Dirty diaper finder

Pulling Mommy Rank

I finally decided to start pulling the Mommy card. For the past month I've watched people hold Emerson while she is crying feeling so sick to my stomach. I would wait thinking obviously they would hand her over because thats what I do with an upset child. Majority do but some do not causing both Emerson and myself to feel horrible. But I think my motherly instinct is taking over because I don't think I can stand by any longer. Sometimes it just needs a mothers touch. So I would rather comfort my baby and prevent a soaked shirt. :) 

New Favorite

Birthday Shot

1 Month Old!

I can't believe Emerson is already a month old. Time has flown by. She doesn't even look like the same baby. I took some birthday pictures I'll post later today. Little girl has had a tummy ache  so I haven't had time to work on the upload. It's funny now that I have a baby it is hard to remember a time when I wasn't always covered in spit up. But, I wouldn't change it for the world! I'm trying to enjoy every second with her as I know it will go by too fast. So I don't care if people think she is held too much. I would rather hold her now than regret it later. Because you never get this time back. Happy Birthday Emerson!

Astrology Fun

Since it's so dreary outside here is some astrology fun. My horoscopes have always been surprisingly accurate so we'll see how this pans out.

Mother and Child
Your Pisces child needs your love and protection the way a flower needs nourishing rain and sunlight. And like that flower in the sun, your little one basks in the warmth of your courage and creativity. The way she needs you makes you feel indispensable, like the center of her world -- a position you're more than comfortable with! Loyal and devoted, you're naturally a wonderful parent to your little Pisces. You return her love tenfold and encourage her to be bold and happy, just like you. The fact that you're a bit sensitive yourself helps you understand your little one's sensitive, compassionate nature. You and your Pisces child will always share a strong and tender connection -- she's tuned in to you at a deep emotional level and you give her the grounded strength she needs.

About Emerson
A deeply creative imagination enhances your Pisces child's experience of life, imbuing it with varied hues and shimmering possibilities. You might find her staring off into space, but there's plenty going on in that unfathomable mind of hers -- feelings, impressions, and bits of intuition woven together in a rich mosaic of perception. Pisces children are incredibly tender and compassionate, and they need extra affection from their parents. Your little Pisces may want to be held nonstop as a baby (This one is already true!) and will still need plenty of hugs, kisses, and encouragement as she grows older. Pisces children are often more concerned with their instincts than with logic, and more interested in their dreams or fantasies than in "real life." As the parent of a Pisces child, you can help to ground her in reality; avoidance and escapism are typical Piscean traits. So is idealism. Your Pisces child may have grand visions of the way life could and should be, which will then fall flat in the harsh light of reality. Since your little Pisces is so emotionally sensitive (as well as physically and psychically), you'll need to be careful which people and influences you expose her to and what you feed her. Don't be surprised if she brings home stray kittens and other friends in need. Her heart's capacity to love and serve is enormous -- sometimes to a fault. Your Pisces child needs to protect herself against people who would take advantage of her giving and gullible nature, and that's one area in which you, as her parent, can step in.

Parent & Parent horoscope-Mark is a Sagittarius. I'm a Leo
Harnessing the energy between you is rather like trying to control a team of wild horses. It can be a fun, wild ride, but things can all too quickly get out of hand. This is the challenge you will face in your parenting duties. You're both lively, adventurous, and energetic people. You love to take your kids on all sorts of adventures and expose them to new experiences. But who will mind the store while you're gone? The Leo parent may take on the leadership role in the family, making (and canceling) appointments and taking care of details. It's not your favorite job, but somebody's got to do it! The Sagittarius parent will be busy making all the plans for your next family vacation to some distant, exotic location. The kids happily tag along with you two, learning that the world is their schoolyard.

Before I was a Mom....

I would have never thought I would have my baby sleeping in my bed.  But as I have come to find out many things change once your little one arrives. At first it started out unintentional with me picking up Emerson to feed her and we would both fall asleep. Then over a couple days I found it easier for her to be with me from the beginning. We both got more sleep, and it was easy to feed her. After more exploration I found that tons of parents "co-sleep" with their kids. Some people might stick up their nose at the idea but all I know is Emerson never cries at night and I feel rested in the morning. I don't have any fear of me rolling over her. It is amazing the awareness you have of where your baby is. My body literally doesn't move all night. I stay on my side facing her and it makes for a quick feeding session. She falls asleep during and I just roll her back to her back. So easy! So what I say is do what works for you. I found this article listing the benefits of co-sleeping. 

