The First 3 Weeks

Wow, how the first 3 weeks have flown by!  Because I get 16 weeks off at my job, I think of weeks in relation to how many I have left.  I have 13 weeks left to spend with Baby Finn until I have to go back to work.  That's still a lot of weeks! 

These first 3 weeks have been incredible.  I've experienced so many new things, so many new emotions, and have really been tried as an individual and a woman.  One of the main reasons why I decided to get pregnant (aside from the fact that it sounded amazing), was because I was tired of my daily grind life.  I felt like I was seeking happiness in places that didn't really satisfy me.  I relied on the internet, and others to help me feel any joy about what I did in my life.  Facebook posts, Instagram photos and the like were the things that kept me feeling excited about life.  When I finally realized that I was wasting my time, and that I wasn't really adding value to the world, I finally figured out that I was BORED and I needed something that I could actually give back to.

I'd like to give a brief overview of each week and some highlights from them because I feel like a lot has happened in the life of Baby Finn and us as new parents.

Week 1

Arthur and I brought Baby Finn home from the hospital on Monday, July 1st.  CANADA DAY!  I was pretty excited about that.  I guess if he couldn't have been born on Canada Day, he could at least come home this day.  :)  We spent a lot of time trying to get out of the hospital.  We had to wait for a bunch of people to come in and do their last minute checks on Baby Finn and me.  We saw the Lactation Consultants, the Pediatricians, the nurses and the Midwife on duty.

I left feeling like I had a good grasp on what was expected of me going home.  I had talked to multiple people who had confirmed that I was breastfeeding properly and that Baby Finn and a good latch.  He was eating every 2 hours or so, and I was enjoying the time with him.

When it was finally time to leave, Arthur and I strapped Baby Finn into his carseat and we headed home. 

Getting there, we saw that Arthur's mom had come in and cleaned our house and put up a bunch of decorations.  It was so wonderful!  We also had a fridge, freezer and pantry all full of food for the next couple of weeks.  That was so nice, because when we went to the hospital, our house was a mess and all we had to eat was a half a loaf of bread and a few random things in the fridge.

Over the next day or so, I spent my time breastfeeding and getting little-to-no sleep.  Baby Finn was doing the majority of his sleeping either in my arms or in the bassinet.  Arthur would occasionally lay Baby Finn down in his crib, but I wasn't sure if there was a hard fast rule about where he should be sleeping.  I know that I had a baby monitor and we used that occasionally when we had to leave the room when he was sleeping.

After the first day, we noticed that Baby Finn hadn't had any poopy diapers and only 1 wet diaper.  The pediatrician told us that if we went for longer than 24 hours without a poopy diaper, that we needed to call their office.  I was worried on Wednesday morning as we had gone almost 30 hours without either type of diaper, even though I was breastfeeding like normal.

We ended up going in to the doctor and they told me that Baby Finn was dehydrated.  I did a few things to help Baby Finn get back up to speed.  I hired a Lactation Consultant to come to my home and give me some pointers about my latch and about the positions we were using.  She was very helpful, and I learned a lot.

Over the next week, Arthur and I worked really hard to make sure we were sticking to the schedule of feeding every 2 hours, and this paid off.  By the time we went back to the doctor on Thursday afternoon, he'd already gained 3.5 ounces.  He'd also had 2 poopy diapers and a few wet diapers.  It's funny how much these little things become so important.  Now I know why some moms get so excited on Facebook when their babies poop! 

Week 2

This was the week of visitors.  My sister came over on Monday evening and spent Monday and Tuesday nights with us and left Wednesday evening.  She was super helpful and gave me breaks so I could take naps here and there.  She also did a lot of cooking and cleaning for us, which was super helpful.  She spent time on Tuesday taking newborn pictures of Baby Finn.  We got a bunch of really cute shots!  I was so happy with them.  My sister is so talented!

 

On Thursday, it was my due date.  It's funny how nearly 2 weeks after my baby was here, I got to experience my due date.  I remember thinking back about how excited I was about that day and when it finally arrived, I already had Baby Finn here. 

Friday was Arthur's day off, and so I got to spend it with him.  I love it when Arthur is here, because we are able to share the responsibility of taking care of Baby Finn.  He also makes sure I have food to eat and he is available to help me wash bottles, or get my pump set up after breastfeeding.  He also keeps the house nice and clean so I don't feel like things are out of order.  I go crazy during the week when he is at work, because I miss having him around. 

