Me and Nathan had our first post baby date last night. We went out to a very nice dinner. It was so good to spend some quality time together not changing diapers. We love baby boy, but we need to make sure and have that time together. Plus it's good for my parents to babysit without us there and have that bonding time. I also went to BRU and Motherhood and got some things I needed and lil boy needed. I bought him some more clothes. He has tons, but nothing fits. I know he will grow, but I want him to have a few things that fit. We have a hard time keeping our house warm, so he needed something warm to wear. I got this cool head rest that will be great in the car seat, but it's also great for the swing. For all the new moms out there, make sure the swing and bouncy chair you get has a head rest in it. Or you could register for the head rest too. I was going to have to buy a new swing, but this thing makes it perfect.
I'm feeling better except for a little soreness and irritation and a nasty headache. I'm not sure what's causing these headaches, but I've had a lot lately. I'm drinking a dr. pepper to see if that helps. Hopefully that doesn't keep lil boy up at night any more than usual. I don't think it will. If it did I would almost rather him be fussy till 12 or 1 am and then sleep... Wishful thinking. But I love him and I know this will pass... one day...
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Friday, January 30, 2009
Sleepy Boy
Here are some pics I just took during the 3 minutes he slept in his bassinet before he started fussing. This is his first time to wear pants. They are still pretty big, but the preemie clothes are too little, and the sleepers are way too long. He is growing so fast though. I will try to get some pics later when my parents come over of eyes open. It's very hard to get up and get the camera sometimes when the moment is perfect. He was very fussy last night. I slept from 10-11 and then from 1-2 am. Then I woke Nathan up at 4:30am when I was so miserable I couldn't move. He held the baby till 7 am and then went to work. I did get to get out of the house last night! It's just nice to be a regular person again. I need to go pick up a package from the post office. I might take him in there in the sling. It would be quick. And I'm getting my hair cut today. And mom and dad are going to babysit for us to go out to dinner. So I'll get a bit of a break from fussy boy today. And tomorrow I might go to BRU to get a few things. I'm still sore and hurting a little, but not too bad. It hurts worse if I lift something too heavy, so I try not to do that.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Separation
I realized yesterday that I have not yet been separated from my son except for when he was in the nursery in the hospital. Even then I called exactly when it was time to feed him if they hadn't brought him yet. I love him and don't want to be separated for long, but a little break would be nice. Nathan was supposed to come straight home from work so I can run some errands, but he didn't. I wasn't happy, but I know he just didn't pay attention to time, a bad habit of his. So hopefully today he will. It will just be good to get out of the house by myself since I am feeling better. I pumped a little bottle yesterday, and I might do another one today. Lil boy is still keeping his same mommy-killing schedule of waking up at 3 am till 7 am. I didn't wake up Nathan till 5 am when I was miserable. But he does have to work. And I did sleep till 9:30. So it seems to be working out. He said this weekend he will stay up more so I can sleep.
Oh, and we are getting a lot of $$ for tax return (not intentional) so I might stay home another couple of weeks. It will be nice to have some extra time at home with lil boy where we can actually go places. The thought of him laying in the crib at daycare crying with no one to pick him up... horrible. He is very fussy lately. Hopefully when he gets bigger he can sit by himself in a bouncy chair or swing for a few minutes awake without getting mad. But for now, momma holds him a lot.
Oh, and we are getting a lot of $$ for tax return (not intentional) so I might stay home another couple of weeks. It will be nice to have some extra time at home with lil boy where we can actually go places. The thought of him laying in the crib at daycare crying with no one to pick him up... horrible. He is very fussy lately. Hopefully when he gets bigger he can sit by himself in a bouncy chair or swing for a few minutes awake without getting mad. But for now, momma holds him a lot.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Our first outing
Yesterday, I had my first outing with the baby. It was so tiring! He has a blocked tear duct, which causes nasty discharge from his right eye and looks really sad and painful. I took him to the dr, and they gave me some eye drops which seem to be helping. And we have to massage the tear duct with a q-tip and clean the eye. Lil boy doesn't mind too much.
