The Homecoming!

Katie has arrived at her new home. Hard to believe that within a 5 day period, she has already had 3 homes - the womb, Northside Hospital, and now Smyrna. While I was looking forward to getting home, I didn't realize how much until we got here. All of the anxiety I was feeling immediately washed away when I sat down on the couch and started to feed Katie.

To be able to spend the evening at home with our baby girl, Smyrna Dad and Smyrna Grandmother couldn't have been better. We discussed our routine for the night, I fed her several times (every time I turned around it was time), ate dinner and then finally retired for the night.

We met with our lactation consultant for the final time yesterday morning and she put together an incredible plan for us. The ultimate goal was to have her sleep at least 5 hours throughout the night by giving her a couple bottles of pumped colustrum and 1-1.5 oz of formula mixed in. The consultant advised that I feed her one last time around 8:30, turn her over to Brad when she is finished around 9:30, pump as much colustrum as I can, and have Brad feed her what I pumped + the little bit of forumula at 10:30.

She also advised that we have Katie sleep in Smyrna Grandmother's room, in her bassinet, for the night. When she wakes up - hopefully not until 3:00 or so - S.G. would feed her the other bottle of pumped colustrum (approximately a 1/2 oz) + 1.5oz of formula and that will tie her over until approximately 8 or 8:30 this morning.

All of this enables Smyrna Mama to get 9+ hours of solid sleep, allows me to spend more time recovering and healing the "hole in my belly" (as the lactation consultant said repeatedly) and feel rested for a day filled with feedings.

Given that it's 7:40 in the morning, I am feeling great, Baby and Grandmother are sacked out, it looks like our master plan must've worked!

Initially, I was hesitant to have Katie supplement with formula, but I quickly realized that if we didn't go this route, several things would happen:

1. I wouldn't get the rest I need to help me heal.
2. Katie wouldn't start to level off with her weight loss (she was right at a 7% loss yesterday) by just relying on my colustrum, and we would be forced to supplement with formula as it was.
3. Smyrna Dad wouldn't get the rest he needs - especially since he is already back at work.

As long as the only times Katie is sleeping in 5 hour stretches is at night, Madeline (consultant) says it's fine. The goal is to get her accustomed right away to sleeping at night.

Now, we are expecting my milk to come in today, which means that our plan tonight will change since no matter what, I will need to release the milk somehow. Either I will get up to pump (consultant is OK with me doing this only a couple times a day) OR, I will get up to feed her. It's one of those things we will just play by ear!

Pictures to come later of our homecoming! Time to feed the little Katie Bug.