Mom Stuff
It’s hard to believe I’ve only written twice since Evan was born. That’s twice in three weeks tomorrow. I guess I haven’t been great at managing my time. I’ve really just been rolling with the punches and letting Evan make all the calls, which is what feels right for now. Only problem with that is I really do miss writing and the interaction I have with you wonderful people who read this blog.
So here’s my update! Things are still going well! We have our rough times, but overall Evan is a wonderful baby and I’m getting the hang of this mom thing. He’s growing quickly and getting cuter by the hour (of course).
As far as my sleeping goes, well, last night was a really good night. The night before… not so much. Evan was fussy from 10pm to 2am. I cried once and nearly gave up and woke up John to help out. He would have happily come to my rescue, but he had to be up at 6am to work so I was trying really hard to do it on my own. Eventually I got him to sleep, but then he woke up every hour and half through the night. The next day he was up from 10am until 3pm. He eventually fell asleep on my chest and I couldn’t move him or he would wake up. I managed to let him sleep that way for a couple of hours. Most days are somewhat predictable, but that 20 hours came out of nowhere. It was TOUGH!
Thankfully by 8pm last night he straightened himself out and has been happy as a clam ever since.
Yes, I’ve had a few mini breakdowns, like last Friday when I thought Evan had an eye infection (in both eyes). I took him to the doctors and it turns out he has blocked tear ducts. There’s nothing you can do to treat it but massage the ducts and wipe his eyes as much as you need to. This makes me sad. It’s hard looking at him when he’s got constant gunk coming out of his eyes, my heart hurts for my little guy. And now he has thrush. Another common thing in babies says my doctor (who I went back to see today) and it’s easy enough to get rid of if you can find the remedy (Gentian Violet) at a pharmacy because they don’t all carry it. Yes, I’ve been to the doctor twice in the last 5 days. I feel kind of crazy admitting it, but this is all new to me and I don’t want to diagnose my son’s ailments, I’ll leave that to the professionals so that he gets treated properly.
So there you have it, my life right now in three paragraphs. G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S it may not be, but I’m still loving it!
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The fact that Evan was 3 weeks old during his no sleep phase makes me think it might have been a growth spurt. The first time my son had a growth spurt I had no idea what hit me. Once I figured out it was a growth spurt (after it was over), I was more prepared for the next ones. They say they happen at 3 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months and 6 months. Try feeding him when he cries. It sounds like a lot but they really do need that much!
ReplyDeleteHey Josie! Well sounds like you are doing a great job being a mom. Brings me back to memories with my own personal motherhood journeys.
ReplyDeleteI know there will be some nights that you might feel a little overwhelmed..lack of sleep, a little bit on the fraustrated side, but the bottom line is..if you are feeding and burping and changing him.. in the end you know he is GOOD/fine.Sometimes they just cry so its important to not get too wrapped up in it where you start questioning your motherly ways:-)I know about breakdowns..its hard not to cry at times. We have all been there and done that.
I remember actually when I first came back from the hospital after having one of my 3 children(cant remember which one) and my husband was trying to be so nice..,my mom was at my place and sisters welcoming me home and trying to help me out, I actually ripped my husband apart..even though he didnt do anything wrong..LOL Yelling upset..bitching.
horomones were out of wack a little.which you might experience as well.Later on thought.."why did I do that for" and of course appologized for being so mean.
Support Support..thats what works best. As long as you have someone to call and talk to when that occures..it makes it not so bad.::)
Keep being a great mom that you are being..before you know it this tougher time will pass. In harder times just try and remember..this phase wont last forever. Beginnings are always the hardest if you make it through this time...everything will be alot smoother.
cheers MOM!
Every new mother goes through the exact same thing you are going through. Sleepless nights, the wondering where every little spot came from or is caused by and what every little noise means. You figure it all out faster than you realize you would. Somehow it all just clicks!
ReplyDeleteEvan is a lucky baby to have such a wonderful and caring mother.
Just remember to smile when you don't think you can smile anymore, and that you will probably have a few more breakdowns! You woudl be crazy if you didn't!
Love reading your blog!
Hey Josie,
ReplyDeleteI am glad to see that you are surviving. :)
Gotta love the colour the stuff for Thrush. Babies look oh sooooo cute with purple mouths. I was fortunate, my son didn't have it but one of my nephews did. There is a photo of him with a gassy smile and a huge purple tongue.
