june2014 (original) (raw)
I thought I'd update the format seeing as the end of the month is fast approaching and I assume most of us have had our babies by now!
1. Baby's age/weight/other stats: George is four weeks old tomorrow, and he's long past his birth weight of 7 lbs 4oz. He was 10 lbs 2oz three days ago at his check-up with the midwife. Chunky monkey!
2. Birth story: Here!
3. Your weight/shape: I've already lost the 20 lbs I gained during my pregnancy (yay breastfeeding!). I have a saggier belly than last time, and bigger boobs than during my pregnancy. As a result, most of my shirts don't fit (or aren't nursing friendly - I'm a shirt lifter, not a neckline dropper), and I'm still mostly in maternity pants or yoga pants. Even my old maternity bras are out for now because they've been giving me plugged ducts if I wear them for more than a few hours. Tank tops and nursing pads are de rigueur in my house right now. Some of my maternity shirts are okay to wear, though. My main criteria right now are comfort and can it hold a nursing pad in place. Leaking through my shirt makes me feel really gross.
4. Postpartum aches and pains: At 10 days PP I spiked a fever and the next day my midwife sent me off for an ultrasound to check for (unlikely) remaining products of conception (RPOC). This set off a chain reaction of hospital visits resulting in five days of unnecessary antibiotics for me only to be told that I'm fine. *sigh* I'm off pain meds from the cesarean except from some ibuprofen at bedtime, since my back and belly tend to ache by the end of the day. I also have strange pain on my belly, like hyper-sensitive skin, between my navel and my incision. Anyone post-op have this before? Friction and pressure from clothing is tremendously uncomfortable, so I live for bedtime or shower time when I can just peel everything off. I've also largely avoided looking at my incision, because even though I can watch medical dramas and surgical documentaries I can't stand the sight of my own riven flesh. ANYWAY, my incision looks okay apart from some hair stuck in it, so I'm going to have to grit my teeth and gently pluck them out, since there are two spots where the skin seems a little open still. Ouch. As for post-partum bleeding, it's almost done, I think. But I've been saying that for a week.
5. Breastfeeding/formula: I'm breastfeeding because I'm cheap, LOL! I nursed Henry until he was 27 months, but this time it's going much, much better. Knowing what you're doing is already half the battle, so if you're a first-time breastfeeder, know it can take weeks or even months to get comfortable with it, and that's okay. Last time involved a tongue-tie, cracked nipples, plugged ducts, nipple shields, pumping, milk-soaked bedding, some syringe feeding and formula... all in the first few weeks! This time it's been mostly back pain from cradling a newborn again, a few days of cracked nipples, the odd plugged duct from the too-tight bras, and a whole pile of nursing pads.
6. Sibling(s): Henry has been largely indifferent to George, except to helpfully poke him in the eye when pointing out to someone, "This is my baby brother George!" However, my sweet H has turned into a whiny, attention-seeking brat in the last month. He refuses to listen to anything I say, which is frustrating since I can't physically restrain him from doing much because of post-op limitations. I admit I have hauled him up and carried him to his time-out spot twice in fits of rage, but boy, did my back and belly bitch me out about it later. "Lift nothing heavier than your baby for 6 weeks" is really not the same as "wrestle a kicking 35-lb boy who doesn't want a time-out". I try to make time for him but even with my mother here to help it's been hard. He yells, he throws things, he spits or blows raspberries, or just ignores whatever I say and goes somewhere else or does something else. And my potty-train-before-the-baby-comes dreams have been dashed by regression. All in all, it's tremendously frustrating and I honestly don't know how I'm going to cope after this weekend. I'm exhausted and I've done nothing but feed and change my baby.
7. Family: My mom arrived a few days before George was born to help us out. She'll be leaving tomorrow, and I'm torn between being relieved that I can walk around in my underwear for half the day, and being panicked about doing everything alone. She has basically (and awesomely) been doing all the housework since she's been here, so all of a sudden all the laundry and cooking and cleaning is going to fall back into my lap (okay, my husband's lap too), along with wrangling the aforementioned cranky preschooler and a newborn. My husband's parents have only seen George once or twice since he's been born, because they spend their summers sailing (and then complain that they never see their grandchildren *eyeroll*).
8. Sex: I'll be honest, we tried it the other night. I think it's been... *counting on fingers*... four months since we had actual sex. It was so tight that my beautifully average-sized husband couldn't even get it all in, despite lots of lube and as reasonable an amount of foreplay as could be managed between feeds. I think it's going to be a while before we can manage it comfortably. Gawd, I can't wait.
