Ben and I decided from the beginning to take everyone’s advice
and sleep when the baby sleeps. Due to Parker’s size and jaundice level we were
told he would sleep more than the average baby, giving Ben and I time to catch
up on lost sleep. So starting the first night, we started a system. I would
wake up Ben and Parker and while I got ready to nurse him Ben would change him
in an attempt to wake him up. Because I could only nurse for 15 minutes (any
longer would wear Parker out too much) we were forced to supplement with
formula. So after I was done breastfeeding, Ben would feed Parker the formula
and I would pump for 20 minutes. The whole process took about an hour, but it
worked seamlessly. We were able to get about 2 hours of sleep in between each
feeding. This made for a restful first night.
The
next morning came quickly, and with it came many wonderful guests and a
continued routine. We were told that morning that we were going to need to stay
a second day so they could monitor Parker a bit more. Although we were thankful
to have the reassurance that Parker was doing well, we were ready to go
home.
Monday morning we were given the ok to go home, but were told
that Parker would have to be on bilirubin lights to reduce his jaundice. This
meant that he had to be strapped to a bed. Ben and I said from the very
beginning that we wanted Parker to sleep in his crib, so having him have to be
in the light bed was a blessing in disguise.
The first time on the light
bed, was absolutely unbearable. When we took him out of the bed the first time,
I instantly started crying and did not want to let him go. We all got better
with the bed each time he was put in it.
The
next day we gave Parker his first bath. He did quite well, and has continued to
improve with each bath he has received since. The bath had to be quick because
he was only supposed to be off of his lights for an hour at a time max. The day
was fairly uneventful besides this.
When they sent us home with the light
therapy, we were also provided with daily visits from a nurse to take Parker’s
blood, weight and vitals. On Wednesday morning when the nurse came we were
given great news that Parker’s bilirubin count was low enough that he could
come off of his lights. This was amazing news! We grabbed Parker off the lights
and haven’t looked back!
That evening, we went on our very first outing together to Fred
Meyer. It was just a quick trip to grab a couple supplies, but it was fun none
the less to be out as a family.
The
next day Parker had his first doctor’s appointment. He got all the ladies in
the office to come to the front desk and gawk at just how precious he was. One
of the older ladies in the office commented “that baby better hurry up and cry
or all these girls are going to come back pregnant.” It was good for a chuckle.
Parker was given a clean bill of health by the doctor who was very impressed by
his weight gain (which was now up to 5lbs 2.5 ozs).
Immediately
following his doctor’s appointment, we took Parker to visit Santa who happens
to be played by my dad.
It was
finally Friday and we had previously planned a date night on this night (not
knowing Parker was coming early). Ben thought it would be a great idea for us
to still have a date night, but include Parker while he was awake. It was
determined that it would be a wine and cheese night following a spaghetti
dinner (thanks to Ben’s dad for making the sauce ahead of time). We ran out to
the store and picked out a mix of 5 cheeses (gouda, cheddar, gruyere, brie and
borsin) and a red wine blend from California. After putting Parker down for the
evening, our date truly began and we enjoyed my first glass of wine together in
over 10 months. It was the perfect end to the week.
Saturday was a delightfully chill day spent lounging around the
house with our little guy. Neither Ben nor I could/can get enough of Parker and
look forward to each moment we are able to spend with him!
