The Sixth Week

Day 36, March 29
Maya is 5 weeks old today.  She had her one month check up.  She weighed 8 lbs and 6 oz and was 20.5 inches long.  She went from the 5th percentile at birth to the 10th percentile.  When I was carrying her from the exam room to the scale room, someone was commented on her being a newborn.  I told them she was a month old but started out kind of tiny.  She is now about the size I was when I was born.  I was 8 lbs 8 oz and 21 inches.  I don't think I'll complain that she was tiny, since she is healthy.  The nurse practitioner said that she is healthy and perfect.  And she was amazed that Maya didn't cry during the exam like most babies do.  Apparently Maya is pretty laid back still.  The NP commented on Maya's head control.  She does a good job of lifting her head when she's on her tummy.  The NP also recommended that we not take her into public unless necessary until after two months or more.  I'm not sure when we are going to take her to church or if I should take her to J's baby shower this weekend.  I'm pretty content just to hang out at home with her.  But since we will be moving soon, it would be nice to see some people before we leave.  The NP then said it was ok to fly when we were discussing moving.  It seems to me that airplanes are some of the most germy public places.  She also said it would be possible to get her two month shots after 6 weeks if we wanted but she would just wait until closer to two months after we moved.  I think we are going to wait.  Maya had a bit of cradle cap.  The NP said that that's why her hair fell out and pointed to her forehead.  But her hair hasn't fallen out, she was just born with the old man receding hair line.

I cooked for the first time since her birth today.  I finally made the beef stew I planned to make on the Monday I was induced.  It was tasty.

The move is sneaking up on us.  Our stuff will be packed and loaded on April 11.  Now that it's so soon, I'm sad that we will be leaving.  I've started thinking oh this is likely the last time we will do this or that.  This place is home now.  And I'm really going to miss our friends.  I'm not sure moving so soon after having a baby is ideal.  I think I'm still more hormonal than I normally am.  Everything has combined to yield quite a bit of anxiety on my part.

Day 37, March 30
Maya seemed to be unhappy last night so we tried out gas drops last night for the first time.  She went for 4 hours and slept pretty good.  Then she slept for two more then cried off and on for an hour.  After another meal and more gas drops, she slept for another three hours.  Not a bad night.  Maya went to church tonight for the first time.  She was welcomed as a first time visitor by the teacher.  She slept the entire time.  Everyone had to come and take a peek.  They all agreed that she is beautiful.  She wore the hat that I made her, a dress that my mom made her, and shoes that were Derek's mom's.  The dress and hat were what she wore home from the hospital but they fit better now.  After church, Derek and I ate custard while Maya ate.

Day 38, March 31
Maya slept well last night.  She was only up once to eat between midnight and 8:40 am.  I had my postpartum appointment this morning.  Maya and Derek came with me.  She was great the whole time.  The doctor said, "Doesn't she ever cry?"  I told him not too much.  We gave him the pictures of him holding Maya at her birth.  He seemed happy to get them.  After that, we all went to pick up the last few items that I had planned to get before Maya arrived.  It was Maya's first shopping trip.  One of the items I got was a wrap.  We tried it out last night.  I really like it and Maya seemed to like it as well.  In the afternoon, Maya and I went to my lab meeting.  She slept the entire time.

Day 39, April 1
Today is my grandpa's 91 birthday.  Happy birthday papa.  Maya will get to meet him in a little over a week.

Day 40, April 2
This morning Derek was rudely awakened to a poop explosion.  I was changing Maya's diaper and she got me, the changing table, our bed, and the carpet.  Great way to start your day.  In the afternoon, I went to my friend J's shower for baby E.  Maya stayed at home with Derek.  After the shower, Derek and Maya came over and we spent the evening with our friends, eating pizza, watching basketball, and passing around the babies.  We are really going to miss them.