How bout this?? Lil boy weighed 7 lbs. 15 ozs.!!!! I couldn't believe it. What a piggy big boy! I bet he'll be wearing his newborn clothes soon. He'll still in preemies. It's funny how when I was pregnant the newborn clothes looked so tiny, but when he got here, being small, they looked huge! They still look really long, but I'm sure he'll be there soon.
I meant to use the stroller instead of carrying the car seat in the office until I realized I don't know how to use the stroller. So when I got home yesterday my back was killing me and I was cramping and bleeding a lot. I'm feeling better today though. I realized that I still need more time to recover. I think I will be ok to run a couple of errands and get around a little more as long as I keep it short and there is no heavy lifting involved. I think next time I will bring the small diaper bag and use the baby sling carrier when I have the baby by myself for a dr appt or short errand. Trial and error... Lil boy is sleeping now. He's tired... since he doesn't sleep from 3 am till 7 am. Nathan has been really great about giving me a break. Sometimes I can't fall asleep when Nathan has him, but I still need that break. Nathan said he's really not too tired. So things are going well.
Wish me luck. I'm going to work on our taxes. Maybe if we get a good refund I'll take an extra week or two off... I don't believe it's good to get a big refund instead of having the money during the year, but because of the pregnancy I worked less and made less money. So we'll see.
How bout this?? Lil boy weighed 7 lbs. 15 ozs.!!!! I couldn't believe it. What a piggy big boy! I bet he'll be wearing his newborn clothes soon. He'll still in preemies. It's funny how when I was pregnant the newborn clothes looked so tiny, but when he got here, being small, they looked huge! They still look really long, but I'm sure he'll be there soon.
I meant to use the stroller instead of carrying the car seat in the office until I realized I don't know how to use the stroller. So when I got home yesterday my back was killing me and I was cramping and bleeding a lot. I'm feeling better today though. I realized that I still need more time to recover. I think I will be ok to run a couple of errands and get around a little more as long as I keep it short and there is no heavy lifting involved. I think next time I will bring the small diaper bag and use the baby sling carrier when I have the baby by myself for a dr appt or short errand. Trial and error... Lil boy is sleeping now. He's tired... since he doesn't sleep from 3 am till 7 am. Nathan has been really great about giving me a break. Sometimes I can't fall asleep when Nathan has him, but I still need that break. Nathan said he's really not too tired. So things are going well.
Wish me luck. I'm going to work on our taxes. Maybe if we get a good refund I'll take an extra week or two off... I don't believe it's good to get a big refund instead of having the money during the year, but because of the pregnancy I worked less and made less money. So we'll see.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Nancy's survey
Nancy posted a survey and I typed so much I figured I would post my response. Plus I don't know how much longer I can sit in this chair... Ouch... Any mommies out there, please share your responses.
1. Early "symptoms" of pregnancy - Was what you actually felt/experienced different from what you thought they would be like? -
Expected to feel crappy and sick. I did feel crappy and sick at 5 weeks.
2. Many women are afraid they won't be able to tell the difference between a braxton hicks and a real contraction. When you got a real contraction, was there and obvious difference? - Expected to just know the difference. Still not sure about this one. I consider that I went into labor Wed. night at 8 pm and had baby Fri. at noon. For a while contractions weren't too bad, but they kept getting worse. I had some false labor a few weeks before that felt very similar, but not quite as painful. Then at 6 pm Friday night, they got more painful. I was pretty sure it was the real deal, but not 100% till a few hours later at the hospital.
3. Drug Free Labor. A) If you wanted a drug free labor and delivery, did you succeed? B) Regardless of the outcome (opting for drugs or not), has your opinion about natural labor and delivery changed at all?
I totally wanted drugs during labor and delivery. I seriously thought that delivery would be super easy due to epi, like I see on tv. BUT epi did not work for me. My legs were dead and vaginal area dead, but I felt everything in my belly due to scar tissue in my spine. So no, L&D was much more traumatic than I expected.
