Winn's first visit with Santa . . . wishing all of you a happy Christmas and New Year!
Monday, December 24, 2012
Monday, November 26, 2012
Ferberizing
First, thanks to all of you who posted your sleep tips - all good food for thought! I am so grateful to have such a great support system. Just finished our 3rd night of using Richard Ferber's sleep strategies and it appears to be working!!! I am not doing everything he says to do (don't have to heart to eliminate the paci or sound machine) and I am bringing Winn to bed with me at his 5:30 waking, but I am making progress!
I need to sleep train myself now, because Winn slept all night long and my boobs have not gotten the message yet. I was wide awake at 2 am last night. When I get to the point when I am not waking up at night, I am going to feel like I can conquer the world or at least my house.
Yesterday I pulled my baby carrying muscle - the one between my left shoulder and backbone. I am taking aleve/advil every 4 hours. Make sure you switch arms on carrying lest up like me!
I am so relieved that this seems to be working for now. The first night was so hard, but it's gotten easier each night. I think it was harder on my husband than me, because I am bearing the brunt of co-sleeping, therefore am more motivated to get him sleeping in his crib. I am sure we will have setbacks and I will have to retrain, but now I have more confidence in Winn's sleeping abilities and feel like I can start getting back on track with my sleep in order to keep me sane and cheerful.
I ordered Winn this high chair - He starts solids next week as he will be six months next Tuesday. My boy's growing up!
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Sleep Conundrum
Winn's sleep struggles began when he refused to sleep in the arms reach co-sleeper I wasted $130 on. The main culprit in the beginning may have been the reflux and he just didn't like being flat on his back. I kept pulling out the co-sleeper to try again every month or so and he never took to it. He slept in his rock-n-play during the first part of the night with some fussing and then and then when he woke up in the wee hours of the morning I would move him to his swing still swaddled.
But around 4 months, he started refusing the rock-n-play and I found he would go to sleep very quickly in bed with me when he was swaddled and I soothed him to sleep. Sometimes I would still move him to his swing, but now he is too big to be in the swing swaddled and not fastened down. I have tried just swaddling his arms and leaving his feet free so I can strap him in, but the swaddle works upwards over his lower face, so I don't feel comfortable with that option.
For the last month, we have been bedsharing (my husband doesn't sleep with us). He sleeps swaddled in the middle of the bed and I am on my side facing him and can't stretch out so my neck, shoulders and arm is not entirely relaxed. Sometimes he wakes up and I nestle him in the crook of my arm and then my arm really suffers after about 30 min. I get up at about 2 am to do a dream feed. He usually sleeps through that and then at 5 am he wakes up and wants to be unswaddled and will sleep for about another hour in my arms. (this is on a good night) This routine has it's advantages - no crying and I can get sleep when he is not fidgeting around. I love being close to him and knowing that he is safe by my side. But I worry about when he is too big for the swaddle and him moving around the bed. I want to transition him to his crib while he can still wear a swaddle and he is not too mobile. And I would like to cosleep with my husband again too.
I've read the expert's advice about getting your baby to sleep independently and they say not to put your baby in the crib asleep because when they wake up it freaks them out. But if I put Winn in the crib awake, it freaks him out. He has only slept in his crib a couple of nights around 4 months old and then not the whole night. I think he now knows how nice it is to have Mama's warm body next to him in bed and he's not buying this lonely desert of a crib - we have no bumpers, pillows or blankets in the crib. I know he can sleep on a flat surface now, because he sleeps in my bed. And he can sleep for long periods of time. Why can't he do that in the crib? I played around with the Ferber method last night, but finally gave in and took him to bed with me. I was really exhausted - perhaps I will try again tonight.
Should I wait until he is 6 months old and let him cry it out? It really pains me to hear him get upset, but I think the longterm benefits would be worth it. This is all coming to a head because it seems that he is growing too big for all his sleep crutches. He's got to learn how to self-soothe . . . what's a mama to do?
But around 4 months, he started refusing the rock-n-play and I found he would go to sleep very quickly in bed with me when he was swaddled and I soothed him to sleep. Sometimes I would still move him to his swing, but now he is too big to be in the swing swaddled and not fastened down. I have tried just swaddling his arms and leaving his feet free so I can strap him in, but the swaddle works upwards over his lower face, so I don't feel comfortable with that option.
For the last month, we have been bedsharing (my husband doesn't sleep with us). He sleeps swaddled in the middle of the bed and I am on my side facing him and can't stretch out so my neck, shoulders and arm is not entirely relaxed. Sometimes he wakes up and I nestle him in the crook of my arm and then my arm really suffers after about 30 min. I get up at about 2 am to do a dream feed. He usually sleeps through that and then at 5 am he wakes up and wants to be unswaddled and will sleep for about another hour in my arms. (this is on a good night) This routine has it's advantages - no crying and I can get sleep when he is not fidgeting around. I love being close to him and knowing that he is safe by my side. But I worry about when he is too big for the swaddle and him moving around the bed. I want to transition him to his crib while he can still wear a swaddle and he is not too mobile. And I would like to cosleep with my husband again too.
I've read the expert's advice about getting your baby to sleep independently and they say not to put your baby in the crib asleep because when they wake up it freaks them out. But if I put Winn in the crib awake, it freaks him out. He has only slept in his crib a couple of nights around 4 months old and then not the whole night. I think he now knows how nice it is to have Mama's warm body next to him in bed and he's not buying this lonely desert of a crib - we have no bumpers, pillows or blankets in the crib. I know he can sleep on a flat surface now, because he sleeps in my bed. And he can sleep for long periods of time. Why can't he do that in the crib? I played around with the Ferber method last night, but finally gave in and took him to bed with me. I was really exhausted - perhaps I will try again tonight.
Should I wait until he is 6 months old and let him cry it out? It really pains me to hear him get upset, but I think the longterm benefits would be worth it. This is all coming to a head because it seems that he is growing too big for all his sleep crutches. He's got to learn how to self-soothe . . . what's a mama to do?
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Baby Bunting and Baptism
Winn is 20 weeks or 5 months and getting so big! He can roll from this back to belly, and today he mastered belly to back! He loves blowing raspberries and is getting alot for vocal and crying almost everytime I put him on the changing table. He loves all variations of peek-a-boo and for some reason really likes it when I say "no m'am" to him. It's so fun picking up on his sense of humor. We have been enjoying this fall weather by taking lots of walks with him in his carrier (highly recommend the Beco gemini) and he's been wearing his baby bunting since it's been so cool this week.
On the breastfeeding front, I saw the breastfeeding doctor in Jackson and she did not think I had thrush, but did diagnose me with a vasospasm. I really couldn't believe it wasn't yeast and it took me about a week to really understand that my nipple irritation was due to vasospasm. I stopped using cold vinegar rinses. I noticed that my clothing rubbing was really setting off the vasospasm so I got some Medela breast shells and they have helped alot. I'm definitely alot better now. There is medication I could take to stop the vasospasm called nifedipine (BP med) and I took it one night and it gave me a migraine, so I couldn't take it anymore. I am taking high does of magnesium, calcium and Vit D which is also recommended. Half the battle was figuring out what was going on with my nipple. It really sucks when breastfeeding is not comfortable.
Winn was baptized a couple of weeks ago and it was really sweet. He wore his daddy's christening gown. Probably the only time I will be able to dress him up like a little doll :)
Happy Fall Y'all!
On the breastfeeding front, I saw the breastfeeding doctor in Jackson and she did not think I had thrush, but did diagnose me with a vasospasm. I really couldn't believe it wasn't yeast and it took me about a week to really understand that my nipple irritation was due to vasospasm. I stopped using cold vinegar rinses. I noticed that my clothing rubbing was really setting off the vasospasm so I got some Medela breast shells and they have helped alot. I'm definitely alot better now. There is medication I could take to stop the vasospasm called nifedipine (BP med) and I took it one night and it gave me a migraine, so I couldn't take it anymore. I am taking high does of magnesium, calcium and Vit D which is also recommended. Half the battle was figuring out what was going on with my nipple. It really sucks when breastfeeding is not comfortable.
Winn was baptized a couple of weeks ago and it was really sweet. He wore his daddy's christening gown. Probably the only time I will be able to dress him up like a little doll :)
Happy Fall Y'all!
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Some downtime, finally!
Winn took a 2 1/2 hour nap this afternoon and I feel like I had the day off! And now I put him down to sleep at 9 pm (usually his bedtime is at 11:30pm). I could get used to this real fast. I had time to catch up on blogs, cook a decent supper and relax on the couch. I may even get to watch some Downton Abbey. I rented the dvd on netflix and I am addicted.
Still dealing with a sore left nipple. You would think at 4 months I would have this breastfeeding thing down pat. I don't know if it's residual yeast issues or what. I am going to a breastfeeding doctor in Madison, MS next week, so hopefully she will help me. I went to a dermatologist today to get a mole removed on my back and I talked to him about my nipple problem. Poor guy, he didn't really have much of a clue. He prescribed me some steroid cream to apply for 10 days. I told him about Dr. Jack Newman's All Purpose Nipple Ointment (APNO) and he thought that was too strong. He said that breastfeeding is irritating to nipples because of the digestive enzymes in the saliva and that is why most women stop. Absolutely no words of encouragement from him.
Anyhoo - Winn is growing like a weed. 75th percentile!
I've got 2 new books going on my kindle. One is Wild by Cheryl Strayed and the other is Why Have Kids. Wild is beautifully written and emotionally raw - her mom dies from lung cancer when she is only 22, pretty heavy stuff. "Why Have Kids" is an interesting read so far and is basically saying that having childen is not going to make me happy and all the research actually shows that adults become less happy after they have kids. I wonder if they have done this research on infertiles? I wonder if we are less unhappy because it took us so long to get to have kids. I will say that being a mom is the hardest thing I've ever done day in and day out. It's totally exhausting having a baby, but I will take it any day over still trying to make a baby. My heart and prayers go out to all the women who are trying right now.
Still dealing with a sore left nipple. You would think at 4 months I would have this breastfeeding thing down pat. I don't know if it's residual yeast issues or what. I am going to a breastfeeding doctor in Madison, MS next week, so hopefully she will help me. I went to a dermatologist today to get a mole removed on my back and I talked to him about my nipple problem. Poor guy, he didn't really have much of a clue. He prescribed me some steroid cream to apply for 10 days. I told him about Dr. Jack Newman's All Purpose Nipple Ointment (APNO) and he thought that was too strong. He said that breastfeeding is irritating to nipples because of the digestive enzymes in the saliva and that is why most women stop. Absolutely no words of encouragement from him.
