The First Weeks

Avery’s first week has been full of ups and downs. It started out really great. She was doing fantastic in the hospital. Right after she was born, she latched on and nursed like a champ. While we were in the hospital, she continued to nurse fairly well and seemed to be a laid back baby. We were released to go home Thursday morning around 11.

Once we got home, we were planning for my mom to go home as well. However, Chris’ leg was hurting him, and he couldn’t walk much, so we decided to have Mom stay to help. Avery nursed well Thursday and seemed to be satisfied as she would fall asleep during or after nursing.

Friday afternoon and Saturday things started to get rough. She became more and more fussy and just seemed to be unhappy. When I tried to nurse, she would get frustrated and cry. I thought we were just having a rough patch. My mom left on Saturday morning, and Chris’ mom came down to stay a few days.

Avery’s nursing problems got worse on Saturday night. She refused to nurse at all during the night and tried to push my breasts away with her hands. Sunday morning, we were concerned because she wasn’t nursing, just wanted to sleep, and was fussy when she was awake. I ended up calling the Women’s Center to get their help. They said to try to pump and give her breastmilk through a bottle. If that didn’t work, they said to use formula. Using their advice, I got my pump out, and we quickly discovered the problem. I wasn’t making much milk at all, like less than ½ an ounce out of both breasts.

We decided to give Avery formula to see what she thought. She quickly gulped down a bottle of two ounces. Poor baby was starving. However, as the day went on, she started to seem worse. She wouldn’t wake up no matter what we did. We tried patting her, undressing her, changing her diaper, using cold washcloths on her face. Nothing worked. We started to get concerned that she was dehydrated because she wasn’t eating and wasn’t having enough wet diapers.

We ended up taking her to the ER. We were so freaked out that Chris forgot to bring Avery with us as we headed to the car. Also, in our haste to get her there, we forgot to take a diaper bag. Of course, when we got there, she woke up, cried, had a dirty diaper, and all the fun stuff that we really needed a diaper bag for. We had to call Chris’ mom and get her to bring it to us.

Anyway, she checked out fine, but she had lost almost a pound. She weighed 8 pounds 1 ounce when she was born. The morning we were released she weighed 7 pounds 11 ounces. Sunday in the ER, she weighed only 7 pounds 2 ounces. The doctor said she didn’t seem dehydrated, though, and recommended that we keep trying to give her formula. After Sunday, things started to get better. Her appetite increased, and she started having more wet diapers.

Her first pediatrician appointment was Thursday. She checked out great! The doctor said she looked perfect and didn’t seem to be affected by the initial weight set back. She weighed 7 pounds 12 ounces at the doctor’s office, so we’re on the right track.

We just love her so much, and we have enjoyed getting to know her over the past week or so. She is so cute and makes the best faces. Now that she’s not starving, she’s back to being a laid back baby and spends most of her time sleeping. We are amazed by her alertness (when she’s awake) and how strong her neck and legs are. We can’t wait to get to know her more and watch her grow.