i have been enjoying my wonderful little miracle, mi-mi (it looks strange written, but that’s what we call him for a nickname…and it really fits him!). by the way, jeremiah wanted to introduce himself – see the previous post!!! 🙂 i have been living in a hormonal fog as well. anything sends me into torrents of tears. i mean, i thought the pregnancy hormones were bad. the most tear-wringing event has been the circumcision. the time when jerry removed the gauze, you would have thought my best friend just died. i was unconsolable for 15 minutes afterward. every time i change his diaper, i am sent to tears. i hate it when he cries about it because i know i can’t do anything to ease his pain. everything (good or bad) makes me cry, so posting this will be emotional for me!!
i am so thankful jerry was so religious about posting for you guys. i sure have not felt up to writing for awhile, so i’m sure it helped with your sanity. i have been the one checking for updates so i know the frustration!!
i will be posting the birth story sometime in the future, i promise. right now all the details are fuzzy to me, so i’m waiting until after i see the video AND talk to my doula about it (she kept very good track of the times things happened). i can’t promise it will be this week or next, but i do promise it will be up eventually.
i know everyone told me how different it would be once i had him, but i really REALLY can’t believe how i feel now. i mean, when i was pregnant with him, i loved him SOOOOOOOO much, i didn’t think i could love him anymore. but as soon as i held him in my arms (actually, as soon as i saw him come out of me – i had a mirror above me) it was like my heart was outside of my body. i will never be the same. it was the most amazing thing in the entire world, and i would do it a million times again to have him, no matter the pain. he is the most unbelievable creature. perfect and precious in every way. my dream is finally here and i am so in love with him. :loveeyes: words cannot express the amount of love that i feel for him. jerry is just the same way. he was worried about how he would bond with jeremiah, but the moment he saw him, he cried, and he felt the instant connection. he is an awesome papa (as i always said he would be!!) and jeremiah loves him very much. he is the first one who got him to really smile!! 😀
i have really enjoyed reading all your wonderful comments. they mean so much to me!!! my mom actually called me at the hospital to read all the hugs to me. of course i bawled. thank you soooo much!!! 🙂 it is so wonderful to realize all over again how loved i am and how many people were praying for this baby along with us!! i could also feel your prayers during delivery. though it was hard and painful, there were angels at my side…and not just jerry, my mom and amanda!! :angel:
i realized the contact form wasn’t working before delivery, and jerry still hasn’t had a chance to fix it (imagine that, with a newborn at home! 🙂 so i made jeremiah an email address! if you’d like to write to him, it’s jermail (sounds like airmail, get it!? lol) at gigowski dot com. 🙂
i promise i will get some pics up soon…for now here are a few to hold you off…new family, new gramma and grampa, gramma, aunt nellie, and … sleeping touchdown. i am working on it probably tomorrow. since this is the first time i’ve really been on the computer, i have a lot to do. BUT jeremiah is the most important thing, so please forgive me if i don’t get everything done. i want to only spend about an hour or two a day on the computer (even when jerry is here) because i don’t want time taken away from my precious little man.
i haven’t mentioned how he looks, and men don’t describe things the same way, lol. he is the most beautiful baby in the world. no, really. 🙂 it was so cool when he was born, because everyone was saying how gorgeous he was, and i was like, so it’s not just me, right? everyone else thinks he’s beautiful too?? i don’t want to be one of those moms who thinks her child is beautiful when he looks ugly! lol! amanda reassured me that he was really really beautiful, and it wasn’t just me. 😉 jerry and i just like to hold him and stare at him. he has the most adorable, precious lips, and the deepest, most loving eyes. his ears are tiny, and he has his papa’s cute nose! 🙂 he has his papa’s legs, feet, toes, fingers and hands. his face is shaped like mine, his lips look like mine and i think his eyes are close to my shape too.
