Happy 8 week birthday Wyatt!

It is 8 weeks since being blessed with little Wyatt. And everyday is better than the last.

We love you Wyatt!

I feel defeated

For whatever reason, Wyatt hasn't wanted much to do with dad the past couple of nights. No matter how hard I try, or what I do, all he does when he is with me is cry. And I'm not talking about a subtle cry...I'm talking top of his lungs first real tears cry.

It is demoralizing. It breaks my heart because I feel as if he has almost forgotten who I am since I have to go work everyday. It's almost as if I have to remind him each night when I get home who I am.

So frustrating.

Dealing with reflux. Not for the faint of heart

Can you believe Wyatt is over six weeks old already? Man, time flies. And while he continues to grow, so does his appetite.  Which is FANTASTIC, but has also introduced reflux into the mix.

For the first few weeks, we were coasting when it came to feeding him. The routine was simple. Wake him up, feed, burp, back to bed. But at about four weeks, we noticed he started to get a bit more fussy after eating, he would start to wake up more often, and at times, he would even wrestle around while eating on mommy's chest.

Turns out, as he established a larger appetite, reflux has begun to set in. And let me tell you, a child who is uncomfortable with reflux is NOT ideal. Symptoms ranging from restlessness to gagging make every feeding an adventure. Luckily for me, I live with a woman who does more research than the Elias sports bureau. So with some solid tips, we have gotten the reflux under control:

Preparation for putting him down after a feeding

We discovered that sleeping at an angle really helps. By simply placing a towel under one end of the side sleeper, it helped him digest much easier. We read that about a 30 degree angle is ideal, but you can tell when you have turned it from a craftmatic adjustable bed angle to a beach chair.  

While feeding

Lizzy has figured out how to hold him so he is angled down a bit while eating which has also helped. When I feed him from a bottle, I try to sit him up as much as possible. It isn't easy since he is still strengthening those neck muscles but we are getting better daily.

After a feeding (or even switching boobs sometimes)

Burping him REALLY does help. Being an efficient eater does not necessarily eliminate the ability to trap air and by taking that extra two minutes to make sure he burps is like a mini miracle.

In addition to burping, we've found that keeping him upright for about ten to twenty minutes really helps. After that, he goes right to sleep.

I thought this parenting stuff was supposed to be easy.

Wyatt, meet your bottle, given by dad

This week was a milestone for us in terms of feedings. Wyatt was finally introduced to a bottle. While that may not seem like that big of a deal, anyone who is a parent knows that it isn't as simple as just putting some milk in a bottle and voila! And besides that fact, since we introduced the bottle, Wyatt has been much more responsive to a pacifier. We can now calm him down with a pacifier versus always having to feel like we are on Bourbon Street and that beads should be flying toward Lizzy.

Getting back to the original subject matter, there were a ton of factors that went into said bottle. The brand, the nipple, the amount of milk, and of course, how much do you warm it up???

One wildcard in this whole thing was the fact Lizzy couldn't or shouldn't be around for the first couple of bottle feedings. It was emphasized everywhere we looked that Wyatt's ability to smell Lizzy from as far as 40 feet away can disrupt the bottle introduction and potentially discourage him from eating all together.

No pressure Daddy!

For the trial run, Lizzy and I decided I would take Wyatt downstairs away from any possibility of interruption. We also decided it would be at 3am.  Hah. So to summarize, we decided it would be better to have Daddy, (instead of mommy who always feeds him obviously) in zombie mode of a 3am feeding, take him downstairs in the dark, and attempt to feed from a bottle for the very first time.

It worked. :) He ate up all 4 ounces and was content.  Phew.  He did have to be burped more than when he is fed by Lizzy, and finding the correct position was tough too, but overall, there was success.

As far as equipment went, we ended up using Dr. Browns bottles and so far, it has worked. 

The stressful part has been figuring out which nipple to use. How do you know what the correct amount of flowage (probably not a word) should be coming through the nipple? It has to be enough that he doesn't get tired when sucking, but not too much that he begins to gag. After a few messy attempts to figure it out, it turns out that he is still small enough that he is using the newborn nipple. 

We also bought a bottle warmer so we aren't microwaving the milk. That part is important since we are using pumped milk. Lizzy did some research and discovered that by microwaving pumped milk, it can break down the nutrients and actually affect the overall purity of the milk. 

As far as amount, it obviously varies by child, but in our case, since Wyatt was a preemie, and weighs about 6.5lbs, we give him between 3 and 4 ounces per feeding right now.  I think we are gonna have to up the ante really soon.

One other detail I can't overlook is the fact that feeding with a bottle has allowed Lizzy to be re-introduced to the world without having to worry about being around in time to feed the little guy. This has really relieved some stress on what/when/where either of us was headed during the day.  

As we continue our adventure, we learn something new every day. I can see why parents become more more laid back with baby number 2 and moving forward. You deal with most of the trials and tribulations with the first child, so any subsequent child is just muscle memory.

Today's captured moment

Happy 1 month birthday!!

Happy Birthday Wyatt!

We made it. Phew.

One whole month of joy with WVL. After getting past that first week hump, Wyatt has been healthy as can be, gaining over a pound in the past two weeks. He has ballooned to a whopping 6.5lbs and we can't be happier.

It's remarkable how much he has changed each day. I feel as if a new light switch gets flipped on and we get to have front row seats as he discovers new pieces of himself and the world. It was amazing to see the first time he was able to track my movement with his eyes. I held him in my arms out in front for a good ten minutes and just moved my head from side to side in order to watch him follow me. It was awesome.

We have also started laying him on a play mat with the hanging mobile, which he has now discovered makes noise when he swipes at it with his hands. Tummy time is also going pretty well. His neck is really strong. I'm sure every parent says that, but this boy loves to just lift his head and try to keep it up as long as possible. Awesome.

I think it's a matter of days before Wyatt gives us a full smile (while awake) and I cannot wait!

Happy Birthday Wyatt! I can't wait for the next big thing.