Continuing the Emmaline Saga

I decided it would be best to break the post up a little instead of having it all in one post. Too much to read at one time!! Besides the only reason I am writing this is to keep a record/journal for my kids. I know I can't remember every little detail about their years growing up so for me this is the best way.
   Anyway, moving on Monday arrived and we were back to the lactation clinic. This time she weighed 6lbs 10.8 ounces. She had gained 5 ounces!! Yeah!! I again tried to get Emmaline to nurse and she did for a short time. Which was a slight improvement from before. Their goal was to get her back up to her birth weight by her 1month mark. So began my new relationship with the lactation clinic nurses. 3 days later we were back this time with a different nurse. She was a little older, okay maybe a lot older, Grandmotherly! I had to go over the entire story of everything that had transpired since she was born with this nurse. She offered some new insight and was very helpful. We tried using a shield which Emmaline seemed to like better but only slightly. She was nursing only slightly better and only for a few minutes but that was pretty much it. I have to admit that for some reason she favored the left side. Getting her nurse on the other was quite a challenge. At home I could only get her to do it once maybe twice. The rest of the time she just wouldn't do it. She was very fussy when it came to try to nurse her. The nurse noticed this and also that she sounded congested. She recommended giving her some Saline nasal drops to see if that helped. Anyway, Emmaline continued to gain weight at her own pace. It may have not been as much as she was expected to but she has clearly demonstrated she runs her own schedule. She weighed 6lbs 14.2 ounces, almost there.
      By now, my pediatrician had already been informed of the weight loss and subsequent gains every time I went in to the clinic by whichever nurse we saw. We were scheduled to come in for our 2-4 week check up. Jan 3rd she weighed 7lbs .5ounces, so close!! My wonderful pediatrician wanted me to continue the weight checks (:/) but otherwise felt she was doing good and to just keep on trying!!
     Let me side step for a moment here to share our daily schedule at home. It went as follows, a bottle of breast milk, then I would go pump for 15-20mins on each side. This was quite time consuming as you can imagine. I would only have a short while before I would have to start the whole process again. As you can imagine, I got precious little accomplished. I continued to do this ritual for the next 3 months with very little deviation.
    The following day I had a previously scheduled appointment at the lactation clinic for more help and a weight check. Emmaline weighed 7lbs 2.8ounces. Only 1.2 to her birth weight!! At this time I was finally able to show the nurse the stuffy congestion that I would frequently hear when Emmaline was nursing. I think at this time maybe she had slight allergies combined with the other problem. But I am not sure. All I know is that this nurse thought she might of had swollen nasal passages and suggested putting saline in her nasal passages. We tried that a couple of times but it actually seemed like it made the problem worse.
    Two days later we came back, this time to a different lactation nurse. So again I had to share with her everything that had transpired since her birth and what I had done with the other nurses. Although she did have a record of that, sort of. Anyway, this nurse was actually the one I had wanted to go to in the first place. I had heard she was an amazing lactation nurse and boy was she ever. After this I insisted on coming back on the days and times she was there. Emmaline's weight gain was only slight this time, she was at 7lbs 3 ounces. But at least she didn't lose any. Mary, lactation nurse, observed that again Emmaline was quite fussy & squiggly at nursing and the bottle. Something I had noticed in the beginning but just attributed it to her preferring the bottle. Normally when nursing a child, they settle down and are quite relaxed, comfortable etc. Emmaline was never like that. She would turn her head from side to side, and was very squiggly. After talking this over with her, we both felt I should take Emmaline in to see her pediatrician. I already had an appointment schedule for Preston's 2yr check up so it worked out perfectly. Mary sent a note to my doctor conveying her thoughts and they called me that day to schedule an appt. I told them of my son's and was able to get Emmaline in just 15 minutes before his.
      The morning of the 10th arrived with another weight check at the lactation clinic with Mary. This time she weighed  7lbs 7ounce. Yeah, finally past her birth weight and almost a month old. I really appreciate everything that Mary did for us. She bundled Emmaline up, like a burrito as I called her, and showed me the football position which subsequently was the only position that Emmaline would nurse in period!! I also had to use the shield because again Emmaline would not nurse without it.
