First week at home

Things have been going pretty well so far. For the most part, Allison has been an easy going baby. When she cries, it's for a valid reason; we just may not know what it is and have to figure it out. So far, reasons that we've had to figure out the hard way are: it's too cold; she doesn't want to eat anymore and just wants to sleep; she's not comfortable in the current feeding position; she has a gas bubble and needs to be burped.

Eat - she's had a great latch from the beginning and I haven't had any issues with dry or cracked nipples. My milk came in around day 4 so I have been exclusively breastfeeding since then. Before then, we supplemented with the instant formula we got from the hospital since she didn't seem to be full on colostrum alone.

Sleep - Allison sleeps a lot!! That is notorious for newborns. At the beginning of settling in at home, she would sleep for 4 hours stretches at night which is amazing, but for the past few days, it's been 2-3 hours because the feeding time has been shorter. It has to do with the common problem I've been having which is that she keeps falling asleep while feeding. I think that this change has to do with the fact that I put in less effort to wake her up when she falls asleep because I'm so tired myself that I want to just put her back down when she falls asleep. I have to try harder to make sure she gets enough food at each nursing session. I look forward to this sleepy phase passing. I love it when she is alert during feeding with both eyes open; it brings me great joy that I can provide this nourishing milk for her.

Poop - Her urine and stool output has been very good according to the recommended guidelines (8+/day). This means that she is getting enough food through breast milk alone. Her poop is mustardy with seeds! I wonder where the seeds come from.

As for me and my energy level, it's been good. I sleep every other time she sleeps. When I feel tired, I listen to my body and take a nap. I am very thankful to have my mom around to help with the household and to provide cooked meals for me. Tom has been home too and helps take care of diaper changes and soothing the baby. We still can't believe that we have a child now; we are really enjoying her and love how tiny she is.
Sometimes she smiles while sleeping which just melts our hearts!