When Daniel was born he was a very sleepy baby. He never cried and fed little and therefore lost almost 10% of his birthweight(no wonder he lost all that weight). All the babies in the ward cried constantly he looked so contented and happy just sleeping. I worried that he wasn't been fed and was given what I know is wrong advice 'let the baby sleep'. At that early age when they are tiny they need to feed little and often and to get the breast feeding off to a good start it is important they are woken up every three hours or so but poor Daniel just slept there was a day when he only fed once in the morning and once in the evening.
On day 3 during our hospital stay (30th June) we got moved to a private room as I found the general ward so noisy and I had been in the hospital since Friday 25th June that I just felt so tearful and sensitive and a nice midwife suggested that a single room might be more suitable which it really was, had more privacy and also being able to sleep better at night. At this point Daniel became more alert and started to cry a bit more. I also had a crisis point with breast feeding as he wasn't very keen to latch on. I cried several times together with him I was so worried about not being able to breast feed him. It is really important to me that I do as I feel the bond when breast feeding is incredible between mother and child. At this point my breasts started to feel full and I was told that milk was on the way. Daniel seemed to reluctantly feed and at one point I had to give him formula as he wouldn't take the breast milk for hours. The midwifes weren't keen on me giving him formula but I felt he was going without food for so many hours that it was best to give him something even though it wasn't breast milk.
On Thursday, 1st July we were leaving the hospital. Daniel had a blood test to check on the level of jaundice as he has been jaundiced since he was born and the level was below the treatment level and he was weighed and although he lost 10% of his birth weight he had started to gain it slightly - I think he gained 30gms at that point. They were happy for us to take him home.
Alan arrived about 1:30pm with the car seat and Daniel's 'No 1 Footie Fan' leaving outfit and Daniel proceeded to cry.
He quickly settled though and had his eyes tightly closed on the way home. It was very strange being at home - everything felt different - I got used to the hospital system of changing his nappies and putting his to bed in his clear glass crib. I also felt very protective of Daniel and kept Maja (our cat) well away. Alan's Mum and his Nana also came to visit us and Daniel was OK, not too fussy or anything.
On Saturday, 3rd July we took Daniel for a walk to Sam and Karen's birthday BBQ. Here is a picture of Daniel in his pushchair and I can honestly say that he seemed very contented to be taken out although I think he was really petrified of the big wide world so kept his eyes tightly shut !
The next day it seems that Daniel really woke up properly, has a good look around and proceeds to tell us that he actually is a rather unsettled newborn baby and starts demanding frequent feeding. I was a breast on demand (all the time) and all he did was be attached to me and not sleep any long periods of time. I found this exhausting. This went on for a few days and a healthy visitor came to visit me and she suggested that I should rest more and get some help. I asked Alan's Mum to help and she came on Wednesday, 7th July and looked after Daniel while I had lunch. I also asked her to cook me a home made soup as I was getting fed up with eating sandwiches all the time which she did for me!
Breastfeeding has been a real challenge. Daniel seems to feed all the time and I felt really worn out. A health visitor came and suggested we occasionally supplemented with formula to give myself a little rest which is what we started to do. But now he fusses at the breast so obviously is getting too used to formula. It's so difficult as I am so tired with constant feeding but on the other hand you know that breast is best. We'll stick with breastfeeding.
A health visitor came to see Daniel on Thursday, 15th July and he got weighed and he has gained a pound since last visit which was 7 days ago. So I must be doing something right if he is gaining weight. He is now 9lb 14 oz which is nearly 10 pounds.
Daniel has started to smile more and more, I thought it was just wind but his eyes and corners of the mouth move when he looks at me and I just melt - he really is the cutest baby and we are so lucky!!!
Also, noticed that he can roll more easily if left on the sofa so must be more careful with him as he is moving more and more (getting stronger). Also, his neck is being supported a lot more, it used to be when you hold him to your chest but now he seems to move his neck almost all the time. He was never too floppy a baby but now he is definitely more in control. Can't believe how quickly he is growing... He will be three weeks tomorrow (18th July)...
We went to the Baby Clinic on 21st July as he has been crying quite a lot (colic) and to have him weighed. He has put on more weight and weighs 10.4lb now. The doctor said I need to give up all diary as this could be the reason that he's got colic.
Friday, 6th August - Daniel got weighed yesterday and he is 12 pounds !!! What a big boy - he is growing so much. Also seems extra unsettled at the moment I breast fed him this morning almost constantly and he wouldn't settle down and sleep - eventually I gave him 2 oz of formula and he managed to fall asleep. Constant feeding and holding is really hard - I just managed to have some lunch and check e-mail and come here. He is still asleep in his basket now I hope for a while.
Night sleeping is a big problem. We can't settle him in the evening until about 11pm - every night it's the same I start feeding him and he cries on and off and then Alan takes him and tries to soothe him. He either has a bath or shower with Alan - he loves water but I have a feeling that it might actually stimulate him rather than make him sleepy as he seems happy at the time but afterwards cries and this goes on and off. Then we try to give him a final feed, breast than formula about 10pm and eventually he falls asleep on Alan's chest when we can take him into his basket. He sleeps until about 2:30 then wakes up and I feed him and try to settle him in the basket - it works occasionally but most times he ends up coming into bed and then he would feed and fall asleep. He usually doesn't wake up until about 7am when he doesn't do anything apart from making some strange noises.
And then another day begins where I feed, hold and try to get him to sleep...On the other hand, when he is happy and he is happy a lot, he smiles and laughs and we 'talk' to each other, he mimics what I say - he likes when I say 'Dobro Jutro' which is good morning in Croatian and he is trying to roll his 'rrrrs' and it's so much fun. He really does melt your heart when you are with him... He is such a cutie and I love him to bits even though he is such a demanding baby sometimes...
Daniel had his 6 weekly checkup yesterday (11th August 04) and everything is great. He was 12.5 lb or 5.68 kg and looking healthy. The doctor said he was a big baby too... Daniel is growing too quickly.
The weather in Scotland this week has been awful - constant rain so we have done nothing - been house bound which is boring for mummy as well as Daniel! Hopefully we'll be able to do something soon.
Friday, 20th August - we have booked our ticket to Croatia, we leave on 10th September for a week so three weeks to go until Daniel meets his Croatian family. I wonder if he will laugh at everyone, whenever I say 'Dobro Jutro' (good morning) he cracks up laughing! The last couple of days Daniel seems more hungry perhaps he has a growth spurt (again). Still isn't too keen on his pushchair - this morning we went for a walk and I ended up carrying him (he is heavy!) as he was crying and not feeling too happy. His daddy is off to Northern Ireland (Belfast) for a hockey tour tomorrow so I have a busy weekend on my own. Janice and Judi who I used to work with at Standard Life Investments are coming to visit as well which I'm looking forward to... Another thing is that he is outgrowing his Moses basket and I wonder where he will sleep now. We don't want to put him into his own room but not sure if his cotbed will fit into the bedroom.
Friday, 27th August - Daniel is two months today. He got weighed on Wednesday 25th Aug and was nearly 14 pounds. Can't believe how quickly he is growing - he seems to be really long. The last three days he seems to be extra hungry and eats like a horse. He's been a bit fussy, crying a bit more in the evenings so probably going through a growth spurt. But apart from that he is 'talking' more and more and making funny sounds - it seemed he said 'hercule' the other day - I don't know why but he sounds almost French! We are off to Croatia in two weeks time. Hopefully he will be OK and will not be going through any growth spurt then as it's impossible to do anything but nurse him - I feel like a milking cow!!!
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