Mommy & Jacob
All ready to travel
I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders since I've decided to pump exclusively. I don't feel depressed about not being able to breastfeed. Plus pumping allows other family members & friends to help with baby care & takes only about half the time breastfeeding does. I am in the process of learning how to pump most effectively & without loosing my milk supply. For example, today I've learned that in order to increase one's milk supply it's really important to pump at night. It's best to pump at least twice between the hours of 12 am & 4 am since production of prolactin hormone is the highest during that time & will stimulate more milk production.
Jacob & my midwife Charlene
Gerritt & Jacob snuggling on the couch while waiting to see Charlene
Jacob & I had another appointment with Charlene & Kat today for our 3-week check up. Jacob is growing well. He weighed 9 lbs 10 oz! Charlene kept complimenting me on what a beautiful baby he was. Jacob didn't make a single peep during the whole visit, even when we undressed him to be weighed. He promptly fell asleep in Kat's arms while I was getting examined. Charlene checked my blood pressure, temperature & did blood work. Gerritt came along again & thoroughly enjoyed himself. After picking out & eating all of the M&Ms out of the granola mix, he announced he wanted to live at Charlene's house. :-)
Jacob asleep in the arms that caught him (Charlene's apprentice Kat)
Time for another weigh-in!
Day 23 (December 22nd, Thursday)
Today was my busiest day yet. In the morning I had my hair appointment for highlighting & cut. Although it took me forever to find the new salon & parking, the celebrity hair stylist turned out to be great. I immediately felt like myself again having the blond hair back! It's almost like I've left my old self behind & re-emerged as a newly baked mother of 3 children.
After hair appointment it was time for pumping & quick lunch. Then I was off for a chiropractor & my once-a-week massage appointment. Both felt great. I am convinced it would have taken me much longer to recover from birth without them. My shoulders & neck are achy due to frequent pumping & having to hold the pump flanges with both hands in an ackward position. I am thinking of buying a special bra to be able to pump hands-free, but I want to make sure I am going to stick with pumping for the long hall first.
I received my lecithin supplement in the mail today & immediately took the 1st dose. Hopefully, I will not experience any more plugged ducts.
There were more pumping & snacking in the afternoon. While the kids took their naps, I picked out Christmas outfits for them & myself. When they woke up we all took our nanny to the bus stop & then headed to the Redmond Town Center for our annual Christmas photo. It was our first outing with all 3 kids at once, & I can proudly say we managed it well.
There were some happy news from my Mom when we got back home. She passed her immigration interview today, which means she'll be arriving to Seattle sometime next week. I can't wait to show off Jacob to her. I am counting the days until her arrival!
Day 24 (December 23rd, Friday)
Jacob is snuggling with grandma Chris
It was a quiet night. Jacob went to sleep at 11:30 pm & woke up twice - at 1:30 am & 3:30 am. He then slept until 7:30 am. I've learned to get up while hearing Jacob's squirming & hand sucking & to feed him before he has a chance to fully wake up. After feeding I change his diaper. He's usually so sleepy, he rarely cries. After Jacob's diaper change I put him in a swing to keep him quiet while I pump. In the past I used to put Jacob next to me & give him my pinky to suck on if he cried, but that was challenging since I also had to hold the pump flanges on my breasts.
Today was our nanny's last day working for us. It was a bitter sweet day since she's been with us for almost 2 years & took care of Sophia since she was about 8 months old. We tried not to cry & not to say our final goodbyes. After all, she's only moving to Portland. My husband & I will probably visit it in a few months. We are already dreaming about taking an out-of-town trip with Gerritt while having Russian grandma take care of Sophia & Jacob at home.
Irina & I have decided to celebrate her last day by taking all of the kids to the Teddy Bear Suite at the Olympic Paramount Hotel. While it was fun, it also turned out to be an exhausting trip. We had a late start in the morning & arrived to the hotel at kids' nap time. It took me some time to find the hotel (I am directionally challenged, especially in busy downtown). Then it took forever to find parking. Once inside the hotel we had to stand in a long waiting line. It was also stuffy & hot. By the time we got inside the Suite Sophia was crying & asking for her "milky," Gerritt refused to pose for photos & Jacob was fussy & hungry. We managed to snap a few shots & then got out of there all sweaty & exhausted. It was more than 5 hours since I last pumped, so my breasts were hurting. It looks like I am developing another plugged duct in my right breast. I definitely need to limit the number of social outings to preserve my milk supply.
There was no rest once we got home. Both Sophia & Gerritt were grouchy since they missed their naps. Sophia fell asleep at once after receiving her milk bottle. Gerritt was too excited to nap so my husband put him to bed around 8 pm with lots of screaming, crying & threats to send his Christmas presents back to Santa.