Day 41, April 3
Maya went to church today.  When we were getting her ready, Derek changed her diaper and she peed in the middle.  This resulted in urine up her back and in her hair.  (She likes to pee on dad and poop on mom it seems)  We were thus a little later than we had planned.  Maya's buddy E was at church too.  I held Maya during most of the service.  She was squeaking and grunting.  Everyone loves her little noises.  We went to a friends house for lunch and I wore her in the new wrap.  It worked out pretty well but she didn't like it when I would sit down.  And I learned that wraps are apparently hippie things.  I guess we are moving to the right state.  In the evening, I wore her in the wrap at church.  She slept most of the time.  But would cry on occasion and she got hungry at the end.  A number of people came by to say goodbye since we are leaving in a week.  Someone almost asked where the baby was before she noticed the little face poking out of the wrap.  I think people are less likely to touch her when she is in the wrap.  Once we start going out more, I think I will be using the wrap often.

Day 42, April 4
Maya didn't sleep well last night.  She ate at 11:30 but was up until 1:00.  Then she wanted to eat again around 3:00.  Then she ate at 5:45 and was up until after 7:00.  She then wanted to eat again at 8:00.  She was extra hungry and a grouch today, also.  Not sure if that was related to the sleeping.  Maybe she's having a growth spurt or something.  I fortunately was able to take a nap this evening.

The Fifth Week

Day 29, March 22
Today Maya is one month old.  She has grown so much.  Her one month well baby check is next Tuesday.  I look forward to seeing how much she weighs.  Maya was grouchy today.  I broke down and gave her a pacifier.  She really seemed to like it.  We went to out to eat tonight at a drive in and Maya didn't seem to mind her car seat.  She slept the entire time.  I went shopping for diapers and a nursing tank while Derek and Maya stayed in the car.  I still feel weird leaving her.  It stresses me out more than I expected.

Day 30, March 23
We had visitors this evening.  J's parents, H and J, came to visit.  They had only seen Maya once since they came to see us a month ago in the hospital.  It was nice to see them.  Maya wasn't too grouchy.  After that Derek went to bible study while Maya and I stayed home and napped.  We had storms tonight and the thunder woke me up once.  Other than that we slept for 3.5 hours.  Hopefully this won't negatively impact her sleep tonight.  Tomorrow we are driving 5 hours to see two of Maya's great grandfathers.  I didn't really want to go so soon but with the move coming time is running short.  Hopefully it won't be too stressful for me or Maya.  From our previous visitors I learned that I'm not a big fan of other people holding Maya.  This is something I didn't really expect but it is getting a little better.

Day 31, March 24

Last night Maya sounded really congested but she wasn't snotty.  She's had this problem off and on since she was born.  We called the doctor's office and the nurse suggested a cool mist vaporizer.  We had a moving company come out to our apartment and give us a quote.  This makes the upcoming move seem more real.  After that, we ran some errands before heading out of town.  We picked up Maya's birth certificate.  We then purchased a vaporizer and a nursing bracelet.  The bracelet lets me keep track of the time, length and side of the last feeding.  Today is the first day since she was born that we haven't written down every feeding.  Despite the fact that the lactation consultant said that I didn't really need to weeks ago.  The five hour drive only turned into a six hours with a single stop in the middle for feeding.  Maya was pretty happy in her seat and slept almost the whole time.  It is quite a bit colder there than at home and I forgot to pack a hat for Maya.

Day 32, March 25

I'm not sure if it's all the excitement from last night, being in a new place, or my stress rubbing off on her but Maya wanted to eat every two hours.  It didn't help that our bedroom was freezing.  The lack of sleep didn't help my anxiety any.  It wasn't a great day for me or Maya.  She had a bit of a meltdown in the morning and wanted to nurse frequently.  She then crashed in the evening.  Aside from that it was nice to spend the day with Derek's maternal grandparents.

Day 33, March 26

We went to visit Derek's paternal grandpa today, along with several of his aunts, uncles and cousins.  There were way more people there than I really felt comfortable with and more kids.  Not many people held Maya though so hopefully she didn't get germy.

