Ezra's First Month

Having a newborn is just the sweetest thing. It has filled our hearts and home with so much love & joy. We knew having baby #3 would be a challenge, but we were up for it. When we left the hospital after Ezra was born, his bilirubin levels were high and we had to test him each morning after we left for the hospital.We really wanted to avoid treatment for it since it was so hard with Eli & Lucy. We decided early on that we would formula feed & nurse until my milk came in. The positive outcome was that he did not have to be treated for jaundice, such a huge victory for us. The negative was that we were off track with nursing. It was really tricky for a long time. Ezra did not take naturally to nursing, he had an extremely hard time latching. I thought that after nursing two children successfully that nursing Ezra would be a piece of cake, boy was I dead wrong. We struggled so hard for so long. I saw a lactation nurse when he was 6 days old and she helped to get him to latch okay, but not great. I started nursing, pumping, supplementing..basically all of the above. I saw another lactation specialist when he was 3 weeks old and we were still struggling. I really wanted to find a solution to the problem, but there was no easy fix. There were so many moments when I felt hopeless and really defeated. The lactation specialist helped me get back on track. It was still really difficult, nursing him was a full-time job. It got a tiny bit easier and I'm so grateful for that. Scott got to stay home with us for two weeks after Ezra was born and that was my saving grace. Scott was super supportive and tried to help with whatever he could. It's like you forget about the sleepless night until you're thrown right into it. The first month we basically just tried to survive. We took turns staying up with baby, although I had to still pump every few hours so sleep was not plentiful for me.We mostly played musical beds around the house. We tried different things, but mostly he wasn't sleeping that great through the night the first month. I got the most sleep when I slept with him right on my chest, I know...not the most safe or popular thing, but I sure did love that time with him. When he got a little older and starting moving a little more and sleeping on his own, I really really missed those days of sleeping with him on me. He slept great during the day though (of course!) and is such a sweetie, not fussy at all. Despite the struggles & ups & downs the first month, I tried to enjoy every second with my rainbow baby. We all just love this little guy so much and words cannot describe the joy I feel being with my little family.

5 days old

The first time Eli asked to hold Ezra

This was when his newborn clothes were still big!

Auntie & Ezra taking a nap together