Life with Greyson and Fynnlee – 1 month

Our little Beans are a month old!  Excuse me for a second while I curl up in the corner and cry my eyes out.

This past month has been quite an adventure. Lots and lots of highs and a few lows.  These little people are coming into their personalities and it’s been my greatest gift getting to know them.  They are pretty much the bestest things ever.

If you google the sweetest baby on the planet, you will get 10,000 pictures of Greyson Paul.  As long as he’s fed, changed and warm, you won’t even know he’s in the room.  He’s very content to just chill out and observe the world around him.  Fynnlee is our little drama queen. You will always know she is in the room.  I read that with twins, you can’t feel too guilty paying attention to one baby more than the other because inevitably, “the squeaky wheel gets the grease”.  Well, Fynnlee Ann is our squeaky wheel. I definitley suffer from a bit of the Mom guilt…it’s hard not to when you feel like you can’t reward the “good” baby.  I just tell him not to worry…I’m going to buy him the car and Fynn will get a bicycle and a bus pass.  I do make sure to fit in extra snuggles and one on one time when she’s in a milk coma.  It’s all a balancing act, I guess.

Managing the day to day operations with twins can be tricky.  Especially on the days when Jerry is at work and I’m flying solo.  I would say most of the time, they cut me some slack.  One baby sleeps while I feed the other and it only happens once or twice a day where we have 2 screaming children at the same time. If Jerry is home, we divide and conquer.  If not, I channel my inner octopus and do the best I can.

Eat

Feeding these two muchkins is a constantly changing process.  I’m still nursing Fynnlee and pumping for Greyson but we are supplementing about 50% of the feedings with formula for both.  It’s not ideal but it is what it is.  I’m happy they’re both getting some breast milk but they are both demanding much more at feedings and I just can’t keep up.  There are things I could be doing to try boost my supply but honestly, I don’t have the energy in me to work on it.  I had some guilt over all of it but then slapped myself upside the head.  These babies are healthy and happy and growing like little weeds.  That is all that matters.

Fynn nurses for a good 20 minutes or eats 4 ounces of formula.  Greyson will eat anywhere from 2-4 ounces of pumped milk or formula depending on his mood.  We try to get as much food into them before bedtime and overnight because they definitely sleep better when their bellies are full.

We have pretty much every bottle known to man but the ones these kiddos prefer is the 3 for $3 gerber ones I found at Target.  Take that Tommee Tippee and your $8 single bottles!  The flow is really good for both babies and I don’t feel like I’m drowning them at feedings.  Sometimes simple is best!

Yesterday, I noticed a bunch of white spots on Fynnlee’s tongue. It’s also been very painful for me to nurse her or pump over the last couple of days (I just chalked it up to standard sore nipples). After consulting Dr. Google, it became very evident that we both had Thrush.  Yay!  We called the pediatrician who gave me a prescription Nystatin for Fynn. And I’m to apply Lotromin to my nipples to clear up the fungus (yep, the same stuff they use for athletes foot and jock itch).  I’m now boiling the hell out of anything that might come in contact with her mouth or my nipples and I’m hoping we can knock this thing out quickly.  I really wanted the babies to have at least 1/2 of their meals from breastmilk until I went back to work but I don’t know if I’m gonna make it.

Sleep

I’m going to jinx myself, but I think these Beans are pretty good sleepers. They nap a lot during the day and for the most part, they go down pretty easily at night.  But the bottom line is…they’re babies and they are not consistent. We have good days/nights and bad ones.

Boppys in the pack n play is our favorite way to nap.

The “Sound Sleeper” app set to vacuum saves our sanity.

5 to 8 pm is typically the worst part of the day.  They are pretty fussy and just want to be held and eat.  So we feed them as much as we can stuff in them and have been successful over the last week of getting a good nap out of them so we can eat dinner.  We need to start establishing a serious bedtime routine within the next couple of weeks…right now, we’re just winging it.

Overnight they sleep from 9-10 to 12-1.  After a 20 minute feed, they go back down until 3-4.  Greyson sometimes wakes up around 2:00 if he hasn’t eaten enough.  But longer sleep stretches will come.  They are still teeny babies and are trying to figure things out just as we are.

Poop

We have tried 3 brands of diapers.  Pampers Swaddlers, Honest brand and Target’s Up & Up.  The Pampers and Target brand are definitely the best. Super absorbent and zero leaks. I’m really not too impressed with the Honest diapers…they’re cute but we’ve had some leaks.

