It's diaper time

I have been meaning to write a blog about Ivy's diapers for a long time. I know it sounds weird to write a blog about diapers but people seem to be interested when I tell them I use cloth diapers. Most people think that it is wierd, gross, too hard or just plain overwhelming. But it's not. So I thought I would write up a little blog about some of the different types and how it works as a whole. Mostly just to educate people about it but who knows, maybe I will convert someone to cloth.
Now let me start by saying that I am aware that I am slightly obsessed with cloth diapers. Case in point, Ivy got 8 diapers for Christmas. Five from me, one from Lily and two from Grandma Bev. Some people may think that is crazy but these diapers are all one sized diapers which means they will fit Ivy until she is potty trained. She is a pound or two away from outgrowing her small sized diapers so I will be able to sell them soon.
Let's start with the why. Why do I use cloth? I use cloth because I feel that it is better for Ivy's skin, they are cheaper than disposables over the three years that a child wears them and they are better for the environment. Those are the main reasons I use cloth. One of the perks is that they are super cute! They make for some cute pics. If you don't believe me check out Angie's Photography on Facebook and check out Ivy's pictures. Okay..now onto the whats.
The first thing to know is that there are sized and one sized (OS) diapers. The benefit of OS diapers is that they are made to fit a baby from 8-35 pounds so they can literally take a baby from birth to potty training. Diapers are also available in sizes. These are great because you can really get a great fit. The downside is that they only fit for a short amount of time so you have to buy more of them. I found with Ivy that the OS diapers were too bulky and didn't fit well when I started using cloth with her when she was around 7 pounds. So I invested in some size small diapers that fit really well up until now at almost 15 pounds. Now the one size (OS) diapers are starting to fit really well. I will be able to sell the small diapers to regain some of the money that I have spent on diapers.
The most confusing part about cloth dipaers is the variety of types of diapers. I will give a brief description of some of the different types available.
The most cost effective diapering option is using prefolds and covers. With this system you need a few dozen prefolds (like the Gerber ones sold in the baby stores only way better, most people just use the Gerber ones for burp rags) and 5-6 covers. There is a little learning curve when it comes to using the prefolds but they are not hard. You can also use flat diapers that you fold yourself to put them in the cover. I have never used them myself but have heard of people loving folding their own flats. There are different sizes of prefolds and covers to customize the fit a bit more or you can just buy one size of prefolds and use either sized or OS covers. This is the system that I used for Lily 9 years ago. It worked well but they were pretty bulky on Lily as a newborn. They were even bulkier on Ivy so that is when I started researching other types of diapering systems.
Another type of diapering system is using fitted diapers and covers. Fitted diapers are made from layers of absorbant materials and usually also have an insert that snaps in that is made of absorbant material. So basically they can absorb a lot of liquid. They are not waterproof so you have to put a diaper cover over them.
The next type are called pocket diapers. These are made from a layer of waterproof material on one side and another layer of fabric like microfleece that water soaks through but it stays dry. Those two layers are sewn together on the two sides and the front and then an opening is left in the back which creates a pocket. You take an insert that is made of an absorbant material like microfiber and stuff it into the pocket. So the urine soakes through the one layer that stays dry and into the insert. Baby's skin stays dry. I use this type of system at night so that I know Ivy's skin can stay dry through the night. I also have some different brands of these I use during the day but I am thinking of getting rid of them. Pockets are not my favorite because I don't like unstuffing them before putting them in the diaper pail and I don't like stuffing them after they are clean. So besides the ones we use at night I think these will get sold eventually.
