So two nights ago, Adelaide was starting to get hungry more often. The nurses and doctors said that her appetite would increase in jumps like that, but I wasn't expecting it so soon! Amy was still very sore from beast-feeding. She had just finished nursing when I noticed Adelaide was still hungry. She opens her mouth wide and sticks her tongue in an out, almost like trying to say "Come hither, nipple." Either that, or she'll try to latch onto my arm or chest. Since I knew Amy was empty AND too sore, on a whim I stuck my pinky finger in her mouth.
She started to suck on it! She's got a powerful little set of lungs there! I didn't expect her to get so much of the finger into her mouth. I thought about my fingernail scrapping the roof of her mouth, so I turned my finger upside down. This seems to work pretty well. By doing that, I was able to get Adelaide to sleep for 4 hours straight.
Is this a good thing to do or are there unforeseen detrimental effects?
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Baby Manual - How to change baby's socks
Thank you for purchasing the Infant 2011, model LX Female. The Infant 2011 is equipped with all the latest technologies for optimum performance. These include:
- A powerful sound system
- Automatic cuteness display
- Side-impact airbags
- Vacuum capabilities
- 100% money-back guarantee*
*not a guarantee
If only it was this easy right? I've been looking for a manual for some time now, but Amy has yet to pop one out. So I thought I would come up with my own!
Are you having trouble changing your newborn's socks? Fret not! Follow these easy steps and soon you and your baby will be enjoying warm, toasty feet.
1) Turn the socks inside out.
2) Grab the baby's little foot. Don't worry, you won't hurt him/her.
3) Try to put the sock on the baby's foot by rolling it right-side out against the foot.
4) Give up once the toes get stuck
5) Stretch out sock opening
6) Grab baby's foot again.
7) Scoot baby off the edge of the changing table
8) Grab baby's foot again
9) Try to fit the sock onto the foot by stretching it over the toes.
10) repeat steps 4 through 9.
11) Roll the sock up so it's as short as possible.
12) Grab the baby's foot
13) Try to put the sock on the baby's foot.
14) Pick up the sock from the floor after baby kicks it away.
15) Soothe the baby
16) Grab the baby's foot
17) Soothe the baby
18) Try to force the sock onto the foot by wiggling it back and forth
19) Give up when the toes get stuck
20) Throw socks on the floor and wrap the baby in a blanket.
Congratulations! You have just learned how to put a sock on a baby!
- A powerful sound system
- Automatic cuteness display
- Side-impact airbags
- Vacuum capabilities
- 100% money-back guarantee*
*not a guarantee
If only it was this easy right? I've been looking for a manual for some time now, but Amy has yet to pop one out. So I thought I would come up with my own!
Are you having trouble changing your newborn's socks? Fret not! Follow these easy steps and soon you and your baby will be enjoying warm, toasty feet.
1) Turn the socks inside out.
2) Grab the baby's little foot. Don't worry, you won't hurt him/her.
3) Try to put the sock on the baby's foot by rolling it right-side out against the foot.
4) Give up once the toes get stuck
5) Stretch out sock opening
6) Grab baby's foot again.
7) Scoot baby off the edge of the changing table
8) Grab baby's foot again
9) Try to fit the sock onto the foot by stretching it over the toes.
10) repeat steps 4 through 9.
11) Roll the sock up so it's as short as possible.
12) Grab the baby's foot
13) Try to put the sock on the baby's foot.
14) Pick up the sock from the floor after baby kicks it away.
15) Soothe the baby
16) Grab the baby's foot
17) Soothe the baby
18) Try to force the sock onto the foot by wiggling it back and forth
19) Give up when the toes get stuck
20) Throw socks on the floor and wrap the baby in a blanket.
Congratulations! You have just learned how to put a sock on a baby!
Monday, March 28, 2011
Day One
Adelaide is doing great! She finally had her first poop and has been able to get a bit of colostrum from Amy, though the whole breast-feeding thing is a bit of a challenge still.
Last night, Adelaide slept intermittently. It was hard to get her to stop burbling and babbling. Cute as her vocalizations are, she doesn't make sleep easy. I think she's in a contest with one of our cats, Terra, to see which one is cutest.
To help with the nursing, Amy has been using a Boppy. They're specially shaped pillows that sit around the mother's mid-section so she can rest her baby on top while feeding. She loves it, though it's difficult figuring out how to get Adelaide to latch on properly.
