Thankfully, this week we did not have to go to the pediatrician every other day for heel sticks to check his jaundice levels. The nurse practitioner gave us the go ahead to give the bili blanket back at the beginning of this week, and we were ecstatic! However, at our two week appointment, she still wanted us to come back at a month post birth for a weight check since he's still such a little peanut. We also had an abnormal result on the T4 test that was given during his newborn screenings. That retest was given when we went on Monday, and we are just awaiting the results. Of course, when you Google search the T4 abnormality, it is enough to scare your pants off! T4 has something to do with the thyroid gland, so basically a low result could indicate congenital hypothyroidism. While the disorder is fairly easy to treat after diagnosis, a quick diagnosis is really important in order to avoid some pretty serious issues. When I spoke to the nurse earlier this week, she indicated that false positives are somewhat common, so a retest was fairly normal, and we shouldn't panic. This was also paired with the fact that his TSH level (another thyroid/pituitary indicator) came back normal, so they sounded pretty confident that a retest would show normal levels of the T4. We should have the results within a week, so I'm really trying not to stress out until we do hear back.
Every day existence is going so well...I'm not finding myself beyond exhausted during the day time even though we are still really trying to maintain feedings at a 2 hour interval. I am also still having to set alarms to wake up in the middle of the night to feed him, and I'm really glad that my husband is home to allow me to take a few naps throughout the day. We also get some really great snuggles in bed from about 7 am - 9 am! I know many people would disagree, but a newborn nestled in your arms makes for a great napping partner! Don't worry though, the covers are only over his little legs, and I make sure that his face is nowhere near covers or pillows while we snuggle.
I can't get over how awesome the past two weeks have been; it's like he's been with us forever!
Sleep: He's still sleeping like a rock, and I still have to set alarms to wake him at night to eat. Many times he falls asleep in the middle of feedings, which is a little disconcerting, but we are muddling our way through!
Eating: We're having some breastfeeding issues right now on my end of things with supply. The demand is definitely there, but I think I've stressed my supply to nil in the last few days because of the pressure of getting him back to his birth weight by the end of the second week and because of the abnormal T4 test.
Mood: He's pretty laid back and is really an easy baby for the most part, but he does make his needs known when he's not getting what he wants quickly enough.
Likes: Being held and snuggled in the morning after his 7 or 8 o'clock feeding. He also just likes being snuggled in general. He also doesn't seem to mind baths too much.
Dislikes: Waiting for his food. He still gets really angry that he has to work to latch and get his food while breastfeeding.
Things I want to remember: I want to remember how he just stares at my face while he's eating or snuggling. It's also great to know that sometimes all he wants is to snuggle with mommy! I also want to remember how enamored my husband is with him. There are times throughout the day where he just wants to hold Lochlan and talk to him, and it's downright ADORABLE and just melts my heart to mush!
Looking forward to: I'm really looking forward to our one month weight check...still trending upward on the growth chart and working on breastfeeding until we are successful.