All in Ones (AIOs) are another popular type of diaper. These are by far the easiest diapers to use and are lovingly nicknamed the "daddy diaper" or "babysitter diaper" because they are the simplest to use. They have all the layers of the pocket diapers (waterproof outside, absorbant material inside, and stay dry inner layer) only they are all sewn together. You don't have to do anything else but just put them on. They go on just like a disposable. These are great for the diaper bag because they don't have to be put together in any way. I love these and have some small sized ones that I use in the diaper bag or when someone watches Ivy I always have these available.
Hybrid diapers are, I think, a fairly new addition to cloth diapering. These are made from a layer of waterproof material on the outside and fleece on the inside. Then you snap in an insert made of absorbant material. Fleece is know for its ability to not soak up moisture. So the beauty of these is that you can switch out the inserts of these over and over and not need a new cover. Of course you would change the cover if it gets poo on it or after a day or so of use just so it stays clean. This system is also great for diaper bags because you just take a couple of covers and a few inserts and they don't take up a lot of room.
Now for the fun part....the All in Twos (AI2s). These are my favorite. They are made out of a decorative fabric, a waterproof layer, and then a layer of material. Then you snap in an insert. They are like a hybrid only you change out the cover each time because the material they are made out of is not water repelling like the fleece in the hybrids. These are some of the cutest diapers I have. I just love showing these off. Although there are many brands of AI2s, my favorites are WAHM made. These are Work At Home Moms that make diapers for a living. There are a ton of differnent WAHM diaper. They usually make fitted diapers too but I prefer the AI2s. These are the ones that people get obsessed with. They are sold in online shops on Hyena cart and some of them are so hard to get that people recruit other people to help them try to get one. I have been lucky enough to get in on some co-ops for my WAHM diapers so I haven't had to recruit any helpers yet.
There is my brief overview of the types of diapers available. There are many many different brands of each type and there are probably other types that I am not familiar with but I did the best I could.
Now onto the hows. How does cloth diapering work? That is actually the easiest part. The hard part is figuring out what system works best for you then once you have your diapers and prep them then using cloth diapers is easy. Basically you just put the diapers together (stuff the pockets, snap in the inserts etc) and then put them at the changing table. When baby needs a diaper you just toss one on. When it is soiled you take it off, take it apart and toss it in the diaper pail which is lined with a wetbag. Every 2-3 days you take the wetbag out of the pail and empty the diapers into the washing machine with the wetbag. Do a hot prewash cycle then wash on warm with cloth diaper safe detergent. I line dry my diapers after the wash to save energy and also to preserve the diapers better. They dry overnight and I toss the inserts into the dryer for 20 to fluff them up and then put the diapers back together again and start over. It is really pretty easy. Some people worry about the smell but honesly disposables smell more than cloth. I have a lid on the diaper pail so I may get a small sniff when I open it to put another diaper in but it is minimal. The smelliest time is when you are putting the diapers into the wash. But that doesn't take very long at all and I would rather smell that every few days then smell urine soaked disposables all day every day. As for the poop, that's pretty easy too. I rinse the poo off with the shower sprayer in the bathtub or in the toilet with at diaper sprayer aached to the toilet. It doesn't take long and gets them pretty well rinsed. If I had a top loading washing machine I wouldn't even need to rinse but with a front loader I find the diapers get cleaner when rinsed first. Some people are grossed out by cleaning poop but I figure I would have to clean the poo off of Ivy's clothes anyway if she was wearing disposables because she blasts through disposables with her poo every time. She has only had a blowout in cloth a few times.
That's all I can think of right now. Hopefully it made sense. I am pretty sleep deprived so pardon any rambling. Please feel free to ask any questions. I know of a lot of websites that have a lot of information. I would love to convert some people to cloth so if you want more details or want to see how cloth diapering works in person and you are local please let me know!

