Mom Blooper #2- FORMULA!

I believe this is directly related to blooper #1.  After having Carson late on Saturday night, we were discharged from the hospital Monday morning- our supervised parenting was short lived.  I couldn't believe we were taking home a baby!  The car ride was surreal not only because we had added a new member to our family, but we also missed the whole hurricane that had come through the area and was witnessing the effects of the storm on our route home.  Our neighbors were so nice and cleaned up our yard for us, so we could concentrate on the mission at hand: Operation Baby.  When we got home, we had to change his diaper because it took forever for the discharge nurse to come get us (Also, did anyone else have to walk and carry our their belongings?  I thought I was supposed to get a wheelchair and royal treatment??  Waddling in those diapers is not comfortable or attractive).  Well, the first diaper we changed got us all soaking wet as Carson used his fire hose to sweep the area! It was our christening.  Well, the rest of the afternoon went well and the visitors started coming.  We, as parents, survived the first day on our own!  Now, nighttime is a different story.  I had to set my alarm to feed him every two hours.  It is so painful as a new mother who hasn't sleep in days (well, let's face it, a good month! You have to count the sans REM cycle weeks leading up to birth because a bowling ball was lying on your bladder) to set an alarm for every two hours, especially to wake up a baby that is already sleeping.  Well, the first feeding of the night went ok, but the next one fell apart.  It was like he couldn't get enough food!  I felt horrible, like I was starving my child!  He kept crying and wouldn't stop even when I was trying to feed him.  My MIL came in as I am standing helpless in my underwear with my newborn who is screaming bloody murder.  I couldn't take it anymore and committed the ultimate sin of nursing moms: I gave him formula. GASP! Yes, I did it.  For three whole feedings my newborn chugged 2oz of formula and he was so content.  Later that day we went for his first pediatrician visit and she let me know that I was actually being my own worst enemy and hindering my milk from coming in by giving him formula.  Bummer.  She suggested that I just leave him attached for as long as he needed it.  That sounded like punishment.  But that is what I did.  I was committed to nursing.  It was painful being so sleep deprived, but we got through it. :) Oh formula, how you sit in my pantry and torment me so...

Blooper love

In anticipation of my friend's, Krystal, baby's arrival, I started reflecting on the first few hours when I became a mom.  I was never one of those girls who couldn't wait to be a mommy.  In fact, infants mostly scared me.  I thought they were so fragile and really, what the heck do you do with them?  I was clueless, to say the least, especially since I never took interest in baby things.  I also didn't have much exposure to babies either.  Carson was born late at night during a hurricane, so we weren't expecting visitors until the next day.  Around 1am, the nurses were basically through with their checks and everyone was ready to go to bed- except me.  I couldn't believe that the hospital lets you have a child and then doesn't tell you what to do with them.  How irresponsible!  I knew that I was supposed to feed him every two hours. So, I just stared at him for the next two hours.  Not an awe-struck, new mommy love gaze.  It was more of a I-have-no-idea-what-I'm-doing babysitting gig gaze. (Of course I felt like I was babysitting!  It takes a while for you to believe that a person just emerged from your body!)  I felt much better when I could take care of him when he was inside of me.  OK, I could do this.  My task was to feed him every two hours and listen to make sure he was breathing.  Every two hours I tried feeding him but he just slept, so I figured I had potent colostrum because he ate right after birth.  I also figured he would cry if he was hungry.  Around 7am, my nurse came in and asked how he ate.  I told her that he preferred sleeping.  I was then berated for not waking up my child to eat.  How was I supposed to know that I had to do tricks to wake up my newborn to eat? I felt horrible.  Seriously, why doesn't an instruction manual pop out with the baby?  So, I failed at my first mommy task. My first of many mommy bloopers.  I have heard this before, and so far it seems to be true, that by God's grace, my child will survive my parenting. 

Proof:)