A Visit to the ER

Last night was the worst night of my entire life. Late last night Laila was lying down asleep when I heard her begin to stir, so I came into the bedroom only to find her face bright red, and she was gasping and gagging and having trouble getting any breaths in. Needless to say I completely panicked. My husband was in the city at a job interview to be a bouncer at a bar, so I was all alone and without a car. I suctioned her nose and mouth and put her upside down on my arm since it sounded like maybe she was choking on phlegm, and I called the Dr who told me that while she was probably just choking on mucus, that I should still bring her to the ER to make sure she was okay since she is so young (8 weeks). So I called my aunt who - thank God - lives very close by, and she gave us a ride to the hospital. She turned out to be completely fine - they think she just had some issues trying to get mucus out of her throat, but they kept us there for a little while to observe her. My husband met us there shortly after (he had been on his way home when all of this happened), and my aunt went home. It was a long and stressful night, especially since all that night Enzio and I woke up every single time she made any kind of noise in her sleep. Not only that but she barely slept. So I barely slept.

I can honestly say I have never been so terrified in my entire life. And now I am at a whole new level of stressed because it just brought home the fact that she could really just stop breathing one day - god, I hate SIDS (doesn't everyone?). The hospital said next time to call 911 right away if it involves breathing, even if I think it is unnecessary - so that is what I will do (but let's cross our fingers and hope this never happens again). Today I talked to Laila's pediatrician who told us that at this age it is very hard to get babies decongested since she can't exactly blow her nose (she has been stuffy for about a month). She gave me a list of things to do:
1) use our cool mist humidifier
2) suction her and use saline solution to help loosen it up
3) keep her elevated at all times (let her sleep in her car seat or something)
4) keep the apartment cool - about 68-70 degrees
So we are going to put that plan into action. The doctor also said that if she isn't cleared up by the end of the week then she will want to see Laila next week - which works since Laila has her two month appointment then anyway.

Right now Laila is fast asleep in my arms. She had a crazy crying bout not that long ago. She just had a complete melt down, she wouldn't even eat (which means she was really upset). She cried like that for maybe an hour. I'm not sure why - but I ended up calming her by using Dr. Karp's Happiest Baby on the Block technique. I'm thinking perhaps she was overtired - she barely slept today, or last night. Let's just hope her congestion is not turning into something more.

General Update

Something I have noticed is that Laila seems to go through these weird sleep patterns. For a few days she sleeps all day and all night (for the most part), and then for a few days after that she is awake for most of the day and sleeping at night, just not quite as well. It's quite strange, I'm not sure what to make of it. The last few days have been sleeping days, which I am not complaining about. She's happy when she is awake (and I mean happy - smiling like crazy), then she cries herself to sleep if she doesn't fall asleep while eating, and then she sleeps. While she is sleeping Enzio and I just relax in bed and hold her and watch TV. We just started watching "Supernatural" on Netflix.
Laila keeps meeting new family! The other day she met her great aunt Leslie, which was really nice - especially since I took the time to take a nap. We had dinner with her at my mom and dad's house. It still amazes me how much my parents love Laila. At one point Laila got really fussy and upset and my mom insisted on taking her and comforting her. It was very sweet actually. I asked my mom what it was like, being a grandma - I asked her why she loved Laila so much. She said it was because Laila is like her own, that she felt like Laila was hers. Very interesting. I guess I won't fully understand until I am a grandparent myself one day (fingers crossed).

Almonds

I had this little suspicion that Laila's eczema was brought on by all of the almonds I was eating. I cut almonds out of my diet, which didn't clear up the eczema, however, it did go away once I started treating it correctly. Things have been improved for a little while now, so I decided to try some almonds to see if it was all my imagination - so the night before last I ate about a handful. Low and behold, her face started peeling a little bit last night, and now today it has started to get a tiny bit red and bumpy on the forehead and around the nose. So it seems that Laila may have an allergy to almonds! There is always the chance that it was all just a coincidence, but to be safe I am going to cut them out of my diet completely until I am done breastfeeding. I am also going to talk about it with her doctor at her next appointment in two weeks. Perhaps we will need to get her tested for allergies.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