Day 34, March 27

We hung out with Derek's grandparents today and then drove home in the evening.  The ride home went pretty well.  Maya slept most of the way.  We did see a car accident though.  It was right in front of us and the car that lost control had just passed us.  Scary stuff.  I think having a kid has mellowed out my driving.  I'm glad to be home.

Day 35, March 28

Our friends, J and J came over to visit tonight and brought along their two little ones G and E.  I hadn't seen the kids since the Saturday before Maya was born for G's birthday party.  I joked that my water would break the morning of G's party since J's broke the morning of my shower.  But I missed it by a day.  But Maya and G do share a birthday.

The Fourth Week

Day 22, March 15
Maya is three weeks old today.  Time has flown by.  She is starting to look different these days.  She's really grown.  Last night, Maya slept about 4.5 hours again for the second night in a row.  She then went back down for 3.5 hours.  Hopefully, writing this won't jinx it and this trend will continue.  Maya had her first tub bath today.  She seemed to like it.

Day 23, March 16
Apparently I jinxed the sleeping.  She didn't want to go down last night and she didn't sleep very long between feedings.  It was really nice today so we put Maya in the carrier and went for a walk.  Once she got settled, she slept the whole time.  My back and abdominal muscles are still not what the were prepregnancy.  Next time, I'll let Derek wear her.  TMI warning: pregnancy and birth is the gift that keeps giving in regards to your body, 3 weeks postpartum and I seem to now have hemorrhoids.  And my nipples are crazy sore.

Day 24, March 17
Last night was ok.  Since I was sore it was not the most pleasant.  When she was awake at 5 am, I told her she better be glad she was so cute and she gave me a big smile.  I know the smiles are still involuntary at this point but still too cute.  Today we had our first outing other than to the hospital or doctors office.  My advisor took all three of us to lunch.  Maya was awake and looking around for most of it.  My advisor and his mom both held Maya.  She wasn't too sure about them and cried most of the time.  When she was passed back to me she immediately fell asleep.  Then in the evening, Maya and I went to our monthly ladies meeting with the women from church.  My mom, aunt, and cousins arrived last night.  They went with us.  There were a lot more people there than I expected.  It was nice to see people, I'm not sure if I would have gone had I known there would be so many.  I only let a few people hold her but it still stressed me out.  Tonight was the last night of our church friends bringing us food.  It's been really great not having to worry about grocery shopping and cooking.

Day 25, March 18
Today my mom spent the day with us while my aunt and cousins were in and out.  Maya was pretty happy with her grandma as long as I didn't talk.  Often if she heard me, she'd wake up and cry.  My cousin cooked dinner for us tonight.  I haven't cooked in almost a month.

Day 26, March 19
We went out to lunch with my family before they left.  Maya screamed all the way there.  Her eyes even started tearing up.  I tried giving her a paci for the first time, other than during her hearing test at the hospital.  She sucked on it a few times and then seemed annoyed that it wasn't giving her any milk.  We got to the restaurant and I got her out of her seat to calm her down.  I noticed that she had pooped and it leaked everywhere.  So after a quick snack, diaper and clothes change, she was ready to go in.  I put her in the carrier and she slept the entire time.  Then screamed when she went back in the car seat.  We tried the paci again with a little better result.  Maya has finally grown into newborn clothes.


Day 27, March 20
Last night, Maya slept well.  However, she had poop in her hair this morning when she woke up.  I'm not sure how it got there.  Perhaps it was leftover from the middle of the night diaper change fiasco.  It's kind of crazy that my water broke one month ago today but I didn't realize it until the following day.  I went to church today for the first time since that day.  We finally got Maya's hand prints in her baby book.  It's not as easy to get hand prints as it is foot prints on an infant.  We also had our second attempt at a tub bath tonight.  She pooped in the water so it turned into a sponge bath.  Then, she pooped all over the towel, twice.  After I got her cleaned up, she peed.

Day 28, March 21
One month ago today, we started the induction process.  Tomorrow our little peanut will be one month old.  She has officially grown out of her preemie clothes and into newborn.  Even the newborn sleepers fit.  It's kind of funny that she seems so big to us now.  Maya was unusually cranky today.  Usually she doesn't cry unless she's hungry or has tummy issues.  Today, it seemed like she was crying every time she was awake.

