These are a few of the pictures we had taken when Ava was 6 weeks old. They didn't scan in as well as I had hoped, but here they are.
Monday, March 19, 2007
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Progress!!!
Wow, I can't tell you how much Ava has accomplished since my last post. I am warning you now that this post may be a little too much information about breastfeeding, so if that makes you uncomfortable, stop reading now. :)
At Ava's last doctor's appointment, he agreed to let me start nursing Ava full time. I wrote all about this in my last post. It has been so nice to not sterilize and fix bottles every night!!! At that time, I was still pumping every other feeding until I could make sure Ava was getting enough milk. She is doing great, so now I only pump once every couple of days when I am feeling too full! I was so excited to get rid of that part. Now I can actually just sit and hold Ava after she eats instead of putting her down to pump. Ava had only one last obstacle to overcome.
When I started nursing Ava in the NICU, her mouth was too small to latch on properly, so I had to use nipple shields. I hated using them. It took all the convenience out of breastfeeding. I had to make sure I had one with me and water to seal it on properly. Once I got settled, attached the nipple shield, and was ready to feed Ava, she would reach up and pull it off. Of course, she would be screaming from hunger at this point. Finally, she reached the point where she was big enough for me to start weaning her off of them. This was more difficult that I had ever imagined. I had no idea where to start, so I started looking in my breastfeeding books. The only thing they wrote about them was to try not to start using them because it can be difficult to wean from them. Thanks a lot!! I did contact a lactation consultant, but they weren't much help either. Apparently, every child weans from these differently. I started weaning Ava from the shields over two weeks ago. At first she would scream if I didn't give her the shield because she didn't like the texture of the breast. Then, I would get excited if she would latch on and suck twice. This would only happen once a day or so. She finally got to where she would latch on for ten minutes a couple times a day. Both Ava and I were extremely frustrated during this time. Then, this weekend it seemed like it just clicked with her. She really wanted to take the breast, but I was still having a hard time getting her to latch on properly. We went to see a lactation consultant on Monday. She showed me a trick to get preemies to latch on and Ava has been doing it ever since. Since yesterday she has latched on the first time I offer her the breast and we have not used a nipple shield in over 24 hours!!! I know this does not seem like a big deal, but it is a huge accomplishment for Ava and I. I was beginning to worry that I would never be able to breastfeed her naturally. It only took us 7 weeks, but we finally got it!
I am so thankful to have a husband and family who are so supportive of my efforts to breastfeed Ava. It has definitely been a challenge, but we finally figured it out. My sister has been a huge help through all of this. It is so nice to have someone who was successful breastfeeding to talk to about all of this.
Ava went to the doctor today for a weight check and she is now 6 lbs. 9 oz. She gained a 1/2 oz. per day during the last two weeks. I am very happy with this since she was not only breastfeeding full time, but learning to nurse without the nipple shields. At our lactation appointment on Monday, they said Ava was very efficient at the breast. She nursed for about ten minutes on one side and got over 3 oz. They weighed her before and after she ate. Then, she latched on and ate some more.
We are so proud of our little girl. She has overcome so much in 7 weeks!!!
We had professional pictures of Ava taken last week. I will try to scan them in and post them here soon.
At Ava's last doctor's appointment, he agreed to let me start nursing Ava full time. I wrote all about this in my last post. It has been so nice to not sterilize and fix bottles every night!!! At that time, I was still pumping every other feeding until I could make sure Ava was getting enough milk. She is doing great, so now I only pump once every couple of days when I am feeling too full! I was so excited to get rid of that part. Now I can actually just sit and hold Ava after she eats instead of putting her down to pump. Ava had only one last obstacle to overcome.
When I started nursing Ava in the NICU, her mouth was too small to latch on properly, so I had to use nipple shields. I hated using them. It took all the convenience out of breastfeeding. I had to make sure I had one with me and water to seal it on properly. Once I got settled, attached the nipple shield, and was ready to feed Ava, she would reach up and pull it off. Of course, she would be screaming from hunger at this point. Finally, she reached the point where she was big enough for me to start weaning her off of them. This was more difficult that I had ever imagined. I had no idea where to start, so I started looking in my breastfeeding books. The only thing they wrote about them was to try not to start using them because it can be difficult to wean from them. Thanks a lot!! I did contact a lactation consultant, but they weren't much help either. Apparently, every child weans from these differently. I started weaning Ava from the shields over two weeks ago. At first she would scream if I didn't give her the shield because she didn't like the texture of the breast. Then, I would get excited if she would latch on and suck twice. This would only happen once a day or so. She finally got to where she would latch on for ten minutes a couple times a day. Both Ava and I were extremely frustrated during this time. Then, this weekend it seemed like it just clicked with her. She really wanted to take the breast, but I was still having a hard time getting her to latch on properly. We went to see a lactation consultant on Monday. She showed me a trick to get preemies to latch on and Ava has been doing it ever since. Since yesterday she has latched on the first time I offer her the breast and we have not used a nipple shield in over 24 hours!!! I know this does not seem like a big deal, but it is a huge accomplishment for Ava and I. I was beginning to worry that I would never be able to breastfeed her naturally. It only took us 7 weeks, but we finally got it!
