James is Home!

James is finally home! After being in the special care unit for 5 days it was such a relief to finally bring him home. At first he couldn't come home because of respiratory problems. After that was resolved they were concerned about his eating. Because he had been on an IV he hadn't really felt hungry and wasn't feeding very well. Luckily there was an amazing lactation consultant who gave me the confidence to nurse him even though the special care unit nurses acted like I was in their way. Every day they made a new feeding goal for him, but it was difficult because he didn't like the formula very much and I just wasn't able to be there all day long. Another problem with this was that the nurses put him on a feeding schedule that didn't match his needs. They were feeding him every 3 hours, but he would be hungry more frequently. By the time they fed him he was so upset that he wouldn't eat very much. This is when I started showing up for 4 feedings a day so I could make sure that he was getting what he needed. After that started improving he became very jaundice and so they wouldn't let him come home for that reason. It was very frustrating because every time we made some progress in one area, another problem would pop up. I was more active than I probably should have been and my healing has been very slow. We were finally able to bring James home on Father's Day, and while it's tiring taking care of a little newborn, I'm just so relieved to have him home.
I had a doctor's appointment last week to get checked out and get more pain meds. I have been in so much pain and the doctor figured out that a few stitches have come loose causing me extreme pain. He says that it should heal fine without having to get more stitches, but that it is going to hurt for the duration of the healing :( Sad news. I feel like I haven't made very much progress where my healing is concerned. It is very frustrating because I want to get on with life! I'd love to be able to take care of my apartment and be able to stand long enough to make a meal. I feel horrible relying on Paul so much. He works all day, then has to come home and do all the work around here because I can't get out of bed too much. :( Every day gets a little better. This week I have to James in for his 2 week checkup and circumcision. I'm not looking forward to it! Because his birth was traumatic, we decided to wait until his head wounds healed to circumcise him so his body wouldn't be dealing with so much pain at once. Still, it's going to be a VERY sad day!

Hi guys!

In the car on the way home.