This time exactly one month ago, I was in the middle of pushing out my little baby boy. Can you believe he is one month old already?! Time has flown by like crazy. Every day it has gotten easier and easier. I know I'm going to miss a lot of moments from the last month, but I'm excited to move on and start watching him learn and grow and be a happy baby.
Oh, and I've lost all the baby weight. No biggie.
I have my six week postpartum checkup in one week and two days. I will be going to the gym in one week and two days (as long as everything is good, of course).
I only have seven weeks of maternity leave left. :(
And that's it!
<3 Kristin
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Friday, June 21, 2013
That awkward moment...
There's nothing quite like your newborn baby looking up at you, then proceeding to stare and start grunting until he's picked up.
Where's your please and thank you's, Noah?
Where's your please and thank you's, Noah?
Monday, June 17, 2013
Top 5
Short post:
Top five items I could not have lived without in the last 3 1/2 weeks
1) Changing pad with the curved sides, because that's what Noah sleeps in
2) Swaddling blankets, NOT receiving blankets (At least 4, and Carter's is the best!)
3) The clear, green Avent pacifiers
4) My breast pump (Medela Pump in Style)
5) A minimum of 2 boxes of Lansinoh bra pads. I use way more than I thought I would.
There's so much more I could put on here, but I would like to emphasize the fact that I would be doomed without these 5 items for sure.
Happy Monday!
<3 Kristin
Top five items I could not have lived without in the last 3 1/2 weeks
1) Changing pad with the curved sides, because that's what Noah sleeps in
2) Swaddling blankets, NOT receiving blankets (At least 4, and Carter's is the best!)
3) The clear, green Avent pacifiers
4) My breast pump (Medela Pump in Style)
5) A minimum of 2 boxes of Lansinoh bra pads. I use way more than I thought I would.
There's so much more I could put on here, but I would like to emphasize the fact that I would be doomed without these 5 items for sure.
Happy Monday!
<3 Kristin
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Maternity Leave
I can't believe I've been on maternity leave for 4 weeks already! Only 8 to go, and I need to call the two waiting lists Noah is on for day care to tell them the exact day I need them. I'm hoping at least one of them can accommodate starting by August 12th!
In 2 weeks and 2 days, I (hope to) get the ok to start working out. I got all the info on their drop in care last week, and its only $25/mo! This is kind of odd though, because I only pay $15/mo to use the facility in general. As soon as he starts day care, I won't need it at all, but it's nice to know that I don't have to start day care first to start working out. I'm getting kind of bored doing the same thing all the time at home, and my tummy flab is seriously disturbing.
Other than that, here are my goals for the rest of maternity leave:
Go on more walks with Noah
Start eating a real meal every day of the week
Establish a larger breastmilk supply
Keep up my cleaning schedule :)
Learn how to play with him more
Keep us both happy and healthy
Ideally, I'd love to start reading more in my downtime, but I love HGTV and the wordsearch on my phone way too much to mess with that. Noah and I walked around Barnes and Noble a couple days ago while I sipped my iced chai latte from Starbucks. That's close enough for me!
Today is Father's Day, and Noah and I are wishing Simon a very happy one over there. Next year will be a real celebration, though.
I'm really sick of saying "Next year will be better!"
New Years is gonna be a hell of a party for our little family.
<3 Kristin
In 2 weeks and 2 days, I (hope to) get the ok to start working out. I got all the info on their drop in care last week, and its only $25/mo! This is kind of odd though, because I only pay $15/mo to use the facility in general. As soon as he starts day care, I won't need it at all, but it's nice to know that I don't have to start day care first to start working out. I'm getting kind of bored doing the same thing all the time at home, and my tummy flab is seriously disturbing.
Other than that, here are my goals for the rest of maternity leave:
Go on more walks with Noah
Start eating a real meal every day of the week
Establish a larger breastmilk supply
Keep up my cleaning schedule :)
Learn how to play with him more
Keep us both happy and healthy
Ideally, I'd love to start reading more in my downtime, but I love HGTV and the wordsearch on my phone way too much to mess with that. Noah and I walked around Barnes and Noble a couple days ago while I sipped my iced chai latte from Starbucks. That's close enough for me!
Today is Father's Day, and Noah and I are wishing Simon a very happy one over there. Next year will be a real celebration, though.
I'm really sick of saying "Next year will be better!"
New Years is gonna be a hell of a party for our little family.
<3 Kristin
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
2 weeks, 6 days
(30 minutes later)
I have to learn how to type faster. There's a lot of things I have to learn how to do faster. I just realized I've been sitting on a dirty diaper (in my bed). Didn't get any "poop" anywhere, but it wouldn't have mattered anyways. I still wouldn't have washed my bedding. I went 4 days without washing my hair.
Something easier than expected is bringing him out in public. He just sleeps the whole time, and he loves car rides. This makes life a lot easier.
I have the feeling that sometime in the next 2 weeks or so, he'll give me like 4-5 hours at night to sleep. Probably just once or twice at first, but I'm looking forward to it. He's already 10 lbs 9 oz, and I read somewhere that they're able to sleep longer at night somewhere between 11 and 15 lbs, because they don't get as desperately hungry as fast. In the meantime, I'm going to cluster feed this baby ;)
I packed all of his newborn clothing up 2 days ago. I had no idea I would be so sad about it.