My baby (b March 2010), also had a blocked tear duct. My midwife recommended massaging it for a minute with a bit of breast milk every time I fed for about a minute. I thought it was a bit crazy, but it kept the gunk under control. I have read breast milk has antibiotic qualities, and frequent massage is important to clearing the blockage.
ReplyDeleteI too had an episode of what I thought was thrush. My baby was 10 weeks old, and we were doing great with feeding, an then I started getting extremely sore when he fed. We started with the gentian violet, and be careful as it can get everywhere!
And I hear you girlfriend about the sleep challenges. By the time my son was 8 weeks old, I was getting 1 hour intervals. I was dysfunctional and desperate at that point. Some strong support and sleep training got us back on track.
Good luck Josie. I look forward to reading how you and Evan and John are doing, but no pressure!!
The first few months of my baby's life were extremely hard for me too. My little one also had a blocked eye duct and thrush. Then she had a bout of colic(some people don't beleive there is such a thing as colic in babies but if your kid has it you will believe it ) where she would cry from 7 til 9 in the evening and nothing we could do to comfort her. My little one would eat every 2 hours all day and night so my husband and I made a deal that he would get up with her on the weekends to give me a chance to get some sleep (I couldn't get the hang of breastfeeding). But after that things go so fun and a lot more enjoyable. I would encourage you to go to those BabyTalk or Mommy and Me groups. It is a lot of fun to just hang out with other mothers going through the same thing as you and a chance to make friends with kids who are going to be potentially friends with your little one in the future :)
ReplyDeleteJosie, I love your blog! Congrats on baby Evan - he is too cute.
ReplyDeleteLila had a blocked tear duct for like 4 or 5 months and it was pretty nasty... the one thing that worked was this homeopathic stuff by Boiron called Occuheal - if it doesn't go away you might want to try that. You just need to put one drop in, once per day (you can save what you didn't use for the next day)
Also - for the thrush - you can get baby probiotics (good bacteria!) the one I used was HMF Natogen by Genestra, it is specifically for babies 0-12 months and I would just let Lila lick the powder off my finger.
You can also take probiotics yourself and he will get some through your breastmilk.
Those first few months can be hard... but you sound like you are doing an awesome job! :)
Allison
I'm an avid reader but don't often comment.. No babies of my own ( yet ) makes it hard for me to think of things to say. Reading your blog though has made me less afraid to admit I'm scared to death of having a baby. I'd be just like you wanting the doc to diagnose my babe. Anyway just wanted to say Congrats on having a happy healthy baby boy and maybe one day I'll have one of my own.. or a girl :) Imagine that eh? hehe
ReplyDeleteHang in there Josie, these are all normal happenings. In terms of a sleeping/waking baby the first 5 weeks are the hardest while you get to know each other. After that you will see Evan start to get into a routine.
ReplyDeleteA good book to read is Happiest Baby on the Block. This helped me a lot and I truly have a daughter (now 2 years old) who is really a happy easy child 95% of the time. I credit the book for a lot of this.
Best advise I can give is don't sweat the chores, laundry dishes etc they aren't important. Sleep and eat when you can and all things will fall into place.
Emily
Hi Josie, I am a reader of your blog because of the radio station and although I'm not a mom, I just love reading about your journey and everything that Evan is bringing you.
ReplyDeleteI hope you keep up the writing... but if that's too time consuming, you should definately call into the station for a couple minutes a week to give a mommy update :) Miss ya in the mornings, it's my favourite. Stay strong through the sleepless nights, and your an amazing woman for letting your man get his "much needed" rest!!
~Stephanie
It is so great to hear you progress with your little Evan!
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to send you a note about the blocked tear ducks...my daughter who is now 8 had them and I, like you hated to see her like that..sometimes her's were stuck shut with all the goop! A trick....let him cry for about 5 or 6 minutes, it pushes the tears out and then it will be all over...the tears need to come out and then the ducts won't be clogged anymore...As hard as it is to hear your sweet little one cry it will help...I couldn't believe it when I did it...it was the magic cure that was done just by crying!
Enjoy your time with you little man!
Thanks for the update! I've been looking foward to it! What a beautiful baby boy! L-O-V-E the name. I am not yet a mother, but I do want to be a mother. Reading this just makes me even more excited for it!Now, only to get my hubby to agree!! HAHA!
ReplyDeleteI've cried so much since I became a Mom. It's the toughest thing ever!
ReplyDeleteHang in there.