Enough about poop…

Greyson

Look at him.  I die…he’s so perfect.

1 month stats

Weight  birth weight:  5lbs 4oz  1 month: one month: 6lbs 12oz (0 percentile)
Height  at birth:  17.75 inches  1 month: 19.5 inches (0 percentile)
Head circumference : 38.5 cm (87th percentile)
Wearing:  Newborn clothes, newborn diapers
Nicknames:  Pipsqueak, lovebug, GP, sweet pea, chicken legs
Likes:  Advent pacifiers, Wubbanub, Fisher price swing, snuggles, when Mom sings “The Gambler”.
Dislikes:  Diaper changes, baths, being cold

I’m not gonna lie…my little G Man is kind of a hot mess at the moment. He has a wicked case of baby acne in addition to cradle cap.  Poor little nugget…his beautiful face is all splotchy.  It really seems to flare up after he’s eaten.  Our pediatrician assures me that it’s not painful and is super common.  Just leave it alone and he will out grow it.

This little guy has seen so many changes over the past 2 weeks.  He’s now making eye contact all the time  I’m getting faint smiles and coos and my heart just melts into a giant puddle. His tiny hand can put your finger in a death grip and his neck strength is really improving.

There is zero chance he’s not gonna be a Mama’s boy…just sayin.

Fynnlee

I swear this little girl gets more beautiful every day.  Those cheeks and that hair…

1 month stats

Weight  birth weight:  6bs 7oz  1 month:  one month: 8lbs 12oz (38th percentile)
Height  at birth:  19.5 inches  1 month: 20.25 inches (14th percentile)
Head circumference:  36.25 cm (44th percentile)
Wearing:  Mix of Newborn and 0-3 month clothes, newborn diapers
Nicknames:  Fynn, Squish, Squeaky wheel, chubby cheeks, Toots
Likes: Eating, 4 Moms Rockaroo, being held, grunting
Dislikes:  Diaper changes, being hungry

Every day with Fynnlee is an adventure.  She is the life of the party and loves the drama.  Her favorite thing is to get out attention with loud “WHAAAA!”…and the second you go to rescue her, she flashes the biggest, gummy grin known to man.  She’s got us figured out, our smart cookie.  I knew she was going to be a spitfire before she was even born…and I’m so glad I was right.

She is absolutely irresistible and she knows it.

While I feel like we’re doing really well, that’s not to say I don’t have moments every day where I just want to scream “Stop crying!” or “I don’t know what you want!”.  There are many times when I’m annoyed, lonely, frustrated and I just need to take a breath and regroup.  I find that by the end of the day, I’m on sensory overload.  I desperately need a good 30-45 minutes of quiet time.  And my favorite form of “quiet time” is a long walk with Jacob and Howard Stern.

I read this awesome article on ScaryMommy…8 things I wish I’d known about having twins.  And I always read this last part when I’m feeling a little overwhelmed.

You have been chosen, super woman. You were blessed in this life to bring two warriors into this world. It won’t be easy but that doesn’t mean that it won’t be the most rewarding adventure that was entrusted to you. You are in charge of your greatness and theirs. There will be a moment that you could spill open with radiance because your life is so whole and you wouldn’t want to change it for anything. Acknowledge the joy and hope of it all as each joyous and hopeful inch comes your way. And know that you are a rockstar. You’ve got this. Own that cape, baby.

I can’t wait to see what the next month has in store for us, Beans!  Every day is better than the day before.

Newborn Photos

When the Beans were 10 days old, we had the amazingly talented Melissa Lucci come to our house to take newborn photos for us.

She spent almost 3 hours with us and I am so thrilled with the results.

Here are some of my favorites of the day.

Baby feet are the best….

How sweet is Greyson?

And Fynnlee is so squishable.

Those of you who know him, will be amazed at the pictures of Jacob.  He’s petrified of cameras.

 

Long lens and a sneak attack…nailed it!

Thank you Melissa, for these beautiful images of our new family.

Post Partum Recovery

My little squishes are 3 weeks old!  How is that possible?

That means I gave birth 3 weeks ago.  So how am I doing?  Pretty freaking great!  The actual recovery from the surgery was a little rough for the first few days.  The best advice I received in the hospital was to stay on top of the pain meds.  It made a huge difference.  I tried to be superwoman and tell them I didn’t need them.  But I got a little lecture from my OB on how much faster my body would heal if I gave it a chance.