From the beginning, Early pregnancy

June 25
4 weeks
first + pregnancy test
(I had a dream that I was pregnant and, despite the fact that I wasn't late, couldn't shake the feeling that it was in fact true.  When Derek went to work I walked to the nearest drug store to pick up some tests.  I didn't tell him I was doing it, because I thought I was just being paranoid.  Needless to say he was quite shocked when he came home and I handed him a positive test.  I wish I had a picture of his face.  I think he handled the surprise better than I did though.)

July 27
8wk4d

crown-rump length:  0.73 inches
(The doctor called her a gummy bear.)

August 1
9wk1d
broke the news to family

August 17
11wk4d
crown-rump length: 1.85 inches
(In this ultrasound, she was upgraded from gummy bear to sea horse.)

October 14

19wk6d

crown-rump length: 6.5 inches

weight: 11 ounces
(The baby looks healthy and perfect.  It's a girl and it looks like she might have her mother's monkey toes.  I wasn't sure I wanted to find out what the sex was.  Derek wanted to.  The ultrasound technician said that she would write it on a piece of paper and put it in an envelope for us to open later when we had decided.  When she wrote on the paper, she had it on top of the envelope leaving an impression in the envelop.  After the ultrasound, we went to the lobby to wait for my doctor's appointment.  I went to put the envelope in my purse and the light hit it just right show It's a girl!.  I showed Derek and we got a good laugh out of it.  Derek opened the envelop at lunch after the appointment and indeed that's what the paper said.)

February 22
38wk4d
length: 18 inches
weight 6 lbs 1 oz
(Labor and delivery didn't quite go as I had envisioned but she's here and healthy.  She is tiny but does in fact have my monkey toes.  She looks a lot like the ultrasound profile.  Look at that cute little nose.)

March 4
10 days old (due date, would have been 40 wk)
weight 5 lbs 14 oz (up from her lowest recorded 5 lbs 7 oz on February 28)

The Third Week

Day 15, March 8

Maya is two weeks old today.  This morning at 7:47, Maya, Derek, and I were up "celebrating" this milestone.  Derek and I tried our own photography session this evening.  I wanted to get some pictures of her sleeping.  Some of them turned out pretty well, I think.

Day 16, March 9

Maya slept had a long stretch of sleep last night.  I woke up more than she did.  She still has times when she is wide awake in the middle of the night.  She doesn't really cry when she's awake in the middle of the night.  She fusses until you turn on the light and then she's happy just looking around.  Derek has been great about taking her then and letting me get some more sleep.  My sleeping issues are getting better.  I still can't really sleep during the day though.  Today was an uneventful day.  Derek went into school for a while.  Maya and I just snuggled while he was gone.  I took a nap in the evening.  Then Derek and I tried to get Maya's foot and hand print to frame.  We succeeded in getting one acceptable foot and hand so we called it a night.  I still need to get her hand prints for her baby book.  I also finally made birth announcements.

Day 17, March 10

Maya and I ventured out on our own today for the first time.  We went to a breastfeeding support group at the hospital.  It's a way to talk to the lactation consultant for free and talk with other mom's in a similar situation.  Maya was wide awake for pretty much the whole time we were there.  The lactation consultant commented on how bright eyed she was and told me that we would have our hands full.  Maya was the youngest one there.  After that, Maya and I both took a nap.  We then called the nurse to ask about Maya's umbilical cord stump.  It was oozing brown gunk and blood.  We were a little concerned about infection.  The nurse had us come in, just to be safe.  It's a bad sign that the nurses recognize us and comment on the frequency of our visits when she's just over two weeks old.  We met with the nurse practitioner who said everything looks normal.  She was a little surprised that we weren't instructed to clean it with alcohol.  We plan to do that a couple times a day now to hopefully get things dried up.  On the plus side of going in, we got to weigh her again.  She is up to 6 lbs 12 oz from 5 lbs 14 oz 6 days ago.  Derek and I were discussing this morning how she looked a little fuller.  She's getting cute little chubby cheeks.  She's still a little peanut though.

