The only good thing about Jill being sick is the extra sleep it has brought the household. She's been fighting a cold since Sunday (Saturday really when she was getting cranky) and finally seems to be feeling better. Her color is improving and her head congestion seems to be loosening up. Moving the humidifer (this thing is massive!) into the bedroom last night made a huge difference. We also elevated her daytime chair so that she was sitting more upright and we were extra diligent with feedings to keep her well-hydrated. She's been eating fine but was a little lazy breastfeeding yesterday so I pumped and mixed formula a few times then gave her a bottle and she ate fine. Who wants to work for their food when they're sick anyways? I don't blame her!
A few expectant friends have asked for my honest opinion about motherhood this week. Apparently I have the reputation of not holding back...hahah! It's hard work! That's my honest opinion. I can't say how their labor and the first few nights and weeks will be for them since it's so different for every person. I thought my labor was fairly easy. Jill was on the small side, which was a benefit for labor but not for nighttime feedings. Tony and I had to set the alarm every 2-3 hours to make sure we woke her up to eat. We couldn't let her sleep. She had to eat to keep gaining weight. And eating every 2-3 hours means every 2-3 hours from when the feeding started. So if the baby eats for 30-45 min then takes 30 min to get back to sleep, the alarm is going off again in an hour. Great, one hour of sleep! It was brutal. Once peanut gained some weight, her pediatrician said we could let her sleep for longer periods of time. We were so happy to hear that. I almost hugged her!
So back to motherhood. It's hard. I love to hold Jill and craddle her when she's crying and feed her when she's hungry. But for the first 6 weeks or so, you don't get much in return. Soiled and wet diapers are gratification I suppose, but not really. The first time Jill smiled at me (the full face smile), I cried. It was awesome! It made me forget about all the hard work. I can't wait for more smiles, more giggling and more jibber jabbering. The gratification comes; it just takes awhile.
And in the meantime, maternity leave is a TON of work. I told my work friends I was going to learn to cook and reorganize the house while I was on leave. What a joke! haha I'm lucky if I brush my teeth before 3pm. I had no idea how much time my little one would take up. I suppose it's a little different if you don't breastfeed, but not much. You're still feeding every 2-3 hours! Gotta go, she's up and hungry!
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