So if you watched the video, I assume you were able to figure out that the poor little baby was trying to go potty. By the way isnt she so expressive!?! I think it is adorable!! But, as you can see she was having a little trouble, poor thing, and at the end she started to cry. This has basically been the routine for a couple days. If she has not been asleep or eating, Cote has been fussily trying to potty or spitting up. Her stomach is clearly upset.
At first I thought she just wanted to be held, so that was what I did. Then I realized she was only calm when I was patting her back or bouncing her. Slowly I noticed her struggled efforts to potty and her increased spit-up/burping. She also is constantly pulling her legs to her chest, bearing down, and passing gas when she cries. Thus the only conclusion I could come to is Colic.
I have been giving her these disolvable, homeopathic pills that Elizabeth gave me called "Hyland's Colic Tablets."
As far as I can tell, they are working. Mom gave me some other meds, but they are liquid. Since I have been having problems administering meds through a dropper I will be sticking with the tablets for now.
So far I feel like we have been very lucky that she has not cried incesently and been unbearable to live with. Cote has been rather soothable though she is in obvious discomfort. I wish there was more I could do for her, but sadly there is no cure! All I can do is try to make her more comfortable.
Today is the day my precious angel turns one month old to the date (31 days). It is crazy how much she has grown and changed already. The last couple weeks have been absolutely amazing. I am so beyond blessed to have such an amazing daughter. I thank the Lord every day! :)
But on to the topic of this blog...
I am sure many of you have heard of the book "What to Expect the First Year."
The book breaks down each month of the first year and explains what to expect (obviously). And at the front of each chapter there is a breakdown of things the baby could or should be able to do. Each month I want to compare Cote's progress to what the book recommends. I believe it will be a great way to share her growth with everyone, which by the way is incredible. She is growing every day! It’s a beautiful thing to watch!!
Anyways...
According to the book:
By month one, your baby...
...should be able to:
lift head briefly when on stomach and flat surface
focus on a face
...will probably be able to:
respond to a bell in some way, such as startling, crying, quieting
...may possibly be able to:
lift head 45 degrees when on stomach
vocalize in ways other that crying (e.g. cooing)
smile in response to your smile
...may even be able to:
lift head 90 degrees when on stomach
hold head steady when upright
bring both hands together
smile spontaneously
Well, I am very pleased to inform you that my Cote Bear can do ALL of those wonderful things. I am amazed every single day at how strong she has become and how alert and responsive that she is. She can even support herself on her legs with a lot of help of course. This little baby is beastly! ;)
She has also really begun to display her personality! When I first brought her home she was very calm all day. She slept a lot and was on a pretty regular schedule. However, this last week or so Oscar the Grouch has taken over. I believe it is a growth spurt, but Miss Cote only sleeps at night and mid-day and only with me holding her. If she is awake she wants to eat all the time. If she is not doing either of those things she has been pretty fussy. It’s slowly getting better, but things have been wild.
Actually, today had gone well. As long as she is not too hot, which has been hard in this weather, she is pretty much a happy camper. She smiles, makes sounds, stares out the windows, watches TV, and talks to mommy!! It’s hard to believe there is such personality in such a little person!
I cannot wait to continue to watch her grow and progress. Some more things that have been tried out this month were bathing, pacifiers, bottles, and vitamins.
When it comes to bathing... OMG! This little girl loves to have her hair washed. We haven't done a submersed bath yet, but when I hold her head under the faucet she seems completely at peace. I have never seen a face like hers. She seemed completely blissfully, happy!! It was amazing!!
As for pacifiers... let’s just say she does NOT like it!! I waited till about week three to give it to her because I did not want to mess with her nursing abilities. Every time I try to give it to her she gets a look of complete disgust and then gags herself. Secretly I have to say it makes me happy that she is not interested. I am pretty out on pacifiers while nursing due to my fear of nipple confusion which brings me to bottles.
I had to introduce her to bottles for a couple of reasons. One reason to introduce her to bottles now is so that she will accept them later on when I go back to school. The other reason I had to give her a bottle was because every time I tried to give Cote the vitamins she needs, she would choke. It was not pretty, so to kill two birds with one stone I put her vitamins in a bottle I pumped fresh each night. It was working beautiful, but I have stopped on the vitamins while we get through this slump.
Hopefully, things will all get better with tummy, and she will continue to blossom!!