It's hard to tell what Adelaide needs sometimes. She often burbles or cries, then makes what I call the "poopy face." You know the one. the whole face screws up, the mouth gets tight, her little eyebrows furrow, and she grunts like she's squeezing something out. Then she relaxes her face and smiles a little. But they're usually false alarms.
...In 15 years, I'll be able to use this blog as blackmail material.
Last night, Adelaide slept intermittently. It was hard to get her to stop burbling and babbling. Cute as her vocalizations are, she doesn't make sleep easy. I think she's in a contest with one of our cats, Terra, to see which one is cutest.
To help with the nursing, Amy has been using a Boppy. They're specially shaped pillows that sit around the mother's mid-section so she can rest her baby on top while feeding. She loves it, though it's difficult figuring out how to get Adelaide to latch on properly.
It's hard to tell what Adelaide needs sometimes. She often burbles or cries, then makes what I call the "poopy face." You know the one. the whole face screws up, the mouth gets tight, her little eyebrows furrow, and she grunts like she's squeezing something out. Then she relaxes her face and smiles a little. But they're usually false alarms.
...In 15 years, I'll be able to use this blog as blackmail material.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Love at First Sight
As if to prove me wrong, a few moments after I put up the previous post, my wife Amy went into labor.
At first we counted out the contractions using Contraction Master, a free online program that tracks how long and how far apart the contractions are. The midwife told us that once they are less than 5 minutes apart and last longer than a minute, we should call her. It did not take long.
The labor progressed and I was doing everything possible to help Amy. The Hypnobabies, she said, took the edge off the pain, but it unfortunately failed us in its claim. However, she blames herself, saying she didn't do enough of the home exercises to really establish a powerful sense of hypnosis. When it came time to push (transition), I was having to remind her of the basic techniques constantly. It felt terrible and awe-inspiring that my wife had to go through something like that. And never once did she ask for drugs or an episiotomy. I'm very proud of her.
The baby was crowning for the better part of an hour, and after 17 hours of labor, we had a daughter. It was amazing how frightened I suddenly became when she was unresponsive and not breathing. The cord had been tied around her neck so tightly, the midwife couldn't get it loose. Her shoulder was also caught. She was limp and blue and all the two of us could do was try to encourage her to breathe. 2 minutes and a 911 call later, she started to breath, but it was slight, labored, and erratic. I went from abject fear to love and jubilation so many times in such a short amount of time that I was nearly sick.
In the end, Adelaide was born at 6:56am, 22 inches long, 8 pounds 10 ounces of cuteness. She burbles and coos a lot, sounding remarkably like our cats. Her skin is amazingly soft! She stops crying whenever I pick her up - a daddy's girl already.
Now Amy and I are exhausted, but have to take care of this little life. She cries, but hasn't needed changing yet, and isn't very good at breastfeeding. I hope and pray that we get enough sleep to function properly soon. I will probably be taking at least this week off from school, though if I find some spare time, it will be spent looking for a job.
Ah, the joys of an unemployed father.
At first we counted out the contractions using Contraction Master, a free online program that tracks how long and how far apart the contractions are. The midwife told us that once they are less than 5 minutes apart and last longer than a minute, we should call her. It did not take long.
The labor progressed and I was doing everything possible to help Amy. The Hypnobabies, she said, took the edge off the pain, but it unfortunately failed us in its claim. However, she blames herself, saying she didn't do enough of the home exercises to really establish a powerful sense of hypnosis. When it came time to push (transition), I was having to remind her of the basic techniques constantly. It felt terrible and awe-inspiring that my wife had to go through something like that. And never once did she ask for drugs or an episiotomy. I'm very proud of her.
The baby was crowning for the better part of an hour, and after 17 hours of labor, we had a daughter. It was amazing how frightened I suddenly became when she was unresponsive and not breathing. The cord had been tied around her neck so tightly, the midwife couldn't get it loose. Her shoulder was also caught. She was limp and blue and all the two of us could do was try to encourage her to breathe. 2 minutes and a 911 call later, she started to breath, but it was slight, labored, and erratic. I went from abject fear to love and jubilation so many times in such a short amount of time that I was nearly sick.
In the end, Adelaide was born at 6:56am, 22 inches long, 8 pounds 10 ounces of cuteness. She burbles and coos a lot, sounding remarkably like our cats. Her skin is amazingly soft! She stops crying whenever I pick her up - a daddy's girl already.