Ivy's Lip Repair

Ivy had her lip repair surgery on November 1st. The picture above was taken three weeks after the surgery. The surgery went really well and the plastic surgeon was very pleased with how Ivy handled the surgery itself. It was a tough day for me though. Chris and I took Ivy to Doernbecher early in the morning. We went back to the prep area and put Ivy in a sweet little hospital gown and waited for the nurses to get things in order. The surgeon and anesthesiologist came out and answered all the remaining questions we had. When it was time for surgery I got to carry Ivy to the "kissing corner" where Chris and I gave her a kiss and told her we would see her soon and then the nurse took her to the operating room. I had held it together up to this point because I really didn't want her to see me cry or sense my anxiety. The tears started as I gave her a kiss and then they really started after we turned and walked away from her.

My mom got to the hospital after taking Lily to school and the three of us went to breakfast and then back up to that waiting room to talk, do crossword puzzles and wait. About halfway through the surgery the nurse called us from the operating room and told us that everything was going well. Ivy handled the anesthesia really well and the surgery was going to take a couple more hours.

When the surgery was done, the surgeon came out to talk to Chris and I about what to expect when we go to see her. After that we waited about twenty minutes more before we could see her. We walked back to the recovery area and saw her laying in the bed. Her face was swollen and bloody and she was just coming out of anesthesia. Her lip was together and she had nasal stents in place. These looked like two straws up her nostrils that were stitched in place. She was groggy and still highly medicated so she was just laying there staring at nothing. She didn't recognize my face. That was hard. I know she knew me but the meds kept her from reacting. She looked different but that was mainly from the swelling. After just a few minutes we were able to walk with her rolling crib and take the elevator up to her room where we would stay the night. I tried to stay where she could see me because she looked so unsettled. We got to the room and the nurse took some time getting the wires all reconnected to machines and got her settled in her crib. Chris and I touched her and talked to her and told her she was okay. When the nurses finished I was finally able to pick her up and hold her. She was so out of it from the meds. She was in pain and groaning and it was hard to hold her in a way that seemed comfortable. She had wires and an IV connected to her foot and arm restraints on her arms. Her face was swollen and she was in pain. It was hard to see. I just held her for a long time while she fell asleep. My mom had been there all day with us and then we were joined my my dad, my sister, Lily and Chris' parents. Everyone tried to just be calm and quiet so that Ivy could sleep because when she was awake she was in pain. After everyone left I took a nap while Chris held Ivy. I knew the night would be long so I wanted to be prepared for it.

Ivy had a pretty predictable routine. She would wake up in a lot of pain and cry and groan. We would give her meds and try to feed her and then she would moan and groan until she fell back asleep and then three hours later the cycle started again. The nurses came in often and checked all her vitals which would wake her and she would cry more. The next morning was more of the same but Ivy was stable and the pain meds where keeping her pain under control so we were released.

The next few days are a blur of giving pain meds, cleaning the wound, sleeping and trying to get Ivy to eat. Each day got a little better and a little better. The wound healed and Ivy's sweet and happy personality started to come back. On the fourth day after surgery we got to see a glimpse of her new sweet smile. Despite Ivy appearing to be on the mend she still was in a ton of pain specifically when we cleaned the wound under the nasal stents. The skin looked very raw and I thought the wound might be infected so I made an appointment with the surgeon for the following Monday. At that appointment the surgeon removed the nasal stents and we were able to see how raw and irritated the skin was under the nasal stent. We had been unable to clean the skin under there enough for it to heal like the wound on the lip. The rest of the week Ivy was still in a lot of pain when we cleaned that skin that was under the nasal stent but after a few days the skin started to heal.

The second and third week after surgery kept getting better and better until we were able to wean her completely off the pain meds and she was ready to be out and about more. She had to wear the arm restraints for three weeks up until the three week post op check up with the surgeon.

It took a few weeks to get used to Ivy's new look. I adored her cleft lip so much. I felt she was the most beautiful little baby with the sweetest little "wide" smile. There was a big part of me that didn't want her to have the surgery. I loved her just the way she was and I never want her to think that we got her the surgery because we didn't like her cleft lip. I was afraid that I wouldn't like her new lip. I know it probably sounds funny but it took me a few weeks to mourn the loss of her perfect little cleft lip and to fall in love with her new perfect little lip. As I watched her heal over the weeks I realized how little the surgery actually changed her. Her eyes still had the same sparkle. Her chubby little cheeks still looked oddly out of place on her skinny little body. The top of her head still had no more than peach fuzz. And the best part about surgery was that afterward she no longer has to wear the NAM!

It is now two months later and Ivy is doing great! Her lip look wonderful. The surgical site has healed up wonderfully and her nose is still perky. We continue to massage the surgical site in hopes that we can get the scar tissue to relax and her lip will come back down as it is pulling up slightly now. She is so beautiful and amazes us everyday by just being her. We love her so much.

READ POST BELOW BEFORE WATCHING - GRAPHIC

READ THIS BEFORE WATCHING VIDEO!

As some of you know, I am a member of an online community of moms that also have children with clefts. They have been a wealth of knowledge and a source of comfort, support and encouragement. They have amazing little boys and girls at all stages of the cleft journey. Some are just finding out via ultrasound and others have children that are already in grade school. A few of the member themselves were born with clefts. It's fun to find families in the same area or that go to the same hospital with the same surgeons. It make it feel less lonely. They are always so eager to offer advice and support and I have a very safe place where we can post pictures of our kiddos and not have to explain anything or think about what other people are thinking. They even help each other out by sharing stories and even supplies. Like on mom sent me a pair of special arm restraints that are more comfortable then the hospital issued ones. Another mom had sent them to her to use and when I am done with them I will send them to another little one about to have their first surgery. I really can't say enough about these amazing moms and their adorable kids. I wish I could steal a few of their pics just to show you how sweet and precious they all are!