To be honest, I do not really like either of them. For Huggies, I have been using the Pure & Natural line. This is the line that they offer that is hypoallergenic with aloe and vitamin E. For Pamper, I have been using the Swaddlers Sensitive line. This is their hypoallergenic line. I have chosen to try these particular lines just to be on the safe side due to my own personal skin sensitivity.
I will start by discussing the Pampers because they were what was used in the hospital, although in the hospital they used the regular Swaddlers (which to be honest were much better than the Pampers that I will be talking about.) I have been using the newborn size. The box that I bought had 88 diapers in it for around $30. This comes out at about 34 cents per diaper.
The Swaddlers Senesitve have their good qualities and their bad. Starting with the positive: The line I use can be purchased in bulk. They have the wetness indicator line. They also have not caused Cote to have any kind of negative skin reaction. They have an interesting inside liner that does not seem to leak absorbency beads all over her, and I have had no leak problems. Finally, they conceal the potty smell well!
Sadly though, that is all the nice things I really have to say about these diapers. They are supposed to have the umbilical cord cutout, but they do not. The tabs on the side are too sticky, so they are hard to unfasten quickly. The leg holes are too small, and they cut into Cote's thighs. Due to the "breathability" quality, the diapers feel very thin. This feature causes the diapers to feel warm and wet when they are dirty. It is an unsettling feeling. All of these features together make me dislike this diaper!
In the Huggies, I have also been using the newborn size. These are purchased in packs of 30 for $12.99. This comes to about 43 cents per diaper, so already there is a down side to these diapers. They are more expensive and cannot be bought in bulk. I have also had problems with the absorbency beads sticking to Cote, and I have had one pretty bad lack while using Huggies. They also smell instantly of urine when they get wet.
However, the Huggies make up where the compared lack (and vice versa). For example, they have a great umbilical cord cutout. They fit Cote's body nicely. These diapers also have the wetness indicator and are very easy to get on and off. Cote has also not had any negative skin reaction to these diapers.
When compared, honestly I think that both brands have a lot of room for improvement. It seems as though you have to pick the qualities you like and decide because neither excel in the same areas. For that reason, I have to say that when forced to choose I choose Huggies. The fit around Cote's legs is my deciding factor. I cannot bear to see the red rings on her legs that the Pampers cause. I will probably try the Pampers again when she moves up in size just to see if there is any improvement.
For now, I’ll be sticking with the Pure & Natural.
Cross your fingers for no more leaks!!
Lately, I have had plenty of time to think, and I would like to share what I have come up with... (it's not much so dont hold your breath)
I have come to the conclusion that babies have a magical power to bring people together. Since Cote was born, people have been crawling out of the wood work to get in touch with me. Everyone seems to want to make sure that the two of us are alright. It is pretty amazing. I am getting to see and talk to friends and family that I haven't seen or heard from in years!! And I have to say, I love it!! It is such a blessing to be able to reconnect with so many people and for such an amazing reason!
That's all.. That's my blurb..
And I just want to say thank you to everyone who has reached out. It has truly meant the world to me, so thank you!!
Since we came home from the hospital, Cote and I have been shacking up in the living room. She was sleeping in her recliner/rocker, and I was sleeping on the couch. But yesterday I decided it was time we moved to the bedroom.
I have been really anxious about this move for a couple of reasons.
1) Cote had been sleeping in a reclined position and not flat. In the move she would transition to her bassinet and be flat on her back. I didn't know if switching would make a difference to her, so I was concerned about that.
2) When I sleep on the couch, I am used to nap time intervals. In my bed I am used to longer segments of sleep. I was worried that I wouldn't rouse as easily.
3) Change always scares me.
4) Last but not least... SIDS. Sleeping in her bassinet scares me to death. I felt very comfortably with her in an upright, confined space in her recliner. I feel like there are too many variables that I cannot control in her bassinet.
So being very unnerved, last night was an adventure.
And it was horrible...
She could not sleep at all. Apparently she was deeply impacted by the change of sleeping arrangements. Good golly!! She woke up in thirty minute to hour and a half increments. Poor thing was not a happy camper.
Hopefully tonight will be better. New night. New tactics. Tonight I have put the wedge pillow under her mattress. Hopefully the incline will comfort her. I think she may have had reflux problems last night that kept her from being able to rest peacefully. I hope this change will allow us both to sleep tonight.
Fingers crossed!!