Now Amy and I are exhausted, but have to take care of this little life. She cries, but hasn't needed changing yet, and isn't very good at breastfeeding. I hope and pray that we get enough sleep to function properly soon. I will probably be taking at least this week off from school, though if I find some spare time, it will be spent looking for a job.
Ah, the joys of an unemployed father.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Waiting...
So, it has been nearly a week since my wife's due date has passed and we still have no baby.
We've been trying to keep ourselves busy and doing a few things that might help induce labor (or, as Hypnobabies likes to call it, "Birthing Time"). Every day we had been going for walks in various places such as the mall and the botanical gardens. Last night, we tried various acupressure points (even if they don't really work, it doesn't hurt to try). This morning we had spicy food. We've spent time with babies and we've even... ahem... stimulated the flow of oxytocin. All of these supposedly help induce labor, but they haven't had any effect yet. I was even hoping that the full moon on the 19th (closest in 18 years) would make a difference. But alas! Our baby has not yet decided on a birthday.
School starts back up on Monday and I have to make some important decisions about the future of my schooling, my career, and my family. Hopefully the baby will come soon! Tomorrow we see the midwife again.
We've been trying to keep ourselves busy and doing a few things that might help induce labor (or, as Hypnobabies likes to call it, "Birthing Time"). Every day we had been going for walks in various places such as the mall and the botanical gardens. Last night, we tried various acupressure points (even if they don't really work, it doesn't hurt to try). This morning we had spicy food. We've spent time with babies and we've even... ahem... stimulated the flow of oxytocin. All of these supposedly help induce labor, but they haven't had any effect yet. I was even hoping that the full moon on the 19th (closest in 18 years) would make a difference. But alas! Our baby has not yet decided on a birthday.
School starts back up on Monday and I have to make some important decisions about the future of my schooling, my career, and my family. Hopefully the baby will come soon! Tomorrow we see the midwife again.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Briefcase and Boogers
Greetings, friends!
You have made it to my personal blog chronicling the adventures of a first-time dad. There just aren't enough blogs out there from the dad's point of view. I have seen some, and if I run across more I will surely link to them for you! If I can, I will post pictures, tell anecdotes, and reveal secrets into the art of fatherhood.
Let me tell you a little about myself.
I am almost 30 years old and have been married for almost 3 years. I have a degree in Nonfiction Writing and Editing, but cannot find work, so I have returned to school to pursue a degree in Mechanical Engineering. I am a self-taught guitarist and have been playing for about 5 years now. However, I will never give up my first love: writing. There is a good chance that I will, however, end up as a stay-at-home dad, at least for a time. It would give me a chance to do some writing, I hope, but my wife would definitely be jealous that I'd get to spend more time with the kids. If you want to see my other blog, check it out here.
My wife, Amy, and I discovered we were pregnant 9 months ago. As of today, my wife is 40 weeks pregnant. She could pop at any minute! Now, the average first pregnancy actually lasts 41 weeks and 1 day, so there's a chance that she will not be giving birth for a little while now. Her mom is here with us now, and her dad will be joining us soon. We do not live close to our parents, so this will be a good chance for them to get to meet their first ever grandchild. The same is true for my side of the family. They will be joining us a week or so after the birth.
Although I do have friends who have kids, I don't live near them any longer. So we'll be learning on the fly!
We have decided on a home birth, using a midwife and Hypnobabies. Now, don't think I'm a crazy person or that we're all crunchy granola (ok, we're a little crunchy granola...). We've done a lot of research into this. First of all, approximately 33% of all births in America are performed via Caesarean Section - a major surgical procedure that has a long list of possible side effects (including paralysis, permanent damage, and death - for both mother and child). This has risen in the past few years. C-Sections also deprive mothers and babies of bonding time and may be a cause of parents who do not bond well with their children. Over in Europe, midwives are common and the C-Section rate is about 8% - the level it should be at. There are many other things we want to avoid, so we decided a hospital is not the place for us. Granted, if a C-section becomes necessary, then we will not hesitate. We just want to eliminate any unnecessary procedures.
