January..the start of a new year and yet another trip to Bedford to have Christmas with Shad's family. Everyone was was going to be there, well most everyone, Uncle Daniel and his wife Alison were going to be absent. We drove up on New Year's Eve and had made plans to spend the night. Tara is still good to travel with at this age, as she usually goes to sleep as soon as the car starts moving. She slept most of the way up and I did too.
January also brought lots of new things in Tara's world. She started lifting her head for a few minutes at a time and grasping at things for short periods of time as well. She laughs and smiles all the time and turns her head when she hears a familiar voice. I have been the benefit of most of her milestones so far, but she is generous with her smiles and laughs with the whole family. Especially her Uncle Andrew. It seems that everytime she sees him it just calms her down and she has nothing but smiles for him. I think it is because he has a lot of facial hair right now and none of the other men she has seen so far do. She even has more hair than her Uncle Aaron!
The New Year started out great. We had dinner and opened gifts on New Year's Eve and stayed up late to welcome in the New Year. Tara was already alseep by the time I took her to bed in the wee hours of the morning and slept until late in the morning as well. That in itself is a blessing as well. No more middle of the night feedings! I usually try to feed her around 10pm and she sleeps until about 630 in the morning when I get her to the babysitter or to her other grandmas house. I was so surprised before Christmas when she slept through the night. I didn't expect it to continue but it has. She wakes up sometimes during the night, but goes back to sleep as soon as I find her pacifier. I am not sure if that is a good thing to do at this moment, but I will address that in another post. Tara is thriving and doing very well at this stage in her life and I as her mommy couldn't be happier.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Thursday, February 19, 2009
2 Months
December brought Tara's 2 month check-up and her first shots. In the first weeks of December, Shad and I decided to get Tara's tongue tie taken care of. She still wasn't gaining weight as she needed to. So I made an appointment with an Ear, Nose and Throat doctor. Luckily, they were able to get us in before Christmas. When they finally called us in and the doctor came to the room, I was very apprehensive about having the procedure done., but the doctor was very friendly and put me at ease. As much as I have heard Tara cry in the last month, I did not think I could be in the room with her when the procedure was done. I handed her over to Shad and left the room with tears already welling in my eyes.
I sat in the waiting room not far from where I left her and as soon as I heard her cries I lost it. Crying so hard, that the other person in the room went to get me a tissue. for which I was grateful. It seemed like only minutes before the doctor opened the door and asked me to come back. Tara had already stopped crying and had her head on her daddy's shoulder. She smiled at me and I was happy to see that she was ok.
Exactly one week later, I took Tara to the pediatrician for her two month check-up and first set of shots :-( I was hopeful that she had gained some weight in the week following the tongue tie procedure. And I wasn't disappointed. She weighed an even 10 pounds! Now I'm not sure how much weight they are suppoed to gain per month, but since she had a hard time gaining weight in the beginning, I was hopeful that this was the start of some major weight gain from month to month. The doctor gave her a clean bill of health and I had to wait for the nurse to come in with the shots. That didn't go well either. She had to swallow 1 and get four shots, all in her little legs. She cried but I think I cried more. I was careful to avoid hurting her legs as I dressed her and took her home as quickly as possible. She slept a lot that day and didn't eat much as I expected. She was also very fussy when she was awake and didn't want to be put down, so I spent much of my day off just holding her and walking with her, not that I minded all that much.
I hate shots myself, so I know these were painful, especially for my tiny little girl.
I sat in the waiting room not far from where I left her and as soon as I heard her cries I lost it. Crying so hard, that the other person in the room went to get me a tissue. for which I was grateful. It seemed like only minutes before the doctor opened the door and asked me to come back. Tara had already stopped crying and had her head on her daddy's shoulder. She smiled at me and I was happy to see that she was ok.