he is doing well feeding. at first, i thought he couldn’t latch right, because it HURT so badly. i thought it wasn’t supposed to hurt. be uncomfortable, i knew was normal, but to hurt i didn’t think was normal. so i kept releasing him from my nipple, then he was frustrated with me. i was very concerned. finally a nurse actually told me sometimes it does hurt the women, and that he had one of the best latches she’d seen in a while (including a good suck which brings about the OUCH factor). so since then, i have been feeding him regularly (about every two hours) and he’s doing great. his length varies though – sometimes he eats for five minutes on each breast, and at the longest time he was on one breast for 40 minutes! i was told after that not to let it go that long – to feed for 10-20 minutes, but i was thinking at the time, he was hungry, so why stop? the only thing that’s wrong now is he will NOT stay awake during feedings. nothing we have tried will keep him awake! he falls asleep almost as soon as he latches. sometimes he will eat throughout his sleep, eating, resting, eating resting, sometimes he never stops sucking, even if he’s sound asleep, and sometimes he loses his latch because he’s asleep. any suggestions? i’ve heard/tried almost everything; bathing him before (this is one i’m going to try in a minute), running a cold wet cloth on his cheek/face/body, fiddling with his feet/toes, rubbing his back/shoulders/head, patting him on the back (which really only makes him more sleepy – he falls back asleep when i burp him too! lol), talking loudly to him, playing loud music. any suggestions??? it may just be something we have to deal with, but i would like for him to sleep better at night and i know less sleeping during feedings would help. so anything you can tell me about it will be great!
ok i can’t remember if there was anything else i was going to write…i will post again if i think of anything.
i love you all!!
big hugs from the new family! 🙂
ps don’t forget to check out jeremiah’s growing family photos from the hospital!
Try switching him more often. Switch him after 5 minutes on one
Try switching him more often. Switch him after 5 minutes on one side then go to the other and switch back and forth like that. I think my friend had the same problem and I THINK that is what she did.. but i’ll ask her! Congrats again!:rotfl:
Jenn,
Don’t worry about being on the computer less. When Aman
Jenn,
Don’t worry about being on the computer less. When Amanda was born I only got on while she was asleep! LOL! Now, if I get on during the day (if she’s not napping) She’s in my lap 🙂
I’m glad you’re home and doing good. Enjoy this time with Jeremiah, they grow WAY TOO FAST!
Hugs
Julie
Again, he is so beautiful Jenn, it isn’t just you who thinks so.
Again, he is so beautiful Jenn, it isn’t just you who thinks so. Congrats. Enjoy every moment with him. We understand why you might not post as much. You have waited so long for him and want to enjoy every blessed moment.
hi jenn! first off, congratulations! can you believe he’s *final
hi jenn! first off, congratulations! can you believe he’s *finally* here? he is so adorable! it’s it amazing how much you can love someone that you just met? you guys are going to be great parents! it’s going to be awesome to watch each other’s babies grow! and i’m sure will have some mommy tips/tricks for each other 😉
i too had a latch problem. i wasn’t sure what the problem was at first, but after reading and talking to people, i realized that i was so engorged, adriana couldn’t latch on. i was so emotional about that! thank God i had support from my mom, and my friend janet. i had to feed her formula on a couple occassions… and i cried my eyes out because i felt like a failure! if something happens and he won’t latch on, don’t feel bad about temporarily feeding formula. sometimes it’s hard to establish good breastfeeding in the beginning. just hang in there. i’m sure you have some, but get some lanolin cream! it REALLY works! i would be in tears if it weren’t for that cream!
i know exactly what you mean about crying for no reason.. that happened to me for the first 2 post-partum weeks. we were actually at mike’s dad’s house, and i started crying for no reason! i was embarrassed! don’t worry, that’s not PPD. it’s just your body adjusting to the hormone change. it will go away 🙂 but enjoy it while it lasts, because isn’t it funny? :rotfl:
don’t rush about getting a birth story up. take care of your little angel, and do it when you have time :yes:
i missed you! i am so glad you finally updated. i was going crazy checking your blog every half hour!
as for advice on jer falling asleep as soon as he latches–i’m no lactation specialist, but if he’s really hungry, he shouldn’t fall asleep. maybe he’s just not that hungry? does it happen every time?
anyways, sorry i wrote such a long comment!! yay! it was a hard, LOOONG, journey, but you made it 😉 congratulations jerry and jenn! give that cutie pie a hug and a kiss from me!
<3jen&adriana :inlove:
Hey Sweet Mommy!!
Most brand new babies are sleepy through th
Hey Sweet Mommy!!
Most brand new babies are sleepy through their feeds! For the earliest days, you may be engorged.. if so, the breast is so swlled and tight, it can be harder for baby to latch and efficiently milk the breast. In this case, just hand express a little until that tightness eases. Then he should latch with no problem! You may have to do this for a bit, to keep teh milk supply good until he wakes up! And HE WILL!! Heehee!
