our first week

Micah turned one week old on Wednesday, and had his first check-up on Thursday. He is gaining weight like a champ and is 1oz. over his birth weight. We are loving being a family of three now, and can't stop looking at our baby! during the day, we even try to have him nap in the living room so that we can just watch him! Some might say we're addicted to our baby...I guess we'll be joining Kit and Gina at addicts anonymous.

We're all adjusting pretty well. I had an infection that pretty much kicked my butt last weekend, but feel much better now...just an occasional headache to remind me to take it easy! Alex is a little more sleep deprived than I am because he does such a great job of trying to get me to rest. He is constantly trying to take care of me as well as Micah and I am so thankful for that. Can I just say that I LOVE watching him with Micah. He is such a hands-on dad, and it brings me so much joy to watch him with our son!
The hardest adjustment has definitely been feeding. While Micah loooves to eat, he has not wanted to latch...AT ALL. We have now seen multiple lactation consultants (including my sister!) and he knows how to do it, he just refuses. Honestly, he acts like we are torturing him when I even try to offer it to him! After many feedings and attempts at getting him to latch and MANY tears (from both of us...alex may have shed one or two as well while watching his baby freak out!!), we have decided to continue pumping and bottle feeding him breast milk. Thankfully I have a well established milk supply (too much in fact!) and can get my baby the nutrition even without the latch. It was not an easy decision for me. I had these pictures in my head of the way I wanted everything to be, and this was definitely not part of that picture. It was a very stressful and very emotional decision, but ultimately, I don't have it in me to let him go hungry unless he latches. I just couldn't do it. As it turns out, one of my nieces totally refused to latch also! My sister had already breastfed her oldest and assumed she would be fine with the second baby, but no, she never wanted to latch! Looks like the stubbornness runs in the family!

On the bright side, I had a great experience with our lactation consultant through Hoag. She called to check-in (Micah latched like a champ in her office, and then wouldn't latch again once we got home), and I told her what had happened since we'd been on our own. I was afraid she was going to make me feel guilty for not continuing, but she was nothing but very kind and affirming. She told me that some babies just don't take to it, and that we could keep trying and we could probably get him to do it, but that if I was emotionally drained, Micah would feel that and could potentially make it worse. She told me that she was proud of me for choosing to pump for him and that she was supportive of my choice. She let me know that if I need help with figuring out a pumping schedule or keeping up my supply, she would be there to help me!

Enough with the talking...here's some cuteness...