Day 18, March 11

Maya didn't eat very well last night.  She thus didn't sleep very well either.  Not very fun for any of us.  Her umbilical cord stump fell off this morning.  I guess that's what all the gunk and blood was about yesterday.  We gave her another sponge bath today.  She peed and pooped on us this time.  Maya continued to not eat very well until late this evening.  I'm not sure what the problem was but I'm thankful to have my happy eater back.

Day 19, March 12

Maya slept decent last night.  We put her down at 12:30 and she slept until 2.  She ate and went down again until 5:20.  After that feeding she decided it was awake time.  As cute as she is when she's awake, I'd rather it be later in the morning.  This morning, I ran to my office today to pick up some more clothes my advisor bought for us.  Maya now has a few more sleepers that fit.  In the afternoon, a friend from church W and her daughter M brought us food.  W was holding Maya, and like a proper dainty little lady Maya loudly filled her diaper.  M thought it was hilarious.  I'm proud of my little peanut.  Now we have to work on burping.

Day 20, March 13
As of last night, we still seem to have our days and nights confused.  She was always more active at night in the womb so I was concerned that this might be a problem.  Maya was super hungry today.  We had a lot of feedings only 1 to 2 hours apart.  Hopefully this won't continue over night.

Day 21, March 14
Hooray, Maya slept for 4 hours and 20 minutes last night.  Then went down for another 3, then 3 hours and 20 minutes.  I could get use to this.  Hopefully we will start having more of these nights.  I woke up with a backache though.  Not sure if I slept funny or if its just from all the extra lifting and bending these last few weeks.  Maya got me, the carpet, and our bed today when I was changing her diaper.  Then she peed while I was trying to get her cleaned up and it when all over her.  We've had a lot more poop and pee on us and a lot less spit up than I expected.  She spit up on Derek for the first time today and it was barely any spit up at all.  Not that I'm complaining.  Maya has really started grunting and squeaking in the last few days any time that you move her. I really love to hear her do it.  Today I was sitting on the couch with her and I tried to get up and she was grunting.  I told her I should be the one grunting not her and that she was worse than a pregnant lady.

The Second Week

Day 8, March 1

Maya is one week old today.  Today was the first day we didn't have to go to the hospital for a blood draw.  Maya wasn't on the biliblanket today so we gave her her first sponge bath at home.  She peed on me during it.  When her hair is wet, it curls.  It's very cute.  I wouldn't be surprised if she has curly hair in the future, given mine and Derek's hair.  We had another rough day with feedings.  I called the lactation consultant and she gave me a few tips.  If tonight doesn't go any better I may schedule an appointment with her tomorrow (even though I wasn't very impressed with her in the hospital).  Our friend J brought over some cute clothes for Maya while I was on the phone.  He held Maya again.  His wife called later and offered to come over and sit with Maya for a few hours if we needed a break.  Their little one is a little over five weeks older than Maya and sleeping pretty well at night.  My friend T came over later in the evening.  She let me borrow her nursing pillow and gave me a few pointers on breast feeding.  Maya latched on and nursed for a long time while she was here.  Hoping that this continues through the night and coming days.

Day 9, March 2

Feedings are still going well.  Many thanks to my friend T.  We had what will hopefully be the last heel stick this morning.  Hooray, when they called with the results in the afternoon, her number was way down.  We are done with blood draw and the biliblanket.  Derek was changing her diaper today and the pooped on him.  It was everywhere.  Pretty impressive.

Day 10, March 3

I don't want to jinx it, but I think we may be getting the hang of nursing.  It is still going well.  Today would have been my 40 week appointment with the ob had Maya not come early.