Side note: I have no idea why women have babies to get more money from welfare. Just getting a damn job would be a lot easier.
I know all moms say this kind of shit too, but Noah is doing a very good job learning about the world around him. The doctor commented that he was already able to see things at least 4 feet away. We've been doing a lot of tummy time, too. He's a strong little boy.
He poops at least every 30 minutes, though, so its no wonder that he developed a crazy diaper rash. My poor baby was in tears all afternoon on Saturday, but we were able to get an appointment for Sunday morning to get prescription cream for it. He hasn't cried in pain since, but I'm not entirely sure that the cream is working very well. Occasionally I'm still wiping some blood off his tush. We'll see in a few more days.
As for me, I'm overwhelmed but happy. My recovery and weight loss has been coming along well, and I finally feel like I'm doing something purposeful with my life. It's insane to think that I am responsible for this young life. This baby has made no mistake in his life, and he hasn't been led down any undesirable path. He's not been hurt by anyone, and he hasn't caused another pain. Having a child is like being given another chance. Noah is my do-over in life. There's not too much in my life I would have ever changed, but I can guarantee he'll be more athletic, and if he goes to college, hopefully he chooses his major more wisely ;)
No pressure, Noah. Whatever you choose to do, I'll always be proud of my little baby boy.
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
The birth story!
Simon and I became parents on May 23rd to a LOVELY (yet large!) 8 lb 14 oz baby boy!
I had assumed that because I was healthy, Noah has been healthy, and my pregnancy has been complication free, that I would have a normal, terror-free labor.
Wrong.
We're alright though, so here's the full story!
Wednesday, May 22nd, I had my membranes swept. I went into the office at 3 cm and 80% effaced, so we were confident it would probably work, but I didn't get my hopes up. 20 minutes later, I started having irregular contractions that drifted off as the day went on. I had assumed it probably didn't work.
I woke up at 7:15 the next morning (my due date) thinking my water broke. It wasn't a hell of a lot, and it was NOT clear. I was convinced it might have been my MP. Maybe 5 minutes later, I realized my water had indeed broke, because it was like 4 times the amount. I called labor & delivery, concerned that it wasn't the correct color/consistency, and they told me to come right in. I woke up my mom, we got ready (kind of. I wanted to finish my makeup but my contractions were coming on too strong), and we drove to the hospital. We saw a rainbow on the way. It was delightful, despite the pain!
We got to the hospital and some man whose face I never saw took me up to the 3rd floor in a wheelchair, and people were congratulating me in the hallways, but I was sobbing like a baby. It was kind of embarrassing. The man dropped me off and rushed downstairs to meet my mom who was parking the car, so she would know exactly where to go.
I quickly got into triage. They were going to do a test to see if my water broke, but my body decided to show them before they had to do anything else. They took me straight to my room, and informed me that I had meconium in my amniotic fluid. They told me that I would not be able to hold my baby right away, as they had to do tests and suction it out of his lungs right after birth. It's not ideal, but I was fine with it.
The pain kept getting worse. We had continually called my doula to come to the hospital, because I needed serious help with pain management. Eventually I got IV pain meds, which made me loopy and fall asleep. Because I fell asleep, I needed Pitocin to speed it up, which made the pain excruciating. Then I got the epidural. My doula called not long after asking if she should still come up. The damage was done, so I told her to go home.
Noah was "sunny side up" so they told me I'd have to labor a while before pushing to get him to turn all the way. I had the epidural, so time wasn't as much of a concern. However, the epidural never impacted my left hip, so it was still incredibly painful. I can't imagine a labor without it at all. At about 5:30, they had me start pushing. It was confusing at first, considering I couldn't really feel what was happening, but I got the hang of it. Not long after 6, they told me the next push was going to deliver the baby. I gave it everything I had. Big mistake.
They told me to keep pushing and to not stop. My doctor called a code purple. Two people grabbed my feet and brought my legs completely to my head while two other nurses jumped on the bed. He kept pointing to a spot above my pubic bone, and the one nurse laid her fist into it with the entire weight of her body. Everyone had heard something pop, and it seemed to do the trick! His shoulders had gotten stuck (shoulder dystocia), and she was trying to break his clavicle, so he could pass through. He came out (not crying), and one doctor told me that his clavicle was broken, but that it "shouldn't" have any long term effects. I just wanted him to cry god damn it.
And then he cried, and past all the doctors and nurses, I saw his little legs kicking. I was in so much shock over what had happened in such little time that I hadn't cried. I just felt content.
Despite everything, his APGAR scores were 7 and 9, and not a single one of his bones were broken.
I, on the other hand, convulsed throughout the rest of the evening, and it ended with a seizure after going to the bathroom. Labor is hard work! Sorry to everyone that was expecting a call afterwards. I couldn't work my fingers on my phone, let alone succeed in staying conscious.
Post delivery:
I was so concerned breastfeeding would be difficult. It has been the easiest thing so far, and I love it. I feel like I'm making up for the bonding that I missed the first 12 hours of his life.
