Eat, Sleep, Poop

Since Ethan is almost 8 weeks old (!!!), it's about time I had a real update. Since all newborns are supposed to do is eat, sleep, and poop, I thought I'd cover the past 8 weeks under those topic headlines.

EAT:
Ethan has been a great nurser from the start. Despite the lactation consultant in the hospital convincing me that we had a latch problem, my MIL and the LC at the pediatrician felt his latch was perfect and, sure enough, after a few days of nursing, the pain was gone, and he's been nursing like a pro ever since. Unfortunately, being a good nurser hasn't been enough to make breastfeeding a success. To begin with, my milk didn't come in for almost a week so Ethan not only lost weight, he also became borderline dehydrated. He was having about 2 wet diapers a day, including diapers with just "brick dust" so we had to supplement for the first time to get him hydrated and clear out the small amount of jaundice he had, just 1.5 oz/day via an at-breast tube supplement system. Over that weekend, my milk came in, and he gained 3 oz. in 3 days and never had an issue with too-few wet diapers again so we were able to stop supplementing. We thought that would be the end of it, but a week later, we returned for another weight check only to find that his weight had plateaued. The LC suggested several methods to ensure he received more of the fatty hindmilk, but unfortunately, a week later, he had lost an ounce. So back to formula supplements we went, this time giving 3 oz./day. We returned a few days later, and thankfully he'd gained .75 oz./day so the LC instructed us to keep up with the supplements and return for his 2 month well-child check. We decided to buy a baby scale to keep tabs on him in the meantime, and I'm sure glad we did! Daily weigh-ins revealed that Ethan's weight had stalled again, so, after much prodding, another call to the doctor was in order. His supplements were upped to 2 oz. after almost every feeding, and finally we began seeing results. He went from 6 lbs. 14 oz. to 8 lbs. 8.5 oz. as of today (granted, after a full feeding and right before a poopy diaper, but still, that's progress). He still has a ways to go, and I still hate that we have to supplement, but whatever it takes to make sure he's healthy. The pediatrician says we may be able to stop supplementing once he starts solids, so we'll see what happens.

SLEEP:
Because of his slow weight gain, we had to wake him every 4 hrs. at night for the first 4 weeks since he wasn't up to birth weight yet. The LC finally gave us the clear to let him sleep, even though he wasn't back up to birth weight, and that night he slept over 6 hours straight, thus "sleeping through the night." He continued to do so for over a week before cutting back to 5-hour stretches for another couple of weeks, and for the past two nights, he's back up to 6-hour stretches. He's always been a good sleeper. As a newborn, we would have to wake him to eat, and he'd usually fall asleep right after nursing. Now, he's up a good deal more, but he still takes a nap after most feedings, sometimes for only 30 minutes and sometimes for a couple of hours. Getting him to sleep can be a chore, though. Since we brought him home, he's been sleeping in the swing at night because it makes it easy to rock him when he stirs or if he needs help getting to sleep. (There were two nights right after he got his Hep. B shot where he actually spent the night in the Moby with me sitting up on the couch, attempting to sleep. Not good nights!) I know this is a habit we need to break soon, but I'm concerned he won't sleep as well once we transition him to the crib. We had planned on using the Pack 'n' Play in the bedroom instead of the swing, but I think the slight incline also helps him sleep better, so the PnP has remained unused in the corner. Most nights, Ethan either cries to sleep while being rocked or nurses to sleep. However, the past two nights, we've put him in the swing extremely drowsy (usually after he's been crying off-and-on since his last nursing session), and he's been able to go to sleep on his own with just brief rocking to start. Hopefully, this is the beginning of his being able to get to sleep by himself. After his middle-of-the-night feeding, I almost always nurse him to sleep, and I don't see this as being a problem, though it can take forever when he's being stubborn. For naps, Ethan usually sleeps in the Moby (that's what he's doing as I type this). A few times, I've gotten him to sleep in the swing for naps, but I have to turn the swing on and leave it on or else he wakes up. They say to do whatever you have to do to get a baby to sleep the first two months, but those first two months are rapidly coming to an end, so we're going to have to make some changes soon.

POOP:
Not too much to say here (I'm sure you're grateful). Ethan wets 10-15 times a day, which shows he's definitely getting enough fluid, even before supplementing. He's down to pooping about every other day, though he's gone 3 days before, which resulted in a massive blow-out and a thrown-away gown. I learned today that he's discovered the silent poop with the grunt and look of intense concentration, whereas previously his poops could be heard in another room and he seemed oblivious. This makes it harder to tell when it's happening, but, thanks to the formula supplements, it's generally discovered fairly quickly. Oh, here's a big one: We're cloth diapering. My family was extremely skeptical of this at first, with my brothers betting I'd give it up in a matter of weeks. Yet here we are, almost 8 weeks later (we started as soon as we got him home from the hospital, so 1 day old), and I love it! It's no problem to throw them in the wash every other day, and they're so cute and easy. Plus, once we have our initial stash, we don't need to worry about buying diapers again, AND they can be used for subsequent kids. I'm definitely a fan, and I can't wait for him to fit into his BG 4.0s.

So there you have it. The past almost 8 weeks summarized in the life of a newborn. Ethan is much more alert now. As seen in the previous video, he began smiling at exactly 1 month and does it more and more every day. He stares up at my face, grinning, while I read to him. He coos while he plays on his activity mat. He even smiles and talks to me when I'm changing him, something that used to bring nothing but screams! He's an absolute joy, rarely crying unless something's wrong or he's struggling to get to sleep. I'm completely in love.