Popular media has tried to discourage parents from sharing sleep with their babies, calling this worldwide practice unsafe. Medical science, however, doesn’t back this conclusion. In fact, research shows that co-sleeping is actually safer than sleeping alone. Here is what science says about sleeping with your baby:
Sleep more peacefully
Research shows that co-sleeping infants virtually never startle during sleep and rarely cry during the night, compared to solo sleepers who startle repeatedly throughout the night and spend 4 times the number of minutes crying 1. Startling and crying releases adrenaline, which increases heart rate and blood pressure, interferes with restful sleep and leads to long term sleep anxiety.

Stable physiology
Studies show that infants who sleep near to parents have more stable temperatures 2, regular heart rhythms, and fewer long pauses in breathing compared to babies who sleep alone 3. This means baby sleeps physiologically safer.

Decreases risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
Worldwide research shows that the SIDS rate is lowest (and even unheard of) in countries where co-sleeping is the norm, rather than the exception 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. Babies who sleep either in or next to their parents’ bed have a fourfold decrease in the chance of SIDS 10. Co-sleeping babies actually spend more time sleeping on their back or side 1 which decreases the risk of SIDS. Further research shows that the carbon dioxide exhaled by a parent actually works to stimulate baby’s breathing 11.

Long term emotional health
Co-sleeping babies grow up with a higher self-esteem, less anxiety, become independent sooner, are better behaved in school 12, and are more comfortable with affection 13. They also have less psychiatric problems 14.

Safer than crib sleeping
The Consumer Product Safety Commission published data that described infant fatalities in adult beds. These same data, however, showed more than 3 times as many crib related infant fatalities compared to adult bed accidents 15. Another recent large study concluded that bed sharing did NOT increase the risk of SIDS, unless the mom was a smoker or abused alcohol 16.

www.AskDrSears.com

Being a Mommy to a newborn

Accomplishments Today

1. Shower
   
2. Brushed Teeth before noon
   
3. Have not been spit up on
   
4. Baby has not spit up on herself
   
5. Took dog out with baby in sling
   
6. Washed all of Emerson's dirty clothes
   
7. No cloth diaper leaks so far

Success!!!

Chunky Monkey

Emerson had her 2 week check-up yesterday and to our surprise she now weighs 6lbs 13oz! Just to recap she was 5lbs 7oz only two weeks ago. Plus she has grown a whole inch. The midwife also said she is a smart one, which we already knew. :) Emerson didn't hold back at all, squirming all over the place and peeing twice in 5 minutes while she was naked. Apparently she likes being free. Her other little milestone yesterday was she didn't cry at all in her carseat on the ride over. We've had a tough time transporting her since she doesn't care to be constrained and doesn't hold back her frustrations.  Hopefully now she is getting use to the idea. We also started cloth diapers yesterday. See the giant diaper in her picture. It's been a little tricky getting the fold right but, hopefully I'll get the hang of it.  Then I can change her diaper much faster since she has no patience for my learning time. Haha.

What I've done with my afternoon.....:)

2 Weeks Today!

Emerson is 2 weeks old today. It's hard to believe since the past two weeks have flown by. She is plumping up quickly. I can't wait until our check-up next week when we can see how much weight she has really gained. She definitely is going through a little growth spurt since she is eating every hour. That or she just really loves milk. Either way she is still the most perfect baby. Although I may be partial she has only cried a handful of times, she voluntarily sleeps most of the night, and she is super cuddly. All leading me to believe I have the best kid around and the cutest. Her cheeks are starting to plump up and her hair is getting crazier. Her little milestone yesterday was she can now fit into her newborn sleepers! For the past two weeks she has had to live in t-shirts and double blankets to stay warm. But, now it looks as though she might have some cozy pjs to sleep in.  Anyways it looks as though I need a new name for my blog since Emerson has arrived. Any ideas???

