Well, for now, I feel a little more rested. I've decided that he sleeps alot better with me in our bed than in his own bed. I really tried not to get that started but I'm tired of not sleeping. So when he's with me, we both sleep longer. I figure he's been through enough and he just needs the security of his mama. He is staying awake more in the day and sleeping more at night so that's a good thing. We got one bag to stay on for 2 days. But we've yet to get another one to last that long. I spent all morning on the phone with insurance and medical supply companies. The hospital gave us a catalog and a company to order supplies through. So I called Monday and placed an order. We thought we'd have more time since the bags are supposed to last 2 to 3 days. But we were down to 7 bags so i thought I should just order. Well, that company took 3 days to call me and let me know that they are not contracted through my insurance so I couldn't order through them. Well, I have no idea where else to get colostomy bags. So I started to panic thinking we're gonna run out of bags and then what would we do. So i called my insurance company and they gave me 5 different places I could call where I could go pick them up. Oh and they told me medical supplies are 100% covered. So I was a happy person until I called all 5 places and not one of them sold colostomy bags. so i called the insurance company back and they gave me the website that had all the providers. I called every one of them in a 30 mile radius (which was 53 of them) and no one sold colostomy bags. So I'm getting desperate at this point. I think the last person I called was some sort of angel. I only asked one question "Do ya'll sell colostomy bags?" and she said "no, but I see you're with Aetna. Let me tell you where you can order them" So how in the world did she know which insurance I had? So I finally got the supplies ordered. I ordered a different kind so we'll see if this one works. They say they will be here within 2-3 business days. So now we're cutting it close and praying that the bags will last until the new ones come in. On a different note, he's always hungry which I guess is a good thing for him but not so much for me. He likes to eat every 2 hours and he usually takes about 30-45 minutes to eat. So basically by the time he's done I have an hour until he eats again. It's driving me crazy! So I called the Dr. because I'm wondering if I'm not producing enough milk for him. I've been giving him a little formula. The Dr. wants to send us to a Dietician which I wasn't sure why at first. But he explained that with a normal baby (without a colostomy) the nurtients have time to absorb before they get all the way down to to colon. Since his is cut short, he may not be absorbing all the nutrients he needs so he's hungry all the time. So he might need a special formula that contains a higher fat and nutrient content. I will still nurse regardless of what they say but i may have to supplement formula to help him gain weight. So we'll add that Dr. to our list. Now we have 3. So between my follow up appt from the C-section, the surgeon and the dietician we have 3 appointments next week. Next week is that last week I have off. Although my principal called today and asked if I needed more time. It's nice to know that she is so supportive of what is going on in my life right now. But I'm going back. We can't really afford for me to take any more time off. And I know this may make me sound like a horrible mother but I'm kinda looking forward to getting back on a schedule. And I've learned that teaching is alot easier than taking care of a baby. Never would have imagined that but it's true. And i kinda miss my kids at school. Well, I'll stop blabbing about all the stuff going on and get to the good stuff. I know everyone really just checks this blog to see pictures. So here's a few. He started smiling a little and I finally captured one.
Now, i just need to capture one with his eyes open
I spent the day with my good friend Amy yesterday. She has a little boy and a baby girl on the way. She's my back up baby sitter. She's really gonna have her hands full.
This was right after a huge smile. It's still a precious face though!
3 comments:
he is so cute. Don't worry he might be going through a growth spurt that is why he nursing so often. Sometimes when they go through spurts of what they called cluster feedings. If you are still wanting to nurse while going back to work don't give up it is possible and I can email you some sites that will give you suggestions. I know what you mean I've been battling trying to get our supplies too. I didn't have any problems with getting the colostomy supplies but now I am for the other supplies we need.
Kristi... I know I just commented on your previous entry about how we got our ostomy supplies to work, but I thought I'd tell you about my nursing experience too.
Bridgette also nursed VERY frequently at first (she got her ostomy on day 7), and during the day I think she is still more frequent than most babies (at 3 months). Like your doctor said, there is not as much intestine available to suck up the nutrients. However, my little baby has no colon at all, and part of her little intestine is gone too. We were extremely worried about malnutrition.
All those frequent feedings were worth it though. After not gaining weight her first month, she started gaining like a banchee. She's a right little chubster now, and she's only had breastmilk. Of course, if you're really worried about your production, I'd pump regularly to try to increase your supply (or at least see how much you're producing.)
I'm also in graduate school. I take my baby with me and nurse in class. It's not the easiest thing I've ever done, but it's totally possible. Nice to know a return to life is possible, isn't it!
As if no sleep and a new infant weren't enough, right? Then you have to worry about all these other things. Hang in there! You can do it!
What do you do for baby food when your baby starts to eat regular food? Do you make your own? Has anyone ever tried one of the manual, portable baby food grinders, and if so, do they work?
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