I am so thankful to have a husband and family who are so supportive of my efforts to breastfeed Ava. It has definitely been a challenge, but we finally figured it out. My sister has been a huge help through all of this. It is so nice to have someone who was successful breastfeeding to talk to about all of this.
Ava went to the doctor today for a weight check and she is now 6 lbs. 9 oz. She gained a 1/2 oz. per day during the last two weeks. I am very happy with this since she was not only breastfeeding full time, but learning to nurse without the nipple shields. At our lactation appointment on Monday, they said Ava was very efficient at the breast. She nursed for about ten minutes on one side and got over 3 oz. They weighed her before and after she ate. Then, she latched on and ate some more.
We are so proud of our little girl. She has overcome so much in 7 weeks!!!
We had professional pictures of Ava taken last week. I will try to scan them in and post them here soon.
Thursday, March 01, 2007
6 Pounds!!!
We took Ava to the doctor on Tuesday and she weighed 6 lbs. 2 oz. We were so excited! The doctor was very happy with her weight gain. He even allowed me to start nursing her full time!!! We still have to feed her every three hours and pump every other time, but no more bottles!!! I was hoping we could at least cut one thing out of our day. We now feel like we have a normal newborn.
I'm not sure if I posted it here before, but the neonatologist had told us we were not allowed to take Ava out of the house for two months. We were fine with that. Ava will be six weeks on Friday, so we thought we were getting close. At our appointment on Tuesday, her pediatrician said we cannot take her out of the house for another two months! He said we could start taking her places in May. We are so torn about this. We don't want to do anything to hurt Ava, but I am not sure I can stay in the house for another two months. Ava will be 3 1/2 months old by then. I do understand that it is flu and RSV season, but I would like to have a little bit of a normal life. We will definitely keep her in for another month, but I think we may have to make our own decisions after that. Any advice on this subject would be appreciated.
Ava is enjoying another first at the moment. She is taking a nap in her crib for the first time. I am a nervous wreck. I usually put her in the pack 'n play downstairs with me or carry her around in the moses basket. Needless to say I have an eye on her at all times. Right now I am in the room next to her nursery with the monitor on full blast and I keep running in there with every little sound she makes. I now know that I am definitely not ready to move her to her nursery at night. She may be in our room for several more months.
Last weekend my cousin, Melissa, her husband, Dan, and their daughter, Claire, came to see us. Claire and Ava were born exactly one week apart. It was my first time to see Claire in person. She is beautiful. Don't worry, I will post pictures at the end. It was so good to see them. I really wish they lived closer since Claire and Ava are so close in age. I can't wait to see them grow up together. Hopefully, Ava will catch up in size soon. I didn't realize how tiny Ava is until I saw Claire.
My grandmother also saw Ava for the first time last weekend. It was killing her that she wasn't able to see Ava sooner. My mom, dad, sister, brother-in-law, and nephew were here too. Needless to say, we had a full house. We had a great time though. We really appreciate everyone coming to see us since we aren't allowed to travel with Ava. I should rephrase that. People don't come to see Kurt and I anymore. They are definitely here for Ava. We're lucky if we get a hello at the door before they grab Ava from us. That's okay though. We're glad Ava is so loved. I guess this is our first taste of being "Ava's parents" not Kurt and Kimberly for at least the next 18 years.
Okay, now for the pictures.
Ava and Claire
Left to Right: Melissa with Claire, Jennifer with Caleb, and me with Ava
Nana with Ava (her great-grandmother)
This is one of my favorite pictures. It looks like Ava is pulling Claire's hair and Claire is screaming.
Melissa with Ava
Ava and I
Ava
Caleb sitting in Ava's infant seat.
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