It's been one week...

I cannot believe Elly is already a week old! Time flies, but we are loving every second of it.

A lot has happened since Elly was born eight days ago.

When she was born, her APGAR scores were 8 and 9 - which is excellent! Unfortunately she failed her newborn hearing screening in both ears. They scheduled us for a follow up in January.. but yesterday we got a call saying that they had a cancellation and that we could come in today. We took it. It was a long 3 hour test, but she passed and had excellent hearing in both ears!

We were told by a few nurses that Elly being small in utero combined with my low fluid at the end could indicate that around week 34 Elly started suffering from IUGR, or intrauterine growth restriction, meaning that she was no longer growing properly. They have no idea why, or what could have caused this. Unfortunately, since she was still in breech position they had no other option than to perform the c-section. At my 37 week appointment my doctor had mentioned he thought she might be head down because she had the hiccups and they were so low in my abdomen, unfortunately she either flipped back around or her hiccups were that strong - and after seeing her hiccups firsthand, I would definitely say they were just that strong. :) Either way, I have no regrets about what happened and I am not disappointed at all that my "birth plan" did not go at all like planned. I'm just glad we have a happy, healthy baby girl.

Also while in the hospital Elly became jaundice and her bilirubin levels went from 11 to 15. This became a concern, but not too much of a concern to keep her in the hospital an extra week. Instead her pediatrician sent us home with a bilibed. This is very similar to a tanning bed for babies, but it's job is to get rid of the yellowing in her skin. The only downside is that she has to stay in it all the time, except during feedings and diaper changes... that means if she starts crying we just have to sit there and watch her. It literally breaks our hearts. Luckily she is taking it like a champ and has not really been fussy at all. AND, we get to take it back tomorrow (!!!) and then we can hold her all the time.

Her weight also dropped. At birth she was 4 lbs. 7 oz. She dropped to 4 lbs. 1 oz., and only made it back up to 4 lbs. 1.2oz. by the time we were discharged on Sunday. Tuesday she saw her pediatrician and was up to 4 lbs. 1.6oz. and today she was up to 4 lbs. 2 oz., so she is gaining weight.. yay!

I am a firm believer in breastfeeding. This was also one of my biggest concerns. However, it is working out wonderfully. Since she does have such a low weight I have to pump and we supplement her with the pumped milk through a syringe and we have to feed her every two hours. It's obviously working because she is gaining weight.. and we did it without resorting to formula! My plan is to breastfeed for as long as possible, with the goal being 12 months. After speaking with the lactation consultant she thinks this is a great idea, and the absolute best for Elly and myself.

Mom and Dad are doing great, just extremely sleep deprived. Brent is such a trooper and gets up every two hours for her feedings to sit with me and keep me company. Since our bed is so low and she is on the bilibed we have all been camping out in the living room, but it's nice to be together as a family. I am up and moving around great. The nurses were all impressed at how quickly I bounced back from the surgery.. I was up and out of bed the day after and had IV pain meds taken out because I wasn't really feeling much pain. I'm also proud to say that I've already lost 17 pounds (!) and am on my way back to my pre-pregnancy weight... without much effort, yay for breastfeeding. :)

The cats have been very curious, but have not tried to get too close to her.

I have a ton of pictures, but they will have to wait for another day.. Elly is hungry. :)

Thanks to everyone for the congratulations and well wishes! We really appreciate all of the love and support.