going to call once we've got info and see about if we are going to have a fridge and a kitchenette and if not see if we can pay to upgrade to one. With Mariko I think that having a bigger room and a kitchenette will be really really helpful.) We will stay there Thursday night, Toshi will interview on Friday, we have a dinner on Friday night. We'll stay in Medford Friday night and then Saturday we will see the town. After that we will drive to Coos Bay to see Clarks and stay with them Saturday and Sunday night. Monday we drive back. Should be an adventure with Mariko - first time for her a in a hotel!
Monday, September 9, 2013
Adventures in swaddling and napping
Mariko is a swaddle addict. She takes all her naps and sleeps at night in a swaddle and always has. I think that we are getting to the point of needing to stop swaddling her - as she can now roll over in the swaddle. We have tried stopping before and it didn't work. She flails and cries and even if she does get to sleep, she doesn't sleep very long because she moves so much in her sleep. I bought a Zipadee Zip sleep sack which has enclosed hands and is supposed to be a transition to stop swaddling. She's too small for it and it's still too much freedom so we put a lose swaddle blanket on the outside or inside. We will see how it all goes.
Also, naps. Mariko has always been a 45 minute napper. For the longest time she was taking 4-45 minute naps and then dropped to 3. Now she's taking a long nap (usually during nap 1 or 2 time) and then taking 2 other short naps throughout the day. However, over the last couple of days, she's gone to taking one short nap and one long nap! And last night she slept 13 hours. I only let her sleep in that long because it helped with going to Stroller Strides class this morning. I really don't want her to be a "all sleeping at night, no nap" kid so I think I may need to start waking her up in the morning. I think that two naps is ok for her at this point as long as she doesn't try to give up the late afternoon short one (which she does sometimes when she has taken a short first nap and long second one). It would be great for her to sleep from say 10-11:30 and then 1:30 or 2-3:00. That sounds fantastic. I'm going to work on that ;-)
Anyway, the adventure continues! Everyday is an adventure with her!
Also, naps. Mariko has always been a 45 minute napper. For the longest time she was taking 4-45 minute naps and then dropped to 3. Now she's taking a long nap (usually during nap 1 or 2 time) and then taking 2 other short naps throughout the day. However, over the last couple of days, she's gone to taking one short nap and one long nap! And last night she slept 13 hours. I only let her sleep in that long because it helped with going to Stroller Strides class this morning. I really don't want her to be a "all sleeping at night, no nap" kid so I think I may need to start waking her up in the morning. I think that two naps is ok for her at this point as long as she doesn't try to give up the late afternoon short one (which she does sometimes when she has taken a short first nap and long second one). It would be great for her to sleep from say 10-11:30 and then 1:30 or 2-3:00. That sounds fantastic. I'm going to work on that ;-)
Anyway, the adventure continues! Everyday is an adventure with her!
Adventures with food
Watching Mariko learn to feed herself has been so much fun. She clearly loves to eat and has a serious determination to do so. I started with her just sitting on my lap and not too long after that, she started reaching for my food. So I would leave little pieces of things for her to grab as I was eating. Around the time that she turned 6 months old my dad bought her her highchair. The Tripp Trapp is incredible and we love it. It looks like a big kid chair (with an addition to help her not fall out of it) and allows her to sit at the table with us when we eat. I love having her involved in meals that way, with her own place at the table and everything. I think that she likes it too.
We've been doing the food thing about 6 weeks or so now and so far she's really seemed to like everything. We need to come back to peas and avocado though as peas made her cheeks really red and avocado made her spit up (that was the first thing I gave her and I think it might have just been too much at the beginning). I think that she has favorites and honestly, it's mostly fruit - peaches and pears I would say are her favorite - but she also LOVES broccoli. Yesterday she started raspberries and it is fun to watch her working on her pincer grasp! I really believe that kids should eat this way, it's so much more natural than purees and even though it's really messy, the prep is so much easier. I also think it's good, especially for a kid like Mariko who was early and is still a bit behind, because it makes her work on her coordination and fine motor skills.
I can't wait for the day when she will just eat what we eat and I can just give her food off my plate. So looking forward to that!
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