Isabelle Hannah's Birth Story

It was long overdue! After exactly a year later, I finally wrote Isabelle's birth story. I don't want to forget this ever, so I knew I had to write it quick before I forgot all the details. Here goes.

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Last prego pic before birth

August 23 was the estimated due date we got. It's exactly the same due date with big brother's due date. Darrell was 41 weeks and 5 days overdue, a lot late! I was hoping this one would not be that late. 

A month before our due date, we came in for monthly checkup with our midwife. We went to this midwife in a group practice, but she is actually the only midwife in a practice full of OBGyns. In that checkup, she delivered a sad, sad news that she will be resigning in about a month. I panicked because we love her so much and there is no one in the practice I would love to deliver my baby other than her! In my heart, I was praying hard that my baby will be born on time before she left but I knew I had to be prepared mentally if that doesn't happen. I'm glad she told me a month in advance so I could process the news!

For some reason, I had a feeling that this baby would not be overdue, but I guess I was wrong. I came in for checkup again on the due date, but not much progress. I have been through it before and I knew 1 cm dilation doesn't really mean anything. My midwife also told me that August 26 (Thursday) would be her last day. I came back for check up on August 25, and still not much progress. I hugged her goodbye, although she told me that if baby is born between now and tomorrow, she would still be on call. 

The next day, August 26, I finally had a few contractions here and there. The timing was irregular, but still tiring me out. I really thought that it was going to be THE day and that I would be laboring soon and could still be delivered by my midwife! I tried to walk to speed up the labor, but it was just so slow. Now that I look back, it seemed like I had what they call "prodromal labor", exactly what happened when I was pregnant and in labor with Darrell as well (52 hours!). 

His world is going to change real soon

Nothing much really happened all day, but I had a feeling it would be soon. I remember kissing Darrell in his nap and taking a picture of him sleeping. He is not going to be my only child soon. His world was going to change BIG time and it crushed my heart to imagine the uncertainties and the unknown. I prayed hard that our transition time to be family of 4 will be smooth and that Darrell will be proud to be a big brother and love his baby sister a lot. David will be with me if I have to go to the hospital and we would have to leave Darrell with one of our friends. So I prepared a backpack filled with Darrell's favorite things and also started to contact people who could be available to babysit Darrell. 

In the evening at around 7, we went to a Bible Study and I had a few contractions as well here and there. Still irregular but got a little more intense. I didn't have any plan to call the OB practice unless my water broke or the contractions got really, really bad. We went home from the Bible Study. I tried to sleep but was awaken in the middle of the night by the contractions and bathroom trips. I went to the bathroom and saw my mucus plug started to come out. With Darrell back then, everything changed the moment I saw my mucus plug (contraction got more intense and closer). So at that time I knew it was real, active labor! I was SO excited. I know that my midwife could no longer deliver my baby, so I just prayed hard that the right and the best OB will deliver my baby.

I got my iPod filled with positive Christian songs and audio Bible verses to accompany me laboring. In the morning at around 6, I tried to labor in the shower. The contraction got really, really intense. I had an appointment anyway with one of the OB in the practice so we were wondering if we should kept the appointment or just go to the L&D at the hospital. We called the practice and they told us to just keep the appointment and come over for an exam.

The pic Maggie texted us when we were at the hospital

We left Darrell with Maggie, one of our friends who lived at the same apartment complex. The car ride was hard. Walking from the parking lot was hard. I had to pause in between contraction and barely could walk. We got there at around 9. One of the OBs there checked my dilation and told me that I was 6cm dilated!!! I was shocked since I thought it was going to be a low number. I was tired and emotional and I almost cried, especially when she looked at me in the eye and said, "You have done a great job laboring all night. You are so close. You are going to have this baby soon, I promise." 

She instructed me to go to Baylor's L&D right away. We called our pastor to help take turn with Maggie and babysit Darrell for the rest of the day since we knew we weren't going back home at all. I labored in the hospital and I was glad to find a birth ball which was helpful. Our nurse was really sweet and nice. She made sure I got everything I needed. She saw my birth plan and knew I wanted to pursue a natural birth so she never ever mentioned about epidural. She gave me a lot of encouragement and praises.

