Baby Gemma - Week One

Well, we survived our first week!  We were discharged from the hospital on Monday afternoon.  We've had several visitors over the last week and we've tried to nap when there's time.  The first few days, before my milk came in, were rough.  She cluster fed all night (feeding every 1-2 hrs) which didn't allow for Mommy to get much sleep.  Lucky for Daddy, he could sleep through a bombing.  Once my milk came in, she started to sleep much better.  The last few nights, she's slept 2.5-4 hr spurts during the night.  During the day, she likes to eat every 2-3 hrs.  Otherwise, she's a very content little baby.  She'll sleep anywhere - in her bassinet, in the pack n' play, in our arms, in her lamb chair, on our bed, in her car seat, etc.  So, we're thanking our lucky stars and praying this sticks.  

We had our first pediatrician appointment on Wednesday and everything is looking good.  She weighed the same as she did the day we left the hospital - 6lbs, 14 oz, which is great.  The doctor said she'd only lost 5% of her birth weight which is excellent - anything more than 10% is worrisome.  She also was measured at 21.5 inches in length.  She got her first shot in the Hepatitis B series which was sad to watch....not looking forward to when the big vaccines start in a month or so.   

 She likes to snooze on our bed sometimes.  We took naps after the doctor's appointment and here is a picture of my two bums.  Gemma LOVES her daddy.  She can't get enough of him, and he can sooth her better than anyone else.

 Tuesday afternoon snoozin...

 Thursday morning snoozin' with her favorite pup.  Riley has come around - on day 1 he was a little jealous and sad, now he wants to be with his baby all the time and tries to sneak her kisses.

 We gave her her first "at home" sponge bath yesterday (although, after a little bit of a pee and waterproof pad incident, she got a quickie bath one night earlier last week).  Her daddy's hands are so big it's easy for him to wash her.

 Yesterday, she turned 1 week old - we can't believe how fast the first week flew by.  Gemma and I are sad Brian has to go back to work tomorrow, but we're excited for him to work from home the week after.

 We're still working on baby posing....luckily, tomorrow we're getting professional newborn photos taken.  I left the house for 30 minutes yesterday, made a mad dash to Nordstrom to buy some cute baby flower headbands for her pictures.

 I have a short list of "favorite baby items" already....

Earth Mama & Angel Baby Nipple Butter - I got this as a shower gift and I like it way better than lanolin.  I think it's from Whole Foods, but when I googled for a photo, it appears Target and Amazon carry it, as well.  The main ingredient is olive oil!  This is a MUST HAVE, in my opinion, for nursing moms, early on in my experience.

Swaddle Sacks - We have both the Halo Sleep Sack Swaddle (top) and the Summer Infant Swaddleme (bottom).  They seem to both work the same in terms of how long and well she sleeps, but the Halo one is a bit thicker (warmer), but it's more difficult to change her diaper without un-swaddling her.  She loves being swaddled, even if these things are like baby straight jackets.

 My Brest Friend - Hands down, this is my favorite piece of gear so far.  I was debating between this and a Boppy and ended up with both.  This has made nursing so much easier for us.  Much more support so I can concentrate on her position and latch instead of how much my arm hurts.  I wish I'd brought this with me to the hospital.  Best $30 you could spend!  The Boppy is nice and seems more versatile and we'll likely use it more down the line, but for a newborn and a mom learning to nurse, I recommend the My Brest Friend.