By the way.. it’s ok to laugh and cry at the same time!;) You’re a MOM!!! Can you believe it?!
Love and hugs!
Lynn
How sweet!! He IS a beautiful baby- it’s not just you! I love th
How sweet!! He IS a beautiful baby- it’s not just you! I love the new family pic. You all look so beautiful and happy! And I TOTALLY understand why you can’t be online as much- that is a GIVEN! LOL! God bless you all!
Jenn it’s so great to finally hear from you.
Jenn it’s so great to finally hear from you. This post had me in tears. I’m so happy for you. I know all too well about the tears, I’ve been going through the baby blues the last couple of weeks. There was no guaze on Cole’s circumcision we had to keep vaseline on it for a week or so to keep the diaper from bothering it. He never acted like it hurt him so I hope Jeremiah’s feels better real soon. It doesn’t take long at all for it to heal. With my oldest son and that I was like you I cried and cried over it. The first few weeks Cole slept through most of his feedings, that will get better. Nothing I did woke him up. He’ll catch on soon. Anyway had more to say, but little one is screaning. Take care. Hugs, Carol
Oh Jenn it is great to hear from you. The smile on your face whe
Oh Jenn it is great to hear from you. The smile on your face when you are holding that baby is priceless in your pix! Who cares about the ‘puter you have a new baby!! I was hardly on at all when Faith first came home from the hospital. You all need to adjust to all the new stuff and enjoy each other.
I think the baby looks like you in the face. HE IS SIMPLY GORGEOUS and his hair color is beautiful!!!:rotfl::yes::baby:
Oh Jenn,
You have me in tears from Wednesday’s post.
Oh Jenn,
You have me in tears from Wednesday’s post. Gosh, I am just ::thrilled:: for you and your hubby. Gosh, isn’t it amazing to be a MOM??? I mean you were a Mom while you were pregnant but now you have to have Mom duties. Sounds like your little mimi is nursing quite well, and you have a lot of fantastic advice. My sister is BFeeding and Sean uses her breasts as pacifiers. He screams till she feeds him and they he won’t let go!!!~ Babies get addicted to breastfeeding the warmth and attachment factor. I cannot wait to hear your birth story, you gave clues in your posts that at least it wasn’t C-section. I am glad you used mirrors that helps with motivation. My suggestion to keeping him awake during feedings is don’t. He is totally off schedule right now and is making his own rules. Eventually it will all become more routine and I hope that it happens sooner rather than later for you. It’s hard extrememly hard keeping a newborn awake at all. They sleep a heck of a lot. I would just let him clue you for feedings for a while till he’s 2 or 3 months old then believe me he will remain awake during feedings longer. The weight loss is a surprise, but I was told that they do loose some weight that first week of life. As good as a breast feeder as you describe him being he will be growing like a weed before you know it. If you have to use formula use the good start caranation formula. It works like magic just ask my sister. She used every thing under the sun with Sean and finally she took my advice and once he fed with it he stopped screaming so much. But, I am sure Jeremiah won’t need formula at all. =))) I am soo happy for you.. I remember your tears trying to get pregnant over the last 2 years. I remember MaryBeth’s advice to you. I think it’s a blessing from God that your prayers and dreams have been answered. Thank you for sharing it with us all.. JenD
Hi Jenn, I just wanted to congratulate you and Jerry again! Your
Hi Jenn, I just wanted to congratulate you and Jerry again! Your son is beautiful.
I was very emotional after I had Henry. I cried over everything. My hormones took over full force. My worse experience was when his umbilical cord stump fell off. I was hysterical! But Henry was fine! I cried and cried about that so I say that hormones play a HUGE part in your emotions. Give yourself time to get back to normal and just love your son. Like my favorite saying goes “Cleaning and Scrubbing can wait til tomorrow, for babies grow up we’ve learned to our sorrow, quiet down cobwebs, dust go to sleep, I’m rocking my baby and babies don’t keep”
God bless!
:baby:
Quick note (Sarrahs on my hip in a sling so I have to rock and t
Quick note (Sarrahs on my hip in a sling so I have to rock and type at the same time. Ugh.) I sent you an email and wanted to add to it that you’d do well by talking to the LLL or finding a bf support group in your area. I am from the philosophy of ‘on demand feeding’ If little Jer wants to BF for 40 min and you don’t mind… then why not? It’s not hurting either one of you and it makes him feel comfortable and loved.