Anyhoo - Winn is growing like a weed. 75th percentile!
I've got 2 new books going on my kindle. One is Wild by Cheryl Strayed and the other is Why Have Kids. Wild is beautifully written and emotionally raw - her mom dies from lung cancer when she is only 22, pretty heavy stuff. "Why Have Kids" is an interesting read so far and is basically saying that having childen is not going to make me happy and all the research actually shows that adults become less happy after they have kids. I wonder if they have done this research on infertiles? I wonder if we are less unhappy because it took us so long to get to have kids. I will say that being a mom is the hardest thing I've ever done day in and day out. It's totally exhausting having a baby, but I will take it any day over still trying to make a baby. My heart and prayers go out to all the women who are trying right now.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Amost 4 months old!
Whew! Just got Winn down for the night. Earlier than usual, so that's always nice. He's a night owl like his daddy. I can't believe we've come full circle from where we were last year sitting on pins and needles waiting for a positive beta. And it was 4 years ago, when Obama was running against McCain that we first started trying. It took 4 years for Winn to get here and I am so thankful to finally have him in my arms.
Winn is growing up so fast! Tonight he grabbed a fistful of rice off my dinner plate. He is smiling and laughing and squealing. It's funny when his crying turns into laughter. He's generally an easy-going baby, but likes to be held alot. He's finally warmed up to Sela, our golden retriever. She actually provides lots of entertainment.
Still has alot of reflux and I cut dairy out this week to see if it helps. Also cut out sugars because I got thrush (yeast infection on the nipples), so I think I am finally going to lose the last of the baby weight.
We spent 10 days down at the beach in Gulf Shores. It was lovely to get away and have such a beautiful change of scenery. The weather was just perfect. The monarch butterflies were starting to migrate. We saw lots of Great Blue Herons, sandpipers, pelicans and dolphins. We got Winn in the ocean which he tolerated. Lots of walks on the beaches at sunset and one morning I drug myself out of bed to catch the sunrise.
Just got interrupted by Winn crying out - he's awake - this sleep shit is hard to figure out (for both of us)! I've gone back to using the swing for long naps during the day and then sometimes at night especially in the wee hours of the early morning when he is sleeping more lightly. I've stopped co-sleeping in the morning since we got home from the beach because I found that he was having more reflux and also I was not sleeping well due to his fidgeting and my worries that the cover was going to aphyxiate him somehow. Still rocking out the rock n play. What would I do with that thing? So no crib sleeping yet.
So breastfeeding is still somewhat challenging. I almost had mastitis again, but was able to head it off with constant nursing. I noticed last week that my nipples were sore again, but the lanolin wasn't helping restore them. I've always been prone to yeast infections, so I'm not surprised that I developed thrush. I took diflucan and it seems to nipped it in the bud. lots and lots of different remedies out there.
So the postpartum hairloss is no joke. Fistful of hair comes out in the shower.
I'm settling into more of a routine and embracing my new role as a mother. never thought i woyuld be a stay at home mom . it is harder than i thought it would be, but it is such a privilege to spend my whole day (and night) with Winn.
I'll leave you with some recent pics -
Dammit - he is just woke up again - arggh- could he be teething already - he is drooling like a madman and chomping on his fists all night.
Winn is growing up so fast! Tonight he grabbed a fistful of rice off my dinner plate. He is smiling and laughing and squealing. It's funny when his crying turns into laughter. He's generally an easy-going baby, but likes to be held alot. He's finally warmed up to Sela, our golden retriever. She actually provides lots of entertainment.
Still has alot of reflux and I cut dairy out this week to see if it helps. Also cut out sugars because I got thrush (yeast infection on the nipples), so I think I am finally going to lose the last of the baby weight.
We spent 10 days down at the beach in Gulf Shores. It was lovely to get away and have such a beautiful change of scenery. The weather was just perfect. The monarch butterflies were starting to migrate. We saw lots of Great Blue Herons, sandpipers, pelicans and dolphins. We got Winn in the ocean which he tolerated. Lots of walks on the beaches at sunset and one morning I drug myself out of bed to catch the sunrise.
Just got interrupted by Winn crying out - he's awake - this sleep shit is hard to figure out (for both of us)! I've gone back to using the swing for long naps during the day and then sometimes at night especially in the wee hours of the early morning when he is sleeping more lightly. I've stopped co-sleeping in the morning since we got home from the beach because I found that he was having more reflux and also I was not sleeping well due to his fidgeting and my worries that the cover was going to aphyxiate him somehow. Still rocking out the rock n play. What would I do with that thing? So no crib sleeping yet.
So breastfeeding is still somewhat challenging. I almost had mastitis again, but was able to head it off with constant nursing. I noticed last week that my nipples were sore again, but the lanolin wasn't helping restore them. I've always been prone to yeast infections, so I'm not surprised that I developed thrush. I took diflucan and it seems to nipped it in the bud. lots and lots of different remedies out there.
So the postpartum hairloss is no joke. Fistful of hair comes out in the shower.
I'm settling into more of a routine and embracing my new role as a mother. never thought i woyuld be a stay at home mom . it is harder than i thought it would be, but it is such a privilege to spend my whole day (and night) with Winn.
I'll leave you with some recent pics -
Dammit - he is just woke up again - arggh- could he be teething already - he is drooling like a madman and chomping on his fists all night.
Monday, August 27, 2012
10 weeks
I am losing count of the weeks - they are flying by! I am more in love with this little guy every day. I still can't completely wrap my head around the fact that I have a baby. His dad discovered that he is ticklish and he is laughing out loud - it's the funniest thing to me. He is definitely turning into a little person and starting to be more interested in the world around him. He loves staring at the remote control - anything with contrast.
He had his shots last week and they went fine - just a little diarrhea from the dtap. We went to visit my parents for three days in the Mississippi Delta. It was delightful to get a change of scenery and time with Deda and Lala and his Aunt Annie, who was off work for a week. He also met his great grandmother, Nana, who is almost 91. She has dementia, but is still the sweetest lady. When I introduced her to Winn, she said "Aw, what a sweet puppy. Wait, that's no puppy!" It was funny, because he does have puppy-like characteristics - very soft downy hair, sweet innocent eyes, and skin he needs to grow into. My sister said that when she looks at him, she gets the same warm feeling that she gets when she looks at her dogs (she is a dog lover).
Speaking of dogs, I feel guilty because our golden retriever, Sela, is getting short shrift lately. Limited walks because it is too hot and not alot of pets because I feel like I need to keep my hands clean. She loves Winn though and is very good around him.
I went to see the doctor about my hands and he said it was carpal tunnel and not to worry about it because it would go away when my hormones settle back down. It has definitely gotten alot better and I was glad it was not much to be concerned about.
I think I had a period last week, which surprised me because I am exclusively beastfeeding. It was pretty light so really do not know what to make of it. i am happy to report that breastfdg got exponentially easier in the past 2 weeks. thank god!
sleep - some nights are better than others. Generally, he goes to bed midnight-ish and sleeps until 5 am. Wakes up to feed and falls back asleep until 8:30. Usually I take a nap with him in the afternoon. He is still sleeping in his rock n' play cradle at night and then sometimes with me. It's sad that my husband and I have not "co-slept" since about a month before he was born and romance is pretty much out the window right now, because (a) my lactating boobs are not that sexy (b) He is working so hard trying to bring cases in and manage his law practice to keep food on the table (c) it's kind of dry down there.
I started using estrace (estrogen cream) to help with the dryness - so hopefully that will help matters.
I need to stop blogging and wind down - downtime and sleep are such a precious commodities around here!
Love to all of you and may all your dreams come true.
He had his shots last week and they went fine - just a little diarrhea from the dtap. We went to visit my parents for three days in the Mississippi Delta. It was delightful to get a change of scenery and time with Deda and Lala and his Aunt Annie, who was off work for a week. He also met his great grandmother, Nana, who is almost 91. She has dementia, but is still the sweetest lady. When I introduced her to Winn, she said "Aw, what a sweet puppy. Wait, that's no puppy!" It was funny, because he does have puppy-like characteristics - very soft downy hair, sweet innocent eyes, and skin he needs to grow into. My sister said that when she looks at him, she gets the same warm feeling that she gets when she looks at her dogs (she is a dog lover).
Speaking of dogs, I feel guilty because our golden retriever, Sela, is getting short shrift lately. Limited walks because it is too hot and not alot of pets because I feel like I need to keep my hands clean. She loves Winn though and is very good around him.
I went to see the doctor about my hands and he said it was carpal tunnel and not to worry about it because it would go away when my hormones settle back down. It has definitely gotten alot better and I was glad it was not much to be concerned about.
I think I had a period last week, which surprised me because I am exclusively beastfeeding. It was pretty light so really do not know what to make of it. i am happy to report that breastfdg got exponentially easier in the past 2 weeks. thank god!
sleep - some nights are better than others. Generally, he goes to bed midnight-ish and sleeps until 5 am. Wakes up to feed and falls back asleep until 8:30. Usually I take a nap with him in the afternoon. He is still sleeping in his rock n' play cradle at night and then sometimes with me. It's sad that my husband and I have not "co-slept" since about a month before he was born and romance is pretty much out the window right now, because (a) my lactating boobs are not that sexy (b) He is working so hard trying to bring cases in and manage his law practice to keep food on the table (c) it's kind of dry down there.
I started using estrace (estrogen cream) to help with the dryness - so hopefully that will help matters.
I need to stop blogging and wind down - downtime and sleep are such a precious commodities around here!
Love to all of you and may all your dreams come true.
Friday, August 10, 2012
7 weeks old
Hi there! Blogging with a baby is hard - I still read all your posts, but am having trouble getting my fingers on the key board, since my lap is mostly occupied now. Winn is doing great! I go to a breastfeeding support group at the hospital on Fridays and he weighed in at 12 # 3 oz and then 12 # 8 oz when we left. He took 5 oz from one breast! I feel like a moo cow. Breastfeeding is still challenging at times, but it is getting easier. I was having oversupply issues (Poor baby was getting sprayed on my right side) so I started just nursing one side at a feeding and that is working so much better.