Saturday  morning, Arthur got up after only a few hours of sleep since he stayed up until 2 with Baby Finn. He had to go get our Bountiful Baskets at 7 AM.  He came back and he complained of having the chills.  He took a bath and came out and went back to bed.  We realized that he was sick and had a case of the flu.  He slept all day Saturday and half of the day on Sunday.  I got very anxious on Sunday because I hadn't had a break for 2 nights.  I hadn't slept well, and I was falling asleep feeding Baby Finn.  I ended up calling Arthur's mom on Sunday to come over and spend some time with me because of how tired I was.  Baby Finn also needed a bath and I hadn't showered in 2 days.  She was able to come over and help us out. 

Thank goodness, Arthur started feeling better by Sunday evening and so he was finally able to hold Baby Finn that night.  You could tell that Arthur was sad that he'd missed the whole weekend to see him.  Baby Finn was happy to see his daddy too!

Week 3

We took Baby Finn to his 2 week well-check on Monday.  He was weighed, and he'd gone from 6 lbs, 3.5 oz, to 7 lbs 11 oz!  Gaining over a pound in a week and a half was incredible.  I was so proud of him!  They said they expected him to be at his birth weight, but he was almost a pound over that.  After seeing him dehydrated and miserable, to seeing him getting bigger and healthier... it made my day!

They also gave him his Hep B shot, which wasn't fun for the little guy.  He screamed so loud!  I hated seeing him cry, and so I cried too.  Baby Finn is such a good baby, he rarely cries for no reason.  So when I heard him crying the way he did, it was awful. 

My mom was able to come over on Tuesday and we spent the day with her.  Whitney and Jackson also came over, and Jackson was able to hold Baby Finn.  It was so cute to see them together! 

My mom was very helpful, and made sure I was able to eat breakfast.  She and Whitney allowed me time to take a shower and take a nap.  My mom made a delicious dinner and put it in the oven so Arthur and I just had to take it out and eat it. 

The next couple of days were fairly uneventful, Arthur was able to make it home most nights by 8:00 and was able to spend time with Baby Finn.  I usually try to take a nap in the evening before Arthur goes to bed so I can handle the night shift of feedings through to the morning. 

One of the best things Arthur and I learned at our 2 week appointment was that we could stop waking up Baby Finn every 2 hours to eat, and could feed more on demand.  I was excited about this because this meant he could sleep a little longer, and I could sleep a little longer.  :)  I have found that he still wakes up every 2 hours or so anyway, but it takes the stress off of me to manage it for him.  Now, I just listen for him in his crib and I go in and get him up to feed.

One thing I noticed yesterday night was a bump on Baby Finn's neck.  I saw it in the middle of the night when I was feeding him.  It was below his ear, just behind his left jaw.  It was more of a round bump that looked like a swollen lymph node.  I got VERY worried and counted the minutes until I could call the pediatrician.  I put him down to sleep and set my alarm for 9AM when they opened.  When I went in to get him up, the bump was much smaller, and so I figured it was just doing it's job and fighting an infection and was now going away. 

I had Arthur take a look at it yesterday, and he said it was a muscle in his neck.  I did some more research online and I realized that it was related to him not being able to turn his head to the left.  The bump is his muscle and it sticks out because he has been sleeping with his head turned to the right since he was born.  I also recall when he came out of the womb, that his right ear was squished flat, which says he had his head turned that way in me.  He prefers that side because that is the way he spent the majority of his time inside.  Since this time, I have been working to help him move his head the other way.  If he is still struggling with this by the beginning of next week, I might take him to see the doctor or a chiropractor to help him get the muscle worked out. 

Overall, Baby Finn is such a good baby.  He doesn't cry except for when he is tired and I am changing his diaper.  If he is hungry, he whimpers a little if I am taking my time getting him into position to feed.  He burps good, he latches good, he eats good and he sleeps hard.  The only thing that wakes him up is if he moves his arms and his blanket comes off.  I can generally go back in and cover him up and he is able to go back to sleep.

Arthur often reminds me how lucky I am to have such a good baby, who is easy to read and who doesn't stress me out too much.  I am really excited for him to get a little bit older and to be able to see him smile and be more engaged.  Right now, I still try to talk and sing to him the best I can.  Arthur is the best at it, he is constantly having a one-sided conversation with Baby Finn as he holds and cares for him.

One week left before he is a month old!  My goodness, how time flies!  :)