The Jargon

In the 13 days since I became a parent, I've learned so many new words! More than a vocabulary lesson with Mama Ate.

One of the first words I learned after delivery is 'locchia'. A nurse asked me how my locchia was. My what?, I wondered? I assumed its part of my reproductive system(after all, I just gave birth) although it sounds like its some part of my ear. She ended up explaining to me what it was.

Then, there's terms like 'let-down' and it doesn't mean you disappointed someone. Although in a way, it could be disappointing, if you are trying to save every drop of milk for you baby. Speaking of milk, of course 'colostrum' came up. This word is not that new, though. July is Nutrition Month, and every single year when I was in grade school, we were made to cut out pictures of 'Go, Grow and Glow' foods, and memorized trivia about health and nutrition, and 'colostrum' is one of the most important tidbits to remember.

When Parker was three days old, the doctors decided to put him under bililights. Holy smokes, its like sunbathing 24 hours a day! It must be exhausting! Parker even had little shades to protect his eyes, although sometimes these shades are useless as the baby can easily dislodge it by simply not staying put. In addition to bililights, I learned about bilirubin, and how it affects the baby. Of course, I googled the whole darn thing the first chance I got.

Among the other stuff I learned are 'meconium'-baby's first poop(s).. That wasn't so bad. And then there's the heart-wrenching gavage tube. The nurses say it doesn't really bother the baby that much. It just looks so awful to have that tube in your baby's nose, and being told that it goes all the way to his stomach. And that this is to make sure the baby gets fully fed. See, Parker sometimes falls asleep in the middle of his feeding. Gestationally, he's still 35 weeks so he's not even 'full-term' yet. Although his sucking reflex is good, he needs enough stamina to finish all his feedings. As of now he is doing 6 out of 8 feedings. We're almost there.

Sorry, this post must sound like some insane person rambling... I haven't had the time to organize my thoughts. Nor do I have the energy to.