The only thing I am concerned about now is possible tendonitis in my thumbs. It's called De Quervian's tendosynovitis or "Mommy Wrist." I had a touch of this in grad school during finals from writing so much and also when I was housepainting alot. But that was self limiting because I could stop writing or painting so much, but I can't stop taking care of my baby and he is only going to get heavier! I am going to see the orthorpedic doc on Monday to nip it in the bud. Maybe get a cortisone shot.
I had a bout of Mastitis a week ago. Was not too painful, but just felt awful, like I had the flu. It went away very quickly when I started antibiotics. I had my 6 week check up on Monday and my doctor says my incision looks great. I am still about 15 lbs over my prepregnancy weight.
Winn is sleeping 5-6 solid hours during the night. I usually get him down by midnight and he sleeps until 5. He sleeps alot during the day, so I feel like I should feel more rested and accomplish more. I have been watching lots of Olympics. pretty much od'd on it. no more volleyball and water polo!
Yesterday was my first time back on my yoga mat. It felt so good to stretch out, though I am somewhat limited because of the tendonitis. It feels strange to be able to lay on my belly again, though now my boobs are in the way.
Winn is cooing and smiling more. He has discovered his hands and is now able to entertain himself a bit. He has still not made the transition to sleeping in his crib from his swing at night. I think I will work on that this week. My husband and I are still in disbelief that we have a real live baby in our possession. This time last year, he was a little frozen embie and I was coming down off a hormonal rollercoaster after a retrieval. I turned 36 last week. We celebrated by going out to eat for lunch and dinner and Winn was so good on my birthday - let me sleep in and hardly cried all day. It was exactly how I wanted to spend my 36th birthday.
Congrats to Jen on her BFP! and to Krista on the arrival of her son!
The only thing I am concerned about now is possible tendonitis in my thumbs. It's called De Quervian's tendosynovitis or "Mommy Wrist." I had a touch of this in grad school during finals from writing so much and also when I was housepainting alot. But that was self limiting because I could stop writing or painting so much, but I can't stop taking care of my baby and he is only going to get heavier! I am going to see the orthorpedic doc on Monday to nip it in the bud. Maybe get a cortisone shot.
I had a bout of Mastitis a week ago. Was not too painful, but just felt awful, like I had the flu. It went away very quickly when I started antibiotics. I had my 6 week check up on Monday and my doctor says my incision looks great. I am still about 15 lbs over my prepregnancy weight.
Winn is sleeping 5-6 solid hours during the night. I usually get him down by midnight and he sleeps until 5. He sleeps alot during the day, so I feel like I should feel more rested and accomplish more. I have been watching lots of Olympics. pretty much od'd on it. no more volleyball and water polo!
Yesterday was my first time back on my yoga mat. It felt so good to stretch out, though I am somewhat limited because of the tendonitis. It feels strange to be able to lay on my belly again, though now my boobs are in the way.
Winn is cooing and smiling more. He has discovered his hands and is now able to entertain himself a bit. He has still not made the transition to sleeping in his crib from his swing at night. I think I will work on that this week. My husband and I are still in disbelief that we have a real live baby in our possession. This time last year, he was a little frozen embie and I was coming down off a hormonal rollercoaster after a retrieval. I turned 36 last week. We celebrated by going out to eat for lunch and dinner and Winn was so good on my birthday - let me sleep in and hardly cried all day. It was exactly how I wanted to spend my 36th birthday.
Congrats to Jen on her BFP! and to Krista on the arrival of her son!
This time last year
sleepy
happy
Love this onesie from my husband's friend
Morning of my 36th birthday - can you see how freaking engorged I am?
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
5 weeks old!
I have sat down many times to write this post, only to be interrupted by a burping session, a diaper change, a pacifier fix . . . Taking care of a baby is all consuming - don't know how the Yahoo CEO is going to do it without maternity leave - I guess she can afford a full-time nanny, but still.
Winn is starting to coo and smile and it just melts my heart. Breastfeeding is going alot better. It's like learning a new language for both of us. A book I read described breastfeeding as you and your baby's first conversation.
Randomly through the day and when I am nursing, I have this weird let-down thing where I feel like my body is gross and fat and then a few seconds later, I will have my let-down and the feeling goes away. My mom told me when she breastfed, she felt really depressed for a minute and then it would go away. As it turns out, I have a mild case of Dysmorphic Milk Ejection Reflex or D-MER. It's not bad enough to make me want to quit breastfeeding, but it's just very strange.
We started Zantac last week for the reflux and he has stopped crying so much at night. Also some high powered gas drops called Levsin that I only break out if he is really fussing. I am doing colief drops (a lactaid for babies) and probiotic powder that I mix into a little expressed breast milk and give him via bottle. I love my Milkie's Milksaver that Newbie recommended- this little handy contraption allows me to save the milk that leaks from the breast I'm not nursing on. I use this milk to administer all my little anti-colic cocktails. Zantac tastes awful, but he doesn't mind it mixed with the milk.
We have started strolling in the Bob and it is so much fun! It is great to get out of the house, but I wish it wasn't so hot. Can't wait until the Fall.
Winn has already outgrown his newborn clothes - he is getting heavy! I get quite a workout toting him around all day long. He sleeps in his swing and also in this cradle by Fisher Price. The arms reach co-sleeper was a total waste of money. And sometimes he sleeps in my arms. I love the miracle blanket for swaddling him. He will come out of anything else. He actually sleeps really well at night - I have to wake him up for a feeding, so I don't get super engorged.
Winn's diaper rash went away with a lavendar salve my sister-in-law makes. Cloth diapering is going much better. Sometimes, it's exhausting because laundry is not my favorite chore, but we are going through so so many diapers, so the prefolds with covers have been great. I really like the prefolds with the Flip cover (snaps) and the Bumgenius 4.0 pocket diapers with snaps.
So I feel like we are getting more into a rhythm I'm slowly catching up on sleep. Postpartum blues have faded away. My body is feeling more normal. Winn is waking up to the world and I love it!
Winn is starting to coo and smile and it just melts my heart. Breastfeeding is going alot better. It's like learning a new language for both of us. A book I read described breastfeeding as you and your baby's first conversation.
Randomly through the day and when I am nursing, I have this weird let-down thing where I feel like my body is gross and fat and then a few seconds later, I will have my let-down and the feeling goes away. My mom told me when she breastfed, she felt really depressed for a minute and then it would go away. As it turns out, I have a mild case of Dysmorphic Milk Ejection Reflex or D-MER. It's not bad enough to make me want to quit breastfeeding, but it's just very strange.
We started Zantac last week for the reflux and he has stopped crying so much at night. Also some high powered gas drops called Levsin that I only break out if he is really fussing. I am doing colief drops (a lactaid for babies) and probiotic powder that I mix into a little expressed breast milk and give him via bottle. I love my Milkie's Milksaver that Newbie recommended- this little handy contraption allows me to save the milk that leaks from the breast I'm not nursing on. I use this milk to administer all my little anti-colic cocktails. Zantac tastes awful, but he doesn't mind it mixed with the milk.
We have started strolling in the Bob and it is so much fun! It is great to get out of the house, but I wish it wasn't so hot. Can't wait until the Fall.
Winn has already outgrown his newborn clothes - he is getting heavy! I get quite a workout toting him around all day long. He sleeps in his swing and also in this cradle by Fisher Price. The arms reach co-sleeper was a total waste of money. And sometimes he sleeps in my arms. I love the miracle blanket for swaddling him. He will come out of anything else. He actually sleeps really well at night - I have to wake him up for a feeding, so I don't get super engorged.
Winn's diaper rash went away with a lavendar salve my sister-in-law makes. Cloth diapering is going much better. Sometimes, it's exhausting because laundry is not my favorite chore, but we are going through so so many diapers, so the prefolds with covers have been great. I really like the prefolds with the Flip cover (snaps) and the Bumgenius 4.0 pocket diapers with snaps.
So I feel like we are getting more into a rhythm I'm slowly catching up on sleep. Postpartum blues have faded away. My body is feeling more normal. Winn is waking up to the world and I love it!
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
3 weeks old!
I can't believe baby Winn (yes, that is his name) is 3 weeks old! We got his social security card in the mail today. It literally seems like he was born yesterday. We are slowly getting the hang of things. Today our washing machine broke down, so I took him out to Sears to look at new washers. We are doing cloth diapers, so going without a washer is not an option! Cloth diapering was going great for a couple of days until he got a diaper rash and I realized that most diaper rash ointment is not compatible with cloth diapers. Took me 3 days to have a spare moment to research which ointment to order on-line.
Then there was trying to figure out our health insurance situation. We are currently on Cobra and were wanting to get individual policies until I found out yesterday that an individual policy (with maternity, just in case we decide to go for #2 in a year or so) for me would be $700/mo. Holy shit! The guy helping me said that it's because I am taking synthroid and take imitrex for my headaches. Health insurance in Mississippi sucks. BCBS is the only health insurance in the state that offers maternity. Well we are staying on Cobra until we figure out something else.
Breastfeeding is going better. I do have these weird random letdowns all during the day when I leak all over. While I am feeding him on one breast, the other leaks like a damn faucet. I am still wearing the nipple shield on my left side because my nipple stays sore. I spend alot of time walking around my house topless letting the ladies breath because I am terrified of getting thrush. Yeast loves me and seems to love my son too. I am already using nystatin on his diaper rash.
Winn has alot of gas after eating. Been using gas drops, but can't really tell if it helps. He is sleeping pretty good at night after 1 am. He usually sleeps until around 5 or 6 and then wakes to feed, then goes back down for a couple of hours. We co-sleep during naps, but he sleeps in a cradle or his co-sleeper during the long stretch at night. I love having his little body curled up next to mine. It's amazing how much babies this age sleep! He sleeps alot on my chest in the Moby wrap (which I am loving for this age) during the day. I am using this little gadget called Itzbeen to keep track of the times between feedings. It has been a lifesaver. I also like the My Breast Friend.
I am definitely more worn out post partum than I was 40 weeks pregnant. I feel like I've gone from the pregnant princess to the post-partum peasant (I read that it in a book somewhere). Definitely feeling the baby blues at times. My c-section incision hurt alot yesterday evening ( l lifted something I should not have). I can barely find time to brush my teeth and shower, but I know this stage won't last forever and when it's gone I will miss it.