Laboring on the birth ball

My laboring partner :)

From around 10am to 2pm, I was laboring in the hospital. My water also broke at some point and contraction was WAY more intense afterwards. Sadly, I was stuck at 7cm and I couldn't get past it while the contraction was already unbearable. I was also EXHAUSTED since I had been laboring since yesterday and didn't get any sleep. At that point I told myself, if I am still at 7cm dilation the next time the nurse checked me, I will get the epidural so I can rest and save my energy for pushing. Sure enough, when the nurse checked me, I was still at 7cm. I felt very defeated but I knew I want the epidural at that point. I told the nurse and she was a bit surprised and even tried to talk me out of it :-D I told her that I was so exhausted and want to reserve my energy for pushing. She called the anesthesiologist right away, which felt like forever. 

Resting on the bed after epidural

So I got the epidural at around 3pm and then got stuck in bed. With Darrell, I got the epidural as well (after laboring for more than 46 hours!) but it completely numbed my feet and I absolutely could not feel anything. This time, I still had a bit sense of feeling on my feet which was wonderful. It's really hard to explain, but the anesthesiologist did an awesome job! With Darrell, I was not at peace with my decision to get epidural. I was really, really sad and scared that epidural meant that it would slow down labor and that I would be getting a C-section. This time, I was at peace with my decision. I knew that this epidural will help me rest and get some energy to push. It was not the most natural birth that I always dreamed of, but really, all I wanted is a healthy baby!

From around 3pm to 6pm, my dilation progressed and at 5pm, I was 10cm and ready to push! The thing is, we had to wait on the OB who was on-call. I had not meet this OB who was supposed to deliver my baby at this point! So crazy and I felt very uneasy. She didn't even stop by to meet me. The nurse said that there were 4 other patients who were ready to deliver! I heard about this particular OB and she was one of the ones that I truly hope NOT going to be the one who deliver my baby. I knew that nothing could change this and I just prayed that she was going to do her best. 

At 6pm, the OB finally arrived and I could finally start to push. I guess she was okay and really, I didn't have time to think whether I like her or not, ha! With Darrell, I pushed for around 30 minutes, so I was totally hoping this would be shorter and easier. WRONG. I was so frustrated that it took a long time. I couldn't get the mechanism correctly and I couldn't push effectively so I cried and I felt so defeated. The nurse wasn't giving me a direction that I could understand. She offered a mirror that I refused at first, but finally agreed. There was another nurse coming in and thankfully she was more positive and more helpful. 

At 7:08pm, after what felt like an eternity, Isabelle Hannah was finally born! She cried right away, which was a relief. Like Darrell, they suspected meconium as well. I was a bit disappointed that they didn't offer David to cut the umbilical cord. They also couldn't bring her to have immediate skin to skin with me and it felt like they had her for maybe a good 10 minutes! I was dying to hold my baby girl!!! I had to speak up and told them that I really want to hold her. When I met her, I held her tiny fingers and told her that I love her. I let her nurse and she nursed right away. 

Isabelle meeting mama for the first time

Isabelle's first pic with Daddy

Wefie with our brand new baby daughter

The nurses tried to deliver my placenta around that time. The OB said that I wasn't tearing too bad, but still need a few stitches. My epidural was still in effect around that time. However, the nurses kept coming back to me and told me that there was still some blood clots left and they kept massaging my uterus to get it out. At that point, I was SO mad that they didn't just do this BEFORE my epidural was taken off. It was agonizing and REALLY, REALLY painful! I screamed so, so loud. The pain was the WORST pain I have ever felt, even worse than laboring and giving birth. Then, they told me that I had postpartum hemorrhage and I lost about 1100ml of blood, which is a lot for vaginal birth. They did tell me that I can take pain relief drug but I refuse since I would be breastfeeding and didn't want to take any risk.

Darrell meeting baby sister Isabelle for the first time

They "tortured" me for about 5 hours. So from the moment Isabelle was born, they had to keep massaging my uterus for maybe 5 times every hour to get all the blood clots out. I was just so exhausted and SO angry. I was crying so hard. In between those times, David left to pick up Darrell. I missed my son so much! Darrell and David came at around 9. Darrell met his baby sister for the first time and I was so elated with joy. I was still emotional about this hemorrhage and the fact that the nurse was not able to get it all out. I cried to David and I remember saying, "When is this going to be over?". I told David to get Darrell out of the room while the nurse came in to massage my uterus so Darrell didn't have to see the horrific scene and my ultra loud screaming.

Going through the horror of postpartum hemorrhage

At around midnight, they were finally done. Thank God! I was so upset with the nurses that that moment, but I was thankful as well that they were able to get it all out. I thanked them and I was happily wheeled to the postpartum room, yay! Thank God! I was starving as well at that point since I literally didn't have any meals all day, only snacks here and there.