Emerson's Hypnobabies Birth Story

One tired Midwife, Mama, and Baby

Today is my due date! So I figured I should finally share my birth story. We checked into the hospital around 9pm so we could start the foley catheter in hopes I would dilate 4 cm overnight. We had to wait until around 11:30 to get things started since there were numerous c-sections taking up all the staff. But lucky for us we got free parking and food vouchers and enjoyed some chocolate peanut butter cake. Around 9:30pm we were allowed to sit in our room but weren't technically admitted yet. So we decided to watch Damages, one of my favorite shows. Finally my midwife came in to insert the catheter around 11:00 pm. I played the hypnobabies music in the background and put myself into hypnosis. My body was limp and before I knew it the procedure was over. Not bad at all, just some pressure. I tried to get some sleep that night but the catheter caused some discomfort and I was constantly pacing my room. Eventually they gave me some Ambien so I could get some rest since I hadn't even started my real birthing time. Around 7am I woke up, had breakfast, got sick twice, and then started pitocin by 7:30. I have to admit I was bracing for it to hit me hard. But to my surprise I was completely fine. I played the birth day early stage guide to get my body ready. By 10am the Foley Catheter came out and I was 4cm dilated. By 12pm I still didn't even know when I was having a pressure wave. Pressure wave is a "contraction" in hypnobabies terms. The funny thing is during the afternoon I was complaining the tape from my IV was hurting not the actual having a baby thing. I listened to my guide several times and the deepening as well which made me completely relaxed. By around 5pm things started to get more intense so I felt the need to move around. Since I was on pitocin I had to be constantly monitored but they had remote ones so I could roam the hallway. I started to make my rounds and stopping to lean on Mark when a pressure wave came. I eventually had to come back to the room because the signal on the baby kept going out. I got on the ball for awhile but the position didn't agree well with my body. Later in the night they decided to check my progress. I was still 4 cm. I hadn't wanted to be checked at all but didn't have a choice due to the induction. As things got more intense the midwife massaged my legs and got my body very comfortable. It was probably around 11pm when I decided I wanted to get in the shower. I was very disappointed that my room didn't have a tub so the shower had to do. I got in the shower and it felt amazing. I felt like I could stay in there until the baby arrived which mad me even sadder I wasn't having a water birth. But after an hour the shower was flooding into the bathroom. I finally got out and got back into some dry clothes. My pressure waves were more intense and at this point I could not feel break in between them. My body began to shake and I was having temperature shifts from hot to very cold. I thought for sure I was in transformation. The midwife suggested I get some rest so I attempted to sleep while listening to my deepening script. The turned the pitocin down since the waves were right on top of each other. Unfortunately it just made everything stop. Emerson definitely wanted to stay in. Around 4am my midwife came in to check me again. I was still 4cm!!! I could not believe that 21 hours later my body was not progressing. It seemed as though my body was not reacting to the pitocin. At 4:30 my midwife told me she did not think my body was taking the induction. She suggested I get an epidural to relax my muscles in hopes of progression. I was very disappointed to hear this but after discussing it with Mark we thought it was our best option especially since we did not want to end up with a c-section. I got the epidural and we decided to break my water. I laid on my side while listening to my birth day guide and was able to rest a little bit. By 7am I was 8cm. I started to feel her moving down the birth canal and it was very intense. I moaned deeply throughout the pressure waves. Even though I had the epidural I could still feel what was happening in my body. I was checked again after I told them I was having a lot of pressure. I was 10cm and 100% effaced. Yay! I started to push lightly with each wave. Although I felt like she was coming out on her own. I then got on my left side and had my right leg propped up on my midwives' shoulder. Mark put in the pushing guide in the background. After a little less than an hour of pushing she arrived at 8:49am. A little over 24 hours since the process began.The final push I'm certain was not even conscious. I thought at the time they were pulling her out. Mark explains it as a scary experience since I was trying to push the midwife and nurse away. I guess my body was just working on it's own. They immediately placed her on my chest. Emerson breastfed within 20 minutes so I was very pleased. I also had no tears because of the use of the perineum massage during the pushing stage. Although things didn't go as planned I think that went as best they could with our circumstances. I hope that next time we are giving birth at the birth center spontaneously and able to have the experience we had imagined. Our midwife was amazing and really supported us through the process. Overall I would not call labor awful or excruciating. I would say it is very tolerable if you are in the right mindset. Although pitocin definitely makes it tougher and I have no clue why anyone would want to be induced with  no medical reason. I am still very glad I took the hypnobabies childbirth classes. I learned so much and I felt very prepared even though it wasn't exactly as planned. Thanks Susan! Emerson still loves to listen to the hypnobabies music! :) 

Emerson has arrived!

Emerson Kaye Landis arrived February 27th at 8:49am weighing 5lbs 7oz. We are doing great! More details to come soon.