He says we can't SPOIL her!

Wayne has always said that I am "spoiled". I won't deny this, but I don't feel like I am spoiled in a bad way! Things weren't just given to me; I appreciate everything that I have. I've earned some things that I wanted, growing up. Always, and I mean ALWAYS, I've never taking it for granted!

So, upon having our own, we've worried about her getting spoiled. Not just with people buying her things (clothing, toys, etc.), but by habits that she may develop.

When we first brought her home, I was breastfeeding. The bassinet (thanks B and Megan) was right beside the bed. At first, she had no issues sleeping in it, but about week 2, she wouldn't sleep more than an hour in it. Since I was nursing her, I began letting her sleep in the bed with me. It was just easier to pull out a boob and let her fall back to sleep if she was right beside me. She slept so delicately, that she would almost always wake back up as I laid her in the bassinet. For the sake of my sanity and her getting sleep, she began sleeping with Wayne and me.

It's now 8 weeks later, and she still sleeps in our bed. I can't sleep if she isn't in the bed! We worried about whether this was developing a "bad habit". My baby books all encourage "wearing" your baby and co-sleep/co-bedding with your child, but everyone we know has warned against "letting baby sleep in your bed". Most "mommy blogs" I've found on the net talk about the same thing; they love having their little one in the bed with them.

Camilla sleeping with us hasn't really interfered with anything outside of getting actual sleep on certain nights. Last night, for example, she was SUPER gassy again. Around 4 AM, she began stirring. There was the most ghastly fart I've heard in a while (even for her). She whimpered and started kicking, and ever so pitifully started to cry. I looked over at her, she was still sleeping. So I picked her up and put her on my tummy. I placed a pillow on the right side of us (in case she tried to roll, she wouldn't fall off the bed), and hugged her snugly.

We slept like this until I got up around 715 AM. She would pass gas, whimper and snuggle up to me. I would just hug her and pat her back/rub her back until she stopped wiggling. Several times during the day, we'd given her Mylicon (sp?), but since she didn't truly wake up in the night, I didn't try to give it to her then.

I don't understand why she gets such bad gas at times. It seems like it's one extreme or the other...either non-existent or so bad that she's miserable. Today is 2 month check-up, so I'm going to talk to her ped (again) about this....I'm wondering if Similac formula just doesn't agree with her?

Milk Drunk!

This is the look I get after I pull the bottle out of her mouth....when suckling stops, and the eyelids go droopy, and she just goes limp. About two seconds after this look, I get a little smile, and then she will either jerk herself awake or go to sleep!

What really cracks me up is the little squeal that she gives when you first start feeding her, and pull the bottle out of her mouth for that first burping! It's hilarious. And now, she's starting to arch her back and kick her legs when you try to burp her, throwing her little tantrum to tell you she wants the bottle back!!!!!

Video to follow VERY soon!

She's Dancing!

Over the course of Camilla's existence, I've had a time with her feedings. This began from birth, when her mouth was actually too small to get a good "latch" while I was nursing her! Even after being taught the "proper way" to get her to latch, her little mouth just couldn't hang on the way they told me "it was supposed to be".

Because of jaundice, we had to supplement formula along with the nursing. I would let her nurse for a few minutes, and the we used a tiny syringe filled with warmed formula and let her suck on my finger, while feeding her the formula. This was supposed to last only until my milk came in...but when that happened, well, it SUCKED!

I was sooo excited when I could tell my milk was coming in, this meant sooo much to me (as Camilla had lost almost a pound after bringing her home from the hospital!). That Friday was ok, things were going GREAT! By the time we went to bed, I was feeling a little too full and becoming sore, but I assumed it was normal? By Saturday morning, I was terribly engorged and couldn't stand having clothing on my body!

No matter what I did....something happened, and no milk would come out! I let Camilla nurse, I pumped, I'd try to squeeze it out...nothing. This continued through Sunday evening, and I couldn't take it anymore! We bought more formula, and I began the arduous journey of trying to "dry up". Trust me, it sounds like I gave up on nursing altogether, but I tried VERY hard for that 48 hours, and may have expelled about an ounce of milk. I couldn't let my child starve! :)

So, with the baby being formula-bound, we've had our share of tummy aches and constipation! I think most of her pain has been gassiness! At the last doctor visit, I explained to the pediatrician that Camilla sounded congested; this was met with, "She has acid reflux.", and we were put on a different formula?

I went home, and began to mix bottles with the new formula, transitioning her from old stuff to new stuff. At first, there was no change....outside of the fact that she would finish 4oz of formula and want more. I called the ped office and asked if I should give her 5oz, and they told me no. Then came the spitting up, which we have NEVER had issues with, until this new formula. We were still burping her 2 to 3 times each feeding. But when she became constipated and constantly gassy, I was finished!

The pain that child would express, passing loud gas, and the crying...we decided to let the ped know that this new formula for reflux (which I know she doesn't have), was causing too many problems, and we wanted to give her the original formula again! So we switched back...and for the past few days, we have still dealt with constipation, but the gas has pretty much gone away. No more tummy aches-YAY!