I wasn't suppose to get any meal since it was so late, but the nice postpartum nurse gave me a meal and I remember finished it in like 5 minutes :) I kissed David and Darrell good night as they went home. I was happy to spend a time alone with my new baby girl, although I knew it was probably going to be the beginning of months of sleepless nights!

I wish I could say that my labor was quick and easy, but it was far from that. I endured 20 hours of prodromal labor, followed by 17 hours of active labor (13hrs without the epidural), 1 hour of pushing, and 5 hours of postpartum hemorrhage hell. But, it's true, what they say. The moment you look at your baby, you forgot ALL of that :)

Isabelle, I thank the Lord every day for you! You are truly our sunshine who brighten our lives. We love you more than you would ever know. Our prayer everyday is for you to grow in the fear and love of the Lord. Bright future and favor of the Lord be your portion forever. We pray that you will grow to be a woman of God who loves to serve God's people and be a blessing for many people.

dearest darrell {4 months old}

  {Darrell's friend, Mr Crabby Guy}

Dear Darrell,

My baby boy! You are 4 months old! It has been an eventful 4 months for all of us.

End of November, we went to your first church Thanksgiving Retreat, which was also your very first long car trip (3 hours only, but still! :)). Then of course, you also celebrated your first Christmas with us. We went to see Santa at the Northpark Mall and your expression in your first Santa picture was just priceless :) We also celebrated Christmas together with our family church. So far, we didn't have any snow just yet, so no first snowy day for you.

 {First Santa Claus encounter}

  {First Christmas as a family}

For the past 2 months, you've been spitting out a lot. There was one day that you spitted out almost every time I burped you. You practically spitted out all day! That was something new for me and I was so worried. I asked your Dr and she said that you might have been drinking too much milk!  :) Well, no wonder you're getting chubbier and chubbier each day.

Your sleep is getting much better! I'm so excited the time you slept through the night for the first time! Daddy and I woke up one day and saw you still sleeping. I was confused and I thought maybe Daddy took care of you when you had your wakings. Daddy said, no! So the only explanation would be that you slept through the night. It didn't happen everyday though (in fact, it's very very rare), but now we know that there is hope! Your sleep is still not consistent and it can varies between 2 - 6 hours of stretch.

Things you like: nursing, milk, going out and about with mommy
Things you dislike: tummy time, bath time


xoxo,
Mommy who loves you very much

my list of newborn absolute essentials.

{1. Chicco Keyfit 30 infant car seat  •  2. Ikea Gulliver crib  • 3. My Brest Friend nursing pillow  • 4. Miracle Blanket swaddle  • 5. Baby Bjorn Original carrier  • 6. Mortimer the Moose Lamaze take along toy  • 7. Graco Pack n Play Portable Playard with Newborn Napper and Changing Table}

When I was pregnant, I was overwhelmed by having to "fill up" my gift registry. I wish someone would tell me things I absolutely need for the baby and things that I could live without. Should I register for co-sleeper or a bassinet? Do I need a swing? What about a wipe warmer? A bath thermometer?

After actually living my life day to day with Darrell, I put down a list of things that we (mama + baby) can't live without. Of course people's needs and wants are different, but hopefully this list could help an overwhelmed pregnant mama somewhere.

• baby carrier
If you love to be mobile and getting out and about like me, you will need a baby carrier. The first 3 weeks after birth was THE most stressful because I found out that my schedule, my hands, and my body were not mine anymore. It was all about the baby. A baby carrier helped a ton because mom can carry baby around and have free hands to do other things! So far, I have tried 3 carriers: a Baby Bjorn Original, a DIY ring sling (like the Maya), and an Ergo. Darrell and I both dislike the ring sling. It hurt my shoulder and Darrell seemed to be "lost" in the pouch and more fussy. We depended on our Bjorn the first three months of Darrell's life. Darrell loves being in the Bjorn. I could just go to Target, put him inside the Bjorn and he would just doze off and sleep! Sometimes, he would also look around being curious :) However, as he's getting bigger and heavier, it hurt my back and David's back! So, we just recently purchased an Ergo with the infant insert. Darrell doesn't really enjoy being in the infant insert since it's a bit bulky. He doesn't need the head support anymore but his feet can't really "hug" my waist just yet. However, I love wearing it and it totally solved the back problem. Hopefully we can use it soon!