Thank you all for your supportive comments on my birth experience post. Still coming to terms that I didn't get the birth I wished for - sometimes I just really want a do-over. However I did get the baby I so desperately wanted and I have to keep my mind on this. I am still amazed that I have a son. I love watching him sleep and then trying to wake up. He does this little shaking thing with his fists when he streches way out. We still don't know who the heck he looks like. I think he was trying to smile at me this morning. It won't be long until he is smiling at me all the time:)
Here is a picture of him in the "pod" I knitted for him which is actually too small for him.
Thank you all for your supportive comments on my birth experience post. Still coming to terms that I didn't get the birth I wished for - sometimes I just really want a do-over. However I did get the baby I so desperately wanted and I have to keep my mind on this. I am still amazed that I have a son. I love watching him sleep and then trying to wake up. He does this little shaking thing with his fists when he streches way out. We still don't know who the heck he looks like. I think he was trying to smile at me this morning. It won't be long until he is smiling at me all the time:)
Here is a picture of him in the "pod" I knitted for him which is actually too small for him.
This pic is from today - He's dreaming about his future soccer career. . .
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
W's Birth Story
This post has been a long time coming. I only have little snippets of time to get on the computer and write.
Monday, June 18th, I went to the doctor to have my membrane stripped to hopefully get things going and avoid induction by other methods, i.e. cytotec (my google search on this scared the hell out of me). I was still a "fingertip" but my doctor was able to push through my cervix and shake things up a bit. It was super uncomfortable. I'd had about 4 hours of sleep, so I was super tired on this morning. I had woken up super early at 4am and could not fall back to sleep. I opened the blind to our front door and there was a young buck staring straight at me in our front yard. I think this was a sign that baby was coming.
After the membrane strip, my husband and I were starving and the only place near the doctor's office was a Sonic, so we got chicken tenders and tator tots, so this was the meal that put me into labor :) I'm glad I ate greasy fast food, because it was my last meal for a while.
We got back to Oxford and I immediately fell in the bed for a nap. I had a couple of stronger braxton hicks, like menstrual cramps, while laying in the bed. I got up from my nap and decided I needed to go for a walk in the nearby park to see if I could get things going, even though it was 90 degrees outside.
I did a 20 minute loop in the park and I felt something leak out of me. At first, I thought it might be urine but I could not control it. I went into the bathroom to check and my panties had watery blood on them. I had walked to the park and did not have a phone, so I had to ask a stranger if I could use her phone. I called my husband and immediately started crying and told him to "come get me" but before I could get out where I was he had hung up. The nice woman offered to drive me to my house. My husband was already home by the time I got dropped off and we started running around the house getting our stuff packed in the car to head back to Tupelo. I was still leaking a little bit, but nothing dramatic.
When we checked into labor and delivery, they needed to confirm that my water had broke and they were not able to do this, even after a speculum exam. Very strange indeed. They did not officially "admit" me but they put me in a labor room after a couple of hours. My doula came and I think by 10 pm my contractions started to get more regular and stronger. By midnight (I think) they were were pretty painful and I had developed a migraine. So between contractions, I was having to deal with the head pain, which really sucked. I really lost track of time, but I know by 8 am Tues, my migraine was gone probably due to all the endorphins that had kicked in because my contractions were awful.
I was having alot of back labor and the only thing that really helped was getting in the shower. My birth plan specified intermittant monitoring, so I only had to be on the fetal monitor for 20 min out of an hour. I took five 45 minute showers during my labor. My doula and my husband would press the sides of my hip bones during the contractions and that helped some. I got really nauseous from the pain and vomited some, they had to give me zofran which actually helped. I labored until 4 o'clock Tues afternoon and then got an epidural (after a 2 hour wait) because the doctor wanted to give me pitocin to get my contractions closer together and I knew I would not be able to handle stronger, more frequent contractions without meds (maybe I could have, but at the time I felt like I couldn't).
The epidural worked, but my left leg was alot more numb than my right, so I did have some break- through pain on my right hip. At 5:00 pm, they checked me and I was 5 cm. At 6 pm, I was a 6. and then was still 6 cm at 9 o'clock at the max level of pitocin. At this point, the doctor on call said that they would like to see me progressing more since this was the "active labor" stage and he started the c-section talk. The doctor also said that his head seemed to be sideways in the birth canal. He said I could wait it out, but it was not looking good. At this point, I was so exhausted and emotional and just wanted to get my baby out safely. At the time, my baby was looking good on the monitor, but had had a couple of decelerations. I was worried about risk of infection due to my water being broken for 24 hours and the possibility of meconium staining if he were to get in distress. I could tell my doula was thinking the doctor was jumping the gun, but I had pretty much abandoned my "birth plan" by this point. My baby's health was taking precedence over any natural birth experience I had envisioned.
So my husband and I decided to go with a c-section. The anesthesiologist came back to numb me up a bunch more. The fentanyl, a narcotic in the epidural, made me feel awful. Very loopy and drunk. I was a basketcase and so messed up feeling when they prepped me and wheeled me into the OR. During the prep, my nose started bleeding, so I had to contend with that. They strapped me on the table and my nose and eye were itching from the narcotic and I could not scratch them. They had oxygen prongs in my nose, but my nose was so stopped up from crying and the nose bleed, I couldn't breath through my nose at all and I remember my mouth being so so dry, because they wouldn't let me drink anything before the surgery. My time in the OR was pretty much an unpleasant blur.
They pulled him out of me at 11:48 pm, June 28th. He let out a short cry and then was quiet and then was immediately transported across the room where they had to get him going. I kept asking my husband "Is he crying, can you hear him?" Finally, W started crying in earnest. His apgar score was 5/9, which I think is typical for c-section babies.
In recovery, I started the involuntary shaking from all the meds. I remember crying alot. They asked me if I wanted to see my baby and at first I said no, because I was so upset, but then I changed my mind. And I am so glad I did. The minute they handed him to me, but body stopped shaking and I felt immensely better. We did skin-to-skin contact and he stayed with me about 30 minutes before they wheeled me into a post-partum room. And then the after birth pains started which was like being in labor all over again.
We stayed in the hospital for 2 nights and felt like we were in good hands. Good nurses and a great lactation consultant who met with me about 3 times. The lactation lady noticed he was tongue-tied, so we had his frenulum clipped by an ENT. Nursing is still not painless, because I think his tongue is still short, but alot better than it would be. Baby W was a little jaundiced, but not enough to make him stay another day in the hospital.
We also decided to get him circumcised after everyone in both of our families were not supportive of our decision not to. If we lived in a more progressive part of the country, like Colorado, maybe we would have stood our ground, but we live in the South and the vast majority of boys are circumcised and we don't want him to feel different when he gets older and we don't want it to deter him from playing sports, etc. We went with the plastibell method which seems the least invasive. We did it on Thursday at 9 days old. He was fussy for a few days, but it doesn't seem to bother him now. The plastic ring fell off yesterday - hallelujah! His umbilical cord fell off on day 10.
Right now, I am still very conflicted about the membrane stripping. Would it had been better to just let my body decide when it was ready to deliver? I think this procedure made my water break which started the clock and increased risk of infection. Why didn't I just wait it out? I feel like I was pulled in so many different directions. Should I trust what my doctor recommends, should I trust what the internet says, what natural birth proponents say? I was just so confused. He was getting big and so I felt damned if I do, and damned if I don't.
It is really hard to encapuslate in words what the last 2 weeks of my life have been like. My emotions have been all over the place and my body had gone through alot. Most of this is from the dramatic drop in pregnancy hormones, sleep deprivation, recovering from major surgery and the hard work of breastfeeding. W has the sweetest little face and body and he really is a good baby - only gets fussy at night. We are doing some co-sleeping in the bed which my husband does not like, but it is the only way he will sleep at night. He does not like his arm's reach co-sleeper that attaches to the bed. I don't think he likes being flat on his back because he has alot of nasal consgestion. We are meeting with the lactation consultant at the hospital today to work on a better latch. I just drove my car for the first time in 2 weeks to get a 20 minute chair massage.
Right now I as I type, I am looking upon my newborn son asleep in his litttle swing and I am in complete awe that he is mine. Even though a part of me is a little sad about not feeling him inside me anymore, I am so happy that I can hold him in my arms and feel his little body on my heart.
Monday, June 18th, I went to the doctor to have my membrane stripped to hopefully get things going and avoid induction by other methods, i.e. cytotec (my google search on this scared the hell out of me). I was still a "fingertip" but my doctor was able to push through my cervix and shake things up a bit. It was super uncomfortable. I'd had about 4 hours of sleep, so I was super tired on this morning. I had woken up super early at 4am and could not fall back to sleep. I opened the blind to our front door and there was a young buck staring straight at me in our front yard. I think this was a sign that baby was coming.
After the membrane strip, my husband and I were starving and the only place near the doctor's office was a Sonic, so we got chicken tenders and tator tots, so this was the meal that put me into labor :) I'm glad I ate greasy fast food, because it was my last meal for a while.
We got back to Oxford and I immediately fell in the bed for a nap. I had a couple of stronger braxton hicks, like menstrual cramps, while laying in the bed. I got up from my nap and decided I needed to go for a walk in the nearby park to see if I could get things going, even though it was 90 degrees outside.
I did a 20 minute loop in the park and I felt something leak out of me. At first, I thought it might be urine but I could not control it. I went into the bathroom to check and my panties had watery blood on them. I had walked to the park and did not have a phone, so I had to ask a stranger if I could use her phone. I called my husband and immediately started crying and told him to "come get me" but before I could get out where I was he had hung up. The nice woman offered to drive me to my house. My husband was already home by the time I got dropped off and we started running around the house getting our stuff packed in the car to head back to Tupelo. I was still leaking a little bit, but nothing dramatic.
When we checked into labor and delivery, they needed to confirm that my water had broke and they were not able to do this, even after a speculum exam. Very strange indeed. They did not officially "admit" me but they put me in a labor room after a couple of hours. My doula came and I think by 10 pm my contractions started to get more regular and stronger. By midnight (I think) they were were pretty painful and I had developed a migraine. So between contractions, I was having to deal with the head pain, which really sucked. I really lost track of time, but I know by 8 am Tues, my migraine was gone probably due to all the endorphins that had kicked in because my contractions were awful.