Saturday night, she finally pooped on her own, but it was still somewhat hard and round. Nothing on Sunday or Monday....but when Wayne dropped her off to me yesterday, I forgot to ask if she'd pooped for him (worrying that another suppository might be in our future), so I sent him a text message.

After her 630pm feeding, when I hadn't heard from Wayne, I decided to try to call him. Camilla had drifted off to sleep on my stomach, and when I raised up to grab my phone, I put my hand on her little bottom to brace her, and SQUISH! And then there was the MOST disgusting smell!!!

She woke up a little, and looked up at me and smiled; she stretched and became fully awake. I thought maybe she'd let one, and it was just stinky, but the squishiness of her diaper made me look.

I have NEVER seen that much poop in a diaper! She pooped SOOO much, that it was literally coming out of the top of the back of the diaper! ICK!!!!!!!!!!! I had planned on giving her a bath already, but that sealed the deal, for sure.

After I cleaned her up, before her bath....I put her in her bouncy seat, so that I could grab towels and shampoo, and get her bath ready....and when I came back into the living room, this is what I saw:


She was "dancing" and cooing; the happiest I've seen her, when left alone, in a while! I couldn't stop smiling, and I took several pictures!

Major Update!

So, the last blog I posted (2 months ago) was a doctor visit update? WOW....Ummm, Dr. S was out of town, so I was seeing the other doc in the office. He did the ultrasound to check the baby (she was fine), but to my disappointment, he didn't check to see if I'd dilated any more, or anything! I had my non stress test (hooked up to a fetal monitor) to check for contractions and to monitor the heartbeat of the baby. That all went smoothly.

The last visit with Dr. S, he said that he wanted to see me first thing Monday morning, upon his return, because we were going to discuss the induction again. Well, when I explained this to the nurse, she told me that he was all booked up until Thursday (August 20), and she made my appointment for that time. I was a little hormonal, and cried when I left the office. "WHY?", I thought to myself...couldn't things just go MY way for once!!?!!

On Sunday, August 16th, I was having what I thought was Braxton Hicks, and I felt a little out of whack (more tired than normal), but I blamed it on the heat and work. I went to bed early that night....didn't sleep much!

Monday morning, I woke up feeling sick to my stomach; I wasn't sure if it was something I ate or my sinuses, but I called my boss to tell her I was coming in a little late. I took a Tylenol, drank a big glass of water, and piled back in the bed with my pups. I felt a few contractions that morning, but again, very light and I thought they were BH!

When I woke up, I got dressed, feeling much better and went in to work. YAY, I got a call around lunch time that Dr. S WANTED to see me first thing Tuesday morning, and I even got an apology from the nurse (so I wonder if something was said to her?). I was soooo happy to see Dr. S, I sent texts to my dad and Wayne telling them I didn't have to wait until Thursday! :)

When I got home, I felt so good that I made dinner, and Wayne and I watched a movie. I, again, was feeling contractions, but they were so erratic and didn't feel all that strong. By 7 PM though, I knew they were REAL contractions, because it'd hit me about every 15 to 20 minutes. The wave of nausea that I'd had that morning hit me around 9, and I excused myself upstairs to take a shower, hoping that I could calm down to sleep.

At 10 PM, I laid down in the bed to cuddle with Wayne, and don't you know, I had to pee! It ALWAYS happens when I get comfortable. I got up to go to the bathroom, and (although I won't be as descriptive here) there was bright blood, which SCARED the daylights out of me! I called to Wayne that we needed to go to the hospital because I was bleeding. He (in my opinion) panicked a little; it seemed like he was running all over the place. Luckily, the bags were all packed and sitting by the door. I changed out of my nightgown, put on my slippers, and off we went.

I called my dad to tell him that we were going, but assured him that they would probably send me back home (as this was the story I'd heard SO many times from other first-time moms). Little did I know!!!!

By 11 PM, on August 17th, I was hooked up to a fetal monitor, wearing a diaper, laying in bed leaving messages to work and a few other people....WE were in LABOR!!! I'd love to go into detail about some of the MOST hilarious things I've ever experience in my life....I'm not sure I should? ;) There were times when I wasn't sure if I was having contractions or really bad gas; I was bugging the nurse every 5 seconds that I had to pee, when in reality it was amniotic fluid leaking, and she threatened me to not have Camilla in the toilet (because that would be a whole other set of paperwork for her to fill out!)!

All in all, I had a pleasant birthing experience. Although I swore I'd have a natural birth, after 3 hours of (what I thought were painful) contractions, I was shaking and exhausted....so I asked for an epidural at 4 AM. It was either that, or risk being too tired to have her without c-section, and I WASN'T having a c-section!!! By 9 AM, I was dilated to an 8, and they were prepping me to start pushing....By 11, I was pushing like there was NO tomorrow, and at 12:21 we had a baby! :)


She weighed 5lbs 15oz and was 18" long....and I don't know how my heart didn't explode! Especially when I looked over and one of the delivery nurses handed her to Wayne, and I saw him smile and start crying. My heart still swells even thinking about that sight. I didn't know that I could love him more than I already did....or that I could love ANYTHING more than I love him!

So, I'll skip forward a bit....Camilla weighs a little over 9 lbs now, and she's probably about 22" by now......


She's the most precious thing in our world!