Both of my kids had blocked tear ducts and my doctor recommended putting in some Polysporin drops and massage. We did that and within a couple of days the ducts weren't blocked anymore.
ReplyDeleteHang in there Josie! These first few months are difficult but the rewards are so worth it!!
Megan
Best book ever and easy to read Happiest Baby on the Block. Also, get a swaddler. It saved our lives - we wrapped up our baby girl for months, until she could bust out of it on her own!
ReplyDeleteAt first you will visit the DR lots but just one note of andvice BE careful on what you follow! Dr's can be really helpful but they are not qualified for lots of questions new mothers may have such as nutrition (see a lactation consultant for that or LLL). Dr's treat not cure so look into stuff yourself also, after you have gotten dr's advice. Also think about a homeopath or naturopath to answer your questions instead of a dr, they are more $$ but they are using natural choices that will lessen the side effects your child would have with any drug! Good luck Josie and have fun, the best years are yet to come ;)
ReplyDeletemom of 3 girls, 8,13 and 16 :)
I know exactly how you feel. When my little guy was born I was taking him in to the doctor's everytime I noticed something that didn't look right. I too felt a little crazy until one of the wonderfull doctor's gave me this advice, "it's better to come in and find out there's nothing wrong then wait and find out it's something serious. Doctor's are always there to help". After that I felt much better about my little trips to the doctor's. I also found the book, What to expect the first year to be my bible. It has a little bit of everything you need to know as a new mom. Good luck Josie and enjoy your little one while he's still little.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure your doing a greast job Josee. My little guy is just a few days older than Evan and he had the same thing with his one eye. My doctor gave him an antibiotic cream that I used for about 3-4 days and it is gone. Not sure if it was an infection or just a blocked tear duct. I know what you mean getting used to the sleep schedule but it is worth it. Even when I am feeding him at 3 in the morning he looks absolutely adorable to me. I could not love him any more. He is such a good boy too and we are very lucky. Good luck and I look forward to your next post. Hey I just finally finished my thank you cards from my shower last night which was at the end of April so I understand if you don't have time to write on here all the time. Take care !!
ReplyDeleteCrystal
Motherhood can be a challenge for first time moms, but all falls into place. Your baby comes first and get your REST when he sleeps that keeps away the blues. Do not worry about the housework it will always be there. Also, do not be shy to ask for help. Moms are human too. Love and kiss your boy a lot and that soft baby skin should be soft like that until he is 4. The smell of a baby is amazing.
ReplyDeleteDo not forget to make time for Josie too. Keep us informed we all like new babies. Sharon
My nephew had blocked tear ducts at around 2 weeks and once his parents started massaging them every day, they cleared up in about a week. I'm sure it will be short-lived! No harm in bringing baby to the doctor!
ReplyDeleteIt only gets better and easier, my kids are now 6 and 7 and honestly I barely remember the sleepless nigts, having mini meltdown (and trust me we've all had them) we forget all those things.
ReplyDeleteAhhh, thrush!! We had that, it was not fun!! I hated the gentian violet, it did nothing but make a mess of everything!! Our midwife suggested BioGaia (http://www.biogaia.com/) Its a pro biotic that you can both take. I don't think you need a prescription...but you do have to get it from behind the counter. I also don't know if all the pharmacy's carry it but i do know Sobey's in Kanata does!
ReplyDeleteI thought it worked great, and we seemed to have tried almost everything out there!
Hope the little guy is feeling okay despite his two new ailments.
G-L-A-M-O-U-R-O-U-S!!! Clemmie had blocked tear ducts too.
ReplyDeleteShe looked like night of the living dead.
I didn't want to take her anywhere.
Just steam them as much as you can and they'll clear up on their own.
I feel awful I haven't come to see you!! Life is nutso. I'll come soon and bring you some tea so we can chat for an hour or so. Maybe go for a walk or I could accompany you to the grocery store...something. Anything!
Sounds like you're hanging in.
xoxo LOVE YOU!!
Hi Josie,
ReplyDeleteCongratulations. This is the first time I am writing to you, but I have been reading the blog for awhile. I was reading your latest post and was thinking you were writing about me. My experience with my first was the same. Did the thrush thing and the gentian violet and had some sleepless nights too. (I do have some great pictures of my little girl with her purple mouth though) It is tough but hang in there. The happy days do make up for the rough times. Evan is adorable and you look great.
Marnie