Day 11, March 4

Today was our due date (at least in IN.  The doctor in CA had our due date as March 5).  I expected to be giving birth sometime today or tomorrow based on my slow progress and doctor not wanting to let me go past my due date.  Instead we have a 10 day old.  Maya had an appointment with her pediatrician again today to check her weight.  The improvement in nursing was evident.  She was up to 5 lbs 14 oz, that is up 7 oz in five days.  The doctor said he likes to see at least 0.5 to 1 oz per day and anything over that is gangbusters.  He took care of all her two week visit stuff, even though it was a little early.  He said that we didn't have to worry about waking her up to feed her every 2 to 3 hours now.  I went to the doctor in the afternoon.  I'd had a low grade fever since we'd come home and I called to talk to the nurse about it.  She suggested I come in and see someone.  I saw the midwife for the first time.  She poked around and prescribed some antibiotics.  She said the antibiotics I had during labor probably took care of any uterine infection but with the fever and soreness she'd rather be safe than sorry.  Now we are on the lookout for thrush.  

Maya's grandparents and two of her uncles came to visit today.  It was the first time any of them had been here since her birth.  Unfortunately, Derek's dad was sick and didn't get to hold her. 

Day 12, March 5

Maya wasn't sure if she liked having so many strange visitors.  She was a little cranky in the morning and wanted to nurse more than usual.  When everyone left to get lunch, Maya and I snuggled and took a nap.  She was a little less cranky in the afternoon.

Day 13, March 6

All of our visitors left today.  It was nice to see everyone but it was a lot more stressful than I had anticipated.  It's nice for things to be settling back into our new normal.  

Day 14, March 7

Maya had her professional newborn photo shoot this evening.  Despite the fact that I fed her before we left, she was wide awake for the whole thing.  Hopefully she got some good photos though.

The First Week

Day1, February 22
We stayed in the labor and delivery room for around three hours after the birth.  Maya got cleaned up.  After her bath, her hair in the middle was sticking straight up.  The nurse said she tried to do something with it but she still had a mohawk.  I got to hold her again and feed her for the first time.  Derek got to hold her.  We called our parents.  I forgot to tell my mom her name.  Our nurse brought in all the labor and delivery nurses to show off how beautiful she was.  I got disconnected from all my tubes and wires and was finally able to get out of bed.  My blood pressure almost immediately returned to normal after delivery.  My hip pain also went away surprisingly.  When we left labor and delivery, we moved into postpartum room 322.  We spent most of the day holding and staring at Maya in a daze.  We all napped briefly in the afternoon.  My pregnancy insomnia still hadn't gone away so I didn't sleep long.  It was really weird to have an outside baby.  It was a surprisingly empty feeling to no longer be pregnant and I didn't want her far from me.  It was also eerily silent not hearing her heart beat on the monitor after having heard it all afternoon and night.  I think I snuggled her most of the day and night.  The nurses were in every 4 hours to take Maya and my vitals.  That got old pretty fast but beat the every 15 minutes all night in labor and delivery.   The little shirts the hospital provided were huge on Maya.  She would always seem to work her arms out the neck.

Day 2, February 23
This was a busy day.  At midnight, Maya's weight was down to 6 lbs.  We had or first visitors J and J in the morning.  I then took a nap and D and T and their little one visited in the afternoon.  After that H, J, and O stopped by before church.  They all said Maya was tiny and beautiful.  That evening, Derek and i ordered our celebration meal at the hospital, lobster tail, filet mignon, roasted potatoes, veggies, and cheesecake.  Maya slept in her bassinet for about the first time while we ate.

