For the past few weeks Ali has had a diaper rash that just wont quit. I have tried everything to get rid of it. From switching diaper brands, using different creams, powders, pastes, airing her bum out, not using wipes, just water to clean her, etc. The rash will look like it has cleared up and then the next day it comes right back. It has been incredibly frustrating for me and I'm sure plenty uncomfortable for her.
I was finally able to get her in to see her doctor and it turns out that she had a yeast diaper rash. Since Ali is a breast fed newborn, her bum constantly leaks. She is always going poop and because of that all the moisture on her skin it becomes a breeding ground for bacteria. The yeast that developed in this moisture is a fungus that thrives in warm wet places and it keeps regenerating, so that's why I couldn't get rid of it with normal diaper rash treatments. Luckily once it was determined that it was yeast, the treatment was fairly simple. The doctor gave me a prescription for an anti-fungal cream and another for corticosteroid cream which both get applied twice daily and expose her bum to air.
I wanted the rash gone sooner rather than later because it was causing her quite a bit of discomfort so I decided to let her go diaper-less for an entire day. The first night was fairly easy. I put a towel down in her crib and let her sleep with just a long sleeve t-shirt on. She doesn't go to the bathroom while she sleeps, so the only time i had to clean up messes was when she woke up to eat. The next day however, was not as simple.
She is staying awake and alert for several hours at a time now, and during these awake periods she likes to be quite active... kicking her feet, doing tummy time, trying to roll around.. I put towels on top of garbage bags on the floor and in her play pen to protect the surface, but allow for to do her business. I spent the entire day constantly wiping her bum to keep it dry and changing towel after towel. By 6pm the improvement in her rash was amazing. Her bum was finally looking less inflamed and on its way to looking normal.
I had remembered hearing about a diaper-less training for newborns during one of my prenatal classes. I hopped on the internet and googled away. Up popped "elimination communication". Its basically learning to read your baby's cues/patterns for when they need to go to the bathroom, then holding them in a squatting position over the toilet and letting them do their business. I watched a few you tube videos on how it was done and was intrigued, if only for the fact that I'd have less towels to wash.
I knew she always pees right after waking up and again right after nursing, so when she woke up from her nap, I picked her up, went into the bathroom, straddled the toilet and held her against me in a squatting position. Rob was laughing at me because I looked ridiculous. As were joking around about how this was never gonna work, low and behold she peed! I was so shocked and surprised that it actually worked!
I attempted this again every time she woke up throughout the night and it worked every single time. I didn't have to change one towel. This was so much easier than constantly cleaning up her and her messes.
Given that the rash was improving but still there, I left her diaper-less for another entire day. She managed to do every single pee in the toilet and even a few poops but they are much harder to time since she goes all the time all day long.
After 60 hours without a diaper, I can happily report that her rash has pretty much disappeared. I'll be continuing the creams for another 2 weeks just to make sure all the fungus has disappeared, but so far it looks good. We will still be using diapers but will be continuing the elimination communication method a few times a day, likely at night and after naps. Perhaps exposing her to the toilet now with make potty training that much easier down the road. Guess we'll wait and see!
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Sunday, March 20, 2011
She knows me!
I was going to wait to post this with her 2 month old blog but I just had to share.
This morning after Ali finished nursing, Rob was able to take her and play with her so that I could get some sleep. I managed to sleep for about 2.5 hours and when I got up, I walked in to see Ali, who was having her bum changed and she looked right at me and smiled the biggest smile she's ever had.
This may not seem like much to people who don't have kids yet, but this was the first time it was completely apparent that she knew who I was and was happy to see me. She recognized her "mommy"! After 5 weeks of sleepless nights and an endless amount of cuddles, to be rewarded with a bright eyed, heart warming smile made my day!
This morning after Ali finished nursing, Rob was able to take her and play with her so that I could get some sleep. I managed to sleep for about 2.5 hours and when I got up, I walked in to see Ali, who was having her bum changed and she looked right at me and smiled the biggest smile she's ever had.
This may not seem like much to people who don't have kids yet, but this was the first time it was completely apparent that she knew who I was and was happy to see me. She recognized her "mommy"! After 5 weeks of sleepless nights and an endless amount of cuddles, to be rewarded with a bright eyed, heart warming smile made my day!