:) Stay Connected
UPDATE:
The wedge was no bueno. Because she was at an angle but not held in place, Cote kept tilting to the right until her face was pressed against the side of the bassinet. She woke up screaming! It was terrifying. Luckily, the side of the bassinet is netted, so she could still breathe. But it was not a fun experience. I took the wedge out and let her spend the rest of the night in bed with me.
She has been sleeping better in her bassinet, but she wakes up every two hours. Not as long as in the living room, but I'm sure it will get better. Maybe she has hit her 2-3 week growth spurt. :)
Yesterday was Cote's two week birthday, and today was her two week well visit. And let me just say, it was not fun! We showed up on time only to have to wait about 20 minutes past our appointment time. When we got called back, the nurse mispronounced Cote's name, not that that is a surprise.
She had to be weighed and measured. Today she weighed 8 lbs and 3 oz, and she was 20 1/4 inches. She is about average in percentile on all counts which is good. The doctor came in and said my little angel was perfect!! She answered all of my questions. Everything was going smoothly until it was time to get her shot.
Cote was due for her Hep B shot today. I could not bear to watch it, but I knew instantly when the nurse was done becuase my poor baby was screaming!!!! Not cool! She actually cried her first tears after that shot... I quickly scooped her up and nursed her to make her boo-boo better. :) Too bad the other moms in the office were not doing the same. There was screams echoing through the halls of the doctor's office. There was some very unhappy babies.
We then left to go to LabCorp to have her newborn screening done. We decided not to do it at the doctor's office so we could save some money. But when we get to LabCorp they inform us that they do not perform this particular screening. Keep in mind it has been about two hours since the time of our appointment.
Mom called the doctor, and they told us to just come back and they will perform the testing for free. We drove back, waited a little more, and were seen again. We got to the visitation room, and the nurse pricked my baby's heel. Only she cannot get the blood to come out. Poor Cote is screaming, a very unhappy baby! (This same nurse had this same problem at our last appointment.) The nurse went and got another nurse to get the job done. She had to reprick Cote's heel and start over. By the end, it took everything I had not to cry right along with my baby.
When all was said and done, it took over three hours of torture to get my baby's full check up finished. I truly hope her two month will not be as rough. Too bad she has to get more shots at that appointment. All I can do is hope for the best!
Mimi and Papa finally got to come see Miss Cote for the first time after their obligations at home were completed. They pulled up while Cote and I were standing outside, and I think they were instantly in love. It was so great to see how excited they were to see Cote. And luckily she was awake to greet them.
Mimi loved holding her! She hardly put her down all weekend!
(PLEASE SEND MORE PICS)
I love the explanation Mimi gives about our four generations of girls. :) She is an only child. Mom is her first daughter. I am my mother's first daughter, and Cote is my mother's first daughter. Very Cool!!
My favorite moment of the weekend:
Mimi was holding Cote close to her face so that Cote could see her. She was talking to her since Cote was awake. Well, Mimi had on her glasses, and Cote reached up, hooked her tiny little index finger in the side of Mimi's glasses, and pulled them right off of her face! It was absolutely adorable!!!!
I am so glad they were able to make the time to come see us!! It really meant a lot to me to have Mimi and Papa here! Cant wait to see them again!!
Friday night, I would have sworn we were having a baby!! I thought for sure that I was having contractions, and a baby was soon to arrive. Turns out, I was wrong. No matter how many times that I walked the block with Chase, there was no baby.
Saturday was a little different. I did not feel Cote move all day long. Around 8 o'clock I was really getting nervous. I drank a coke and took a shower to try to stir her up a little, but nothing was working. To be safe, I decided to call the hospital to see if this was normal. It wasn't. The nurse I spoke to said that I should come to the hospital, so they could check on her to see what was going on. I threw the rest of my stuff in my hospital go-bag and away we went.
When Dad and I got to the hospital around nine, they checked me in and got me a room. I was hooked up to a fetal monitor and a contraction monitor to see what was going on. at first, everything was appeared to be fine. Her heart beat was strong, and we could hear her movements on the monitor. i also had two contractions in six minutes. Because I had more than one contraction within 10 minutes, the nurse checked my cervix. I was 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced. I had progressed since Tuesday, another good sign.