4. Inductions. I didn't really want one, but dr scheduled for 39 weeks. Baby decided to come at 38 weeks. BUT they did have to use pitocin on me due to magnesium sulfate used for blood pressure slowing things down. Pitocin is EVIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
5. Recovery. Was recovery as you imagined?
Recovery is so much harder than I thought. I expected to come home and spend maternity leave playing house, cooking, going on walks... I had episiotomy which is horrible and painful. After two weeks and 3 days, I can finally sit in a chair for a little while and not cry. It's so hard to get up and down out of the bed. Things are getting better, but this is way worse than I imagined.
6. Post delivery body. Did your own body surprise you?
I expected to look 6 months pregnant, but I only had a very small pouch going home. I've already lost almost 20 lbs of 34 gained. I'm not dieting or exercising of course. I have had tummy problems and not much appetite. So my appearance is much different than I expected.
7. Postpartum bleeding. Were you ready for it?
I expected super heavy flow for weeks, but it was only heavy for about a week. Now I'll have heavy flow every day or two, but no huge clots. PROBABLY because the OB who delivered me... pushed with all his might on my belly after delivery. I screamed my head off for real. But I guess he got everything out.
8. Postpartum period. Anything in this category surprising?
Haven't had yet.
9. Did you experience the "newborn honeymoon"?
YES!! First week home, he only woke up one or two times at night and went right back to sleep. Week two we were in for a rude awakening!! 3am till 6 am is wakey fussy time.
10. Sleep deprivation and general feelings of taking care of a newborn. Did you have any idea just how hard it would really be?
I'm crying right now typing this. Sleep deprivation is so hard. There is no way to describe how it feels to wake up for an hour to feed, then sleep for one hour, then do it again. Then sometimes he cries all the way through till it's time to eat again. The first few nights of this, I was still feeling horrible, and Nathan did not help. He got mad at me when I woke him up. Now he rocks the baby so I can sleep for a little while between feedings. I keep telling myself that eventually this will pass. It's so hard.
Extra Credit: Is there anything else in regards to expected vs actual you would like to share?This sounds corny, but I had no idea I could love somebody this much. Even with all of the crying and not sleeping, I just can't get mad at him. I can cry about it, but I can't get mad. I love him so much. The thought of something happening to him makes me seriously panicky. I have dreams about people trying to take him and waking up to check on him. I check on him to make sure he is breathing. One more - I thought I would be anal about other people holding him, but I'm really not. People can hold him all day as long as it's not eating time. I don't even remember usually to ask people to wash their hands (maybe not good). I guess I'm proud of him and want other people to experience his sweetness.
1. Early "symptoms" of pregnancy - Was what you actually felt/experienced different from what you thought they would be like? -
Expected to feel crappy and sick. I did feel crappy and sick at 5 weeks.
2. Many women are afraid they won't be able to tell the difference between a braxton hicks and a real contraction. When you got a real contraction, was there and obvious difference? - Expected to just know the difference. Still not sure about this one. I consider that I went into labor Wed. night at 8 pm and had baby Fri. at noon. For a while contractions weren't too bad, but they kept getting worse. I had some false labor a few weeks before that felt very similar, but not quite as painful. Then at 6 pm Friday night, they got more painful. I was pretty sure it was the real deal, but not 100% till a few hours later at the hospital.
3. Drug Free Labor. A) If you wanted a drug free labor and delivery, did you succeed? B) Regardless of the outcome (opting for drugs or not), has your opinion about natural labor and delivery changed at all?
I totally wanted drugs during labor and delivery. I seriously thought that delivery would be super easy due to epi, like I see on tv. BUT epi did not work for me. My legs were dead and vaginal area dead, but I felt everything in my belly due to scar tissue in my spine. So no, L&D was much more traumatic than I expected.
4. Inductions. I didn't really want one, but dr scheduled for 39 weeks. Baby decided to come at 38 weeks. BUT they did have to use pitocin on me due to magnesium sulfate used for blood pressure slowing things down. Pitocin is EVIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
5. Recovery. Was recovery as you imagined?
Recovery is so much harder than I thought. I expected to come home and spend maternity leave playing house, cooking, going on walks... I had episiotomy which is horrible and painful. After two weeks and 3 days, I can finally sit in a chair for a little while and not cry. It's so hard to get up and down out of the bed. Things are getting better, but this is way worse than I imagined.