I am looking forward to my Mom helping me to re-establish a consistent bedtime for the kids. Gerritt has been "hit" especially hard. Since we've started co-sleeping again, he doesn't go to bed until I do, which is around 11:30 pm or midnight. Jacob tends to be especially fussy in the evenings, refusing to be put down. It's pretty difficult to get ready for bed, pump, mix formula for the night feedings, straighten up the house, wash & put the dishes away, brush & floss kids' teeth, wash their hands & faces, read books, etc. & still be in bed by 10 pm. We'll get back to a healthy sleep schedule eventually, but it has only been 3 weeks since Jacob's birth.
Day 25 (December 24th, Saturday)
Today I made pancakes for the kids for the 1st time in a while. My nanny usually prepared breakfast for them every morning & then chased them around the house to make sure they finished it. I already miss her!
Jacob with his Korean halmeoni (grandma)
It's amazing how much quieter the house is with Sophia being gone. My hubby took her to grandma's house for the day while Gerritt stayed with me. Since Sophia is the loudest member of our family, the difference in our house's noise level is significant. Gerritt took a nap & then watched cartoons for the rest of the afternoon while I caught up on blogging & organized & edited a million photos I had stored. It's amazing how fast you can forget all of the little day-to-day details. I can hardly remember what happened 2 days ago, forget about remembering last week!
I also spent the day trying to catch up on my pumping sessions. The goal is 8-10 per day. I woke up in panic mode this morning after realizing I slept from 2 am until 8 am. It's definitely too long of a stretch to go without pumping. My husband watched Jacob last night & I had no incentive to wake up. Of course, I set my alarm, but continued to sleep after silencing it. Cumulative fatigue can do that to you. I think I will insist on having Jacob sleep with me from now on so I do have a reason to wake up at night. Mu hubby can still feed him while I pump to save some time & to decrease the amount of time spent out of bed.
I talked on the phone with my Mom today & searched for her airplane ticket on the internet. We are hoping for her to leave Russia at the end of December since my husband is going back to work on January 2nd. I can't imagine taking care of 3 kids by myself. I probably could, but not while getting up multiple times at night to feed the baby & pump. It's definitely too much for one person.
Sophia is becoming a chocolate lover like Gerritt!
We are trying to get Jacob used to a pacifier. He just learned to eat from the bottle a couple of days ago (without choking & gulping the milk), so a pacifier is the next step. He loves to suck on my pinky. While I don't mind, it restricts my freedom of movement (your arm can get numb from being held in a strange position) & is not very hygenic when we are out & about.
I just love staring at Jacob! He looks so healthy & content. He looks more like a "real" baby now, with fat rolls & all, instead of a skinny little guy he was right after his birth. He even has a double chin! He is like a little baby bird. I love how he "roots" & sucks on his fingers when hungry.
Day 26 (December 25th, Sunday)
Grandma Chris sent Jacob's Christmas stocking
My husband watched Jacob all night so I am well rested today. Too much sleeping is not such a good thing for my milk production. I last pumped at 1 am & then didn't pump again until 8 am! Without a baby to wake me up, I can easily dismiss the alarm. Ideally, I should be pumping every 3-4 hours at night.
Gerritt & Sophia playing with the tea set - the 1st Christmas present opened today
My husband went to Tacoma & picked up his Mom yesterday since it's been a couple of weeks since she's seen Jacob. Plus we wanted her to be here for Christmas. She spent last night at our house & was here for the Christmas present opening this morning. I've been able to enjoy today's morning as well. It's amazing how much help another pair of hands can be! I mostly took photos of the kids, cleaned up the wrapping paper, recycled paper gift boxes & kept toy parts from being scattered all over the living room.
One of Jacob's 1st smiles for Korean grandma
After last year's gift extravaganza we've limited this year's gift giving to 1-2 presents per child. The Xbox 360 & the Kinnect game were the gifts to ourselves. My hubby's Mom had a blast holding & admiring baby Jacob. He is definitely the most precious gift this Christmas! She also liked watching the kids open their presents & then dance. They always put on a dancing show for her, usually to Lady Gaga or Justin Bieber's music.
In the evening I searched & bought my Mom's airplane ticket. The best ticket I could find on such a short notice was the one with an overnight wait in Paris, France. My Mom will be flying from Russia on December 30th. I can't believe she's really going to join our family so soon!
Day 27 (December 26th, Monday)
Gerritt thought it was a great idea to dress his bear into Jacob's jumpsuit
It was another day filled with changing diapers, feeding the kids, pumping & trying to take care of myself in between (mostly to eat enough calories, take supplements & drink my special tea to produce enough breast milk). Since I watched Jacob last night & he didn't sleep for most of it, Gerritt & I didn't wake up until 11:30 am. Everyone's schedules are so off! With our nanny gone, the kids didn't eat breakfast until noon & they didn't have another meal until evening time (there were lots of snacks in between). Oh well... There is only so much we can do.