I was having alot of back labor and the only thing that really helped was getting in the shower. My birth plan specified intermittant monitoring, so I only had to be on the fetal monitor for 20 min out of an hour. I took five 45 minute showers during my labor. My doula and my husband would press the sides of my hip bones during the contractions and that helped some. I got really nauseous from the pain and vomited some, they had to give me zofran which actually helped. I labored until 4 o'clock Tues afternoon and then got an epidural (after a 2 hour wait) because the doctor wanted to give me pitocin to get my contractions closer together and I knew I would not be able to handle stronger, more frequent contractions without meds (maybe I could have, but at the time I felt like I couldn't).
The epidural worked, but my left leg was alot more numb than my right, so I did have some break- through pain on my right hip. At 5:00 pm, they checked me and I was 5 cm. At 6 pm, I was a 6. and then was still 6 cm at 9 o'clock at the max level of pitocin. At this point, the doctor on call said that they would like to see me progressing more since this was the "active labor" stage and he started the c-section talk. The doctor also said that his head seemed to be sideways in the birth canal. He said I could wait it out, but it was not looking good. At this point, I was so exhausted and emotional and just wanted to get my baby out safely. At the time, my baby was looking good on the monitor, but had had a couple of decelerations. I was worried about risk of infection due to my water being broken for 24 hours and the possibility of meconium staining if he were to get in distress. I could tell my doula was thinking the doctor was jumping the gun, but I had pretty much abandoned my "birth plan" by this point. My baby's health was taking precedence over any natural birth experience I had envisioned.
So my husband and I decided to go with a c-section. The anesthesiologist came back to numb me up a bunch more. The fentanyl, a narcotic in the epidural, made me feel awful. Very loopy and drunk. I was a basketcase and so messed up feeling when they prepped me and wheeled me into the OR. During the prep, my nose started bleeding, so I had to contend with that. They strapped me on the table and my nose and eye were itching from the narcotic and I could not scratch them. They had oxygen prongs in my nose, but my nose was so stopped up from crying and the nose bleed, I couldn't breath through my nose at all and I remember my mouth being so so dry, because they wouldn't let me drink anything before the surgery. My time in the OR was pretty much an unpleasant blur.
They pulled him out of me at 11:48 pm, June 28th. He let out a short cry and then was quiet and then was immediately transported across the room where they had to get him going. I kept asking my husband "Is he crying, can you hear him?" Finally, W started crying in earnest. His apgar score was 5/9, which I think is typical for c-section babies.
In recovery, I started the involuntary shaking from all the meds. I remember crying alot. They asked me if I wanted to see my baby and at first I said no, because I was so upset, but then I changed my mind. And I am so glad I did. The minute they handed him to me, but body stopped shaking and I felt immensely better. We did skin-to-skin contact and he stayed with me about 30 minutes before they wheeled me into a post-partum room. And then the after birth pains started which was like being in labor all over again.
We stayed in the hospital for 2 nights and felt like we were in good hands. Good nurses and a great lactation consultant who met with me about 3 times. The lactation lady noticed he was tongue-tied, so we had his frenulum clipped by an ENT. Nursing is still not painless, because I think his tongue is still short, but alot better than it would be. Baby W was a little jaundiced, but not enough to make him stay another day in the hospital.
We also decided to get him circumcised after everyone in both of our families were not supportive of our decision not to. If we lived in a more progressive part of the country, like Colorado, maybe we would have stood our ground, but we live in the South and the vast majority of boys are circumcised and we don't want him to feel different when he gets older and we don't want it to deter him from playing sports, etc. We went with the plastibell method which seems the least invasive. We did it on Thursday at 9 days old. He was fussy for a few days, but it doesn't seem to bother him now. The plastic ring fell off yesterday - hallelujah! His umbilical cord fell off on day 10.
Right now, I am still very conflicted about the membrane stripping. Would it had been better to just let my body decide when it was ready to deliver? I think this procedure made my water break which started the clock and increased risk of infection. Why didn't I just wait it out? I feel like I was pulled in so many different directions. Should I trust what my doctor recommends, should I trust what the internet says, what natural birth proponents say? I was just so confused. He was getting big and so I felt damned if I do, and damned if I don't.
It is really hard to encapuslate in words what the last 2 weeks of my life have been like. My emotions have been all over the place and my body had gone through alot. Most of this is from the dramatic drop in pregnancy hormones, sleep deprivation, recovering from major surgery and the hard work of breastfeeding. W has the sweetest little face and body and he really is a good baby - only gets fussy at night. We are doing some co-sleeping in the bed which my husband does not like, but it is the only way he will sleep at night. He does not like his arm's reach co-sleeper that attaches to the bed. I don't think he likes being flat on his back because he has alot of nasal consgestion. We are meeting with the lactation consultant at the hospital today to work on a better latch. I just drove my car for the first time in 2 weeks to get a 20 minute chair massage.
Right now I as I type, I am looking upon my newborn son asleep in his litttle swing and I am in complete awe that he is mine. Even though a part of me is a little sad about not feeling him inside me anymore, I am so happy that I can hold him in my arms and feel his little body on my heart.
Saturday, June 23, 2012
He's here!
Just a quick post in between feedings and company . . . We welcomed Baby W on Tues night at 11:48 pm via cesarean birth (birth story to follow in next post). He was 8 lb 12 oz, 21 inches! We got home from the hospital yesterday and are just head over heels in love with him . . .
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Buying more time
Thanks for all the helpful feedback! I called my doctor today (she was on call at the hospital this weekend) and told her that I was a little concerned about inducing so soon and told her I wanted to try stripping the membranes again to see if that would get labor going for me. She said that was perfectly reasonable and didn't seem to be concerned at all about waiting another week before inducing. I was so relieved that she is willing to wait a few more days. Stripping the membranes is uncomfortable, but definitely preferable to other methods of induction.
So going in tomorrow morning for that and then an u/s on Wed to check on baby and make induction plans if he still hasn't decided to come. Whew! Tues was just coming up too fast for me. I feel much more relaxed now knowing I have a little more time for my body to prepare.
So going in tomorrow morning for that and then an u/s on Wed to check on baby and make induction plans if he still hasn't decided to come. Whew! Tues was just coming up too fast for me. I feel much more relaxed now knowing I have a little more time for my body to prepare.
Saturday, June 16, 2012
No progress
I saw my doctor yesterday and had an u/s. Baby still looks great on the biophysicial profile (the thrill of u/s is definitely gone after having one every week since 34 weeks). My mom came to the appointment with me which was nice, because it was soooo long. I waited 3 hours to see the doctor, because she was in surgery.
Anyway, she checked me and I am still only a fingertip dilated and still 50% effaced. Kind of disappointing, but I figured as much, because I don't feel like anything has changed much in the last week.
My doctor wants to go ahead and start inducing me on Tues night at 40 wk 5 days. I would go in for a cervical check and then decide if I need a cervical ripening agent to proceed. I'm pretty sure that I would need this. She wants to use Cytotec which I have read bad stuff about. I asked her about Cervadil, but she said she hasn't had as much success with the Cervidil. The one good thing about cytotec that I read is that it can kick you into labor so much that you don't end up needing any pitocin.
I am just nervous about the risk of uterine hyperstimulation. I hate that I have done so much reading and envisioning about natural birthing and now I am going down the road of a totally interventionist birth. It sucks.
One of the deciding factors on inducing is when my doctor is on call, which is Wed. I think I was so worn out at the appt after waiting for 3 hours that I just agreed to whatever she said, but now that I have had time to think about it, I really would rather wait until the weekend to see if maybe, just maybe, I can spontaneously go into labor. There is no medical reason right now that I can see to be induced. ACOG doesn't recommend inductions until 42 weeks, unless there is a medical reason. Amniotic fluid level is good, placenta looks good, baby is happy.
My doctor said that only 5% of women go past their due date. I don't know if she was talking about their practice or in general, but I know for a fact that in general this is absolutely not true.
So if anyone has any suggestions and advice, I would welcome it. One minute, I feel ok about the induction and the next I am really nervous and feel like it would be better to give it a little more time.
Should I be eating castor oil omelettes for breakfast?!
Anyway, she checked me and I am still only a fingertip dilated and still 50% effaced. Kind of disappointing, but I figured as much, because I don't feel like anything has changed much in the last week.
My doctor wants to go ahead and start inducing me on Tues night at 40 wk 5 days. I would go in for a cervical check and then decide if I need a cervical ripening agent to proceed. I'm pretty sure that I would need this. She wants to use Cytotec which I have read bad stuff about. I asked her about Cervadil, but she said she hasn't had as much success with the Cervidil. The one good thing about cytotec that I read is that it can kick you into labor so much that you don't end up needing any pitocin.
I am just nervous about the risk of uterine hyperstimulation. I hate that I have done so much reading and envisioning about natural birthing and now I am going down the road of a totally interventionist birth. It sucks.
One of the deciding factors on inducing is when my doctor is on call, which is Wed. I think I was so worn out at the appt after waiting for 3 hours that I just agreed to whatever she said, but now that I have had time to think about it, I really would rather wait until the weekend to see if maybe, just maybe, I can spontaneously go into labor. There is no medical reason right now that I can see to be induced. ACOG doesn't recommend inductions until 42 weeks, unless there is a medical reason. Amniotic fluid level is good, placenta looks good, baby is happy.
My doctor said that only 5% of women go past their due date. I don't know if she was talking about their practice or in general, but I know for a fact that in general this is absolutely not true.
So if anyone has any suggestions and advice, I would welcome it. One minute, I feel ok about the induction and the next I am really nervous and feel like it would be better to give it a little more time.
Should I be eating castor oil omelettes for breakfast?!
Monday, June 11, 2012
Still on the inside
Only 3 days until my due date, and Baby W is still happily in my belly with no signs of labor impending. When I saw my OB last Thursday, she stripped my membrane (which I don't recommend at 39 weeks!). I was barely a fingertip dilated, so used a speculum and a swab to force through my cervix and remove some of the mucus plug (TMI, I know!). She said she had done this on a woman a couple of days before and she had her baby within 48 hours. No such luck for me. It was an uncomfortable procedure and for the next day, my bladder was really irritated, felt like I was getting a UTI. I don't think I will go for that again unless my cervix is really looking ripe. The membrane sweep got my braxton hicks going good, but after 48 hours, everything just went back to normal.