   We left the clinic and drove over to the pediatrician's office (no they weren't in the same bldg.  I started taking my kids to her when I had Lillian and have stayed with her. She isn't in the same bldg. as the lactation clinic which is next to the hospital.) I came prepared with a bottle so that the Doctor could hear for herself what I was hearing. She of course heard it and proceed to try a couple things to see what the cause was. She found her airways were clear, no blockage. They ran an EKG, heart was fine. So she felt that it was probably Reflux, but wanted to rule out anything else so she wanted us to do an upper GI!! Greaatttt!! She did however prescribe her Zantac, (in an infants dosage.) The following day, I was back at the hospital to do the upper GI. Here they had me give her this chalky stuff which would show her esophagus, etc. They then strapped her to this clear board, so I had a baby on a board. LOL It made her weigh a good 5 or so pounds heavier too. After all the x-rays were over I had to wait about 30 minutes I believe to make sure they got all the pictures they needed. Then we were allowed to leave. Emmaline did wonderfully!! For the rest of the week we awaited our Doctor's phone call telling us the results. Finally Friday, the doctor was able to get a hold of the radiologist who didn't find anything other than the Reflux. We were relieved and grateful that now we finally knew what was making it so difficult for her to nurse and the other reason for her breathing problems which sent her to the NICU!
    With the problem resolved, Emmaline started improving. She would nurse better and on both sides. She still wasn't getting everything and so I still had to pump. But at least it was better. A week after her last weight check we were back. She weighed 7lbs 11.8 ounces up 4.8 ounces!! Not bad but still up. Generally they would like them to gain 4-6 ounces in a week. Emmaline was less restless and squiggly while nursing too. Now that she was more comfortable. Next appointment would be in 10 days and it continued to be longer apart. So here are stats as we went to each appointment,
   - Jan 27th, 8lbs 4.2 ounces up  8.4 ounces (I will add that after a week of her getting the Zantac we felt it wasn't working as well so the doctor changed it to Prilosec. She started doing much better after that and was more relaxed while nursing. Mary also suggested that I start trying without the shield but Emmaline wouldn't have it yet so I continued using it.)
   - Feb. 11th, 8lbs 14.2 ounces up 10 ounces. She was doing better and not as fussy nursing and not at all with the bottle. She would typically pull about 2 ounces from both sides, which was great. But I would still have to pump because she never got it all. I, to this day, believe that she simply has a poor sucker.
   - Feb. 15th, 9lbs 4.9 ounces. This was her 2 month check up! She was 22.5 inches long and I don't know about the head because they didn't write it. Emmaline was doing much better now that she was on the reflux medicine. She was below the 10th percentile for her weight but average for her height. Her doctor, unfortunately for me, wanted to continue the weight checks. Mary the lactation nurse sends her an email every time we went so she was kept updated on her weight progress. As for the shots, Emmaline did wonderful. Unlike her big sister who carried on for what seemed like forever, Emmaline stopped crying as soon as I was able to pick her up.
   I have really enjoyed her sweet spirit. She is a wonderful baby. So calm, unless she's hungry, and happy!! She sleeps through night which is a huge blessing to us. I don't think I could have continued the rigorous nursing/pumping routine as long, if I hadn't gotten a good nights sleep.  She goes to bed between 8-9pm each night sometimes earlier and occasionally a little later. That being said she is however an early riser!! Not good for this night owl mommy!! But I have manged.  I have always wondered how other parents got their babies to sleep through the night and I have determined that it has nothing to do with the parents but the child. Emmaline is totally different from her brother and sister, not to say that Lillian and Preston aren't also different from each other, but it's more than that. Emmaline is just so content. The only time she cries is when she is hungry (which is often) but you feed her and she's good.  She also doesn't need me to nurse her to sleep, which is something that both the other two did. In fact she rarely falls asleep when I nurse her. I will typically just lay her down when I know it's nap/bed time an she goes to sleep.  It is so nice!!
Lillian and Preston absolutely adore her and smother her with hugs and kisses. She loves them as well and is always smiling and laughing at them. She is a perfect addition to our little family and we are blessed to have her.

