Lactation, circumcision, and discharge - oh my!

I apologize for today's title, my attempts at humor are somewhat hampered by sheer exhaustion.  The last 48 hours have been action-packed to say the least.  On Monday Josh and I were cleared to start breastfeeding which was wonderful news.  Josh has been bottle feeding from the beginning so the switch to nursing has been a little tough for him.  He's a champ, though, and trying hard at it.  Until he is up to speed, I have to nurse first, supplement with a bottle of my milk, and then pump so he has more milk for the next round of feeding.  This whole feeding process takes about an hour and a half and sometimes longer... and it occurs every three hours.  You can do the math - I spend over 12 hours a day making sure the little guy is getting enough milk, hence the sheer exhaustion.  Between feeding and all the other baby care, it leaves little time for sleeping, eating, and bathing myself.  I was completely unprepared for how physically, mentally, and emotionally spent I would feel throughout this process and I still have nurses to help out.  How do moms with multiple kids handle all of this and keep their sanity?  Inquiring minds want to know!

In fabulous news, Joshua is being prepared for discharge on Thursday or Friday!  He had his PICC line removed yesterday so the only thing he is connected to now are the leads for monitoring his heart and respiration rates.  Last night when I was giving him a bath was the first time I was able to carry him around the room completely untethered - it was amazing!  I could just pick him up and walk around wherever I wanted to.  It brought me to tears.  In preparation for discharge, I met with a lactation consultant this morning, attended infant CPR class, and consented for Josh to be circumcised (conveniently while I was in CPR class so I didn't have to witness it).  The poor little fellow is now resting as comfortably as possible after the procedure.  I am sure he is even more ready than his parents to get out of here after today's drama.  As long as he gains a little weight by tomorrow, he will be discharged Thursday afternoon.  Otherwise, it will be Friday.  And then our long-awaited journey at home begins...

In honor of Joshua's 4 week birthday yesterday, here is the first photo taken of him.  Josh has come so incredibly far in 4 weeks time, I am so proud of him!