So, the actual reason I wanted to write tonight was to share with you a video that one of the moms posted. It is of her son's cleft lip repair surgery. It is a great video that explains the cleft and the repair. If you are curious about the surgery then you can watch the video. However, if you are AT ALL squeamish about surgical procedures and blood (there isn't too much blood) then you should not watch or turn your head when they are in the operating room because they do show pieces of the actual surgery happening. To view the video see the post above.

What's new??

Ivy turned three months old on September 19th. Wow how the time flies! My great friend Angie took some awesome pictures of her! I opted to take her NAM and tape off for the photo shoot in order to really capture who Ivy is. I am so happy that I made that decision. The pictures turned out incredible and really highlight Ivy's perfect smile! Ivy is scheduled to have her lip repaired on November 1st and it is really bitter sweet. I LOVE her sweet face and "wide" smile, as it is referred to in the cleft world. She couldn't be more perfectly beautiful to me. She will look different after the surgery so I am trying to take every chance I get to savor her natural beauty because she will never look the same. It is hard to get my head around that. But, as always, I try to find the upside to everything and so far I have found two upsides to surgery: 1 - I get to go shopping (we need side snapping shirts for Ivy so we don't have to put clothes over her head) and 2 - there is a Starbucks in the lobby at Doernbecher so I can get a cinnamon scone every morning we are at the hospital if I want! Mmmmmm.....cinnamon scone.....

On another note....Ivy is being a bit of a stinker! She had developed reflux which we believe has been caused by a food sensitivity. She has been extra fussy and cries during feedings. She is so wiggly trying to pass the gas in her tiny gut. It is hard to watch her be in such pain and discomfort. I have cut dairy and nuts out of my diet and I am also off sugar (including all fruits) right now because I am battling a yeast infection in my breasts. I am not exactly happy...it's hard to find stuff to eat and still avoid those things plus some other foods like soy that people are commonly allergic to. The upside is that I have lost about 7 pounds in the last week and a half. The biggest concern I have though is to continue to take in enough calories to keep my milk supply up. I feel hungry almost all the time but that is probably more in my head than anything else. Hopefully Ivy will have some relief soon from this issue and we can figure out exactly what is causing it so I can avoid those foods in the future. And hopefully this doesn't mess with my "Mmmmmmm........cinnamon scone..." plan.

Lily is a fourth grader!

Lily started fourth grade today. I can't believe she is that old!!! Wow...it seems like not long ago I was dropping her off at her first day of kindergarten. She had a great first day. A couple of her good friends are in her class and her teacher loves peace signs so Lily thinks that is cool. The classroom is decorated in dogs and her teacher refers lovingly to her class as the "dog pound." So Lily gets a kick out of that!

Ivy and I are officially on our own during the day! I look forward to getting into a better routine so that I can get more, or anything, done during the day. My goal for tomorrow is just to take a shower! Oh, and pump more than once...that would be really helpful! So if someone can let Ivy know that she should nap so mom can pump, shower and eat that would be nice. I keep trying to tell her but she doesn't listen to me....it's all about her!

Newest member

I want to introduce you to the newest member of Ivy's NAMMY WAHMY....it's her Nasal Stent! This is permanently attached to her NAM with a wire. It is made from a softer acrylic material than the rest of her NAM so we have to be careful not to damage it. The purpose of it is to help shape the cartilage in her nostril as she grows so that after surgery both of her nostrils will be rounded instead of having a flat nostril on her cleft affected side. She has adjusted very nicely to it. She only seems bothered by it if it slips into her nose a little too far but that is easily fixed with some Fixodent on her NAM.

The orthodontist said that it will be about 7-9 more weeks before her surgery. They are going to be scheduling it soon. I don't really want to think about it but it is coming quick!

Craniofacial Acceptance Month

Did you know that September is Craniofacial Acceptance Month? Well now you do! You can check out this website, http://www.ccakids.com/, to learn more about various craniofacial conditions. Cleft lip and palate are the most common but there are many others. So let's celebrate all the faces out there: big, small, short, tall, clefted and not. Happy Craniofacial Acceptance Month!!!

Our Cloth Adventure!

