Bad Day

Keenan isn't feeling so well today. He has a real sour stomach , so he has been spitting up a whole lot more. He is really cranky as well. I gave him gripe water for the first time today. I am at my moms because chris is out of town again. :(

Breastfeeding Clinic BAD

I am so unbelievably mad! The breastfeeding clinic called and told me that they needed my appointment so they are discharging us! And this is right after a week from hell, giving him formula that I now know he doesn't need. Why couldn't they have told me this before????? I am so steamed!

Lonely

I have been so down and lonely the last couple of days because no one is around. Chris is working and my mom and barb are on vacation so I have had no contact with people. My grandparents did come out last week so that was a blessing.
With my breastfeeding issue I have been taking it hard, and everyone says that i have to do what is best for keenan... i know that, it just really sucks and makes me have to redefine what kind of mom i want to be.

Internet Woes

Still no internet, so I have to use my parents instead! Keenan has only gained a pound this last month so the doctors want me to suppliment more with formula, which is okay with me but I dont know how Keenan will react.(gastrointestianlly) Granny Barb comes home nect week so we are excited and waiting to see how she reacts when she sees how big Keenan has gotten. My parents are going on vacation so my mom is getting as much of him as she can!
I am going to go to the next lll meeting in McKensie towne so i am excited about that. Our house is quickly being made which is great...thats all for now!

House

I have not been able to update this site in a while because we have moved to the inlaws as we are waiting for our new house to be built! Keenan is growing so fast! He is already just about 3mos old. Today we are going for his 3mos check up. And No I havent immunized him yet, I feel it is too early and he is still too little but ppl will just have to live with that as I am his mom. We have had lots of visitors and everyone keeps saying how alert he is. He is growing loads of hair and his eyes are still blue. But they should start to change any day now! Well have to keep it short as I am on my way out the door!

Body Size

Well, as you can tell I have been unable to get to my computer to write anything. Keenan's feeding issues are still there as he only gained an ounce last week. But I think it was all the stress..we just bought a house! I will write more on that later.
Keenan doesnt sleep well during the day and we are busy packing to get out of here in 10 days. Hopefully.
I am not sure if this feeding issue is even an issue as Keenan is a small baby and I have always been on the small side. I was 80 pounds in grade 5. And my BMI was 19 (should have been 24) before I was pregnant. I am going to have to start asking more questions as it is becoming increasingly more interventionist. I just feel like if he is growing and gaining weight, what is the issue?

Startling

God damn the startle reflex. I can never put Keenan down for longer than 10mins before he startles and wakes up. When doesn't he have this reflex??? When he is sleeping on me!(which i love, dont get me wrong)
We went to the Breastfeeding clinic again today, Keenan was a no go... too tired. So we have to go again on Thursday. He has gained 6.5oz in 15 days thats good right??!How am I supposed to know? Hopefully I wont have to keep going after Thursday

Ben

Chris' friend Ben is moving to England so we had a wonderful dinner party at Morgans house. They pay the same in morgage as we do for rent, so now we are looking to see if we can afford a home. That would be great. A backyard for Keenan to play in. He is sleeping right now so I need to use this short time to do something other than type.

6 weeks

Keenan turned 6weeks old yesterday! I can't believe how much he has grown. We went to the Breastfeeding clinic and they said that Keenan weighed 8lbs 4 1/2oz which is only a half an ounce increase since his last visit a week ago...which I find interesting because we are supplimenting with formula and I am taking that drug to increase my supply. It also feels like I am increasing and when he ate yesterday the doctor told me that he had eaten 2 1/2oz so he isnt starving. I hate how I cant see what he eats but I really want to breastfeed so I am not going to let this stop me.

Naming and Other Things

Wow, what a week! Keenan is certainly a handful. I am never able to do anything but take care of him. We had his naming ceremony on Saturday and it was wonderful! (The weather wasn't )Granny's house was on the verge of flooding! But it didnt, thank goodness. Nadene the reverend did such a lovely ceremony, even with the glitches such as the weather and the forgetting of candles. We have a lovely certificate as well. I dont have much time to write. I am having breastfeeding difficulties so I have to pump and use a drug called motilium so that my supply increases and Keenan gets the food he so desperately needs! Gotta Go!