9. Other stuff there was no place for in the list: Picture time!
Men of the house.
Passed out on Maman (2 weeks old)
Picture that makes me giggle with pride every time:
I'm happy to announce that George Melville was born Saturday, May 31st at 12:34 PM by emergency c-section. We're all fine now.
In short, I had contractions from about 2 AM until they got unbearable around 10:30 AM and we headed to the hospital. After having a controlled rupture of my waters to make his head come down, contractions intensified considerably and the fetal monitor wasn't picking up his heartbeat properly. The in-the-scalp heart rate thing was inserted, and it began registering dangerously low heart rates during contractions that were slow to come back up. I was only at 6 cm when the decision was made to do another c-section, fast. I was put under general anesthesia and awoke about an hour and a half later. I had trouble talking because of the intubation, but I'm thrilled to report that George is perfectly healthy and my physical recovery is leaps and bounds better than it was with my first c-section.
I'm disappointed that I didn't get my VBAC, but infinitely more relieved that he was okay. It was the first thing I managed to ask when I awoke in the recovery room.
Nursing is going swimmingly (I'm pretty much drowning him in breast milk now, and boy, do my boobs ache), and he's already returned to his birth weight (7 lbs, 4 oz) after one week. His umbilical stump looks like it might come off in a few more days, and he looks amazingly like his brother did when he was born. We've already taken several similar pictures that show how alike they look.
I'm having upper back pain, probably a combination of poor posture during nursing and hauling myself up with my arms. I also kind of overdid it the other day and so my lower belly (not the incision so much) is sore. I have to slowly uncurl myself from sitting to standing so I don't pull anything. My, erm, digestion is back on track. I forgot to take stool softener for two days and boy, did I suffer for it. Ladies, if any of you are having c-sections, DON'T FORGET TO TAKE YOUR STOOL SOFTENER!!!
And here are a couple of pictures for your patience. :D
George, two days old.
Left: George, five days old, milk drunk.
1. Weight: 155, officially higher than my previous preggo weight with Henry.
2. Shape: Hips definitely spreading as my previously too-baggy mat jeans now stay up without too much yanking. Still mostly belly, though.
3. Clothes: Got a couple of cute shirts at a 50% off sale at Value Village last week. Only the aforementioned pair of pants and a new set of maternity shorts really fit me now.
4. Baby: Still mostly parking himself on my left side and kicking the crap out of my sternum now. Midwife agreed at my appointment on Wednesday that he had dropped and there was little risk of cord prolapse, unlike with Henry, who was "floaty" until my water broke.
5. Sibling(s): Henry is becoming pretty clingy. I worry about how he'll do when I go to the hospital, especially if my VBAC dreams get dashed for whatever reason. We've never been apart for a night before. Wow, who's the clingy one now? LOL
6. Energy levels: I tend to wake up around 4 AM to pee, which wakes my husband up since I often need help rolling out of bed without pulling a muscle or wetting myself. And then he goes to the bathroom. And then we both lie in bed and talk for an hour about all the stuff we have to do. And then wake up again two hours later exhausted. I still nod off in the mornings, and I have zero shame now in letting Henry watch TV all morning while I nap.
7. Aches and pains: Like I said, Grapple Loader has taken to kicking me in the sternum lately. Also, my back tends to ache abruptly if I'm in any one position for too long, so I'm not sleeping well either. And since he's dropped I'm going to the bathroom waaay more often than I was. Also starting to feel kinda self-conscious about my unshaven legs. I wanted to go for my first leg and bikini wax job, but you need to trim everything. Well, I can't see half my leg to trim it, and I definitely can't see my crotch, geez! Also, getting lots of Braxton-Hicks contractions if I walk around too fast or overexert myself even briefly. It's really getting annoying.
8. Sex: Had some action last week for the first time in weeks, and sure enough, it gave me contractions. Not sure I want to repeat that experience unless I start to go late.
9: Nursery: Just need to hang the curtains and affix the lamp to the wall.
10: Family: My mom will be here in a week, thank god. My hubby's parents live less than 10 minutes away, so if I go early then can take Henry until my mom gets here, but even given the fact that CAN'T FRIGGING WAIT FOR THIS BABY TO BE BORN, I'd feel better if my mom was here first.
11: Other stuff there was no place for in the list: Got a TENS machine on loan from my midwifery practice, but I bought the wrong size pads for it. Oops. Made a bunch of chili and lemon-dill chicken and froze it. Got some salmon from Costco, cut it into filets and froze that too. Hospital bag about half-packed. Hubby mostly packed his. Have to make one for Henry too in case I go early and he has to stay with my in-laws.
