INSANE in the membrane....

INSANE in the brain!!!!

I don't know if this applies to huzbend and I or to Katie. I guess it could be to both.

This baby stuff is insane.

Why is it that when human babies come out they are the most un-self sufficient things on the planet? Horses come out and take a quick jog. Little flippy sea turtles crawl their way to the ocean fending off seagulls and other predators on their way. What do human babies do? They cry. Then they cry some more. Then their parents have to feed them, change their diapers and carry them around all over the place hoping beyond hope that they just don't have the heart for another cry. And you know what? The parents are always wrong. There is always room for one more cry.

Sigh. I know this is all old hat to you parents out there. It's all new to us. I mean, we understood that babies need a lot of taking care of. It's just been a HUGE reality check this past week. Whenever we go to a doctors appointment one of the first things they ask is, "Who do you have helping you at home?" And we answer, "Um, no one." They usually reply with a doom-laden, "Ohhh." I now understand why they ask this. We have no time for ANYTHING. Sometimes, not even enough time to shower, cloth and feed ourselves. It's pretty smelly around here.

My mom and sis came to visit for a few days and helped out with some of the chores, but they had to go back home. It was really nice to have those extra sets of arms. Just a warning to those that follow. We're gonna need some help when ya'll come to visit. Make sure to pack some rubber gloves, brooms, mops, laundry detergent and a couple of Advil for the sore muscles you'll get from scrubbing. Just kidding. Maybe.

This past Saturday we had our first visit to the emergency room. Katie was wailing uncontrollably and when we changed her diaper we noticed some blood. We had been keeping a log of feedings/diaper changes and noticed that it had been quite a while since her last pee-pee diaper. I called the hospital. They said that she might be dehydrated and that we should come in right away. I was an emotional wreck. Huzbend stayed tough. We dragged ourselves into the ER at about 1am only to be told by the doctor that we weren't feeding her enough. Ugh. How embarrassing. She was dehydrated, but it was because she wasn't getting enough milk. What a couple of NEWBS we are.

Also, we found out Monday (with a second opinion yesterday) that Katie hasn't been putting on enough weight since she left the hospital, so we have been put on a new regimen of feeding her EVERY three hours. There is no room to fudge in this regimen. It HAS to be every three hours. So, I have to feed her on each breast for 15 minutes. Then huzbend takes over and supplements with 2 oz. of breastmilk via bottle while I pump out even more milk. This whole thing takes about an hour. That leaves only 2 hours for us to try to get the little tyke to settle down to sleep so that we can maintain sanity. Our success rate for settling her is currently at maybe 50%.

This last session was a good one. Katie is sound asleep next to daddy right now. He must have used his patented "Wonder Tummy" technique. He lays her on his stomach until she is so comfortable and warm that she can not resist The Sleep. Huzbend has been really good about all this baby stuff. He's reading "The Happiest Baby on the Block". We also purchased the corresponding DVD. He's been using these techniques with some success. Katie is a smartie though and likes to keep us on our toes. The same calming technique never works twice in a row.

We just have to work through all this stuff together. I must say one thing, nothing and I mean nothing can test a relationship like the whole baby thing. We absolutely must maintain a united front. I mean, we both have our "You must take this kid from me NOW" moments, but we are able to work through them together. This has to be one of the hardest things that I have ever done in my life. I'm sure that huzbend feels the same way.

I wanted to take this opportunity to say "Thanks" to everyone that has sent a little something our way. Flowers, blankets, cards and yummy treats - all of it is appreciated. I just wanted to send along thanks via the blog because the chance is pretty slim that we will escape the house in order to get some Thank You cards.

Things of note since baby came:

I've already dropped about 20 pounds of weight
Updating this blog and checking email is virtually impossible
I have no idea what is going on the world
Do not use your own bed to take off the babies clothes prior to diaper change....diapers can leak and bed sheets can stain
Our daughter has dual personalities: Monkey (when arching back and screaming to eat) and Snuggle-Bug (when completely content and eyes peacefully closed)
Breastfeeding is DAMN hard
My feet are still swollen even worst than they had been before labor. This is due to the huge amounts of fluids I had to get for the c-section
My c-scar is pretty fugly
I haven't slept on my side in 10 nights. I have to sleep sitting up due to the uncomfortable stitches
I can open a box of cereal, pour myself a bowl and eat it with one hand