Surviving the First Two Weeks

Having a baby sure isn't easy...otherwise men could do it!

The night we went home with Kirstin for the first time, there was no doubt that apprehension was in the air. We were both uncertain what to do! The two-day course that the nurses at the hospital gave us sure wasn't enough! Kurt grabbed our baby book and started reading. At first, we followed the book strictly from how to put her to sleep and keep her warm to giving her a bath. But that didn't really assure me that what we were doing was correct. I'd still get up every hour to check if my baby is still breathing! I hardly slept for a week even though I sure needed to, since I was still recovering from my episiotomy (she is a big baby...she weighed 8 lbs 8 oz and she measured 21.25 inches...and I just weighed 90 lbs and stood 5'0" tall when I got pregnant...who would have thought the scandinavian blood that his father had would be that strong! )

The days passed and I guess my maternal instinct kicked in and I just knew what worked for her...it may not necessarily have been the best...but it worked! She is a good and healthy baby! But I can't take all the credit coz Kurt had been doing his homework too, plus we got help from our Filipino friends here as well (special thanks to Lourdes and Christy!) I breastfed her but I supplemented it with formula since I am not sure she's getting enough from me. She eats a lot! And I really do mean a lot! The first time I tried to breastfeed her with a nursing consultant, she already knew what to do and she's sucking very well. The nurse was truly impressed!

It came a time for the two-week check-up and we were both excited to know how we were doing. And it came as music to our ears when the nurse told us that she's growing perfectly and that we're doing a wonderful job! I think that's all we needed to hear to survive the next days to come! We just have to hang in there!