My incision has healed nicely.  I’m gonna have a little scar around my bikini line but my bikini-wearing days are far behind me so I’m not too worried.  The steri strips have started to fall off and I think they should be gone by the end of the week.

I gained 38 lbs during my pregnancy.  As of this morning, I’ve lost 37 of those lbs.  Thank you, breastfeeding.  I still have another 10 lbs of pre-preggo, fertility treatment weight to lose and I’m hoping once I’m allowed to be more active, that will take care of itself.  I’m really looking forward to exercising again…surprisingly.  I may have dropped the pounds but everything is very soft and flabby.  My belly feels like a deflated beach ball.  It’s really weird.

I haven’t dealt with too much post partum depression, and I’m super thankful for that. I do have moments of spontaneous tears but they’re definitely happy ones.  These two littles are too much for my heart to take sometimes.

no make-up and uber tired…but it’s the best kind of exhausted.

– begin TMI

From what I had read, post partum bleeding is like the heaviest period of your life.  I’m not sure if it’s because I had a c-section or I’ve just always had light periods but it wasn’t really too bad after the first 2 days.  What it is…is loooong.  I’m still having bouts of spotting and full on bleeding.  It’s tapering off but wow.  It’s annoying.

I will say…maxipads have come a long way!  Holy geez.  I haven’t really worn pads since junior high school.  I was pleasantly surprised that they no longer resemble adult diapers.  They now are composed of super absorbent foam that can hold like 17 gallons of fluid.  Buy the Always Infinity pads.  You’re welcome.

I had also read that the first time you poop after birth is just as traumatic at the birth itself.  It’s not…it’s worse.  After 9 long days of taking colace and milk of magnesia as often as allowed, my body finally cooperated.  My bathroom looked like a crime scene.  And the 2 times (yes, you read that right…2 times) I’ve managed to go since then haven’t been much better.  I know…drink more water, eat more fiber, prune juice, flax seeds, coffee, take some Miralax.  Spare me, doesn’t help.

– end TMI

So, overall…I feel pretty much like my old self.  My body has completely amazed me during this whole process.  First it grew these beautiful babies and then it snapped back to shape pretty quickly to allow me to care for them.

It’s basically been the best 3 weeks…ever

Our Birth Story

I’m sorry, yet thrilled, to say that our Birth Story is pretty boring.  I guess it was just the overall theme of my pregnancy.  I am certainly not complaining!

I was pretty against posting bare bellied pictures of myself online. But the massive girth of my bump was too damn impressive to keep all to myself!

38 weeks, 1 day of cooking these Beans.  And my belly button never popped out!  But my skin was screaming for mercy.

Our c-section was scheduled for Thursday 4/30 at 11:00.  We were to report to Labor & Delivery at 8:30 for pre-op bloodwork, paperwork and general settling in.  Shockingly, I managed to sleep pretty well.  My last night of uninterrupted sleep for a looooong time.  I think my body knew it needed to rest.

We were smart enough (actually, Jerry’s Mom was smart enough) to take one last preggo picture before we left. Today we become Mom & Dad!

Of course we hit traffic on the way to the hospital.  There was an accident on the highway that forced Jerry to take a rather inventive detour.  We were only 10 minutes late checking into L&D.

They didn’t waste any time taking us back to pre-op.  It was a big open room with 4 bays and we could hear a Mom cuddling her brand new baby right across from us. At one point the baby cried and Jerry and I just looked at each other and teared up.  That would be us soon!

We had two nurses assigned to our care and they were both fantastic.  They took my blood pressure, temperature and other vitals, along with 87 tubes of blood.  I changed into my pretty little gown and we patiently waited our turn.  The Anesthesia team stopped by to explain the spinal and my doctor stopped by to check in with us and within no time at all, it was time to head back to the OR.

I had been warned there would be a lot of people in the OR and they weren’t lying!  Holy geez.  My doctor, 2 OB residents, the Anesthesiologist plus 2 residents, a nurse anesthetist, my 2 nurses, 2 nurses for the babies, 2 pediatricians and the NICU team.  All for our little Beans!

**  So, I guess I should mention that while I was really excited, I was never really nervous.  Which is not like me at all!  I felt very calm and really trusted my doctors and hospital team.  I’m convinced that having a relaxed attitude really lead to an excellent birth experience for me.