• infant car seat + stroller frame
If you want to take your baby home from the hospital, you'll need a car seat! :) I absolutely adore our Chicco Keyfit 30. It's so easy to install and so good looking. The price was also not ridiculously expensive, still within our budget, and the set already includes the car seat base. Also, say no to travel system! The last thing you want is a bulky humongous stroller. You'll be too lazy to take your baby out. Get a stroller frame and you'll be so much happier! Your car trunk will be lighter too :) I use the Baby Trend Snap n Go stroller frame and it fits our Chicco Keyfit 30 car seat just fine. We go out almost every day (after he passed his newborn stage of course! :))

• pack 'n play with newborn napper and changing station
We absolutely love this Graco Pack 'n Play. It has so many functions with a low price tag (we got a deal at BRU and only paid around $70 new, with a bonus of umbrella stroller!). I never liked the idea of purchasing an individual bassinet and a changing table. This thing came with a Newborn Napper, which acts as a bassinet and a diaper changing station! We put the pack n' play in our room and Darrell slept in the newborn napper during his first 3 months of life. I just wished they put more thought into designing a better changing station. It is a little flimsy looking and awkward because it leans over to the left side. Now, we take off both the newborn napper and the changing station, and use the bassinet exclusively for diaper changing. It's the safest place to change diapers ever. I just wish that it has better weight limit.

• swaddling blanket
Swaddling is definitely the one thing that helped Darrell to sleep better as a newborn. I didn't register for this and I regretted it big time. I swaddled Darrell with the traditional blanket and boy, it was quite tiring. We always had to re-swaddle him in the middle of the night because the little houdini always had his way out of the swaddle somehow. After getting frustrated, I ended up buying a Miracle Blanket and thanks to the (indeed) miraculous blanket, we didn't have to re-swaddle as much. We also use other velcro blanket similar to the Summer infant swaddle blanket, which worked okay although not as good as the miracle blanket. I really wanted to try the Woombie, but by the time I knew about woombie, Darrell didn't need to be swaddled as much.

• clothing

My baby lived in his onesies during his first 2 months of life. The Gerber kind is so comfortable, but it's tight-fitting and it runs small. The 3-6 months ones are almost the same size as the 0-3 months ones! You'll probably want to get 1 set of 0-3 and one set of 3-6. I'm also a big fan of the snap-up and zip-up sleeper. Other necessities: hats, socks, mittens, bibs. I thought I won't need bibs just yet since newborn doesn't eat solids... right? Well, they drool. A lot.

• crib + mattress + fitted sheet
It took us awhile to find the perfect crib. We finally decided on the Gulliver crib from IKEA. It has simple design, sturdy, inexpensive, and comes in white, a color that we want. Darrell didn't sleep in his room until he was 3 months, so the crib looked a bit lonely during those times. However, as soon as he outgrown his bassinet (around 3 months old), we started to put him there to sleep. It's been tough for him and me to sleep-train him there, but it's coming along. Hopefully I can come back with good report on this!

• swing or bouncer or rocker
A lot of moms swear by the swing and claimed that it can magically calm their baby to sleep but Darrell actually is just so-so with it. He rarely ever falls asleep in it and get bored quickly. I wished I had registered for a bouncer instead. Whichever one it is, you'll need a type of "baby seat" so your baby can hang-out in the living room with you, and your hands can get a break from holding your baby. We own this Fisher Price Infant-to-Toddler rocker and wished that we got it sooner.

• thermometer
I'd say invest in a good one for this. I'm glad that a friend of mine told me not to get the one from that all-in-one health care kit. Fever is the one thing you don't want on your baby especially when he is a newborn. Fever in a newborn can be dangerous and guarantee an ER trip. Therefore, it's critical to monitor his temp and own a quick, accurate thermometer at home. I love our Exergen Temporal Thermometer. It is more expensive that regular thermometers, but it's so easy and quick to check our baby's temp without upsetting him!

• baby monitor
We use the Angelcare Movement and Sound monitor. The movement monitor aspect is important for us because it really eases our mind from SIDS especially during sleep training time.

• nursing pillow
This makes life a thousand times easier for breastfeeding mamas! I tried both Boppy and My Brest Friend and both has pros and cons. I plan to elaborate this more in a standalone post but long story short, I use the Brest Friend much more over the Boppy. The back support just won me over.

• nipple cream
If you plan to breastfeed, nipple cream is a must, especially during the first few weeks when your newborn nurse every 2 hours... *cough* 24/7 *cough*. Seriously. This cream will make your breastfeeding experience better. I only use one type, the motherlove nipple cream, so I can't really compare it with other brand. It came in a very small tub, but you really won't need to put a lot.

