On B.

We welcomed Benjamin George to our family on his due date, Valentine’s Day, at 1:01 a.m.  He was 7 lbs. 12 oz., 20 3/4 in.

Of course, it didn’t take long for the love to take over and we’ve been staring at him ever since.  We keep saying to each other, “Can you believe WE made HIM?”  He is perfect in every way.  A beautiful little mister with dark blue-gray eyes like the Atlantic and a sweet-smelling head of dark brown hair.

On the hospital…

I’m not going to write B’s birth story here.  If you want to know more about it, you can meet me for coffee some time in the distant future and I’ll tell you all.  What I will tell you is that the stay I had after the delivery was very, very good.  Nurses are incredible people.  Every nurse we had we loved — through labor and delivery and postpartum.  I wanted to take two home with us.  It was overall a very good experience!

On sleep at home…

There isn’t a whole lot of sleeping going on here.  We are averaging probably an hour at a time.  Today, we both took naps.  At one feeding last night Chris said to me, “I feel like I just closed my eyes.”  Yawn!  B eats every two and a half to three hours and it takes anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour to feed him.

On breastfeeding…

Well, it’s hard, but it’s getting better.  One of the lactation specialists in the hospital told us the first two weeks are hands down the hardest when it comes to breastfeeding.  That is why most women give up during this time.  Engorgement (when your milk “comes in”) came for me right on schedule and I was unprepared for how painful it was.  Of course, it all happened at night and there is no hotline you can call to see if everything you’re experiencing is normal.  Every website and book has differing opinions on how to relieve the pain of engorgement.  I was desperately writing to other friends who are currently breast feeding and looking for information I could agree with and work with.  Some books say to pump to relieve the engorgement, others say not to because you could mess with your production and end up over-producing milk.  My panic came after I realized the ONLY way I have to feed our baby is with my breasts.  I was not taught how to properly hand-express in the hospital and it was painful when I attempted it.  Finally, I pumped — twice — at three minutes at a time.  All seems well now and we’re back to it on the feeding schedule.

On lullabies…

Our pediatrician does not make rounds at the suburban hospital where we delivered, so we saw her Monday morning at 10:30, right around one of B’s mid-morning feedings.  We knew he would break down and he did, right after his temperature was taken (you-know-where).  I figured it would be just fine to feed him before we saw the physician, but I wasn’t sure.  I do imagine that second-, third-time parents just do what they need to do when they need to do it but I’m still not sure what kind of etiquette there is in the pediatrician’s office.  So we waited, as B melted down waiting for my breast.  In the meantime, I decided to hum to him.  Realizing I know very few lullabies, I did what I had to do, and hummed California Girls, by the Beach Boys.  B really seemed to like it and calmed down a bit before the PA came in and said, “Oh yes, just go ahead and feed him.”

On my husband…

What an incredible guy.  I am dreading him going back to work on Monday.  He was a wonderful birth partner and has been a natural dad and partner at home.  He and B just get each other and I will never get over my love for C when C is talking to baby or rocking him.

On B…

He is just a dream come true.  We know our lives have changed forever, for the better.

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