Exactly one week later, I took Tara to the pediatrician for her two month check-up and first set of shots :-( I was hopeful that she had gained some weight in the week following the tongue tie procedure. And I wasn't disappointed. She weighed an even 10 pounds! Now I'm not sure how much weight they are suppoed to gain per month, but since she had a hard time gaining weight in the beginning, I was hopeful that this was the start of some major weight gain from month to month. The doctor gave her a clean bill of health and I had to wait for the nurse to come in with the shots. That didn't go well either. She had to swallow 1 and get four shots, all in her little legs. She cried but I think I cried more. I was careful to avoid hurting her legs as I dressed her and took her home as quickly as possible. She slept a lot that day and didn't eat much as I expected. She was also very fussy when she was awake and didn't want to be put down, so I spent much of my day off just holding her and walking with her, not that I minded all that much.
I hate shots myself, so I know these were painful, especially for my tiny little girl.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Formula vs Breast feeding
Do babies really like the taste of this stuff? It smells bad and tastes bad, at least to me, but Tara seems to like the stuff, and who am I to tell her any different. I can't drink the stuff. I had hoped to be able to breast feed her for an entire year, but things did not work out in my favor and I had to continue to feed her the formula. But it did come in handy when we went to Shad's moms house for Thanksgiving. In a house full of people, it is hard to find a place to breast feed a baby and be left completely alone.
So it was just easier to give her formula only while we were away from home and then breast feed her when we got home later in the evening. I read all the books about why breast feeding is good for the baby and for mom too. And I loved breast feeding. The smell of the baby, having her close to me while she was nursing, hearing all the sounds she made while nursing. But knowing that she was not gaining weight as she should be was my main concern and I would do anything to make sure she was healthy.
Those first few weeks where I was breast feeding only were great. I noticed a change in my body almost immediately. I lost some weight quickly, but also knew that I had to keep eating well and make sure I was getting enough calories in order to keep up my milk. That was hard. If I fell asleep after nursing Tara, I would sleep as long as she did and if she woke up and it was time to feed her again, I didn't even think about trying to eat something.
As for the baby, it helps them get important immunities from the mother as they are nursing. This helps them build up their immune systems. I know that there are some moms who would rather breast feed and there are some who absolutely refuse to breast feed. I know that I will do it again with any other children I have because the experience is one that I will cherish. That first bond between mom and baby is important and the way it helped me bond with Tara those first few weeks is unforgettable.
So it was just easier to give her formula only while we were away from home and then breast feed her when we got home later in the evening. I read all the books about why breast feeding is good for the baby and for mom too. And I loved breast feeding. The smell of the baby, having her close to me while she was nursing, hearing all the sounds she made while nursing. But knowing that she was not gaining weight as she should be was my main concern and I would do anything to make sure she was healthy.
Those first few weeks where I was breast feeding only were great. I noticed a change in my body almost immediately. I lost some weight quickly, but also knew that I had to keep eating well and make sure I was getting enough calories in order to keep up my milk. That was hard. If I fell asleep after nursing Tara, I would sleep as long as she did and if she woke up and it was time to feed her again, I didn't even think about trying to eat something.
As for the baby, it helps them get important immunities from the mother as they are nursing. This helps them build up their immune systems. I know that there are some moms who would rather breast feed and there are some who absolutely refuse to breast feed. I know that I will do it again with any other children I have because the experience is one that I will cherish. That first bond between mom and baby is important and the way it helped me bond with Tara those first few weeks is unforgettable.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
First Month
The first days at home were a little crazy. My fiancee, and Tara's father was able to stay home with me for the first week and boy did that help. Although there was little sleep for the both of us that first week.
I had opted to breast feed, and although she had done well in the hospital, being at home without the aid of the nurses was a totally different experience. I thought I had it all down pat, but Tara was a demanding little girl. It seemed like I was always feeding her without any time to rest in between. I could hardly eat or sleep in between feedings, plus she would fall asleep while she was feeding.
What I didn't know was that my daughter was born with a tongue tie. This is where the baby's tongue is tied down in front with a thin little membrane. It affected the way she ate and feeding at the breast. She wasn't gaining weight as she was supposed to. So after many doctor appointments she finally started to gain weight. I was feeding her about every two hours, starting with breast milk an finishing with formula. But still her tongue tie was never far from my mind.