The kids didn't take their naps today. My husband had to run a few errands so I was at home with 3 kids by myself in the afternoon. He put Sophia down for her nap prior to leaving, but she didn't truly fall asleep & I found her playing with her toys shortly after. She pooped in her diaper & couldn't sleep, of course. Gerritt wasn't tired enough for a nap after waking up so late in the morning & without his daily trip to the park. Since he sleeps with me, he's now on my schedule of going to bed around 11:30 pm & waking up after 10 am.
Sophia took the stuffed animal dress-up to the next level!
Somehow I managed to pump with 3 kids requiring my attention & even took a shower (with Jacob protesting a little while in his swing). It's amazing how fast the time comes to pump again, even though it seems I just did it. I wonder how long I can keep it up? It can get quite boring at times, so lately I've been watching Russian pop & Justin Bieber videos on YouTube to entertain myself while pumping. With my husband being gone today, I had to hold the pump flanges with my left hand while Jacob sucked on my right hand's pinky. He's still not used to a pacifier & having something to suck on is the only thing that will keep him quiet (unless he's hungry or has a dirty diaper).
On a good note, my diligent pumping efforts are paying off. The amount of breast milk I pump has increased over the last few days. The biggest amount I've been able to pump was 22.75 oz/day in the 2nd week after Jacob's birth. Then it decreased to 14 oz/day for a couple of days the week after. I started to pump more frequently trying to increase my supply again (sometimes even hourly). As a result I pumped 19.75 oz for the past 24 hours!
Once my hubby was back I vacuumed the carpets & floors, cleaned the bathroom & gave Gerritt & Sophia a bath (I can't even remember the last time they had it). Sophia was fussy by then so it took a lot of effort to get her into the bath tub (a bottle of milk given once she was inside actually did it). I also made trips to Trader Joe's for groceries, Western Union to pick up some money my Dad sent me for Jacob's birth & then went to the bank. Then it was more of washing dishes, toy pick up & organizing the house. It seems all I do is change diapers, pump, clean & feed someone. One good thing that's coming out of this is that Gerritt is becoming a lot less dependent on me & can entertain himself.
Day 28 (December 27th, Tuesday)
A sleeping angel
Jacob is 1 month old today! I am glad the hardest month is behind us. The whole family had to make adjustments & it wasn't easy. I am grateful to have had a lot of help along the way. Now that I am fully recovered from birth I feel like I can handle anything. I am proud of not giving up breastfeeding completely & finding the pumping solution to give Jacob the best start in life. The gift of breastmilk is something only I can give him. Pumping takes real committment & I make it a priority. Sometimes everything else has to wait because it's my time to pump
If I thought I was a good organizer & multitasker before, adding a third child to our family tested my multitasking abilities to the max. Today was the longest time I was alone with the kids. My husband had to take care of a few things at our rental property & was gone from 1 - 5 pm. I managed to put Sophia & Gerritt to bed, make chicken soup, clean the house, pump & take care of Jacob in between.
Jacob is slowly growing on us. The fact that he started smiling a little over a week ago makes all the hard work worth it. My husband watched Jacob last night allowing me to sleep from 1-6 am. When I picked up Jacob at 6 am he gave me the biggest grin & my heart just melted. So I find myself cooing in a high pitched voice at all hours of the day & night. Jacob never cries for more than a couple of minutes because one of us always picks him up right away. When he cries he sounds more like a kitty cat than a baby. Sophia has the best hearing, & when Jacob makes the slightest peep, she yells loudly, "Baby is sad!" Gerritt is not concerned about crying Jacob any less & usually says, "Mommy, you need to pick up the baby NOW!"
I have to say that I am probably enjoying Jacob the most & absorbing as much of the baby phase as possible. I was too inexperienced & stressed to enjoy Gerritt & Sophia the same way. I am not too tired & overwhelmed this time to treasure every moment with Jacob & appreciate him for the little miracle he is.
Jacob & Daddy
I haven't taken off my fleece jacket since the day Jacob was born. I wear it during the day & sleep in it at night. It keeps me warm during the times I have to pump at night & during the day when I am at home or have to run errands. Who knew dressing could be so simple?
I am so happy I stuck to my committment of writing something every day for the whole month after Jacob's birth. I wanted to document all the little details of my post-partum recovery & my metamorphosis into a mother of 3. It wasn't easy to always find time to write, especially with so many other new responsibilities I acquired. But... somehow I did it!
Additional Resources:
1) The Hazy Transition to Motherhood by Bring Birth Home
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