Yesterday, I did 2 hours of squatting and weeding in the community garden (was sore today!), went on a walk and went to prental yoga. Doing everything I can to bring this baby down. My mom and sister were in town, so they were hoping I would go into labor this weekend. My next appt is Friday, so it will be interesting to see if I have made any progress. My doctor says she will probably induce me at 41 weeks. I want to avoid induction, so just praying that he decides to come out before then!
Yesterday, I did 2 hours of squatting and weeding in the community garden (was sore today!), went on a walk and went to prental yoga. Doing everything I can to bring this baby down. My mom and sister were in town, so they were hoping I would go into labor this weekend. My next appt is Friday, so it will be interesting to see if I have made any progress. My doctor says she will probably induce me at 41 weeks. I want to avoid induction, so just praying that he decides to come out before then!
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Almost 39 weeks
Can't believe that I am at this point! Earlier in this pregnancy, I was worried about a preterm delivery because of frequent Braxton Hicks, but now I realize I might go past my due date and have to be induced. My doctor said that we will probably induce at 41 weeks if I make it that far along. I don't feel that baby is in any hurry to come out. I really want to go the natural birth route and I know that being induced makes it harder to do that because pitocin increases the contraction pain. I guess we will cross that bridge when we get there.
I've been walking alot, swimming, gardening, and doing yoga. My feet hurt when I first get out of bed, because I spend so much time on them during the day. I actually feel like I have more energy now, probably because I am not so anemic. Sleep has been good lately, although having to get up to pee alot more. Laying on my left side is getting tiresome. I feel like baby is slowing down on his movement a bit - he's running out of room! As far as I can tell he is still head down.
My bags are pretty much packed. I have a labor bag, postpartum bag and diaper bag packed with baby's things. I also have a big laundry basket with my yoga blankets, mat, blocks, birthing ball and extra pillows. I downloaded "Birthing from Within" on my kindle the other day. It says to hold an ice-cube in your had for 60 seconds in order to prepare yourself for the pain of childbirth. I couldn't last more than 10 seconds! However, contractions are pain with a purpose, so I think it makes it a little different than any other pain I have had to endure. Still having frequent Braxton Hicks, but nothing painful at all.
We have a name picked out. We delayed in revealing it to my in-laws because my husband is the "third" and we knew they wanted a "IV". We decided not to go that route and we knew they would be disappointed. We had some drama for about a week and then thankfully, they seem to have accepted it. My husband and son will actually still have the same initals and the name is still family names, but incorporates both sides of the family.
One of my good friends is giving birth today. She has been in the hospital being monitored for pre-eclampsia and HELP syndrome for the last 12 days and her doctor decided it was time for her baby to come out. She is 36 weeks, so hopefully they can avoid the NICU. She started cervadil last night and this morning she will start pitocin. I really hope everything goes smoothly for her - she's been through alot lately. She also conceived this baby via IVF, so we've been travelling down this road together the last 9 months.
Jay at Stuck in a Baby Drought is delivering via induction today too. So excited for her!
I've been walking alot, swimming, gardening, and doing yoga. My feet hurt when I first get out of bed, because I spend so much time on them during the day. I actually feel like I have more energy now, probably because I am not so anemic. Sleep has been good lately, although having to get up to pee alot more. Laying on my left side is getting tiresome. I feel like baby is slowing down on his movement a bit - he's running out of room! As far as I can tell he is still head down.
My bags are pretty much packed. I have a labor bag, postpartum bag and diaper bag packed with baby's things. I also have a big laundry basket with my yoga blankets, mat, blocks, birthing ball and extra pillows. I downloaded "Birthing from Within" on my kindle the other day. It says to hold an ice-cube in your had for 60 seconds in order to prepare yourself for the pain of childbirth. I couldn't last more than 10 seconds! However, contractions are pain with a purpose, so I think it makes it a little different than any other pain I have had to endure. Still having frequent Braxton Hicks, but nothing painful at all.
We have a name picked out. We delayed in revealing it to my in-laws because my husband is the "third" and we knew they wanted a "IV". We decided not to go that route and we knew they would be disappointed. We had some drama for about a week and then thankfully, they seem to have accepted it. My husband and son will actually still have the same initals and the name is still family names, but incorporates both sides of the family.
One of my good friends is giving birth today. She has been in the hospital being monitored for pre-eclampsia and HELP syndrome for the last 12 days and her doctor decided it was time for her baby to come out. She is 36 weeks, so hopefully they can avoid the NICU. She started cervadil last night and this morning she will start pitocin. I really hope everything goes smoothly for her - she's been through alot lately. She also conceived this baby via IVF, so we've been travelling down this road together the last 9 months.
Jay at Stuck in a Baby Drought is delivering via induction today too. So excited for her!
Monday, May 28, 2012
Maternity Photo Shoot
Last night we went out to William Faulkner's homeplace, Rowan Oak, and took some photos to document this pregnancy. It was humid and 95 degrees but we had been putting it off for a long while! Here are some of the results. Not too bad for amateurs with a tripod :)
The doc said I was 50% effaced, but not dilated at my appt last Thursday. I'm hoping that by this Friday I've progressed a little more, but when he decides to come is outside of my control. He's still as active as ever. I did get the u/s tech to take some 4D shots of Baby W. He's got full lips and chubby cheeks - I cannot wait to see him in person. Hard to believe I have gained 30 lbs during this pregnancy. First thing in the morning, my feet hurt when I get out of bed. They are not used to supporting this much extra poundage. I'm still going to prenatal yoga once a week and yesterday I got completely breathless doing modified sun salutations and triangle pose. I am so curious to see how my body handles the birthing process. I tried the perineal massage a couple of days ago and that hurt like the dickens. I hope I can get through this without an epidural. Hopefully I only have about 2 weeks until I find out!
The doc said I was 50% effaced, but not dilated at my appt last Thursday. I'm hoping that by this Friday I've progressed a little more, but when he decides to come is outside of my control. He's still as active as ever. I did get the u/s tech to take some 4D shots of Baby W. He's got full lips and chubby cheeks - I cannot wait to see him in person. Hard to believe I have gained 30 lbs during this pregnancy. First thing in the morning, my feet hurt when I get out of bed. They are not used to supporting this much extra poundage. I'm still going to prenatal yoga once a week and yesterday I got completely breathless doing modified sun salutations and triangle pose. I am so curious to see how my body handles the birthing process. I tried the perineal massage a couple of days ago and that hurt like the dickens. I hope I can get through this without an epidural. Hopefully I only have about 2 weeks until I find out!
Monday, May 21, 2012
Nursery Pics
It's been a slow Monday. I had a rough night of sleep, but I think that is just par for the course during the latter part of the 3rd trimester. At my appt last Thursday, he was 6 lb 3 oz. I saw another OB because I accidentally went on the wrong day (my brain is turning to mush). He said my cervix was like a green apple and it needs to ripen up. Even though my OB predicted that he is going to come early, I have a sneaking suspicion that he is going to take his sweet time. I went to a natural childbirth class on Saturday that my doula taught. It made me a little more confident about my ability to handle a non-medicated birth. It's going to be so interesting to see how the birthing process goes.
Without further ado, here are pics of Baby W's nursery!
Without further ado, here are pics of Baby W's nursery!
The quilt above was my baby quilt that my cousin's grandmother made for me. My mom gave it to me at my shower and my cousin was the one who hosted the shower for me, so it was really sweet.
So I suppose my theme is stripes and a mix of vintage and modern touches. The biggest expenditure was the dresser, so I hope we use it for a long time. We painted the room Benjamin Moore Wickham Gray. I also installed FLOR carpet tiles - Tidal Blue - I've been real happy with it.
The last thing we are going to do in the nursery is install a ceiling fan and then we are done! It's been fun decorating it and I've also been napping in the twin bed. Since our house is so small, I still use the this room's closet for my clothes and get dressed in there. The nursery is right across from our bedroom, so we won't be far from our baby - don't think I will need a monitor.
On Thursday, I will be 37 weeks - full-term! I can't believe that I've made it this far. So very grateful and praying for a smooth labor and delivery.
So I suppose my theme is stripes and a mix of vintage and modern touches. The biggest expenditure was the dresser, so I hope we use it for a long time. We painted the room Benjamin Moore Wickham Gray. I also installed FLOR carpet tiles - Tidal Blue - I've been real happy with it.
The last thing we are going to do in the nursery is install a ceiling fan and then we are done! It's been fun decorating it and I've also been napping in the twin bed. Since our house is so small, I still use the this room's closet for my clothes and get dressed in there. The nursery is right across from our bedroom, so we won't be far from our baby - don't think I will need a monitor.
On Thursday, I will be 37 weeks - full-term! I can't believe that I've made it this far. So very grateful and praying for a smooth labor and delivery.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
35 weeks
I made it another week. It was a rough one for my husband, because he had his tonsils removed and sinus surgery last Friday. He has been on liquid lortab every 4 hours and says it's the worst pain he has ever dealt with. He has been meaning to get his tonsils removed for a long time, but there was never a good time to do it. After his last sinus infection a couple of months ago, he finally decided to pull the trigger during this small window before our baby's birth and while we are still have COBRA for our health insurance.
My Braxton Hicks seem to have settled down since I have been sitting around the house alot more with him. But yesterday, I did a bunch of errands all day and cleaning up around the house and they came back with a vengeance last night while sitting on the couch watching TV. Baby W was moving around so much while I was trying to go to sleep last night I had to move to the couch and literally rock my body to sleep to make him stop moving. Lots of jabs to the bladder now and I can feel his little hands fluttering so low in my pelvis.
I had a scary dream last night that I lost my mucus plug and I was bleeding. I really hope I do not go into labor until my husband has recovered from his tonsillectomy.
I saw my OB today and she checked my cervix and it's still firmly closed, so that's good news. Also she signed off on my birth plan - whoohoo! She said she is scanning it into the computer, so the nurses at the hospital will be able to see it once I go in for labor and delivery.
It really seems surreal that I am getting this close to meeting him!