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Mommy's first month
I know I mentioned it in my last blog post, but I really cant believe its been a month already. The days just fly by because I never really have a chance to sit down. Its been endlessly amazing, but also endlessly exhausting. I know it will be months before I get a good nights sleep again, so I'm slowly adjusting and trying to become a morning person (by far the most difficult part yet)
We had a reunion with our prenatal class participants this past Monday. It was pretty awesome to see everyone and their new babies. Our of the 7 couples, we ended up with 4 girls (Alison, Charlotte, Sunna, and Ada) and 3 boys (Simon, Wesley, and Owen). During the class we got to share our birth stories and I have to say, I feel like I got off pretty lucky. A few of the women ended up having difficult births. For instance, one woman was pushing for 4 hours, only to end up having to have a c-section because the baby just wouldn't drop. Another pushed for 3 hours and then the doctor had to do an episiotomy with forceps delivery. Sounds pretty horrific compared to my 30 minutes of pushing.
We also discussed post-birth adjustments. They mentioned the dreaded post-partum depression, and although no one seems to be experiencing it in a severe way, we've all had our moments of being completely overwhelmed. I totally understand why some women do get it. Its incredibly overwhelming and exhausting to have a newborn and you end up feeling like a failure half the time because you have no idea how to fix what's wrong with the baby sometimes. There really are moments where you feel like your not going to be able to do it anymore, where you need a break and where you just have to break down and shed a few tears, but those moments fade as quickly as they come. Hormones really are a bitch.
For me, because Ali isn't a crier, I haven't had the luxury of deciphering her cries. Most mothers get to know that their baby's high pitched cry means hunger and the low pitch means the baby needs a diaper change. For me, I basically have to go through the list and gradually rule out what's causing her fussiness. I always start with hunger because that's generally what she wants. Then move on to diaper, followed by just wanting to be held/cuddled, to checking her temperature (too hot/too cold).
She's generally pretty easy to settle, but the one that really stressed me out the first time was when she became over-tired. You end up going through your entire list of arsenal to get her to fall asleep (feeding/rocking/bouncing/bath/swinging/snugli/etc) and then just as you're about to rip your hair out in frustration, she passes out. Go figure!
Then once she passes out, you have to decide between eating, napping or showering because there won't be time to do all three. You gotta prioritize. How bad do I smell? How greasy is my hair? Can it wait until tomorrow so I can catch an hour of sleep? lol... Its kinda sad. Most days its 3pm before I realize I haven't made it out of my pajamas. The other day I managed to grab an hour and a half nap while she slept. Upon waking, since she was still sleeping, I thought I would press my luck and hop in the shower. Low and behold, the moment I grabbed the shampoo bottle, she woke up! Then it turns into a speed shower. If that were an Olympic event, I bet a new mother would win gold every time.
On another note, I'm not quite sure how people are unable to lose their pregnancy weight. I seriously don't have time to eat most days. I remember one of the first few days home I popped down a bagel into the toaster and 3 hours later when I walked back through the kitchen, I saw my sad lonely fully toasted bagel still sitting in the toaster waiting for me. I actually had to start writing down what I did manage to eat so I could make sure I was actually consuming something every day. I was pretty lucky to not gain that much weight to begin with, but by 2 weeks after delivery I was back to my pre-pregnancy weight and into my regular jeans again.
Everywhere I go as a new mother all I hear is "it gets easier" and I know its true. Its already much easier now at 4 weeks old than it was at 1 week old. The periods of sleep have gone from 2 hours long to 3 hours at a time. I've also started getting her on a routine at night (bath/quiet time/feeding/bed) which has really helped us both.
It really has been a life changing transition for me and I try to take it all in stride and with an excellent sense of humour. Between every moment of exhaustion and tears are hilarious stories I'll remember for the rest of my life.
We had a reunion with our prenatal class participants this past Monday. It was pretty awesome to see everyone and their new babies. Our of the 7 couples, we ended up with 4 girls (Alison, Charlotte, Sunna, and Ada) and 3 boys (Simon, Wesley, and Owen). During the class we got to share our birth stories and I have to say, I feel like I got off pretty lucky. A few of the women ended up having difficult births. For instance, one woman was pushing for 4 hours, only to end up having to have a c-section because the baby just wouldn't drop. Another pushed for 3 hours and then the doctor had to do an episiotomy with forceps delivery. Sounds pretty horrific compared to my 30 minutes of pushing.