They administered my spinal and seriously, it was no big deal.  The nurse anesthetist stood in front of me and talked to me the whole time.  I was instructed to round out my back (which wasn’t all that easy with my enormous belly!) and try to relax.  I felt a little pinch in my back (less painful than having blood drawn) and then nothing.  They had me lay down and got me all situated with a curtain in front of me so I couldn’t see anything.

I think the thing I was dreading the most was the catheter.  Really?!  I wasn’t nervous about being sliced open but I was scared of the catheter?!  I’m so weird.  Anyway, it was also no big deal.  I didn’t feel anything. And the next thing I knew, they went to get Jerry.  It was go time!

There were a lot of people distracting me.  I was thankful for Jerry and the nurse talking to me a lot.  We talked about baby names and guessed how big they’d be.  And then I heard “Here is Baby A!” and Fynnlee let out a huge cry.  They announced the time (11:46 am) and Jerry and I just listened to her scream.  It was the best sound I had ever heard.  Lots of tears from me too…she was here.  “Here is Baby B!”…more crying from Greyson at 11:47 am.  And just like that…in 2 minutes, we had our family.  Jerry left me for a few minutes to go check them out.  I found out Fynnlee weighed 6lbs 7oz and was 19.5 inches long.  Her APGAR scores were 8 and 9.  Greyson was 5lbs 4oz and was 17 inches long.  His APGAR scores also looked great at 8 and 9.  We had two big healthy babies and my heart burst into a million pieces.

The nurse informed me they looked so good that the NICU team and the pediatrician left the OR.  And then they brought them over to meet me.  Our first family portrait!

It seemed like no time at all and they were finished stitching me up.  Things got a little fuzzy when they wheeled me back to recovery so I don’t have too many details.  But I do remember the nurse bringing them into our bay and I finally got a really good look at them.  They were the most perfect, beautiful babies I had ever seen.  Greyson Paul on the left and Fynnlee Ann on the right.

They did so tests on them and we discovered that Greyson’s blood sugar was a low.  It needs to be at 40 and it was 34.  The “stork nurse” picked him up and said “You have 10 minutes to try and feed him to get his blood sugar up or he’s going to the NICU”.

“But I don’t know what the hell I’m doing…and neither does he.”

Needless to say, Greyson failed to latch and get any sort of nurishment, so off he went to the NICU.  I knew he was in the best hands but I was pretty upset.

He ended up staying in the NICU for 48 hours.  His blood sugar kept dropping and they couldn’t regulate his temperature.  I was hooked up to an IV and a cathetar, so Jerry went to the NICU every 3 hours to feed and cuddle with him while I hung out in the room with Fynnlee.

He finally joined his family on Saturday afternoon and I can’t even put into words how good it felt to have us all together.  I spent a good part of the day snuggling with my love bug.

 

We were really ready to go home Sunday morning.  As soon as the nurse came in to take my vitals at 7:00am, I started suggesting an early release (they usually release patients starting at 11 am).  She pushed our paperwork through and we got our little babies ready to take their first car ride.

Home sweet home…and time for the real fun to begin!

Life with Greyson and Fynnlee – 2 Weeks

My babies are 2 weeks old!  And they are 10000000 times more amazing than I ever thought they would be.

I’m working on a post for our birth story and my post partum recovery, but I wanted to try and keep this little diary current.  So I’m going to start out with our first two weeks.

Eat

Greyson was given Newborn formula in the NICU and he had 48 hours practicing eating out of a bottle.  I was able to pretty much exclusively breastfeed Fynnlee for our entire stay at the hospital, however, my milk didn’t come in until the 4th day. By the time we were discharged, she had lost 10% of her body weight.  We were fully prepared to supplement her with formula but once my milk came in…it came IN.  Like whoa.  I’ll talk a little more about it in my post partum update but I’m definitely not having any problems providing enough breast milk for 2 babies.

Fynn nurses like a champ.  She will take a bottle like a champ too and we haven’t had a lot of trouble with nipple confusion.

Greyson is a lazy eater.  He’ll nurse with a nipple shield but he never empties me out and a lot of time I end up supplementing him with an ounce or 2 of pumped milk.

We’re really still trying to find our breast feeding groove and I’m trying to remain pretty relaxed about it.  I’m having some Mommy guilt in that Fynnlee is nursed 75% of the time and Greyson about 15%.  I don’t want to miss out on the bonding aspect of nursing with him so that makes me kind of sad.  We keep working at it but it’s just easier and more efficient to feed him bottles most of the time.  I guess I should be focusing more on the fact that they are both getting breast milk exclusively (at least for now) and are really healthy.

