And just like that we are two weeks into our new life with Emma. I can't say it has been easy adjusting to her feeding and sleeping cycle, but it is a welcome challenge. Elena and I have learned quickly that we have to sleep in shifts. Originally we were both sleeping in the same room with Emma only to be awoken by every gurgle and sputter Emma makes. After two or three nights of not sleeping a wink we realized that if we were to get any semblance of undisturbed rest we would have to sleep in a different room. Our current system puts one of us on "Emma watch" (sleeping in the guest room with Emma) while the other sleeps alone in our bedroom. We do this in shifts throughout the night. I sleep during the first shift (8:00PM - 1:00AM) and Elena sleeps during the second shift (1:30AM - 7:30AM or when the milk runs out, whichever comes first). At least that has been our plan. The reality is we get significantly less sleep than that as Emma gets fussy at random intervals throughout the night requiring the full attention of the person on watch. We are severely sleep deprived, to say the least, but that's par for the course.

Elena has been doing extremely well breastfeeding Emma. Until you actually do it, it is difficult, if not impossible, to understand the level of sacrifice and effort required to fulfill this obligation. Essentially, Elena must feed Emma every two to three hours for approximately 40 minutes at a time. Aside from the obvious pain and discomfort that one might suspect from cracked and soar nipples that come as a result of the latch-training process, there is the fatigue of endless feedings that wears a woman down as she can never rest for more than two hours at a time. The lack of sleep associated with around-the-clock feeding is, in my opinion, the most challenging and difficult obstacle to overcome. In order to be successful at breastfeeding for a prolonged period of time we have to find a solution to the sleep deprivation aspect of this. Clearly we are learning as we go and trying different things in order to arrive at a reasonable compromise that will allow us to fulfill this obligation long term. We have tried supplementing with formula on three occasions, but Emma, accustomed to the natural taste of breast milk, gags as if we were feeding her asparagus juice. Our current solution requires that Elena pump a bit during the day so that I have two bottles with three ounces of breast milk each. This allows me to feed her during my shift, and for Elena to sleep a continuous and undisturbed five or six hours at night. At least that's how it was supposed to work on paper. The reality is that Elena becomes engorged throughout the night and has to wake up every three hours to pump anyway. I feel so sorry for her because her level of commitment has to be far greater than mine as I can get four or five hours of sleep at a time where she can, at best, get two and a half. Then there is the problem with latching. You have to be careful early on to train your child on how to latch on to the breast properly. Failure to do this will result in damage to the nipple that will make breastfeeding too painful to bare. Even when properly trained, breastfeeding is uncomfortable at best. One big no no is bottlefeeding while you are breastfeeding, especially during the first few weeks. The reason being that sucking on a bottle and sucking on the breast require different mouth, tongue, and swallowing techniques. The sucking required for a bottle, when applied to the breast can cause damage that can make nursing in this manner intolerable. Despite all this, we have to find a balance between nursing Emma and getting Elena some rest. So for now we are taking our chances with the bottle/breastfeeding combination and hoping that Emma can handle both without injuring her Mom.

It is clearly a lot of work to care for a child. We knew this coming in and is the reason why we waited as long as we did before trying. We wanted to be at a time and in a place where we could make the personal sacrifices required to raise a child. Even so, it is quite taxing. As exhausting as it is, I look forward to the challenges ahead, and understanding first-hand what it takes to be a parent. I have already learned so much and have to give tons of props to Mothers everywhere who are typically the ones left with the sole responsibility of raising children. You all deserve golden medals.

Emma has been a doll throughout the last few weeks. She is a pretty quiet child and sleeps most of the day. We are already able to distinguish her vocalizations. She cries when she is hungry and whimpers when she poops. She also bobs her head and eats her hand when she is hungry. It is her version of charades. I am not sure if she communicates to us when she needs to be changed, if so, we have not figured that one out yet. Nonetheless, we check and change her at every feeding. Emma's belly button stub fell off this week but there is still some dry crusty blood in her belly button that I am cleaning with alcohol laden Q-tips three times a day per Dr's orders.

We had several visitors this weekend. Emma's Aunt and grandparents came by to hold her and love her up. Aunt Jennifer brought us a nice Turkey Lasagna dinner, salad and bread that she made as well as the most adorable little shoes that she crocheted her self. Grandma Myriam and Grandpa Frank brought all the ingredients for a "potage" and chicken and rice meal and cooked them both so we would have food for the week. It was really nice to have them over. I was probably not as social as usual however due to my fatigue. I am hoping to rectify that in the coming weeks once we get a few nights of solid sleep in our system. We also took Emma to the Pediatrician for the first time. She was examined and given a clean bill of health. We will see the Dr. again at two months.