Penelope Elfriede was born at 4:40pm on the 16th of May 2014. She is 7lbs 1oz of pure perfection! I had a successful VBAC
My waters broke at 7am. I was laying there nursing Arthur and it felt like a rubber band snapped inside me. I was like... 'noooo, maybe if i don't stand up nothing will happen.' but of course i had to stand up and out came my waters. I was admitted to the hospital at 9:30am. I was only 1.5cm dilated. My contractions were actually pretty intense and at around 12pm I felt like I couldn't take it anymore. I was definitely 'mooing' through them. So I got the epidural. After that they checked me and I was only 2.5cm so they started some pitocin. Things got pretty crazy after that. I developed a fever at around 2:40 and my Doctor was worried about the possibility of me developing an infection. She ordered some tylenol for me to see if that helped bring it down. It didn't so she actually was about to take me back for a RCS but decided to check me at 4;15 and I was complete! I pushed for 25 mins and she was born Pushing was crazy. I had been able to feel my contractions for a couple of hours and I think that helped. They were painful but not incredibly painful like they were before the epidural.
I think Penny heard about the possibility of a cesearean and was like ohhh hell no. She doesn't even have a cone head!
Officially term today!
1. Weight: 153, total gain of 13 lbs.
2. Shape: Still boobs and belly.
3. Clothes: Two pairs of pants that fit snugly, one pair that fits loosely, one skirt, two dresses. Going shopping again today (50% off sale at Value Village across Canada today, pass it on!) because most of my shirts are long-sleeved and I'm roasting most of the time now.
4. Baby: Still pretty active, head down per Thursday's midwifery visit, and likely to stay that way. Likes to stretch after I've gone to pee in the middle of the night, which makes it hard to get back to sleep.
5. Sibling(s): Still trying to emphasize that he's my big boy, and he can do so many things that the baby won't be able to do - LIKE PEE IN THE TOILET. I feel like we've been potty training for freaking ever.
6. Energy levels: Still nodding off in the mornings unless I'm out and about.
7. Aches and pains: Hips were really aching last week, and I mentioned it to my chiro when I went on Friday, figuring it was finally that relaxin kicking in in the final weeks. She checked my pelvis and reported that one side was almost an inch further forward than the other side, and adjusted me accordingly. Felt AMAZING afterwards. Can't wait for tomorrow's session! Apart from that, my back aches whenever I'm in any one position for too long (except lying flat on my back). Constipation is also becoming an issue. Is it wrong that I practice deep, labour-like breathing when I go to the bathroom now?
8. Sex: Terrified of running the risk of going too far past my due date, so I'm not going to discourage sex anymore. I mean, I've been, er, taking care of my husband when I'm not exhausted, but like I've mentioned before, it's been a while since I got any action because PIV and orgasms have been painful for me for a while now. I figure it won't be worse than giving birth. (What a compliment, eh? LOL)
9: Nursery: Done except for the valance, which I hope to make today.
10: Family: Happy belated Mothers' Day to you all! I got some beautiful flowers and a bacon-and-eggs breakfast; we don't do that very often. We went to my BIL's yesterday to celebrate our niece's 7th birthday, then hubby went over to his mother's to drop off flowers while I prepared the house for entertaining friends we hadn't seen in months and months. Busy day but fun (though hubby and I got a bit too much sun). Talked to my mother this morning and she said, "Two weeks!" I said warningly, "No, THREE." Then realized she was talking about when SHE was arriving, not the baby. *facepalm*
11: Other stuff there was no place for in the list: Did some gardening Saturday. We've been hacking back at the "English Gahden" insanity that is our yard since we moved in 7 years ago. It is finally starting to looking tamed and manageable (minus one corner with a dead tree and heaps of creeping vine we still need to rip out). Hubby wanted to use landscape fabric to cover up half of my raspberries and I adamantly put my foot down. He changed his tune yesterday when he bought raspberries at the store. "$4 for half a pint! What the hell, Nadine! Why aren't we selling ours?!?" I love winning arguments through no defense of my own.
1. Weight: 190ish. I ended up around 205 with Cami so it looks like we're headed in the same direction this time. I figured I'd get fatter. I sure feel fat.
2. Shape: My boobs are huge. Otherwise people keep telling me that I'm "all belly". Seriously if you look at me straight on from the front or back, you can't even tell that I'm pregnant. From the side, it's pretty obvious.
3. Clothes: I have very few pairs of pants that fit me. I've even outgrown a couple of my maternity pants in the thighs. I have purchased some XL drawstring scrub pants that are comically baggy in the crotch and require that I roll them up under my belly and they are what I'm living in.