We had a follow-up visit with our pediatrician and 4 days after our discharge from the hospital, both babies are back up to their birth weight.  So we’re doing something right!

Sleep

Like most newborns, these Beans have their days and nights mixed up.  During the day, they sleep A LOT.  They snooze for a stretch of up to 3 hours and then we eat, and play a little if they don’t end up in a milk coma immediately.  I know this is all imperative for their little bodies to grow so I’m not complaining.

We have the babies in our room at the moment in Rock n plays so we can be close if they cry.  That first night was out of control.  Jerry and I probably slept for an hour, total.  We’d get one baby to sleep and the other would start to cry.  I’d feed, he’d change a diaper, I’d pump, he’d rock and console.  At one point we were both pacing around the room with a fussy baby and we just looked at each other and laughed.  Nothing else we could do!  Things got a little better after that night.  We are finding a groove and figuring out what works for each baby.

Fynnlee is a great nurser…and if she’s nursed for a good 30 minutes, she’s a good sleeper.  Mr. Greyson is a bit tougher.  He’s not eating more than 1-1.5 oz at a time and therefore isn’t sleeping as well.  He’ll fuss for an hour or two and if he does fall asleep, he’ll scream bloody murder if you try and put him down.  We have some kinks to work out with this little guy.

Poop

Eat, sleep…and poop. The three things that make up the majority of a newborn’s time.  We’re racking up 10-12 diaper changes per baby per day.  Thank goodness we thought to stockpile diapers before these babes were born!   Pampers Swaddlers are all we’ve used thus far and (knock on wood)…zero blowouts or leaks.  And I’d like to note that Jerry has changed about 2938 diapers thus far and has yet to wear a pair of gloves.  Hate to say I told you so….

Favorite Things

Zip Front sleepers – Forget onsies.  Forget the snap-up sleepers.  For the first 2 weeks, these Beans have lived in zip front sleepers.  Our favorite are the Circo ones from Target as they run on the small side and are perfect for Greyson.  Carter’s make some good ones as well.  Snaps = bad…zippers = good.

FYI…Gerber brand – way too big.  But how cute is my little nugget?

Boppy Pillows – there is a reason these are on everyone’s must have list.  I don’t really use them for breastfeeding but the babies sleep in them all day long.  I know a lot of people swear by the Boppy Newborn loungers but I don’t really think they are needed.  I just throw a blanket over the Boppy and they work like the loungers.

Aden & Anais swaddle blankets – these really are as great as everyone says.  They’re soft, lightweight and give a little girth to my little babes, making it easier to snuggle them.

24 hour old Fynnlee snug as a bug in her A&A swaddle.

Basics Nursing Cami – These are amazing!  They are so comfortable and have great support.  My belly is like a bowl full of jelly right now and they hold everything in nice and snug without making me feel like I can’t breathe.

Jerry

I thought I was head over heels for my husband before these Beans came along.  But watching him with our littles takes it to a whole other level.  He is already proving to be an amazing father and I couldn’t ask for a better partner.

Melt my heart… she already has him wrapped around her little finger.

My boys.

He is so good about getting up with the babies at night and giving me a little break.  And I try to repay the favor as much as possible as he’s back to work already.

Jerry and I are already proving to be a pretty kick ass team. We balance each other out and keep everything in perspective.  I’m really proud of us for being pretty chill parents thus far and not getting stressed out about much.  Let’s hope that trend can continue!

Life is Good

What did I ever do before these two came along?  I can’t even remember.  I don’t want to.

I can’t wait to watch them grow up together.

My sweet, sweet Greyson.

And my spunky little Fynnlee.

You make me better in every way.  I’m so proud to be your Mom.

Introducing

Our two perfect little Beans, Greyson Paul and Fynnlee Ann. 

   

Fynn arrived first at 11:46 am. She weighed 6lbs 7oz and is 19.5 inches long. Greyson entered the world a minute later was 5 lbs 4oz and 17 inches long. 

Our little G man is currently in the NICU due to some issues with regulating his temperature.  We hope to get him released by tomorrow as he’s doing really well. Fynn is in the room with us and we’re just soaking up every minute with her. 

Life is good! I hope to have more pictures within the next few days. We are very blessed and this Mom gig is already proving to be better than I ever thought it could be.