Little Miss Ruby is 6 weeks old now and is doing very well. So far she's fussier than I remember her older brother being. She wants to be held all the time...ALL the time...and when she's ready to eat, she wants her bottle and she wants it NOW! Breastfeeding went about as well as it did with my son. Ruby latched on a couple of times and after that it was pure chaos. I was frustrated, she was uncomfortable, so out came the breast pump. Luckily she doesn't care how she gets her milk as long as she gets it and I feel the same way. I pumped for about 3 weeks before I had to start taking my JRA meds again and I was able to build up a decent supply before I had to stop pumping.
Jimmy's had a little trouble adjusting, but what can you expect from a one and a half year old? He's happy to give Ruby a kiss when she starts crying, but then turns around and does something he knows he's not supposed to hoping it will get our attention. We've all done our best to give him enough one on one time, but it'll never be as much as he was used to getting. We even try to get him involved in taking care of Ruby, but it lasts for a few minutes and then he'd rather play with his toys.
Ruby is starting to sleep for about 6 hours most nights, but still has those random nights where she wakes up crying every few hours. My husband's been amazing and gets up with her every night so that I can rest as much as possible, but I still never really feel rested and it's all taken a toll on my JRA. I started taking my Nabumetone again about 3 weeks ago and I still don't feel well. My hands and wrists have been my biggest source of pain...my whole body has really. I feel stiff and sore everywhere. I keep thinking that my meds will kick in any day now and I will feel better, but lack of sleep, changes in hormones and changes in weather are all piling up. I switched to a new Rheumatologist yesterday, someone closer to home and I'm excited to work alongside him and his team to hopefully get my body up and going again. He knows the Rheumatologist that diagnosed my JRA and the Pediatric Rheumatologist who took care of me until she left her practice in hopes of finding a cure for JRA. It actually made me feel more comfortable knowing how much he respected my former doctors because they were great people who made a difference in my life. After a long discussion we both decided it would be a good idea for me to give Enbrel another try. I tried it for about 8 months back in 2008, but stopped taking it because I was getting more infections than benefits. My doctor didn't think they were related to the Enbrel though and convinced me it was worth trying again. I'm starting with just one shot a week, 50mg, along with my Nabumetone until we see how my body reacts. I have to wait for some blood test results to come back and then I'll start my new regiment sometime next week. I'm actually looking to it. Mostly I'm just desperate to feel better and if Enbrel can possibly make it happen, then I'm willing to try it.
Wow. You are amazing. Sorry I went off the radar! Emily is now 10 months old. I have no idea how you are managing with 2!! Emily is such a good baby and I am so lucky but my goodness do I get tired. In fact I am permanently tired and my bones are aching almost always, but of course, she's worth it :-) I've just gone back to work part time too. I'd love another little one but I really don't think I could manage :-/ you are awesome!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Kerry! I cna't believe your baby girl is already 10 months old! Hang in there, things will get a little easier...but you'll always be tired. lol My little guy is 18 months now and is already pretty independant and it's actually helped a lot. Two under the age of 2 is a major handful, but I'm lucky enough to have a TON of help. My Father-In-Law and my mom take turns helping me out while my husband is at work. We would have been a one child family without their help. :D
DeleteI really hope that the Enbrel helps you out! Hang in there and figure out how to manage two of them so you can teach me in a few months? ~;o)
ReplyDeleteThanks Mariah, I'm hoping the Enbrel helps too! Still waiting to take my first dose. How have you been feeling? Hope everything is going well. Find a big brother book for OZL and start reading it now if you haven't already. It helped some with my little guy, but he was still in shock for the first few weeks I think. Settling in now and is big on handing out kisses to his little sister and helping out when he can. He mostly follows behind me to check out what I'm doing and then goes back to playing when he's sure everything is okay. :) It's fun watching him interact with her. I can't wait until Ruby is big enough to play with him!
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