4. Baby: Not as active as Cami was but still rock n rolls around bed time for me. Hiccups a lot, pretty much every time I am eating.
5. Sibling(s): I seriously think that Cami thinks my belly button ring is "Baby Braden". When she asks to see Baby Braden she always goes for my belly button ring (which I recently changed to a maternity flexible silicone piercing). The other night she laid her head on my belly for a bit, then sat up and said with the most excited/astonished voice, "I HEAR HIM!!!" Not sure what she thinks she heard, but it was cute ;)
6. Energy levels: My life pretty much revolves around grunting with discomfort and sleeping. I'm ready for bed at 8:30 when Cami goes down, and often we fall asleep in my bed together. During the day, though, at work I feel pretty good.
7. Aches and pains: Ugh, my pelvic symphysis hurts so bad, especially when I spread my legs (for lack of a better description). I have joked that it's punishment for spreading my legs the first time ;) When I get in and out of bed I have to keep my legs together or it's especially bad. I also am having a lot of SI and sciatic pain that seems to switch sides. My chiro gave me a support belt (it's called an SI-Loc if anyone is looking for one) that helps a ton. It only seems to help when I'm on my feet though, as when I sit down it slips out of place and then I have to go get half undressed to redo it. As a result, I actually stay on my feet as much as I can, thus causing my feet to swell but that's definitely the lesser of two evils. If I spend a lot of time sitting, my SI/sciatic pain is much worse.
8. Sex: Zippo. Tried in the shower and managed to accomplish it a couple of weeks ago but it was uncomfortable. Now that my pelvis hurts so bad, the thought of sex just makes me twitch. It's not gonna happen and I have no desire.
9: Nursery: I got some serious nesting done last weekend. My husband and Cami went to visit his parents and I spent all day Saturday cleaning and organizing the hall closet, living room, and baby's room. Most of what was in the baby's room was either dog stuff or Cami's clothes that she'd outgrown that were packed into plastic bins. My dad and step mom came over and helped me rearrange the living room to make it more open and I was then able to organize the rat's nest of electrical cords behind our TV. They carried everything out of the nursery to the basement and put my ancient falling apart cat tree out on the curb for the trash pickers. This Wednesday when my cleaning lady comes she is going to scrub the walls and windows and carpets in baby's room, then it'll be all ready for me to put it together. My dad put together Cami's new tall dresser and moved the old changing table dresser into baby's room. Everything that I own for baby right now is packed into his closet. It's honestly not that much. Soon I'll go get the bouncer, swing and rock n play up for the living room and put together the infant insert for the pack n play. Then it'll all be about ready. I'm not panicked in any way like I was last time though. I'm content with the fact that if he came tomorrow I've got everything I need, I just have to do a little tweaking.
10: Family: Had the in-laws over for dinner this weekend, and my MIL's star comment was, "I thought you'd be bigger by now." LOL!
11: Anything else? : We are hoping to make it up to our cabin this weekend before I get too uncomfortable/too close to the due date. Not like there aren't any hospitals up there, but I'd rather have my OB attend, not someone I don't know. I'm really kind hoping he will come a couple of weeks early. I think once I get everything in his room put together I'm going to be bouncing off the walls with readiness ;)
I just had to share this! I just got back home from my 36 week growth check and baby is HEAD DOWN! Soooo she has her feet up by her head and is drilling them into my hips causing me weird nerve twinges... so what! She's head down, now I am so hopeful for a VBAC *does a happy dance*
1. Weight: Still at 151 lbs. I'm getting a bit nauseated again in the mornings, unless I eat something savoury like leftover dinner. Is that normal? I've been considering taking Diclectin again, except it would knock me out the first couple of days.
2. Shape: A few more stretch marks on my belly. My ribs must be expanding because most of my bras feel really tight now.
3. Clothes: Can't wait for the weather to warm up for real. It's MAY, for cryin' out loud! I'm sick of wearing jeans. OTOH, I've been in tank tops for weeks now. Crazy overheating preggo body.
4. Baby: Grapple Loader tends to park himself on the left a lot, probably because I've been mostly sleeping on my left. Then he does his Petrificus Totalus routine which is tremendously uncomfortable. It's so weird: it's like a BH contraction but only on that side.