I know this sounds really pathetic, but I've lost over half my baby weight so far!
I thought newborns were supposed to sleep a lot. This is a lie.
He had his first checkup yesterday, and he's already gained back almost all the weight he lost after the first 2 days!
Hospital food is delicious.
My mom is the best.
I miss Simon a lot.
A lot. A lot. A lot.
I can't wait till we can become a real family. You know, the kind that has met each other and live in the same house together and get to do things together. It's going to be the most amazing feeling.
<3 Kristin
I had assumed that because I was healthy, Noah has been healthy, and my pregnancy has been complication free, that I would have a normal, terror-free labor.
Wrong.
We're alright though, so here's the full story!
Wednesday, May 22nd, I had my membranes swept. I went into the office at 3 cm and 80% effaced, so we were confident it would probably work, but I didn't get my hopes up. 20 minutes later, I started having irregular contractions that drifted off as the day went on. I had assumed it probably didn't work.
I woke up at 7:15 the next morning (my due date) thinking my water broke. It wasn't a hell of a lot, and it was NOT clear. I was convinced it might have been my MP. Maybe 5 minutes later, I realized my water had indeed broke, because it was like 4 times the amount. I called labor & delivery, concerned that it wasn't the correct color/consistency, and they told me to come right in. I woke up my mom, we got ready (kind of. I wanted to finish my makeup but my contractions were coming on too strong), and we drove to the hospital. We saw a rainbow on the way. It was delightful, despite the pain!
We got to the hospital and some man whose face I never saw took me up to the 3rd floor in a wheelchair, and people were congratulating me in the hallways, but I was sobbing like a baby. It was kind of embarrassing. The man dropped me off and rushed downstairs to meet my mom who was parking the car, so she would know exactly where to go.
I quickly got into triage. They were going to do a test to see if my water broke, but my body decided to show them before they had to do anything else. They took me straight to my room, and informed me that I had meconium in my amniotic fluid. They told me that I would not be able to hold my baby right away, as they had to do tests and suction it out of his lungs right after birth. It's not ideal, but I was fine with it.
The pain kept getting worse. We had continually called my doula to come to the hospital, because I needed serious help with pain management. Eventually I got IV pain meds, which made me loopy and fall asleep. Because I fell asleep, I needed Pitocin to speed it up, which made the pain excruciating. Then I got the epidural. My doula called not long after asking if she should still come up. The damage was done, so I told her to go home.
Noah was "sunny side up" so they told me I'd have to labor a while before pushing to get him to turn all the way. I had the epidural, so time wasn't as much of a concern. However, the epidural never impacted my left hip, so it was still incredibly painful. I can't imagine a labor without it at all. At about 5:30, they had me start pushing. It was confusing at first, considering I couldn't really feel what was happening, but I got the hang of it. Not long after 6, they told me the next push was going to deliver the baby. I gave it everything I had. Big mistake.
They told me to keep pushing and to not stop. My doctor called a code purple. Two people grabbed my feet and brought my legs completely to my head while two other nurses jumped on the bed. He kept pointing to a spot above my pubic bone, and the one nurse laid her fist into it with the entire weight of her body. Everyone had heard something pop, and it seemed to do the trick! His shoulders had gotten stuck (shoulder dystocia), and she was trying to break his clavicle, so he could pass through. He came out (not crying), and one doctor told me that his clavicle was broken, but that it "shouldn't" have any long term effects. I just wanted him to cry god damn it.
And then he cried, and past all the doctors and nurses, I saw his little legs kicking. I was in so much shock over what had happened in such little time that I hadn't cried. I just felt content.
Despite everything, his APGAR scores were 7 and 9, and not a single one of his bones were broken.
I, on the other hand, convulsed throughout the rest of the evening, and it ended with a seizure after going to the bathroom. Labor is hard work! Sorry to everyone that was expecting a call afterwards. I couldn't work my fingers on my phone, let alone succeed in staying conscious.
Post delivery:
I was so concerned breastfeeding would be difficult. It has been the easiest thing so far, and I love it. I feel like I'm making up for the bonding that I missed the first 12 hours of his life.
I know this sounds really pathetic, but I've lost over half my baby weight so far!
I thought newborns were supposed to sleep a lot. This is a lie.
He had his first checkup yesterday, and he's already gained back almost all the weight he lost after the first 2 days!
Hospital food is delicious.
My mom is the best.
I miss Simon a lot.
A lot. A lot. A lot.
I can't wait till we can become a real family. You know, the kind that has met each other and live in the same house together and get to do things together. It's going to be the most amazing feeling.
<3 Kristin
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
!
38 weeks tomorrow!
My mom comes in exactly 1 week!
Soon I'll be able to lay on my stomach!
And hold Noah in my arms!
And show Simon what he looks like!
And be only one human being!
I'll update after my appointment tomorrow!
<3 Kristin!
My mom comes in exactly 1 week!
Soon I'll be able to lay on my stomach!
And hold Noah in my arms!
And show Simon what he looks like!
And be only one human being!
I'll update after my appointment tomorrow!
<3 Kristin!
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