6. Post delivery body. Did your own body surprise you?
I expected to look 6 months pregnant, but I only had a very small pouch going home. I've already lost almost 20 lbs of 34 gained. I'm not dieting or exercising of course. I have had tummy problems and not much appetite. So my appearance is much different than I expected.
7. Postpartum bleeding. Were you ready for it?
I expected super heavy flow for weeks, but it was only heavy for about a week. Now I'll have heavy flow every day or two, but no huge clots. PROBABLY because the OB who delivered me... pushed with all his might on my belly after delivery. I screamed my head off for real. But I guess he got everything out.
8. Postpartum period. Anything in this category surprising?
Haven't had yet.
9. Did you experience the "newborn honeymoon"?
YES!! First week home, he only woke up one or two times at night and went right back to sleep. Week two we were in for a rude awakening!! 3am till 6 am is wakey fussy time.
10. Sleep deprivation and general feelings of taking care of a newborn. Did you have any idea just how hard it would really be?
I'm crying right now typing this. Sleep deprivation is so hard. There is no way to describe how it feels to wake up for an hour to feed, then sleep for one hour, then do it again. Then sometimes he cries all the way through till it's time to eat again. The first few nights of this, I was still feeling horrible, and Nathan did not help. He got mad at me when I woke him up. Now he rocks the baby so I can sleep for a little while between feedings. I keep telling myself that eventually this will pass. It's so hard.
Extra Credit: Is there anything else in regards to expected vs actual you would like to share?This sounds corny, but I had no idea I could love somebody this much. Even with all of the crying and not sleeping, I just can't get mad at him. I can cry about it, but I can't get mad. I love him so much. The thought of something happening to him makes me seriously panicky. I have dreams about people trying to take him and waking up to check on him. I check on him to make sure he is breathing. One more - I thought I would be anal about other people holding him, but I'm really not. People can hold him all day as long as it's not eating time. I don't even remember usually to ask people to wash their hands (maybe not good). I guess I'm proud of him and want other people to experience his sweetness.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Lazy Day
Me and lil boy are having a lazy day, like usual. Nathan spent the morning with us, even cooked me breakfast, and now he is working on his car outside, which is fine. I want him to spend lots of time with us, but he needs some time to do what he likes too. Maybe one day soon I'll be able to go and do something. I'm sure sometime in the next week or so I will feel up to getting out and about. I'm a little afraid to have to go out with him. I would only go to a friend or family's house or a quick errand. The dr said not to life anything heavier than the baby, and going out means carseat, stroller, diaper bag. I guess if Nathan put the carseat in the car, and I used the sling instead of the stroller, I'm be ok. I just really want everything to heal properly. I'm feeling pretty good today. My tummy is not bothering me for once. Still sore down there, but I think it's finally starting to heal properly after two weeks. I think I just had too many bad stitches. I think in another week I'll be feeling like a new person. I gave lil boy a bath in his tub, and he didn't care for it too much. He liked it last time, but not so much this time. He really hates the sponge bath, which we do when we are too lazy to get the baby tub out. I have the rainforest tub, and it's really great. It has a sling/hammock for little ones. Well, we have some visitors. Hope everyone has a good day.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Mommy doesn't feel good
I am having tummy problems again. Every time I eat my tummy hurts and cramps. Lil boy seemed to have tummy problems last night too. I hope we didn't catch something at the hospital or dr office yesterday. Nathan stayed up for the graveyard shift last night, 3-5 am. He fed lil boy his first bottle. Some milk got wasted because I didn't have any idea how much he would drink. He drank about 1.5 oz. I had 4 in the bottle. Oh well. I breastfed at 3 am, and Nathan bottle fed at 5 am, then I breastfed at 8 am. So I didn't really go too long between. I didn't sleep very well though because my tummy was hurting a lot. But it was nice to rest. My breasts are a little sore still from missing a feeding. I don't think I want to do that again for a while. Maybe just once or twice a week. I found some tiny 2.5 oz bottles that I will pump in when I do it again. And lil boy had no trouble breastfeeding after bottle feeding. He is spitting up a lot today. That makes for lots of dirty laundry. Well that's an insight to my world right now, Babyland!
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