The nurse explained that she needed to watch the monitors and such for an hour, but with the way things looked she believed I would be able to return home after the hour. However, forty-five minutes into the hour, things began to change. For some reason, there was a lull on the fetal heart monitor. It could have been caused by her rolling over the umbilical cord or moving away from the monitor so it picked up my heart beat. No matter, it required a sonogram to be ordered.
The nurse explained that the sonogram was simply to get a better look at what was going on inside my tummy and make sure everything was okay. She told me that they would be checking for four things during the sonogram: fetal heart rate, fetal muscle tone, fetal movement, and fluids. Each item would be "graded" on a scale of 0-2. An eight would be perfect score, but I scored a six. Her heart rate was strong. Muscle tone was good. There were plenty of fluids for her to swim in, but she was not moving. We watched for twenty minutes, trying all kinds of things to get a kick, but there was nothing! My heart was breaking as the worst raced through my mind. I began to beg that they do something! The nurse left for a couple minutes only to return to announce that we were having a baby!!
Because she was breech, a cesarean was the only option. My room quickly became a circus as everyone began to prepare. The on-call doctor, Dr. Freeman, came in to explain what would happen. The anesthesiologist briefed me on his duties, and the nurses were rushing around doing everything else.
I was slowly becoming more and more nervous about what was happening. I was ready to have my baby, but I did not want to have her under these circumstances. It was horrifying to think that this was happening because something might be wrong with my baby.
Dad and the nurses were doing everything they could to calm me down. There was a moment that was quite humorous that helped a lot. Dad was complaining about his required sterile attire. He asked why he had to wear all of that and I did not. The nurse told him he could be naked in a gown if her preferred, and a voice from the hallway yelled "Please don't get naked." It was hilarious. (You had to be there!)
After everyone was ready, I was escorted to a stark white operating room. It was quite intimidating. Dad couldn't come in yet, so I felt very alone. Walking in that room, I instantly felt unsettled being. In a matter of minutes, the anesthesiologist had me feeling paralysed from the chest down. People were rushing in and out. I had no idea what was going on, and I felt completely out of control.
Finally, Dad was allowed in, and the cesarean began. I have to say, it was the strangest feeling ever. The whole procedure was very aggressive. It reminded me of the movie Alien vs. Predator when the aliens emerge from the people's body cavities. It was strange and unnerved me. I felt like they would throw me off the table while turning my insides out. My emotions continued to mount. To try to make me feel better, the anesthesiologist narrated what was going on behind the sheet while Dad kept reminding me to breath.
It was nice to hear what was happening. It made me feel a little more included in the process. He told me as the feet came out, the hips, the shoulders, and finally the head. She was officially born at 12:42 am on Sunday, May 27th. BUT, she didn't make a sound. I was hysterical! It felt like time stopped as I waited to hear her scream. Anything would have been better than the silence... When she finally cried, it was officially the best moment of my life. I had been thinking the worst and was beyond relieved to hear her voice. It was the most beautiful sound that I have ever heard.
They cleaned, weighed, and measured her before I got to see her. Dad finally got to lay her on my chest so I could see. She was absolutely perfect. Her chubby little cheeks instantly stole my heart away. And, it was amazing how she calmed down when I began to speak to her. She had been crying, but the sound of my voice soothed her. It was the coolest thing to know that she recognized my voice.
COTE MARIE SPAULDING
MAY 27, 2012
12:42 AM
7 LBS 11 OZ
21 IN
I did not get to see her for long because the doctor had to finish putting me back together, humpty dumpty style, and the nurses had to finish up with Miss Cote. It took about 20 minutes, and then I was rolled into recovery to be with Dad and Cote. Her nurse was taking care of her eyes and her vitamin K shot.
Words cannot express how it felt when I finally got to hold her in my arms. It was an absolutely wonderful moment! And nursing... It was amazing! I couldn't believe that I had created something so absolutely perfect and was able to give her the sustenance to maintain. It was a beautiful miracle and defiantly a God thing!!
We were then rolled to our post-partum room where we met Mom. She had been out of town and rushed home to meet her grand baby. She was pretty captivated. Mom said that the resemblance between Cote and I was incredible. We were practically identical!
My Baby Picture from 1991
Dad went home to get some rest while Mom stayed with me over night. She was a wonderful help since I was still pretty paralysed. The adrenaline kept me awake for most of the night. I couldn't get enough of my little angel. I didn't want to miss a second or even let her go. I held her all night long!!!
The next morning, Dad came back to see us.
I was pretty drugged still, but Mom and Dad got to see Cote get her physical and very first bath!!
