Gianna's First Month

Oh, baby! She's here. Our first week home was a doozy. I was in a lot of pain (for the entire month) and needed a lot of help from Marco. I felt sick as we were leaving he hospital. It was probably from taking the pain meds without eating enough. We asked our mom's to come over and help us that night. They were there waiting for us when we got home and had dinner ready. It was really nice. We set up camp in the downstairs bedroom so I wouldn't have to climb the stairs and brought Gianna's bassinet down there. It started off as a good plan until I realized the bed was too soft and I couldn't get up out of it. Holy pain! Instead, we moved our camp into the living room, where we would stay for about a week. Marco (he's such a trooper) slept on the couch with me and Gianna slept in her basinet in the middle of the room. :) 

I was able to sleep sitting up pretty comfortably but getting up and down was really hard. I was basically imobile which was terribly frusrating. You expect to be in some pain after giving birth but I didn't expect it to be so intense and last for so long. You think you're going to come home and take care of your baby only to realize you can't get to her when she's a foot away. It took the entire first month to get my pain under control and get to a place where it was more manageable. Here is a pic of our life that first week and a half home:

Our disaster area. G is wrapped up in the blanket with daddy.

We have one strong girl! She was trying to hold her head up in the hospital and that didn't stop when we got home. She is very alert when she's awake and likes to look at mommy and daddy, especially when she wakes up first thing in the morning (around 6am). She eats at midnight, 3am and 6am.

The day after we got home we took Gianna for her first pediatrician appointment with Dr. Blank at Desert Valley Pediatrics. She was four days old. Mommy and daddy were very tired. Daddy kept falling asleep in the exam room as we waited for the doctor to come in.

According to the hospital, Gianna was 9lb, 5oz at birth and 22" long. I mentioned in a previous post that there may have been some discrepency with this. Her weight was correct. The scale was digital. Her length, however, was totally wrong! They must have been going too fast when they measured because babies don't shrink (shocker)! She was 2 1/4" shorter than they measured.

11/9/12 (4 days old)
Height: 19 3/4" (50-75%)
Weight: 8lb 4oz (75%)
Head: 35cm (50%)

Gianna lost a little more than a pound and had a slight fever. The doctor was not too concerned about her weight because she was still in the 75th percentile even after losing so much. He thinks her weight was probably inflated at birth because of all the excess fluid. She retained a lot of it which is why she was so puffy and bloated when she came out. The difference a day or two later was staggering. We also learned we needed to supplement with formula until my milk supply came in. We did that for a few days but continued to breastfeed as well. He wanted to see her again in one week to make sure she was gaining weight. Overall she did great at her first doctor appointment!

As I mentioned, I am nursing. What an incredibly rewarding experience. We attended a breast feeding basics class before she was born and took advantage of the lactation consultant that was available in the hospital. I was really surprised that it did not hurt and luckilly we have a good latcher. I plan to nurse her exclusively (no bottles) for the first six weeks then start pumping so daddy can giver her a bottle a day. My goal is to keep her on only breastmilk for the first six months, then introduce solids, and keep her on breastmilk for one year. There are lots of questions when you are breastfeeding. You can't see how much she's eating and you have to count how many wet and dirty diapers she produces instead. It is exhausting, but totally worth it!

She loves the bath and even though we started off with only a sponge bath she enjoyed it. She loves her tub, too!

My first sponge bath (getting ready for my big photo shoot!)

My first real bath in my tub!

Here is some video of her first bath!

At exactly one week old, Gianna had her first photo shoot! Carrie Terrones came to the house to take Gianna's newborn  pictures. She was such a good girl! She slept through most of the shoot. There were one or two "accidents" when she was a nakey baby but luckily they were not dirty accidents. LOL! The "studio" was set up in our front room where there was lots of light. Afterwards, Carrie took some great shots in Gianna's room. Here are some of our favorites! She's a star!

We are learning more about her every day and love getting to know her personality! Gianna is 8 days old in this video. She has some funny expressions. :)

                                      

We went back to the pediatrician at 11 days old for a weight check and Gianna now weighed 8lb 13oz! She gained 9oz which was great and meant she was getting enough to eat (yay, mom!!). Her umbilical cord fell off at 13 days old. Most of our days center around sleeping, eating, diapers...and repeat. One of my favorite things is when she falls asleep on my chest. When she wakes up in the morning she eats then falls asleep on my chest for another three hours and we nap together. It's the best part of my day. :)

My pain level was still out of control. I couldn't stand up straight, sit up without help, and the afterbirth contractions were intense. Apparently they are worse if you are breastfeeding. They seriously felt like they did when I got to the hospital at 4cm dilated. These lasted intensley for the first two weeks then slowly got better in weeks three and four. I went for an OB visit in week three and my doc said I was not managing my pain well. I was on Percocet and Motrin but wasn't taking them as regularly as I should. I got a new perscription and took them as I should and by the end of the first month my pain was under control. Marco was home with me for the first two weeks which was such a tremendous help! He was Super Dad and jumped in right away. He's such a good daddy and Gianna is so lucky to have him as her's.

Gianna's first Thanksgiving came when she was 2 weeks and 3 days old. We had dinner at my mom's house wth my brother and my cousins Terri, Steve, Jessica (and her boyfriend, David), and Tony. It was great! Gianna wore her cute outfit from Auntie Jillian in New York. She looked adorable! We almost made it through dinner when G spit up all over it. LOL! It was on to outfit number 2 for dessert at the Matsuura's house with Marco's parents. Everyone was excited to meet Gianna. Mommy and daddy were nervous because there were so many people but Gianna did great and we made it through.

The week after Thanksgiving, Nonna came over and we baked some Christmas cookies. Nonna made Gianna her own chef hat and matching apron. She's too little to help, or eat the cookies, but I bet she loved the way the house smelled!

Gianna had her one month doctor visit and did great! She's gaining weight and the doctor was happy with her progress. We really like our pediatrician, Dr. Blank. He really takes his time with us and answers my pages of questions. :) Here are her stats:

12/5/12 (1 month old)

Height: 20 3/4" (50%)

Weight: 9lb 10oz (75%)

Head: 37cm (50%)

Gianna is amazing and I am in complete awe of her. I never knew I could love someone so much and so unconditionally. She is my peace and I feel like I finally know what I am meant to do/be and it's her mom. It's completely overwhelming and I am so blessed.

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