This past weekend we (well, I) finally started using cloth diapers on Ivy. I had planned on doing it from the start but with everything else going on it was just too much. Now that things are settling down I am getting to it. Some of you know that I also used cloth diapers on Lily. I was frugal then and just used prefold and covers. That is just a rectangular piece of cotton cloth with a bunch of padding in the middle that you lay inside a waterproof cover. I really didn't know that there were any other types of cloth diapers until a couple years ago. Oh my goodness it is so overwhelming!!! I decided to wait to purchase a bunch until Ivy was here so I could figure out what works best for her. I have found that the prefolds are just too bulky. My sweet friend Angie gave me some super cute "fitted" diapers which you put on just like a disposable but using velcro and then put a cover on them. (She also made some fun printed diaper covers with matching shirts. The covers fit great but the tops are a little big. I can't wait until Ivy can fit them!!!) ...back to the fitteds......So of course I have to find more because they are working great. They also have diapers that are super cute that you don't need to put a cover on. These are called "All in Ones." Well, now I am obsessed. I won't even tell you how many I have purchased or am planning on purchasing this week! It is crazy! But it will still be cheaper than disposables in the end! I have been looking for deals and buying some used so that is keeping the cost down. I will probably get a few more before my spending spree is done and then we will be set for a while. I am pretty sure Ivy is going to want more cloth diapers for Christmas though!
Just had to share...oh, and if you have used cloth diapers and have a brand you want to recommend please do so!!!

An update..finally!

It's been a while since I posted here. Miss Lillian turned 9 years old a couple of weeks ago. She is growing up so fast. In a couple of weeks she will be a big old fourth grader! The time has flown by. She is just an awesome kid and I love her so much!

Today Ivy went up to the hospital for another adjustment to her NAM. The doc says everything looks great. Ivy did so well! She basically slept through the whole appointment. I was wearing her in the pouch and she was sleeping. I put her down on the little table thing and the doc took her NAM out and looked in her mouth with his Q-tips. She didn't love that but as soon as he was done I picked her up and bounced with her and she fell asleep. When the doc was finished with the adjustment I put her back down and she barely peeped her eyes open when he put the NAM back in. So that was fabulous. Usually there are some big tears for this appointment. The doc informed me that next week when she goes in for her adjustment, he will put in her nasal stint. That is a small ball that will be attached to her NAM and go up into her nose. It will help shape the cartilage in her left nostril to be more rounded. I am interested to see what that will look like and interested to see how that will affect how we do things with Ivy. Hopefully it won't be too much different but we will see.

Ok....that's about enough for now. I am sure I will have more to say soon.

Peep show

I thought many of you might get a kick out of this...
I wanted to make sure to pump today right before Ivy's appointment since I knew we would be in there about 3 hours. So instead of bringing my manual pump in the car with me I decieded to bring my electric pump with a car adapter. This way I could make sure to really drain the milk so that I could last longer before the next pump. We ended up being really early for the appointment so we pulled off onto the side of the road at this scenic pull out spot on the way to Doernbecher. I put a balanket in the window facing traffic and started the process. I took off my shirt and took of my bra. I lowered my cami and put on my fabulous hands free pumping bra. If you have never seen one of these you should google it....they are funny looking but oh so handy! While I am getting this all ready, Chris take Ivy out of the carseat and is walking around outside. As I am putting the hands free bra on I see Chris walk by the car....only it wasn't Chris....Oops! I think this innocent man talking a walk up the hill got an eyefull of my breasts in my fab hands free bra! Needless to say I was a little more careful after that!!!

Hearing Test

Today we went back over to Doernbecher for another hearing test. This is the third time we have been there for her hearing so I was kind of expecting her to have a hearing loss. She failed her first newborn hearing test due to excess fluid in her ears. So a few weeks later we had to go in for an Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) test. We were instructed to postpone a feeding and nap so she would be super hungry and tired. Despite this, it took a while for her to fall asleep. Once she was asleep the test could being. The audiologist, who is awesome, put little electrodes on Ivy's earlobes, her forehead and right shoulder. Then they put little earphones in her ears and send various sounds and different frequencies and decibels in to her ears. The test measures how her cochlea, auditory nerve and brainstem respond to the sounds. The results of the first test indicated that she may have a mild hearing loss in the right ear and the reading in the left ear was not clear enough to give a good results so we would have to come back when Ivy was older and hopefully the fluid in her ears would be gone and her system would be more mature. We were there about 4 hours for that visit.
Today we went back for the second ABR. Ivy was much more sleepy this time so she was asleep within ten minutes of getting in the room. This is after she projectile vomited all over Chris in the waiting room...that was fun. This time the audiologist was able to get clearer pictures and therefore more accurate results. After holding a sleeping Ivy for 3 hours the audiologist told us that Ivy appears to have normal hearing in her right ear and close to normal hearing in her left ear! She was also able to redo one of the original tests that Ivy had failed at her newborn screening and the results were normal. The audiologist was really happy with the results.
It is a great thing because with Ivy's cleft palate, her speech development may be delayed. So at least we can rule out a hearing loss when we are looking into her speech development.