5. Sibling(s): Henry "helped" me put up wall art last week in the nursery. I got a monochromatic green jungle set which included butterflies. He saw me put a small one over the crib and asked for one too. He put it next to the first, and seeing it was a bit bigger, I suggested, "Is that the baby butterfly, and that's the big brother butterfly?" His eyes lit up and he said, "YEAH!" like it was the most brilliant idea ever. Then he had to get two bigger butterflies for Maman and Papa. Melted my heart. <3
6. Energy levels: Still sleepy in the mornings. I wish my three-year-old had kept up napping just a few more months.
7. Aches and pains: Went to chiro Monday after my chiropractor went away for a week, and I actually RAN out of the office afterward (husband and kid waiting in the car)! I haven't run in months!! :D Still awkward getting out of bed, though. If I'm not careful I pull the muscles in my belly.
8. Sex: None. The other night we talked about the last time we had PIV, which we think was more than a month ago but less than two months ago. Oy. Can't wait to have this baby, dangit!!
9: Nursery: Amazing Husband cleaned out the room last week and arranged the furniture. I put up the wall art with our son's help, and all we need to do now is hang up the shade and I make a simple valance. Otherwise, the room is ready for its occupant!
10: Family: Had the in-laws over for dinner this weekend, and my MIL's star comment was, "I thought you'd be bigger by now." LOL!
11: Anything else? : Today's my last day of work at the library. Hooray for Canada's one-year-leave policy! It's just getting to be too awkward getting up and down off the floor, and my back hurts if I do any one thing for too long (either sitting to check in materials, or walking around shelving stuff). One of my coworker's is hosting a baby shower for me on Sunday - a diaper-themed shower, since I don't really need anything else. Next appointment with the midwife is in a week.
Baby is still breech and after my appointment yesterday my OB put me on her surgery calendar for a repeat c-section at 39 weeks. I'm really kind of depressed about this. Last time I was fine emotionally with the idea of a c-section (just nervous before the actual surgery) because there was always the thought of 'next time' being different. Here we are now and it's going to be the same and I'll never have that normal, vaginal experience that the majority of women have. So I'm feeling upset about it.
In positive news we picked up a beautiful vintage dixie dresser in a french provincial style for the kids room. It just needs a lick of paint and it'll be good to go! We also went to ikea to buy the cot last week. So we have everything, it just needs to go in the room.
1. Weight: Finally hit 150, a net gain of 10 lbs so far. Kind of panicking that this might mean another 10-15 lb gain to come in the next 6 weeks.
2. Shape: Still can't tell from behind that I'm pregnant. *triumphant fist pump* I'm all belly and boob, but damn, the skin on my belly is thin, thin, thin. Feeling tight and itchy, and stretch marks are coming back around my navel.
3. Clothes: Thanking god the snow is almost gone and I can contemplate skirts/dresses. I'm down to three pairs of pants that don't cut into my underbelly, from about ten. Back to Value Village today to look for more. Some of my shirts are shorter now, and I've resorted to wearing Hubby's white tank tops as undershirts. I go braless a lot now.
4. Baby: I can't get over much more this one moves compared to his brother. It's frankly violent. He's getting the hiccups more often, too. His brother had them almost every day of my third trimester, but it's still disconcerting. Lots of Braxton-Hicks contractions.
5. Sibling(s): Henry really has no idea, the poor kid. He's convinced he's getting a sister (why, I don't know), and despite repeated warnings about not crashing into my belly or elbowing me in the tits, he still does those things. Oof.
6. Energy levels: I tend to get sleepy in the late morning or afternoon. Three-year-olds are a lot of work.
7. Aches and pains: I've been going to a chiropractor 2x/week for about 6 weeks now, and while certain aches and pains have lessened (no more RLP!), I'm getting a lot of lower back pain. BH contractions are also mighty uncomfortable and more frequent than I recall. Comes with the territory, I suppose.
8. Sex: Orgasms give me contractions, and my vagina still feel like it's only an inch deep. No penetration, and a lot less fun in bed. :(
9: Nursery: One more coat of paint on one wall and in the closet, and then we can start rearranging the furniture and unpacking clothes and stuff. Got a new area rug for the room from IKEA; can't wait to unroll it.
10: Family: Talk to my mom on Skype several times a week, but we haven't seen Hubby's parents in nearly two months. Thank god ski season is over now, I'd love to have them over for dinner.
11: Anything else? : Going on mat leave in two weeks, and my friend is throwing a diaper shower for me a few days after that. Woot! Got our 32-week ultrasound done a while ago, placenta moved up and out of the way so my VBAC odds are looking much better, and baby looks great though smaller than his brother did, in the 25th percentile. Big fat cheeks despite that, though. We're still hung up on names. George is our #1 contender (Louis is the next closest option), but middle name is a toughie. I'm going to start scouring my husband's mom's family records online (she's never really spoken about them, and it would be suspicious now if I started asking about names).