She was in every way a normal baby. She started to smile and recognized my voice. We spent that first month together just getting to know each other. It was something I wouldn't trade for anything. That bond between mother and child had been forged and could never be broken.
I had opted to breast feed, and although she had done well in the hospital, being at home without the aid of the nurses was a totally different experience. I thought I had it all down pat, but Tara was a demanding little girl. It seemed like I was always feeding her without any time to rest in between. I could hardly eat or sleep in between feedings, plus she would fall asleep while she was feeding.
What I didn't know was that my daughter was born with a tongue tie. This is where the baby's tongue is tied down in front with a thin little membrane. It affected the way she ate and feeding at the breast. She wasn't gaining weight as she was supposed to. So after many doctor appointments she finally started to gain weight. I was feeding her about every two hours, starting with breast milk an finishing with formula. But still her tongue tie was never far from my mind.
She was in every way a normal baby. She started to smile and recognized my voice. We spent that first month together just getting to know each other. It was something I wouldn't trade for anything. That bond between mother and child had been forged and could never be broken.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Pregnancy to Birth
Hi all you new parents and parents to be. My name is Lori and I just had a beautiful baby girl almost 4 months ago. I am in no means a professional, but I am a new parent myself and a working woman as well and wanted to share some of my ups and downs and maybe we can all help each other. I welcome any comments, tips, tricks and complaints you may have. I am here to listen. So please read and enjoy and post at will.
We all know where babies come from and I know most women hate being pregnant, but me, well I loved it. I was very lucky in the fact that I had no morning sickness ( I know there are some of you that will hate me) and was basically able to continue to work normal hours and keep up with my normal routine at home. I can also say that I worked two jobs for most of my pregnancy. Most of you will call me stupid or ridiculous, but that extra money came in handy when I needed it. When I finally left that second job it was a blessing in disguise. I had more time to relax and spent more time with the baby's father.
When it came time for me to give birth, the doctor told me a t my final visit that I was 2 centimeters dialated and that she was giving me that weekend to have the baby on my own, or she was going to induce me on Monday morning. Excited as I was, I was scared to death. Turned out I went into labor on saturday night about midnight and did not know it. I suffered all that night until about 7 am Sunday morning. By that time, I was in so much pain tht I could not tae it any more. My water had not yet broken so I wasn't sure what was going on.
By the time we made it to the hospital, my pains were getting sharper. Nurses came and helped me into bed and got things rolling, when they checked me out I was 10 centimeters. I could not believe it, my baby girl was about to be born.
My daughter, Tara Lynn was born at 7:56 am on Ocober 19th 2008. It was the single greatest moment of my life.
We all know where babies come from and I know most women hate being pregnant, but me, well I loved it. I was very lucky in the fact that I had no morning sickness ( I know there are some of you that will hate me) and was basically able to continue to work normal hours and keep up with my normal routine at home. I can also say that I worked two jobs for most of my pregnancy. Most of you will call me stupid or ridiculous, but that extra money came in handy when I needed it. When I finally left that second job it was a blessing in disguise. I had more time to relax and spent more time with the baby's father.
When it came time for me to give birth, the doctor told me a t my final visit that I was 2 centimeters dialated and that she was giving me that weekend to have the baby on my own, or she was going to induce me on Monday morning. Excited as I was, I was scared to death. Turned out I went into labor on saturday night about midnight and did not know it. I suffered all that night until about 7 am Sunday morning. By that time, I was in so much pain tht I could not tae it any more. My water had not yet broken so I wasn't sure what was going on.
By the time we made it to the hospital, my pains were getting sharper. Nurses came and helped me into bed and got things rolling, when they checked me out I was 10 centimeters. I could not believe it, my baby girl was about to be born.
My daughter, Tara Lynn was born at 7:56 am on Ocober 19th 2008. It was the single greatest moment of my life.
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