Day 3, February 24
Maya had her weight check and hearing test a little after midnight.  Her weight was down to 5 lbs 12 oz.  Her hearing was good.  This didn't surprise us, given her response to noise in the womb.  My doctor came in around 7:30 to check me.  I was cleared for discharge.  Maya had her heal stuck for the usual blood test and bilirubin test.  The pediatrician came in and cleared Maya.  But her bilirubin was medium high so she wanted us to come back to the hospital the next morning and then meet with the nurse practitioner at the pediatricians office.  (This was somewhat of a surprise because her earlier numbers were ok and everyone commented on how good her color was.)  This was all set up.  Derek and I got Maya dressed.  Like the hospital clothes, the ones we brought were way too big for our little peanut as well.  She wore a dress that my mom made.  We covered her up with the blanket I came home from the hospital using and a quilt my mom made.  We were planning to use a blanket that Derek's mom made, but Maya came before the blanket arrived.  Derek started loading our car.  Our car seat was inspected and we completed all the discharge paperwork around noon.  Our hospital bracelets and security devices were removed.  They kept my bracelet and one of Maya's to make sure that we had the right baby.  We got to keep her other bracelet and Derek's.  While Derek went to get the car, the nurse carried Maya in her seat along with a neon sign that said ok.  I carried the diaper bag and few remaining random items.  They let me walk out, unlike on the way in.  Our first visitors at home, two of my labmates, brought us food that evening around 10.  They were afraid to hold Maya because she's so small.  We didn't sleep much this night.  Maya didn't like her packnplay so one of us held her pretty much all night.  Also, our heater broke so it was a little chilly.  We were concerned about keeping her warm.  Holding her helped with this as well.

Day 4, February 25
This was a crazy day.  We had to go to the hospital in the morning for Maya's repeat bilirubin test and then to the doctor for the results.  There was a little boy getting his blood drawn ahead of us.  The lab lady, said that you can only stick so many babies a day and still feel good about yourself.  She also said that Maya's cry with the lip quiver was too cute.  Maya's weight went down to 5 lbs 9 oz.  They didn't have the results when we were in the office. We came home and called about our heat.  The doctor's office called us in the afternoon.  Her number had gone up significantly and they wanted her on a biliblanket.  The repair guy came and fixed the heater.  Then the biliblanket was delivered.  We all slept in the living room.  Derek and I took turns holding her.

 

Day 5, February 26
We had to go back to the hospital for a blood draw and back to the doctor.  We had the same lab lady sticking her heal.  Maya's weight up to 5 lbs 10 oz.  Her number went up slightly so they wanted us to keep her on the blanket.  The doctor thought with my milk coming in, her weight increasing, and her number stabilizing we were headed in the right direction.  Both the lab tech and the doctor commented on how strong Maya is.  Derek took a nap during the day and helped a lot with the night time.  I was still having trouble sleeping.  When I would sleep, I'd wake up in panic.  Ah, hormones are great.  Also, I was always afraid I wouldn't wake up to a baby, but every little grunt and squeak wakes me up.  Maybe this will change when I start sleeping a little better.

Day 6, February 27
We went back to the hospital for another blood draw.  It's a bad sign when the hospital receptionist start to recognize you.  We didn't have to go to the doctor today.  The called us with the results.  Her number didn't really change, 16.2 to 16.  Maya and I had a rough day with feedings.  When we would try she would scream, a horrible high pitched cry and stick her tongue to the roof of her mouth.  I couldn't really calm her down or get her to latch on.  We would both sit there and cry.  This got worse in the evening.  Derek called the oncall doctor that evening for help.  She suggested trying to feed her more often as she might be too hungry and thus too frustrated.  She also suggested we try a bottle at the end of a feed if she didn't eat well.  The would help make her less frustrated at the next feed.  We tried all of this and it seemed to help a little.  My advisor brought over some preemie sleepers, her first clothes that fit.  As soon as she is off of the billiblanket she will be able wear them.  We again spent the night in the living room.

Day 7, February 28
Again we went to the hospital and doctor's appointment.  We finally met our pediatrician.  Maya's weight was down to 5 lbs 7 oz.  I was upset by the weight loss because of the horrible day of feedings the day before.  Her bilirubin number had gone down a little to 14 something.  Her doctor wanted us to keep her on the light for the rest of today and then off for a day before redoing the blood work so it is hopefully Maya's last day on the biliblanket.  Following the on call doctor's advice, we had better day with feedings.  Friends from church started bringing us food this afternoon.  We will probably get food from someone almost everyday for a couple of weeks.  It's really nice not to have to worry about what to eat.  We are thankful for our church here.  I'm really going to miss everyone when we move.