• breast pump
This was literally my last baby item purchase that I waited to buy until the last minute because I really didn't know which one to buy! Also, to me, this is one of the things that I'd want to purchase new, instead of risking buying the used ones. I ended up getting the inexpensive Lansinoh manual hand pump because as a stay at home mom I thought I wouldn't be pumping that much. Turned out... I was pretty much right. I only pumped around twice a week to bottle-feed Darrell when we are out and about on the weekend. I also like that it's practical, no cables to plug in whatsoever, and easy to wash/sterilize. Although it's definitely more convenient to have a double electric pump, the hand pump worked okay for me. If God bless me with a second child, I might want to get the Ameda double electric pump, though! With the breast pump bra, I can have 2 free hands and be productive while pumping. Other moms would understand how nice it is to have 2 free hands! :)

• burp cloths
Believe it or not, I didn't register for this. Your baby WILL burp and spit up and make a mess on your clothes. Because I didn't register for this, I actually ended up using our receiving blanket because we got so many of those. It worked out great because it's larger than the usual burp clothes. I don't know about you but when my baby spits up, he can make a TON of mess and a larger cloth really help.

• activity gym or play mat
Honestly, for me this is not an absolute essential. However, it's great to register for one of these so your baby can do his tummy time without being on a high place such as the bed or couch.

• baby toys
Again, for me toys were not an absolute necessity, especially when he was still a newborn. The best "entertainment" for newborn babies is when mommy and daddy talk to them and just cuddle them. However, it's good to put a couple toys and teether in your registry. You will need that very soon. I love the Lamaze Baby toys. They're so much fun and really nicely designed to stimulate baby. I can't really speak about teether though, since Darrell hasn't begin teething yet.

• baby care items
You will need baby wash & shampoo, nasal aspirator (you'll get one from the hospital and that's the best kind for us), nail clipper, brush, and comb.

• diapers + wipes
Lots of them. These are definitely one of the most important baby essentials! If we have a house, I'd seriously consider using cloth diaper. We live in a tiny apartment and our laundry space is too small and the set up is just so inconvenient. It would drive me nuts to have to do laundry everyday. So anyway, we use disposables. Although people say babies grow up fast, I think it's still important to register for newborn sized diaper. Darrell was quite skinny as a newborn and used newborn size for a month. Every babies are different though, but you'll definitely need 1 or 2 boxes of size 1 and then 1 or 2 boxes of size 2.

dearest darrell {3 months old}

Dear Darrell,

Wow... you are 3 months old today. I made a huge mistake. I can never forgive myself for... not taking more of your pictures! Seriously. It's so amazing to see how much you have grown. There is no set-answer when people ask whether you look more like mommy or daddy. I think you're a mix of both of us.

Your neck is getting stronger and stronger. Mommy has been trying to give you as much tummy time as you can handle. We all know that tummy time is not so much your favorite :) You've outgrown some of your newborn clothes. This made me realize that my baby boy is really growing and growing and there is nothing to stop that!



You have seem to also outgrown your newborn bassinet that we place in our room. So, for the past couple of days we've been trying to get you to sleep in your crib. It's not an easy task because as soon as your body hits the crib, you'd be awaken from your sleep and cry for the most part. We (actually mommy! :)) have decided to not sleep train you the Cry-It-Out way. I know that it will be tiring for me to keep helping you to sleep, but I still think you're much too little to be left alone and cry. However, we really want you to get the idea that the crib will be your place to sleep. So, whenever you sleep for the first part of the night, we'd lie you down the crib. Whenever you wake up in about 2-3 hours, mommy will take you to bed and you'd sleep with us.

For the past few weeks, we've also realized that you haven't been dreading your diaper change as much as during your first 2 months! You don't cry as much anymore, yay! You have no idea how much I'm proud of you! Also, because you seem to really dislike your swaddle a lot lately (meaning: you've been kicking it and getting out of it), I decided to wean you from the swaddle. It was quite painless, and it didn't really affect your sleep.

During your second month, this is what mommy noticed.
Things you like: nursing, milk, being outside (looking at the "outdoor world"), going out and about with mommy in baby bjorn, going to church
Things you dislike: tummy time, being swaddled


xoxo,
Mommy who loves you very much

darrell's nautical nursery.

It's been long overdue, but here are some shots of Darrell's nursery. I'm glad that I managed to DIY the fabric wall decal during my morning-sickness (a.k.a all day sickness) at the time. Visit my design blog Daily Daydream for a mini DIY on how to make the wall decal!

a new mom's reflection.