24 years and counting

Yesterday was my birthday, its funny because it really didn't feel like it, it felt like Keenan's 1month (which it was). Christopher bought me the most thoughtful gift. It's a royal doulton family peice...it made me cry! We went over to my parents house and had lamb. Keenan was such a fuss pot yesterday, it's really starting to be taxing as he crys all the time. (except when latched on). Needless to say, I am pretty tired today. Chris is on his second day of SCUBA so I am home alone, again, and will be for the next two days...thats why it is so taxing.
Still wouldnt trade for anything in the world.

Breastfeeding

It's so hard to keep this site up to date as I feel like I never put Keenan down! As it is right now he is nursing while I type. I have been having issues with my breastfeeding...one of them is always clogged so it hurts alot. I am going to a lactation consultant to see if we can nip this problem in the bud. I need to figure it out because I plan on Breastfeeding until Keenan is at least 12months old.
Another issue I have is my lack of Breastfeeding tops, you wouldn't believe how difficult it is to breastfeed in regular clothes. (that arn't frumpy). I did however get a catelouge so maybe i will get some clothes for my birthday!

Smile

Keenan smiled at me today! I know it wasn't just gas because his eyes smiled as well...and he was imitating me! It was so cool to have him actually start to interact with us! He has his good days and then his bad, it actually seems like it goes bad then good, then bad then good. He has a real issue with passing gas. I feel so bad for him because I can't do anything. And I have been trying to watch my diet so he doesnt get gassy foods in the breast milk...doesnt seem to be helping. Chris went to work this weekend so it was really wierd not to have him here with us, but I will survive! My birthday is comming up so that will be wierd, as people want to go out but I can't. And no partying for me...anywho baby is crying so I have to go and attend.

3 weeks

So, Keenan is 3 weeks old today. He has been a little bit of a handfull as we don't get to sleep until 2am. He is so mad at night so it takes us a little while to get him settled. He has to nurse for at least 30mins before he will start to sleep. Chris has taken to sleeping on the floor as whenever he moves Keenan wakes up.
We had Patrick(our photographer) come over to take Keenan's baby pictures but Keenan did not want to cooperate. So we had to postpone.
I got my invitations for the Naming Ceremony so I am planning on sending them out this week, so I need to get on that. Also, I have to start planning it. We are not planning to have anything big just family so it should be fun.

So Tired

I can't believe how tired I am. I have just about hit my wall. Keenan is so fussy after he eats so nursing is an hour long endevor. It's quite frustrating, and Chris can't really help because he doesn't have the equipment. I did however get an hour long nap today, so that was good. Keenan is not a bad baby by any means, we are just so sleep deprived that it's taking alot out of us. But, they say that it should get better at the 6 week mark, so only 3 more to go.
I am feeling like I am comming down with something, but I am not sure if that is just the lack of sleep or if I am getting a cold. Let's hope I am not getting sick as that would really suck

2 Ounces

We had our two week post-natal appointment today, and Keenan has gained 2ounces! That makes him 7lbs and 6oz. I thought he would be a little bigger than that as he eats constantly!! He is eating now every 3hrs during the day and 4hrs at night, so I am getting a little more sleep. I am pissed off today though as the midwives have informed us that we have to pay GST on thier services rendered. It's not like $2800 was enough for them, now they want another $200!! We can't afford that! Not with Chris on paternity leave. Stupid Government. Everyother province except Sask. pays for midwifery care, now we have to pay more money? What is this?!? Two teired health care already? It's ridiculous! Chris doesnt want to pay because he says that we signed a contract that said we had to be paid up by 36weeks and we were, so they dont have a leg to stand on...but I dont want them to be mad(what if i need them again...for my next birth???) So irritating. I think I am more irritated because I haven't been sleeping well....with the baby and all.

