5 Months Old

This month has had it's highs and lows. We love watching her grow and learn new things. She has been laughing more and more!

This month she has decided to no longer sleep through the night like she had been doing in the past. We have been experimenting with earlier bedtimes, a more consistent bedtime routine, and sleeping in her crib, but so far nothing has really helped. Most nights the only way she will sleep for a significant time is in my arms. I am not totally comfortable with bed-sharing, but for now I have no choice. We need to remember that it could be much worse...we need to stay patient!

She hit an exciting milestone; she rolled over for the first time! From back to belly first and the from belly to back the next day. She only did it once every day or every other day though. Marcus has yet to see her do it!

She also started solids this month! I received a Baby Bullet from my shower and I have really enjoyed making all her food for her! We started out with avocado. She was unsure about it at first, but she really likes it now. She also ate pears, and peas this month.

At the end of the month we had to take her to the pediatrician for a rash. We weren't sure if it was because of her formula, detergent, food allergy, etc., but the doctor said it was likely eczema. We were given new lotion and bath wash.

This month she wore size 3-6 month clothes and size 2 diapers. She eats anywhere from 4-6 ounces and about 1 jar of baby food per day. I had another postpartum appointment with my OB and everything look okay. I also got my first postpartum period at almost 5 months.

We hope to get her on a better sleeping schedule and to get to the cause of her eczema. It's been a tough month, but definitely a happy one!

4 Months Old

Month 4 was a great month for us. She transitioned out of her "witching hours" phase and is fussing less and less. Of course, she still has her moments, but they are becoming few and far between. This months biggest milestone is laughing! She doesn't do it everyday yet, but we love this new developement! It is the cutest sound we have heard!

She is getting so strong! She has good control of her head and neck and can sit up on her own (assisted). Still hasn't rolled over yet. She is soooo close though! She can roll from side to side when she is on her back and tolerates tummy time for awhile. She can spin herself all the way around on her play mat...it is pretty funny to watch. She definitely has her dad's patience!

She was more on a schedule this month in regards to eating, sleeping, and naps. She loves to sleep in her swing during the day. Her day starts out with waking up around 8am, taking 2 long naps during the day (around 2 hours each), having more awake time in the late afternoon/evening, taking a quick nap in the evening, and then bed by around 10pm. We transitioned her from the Rock N' Play to the Pack N' Play this month and it went really well. I know we should probably move her to the crib soon, but I love her in our room!

This month she ate around 5oz every 2-4 hours. She outgrew 0-3 month clothes and size 1 diapers at 14 weeks and is currently in size 3-6 month clothes and size 2 diapers. My baby is getting so big! She is still sleeping through the night...oh what a blessing! 

Her 4 month doctor's appointment isn't until she's 4.5 months old so I will update her weight and height on my next post. She is definitely getting longer though! I am excited to see how much she has grown!

3 Months Old

Maggie is 3 months old! Time is really flying! It's crazy how much she learns each month and how fast she is growing. I am so happy that she is a healthy little girl :)

This month we could tell that her neck muscles have been getting stronger and stronger. She holds her head up all on her own and can sit up (assisted of course) really well. She has been moving her head towards noises and voices for awhile now, but this month she really has seemed distracted by them. Feeding her sometimes becomes a challenged because all she wants to do is move her head all around towards the different noises.

Another neat thing is that she has been starting to grab at objects. It started out as just batting at things with her hands, but by the end of the month she was grabbing and holding onto things. She's actually started to play with toys instead of Marcus and me jiggling them in front of her.

She has really found her voice, too. She now squeals when she gets really excited. It might be the cutest noise I've ever heard.  Her smile is getting bigger and we just love singing to her. We haven't heard a laugh yet, but we know it'll happen soon!

We try to get her on her tummy for at least 10-15 minutes per day. She doesn't seem too interested in rolling over yet, but she's been pulling her legs towards her chest...learning the basics for crawling!

This month she is still in 0-3 month clothing and size 1 diapers. She has still done really well with sleeping through the night. She is starting to go longer in between feedings...anywhere from 2-4 hours of 3-5oz bottles.

2 Months Old

Her second month of life was full of learning new things; for both baby and mom! She started to coo in the beginning of the month and it's been so neat to watch her "talk." She loves her changing pad; she usually calms when we lay her down on it when she's fussy. I have started to understand her different cries and figuring out her personality. 

We have noticed that she goes through an extra fussy period almost every evening starting around 7pm for an hour or so. It's a time when nothing really calms her and we all just try to get through it without her getting too upset. Our pediatrician calls it a "witching hour." 

Since 6 weeks she has been sleeping through the night! She'll go down around 10:30pm and wake up around 8:30am. She grew out of newborn clothes and diapers at around 5 weeks and has been in 0-3 month clothes and size 1 diapers ever since. She eats every 2 hours during the day (4oz bottles).

She's had good check-ups so far at the pediatrician. At her 2 month appointment her weight and height were both around the 50th percentile. She took her shots like a champ, but mommy couldn't help but tear up! 

She's growing so fast and getting stronger and smarter everyday! 

