On Tuesday, January 17 at 3 PM, Viera and her brand new mama and papa were able to come home to Eden Prairie and dive into the unknown world of parenting. 

Parents, siblings, some family, and a few friends have been able to come by and meet our little girl! There’s so much new joy in the house, having her here, and it’s so wonderful to bring her into her new bedroom, freshly painted with a koala bear mural ;-)

So far, we are adjusting to the new life of feeding, changing diapers, every two hours, and attempting to sleep whenever possible! I gotta tell you… I never realized how much I miss sleeping more than two hours at a time! Kevin and I are sharing the load of all of her daily activities, and I am very grateful for his support. Kevin has gone back to work while I stay on maternity leave until the end of March.

Breast-feeding and pumping has gotten a lot better. However, there are still some challenges. We met with a lactation specialist on 1/25/23 where we found out her current weight (8lbs 12 oz- she gained 1 pound since birth!) l. We also met with an occupational therapist who provided us with a few tips and exercises we can do in order to increase her ability to latch.

Mommy (me) is doing much better as well… no more bleeding concerns! I’m taking iron pills daily..  along with protonics 2x daily for stomach ulcers. I will be going in at the end of March for a second endoscopy, to compare. Praying for all to be healed by then! 

Baby has been quite colicky lately and grunting frequently while awake… thinking it might be best to eliminate formula all together in order to determine the cause of increased gas. If the formula is the cause of the GI Irritation… we will either go to straight breastmilk or try a sensitive formula (up and up gentle from Target)… open to suggestions for formulas and remedies to reduce gas for baby girl! 💕

Being a momma (and daddy) is SUCH A BEAUTIFUL BLESSING and I have to pinch myself each day that I get to be her momma! It has definitely had its ups and downs… hormonally for sure…and I have had some crying sessions, but I wouldn’t change it for the world! 

Thank you all for all of your prayers, love, and support!