I feel like this pictures so perfectly sums of my life at the current moment. Fun, but stressful. My husband watching in slight shock and awe as Laila cries and I try to soothe her back to silence as best I can. I personally really enjoy the caption my husband put along with this photo when he posted it to Facebook: 

"The reason for this photograph is not to display my muscular traps but to display the funny idea that in the household the woman is the one in constant motion juggling job, children and husband. I thought it was interesting...but also check out my traps bahahah"

Birthdays & Harvey Karp

Today is my husband's birthday, and as a gift to him Laila slept seven hours last night. SEVEN HOURS!!! It was the longest she has ever slept, and it was amazing. I had to feed her and pump at the same time because I was so full that I was leaking all over the place. What is great about that is that now I have another bottle to store for use later one. Specifically, I will have bottles to give my parents so they can watch her overnight so that Enzio and I can finally have some time alone. They said they would watch her when they get back from Paris in early March (my Dad's 33 and 1/3 anniversary gift to my mother - that's how long they have been together, not how long they have been married).
Laila has actually been sleeping like crazy all day. We went to my in-laws for Enzio's birthday and she slept for most of the day. She woke up to be fed at exactly dinner time and was then awake for that meal (because of course she would wake up just as I am sitting down to eat, making it impossible for me to eat when the food is still warm).

In completely unrelated news, Laila has been a bit fussy for the past week (except for today when all she has done is sleep) so I bought this book yesterday called "The Happiest Baby on the Block" by Dr. Harvey Karp. His technique works like a miracle! Seriously - I recommend this book to ALL parents! It apparently even calms babies suffering from Colic. I bought the book after I saw an interview where he demonstrates his technique and it worked on every baby! It was amazing. While Laila doesn't have colic, it is still really interesting and the technique has already worked to calm Laila down when she is crying for what seems to be no reason.

Nastiness & Fussiness

Researching questions online about my baby and parenting I have come across a lot of negativity and snarky-ness which is just upsetting! I am disappointed to see how judgmental and nasty these parents can get. If you want to hold your baby 24/7 and that makes you happy, then that is great! But if you need time to yourself or you want time with your significant other that is also perfectly acceptable and normal! But some of these people out there get so nasty to other parents who just want advice on how to get there baby to be happy playing on their own for a little while ... it's just ... ugh. That is something I hate about the internet - people feel free to say mean things that they would never have the courage to say in person. I understand the urge to be judgmental and mean, and sometimes that urge just takes over ... but that doesn't make it okay. These parents make other parents feel horrible for just wanting a moment of time to themselves to feel human again.

Anyway - I was researching stuff online because I Laila has been super fussy lately (this past week or so). She has always wanted to be held for the majority of the time that she is awake (and I mean MAJORITY), but lately she needs to be held to sleep during the day (and for some of the night as well) and she has been fussy and crying a lot even when we hold her. It is exhausting. I did find, however, that between 6 and 8 weeks babies often get really, really fussy. I also read that a lot of people's babies grow out of needing to be held all the time once they start to be able to entertain themselves better. I hope this all clears up by 8 weeks, that would make my life a lot more relaxed!

Smiling

Laila started smiling 'for real' on January 23rd, but didn't do so very often. Slowly she is starting to smile more and more often (consciously) ... if you bounce her up and down and then stop she smiles these huge smiles, and they are so cute! My husband captured some of these adorable smiles on camera today:

I can't get over how adorable she is!! Look at that little smile! I am not going to lie, I've become one of those people whose Facebook page is pretty much devoted to their child. She is just so cute and I keep getting these adorable pictures of her and posting them for my friends and family to see. While I know that some of my Facebook friends love all of the pictures that I am posting, I'm pretty sure it is probably annoying the crap out of others. Not sure why, but I always hear people talking about how annoying it is when people post tons of pictures of their kids. Oh well! 

