Susanna's First Week

Susanna is one week old today. This parenting thing is wonderful, but exhausting and scary, also. Sorry there aren't pictures yet. I have a bunch, but I have to take the time to sort and post. I'm a little tired, due to a severe lack of sleep. Here's a rundown of what we've been up to:

Days 1 & 2: We're in the hospital. Susanna is discharged at 6:30 p.m. on the 30th, and I am discharged (by my condescending and inconsiderate nurse) at 7:45 p.m. Note the time difference...we waiting in my room for that long, and James hadn't had dinner yet.

Day 3: The very early morning is a disaster...we term her "Miss Fussybutton" because she either wants to be held or swaddled TIGHTLY. Later in the day, James goes to town and buys a Swaddle Me (currently useless, because she's too small), bottle brushes (since I'm having to pump so much), and deposits my paycheck. She finally quiets down and we get some sleep.

Day 4: She still won't nurse, and my nipples remain stubbornly inverted, despite nipple shells and pumping. We follow our intuition and decide that feeding her with the little medicine cup is a bad idea, so we break out the bottles and nipples and use those to feed her the pumped breast milk. She eats, she's happy, she sleeps, we're happy.

Day 5: It was weird being in the parsonage and not going to church. This was only the third Sunday in 14 months that I hadn't been in a worship service somewhere. Susanna has her first outing...to Food Lion for some necessities. Patti's mom arrives in the afternoon.

Day 6: It's Patti's 31st birthday. We decide to go to Outback Steakhouse for dinner. Susanna sleeps through the whole thing. We go home and eat yummy chocolate birthday cake. Four hours later, we discover that Susanna does NOT like chocolate in mommy's milk. Or maybe it's the Bloomin' Onion she doesn't like. Regardless, a very long night ensues for Mommy and Grandma (we let Daddy sleep because he had work and a long drive in the morning).

Day 7: A beacon of hope on the nursing front: Susanna nurses on one side for 20 minutes. She refuses the breast several times that evening, but we're still holding out hope. In the meantime, the breast pump is our best friend. Hey, it's the same product, just different packaging and less portable.

Day 8: Susanna's one week "birthday"! We have a big day: to the pediatrician for a weight check (she's gained back 6 of the 7 ounces she lost in the hospital), to the mall for Chick-Fil-A and shopping, and then to PetSmart and Food Lion for doggie and big people food. She slept through everything, except when she woke up briefly for the weight check. I had a Coke with lunch, so we'll find out tonight if she likes caffeine in Mommy's milk.

Pictures will follow...soon. I promise. In terms of "postpartum recovery", I'm feeling pretty good. I think I overdid it today, though; I'm feeling very crampy and sore. Thank God for the high-octane ibuprofen my OB prescribed. :)