Alynne Tiffany- Week 1
1 Week Old
I've decided to post weekly about what's happening with Miss Alynne. I know I probably won't always be consistent with this (or this long!), but for now I want to remember every detail of my daughter's life, and if others care to read it too, great =]
November 20, 2013
This is the day that forever changed our lives. We are so in love with our little girl. I never knew that I could have such a deep love for such a little person. After having her, I am just even more in awe of the majesty of our Lord. The fact that he knit her so perfectly together in my womb in just 9 short months is incredible. We are so thankful for her, she truly is the best gift God has ever given us.
Labor & Delivery
My story of labor is a bit crazy. It started with me having contractions for 60+ hours. Sunday night as we went to bed, I started having contractions about 8-10 minutes apart. We thought for sure that we would be in the hospital by morning ready to welcome our baby girl. Morning came and went without any progress. I had a doctor's appointment that day, where my doctor told me that I was not in active labor (or anywhere close to it for that matter!), and she said that my contractions would probably taper off for a bit. Only they didn't. They only got more intense. But they were not getting closer together, so I continued to labor at home. This continued through Monday night and all day Tuesday. Ron and I tried all Tuesday to get my contractions to progress. We went for a walk in Riverside up and down a hill over and over. We cleaned the apartment. We went for another walk that night. That was certainly a sight to see- me having contractions in the middle of crosswalks and sidewalks! Only in New York does that not phase passerby's. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore, so I called my doctor, and she said I could go to the hospital and see if I had progressed any, and if not, they could possibly give me some morphine to sleep through the night. So Ron and I packed up our bags and headed to the hospital, hoping just to get some sleep for the night.
We got to St. Luke's only to find that the ward was insanely busy. There were no beds even available. I sat in triage for an hour while in labor. Once I finally got back to triage, we found out that I was far enough along and could be admitted! Since there were still no beds, we waited in triage for about another hour before getting to my room.
I had planned on having a natural birth, but that, along with the rest of my birth plan, quickly went out the window. Since I had already been having contractions for 48 hours, I was exhausted and started contemplating getting an epidural. Ron and I decied that we would wait another hour and then decide. Seven minutes later I was screaming for the epidural. And of course, as soon as I had decided that I wanted it, the anesthesiologist got called into an emergency c-section and I had to wait a bit to get it. It was a long night with slow progression. At more than one point, my epidural stopped working and I could feel everything, which was no fun. At 8:45, I started pushing, and at 9:34 Alynne shot into this world. I was in a state of shock, barely able to move, while Ron was a puddle of tears! We were so enamored by our little girl from the second we saw her!
Feeding
The first couple days of feeding were difficult. She wasn't latching very well, and when she did, she would just fall asleep. It was a little stressful. We went to the pediatrician on Friday, and she had lost some weight (which is normal). The doctor said that her appetite would increase and to keep pushing forward. Sure enough, by the end of the weekend, she was doing far better at eating! We went back to the pediatrician on Monday, and Alynne had already gained her birth weight back! The doctor said that this usually takes up to two weeks. The only thing that concerned me at that point was that the longest I could get her to eat was 13 minutes. The doctor said that it was clear that Alynne was eating very well and getting sufficient nutrients, so I should consider myself lucky that it only takes me 10 minutes for her to get a full feeding in!! So right now, Alynne is doing wonderful with eating. She still is a bit of a sleepy baby. I feed her on one side until she falls asleep, and then we change her diaper and burp her to wake her up before she finishes on the other side.
Sleeping
I am so glad that Alynne is a good eater, but I wish she was a good sleeper too! Well for the most part, she does really well. During the day, she has no problems. She falls asleep easily, and often times in her crib (When Gigi would set her down!). It's the nighttime that's the problem. She starts out good, but by 1:30 or 2 until 6:30 or 7, she is wide. awake. The pediatrician referred to this as the "witching hours" and said it is very common in newborns since many of them have daytime/nighttime confusion. She suggested that we try to feed every two hours during the day, so we've been trying to stick to this the last 2 days. So far no real change. We started giving her a pacifier during this time to help calm her down and sleep. This seems to work, until it falls out of her mouth. So we are still up in the air on whether or not this a good thing. We'll see what we do about the pacifier. We are just praying that she gets her days and nights straightened out soon, because right now I only get about 2 hours of sleep at night!
Last night she did sleep a little better during this time. She actually slept some, thank goodness. However when I got her out of her crib at her next feeding, apparently her diaper had come undone and consequently she peed through her diaper, onesie, swaddle, and sheets! Poor baby girl, hopefully she doesn't think this is what happens when she sleeps in the wee hours of the morning haha.
Temperament
Overall, Alynne is such a good baby. She is very content most of the time. She really only cries if she needs something- burp, diaper change, hungry. She does cry whenever we change her diaper- she quite dislikes that! Already though, she is starting to get better with that. She loves to be held and cuddled. She loves Ron's voice and will turn her head to try to find him whenever he speaks. It's quite adorable really. We love watching all of her little facial expressions and movements. My favorite are her "smiles." Ron loves when she extends her legs real straight and leaves them extended in the air for several seconds.
We gave her her first bath Saturday night. This was quite a traumatic event! She absolutely hated it and cried the entire time. It was so stressful, we didn't even attempt to wash her hair. Poor baby, I think it was too cold for her. Tuesday we decided to give washing her hair a try. We let the shower run for a bit first to heat up the bathroom, and then I kept her wrapped in a towel while Ron washed her hair over the sink. She loved it! She actually fell asleep in the middle of us grooming her. She loved the spa treatment haha.
This morning I ended up giving her another bath. This is because when I went to change her, she projectile pooped everywhere. It was all over her, me, the rocking chair, the floor, and pretty much anything within a 2 foot radius. Yikes. But needless to say, bath time went a little better today, she wasn't nearly as fussy! This poor girl has had a bit of a rough night and morning!
Milestones
First bath
First outing- to daddy's physical therapy!
Physical
7 lbs 6 oz
20 in
Lots of jet black hair!
blue/gray eyes (just like mommy's!)
Everyone says she looks exactly like Ron, but we think there's a little bit of me in there too- my lips, chin, facial structure, and eyes! But she definitely does favor her daddy!
Schedule
What schedule...haha jk. We're working on getting a routine going with her. We've been trying to observe her natural habits and are working towards a schedule this week. Last night we introduced our bedtime routine with her!
Special Events
Gigi came to visit for the week! Aly was always content to be in Gigi's arms! We were sad to see her leave.
Grandpa arrived last night- she has now officially met all of the grandparents!