Skin & Sleep

I have so much good news to share! Laila's skin has almost completely cleared up. Her skin has a couple places where there are a few red bumps (mostly on her scalp) and there is just a tiny bit of flaking here and there, but other then that it is clear, smooth, and not red. So that's amazing!
The other bit of good news is that last night Laila went six and a half hours between feedings. She ate at 11:00pm and then again at 5:30am. It was amazing! She stayed up until about midnight, so I didn't get to sleep for that whole time, but still. Earlier in the day she also slept five hours, so I guess she has just started sleeping more in general. We also spent the last two nights at my parents' house which was really nice. It was great to spend time with them and get out of our little apartment. It was also great because in the mornings my parents would take Laila when she woke up so Enzio and I could sleep a bit more. I slept so much this weekend, it was amazing. I feel like a new woman!
She has also started eating a lot less often. She went from eating every 1-3 hours with a rare 4 hour interval (and one five hour interval) and then this weekend she was eating a lot less often - every 3-5 hours (with one 6 1/2 hour interval). It is doing a number on my breast milk (think tons of leaking), but I don't care. I'm loving the break! I just hope it stays like this and just continues to get better, that would be amazing.

zero to six in nine months

My pants from before I was pregnant no longer fit (minus three pairs - all of which are stretchy and all of which were big on my before I got pregnant) so today my mom and I went to the mall to go shopping. Now, before I got pregnant I was a size zero (maybe a size two, but they were always slightly loose), so today I picked out sizes two and four to try on. Now, I honestly thought the size fours would be a big, but then the size fours were too small!!! Turns out I am not a size six!! It's especially weird because I don't feel like I look that much bigger .. but I guess my thighs, hips, and butt have all gotten bigger. I think perhaps it isn't all that noticeable because my rib cage and my waste have gotten slightly wider too. I mean, my bra band went from a 32 to a 36.
I have to say, it was a lot of fun going to the mall. Laila is now six weeks so she was able to come out and she seems to love her stroller - she slept the entire time!! She went five hours between feedings, it was amazing. I felt like such a mom pushing her around. At first I was just so happy to be out and about and doing something fun that for the first few minutes I just smiled uncontrollably. Now that Laila is old enough to be taken out of the house I think I am just going to keep finding different excuses to get out of the house.

Baby Eczema / Atopic Dermatitis

So Laila's dermatitis (or eczema) has gotten a bit worse and now her face is peeling! So I called he doctor and she told me that the peeling is not a good thing, that is means that her face is dry! Poor little Laila. The doctor gave me some tips on how to care for her too. Basically I need to use hydrocortisone cream twice a day for 5-7 days on the red and rough patches (not on her eyelids though - I saw that online), and slather her with aquaphor 3-4 times per day. She said that if it does not improve or if it gets worse that we will have to bring Laila in to see her. I hope it gets better soon!
While the doctor didn't say anything about daily bathing, I did see online that it is highly recommended... but not with soap (this is only to be used in the really dirty places everyday). I'm guessing that means to only use soap on her face etc. every three days or so. So basically I just need to rinse her face with luke-warm water everyday. The worst part is that this probably is not a one time thing! Apparently eczema continues into childhood, and at times, even adulthood. :(

Breast Pads

I've decided that I need to invest in some reusable breast pads. I have the Lansinoh ones - both the normal and the extra soft ones and they feel like fiber glass against my nipples! I have struggled with cracked and sore nipples, but things have slowly started getting better. It used to be that even the feel of shirts on my nipples hurt, but now I can wear clothes no problem. However, these pads - they are torture!! So, I am going to invest in some breast pads. If anyone has any suggestions about which ones are best, let me know!

Heads Up!

Laila has been getting so good at holding her head up! Her neck is getting so strong! Today we went to my mom and dad's house for the Super Bowl and everyone was so impressed with how well she is holding her head up. Every day she is getting better - she can hold it up high for longer. I'm so proud of my little baby!

Bottles

Laila has officially had her first bottle! The day before yesterday my husband fed her one. At first she wouldn't take it because she was crying because she was so hungry (it took us a little while to figure out the bottle warmer) - but then Enzio calmed her down and she drank 3 1/2 ounces no problem! So now I can go places and if Laila gets hungry while I'm gone it's ok because whoever she is with can feed her a bottle. Pumping is a pain, but having someone else feed her once in a while is such a luxury!