We also discussed post-birth adjustments. They mentioned the dreaded post-partum depression, and although no one seems to be experiencing it in a severe way, we've all had our moments of being completely overwhelmed. I totally understand why some women do get it. Its incredibly overwhelming and exhausting to have a newborn and you end up feeling like a failure half the time because you have no idea how to fix what's wrong with the baby sometimes. There really are moments where you feel like your not going to be able to do it anymore, where you need a break and where you just have to break down and shed a few tears, but those moments fade as quickly as they come. Hormones really are a bitch.
For me, because Ali isn't a crier, I haven't had the luxury of deciphering her cries. Most mothers get to know that their baby's high pitched cry means hunger and the low pitch means the baby needs a diaper change. For me, I basically have to go through the list and gradually rule out what's causing her fussiness. I always start with hunger because that's generally what she wants. Then move on to diaper, followed by just wanting to be held/cuddled, to checking her temperature (too hot/too cold).
She's generally pretty easy to settle, but the one that really stressed me out the first time was when she became over-tired. You end up going through your entire list of arsenal to get her to fall asleep (feeding/rocking/bouncing/bath/swinging/snugli/etc) and then just as you're about to rip your hair out in frustration, she passes out. Go figure!
Then once she passes out, you have to decide between eating, napping or showering because there won't be time to do all three. You gotta prioritize. How bad do I smell? How greasy is my hair? Can it wait until tomorrow so I can catch an hour of sleep? lol... Its kinda sad. Most days its 3pm before I realize I haven't made it out of my pajamas. The other day I managed to grab an hour and a half nap while she slept. Upon waking, since she was still sleeping, I thought I would press my luck and hop in the shower. Low and behold, the moment I grabbed the shampoo bottle, she woke up! Then it turns into a speed shower. If that were an Olympic event, I bet a new mother would win gold every time.
On another note, I'm not quite sure how people are unable to lose their pregnancy weight. I seriously don't have time to eat most days. I remember one of the first few days home I popped down a bagel into the toaster and 3 hours later when I walked back through the kitchen, I saw my sad lonely fully toasted bagel still sitting in the toaster waiting for me. I actually had to start writing down what I did manage to eat so I could make sure I was actually consuming something every day. I was pretty lucky to not gain that much weight to begin with, but by 2 weeks after delivery I was back to my pre-pregnancy weight and into my regular jeans again.
Everywhere I go as a new mother all I hear is "it gets easier" and I know its true. Its already much easier now at 4 weeks old than it was at 1 week old. The periods of sleep have gone from 2 hours long to 3 hours at a time. I've also started getting her on a routine at night (bath/quiet time/feeding/bed) which has really helped us both.
It really has been a life changing transition for me and I try to take it all in stride and with an excellent sense of humour. Between every moment of exhaustion and tears are hilarious stories I'll remember for the rest of my life.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Ali's First Month
I can't believe she is almost one month old already. It feels like it was just yesterday that we were in the hospital. Time really is flying by but I guess that tends to happen when one day blends into the next. With the lack of sleep there is no clear start or end to a day anymore. Parenting is a round the clock job and is has been a big adjustment. Its by far the hardest job I've ever had, yet absolutely the most rewarding.
I thought I would try and keep this blog going for awhile and share my thoughts as she grows. As you can already see the posts are much further apart. I just don't have the time or mental capacity currently (due to sleep deprivation) to be blogging every week, but since I really do enjoy writing, I will attempt to keep it updated as she reaches milestones.
Where to start... As I mentioned this first month has been a whirlwind. Everyone knows that the new baby is the boss and your life now revolves around her. It did take a few weeks to adjust to her schedule. The days of me sleeping in until noon are long gone and now I'm lucky to get 2 hours uninterrupted. Everyone and their neighbour mentioned the lack of sleep part while I was pregnant, but until you are confronted with it face to face, it really doesn't sink in.