Feeding Ivy

So since I feel like pumping is such a huge part of my life right now I thought I would blog about it. Ivy's cleft palate makes it impossible for her to have the suction needed for breastfeeding and even for traditional nipples on bottles. When she was born we really didn't know the extent of her cleft and thought maybe it was just the lip. After we got out of the birthing tub Ivy and I spent some time cuddling and her instincts went right to work trying to find my breast. With the help of my midwife we figured out the best position for her to be in to latch onto my breast. She was able to form a seal with her lips and suckle a bit. It was great to be able to have that bonding time with her. After a while it was time for her to get checked out by the midwife. It was then during a more thorough examination of her mouth that the midwife told me that her she has a complete cleft palate which mean even though she could latch on, she would not be able to suck and therefore I would not be able to breastfeed her. It was a pretty hard blow. Honestly it was the hardest piece of her having the cleft. That may sound weird but it was. She is strong and will make it through all of the stuff she will need to go through...I have no doubt about that. I really wasn't sad about the cleft. Ivy is exactly who she was meant to be and I wouldn't change that. But I was devastated to not be able to breastfeed her because of the closeness nursing brings and all of those sweet moments when your baby is at your breast.



Even though Ivy can't breastfeed doesn't mean she can't have all the benefits of breast milk. So I have been exclusively pumping since the day Ivy was born. About an hour or two after Ivy was born my mom rushed off to buy me a pump. That evening I began pumping. Oh my what an experience this has been. The first few days were really hard because I was just getting literally drips of colostrum out. It wasn't enough to feed her with any type of bottle so Chris and I would catch the drips in our fingers and dribble it into Ivy's mouth. Each time I pumped I got a tiny bit more. Chris went home that night and rearranged the house to fit Ivy's needs a bit better. He moved our dresser into the hall and then moved the rocking chair into our room and put a table next to it for my pump. That way I had a comfortable place to pump and we also had a comfortable place to sit and feed Ivy in the middle of the night. When she was about 24 hours old the nurse came to our house for Ivy's one day check up and brought us a syringe with a tiny tube attached. So for that day and night we would suck as much of the colostrum up into the syringe as we could. I can remember a few times losing a few drops onto the floor and I would cry. Every drop was so precious to me and I wanted her to get everything she could. It took both Chris and I to feed her those first three days. We were super tired. Finally, Monday morning my milk started to come in and I was able to get an ounce or so.



We still didn't understand how to use the special bottles we were given so we continued to use the syringe method. That afternoon we went up to Doernbecher Children's Hospital in Portland to meet with Ivy's Cleft Team. One of the people we met with was Lisa, the feeding specialist. She was able to help us feed Ivy with the Haberman Special Needs nipple. With her help, Ivy ate like a little champ! We finally had a way to feed her that we felt good about and most importantly, could be done by just one person!

