You can do a lot! You can cough, suck, hiccup, take practice breaths and blink. And apparently you might be dreaming because of REM (rapid eye movement) sleep that you are now getting. And even more exciting is that your lungs are almost fully mature, but you are far from ready to join us out here in the world. You have more to do in there, so make sure you make more moving plans any time soon. You are close to 2 1/2 pounds and definitely getting longer, and since you are my daughter you might be even longer than normal. I'm long, kid, but it's not so bad being tall. You can reach the stuff on the top shelf. We are closing on that final countdown, which means we are just a couple months away from that due date of ours. Are you ready for that? Because I am so ready to meet you baby girl!
Well, week 28 also the first week of my third trimester, has started with my body complaining. I think it has starting fighting back. If that seems a little over-dramatic then I'll go with my body protesting...big time. I'm pretty much uncomfortable all the time. Which seems crazy considering how small I am and how much weight I haven't gained. But you understand, Addison, all the discomfort and uncomfortableness - you are stuck in a small, tiny space. Sorry kid, but seriously if you could take it easy on my ribs. But maybe the smallness and lack of weight gain is part of the problem. All I know is that I am super uncomfortable almost all the time. I've been tired and I have to pee every five minutes it seems like. But hey I gained two more pounds, bringing the grand total up to ten pounds. I'm pretty dang proud!Rob and I have been informed. We are educated. We have learned much. We know how to swaddle. We know how to change diapers. We know how to take care of the cord. We know how to give a bath. We know how to soothe with the five S's. We are well informed first time parents. We are clueless still but we are now under the false illusion that we know what to do with a newborn. All thanks to Baby Basics 101.
When we signed up for our childbirth class, we also decided that we wanted to take additional classes including this class which will inform us of what to do this our newborn. We decided that as first time parents this would be a great idea. And as it turns out, it really was indeed a great idea. It was one night and only three hours of our lives that was not wasted.
Unfortunately, one of the first things was a "getting to know you" session, where we coupled up with another couple and introduced ourselves and talked about due dates and what scares us the most or makes us the most nervous regarding our newborns-to-be. Then we had to introduce the other couple to the class. I made Rob do it. I really hate talking in public. And he did a superb job!
Then the class could really begin. We started with a video about what happens in the hospital after the baby is born. We went through the checkup and some information about breastfeeding. For example, right after the baby is born the nurses will put a hat on her and it's best to leave the hat on her head for 72 hours after she's born because she can't regulate her temperature very well.
Next we started going over basic care of the baby once we go home. We went over the best way to bathe her. We learned how to swaddle and got some practice in with dolls. And the doll was a heck of a lot easier to swaddle because it wasn't moving and crying, but at least we know how to do it now. We also got some practice on the proper way to change a diaper, minus the mess. We learned about taking her temperature. The easiest way to dress her. And the list goes on and on.
The last part of the class we learned about how to soothe a fussy baby when we have tried everything else. It was from 'The Happiest Baby on the Block' video, which is also a book. First the video talked about how right after the baby is born that time is considered the Fourth Trimester because the baby still needs so much love and affection. It is impossible to spoil an infant. Next we learned about the five S's which is supposed to help us soothe our fussy baby: Swaddle, Side or Stomach position, Shushing, Swinging, and Sucking. The information was great, but the man behind 'The Happiest Baby on the Block' was a bit creepy and weird. Rob definitely had his opinions about the man when we left the class. Regardless of the creepy man, it was very informative.
Overall the class was great. It was a great boost in my confidence level. I would be lying if I said I still wasn't feeling a bit overwhelmed and clueless. We will still make mistake, but Addison will hopefully be forgiving. But as a family we will figure out what works best for us. But now we have a base line, a starting point, for what we do once we take Addison home from the hospital. The three of us will adjust as a family and figure out our own routine.
No comments:
Post a Comment