Pretty consistently since birth Ali has wanted to eat every 2.5 hours. Since I'm breastfeeding, there really isn't any sharing of responsibility in that area. During the first 6 weeks its not advised to use bottles (if it can be avoided) because it can lead to nipple confusion and that can mean they will have a difficult time getting a proper latch when breastfeeding. I really enjoy nursing her. Its our quiet time together where I can talk to her, sing her songs and look into her eyes. No matter whats going on in our day, or who is over visiting her, I know that every 2.5 hours I get to have her all to myself. There have been times, particularly as 4am when I'm exhausted, that I really wish Rob had the ability to breast feed, but then I go pick her up, sit in the rocking chair and realize I wouldn't trade it for the world.
I consider myself very lucky. Ali is a very quiet baby and doesn't really ever cry. I think in the 4 weeks she has been here, I've heard her cry maybe 6 or 7 times and that's only when I really can't help her at that exact moment (ei, she becomes hungry while I'm driving down the highway) other than that she is very content to just look around and take in her surroundings. She is great with new people and noise doesn't bother her in the least. Just yesterday I was vacuuming her room while she was napping in her crib. The only noises she does seem to make are grumbles. She grumbles while eating, sleeping, stretching, and pooping. Its quite adorable to hear these deep rooted grumblings coming out of such a tiny being. The first few times she grumbled in her sleep we would leap out of bed expecting her to be waking up, but she just grumbled away and kept on dreaming. I will gladly listen to her grumble for the next year rather than have her crying or screaming.
Milestone wise, the only major things to happen in the past 4 weeks, were the losing of the umbilical cord and having her eyes focus on an object. With the umbilical cord the hospital told us it would take 10 days to 3 weeks for her to lose it. To our surprise, on her 4th day of life, I went to change her diaper and noticed her black nub dangling from her onesie. I was shocked that she lost it so early, and honestly a little concerned, but after talking to some other parents realized it was perfectly ok to lose it that early if it had dried up and fallen off on its own, which it had. I was quite excited to because it finally meant she could have a bath in a tub instead of just a sponge bath. She hated the sponge bath (I don't blame her), but once she was in the warm bathtub she enjoyed every minute of it. We sing songs while lathering up every body part and then rinsing off. I look forward to when she will be able to sit in the big tub and play with toys during her bath time routine.
As for her eyes, she was able to see just a few inches from her face when she was born but now she looks at me and locks eyes. She sees her mobile on her swing and looks around at everything while she's awake. It was fantastic the first time she looked "at" me instead of "towards" me. Completely warmed my heart to see my daughter looking into my eyes. Soon she will be accompanying those gazes with smiles and laughter and then I have a feeling I will do everything I can to make her laugh all the time.
I can't believe how quickly she has grown already. When we brought her home we had to go out and buy a few "newborn" outfits because all the clothing we had for her was far too big. Now there is a box beside her change table quickly filling up with outfits and hats that are too small. Its hard for a parent to see since I stare at her daily, but looking back in photos its clear to see she gotten significantly larger. When we left the hospital she had dropped to 7 lbs even, and now she is already up over 8 lbs.
I was also shocked at how much he face has changed already. The swelling from the delivery has gone down and her features have really developed. Of course the first thing anyone who sees her tries to do is figure out which parent she looks like, and so far consensus is that she looks a lot like Rob. She definitely has Rob's eye shape/socket and his chin, which are the most noticeable features, but has my eye colour, hair colour, ears and nose. It will be interesting to see how that changes as she ages. Personality wise she obviously isn't showing anything significant yet, but she sleeps/wakes up like her father, meaning when she falls asleep she is out like a light, and when she wakes up its a very gradual process, whereas I on the other hand, struggle to fall asleep but when its time to get up, I'm up bright eyed and ready to go. I really love watching her grow and develop and become her own little person!
I thought I would try and keep this blog going for awhile and share my thoughts as she grows. As you can already see the posts are much further apart. I just don't have the time or mental capacity currently (due to sleep deprivation) to be blogging every week, but since I really do enjoy writing, I will attempt to keep it updated as she reaches milestones.