I started doing a lot of research about exclusively pumping breast milk. I had to quickly learn about how to establish a healthy milk supply, how to store the milk and we have to buy all the supplies we would need to make it work. I learned that in order to establish my milk supply I would need to pump 8-10 times a day for 20-30 minutes! That's up to 300 minutes a day of pumping. And that's on top of having to feed and diaper and snuggle my newborn plus take care of myself. I had some major tearing that I will maybe get into at a different time but the short story is that I had to soak in a tub for 30 minutes 3 times a day and rest a lot. I was tired and in a crap load of pain but I did it. The only thing that kept me going was knowing that it would get better...and then it got worse. By the fifth day I was in a severe amount of pain due to my physical healing or lack there of. I cried a lot and laid around a lot. I thought about giving up the pumping. At that point having to pump 10 times a day while dealing with everything just seemed overwhelming but I knew that if I quit I would feel so incredibly guilty when I felt physically better. So I decided that making a decision like that was something I couldn't do at that time and I just stayed determined and knew that at some point I would start to feel better and I knew that the pain couldn't last. So I stuck it out. I am so happy that I did.
By the time Ivy was three weeks old, I was feeling better physically. I was still pumping 8-10 times a day and was getting enough milk to feed Ivy and freeze some for later. It was also around this time that we started getting more active as a family and I was losing track of how many times I was pumping and I was wondering if I was establishing a healthy supply for Ivy. I had read that it is very important to continue to pump 8-10 times a day for the first 12 weeks to do this. Ugh...really? Yes, really. Then around that time I should be able to drop to four pumps a day and still maintain my milk supply. So when Ivy was a month old I started documenting when I pump and how much milk I got. In the last 21 days I have pumped 600 ounces of milk. I have a pretty healthy stash in the freezer and Ivy is eating and gaining weight like a champ! She has gained almost 2 pounds in 6 weeks!
My goal is to pump breast milk for Ivy for at least a year. It sounds like a really long time but I am sure I can do it. She will have to undergo two surgeries in the next year and I want her to be as healthy as possible. She will be in and out of the hospital (our visit tomorrow will be our fifth already) and I want her to have the immunities that breast milk provides and she will also be prone to ear infections so in her case I just feel that breast milk is that much more important for her.
So now I feel like a broken record..."I have to pump" is my new saying. And if I am not pumping right now, I have either just finished pumping or it is time for me to pump again. I feel like I am attached to the [ump even when I am not physically attached to the pump. I have to plan trips around pumping. I have to pump before I leave and if I won't be back before the next time I need to pump then I take a manual pump with me and I pump in the car on the way
to and from appointments and events. I always wonder if anyone has peeked into the back seat and been able to catch a view of this site. I haven't got any honks yet so I must be covering enough!
Well, there is a little peek into our world. I didn't realize I had this much to say about it but I guess I did.

Ivy's Cleft Lip and Palate

Ivy was born with a Unilateral Cleft Lip and Palate (UCLP). This was not detected at my 18 week ultrasound so it was a big surprise at her birth. I have done a lot of research and we are also hooked up with our "Cleft Team" at Doernbecher. Here is what we have learned about Cleft Lip and Palate (CLP). CLP occurs early in the womb. When the face of a fetus is forming it has five parts that need to come together like a puzzle. When two of these pieces don't come together it is called a cleft. Some children have one cleft, like Ivy, and some children have two clefts. The cause of cleft is mostly unknown. It is the most common facial birth defect and happens in approximately one in 750 births.
Ivy will undergo 4-6 surgeries by the time she is 20 years old. Her first surgery will be when she is anywhere from 3-5 months old. This surgery will repair her lip as well as work on her gumline. In preparation for this surgery, Ivy will be getting a Nasoalveolar Molding device also known as a NAM. The NAM is a mouth piece that will slowly work on closing the gap of Ivy's palate and lip. It will be placed in her mouth and then be held in place by tape. It has to be in her mouth 24 hours a day. We will take it out once a day to clean it. Every week we will go in and have it adjusted. It will stay in until her first surgery.
Ivy will be getting her NAM on Monday and she will then have to relearn how to eat with the device in place. It is going to take a while for us all to get used to it but I am certain within a few days it will be no big deal.

Little Miss Ivy

Sweet Ivy Amelia Newell joined our family on Saturday June 19th just before noon. She was born at my parents' house. I haven't taken the time to write up her birth story yet but I will post it when I do. She is an amazing sweet girl and she has brought so much to our lives! We love her so much! Chris is an amazing "hands on" daddy. He and Ivy spend a lot of time bouncing around the house and outside in the backyard and no one has gotten Ivy to smile like her daddy has. Lillian just loves her baby sister! She enjoys holding her and always has to kiss her goodnight. And as for me...I adore every single thing about her from the top of her perfect little head to the tips of her tiny toes. I love watching her grow and change from day to day and week to week.

She is only six weeks old but she has already brought so much to our lives. Oh and I almost forgot about Murphy! He too loves Ivy. He runs to her when she cries and looks at us to make sure we are doing something for her. He likes to cuddle with whoever is holding her in the comfy recliner. He is working really hard at not barking at people when they come to the door because that wakes her up.