Visiting Day

Today is the visiting day. I am excited that people get to meet Keenan, but I am also so tired. This one hour of sleep stints are starting to get me down. Thank god I have Chris to help me out or else I think I would go mental. Keenan is not a bad baby, far from it, but he is a very sucky baby. He would stay attached to my boob all day if he had his way. I am constantly feeding him. At first I thought maybe it was me, that I didn't have enough milk or that he just wasnt getting enough nutrients.... but his output is above average so he is getting everything he needs, he just wants to suck. The hard part is that I can't tell between wanting to suck and hunger, so I end up sitting all day feeding. So it gets a little tiring, not to mention a little sore.
As I am typing this Keenan is swaddled and in a sling around my midsection because he freaks if I put him down, so typing and regular stuff just got that much more difficult.

One Week

One Week. I can't believe that he has only been here that long. It seems like he has always been here. We are pretty much feeding every hour right now as he is going through a growth spurt. I am lucky that I can go into REM sleep as soon as I fall asleep! Chris seems to be feeling it more than me. But, I cant be on the computer all the time anymore so my journal entrys wont be so frequent... but i will try!

Bed Rest

Wow! 3 days of bed rest really takes it out of you! Not to mention having to continually get up and feed the crying baby. But it is so worth it as most of you well know! We have been getting cards and congratulatory emails everyday. Everyone can't wait to meet our little guy. It's really hard to believe that we are actually parents and that Keenan is absolutly dependant on us!
I am so happy and proud to have Chris as my husband as he is the most caring and helpful father that I have ever heard of. Just yesterday night (or morning as it was 4am) Chris took Keenan upstairs after his feeding for 4 hours so that I could have some rest. Also, he has been waiting on me hand and foot! I am so lucky! I have no idea how those single mothers do it. My girlfriend Tricia had to do this all by herself and I admire her even more!!!

BIRTH STORY - written by DH

Keenan was born May 11, 2005, at 9:53pm. He weighed 7lbs 4ozs, and was 20 inches long! It was quite an exciting birth, as we never made it to the hospital! Here's how it happened. Yesterday morning, Alisha woke up with steady, stronger contractions, which were about 6 to 10 minutes apart. They weren't that painful, but stronger then before. We went on a long walk during the afternoon, and nothing seemed to change, so we were a little bummed that it might not be today. She had been having small regular contractions for about the last 3 days, so it didn't seem like it was progressing all that fast. After we ate some dinner (Caribbean Chicken, which Alisha now says might not have been the smartest thing to eat!), and Alisha decided to go and have a bath, as that worked to get the labor moving for her mother. While in the bath, I asked her if she was still having any contractions, and she said that she was, but it was hard to tell because she couldn't really feel them. At this point we started to joke about how this labor thing isn't all that painful, and Alisha said this was easy to handle. Not 2 seconds after she said that, her stomach had a massive rumble; it looked like the baby just kicked and punched in all directions, then there was a loud "pop". I said "Wow, that was some kick!" and she said "That wasn't the baby!" She had just finished saying that when her contractions kicked in full force, like nothing she had felt before! Here is where the pain coping we learned came in!! She had to stay hunched over on the bathroom floor while we called the midwives to let them know we think that the water broke. Maura (one of our midwives, Theresa and Toby came right after) said she was on her way, but not to get too excited, because we could still have lots of time to get fully dilated. However, when Maura arrived about 30 minutes later, Alisha had already began pushing, and when checked was fully dilated. We managed to get her from her birth-ball (thanks Joanna!) onto the couch, and within about 40 minutes he was out and in our arms! Didn't even have time to make it to the hospital! He was perfect! No complications, and as of today, he is doing really well. We will keep you updated, but we ask that no one stops by until at least Sunday (and please call first!!!) as Alisha needs her rest! Best wishes to our fellow class mates, and we wish you all a wonderful birth as well!