My Braxton Hicks seem to have settled down since I have been sitting around the house alot more with him. But yesterday, I did a bunch of errands all day and cleaning up around the house and they came back with a vengeance last night while sitting on the couch watching TV. Baby W was moving around so much while I was trying to go to sleep last night I had to move to the couch and literally rock my body to sleep to make him stop moving. Lots of jabs to the bladder now and I can feel his little hands fluttering so low in my pelvis.
I had a scary dream last night that I lost my mucus plug and I was bleeding. I really hope I do not go into labor until my husband has recovered from his tonsillectomy.
I saw my OB today and she checked my cervix and it's still firmly closed, so that's good news. Also she signed off on my birth plan - whoohoo! She said she is scanning it into the computer, so the nurses at the hospital will be able to see it once I go in for labor and delivery.
It really seems surreal that I am getting this close to meeting him!
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Time to slow down
Just a quick update on our OB appt this week. We had our first biophysical profile ultrasound and everything check out fine - baby is about 4 lb 10 oz at 33w5d, so a good size. His head is pretty low and my doctor checked my cervix because I am still having lots of Braxton Hicks contractions at night. She said she could feel his head right up against my cervix and my cervix has thinned a little bit, but is still firmly closed. However, she predicts that he will come a couple of weeks early, maybe as early as 37 weeks. It's such a guessing game, but I guess I should be prepared for early labor with this little one. I just want to make it to 37 weeks. My husband is really wanting me to slow down and not be so active. It's really hard for me to sit still for very long. So that's the exciting news for the day, but don't want to get too excited, because I wouldn't be surprised if I end up having to be induced at 41 weeks. We also got to meet with our doula today and we really like her. She encouraged me to write up a birth plan, so maybe I will start that tonight. Getting so close!
Sunday, April 29, 2012
33 weeks and counting
Made it through another week! I am really starting to count down the weeks. And I am feeling alot more pregnant these days (heavy, slow and tired). There was a music/arts festival in Oxford (Double Decker Festival) yesterday and I walked up to the square with my mom to check it out for a couple of hours and it totally zapped me for the rest of the day. Unfortunately, I did not have the energy to go back in the evening and hear the headlining music (the Meters and Mavis Staples). There were babies and pregnant ladies coming out of the woodworks and I distinctly remember in walking around the festival last year feeling anxious and bombarded by the fertiles of the world with their strollers and bumps. Now I am seemingly a normal pregnant woman and it still feels a little strange.
While some part of me feels like I've had the world's longest gestation, another part of me feels sad to think that in a month and a half it will be over. The latter part of the second trimester and the third trimester has been a magical and special time in my life. I still never tire of feeling the baby move around even if it wakes me up at 5 in the morning.
My sleep is becoming more and more disjointed. Last night I went to bed at 10 pm and woke up at 1:45 am with hunger. Ate a half of an almond butter and jelly sandwich with milk and went back to sleep. Woke up at 6 am. I have never been an early morning person, but am consistently waking up between 5 and 6 am every day regardless of what time I go to bed. I will usually stay up for 1 hour and then fall back asleep for an hour. I am getting up 2 or 3 times to pee a night. I feel like this is all getting me ready for sleepless nights and early morning waking with baby.
I am currently reading "Bringing up Bebe" which I am sure most of you have heard about - it's an living abroad American mom's observations on French parenting. Apparantly French babies start sleeping through the night at 3-4 months and they wean them off night time feedings pretty early. This is in stark contrast the to book I read earlier this week called "Beyond the Sling" which is about Mayim Bialik's (Blossom) experience with attachment parenting. I have to say having your baby be able to sleep through the night by 4 months is very appealing to me, because I am a mess of a person when I am sleep deprived. My plan is to be nursing on demand and co-sleep (with Arm's reach mini-cosleeper) for the first 3 months and then get him into his own crib by the fourth month. We'll see how it goes.
On Friday, I got in a huge shipment of baby gear! All my cloth diapers (ordered from Cotton Babies and Diapers.com), BOB stroller from REI (purchased with dividend and my REI credit card refund), breast pump (ended up going with the Ameda Purely Yours). and Beco gemini carrier. On some level, I feel like I am tempting fate by ordering all these big ticket items for a baby who is not actually in my arms, but I have to act "as if" and believe that everything is going be fine - our baby is going to come into this world healthy and alive.
Hope all of you had a wonderful, restorative weekend and I look foward to reading your updates this week!
While some part of me feels like I've had the world's longest gestation, another part of me feels sad to think that in a month and a half it will be over. The latter part of the second trimester and the third trimester has been a magical and special time in my life. I still never tire of feeling the baby move around even if it wakes me up at 5 in the morning.
My sleep is becoming more and more disjointed. Last night I went to bed at 10 pm and woke up at 1:45 am with hunger. Ate a half of an almond butter and jelly sandwich with milk and went back to sleep. Woke up at 6 am. I have never been an early morning person, but am consistently waking up between 5 and 6 am every day regardless of what time I go to bed. I will usually stay up for 1 hour and then fall back asleep for an hour. I am getting up 2 or 3 times to pee a night. I feel like this is all getting me ready for sleepless nights and early morning waking with baby.
I am currently reading "Bringing up Bebe" which I am sure most of you have heard about - it's an living abroad American mom's observations on French parenting. Apparantly French babies start sleeping through the night at 3-4 months and they wean them off night time feedings pretty early. This is in stark contrast the to book I read earlier this week called "Beyond the Sling" which is about Mayim Bialik's (Blossom) experience with attachment parenting. I have to say having your baby be able to sleep through the night by 4 months is very appealing to me, because I am a mess of a person when I am sleep deprived. My plan is to be nursing on demand and co-sleep (with Arm's reach mini-cosleeper) for the first 3 months and then get him into his own crib by the fourth month. We'll see how it goes.
On Friday, I got in a huge shipment of baby gear! All my cloth diapers (ordered from Cotton Babies and Diapers.com), BOB stroller from REI (purchased with dividend and my REI credit card refund), breast pump (ended up going with the Ameda Purely Yours). and Beco gemini carrier. On some level, I feel like I am tempting fate by ordering all these big ticket items for a baby who is not actually in my arms, but I have to act "as if" and believe that everything is going be fine - our baby is going to come into this world healthy and alive.
Hope all of you had a wonderful, restorative weekend and I look foward to reading your updates this week!
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Trip to L&D to check out Braxton Hicks
I'm 32 weeks, but my ticker is stuck on 31 weeks.
Out of an abundance of caution, I had my first taste of labor and delivery at the Women's Hospital in Tupelo tonight. After a full day of cleaning house, grocery shopping, prenatal yoga class and gardening (and not drinking enough water), I sat down on the couch to rest around 5 pm and the Braxton Hicks began in full force (they are not painful, just tightening of the uterus and shortness of breath). I chugged a buch of water and took a warm bath thinking that would slow them down, but it didn't help much. After an hour of having them at least every 5 to 10 minutes, I called the hospital and they paged the on-call OB. He said it wouldn't be a bad idea to come in and get checked out. So, around 7 pm, my husband and I hopped in the car and sped down the road to Tupelo (45 minute drive). I had pre-admitted last week, so I was already in the computer system which was nice. There was only 1 or 2 other women back there in the triage area. I had to strip down and put on one of those terrible gowns that doesn't close in the back and the nurse strapped the fetal monitor on my belly. Baby W was kicking up a storm and and we could hear him swishing all around in my belly. I think the doppler really stirs him up, because he is still moving like crazy after almost 2 hours of being off of it. He's kicking me hard in the bladder right now to let me know he did not appreciate all that monitoring business.
I had about 7 contractions in an hour while I was hooked up on the monitor, but the NP on call checked my cervix and it is still closed and long, so no worries there. The cervical check was painful - don't think she used enough lube. Since I was having 6 or more contractions in an hour the NP wanted to give me a terbutaline shot to stop them, but the side effects were shakiness, heart racing and sleeplessness (and the nurse said I might need ambien to sleep). One intervention begets another and then I would feel all loopy and drugged up. Since the contractions are not hurting, about a 1 on a scale of 1 to 10, I opted out of the shot. Plus, if she gave me the shot, I would have had to stay another hour which would put us getting back home close to midnight and we hadn't even had supper yet.
Baby's heart rate was great - lots of good accelerations when he moved around which is what they like to see.
We could not do the fetal fibronectin test, because we had sex last night (for the first time in forever!). I was kind of bummed because it would have been nice to get a test result back that says there is a 99% chance you won't go into labor in the next 2 weeks. That would have been alot of peace of mind. I suppose if I keep having the BH that I can go in and have the test done because I will be out of the the 24 hours after sex window.
The NP told me I need to slow down and only do one active thing a day. Can't do yoga and gardening in the same day. It's hard this time of year to limit activity on pretty warm Spring days, but I have to start cutting back, so I don't have another episode like this. I've read that some people just have "irritable uterus" and I think I have a touch of that. I do know that on days I'm not real active, I don't have the BH contactractions like this. Once they get going, it's really hard to stop them. The NP says tylenol can help, so I will try that. So hopefully, I won't have to go back until the hospital for at least 2 more months - this little boy still has alot of growing to before he's ready to come out into the world!
John Braxton Hicks - 1872
As an aside, I have 2 articles to recommend, if you are looking for something to read on the internet-
1) The haunting story of 5 Ole Miss sorority girls who were killed in a terrible accident 25 years ago as told by a survivor. These 5 women never got the chance to become mothers and the writer identifies herself as a "nonmother." I wonder if the accident subconsciously impacted her choice not to have children. "We Thought the Sun Would Always Shine on Our Lives"
Also I googled the author's name and fertility and found this article where she talks about how Bikram yoga helps reset her body (and possibly return it to a more fertile state at age 42?) 60 Day Makeover
2) The story of a couple who delivered at 32 weeks told from the father's candid point of view. Pain is a Gift
Friday, April 13, 2012
Thursday, April 12, 2012
31 weeks!
Where does the time go? - My little ticker says my baby is 4 lbs! He's definitely a little mover and groover- I can really feel how long he is getting.
My weight has been holding steady for the last month at +20 lbs. I don't know why I have stopped gaining, since I am still eating alot, well, maybe a little less since I am getting fuller faster. I think the baby is just taking from me now. My next OB appt is next Thursday, so it will be interesting to see how much he's grown in the last 2 weeks. Still lots of Braxton Hicks especially when I am sitting on the couch at night. I need to keep track of them. My OB said if 6 or more an hour I need to call her office. Getting a good night's sleep is getting a little harder. I feel like I toss and turn more and am getting up 2 times a night to go to the bathroom. I suppose it's all to prepare me for sleepless nights in the the months ahead.