 So silly!! She spit out her binky while sleeping and this is where it landed. LOL (taken 2/5/11)

   Taken 2/24/11 She loves being in her carseat, (for the most part)

 I love, love the hair. For a couple of months at least her hair was like this, especially right after a shower.

 Hanging with daddy

 Emmaline and Mommy!! She definitely loves her Momma!! These last 5 were taken 2/27/11

- March 11th, 10lbs 6.8 ounces up 2.8ounces. Not as much as was expected but then maybe she was having a growth spurt because she was eating constantly. Typically with weight gain of 4-6 ounces a week she should have gained between 12-18ounces. Mary wanted to see her again in 2 weeks to check her weight!!
   By this time Emmaline was 3 months old. A week or so before this I tried to nurse her again without the shield. The thing was causing me more grief then comfort and I really wanted to not have to use it. Miraculously she nursed with out the dumb thing. Yeah no more shields!! I wish I could say her sucking got better but it never did. She still only pulled about 4 ounces total from me. Which for the moment was enough.
   - March 25th, 10lbs 9ounces up 2.2 ounces. The only thing to mention here is that unfortunately we had to start giving Emmaline some formula. We had run out of all the extra breast milk and it had simply taken too long for her to nurse normally. I had also stopped pumping as much. It was becoming too much for me. Thankfully, she was only needing a couple ounces extra at a time. So about 2-4 times a day.
   - April 14th, 11lbs 3.4 ounces up 6.4 ounces in 3 weeks. Again not as much as normal gained but better than nothing.  This time we were at the pediatrician's for her 4 month check up and more shots, which she did great with again. Her height at this time was 24 inches, which if I remember right was still about average. I still can't believe how old she is getting either. Where did these past four months go.....oh that's right I spent them going to the lactation clinic, doctors visit's and such!! LOL Her doctor wanted her to have a little bit more head control before we started on the cereal which was fine for me because I didn't feel she was ready either. Unfortunately with the reflux we didn't give her a whole lot of tummy time because it upset her tummy so much. Around 3 months, however we did start being more persistent with it. But of course like most babies she didn't like and so it took quite awhile to get her to. Emmaline's pediatrician also wanted us to continue the weight check in a month. She wasn't ready to let it go 2 months. Really??? Grrrrr!!! Oh well at least it's only once!

 These were taken at Grandma Anne's house after we got home from her 4 month check up.

 She was is in a very good mood.

 She had recently discovered her fingers and was quickly learning what to do with them.

 She has such an adorable little smile.

 Lillian came to join in on the fun too. She also went to the doctor to get her check up for school. Let's just say the baby did better. By the time we were finished with her (thank goodness my mom came with me), she was in tears saying she didn't want to go to school. She got 4 shots, they had to take blood and she had to pee in a cup. But at least we are all done with that for a while.

 My three adorable kids!!

And there you have it. 1 day later she had discovered what thumbs were used for!!

 4/20/11 This kid will not smile when the camera flash lights up. As soon as that dang thing comes on, u get this!!

and this!! Too funny!!

   - May 13th 12lbs 1.4 ounces up 10 ounces!! Almost a lb, which is what it should have been if she was gaining 4 ounces a week but hey we were close and it was still very good. I had started giving her rice cereal about 10 days before this and she was going to town on it. She loves it!! I am not sure she even made any faces it at when we first gave it to her. She has also increased the amount of formula she got to about 4 bottles with a total of about 10-12 ounces a day.  Mary was very pleased with her weight gain and even commented on how chunky she was becoming. This was the last time we saw Mary!! She has been such an immense help to me. I don't think I could have done it without her. I am grateful that the Kaiser system has a M.I.L.C that is completely and totally free. I know there are so many that aren't and I never would have been able to manage if we had to pay for all of those visits. The ladies there were so helpful but our favorite will always be Mary Terry!! We owe her so much!

 First time eating cereal! No funny faces here.

 Just yum, yum in my tummy!!

These were taken 5/7/11

 Apparently the fingers have to a part of eating, (and still do) much to annoyance!!

 Tummy time, oh yeah!! taken 5/25/11

The Emmaline Saga

     The day after Emmaline was released from the NICU I had to take her to see a pediatrician! Unfortunately her regular one, the one I have had for 4 yrs, wasn't available but I hoped that the one I chose from the ones available would be okay!! I was a little hesitant when I learned it was a man!! (and no I don't think there is anything wrong with men doctors but not every man has what it takes. Granted there are some wonderful men doctors out there but unless you know who they are you are taking your chances. Which is why I usually stick with my rules, name I can pronounce and female.) I hated having to go back to the doctors right after I had just brought her home but since she was in the NICU it was standard procedure!! The pediatrician was very nice and one of the men I would consider taking my kids to if I needed a pediatrician when ours wasn't available. Everything went fine, he said that she was still in the normal weight loss area and that she was only very slightly jaundice. Again nothing to be concerned with. I wish that the appointment could have been a little later because then the following might never have happened but rules are rules.
    I do not believe that because Emmaline was in the NICU and forced to have bottles at times that they completely ruined her chances for nursing. But I also don't think they did her any favors. During the next couple of days I proceeded to try and get her to nurse and let me tell you it was a challenge! Having already nursed two other children without any abnormalities or complications I was perplexed. By the time Sunday came around I had tried everything and was more than ready to go to the lactation clinic. At this point I wasn't giving her a bottle because I wanted her to get use to me. But she pretty much wouldn't do it. Of course we were concerned and so we began feeding her through the medicine syringes. Granted it took awhile but at least she got fed. Monday morning I called the lactation clinic and left a message with my info and problems. They called a couple hours later to schedule me an appointment for the earliest opening they had, which wasn't until Wednesday!! UGH!! Which meant I had to muddle through another 2 days. I kept pumping every 3 hours and feeding her with the syringe.
    Wednesday arrived, finally, and after dropping off the older 2 kids I headed to the lactation clinic hopeful of some help!! The lactation nurse was very friendly and after weighing her we discovered much to my horror that Emmaline had lost more weight. She now weighed only 6lbs 5.8ounces! She had lost almost a whole pound. We made an attempt to try to get her nurse but she wasn't latching on. The nurse felt that she was just to weak to continue and needed to gain some weight before we could really try to address the latching on problems. I told her what we had been doing and she was sleeping a lot which I was concerned with a little. She informed me that Emmaline was reserving her strength because she wasn't getting enough to eat. Ugh!! So we scheduled another visit for Monday and I went home to begin what would become a 3 month adventure!! I would pump every 3 hours, which had to be done before she woke up, and then give it to her in a bottle. At this point I had a lot of milk so we were storing all of it. I also had to wake myself up in the middle of the night so I could pump before I had to wake her up!! Yes you read it right, she was already sleeping pretty much through the night and I had to wake her. Needless to say that only last a short while. Neither she nor I wanted to be waken up and by the time she was about a month old she was eating lots during the day and only take a couple short naps during the day. We found this wonderful bottle warmer from Babies R Us that was a life safer during those 3 months. I would highly recommend it to anyone!! Emmaline continued to gain weight even with her sleeping through the night so we let it go and never looked back!!
 

