Daddy goes back to work

Well for the meantime anyway! Anyhow, since he got switched to midnight to 0800 this means that it’ll be my first night with Travis all by myself! Hopefully it won’t be too difficult. Joseph is a big help especially at night since he feeds, changes, and puts Travis back to bed so I can go pump.

Here’s to a hopefully good yet sleepless night!

Happy 2 weeks Travis!

He’s enjoying the new swing we bought him. Earlier we purchased the Bright Starts Ingenuity Cradle & Sway Swing from Target. It went on sale for $122 versus the $129 and best of all it came with a free bouncer! We already have a bouncer (two actually, so the free one was a third one), but we’re going to stash it away for either our next child (which won’t be for a while) or just in case the bouncer we have breaks. 

Besides that, Travis had a two week follow up appointment today. He gained some weight. Last week he was 6lbs 6oz and today he was 7lbs 3oz! He gained a whole pound so far from his birth weight of 6lbs 3oz. His pediatrician did the basic assessment and everything was well. The MD also prescribed some vitamins for him since he’s getting mostly breast milk and breast milk is low in iron and vitamin D. I’m kind of surprised though that his MD gave him vitamins since I give him 2 feedings of formula for the middle of the night feedings (Daddy feeds it to him while I pump). 

Next appointment will be sometime around December 7th for his two month checkup! He’ll be getting his first round of vaccinations then, hopefully he’ll take it well. 

A child can teach an adult three things: to be happy for no reason, to always be busy with something, and to know how to demand with all his might that which he desires. 

- Paul Coelho 

First outing

So the other day Joseph, me, and my mom took Travis to the Commissary after his follow up weight check (note: I don’t count doctor visits as public outings). I was feeling somewhat nervous taking him out the first time because all I could think about was, “What if he starts screaming and crying and I can’t stop him?” There’s nothing worse than a screaming baby and having everyone looking at you and possibly thinking, “Why can’t she shut her baby up?” 

So before leaving the house, I made sure to triple check his diaper bag to ensure that I have everything in there that I needed. Thankfully, Travis was a good boy and quiet for almost the entire time we were grocery shopping. He cried a bit while we were grocery shopping because it was time for his feeding. So once he was fed and burped, he went right back to sleep (I’m sure the movement of the stroller helped as well). 

My parents took Travis for the night and I miss him SO much! My parents aren’t even that far away, they’re actually just down the hallway, but they took Travis to spend the night with them because they wanted Joseph and I to get some sleep. While I’m thankful and glad that I can get some sleep, I miss him terribly. Even though he’s just down the hall it feels like he’s so far away :( 

Can’t wait to see my baby boy in the morning. 

Today was baby Travis’s one week. I can’t believe a week has already passed by since I gave birth to him. I’m healing well from the delivery. I ended up with a first degree tear, so the pain has been minimal. My body just feels so different. I wonder if my body will ever be the same again? I suppose only time will tell. I don’t regret all these changes one bit. I would do it all over again because Travis brings so much happiness in my life.

We didn’t do much today. We went to the clinic because his pediatrician wanted a follow up weight check. Two days ago his weight was 6lb 2oz, an increase from his discharge weight of 5lb 13oz (his birth weight was 6lb 3oz). He was weight today was 6lb 6oz! I’m glad my baby boy is gaining some weight! The breast milk that I’ve been pumping out for him has been doing him well.

After the clinic, we went to the Commissary for some grocery shopping. I was somewhat nervous since this was the first time taking him out in public. Thankfully it was a slow day so it wasn’t all chaotic and loud. He was a good boy the whole time. He only cried once because it was time for his feeding. Other than that, he was asleep the whole time.

Thankfully tomorrow is Friday! My dad and sister are coming up from SoCal and my aunt and uncle are also driving to our place from San Jose. On Saturday, my cousin and her family are coming over from San Francisco for a little family gathering. I’m totally looking forward to this weekend! Can’t wait!

Happy 1 week!

Happy 1 week my sweet baby! I can’t believe it’s already been a week since I gave birth to you. Feels like it was yesterday. Within this week I’ve already learned so much about your little personality. Despite the nights of no sleep, you always bring a smile to my face and a lot of love in my heart.    

Travis had his 2 day follow up appointment today. Everything went great. He’s almost back to his birth weight of 6lb 3oz. When we were discharged from the hospital, his weight was 5lb 13oz and when he was weighed today at the pediatrician’s office he was at 6lb 2oz! We have a follow up appointment at 2 weeks, hopefully he would gain more weight.

Breastfeeding has been giving me some problems. While at the hospital I had a consultation with the lactation consultant due to Travis not opening his mouth wide enough so I can get my nipple and aereola in. She helped me latch him on and he was nursing alright while we were in the hospital. Once we got home (about 3 days old), I would put him to breast and he would latch on for about a minute or so then come off and start screaming. On top of that I noticed that he wasn’t really urinating that much (he only had two wet diapers for that whole day). My mom then urged me to give him a bottle since he was literally crying, screaming, and rooting. I was feeding him both breasts every 2 hours (I would wake him up) and try to nurse at least 15 minutes on each, but for some reason he was just not having it. I would put him skin to skin, annoy him so he would stay awake, etc. Anyhow after giving him a bottle he ended up urinating a few hours later and sleeping much better.

To make a long story short (as if what I wrote in the previous paragraph wasn’t long enough), feeding time became a constant battle of trying to make him open his mouth wide, latching on, making him stay awake, etc. He was miserable and I was miserable. Thankfully, my best friend gave me a single electric pump for my baby shower and I’ve been using it to pump my breast milk. I have had to supplement formula from time to time since I’ve been able to only pump 1-1.5oz. It just seems so little so I’ve been supplementing with 1oz formula if he’s still hungry after I give him my breast milk.

I was going to invest in a much better pump prior to returning to work, but I think I will have to invest in one sooner (as in now) since this single electric pump isn’t very effective in terms of time. I’m thinking of either Ameda, Medela, or Lansinoh double electric pumps. Has anyone tried any of those brands?

Meet my baby boy

Travis Anthony

October 7, 2010 at 1054 AM

6lbs 3oz and 19 inches