My nursery is pretty much done - got my curtains hung this week. I need to post some pics. My arm's reach mini-cosleeper is coming in this week, so I am curious to see how that works out.
In other news, today is our 4 year wedding anniversary. This morning, my husband cradled his hands over my belly and felt Baby W moving all around. Such a peaceful, sweet way to start our anniversary day, considering 3 years of our marriage have revolved around trying to make this happen :)
I think we might go see the Hunger Games tonight, since we haven't been to the movies in eons.
We are still on the fence regarding circumcision. Oh my god, y'all, I watched a youtube video of it last night before going to bed and it was pretty horrific. I had a nightmare about circumcision last night. I guess we are lucky to be in a position to have to make a decision over this, but it's a hard one for me. I can see the pros and cons of each side, but I am leaning towards not doing it, because it just seems barbaric. The reason my husband wants to do it is, so that our son won't feel different from his peers. I would like for my son to be able to make his own decision regarding his body, but I know that it's alot more to go through to get circumcised when you are older. Kind of like how tonsil surgery is harder as an adult, which my husband will be having in a couple of weeks. He is going to get his tonsils and adenoids removed and his sinuses straightened out. He's been putting it off for years and we figure we might as well do it before the baby gets here and while we have COBRA. I hope this baby stays put until at least 37 weeks.
So my replacement at my husband's law office is trained - yay! Hence my leisurely morning of blogging. Although I feel like I have a million and one things to tend to. #1 on this list is getting the baby shower thank you notes done. Gotta do it.
That's all the news for this week. Hope all of you are doing well and enjoying the unseasonably warm spring weather we are having.
My weight has been holding steady for the last month at +20 lbs. I don't know why I have stopped gaining, since I am still eating alot, well, maybe a little less since I am getting fuller faster. I think the baby is just taking from me now. My next OB appt is next Thursday, so it will be interesting to see how much he's grown in the last 2 weeks. Still lots of Braxton Hicks especially when I am sitting on the couch at night. I need to keep track of them. My OB said if 6 or more an hour I need to call her office. Getting a good night's sleep is getting a little harder. I feel like I toss and turn more and am getting up 2 times a night to go to the bathroom. I suppose it's all to prepare me for sleepless nights in the the months ahead.
My nursery is pretty much done - got my curtains hung this week. I need to post some pics. My arm's reach mini-cosleeper is coming in this week, so I am curious to see how that works out.
In other news, today is our 4 year wedding anniversary. This morning, my husband cradled his hands over my belly and felt Baby W moving all around. Such a peaceful, sweet way to start our anniversary day, considering 3 years of our marriage have revolved around trying to make this happen :)
I think we might go see the Hunger Games tonight, since we haven't been to the movies in eons.
We are still on the fence regarding circumcision. Oh my god, y'all, I watched a youtube video of it last night before going to bed and it was pretty horrific. I had a nightmare about circumcision last night. I guess we are lucky to be in a position to have to make a decision over this, but it's a hard one for me. I can see the pros and cons of each side, but I am leaning towards not doing it, because it just seems barbaric. The reason my husband wants to do it is, so that our son won't feel different from his peers. I would like for my son to be able to make his own decision regarding his body, but I know that it's alot more to go through to get circumcised when you are older. Kind of like how tonsil surgery is harder as an adult, which my husband will be having in a couple of weeks. He is going to get his tonsils and adenoids removed and his sinuses straightened out. He's been putting it off for years and we figure we might as well do it before the baby gets here and while we have COBRA. I hope this baby stays put until at least 37 weeks.
So my replacement at my husband's law office is trained - yay! Hence my leisurely morning of blogging. Although I feel like I have a million and one things to tend to. #1 on this list is getting the baby shower thank you notes done. Gotta do it.
That's all the news for this week. Hope all of you are doing well and enjoying the unseasonably warm spring weather we are having.
Monday, April 2, 2012
29 weeks
How Far Along: 29 weeks and some change.
How Big is the baby? My ticker says a pumpkin. Over 3 lbs.
Total Weight Gain/Loss: Around 25 lbs - wt gain has slowed a little bit in the last month probably because I have been exercising more.
Maternity Clothes: Mostly maternity, but still wearing some prepregnancy tops and stretchy yoga pants and if you can believe it I've only bought one new maternity/nursing bra.
Movement: Last night I felt like my uterus was a washing machine on spin cycle.
Belly button in or out? It's getting pretty shallow.
What I miss: Biking and running. I am going to miss my cousin's wedding in a few weeks because it's too far to travel in the 3rd trimester:(
Milestones: Baby shower!
Food Cravings: Ice, pistachios and oranges.
Aversions: None.
Symptoms: Onset of braxton-hicks contractions. It's weird because they are not painful, but I get out of breath and lungs feel kind of squeezed right before one starts. Strangest feeling. I'm fighting a yeast infection right now too. Not fun.
Best Moment this week: My baby shower on Saturday. I have to admit one small part of me was dreading it, but it ended up being lovely.
Best Moment this week: My baby shower on Saturday. I have to admit one small part of me was dreading it, but it ended up being lovely.
Funny Moment: We got a carseat at the shower and the first time we snapped the seat to the base it got stuck. We spent about 45 minutes trying to figure out how to undo it (a strap had gotten stuck where the base attaches to the seat), and not without alot of sweating and cussing.
What I'm looking forward to: Enjoying the last trimester of pregnancy with him on the inside and fanastizing about what life with baby on the outside is going to be like. Thursday, March 22, 2012
Third Trimester
Now I'm finally in the home stretch! Our appt went well today, besides having to wait 2 hours for the doctor to see us. I think all the thunderstorms put alot of women in labor and my doctor was running behind schedule. We did not get to meet with our doula today because she was on call with a laboring mom.
The best part of the day was the ultrasound and Baby W is 2 lb 12 oz and measuring in the 62%tile overall, so about in the 50th when compared to just boys. My OB says that he will probably end up being a 7.5 lb baby, so that sounds perfect to me. He was headdown, so I hope he says that way! He was moving all over the place, but we got to see him sticking out his tongue and opening one eye. I have some pics, but I will spare them as I think they are probably scary looking to anyone but the parents:)
Today was the first ultrasound we've had that I did not have any nervousness about, so I feel like that in itself was a real milestone.
Our OB let me know that the hospital has a "Skin-to-Skin" policy during the first hour after delivery and they do not cut the cord until it's finished pulsating. I was happy to hear that. Also she brought up circumcision and gave us info on it. I asked her how many parents opt not to do it and she said 10%. Down south, people get their boy babies circumcised. I don't want to do it, but my husband is on the fence and I feel like this is more his domain than mine. I'd like to talk to a pediatrician about it and we've got to start thinking about who we are going to use.
A friend of mine with a 4 month old donated all of her newborn clothes to me and a newborn sleeper that goes in the bed that will probably be nice to have the first month or so. It was so fun to look at the tiny little onesies. They were barely worn too. Her baby is 17 lbs already at 4 months!
We received our REI divident in the mail. It was $350 (we have REI credit cards that we paid for some of the fertility treatments on) so we'll buy a BOB stroller with this. I am very excited about the BOB because we walk for exercise almost everyday.
Also looking into breast pumps. My friend had a breast pump (medela pump&style) that she used for only a month that she said she would loan me, but I just read on line it's not good to borrow friend's used pumps because milk particles with virus, etc had get inside the motor. However I found this pump online: http://www.breastpumpsdirect.com/Hygeia_EnJoye_LBI_Double_Electric_Breast_Pump_p/10.0002.htm#ratingsjump
It got good reviews is a tiny bit cheaper than the Medela pump and style and it has a "closed system" so no milk gets inside the pump which means you can give it to someone else once you're done with it. Seems to be the "greener" choice.
Another exciting development this week was that we hired someone to take my place in my husband's law office. I start training her tomorrow!
Hope everyone has a great weekend and congrats to Kristin at Buckup Buttercup on the birth of her beautiful twin babies!
The best part of the day was the ultrasound and Baby W is 2 lb 12 oz and measuring in the 62%tile overall, so about in the 50th when compared to just boys. My OB says that he will probably end up being a 7.5 lb baby, so that sounds perfect to me. He was headdown, so I hope he says that way! He was moving all over the place, but we got to see him sticking out his tongue and opening one eye. I have some pics, but I will spare them as I think they are probably scary looking to anyone but the parents:)
Today was the first ultrasound we've had that I did not have any nervousness about, so I feel like that in itself was a real milestone.
Our OB let me know that the hospital has a "Skin-to-Skin" policy during the first hour after delivery and they do not cut the cord until it's finished pulsating. I was happy to hear that. Also she brought up circumcision and gave us info on it. I asked her how many parents opt not to do it and she said 10%. Down south, people get their boy babies circumcised. I don't want to do it, but my husband is on the fence and I feel like this is more his domain than mine. I'd like to talk to a pediatrician about it and we've got to start thinking about who we are going to use.
A friend of mine with a 4 month old donated all of her newborn clothes to me and a newborn sleeper that goes in the bed that will probably be nice to have the first month or so. It was so fun to look at the tiny little onesies. They were barely worn too. Her baby is 17 lbs already at 4 months!
We received our REI divident in the mail. It was $350 (we have REI credit cards that we paid for some of the fertility treatments on) so we'll buy a BOB stroller with this. I am very excited about the BOB because we walk for exercise almost everyday.
Also looking into breast pumps. My friend had a breast pump (medela pump&style) that she used for only a month that she said she would loan me, but I just read on line it's not good to borrow friend's used pumps because milk particles with virus, etc had get inside the motor. However I found this pump online: http://www.breastpumpsdirect.com/Hygeia_EnJoye_LBI_Double_Electric_Breast_Pump_p/10.0002.htm#ratingsjump
It got good reviews is a tiny bit cheaper than the Medela pump and style and it has a "closed system" so no milk gets inside the pump which means you can give it to someone else once you're done with it. Seems to be the "greener" choice.
Another exciting development this week was that we hired someone to take my place in my husband's law office. I start training her tomorrow!
Hope everyone has a great weekend and congrats to Kristin at Buckup Buttercup on the birth of her beautiful twin babies!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)