Already?!
Our little Princess is a month old already! It seems like just yesterday she was flipping away in my belly. It makes it even more difficult to believe knowing that she should only be a week old.
The last month has been eye-opening and stressful, but also one of the best months of my life. Most days I feel like a walking zombie, and although I complain about it (let's face it, I need all the beauty sleep I can get) I wouldn't trade it for a million dollars. There's truly nothing better than Charleigh's sweet, innocent face. She makes the cutest faces and grunts, it can't help but make you smile.
That's not to say that it's not been rough, though. I'm pretty certain we go through a minimum of twelve diapers a day, three outfits, two burp rags, and lord knows how many bottles. We've also had a difficult time with formula, as Charleigh hasn't tolerated it well. After almost a week of greasy-looking diarrhea (I did call the doc when it first started and they attributed it to the new formula we were trying) and a diaper rash so fierce that it bled, the pediatrician decided it was probably a good idea to bring her in. The diaper rash required two ointments, and it was recommended that I soak her on baking soda and dry her off with a hair dryer. As for the diarrhea, it was determined that she suffers from an allergy to cows milk. Given the numerous issues we have had with formula, he decided it was in our best interest to skip over the soy formula and go directly to Nutramigen, which smells like the city of Decatur, Illinois. She was also diagnosed with reflux, but since reflux is essentially an allergy he decided to hold off on treating that. Thankfully, the formula change has made a world of difference - almost immediately she became much less fussy. Her diaper rash is gone and her stools look normal.
Believe it or not, with all the poopy diapers she had she still managed to gain weight! She now weighs a whopping six and a half pounds!!! Keeping in mind that she was early term, she weighs around what a full-term baby would weigh - which is where she should have been had she made it full term. Our pediatrician also reminded me that, technically, she is only a week old when you look at her adjusted age. Everything she's doing, particularly in regards to sleep, is completely normal for a one-week old! I need to make sure I keep that in the back of my mind, particularly when I get irritated in the middle of the night.
In other news, after much thought, I decided to make a huge career change - I am now officially a SAHM. It wasn't an easy decision to make, because I absolutely love my job, coworkers and patients. But, with the hours that I work, I would never get to see Charleigh and I'd be a complete walking zombie. Plus, I can't fathom leaving her with a complete stranger.
With me being a SAHM, it will be easier to live a healthier life. Since I've been home I've been cooking dinner practically every night and getting things like laundry done during the week which allows me to spend more time with Chad when he's home. Eventually, I hope to start working out and getting back in shape, but I need to find some energy first. (The biggest difference between pregnancy and life postpartum is the exhaustion. I had no energy when I was pregnant, now it's little energy and sheer exhaustion!). Getting in shape should also help when we decide to try for baby number two, but who knows - if I'm healthy enough it could just happen on its own!!!
This week I'm leaving you with the link to Charleigh 's newborn photos....
Http://alisamurray.com/alisa-murrays-daily-snap-click-flash-95/
The last month has been eye-opening and stressful, but also one of the best months of my life. Most days I feel like a walking zombie, and although I complain about it (let's face it, I need all the beauty sleep I can get) I wouldn't trade it for a million dollars. There's truly nothing better than Charleigh's sweet, innocent face. She makes the cutest faces and grunts, it can't help but make you smile.
That's not to say that it's not been rough, though. I'm pretty certain we go through a minimum of twelve diapers a day, three outfits, two burp rags, and lord knows how many bottles. We've also had a difficult time with formula, as Charleigh hasn't tolerated it well. After almost a week of greasy-looking diarrhea (I did call the doc when it first started and they attributed it to the new formula we were trying) and a diaper rash so fierce that it bled, the pediatrician decided it was probably a good idea to bring her in. The diaper rash required two ointments, and it was recommended that I soak her on baking soda and dry her off with a hair dryer. As for the diarrhea, it was determined that she suffers from an allergy to cows milk. Given the numerous issues we have had with formula, he decided it was in our best interest to skip over the soy formula and go directly to Nutramigen, which smells like the city of Decatur, Illinois. She was also diagnosed with reflux, but since reflux is essentially an allergy he decided to hold off on treating that. Thankfully, the formula change has made a world of difference - almost immediately she became much less fussy. Her diaper rash is gone and her stools look normal.
Believe it or not, with all the poopy diapers she had she still managed to gain weight! She now weighs a whopping six and a half pounds!!! Keeping in mind that she was early term, she weighs around what a full-term baby would weigh - which is where she should have been had she made it full term. Our pediatrician also reminded me that, technically, she is only a week old when you look at her adjusted age. Everything she's doing, particularly in regards to sleep, is completely normal for a one-week old! I need to make sure I keep that in the back of my mind, particularly when I get irritated in the middle of the night.
In other news, after much thought, I decided to make a huge career change - I am now officially a SAHM. It wasn't an easy decision to make, because I absolutely love my job, coworkers and patients. But, with the hours that I work, I would never get to see Charleigh and I'd be a complete walking zombie. Plus, I can't fathom leaving her with a complete stranger.
With me being a SAHM, it will be easier to live a healthier life. Since I've been home I've been cooking dinner practically every night and getting things like laundry done during the week which allows me to spend more time with Chad when he's home. Eventually, I hope to start working out and getting back in shape, but I need to find some energy first. (The biggest difference between pregnancy and life postpartum is the exhaustion. I had no energy when I was pregnant, now it's little energy and sheer exhaustion!). Getting in shape should also help when we decide to try for baby number two, but who knows - if I'm healthy enough it could just happen on its own!!!
This week I'm leaving you with the link to Charleigh 's newborn photos....
Http://alisamurray.com/alisa-murrays-daily-snap-click-flash-95/
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