As for hypnosis, this isn't some "cluck like a chicken" crap. The idea is simple: make yourself calm. Hypnosis does work, but only if you allow it to. Here, you are allowing yourself to believe that you will not feel pain, that you will have a fast, easy birth (the scripts I have to read to my wife need an editor, however). Surprisingly, it works. Most mothers who use Hypnobabies experience no or little discomfort. By convincing yourself that there will be no pain, you don't fear giving birth, you don't tense up, you remain in a nice, relaxed state, and you let your body get to work. By not using Pitocin but instead by stimulating oxytocin, you let your body push naturally (gentle waves of pressure aren't as painful as the sharp ones Pitocin produces). Because you don't tense up, have no drugs, and know what are the best positions and techniques for giving birth, the level of pain drops dramatically. Some women even orgasm during childbirth!
So, all that aside, we're ready to give birth any day now! I'm excited and nervous. We don't know if it's a boy or a girl yet. In fact, we've been asked this question so many times, I decided to make a shirt for all you pregnant ladies out there!
http://www.cafepress.com/BriefcaseandBoogers
Just get a felt-tip permanent marker and fill in the blanks!
Now, as time is going to be in short supply in my life, this blog may not be updated as often as I would like. Or, the updates may be short and sweet. Forgive me - I am a new father, after all!
You have made it to my personal blog chronicling the adventures of a first-time dad. There just aren't enough blogs out there from the dad's point of view. I have seen some, and if I run across more I will surely link to them for you! If I can, I will post pictures, tell anecdotes, and reveal secrets into the art of fatherhood.
Let me tell you a little about myself.
I am almost 30 years old and have been married for almost 3 years. I have a degree in Nonfiction Writing and Editing, but cannot find work, so I have returned to school to pursue a degree in Mechanical Engineering. I am a self-taught guitarist and have been playing for about 5 years now. However, I will never give up my first love: writing. There is a good chance that I will, however, end up as a stay-at-home dad, at least for a time. It would give me a chance to do some writing, I hope, but my wife would definitely be jealous that I'd get to spend more time with the kids. If you want to see my other blog, check it out here.
My wife, Amy, and I discovered we were pregnant 9 months ago. As of today, my wife is 40 weeks pregnant. She could pop at any minute! Now, the average first pregnancy actually lasts 41 weeks and 1 day, so there's a chance that she will not be giving birth for a little while now. Her mom is here with us now, and her dad will be joining us soon. We do not live close to our parents, so this will be a good chance for them to get to meet their first ever grandchild. The same is true for my side of the family. They will be joining us a week or so after the birth.
Although I do have friends who have kids, I don't live near them any longer. So we'll be learning on the fly!
We have decided on a home birth, using a midwife and Hypnobabies. Now, don't think I'm a crazy person or that we're all crunchy granola (ok, we're a little crunchy granola...). We've done a lot of research into this. First of all, approximately 33% of all births in America are performed via Caesarean Section - a major surgical procedure that has a long list of possible side effects (including paralysis, permanent damage, and death - for both mother and child). This has risen in the past few years. C-Sections also deprive mothers and babies of bonding time and may be a cause of parents who do not bond well with their children. Over in Europe, midwives are common and the C-Section rate is about 8% - the level it should be at. There are many other things we want to avoid, so we decided a hospital is not the place for us. Granted, if a C-section becomes necessary, then we will not hesitate. We just want to eliminate any unnecessary procedures.
As for hypnosis, this isn't some "cluck like a chicken" crap. The idea is simple: make yourself calm. Hypnosis does work, but only if you allow it to. Here, you are allowing yourself to believe that you will not feel pain, that you will have a fast, easy birth (the scripts I have to read to my wife need an editor, however). Surprisingly, it works. Most mothers who use Hypnobabies experience no or little discomfort. By convincing yourself that there will be no pain, you don't fear giving birth, you don't tense up, you remain in a nice, relaxed state, and you let your body get to work. By not using Pitocin but instead by stimulating oxytocin, you let your body push naturally (gentle waves of pressure aren't as painful as the sharp ones Pitocin produces). Because you don't tense up, have no drugs, and know what are the best positions and techniques for giving birth, the level of pain drops dramatically. Some women even orgasm during childbirth!
So, all that aside, we're ready to give birth any day now! I'm excited and nervous. We don't know if it's a boy or a girl yet. In fact, we've been asked this question so many times, I decided to make a shirt for all you pregnant ladies out there!
http://www.cafepress.com/BriefcaseandBoogers
Just get a felt-tip permanent marker and fill in the blanks!
Now, as time is going to be in short supply in my life, this blog may not be updated as often as I would like. Or, the updates may be short and sweet. Forgive me - I am a new father, after all!
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