Right after her bath, Devin, Delisha, and Dusty came up to visit. Devin was very sweet on Miss Cote. He gave her kisses and was very curious, watching her every move.
While they were there, Cote had her first hearing test. She was so relaxed though that she did not respond to the test. They had to come back the next day to try again. (She passed the second time!!)
Later, Rob and Chase joined us as well. It was so amazing to see Chase's response to Cote. Throughout my whole pregnancy, he seemed so uninterested, but when he saw her for the first time he was just as captivated as the rest of us. He did not seem to want to put her down. It was very cool to watch!!
That evening, Caitlin came by to see us! It was the first time I had seen her in at least a year. How wonderful it was to get to see her again under such wonderful circumstances!!
Chase and Mom stayed the night with me. I really enjoyed watching how excited Chase was to be around my precious little angel. At around two o'clock in the AM, the nurse came and took Cote to be weighed, measured, and such. She weighed 7 lbs 5 oz. She had lost just about 10% of her birth weight which is apparently normal.
The next morning (Monday) we had to move rooms. We actually got a much bigger room, so that was nice since we had so many visitors. Becky, Beverly, Gordon, Brett, Elizabeth, Drew, and Tori all made their way up to visit.
Later that evening, after everyone left, Brandon came up to visit. He watched the Rangers game with me and Dad. It was neat because Dad said when I was born that he and Mom also watched the Rangers play. Funny how history repeats itself.
At around five in the morning, the nurse took Cote again to be weighed and measured. She weighed 7 lbs 3 oz, so she was still losing weight. Also, her jaundice levels had increased. We were informed that when we were discharged she would need to be tested by her pediatrician to see if further action needed to be taken.
When my doctor came in, he came bearing good news!! We were finally going home! I was so excited!! Dad and I packed up all of our stuff. I took the discharge class. I signed all my paper work. Her birth certificate information was taken care of, and we finally got to leave.
This was the most amazing experience, and I just want to thank you for allowing me to share it with you!!
When we were discharged from the hospital, the on-call pediatrician strongly recomended we see our pediatrician within 24-48 hours, so when we got home I immediately set an appointment. Wednesday, May 30, was our appointment and boy was I nervous. I knew they were going to have to draw some blood, and I was not mentally ready to handle it.
Outfit for the Doctor's
After we were taken back to the patient room, they had me take her all her clothes off (except her diaper) so they could weigh and measure her. Already I was having to upset her. :( She weighed in at 7 lbs 5 oz, so she had gained 2 oz since we were discharged. They measured her at 19 1/2 inches which was weird since she was 21 in at birth. At first I was worried thinking my poor baby girl had shrunk, but apparently the hospital measuring system is not so reliable. Whew!!
Then we went back to our little room to meet with the Doctor. She said everything looked great, but we would definately need to test her jaundice levels. Yikes! This meant they would have to prick her heel for 600 mL of my baby's blood. I was terrified. Everytime they had drawn her blood in the hospital the nurses had taken her to the nursery, so I couldnt watch. This time I would be in the room to watch her cry.
It was horrifying. The lady stuck her heel, and it took almost 10 minutes to get enough blood. In the mean time, my poor angel is crying like crazy. It took everything I had to not cry with her. I was so relieved when the nurse finally finsihed.
Mom and I had to take the blood over to the lab, and we were supposed to get her results within 4 hours. If they were too high we would have to get a bili light to help her out. Too bad the lab screwed up. They did not see the STAT order, so the results were not done in time. The doctor called and said we would need to go ahead and get the light because if the results came back to the on-call doctor and were too high, we would have to take Cote to the hospital.
We went ahead and got the lights as a precaution. It was not fun! I did not like seeing my poor baby laying on this glowing blue light even though it was only there to help. For some reason or another, that light had me very upset. I only kept it on her for a coupld hours. It got so hot that my poor baby's back felt like it was on fire. No fun!!
Sleeping with the Bili Bee Light
On thursday, we went back to the doctor where Cote was supposed to be retested. I was not looking forward to it, but it was all good news when we got there. Apparently her levels were not high enough to have needed the light. Thank God!! Now we could return the light and not have to prick her foot again! I couldnt have been happier.
We also got to meet with the lactation specialist. She was a mirable worker. She helped us with our latching to ease the pain that I was feeling. It was a monumental improvement!! Oh, Happy day!!