{Mommy and 2 months old Darrell}

Now that Darrell is 2 months old, I can see things a bit more clearly. Life has been pretty blurry before this! I've been reflecting a lot about what has happened to my life, now that Darrell is here. I've also been reflecting on things that I learned during the past 2 months.

#1 Breastfeeding is hands-down the hardest thing I have ever had to do in my life. Even compared to giving birth. I regret that my first week with Darrell was filled with sobby and tearful moments. I can still remember the image on my mind vividly when I tried to bear with the pain as my crying Darrell latched on. It hurt so bad, I cried hard. He cried even harder. I wanted to feed my hungry baby, but it hurt so badly. It was so discouraging to read all the breastfeeding articles that says breastfeeding doesn't hurt when the baby has a good latch. I'm pretty sure I had a good latch. It just really hurt because I was already cracked and blistered while Darrell nursed non-stop without giving me time to heal. On day 5, I was ready to open a can of the sample formula I got. It was the day of Darrell's Dr appointment due to his jaundice. We went to the doctor and she encouraged me to hang in there and held on. She recommended me to use nipple shield so that my nipples could heal, while Darrell can still be fed from the breast. That saved me from opening that can of formula. I thank God every time I remember this. By around 6 weeks, breastfeeding hurts no more. It's such a beautiful and rewarding experience. It's such a wonderful feeling to know that my milk contributes to Darrell's growth!

#2 Kids grow up fast. And before I have Darrell, I can't understood it when people say this. Now I do. Even with 2GB photos already, I feel like I should have taken more pictures of my baby boy! It's so crazy but it seems like he grows and changes everyday. I was just looking at his newborn picture the other day and compare it to him right now. I really miss my tiny newborn baby boy with his sleepy eyes and wrinkly feet! I regret that I didn't set up a time to take his newborn pictures professionally. I was so struggling and caught up with postpartum issues and breastfeeding that it never occurred to me to do that :(

#3 I have not had any sleep. I mean, I have not had any nice sleep. I know that having a baby and sleepless nights are pretty much hand in hand, but sleepless night is so underrated. I miss having 8 hours of sleep. A proper, nice sleep where I could actually lay down to sleep Darrell is exclusively breastfed and he eats every 1 - 3 hours. The longest sleep stretch I have had is 4 hours at night. There are times that he's gassy and colicky, and that's just worst. I wouldn't expect any sleep on nights like that. However, he's been doing pretty well for the past couple days. I'm crossing my finger that someday I will get my 6 or even 5 hours of sleep! :)

dearest darrell {2 months old}

Dear Darrell,

Mommy's little boy! My love for you grow more and more each day. You are 2 months old! Wow... I can hardly believe that my breast milk is the one and only thing that you ate and what makes you grow.

For the past few weeks, we've been trying to learn to differentiate the sound and tone of your cry. You would cry when you're hungry and sleepy. You don't really cry when you have a wet or dirty diaper. Your hair also started falling out. You also smile more! You are still exclusively breastfeeding up to this point. Breastfeeding has been tough for mommy. My goal is to breastfeed you exclusively for 6 months. That sounded so easy when I made that goal a few months ago, long before you came along :) It's been getting easier and easier for the past few weeks, though! I'm getting the hang of it and it doesn't feel too painful for me anymore.

Your sleep is still inconsistent for the most part. You can sleep for anytime between 1-4 hours stretch, with 2 hours stretch most of the time. You've been nursing to sleep and on most days you sleep on my chest. Whenever I put you down to your bassinet next to our bed, you would wake up and cry, so mostly I like to keep you close to me on my chest. After a few weeks, mommy just figured out that you REALLY need to be burped as soon as you finished nursing. Otherwise, you would wake up crying because your tummy hurts. We've also been nursing you on-demand and we don't create a set schedule for you. It's been quite hard for mommy this way and a lot of times daddy feels a bit helpless too. Sometimes daddy also help feeding you with the bottle.

{Darrell's milk-drunk face}

During your second month, this is what mommy noticed.
Things you like: nursing, milk, being outside (looking at the "outdoor world")
Things you dislike: diaper change, tummy time, being swaddled, bath time

{Bath time that he hates}

No matter how hard it has been for me, you are truly the best gift in our lives. I even wonder why didn't we decide to have you sooner! :) But of course everything happened for good in God's beautiful time.


xoxo,
Mommy who loves you very much