Fun pictures with Emmaline

I just wanted to post some pictures of Emmaline that were taken around New Year's. Some are a few days before and some are a few days after. It amazes me how quickly she started to change once we were able to figure out why she was having a hard time nursing. Even though it took us four months to really get her fattened up enough. These pictures helped me realize that even though it was in small amounts it was progress!!

 If she looks little to you it's because she is!! She lost almost a pound!! She went from 7 lbs 4 oz to 6lbs 5oz!!

 These last 3 were taken the day after Preston's birthday!!

Christmas Morning

Christmas morning arrived with excited antsy children. They both started getting into their stockings before we got up and had to put them back so we could get the camera out. LOL yes I know mean mom but hey that's what my mom did too!! We took mostly video's of the kids opening their stockings and presents. In the past I have never been able to upload them on here. These one's are probably pretty big so I am not going to bother. I will however post pictures of the kids opening the stuff brought by Grandma Anne and Grandpa Mickelsen.
It's weird that I can remember so much about other events that occurred in December, but as for Christmas I can't. I know the kids were SO excited when they opened their gifts. I remember that Lillian takes after her father, for the most part although she is getting better, and just opens the presents, looks at them for a couple of minutes and then moves on to the next. This year she did pause on some of the more let's say exciting ones and want to completely take them out of their packaging. I also know that she got a lot of new clothes because she needed them. Now for Preston he takes after more of me in the sense that he opens one present completely and then proceeds to play with the toy until we can direct him over to the next gift!! It was so cute and annoying all at once. It literally took us until early afternoon before we were done and no we didn't start at the crack of dawn either. We had breakfast and got dressed, after opening our stockings, then proceeded to open the gifts under the tree. But still it was more than 2 hours!!
After opening the gifts from my parents the kids played with all of their new toys and Mom and I got started on dinner. Yum!! My brother, Scott, his wife Jen and their new baby girl, just 5 weeks older than Emmaline, Holly joined us sometime late afternoon for a few hours. We finished prepping dinner and played a couple rounds of a new game I got called Quirkle!! Such a fun game!! I have to admit the ONE thing I miss from being a young adult at home was the games. My family and I love playing games. Brandon on the other hand does not love it as much as I do, especially when it comes to board games. Although he has gotten a little better over the years. We have gotten the kids many games which they love playing but after awhile I want to play a grown up game! LOL
Dinner was delicious as always!! Ham, sour cream potatoes (my fav), vege's, rolls and I can't remember any more!! :) It was a wonderful Christmas and we all had a very pleasant time!!

 I believe chocolate muffins was on the breakfast menu!! At least that's what it looks like from Preston's face.

 I'm not sure was really awake yet!! LOL

 Emmaline Grace Case

Lillian showing us what she got from Grandma Anne and Grandpa Mickelsen

 Oooooo Snow White music!!

 um seriously bad picture of me!!

 She was elated when she opened this. She has been bugging us and bugging us to get her a pillow pet. Even though she has one that I received at her baby shower. She wanted the Ladybug. So now Preston has the Lamb one and loves it.

 She's totally excited, can you tell?!?!?

Christmas Eve

"Our stockings were hung by the fire in hopes that Saint Nicholas soon would be there."
Christmas Eve brings the usual family traditions and I enjoy continuing some of the same traditions that I did as a child with my children. One of them being reading the Night Before Christmas. One of my favorite Christmas stories and I love reading it to my children. Unfortunately it got pretty late before we were finally able to sit down and read. Preston was getting cranky and disagreeable at times. Hence the following picture,

Kids putting up the stockings... sort of!

 

 This year Preston really got into the book. He kept pointing things out that he recognized!

Lillian was looking at a toddler size version of The Night Before Christmas most of the time.