1 Month Old

I'm getting to these monthly updates late, but better late than never. On October 29th my sweet baby girl turned 1 month old! It was a busy, wonderful, stressful, and amazing month! It's crazy how alert she has been from the get-go. We had many issues with breast feeding and the first few weeks I dealt with a tough case of baby blues.

My dream was to breast feed Maggie for as long as possible, but I never imagined as long as possible would have been only a month. I will never know why my milk didn't fully come in; that was the cause of all of our problems. My body never produced more than an ounce or two everyday. It has been an emotional roller coaster dealing with all of this, but I'm slowly coming to terms with formula feeding.

Baby blues - oh boy! I didn't realize how crazy hormones could get after giving birth. Those first 2 weeks were something else! Lots of tears and worrying; doubting myself as a mother and sometimes even doubting my sanity. But just as quickly as it hit me, that phase went away, thankfully.

During the first month she wore newborn clothes and diapers. She slept anywhere from 2-4 hour stretches during the night. We took a lot of naps together during the day. She ate around .5-3oz every 1-3 hours. She got to meet a lot of her family for the first time and we just loved seeing her with our parents and siblings.

I was healing more and more everyday after birth. Since having an episiotomy, I was pretty sore, but it was nothing I couldn't handle. Most of the soreness happened at night and while using the bathroom. I had a lot of swelling in my ankles and feet which lasted at least 3 weeks. I lost all my baby weight and then some within the first month! Although my stomach looks nothing like it did pre-pregnancy!

Marcus has been amazing through all of this. He spent many nights in the first month letting me cry on his lap and telling me that everything was alright. He has been a wonderful and loving husband and dad and I don't know what I would do without him. We just love our daughter so much!

Maggie is here!

I got a call Saturday afternoon from the on-call doctor at the hospital that they didn't love a part of the NST from the day before. Her heart rate dropped for a brief time and they wanted me to come back just to monitor it again. Off we went thinking we'd be back home in an hour or two. Again, they didn't love what her heart rate was doing (but it was very stable at the end of the NST) so they decided it was best to induce me that day instead of waiting on Tuesday. I was freaking out. I was so ready to meet her, but knowing that they were going to induce me right then and there really was emotional. Here goes:

Saturday, Sept 28 - Cytotec was inserted around 5:45pm. Contractions quickly became regular. They wanted to have me on that and check me in 4 hours. At 10:00pm I was still at a 1 so they wanted to attempt the foley bulb. After 4 very painful unsuccessful attempts to insert a foley bulb (which was the most painful part of birth for me), they decided to go with the Pitocin.

Sunday, Sept. 29 - Long morning of very painful contractions. I was checked at 7am and was only at a 2. Contractions became unbearable by 8:30am and I decided to get the epideral. AhMaZing! It was the weirdest thing not being able to feel my legs and belly, but it took away the pain completely. At 11am I was a 3 with a bulging bag of water and at 1pm I was at a 5. At 3pm I was still at a 5 so they decided to break my water. An hour and a half later, at 4:30pm, I felt an intense "I've got to poop NOW!" feeling. I called the nurse right away to be checked. Sure enough I was fully dilated! I went from 5 to 10cm within an hour and a half! I couldn't believe it and I still honestly thought I was going to poop all over my bed! They wanted to see how I pushed so we started around 4:45pm. After 6 contractions I was ready to deliver her, but they made me stop to call the doctor! Ugh so frustrating to not push through those contractions! Once the doctor got there she was out in 3 contractions. I saw the whole thing through a mirror in the ceiling and that was the best decision I made! I will never forget watching it all happen! The doctor did have to give me an episiotomy, which was NBD. Also, the cord was wrapped around her neck, but they took care of that right away.

She was born at 5:58pm on Sunday, September 29, 2013. 8lbs 5oz 20.5in. The hospital stay wasn't too bad and we got home yesterday morning. I am feeling better and better everyday!

Bumpdate: 40 weeks

I am officially overdue! I can't believe I have made it to 40 weeks! A lot happened this week. Symptom-wise, this week was a lot like last week; random contraction, cramping, and lots of walking.

On Tuesday I had my 40 week appointment. First, we had an ultrasound to check the fluid level and her size. Everything looked really good! She is measuring in the 38th percentile at 7lbs10oz. The fluid level was at a 10 which was normal. They could see calcium deposits on my placenta, but this is normal. The placenta starts to age at this late in the game.

Then we had my regular check-up with my doctor. My blood pressure was a little high at 138/80, but she assured me that it's normal for it to creep up at the end of pregnancy. I didn't gain any weight this week so still at +16lbs. I had another cervical check and I made some progress! I was 1/2cm dilated and 75% effaced! My doctor also said that she has dropped some since last week too. I was very happy to hear that something was progressing!

We also scheduled an induction date for next Tuesday the 1st at 8pm. They will start me out with Cervadil right away and then start Pitocin the next morning. So no matter what we will have a baby by Wednesday!

• How many weeks are you? 40 weeks / 1 day
• What fruit size is your baby? Baby is the size of a newborn baby :)
• Cravings/Aversions? Nothing much
• Any big milestones or updates? At 40 weeks her brain has developed remarkably over the past 9 months, but it will continue to expand crucial neural pathways for the next few years following birth.
• Symptoms? Same as last week...random contractions and cramps. No indication that I will go into labor anytime soon.