The first days at home were definitely a learning curve for the new parents. Jason was eager to get out of the hospital since the chair-bed was so uncomfortable. I did not enjoy being rushed, but we made it. We finally were ready to leave in the evening; Cordelia did not fuss at all for her first car ride! When we got home, our cats Willow and LBC were so happy to see us! They did not mind the baby at all! In fact, shy LBC wanted to climb right in my lap.
My parents and Auntie Rebecca came over and brought us Subway sandwiches. Jason went to bed, but I stayed up because I was supposed to feed Cordelia every 2 or 3 hours or something like that. But she would not wake up for boob at all--she just kept sleeping! My parents tried to tell me it was pointless, and that sleeping babies should be left to do just that--sleep! But I was frustrated because she wasn't doing what she was "supposed to" and I was worried that she wouldn't be getting enough to eat. She had also slept through the night her first night in the hospital, so I also "missed" the 2-3 hour feedings and Cordelia had gone down 7% of her birth weight or something---basically close to bottom of the normal birth weight loss that Kaiser allows. I was worried she would lose more! But eventually she woke up (around the time I decided to try and sleep, naturally) and I don't think we got much sleep that night.
Breastfeeding took a while to learn, as neither Cordelia nor myself had done it before! Fortunately, I had no problems with my milk supply. It was pretty neat to wake up one morning and see the colostrum has turned white: Hey! I made milk! The main thing was trying to master a "correct" latch so that there wouldn't be any discomfort. She was able to latch, but my nipples are on the flat side and took a long time to come out more. Cordelia often wanted to "cluster feed" not just within the first two days, but within the first two weeks! She would often want to eat every hour and I would just have to feed her on demand! Also, I got "mommy wrist" for the first weeks from holding my boob all the time, but with time, it went away. Another thing about breastfeeding that nothing can really prepare you for: it completely immobilizes you. If you thought it was getting difficult to get around when pregnant, managing that cumbersome belly, that is nothing until you have an infant suctioned to your boob. Things that you want/need, that are mere feet away from you, sometimes just beyond your very fingertips... are suddenly unreachable. Things like water bottles, tv remote controls, kleenex boxes, blankets, cell phones... you can't get to it. Or you'll be trying to pick up stuff you dropped off the couch with your feet.
During the first week, my parents and Rebecca stayed in town; it was nice having them visit every day. One of the best parts was that my mom and Rebecca cooked amazing dishes for us. It was so good to have elaborate home-cooked food, especially after hospital fare. They made a pasta salad, soups, a vegetable stew, and Rebecca's Moroccan mushroom and rice recipe.... They also made us banana chocolate chip and blue berry muffins, which made not only great breakfasts, but also excellent midnight snacks. The first few weeks of breastfeeding made me ravenous. It was funny, after being pregnant when your stomach is so squished it gets full really fast!
It was also nice having someone to hold Cordelia while we could try and catch a few naps. I had to convince Jason to nap because he would want to hold out at as long as possible without one. But it was a relief to have a few moments for just the two of us to relax and actually sleep. I remember snuggling down in bed and looking at him and saying, "I didn't think it was possible, but these last few days I love you even more than ever before." It was a great feeling.
Another favorite memory I have of those days is when the cooks in the kitchen had something they were preparing get a little smokey. Nothing serious, our range and oven have been known to do that if they get anything on them. But it was enough to make the smoke detector go off. Rebecca was quite offended, but my dad started singing "Burning Down the House" to Cordelia. Jason and I were in the bedroom, but we could hear him. Jason said to me, "Your dad is so cute."
When Cordelia was a week old, my family returned to Socal. I was very sad indeed to see them go; it was so special to see my parents holding with my baby. With them so far away, they will miss seeing how she grows and changes and all of her cuteness in person. Fortunately, we have phones and photos and the internet... maybe we will even video chat sometime. Jason takes 1 photo a day which he posts on Facebook. He dubbed it the #dailybaby and takes it very seriously. I thought I would be able to blog on at least a pretty regular basis during my maternity leave--- ha ha, she laughs as she types this over several days, currently one handed due to nursing baby. So the #dailybaby photos will be an incredible record of Cordelia's activities and a way to track her growth and development! This blog will be here......when I have time!
Home from the hospital, in my purrfect onesie.
Trying to eat Grandpa's shirt.
Skin to skin time with Daddy.
LBC visits while Mom figures out breastfeeding
Three generations of Turtledove women
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