Where to start... As I mentioned this first month has been a whirlwind. Everyone knows that the new baby is the boss and your life now revolves around her. It did take a few weeks to adjust to her schedule. The days of me sleeping in until noon are long gone and now I'm lucky to get 2 hours uninterrupted. Everyone and their neighbour mentioned the lack of sleep part while I was pregnant, but until you are confronted with it face to face, it really doesn't sink in.
Pretty consistently since birth Ali has wanted to eat every 2.5 hours. Since I'm breastfeeding, there really isn't any sharing of responsibility in that area. During the first 6 weeks its not advised to use bottles (if it can be avoided) because it can lead to nipple confusion and that can mean they will have a difficult time getting a proper latch when breastfeeding. I really enjoy nursing her. Its our quiet time together where I can talk to her, sing her songs and look into her eyes. No matter whats going on in our day, or who is over visiting her, I know that every 2.5 hours I get to have her all to myself. There have been times, particularly as 4am when I'm exhausted, that I really wish Rob had the ability to breast feed, but then I go pick her up, sit in the rocking chair and realize I wouldn't trade it for the world.
I consider myself very lucky. Ali is a very quiet baby and doesn't really ever cry. I think in the 4 weeks she has been here, I've heard her cry maybe 6 or 7 times and that's only when I really can't help her at that exact moment (ei, she becomes hungry while I'm driving down the highway) other than that she is very content to just look around and take in her surroundings. She is great with new people and noise doesn't bother her in the least. Just yesterday I was vacuuming her room while she was napping in her crib. The only noises she does seem to make are grumbles. She grumbles while eating, sleeping, stretching, and pooping. Its quite adorable to hear these deep rooted grumblings coming out of such a tiny being. The first few times she grumbled in her sleep we would leap out of bed expecting her to be waking up, but she just grumbled away and kept on dreaming. I will gladly listen to her grumble for the next year rather than have her crying or screaming.
Milestone wise, the only major things to happen in the past 4 weeks, were the losing of the umbilical cord and having her eyes focus on an object. With the umbilical cord the hospital told us it would take 10 days to 3 weeks for her to lose it. To our surprise, on her 4th day of life, I went to change her diaper and noticed her black nub dangling from her onesie. I was shocked that she lost it so early, and honestly a little concerned, but after talking to some other parents realized it was perfectly ok to lose it that early if it had dried up and fallen off on its own, which it had. I was quite excited to because it finally meant she could have a bath in a tub instead of just a sponge bath. She hated the sponge bath (I don't blame her), but once she was in the warm bathtub she enjoyed every minute of it. We sing songs while lathering up every body part and then rinsing off. I look forward to when she will be able to sit in the big tub and play with toys during her bath time routine.
As for her eyes, she was able to see just a few inches from her face when she was born but now she looks at me and locks eyes. She sees her mobile on her swing and looks around at everything while she's awake. It was fantastic the first time she looked "at" me instead of "towards" me. Completely warmed my heart to see my daughter looking into my eyes. Soon she will be accompanying those gazes with smiles and laughter and then I have a feeling I will do everything I can to make her laugh all the time.
I can't believe how quickly she has grown already. When we brought her home we had to go out and buy a few "newborn" outfits because all the clothing we had for her was far too big. Now there is a box beside her change table quickly filling up with outfits and hats that are too small. Its hard for a parent to see since I stare at her daily, but looking back in photos its clear to see she gotten significantly larger. When we left the hospital she had dropped to 7 lbs even, and now she is already up over 8 lbs.
I was also shocked at how much he face has changed already. The swelling from the delivery has gone down and her features have really developed. Of course the first thing anyone who sees her tries to do is figure out which parent she looks like, and so far consensus is that she looks a lot like Rob. She definitely has Rob's eye shape/socket and his chin, which are the most noticeable features, but has my eye colour, hair colour, ears and nose. It will be interesting to see how that changes as she ages. Personality wise she obviously isn't showing anything significant yet, but she sleeps/wakes up like her father, meaning when she falls asleep she is out like a light, and when she wakes up its a very gradual process, whereas I on the other hand, struggle to fall asleep but when its time to get up, I'm up bright eyed and ready to go. I really love watching her grow and develop and become her own little person!
2 Days old
4 days old
10 days old
16 days old
20 days old
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