I would like to get caught up with all of Keigan's happenings up until now so this could be a fairly long post. I will apologize in advance.
Week 1:
I was so excited to get home from the hospital but was so scared because we didn't have our wonderful nurses there to help or answer any questions that I had! Night one was completely exhausting for this momma. I had said before she was born that she would sleep in her crib from the beginning so that she didn't get used to sleeping in our room with us but after the first night of not sleeping that whole idea got tossed out the window. The second night home was the best sleep I had in 5 days and it felt like heaven even after having to wake up every 3 hours to feed Keigan. We had Keigan's first doctor appointment on Monday the 20th and she weighed 5lb 7oz, 19 inches. Her doctor wanted me to go back in 2 days to get her re-weighed just to make sure she was gaining her weight back. My wonderful mom took the day off of work to go with me since I wasn't able to drive yet. She weighed in at 5lbs 9oz! What a little porker ;)
You hear that most moms have postpartum depression after you have your baby but you don't think it will happen to you... Well that's what I thought at least. I wouldn't say that I had it bad but there was definitely crying going on. The second night we were home, I went to bed shaking uncontrollably. There was nothing I could do to make it stop but I just thought it was from being exhausted but then I would look at Keigan and just start crying because she was so beautiful. Every time I would nurse her, I would start crying because I couldn't believe that I made such a beautiful baby. This went on for a good 5 days. I'm sure Dave was ready for my crying fits to be over because he didn't know why I was crying or what was wrong with me! He would just come over, rub my back and tell me what a good job I was doing with her, then I would start crying all over again! Damn hormones.. By the second week I was back to my normal self again, thank goodness!
Week 2:
We started to get our little routine down by the second week and I was finally getting caught up on sleep! We had to go back for yet another weight check and she weighed in at 5lb 15oz! The doctor was pleased with that much of a weight gain in one week (6 oz)!!! We started to go for walks in the stroller around the neighborhood and Keigan loved it! She would fall asleep as soon as we got started and would be out until we got back, what a good little walker :)
Keigan is such a good eater that she was eating about every 1-2 hours. Since I am breastfeeding her, I felt like that is all I would do throughout the day was feed her! I didn't complain one time because I knew that she was growing and I loved our intimate bonding experience!
Week 3:
I started to get out of the house more on the third week because I was getting cabin fever being in the house all day every day! We would make trips to Target (mommy's favorite) a couple times a week. Keigan is such a good little shopper, you don't hear a peep out of her the entire time!
We had our first restaurant outing with her because I was able to start pumping and giving it to her in a bottle. We went to a local bar/restaurant with the family on Friday and Keigan took her first bottle like a champ! High five Keigan!
This is where I found an issue with my milk supply. I was trying to pump once a day, usually after her morning feeding and was only getting 1oz of milk after pumping for 15 minutes! At first I thought it was my pump ( it was a cheap brand) so I went out and got the Medela pump ( which I LOVE!). The pump wasn't the issue because I was still only getting 1-1.5 oz each time but it was less painful than my other pump. So I called my lactation consultant so see if she knew what was going on. She thought I would be making more but just keep pumping at least 5 minutes after she was done eating to make more milk. Now Keigan was acting like she was hungry ALL day long and I couldn't get anything done after I would feed her and pump. Luckily I went to my doctor that week and she told me that birth control decreases milk supply. Well, they prescribed me birth control while I was in the hospital so I was taking it for about 2 weeks and that's when I noticed my supply went down so my doctor told me to stop taking the birth control and see if that increases me supply at all. Wouldn't you know it, my supply shot back up and I finally felt full again! Thank goodness! Now when I pump I can get between 3-3.5 oz in 10 minutes! Yay! Well, enough about my milk.. Here is a picture of my sweet babe :)
Week 4
I can't believe how much Keigan has grown in just 4 weeks! Her looks have changed, she's getting stronger each day (she wants to hold that head up so bad!), she is more alert and awake longer through the day. I started to notice that the nights we didn't give her a bath were the nights she wanted to be a night owl and stay up and party! Dave and I started to give her baths every night and now she will sleep from about 10pm until 4 or 5am! Keigan does not mind getting baths unless she's cold, and she let's us know if that's the case! Keigan loves to be carried around in her baby carrier, she falls asleep instantly. She hates to lay on her back and will cry until we pick her up. She likes tummy time for about 5 minutes, then she's over it and wants to be on her back so she can see what's going on.
Week 5:
I was dreading this week for awhile because I had to go to work for a couple of days to fill in for someone that was having surgery. The thoughts of leaving her made me want to cry! Dave's mom was going to watch her which made me feel a little better about the situation since I knew she would bring her down to me whenever I wanted and I would get lots of pictures and updates. Getting myself, Keigan and Sadie ready in the morning is work in itself! When I went to drop her off I balled like a baby. I absolutley did NOT want to leave her! The work day dragged but I did get pictures that made my day a little better. Tuesday wasn't any better but I got through it and getting to hug and kiss her after you haven't seen her in 4 hours is the BEST feeling ever!
We had her one month check up this week. Keigan weighs 7.06 lbs and is 20 inches long! She's a growing girl but she is still so small and petite. This week she gave me a real smile as I was changing her diaper. It was the most beautiful smile I have ever seen. It gave me goosebumps and again I cried! Wow, motherhood sure is emotional!