The first few weeks of motherhood flew by so quickly. I often hear mothers say "I don't know what I used to do with all my time before the baby" and now I completely understand what they mean. Being a new mother is so full of ups and downs. Some days are spectacular, and some days you just want to hide out in a bomb shelter. But overall, I'm really enjoying the experience. Within a week of Ethan's birth (and before I healed), I had already missed being pregnant and thought about baby #2. Here's a recap (from what I can remember) of the first few months...
Week 1: Looking back, this week was pretty incredible. Well, aside from me being more swollen than I ever was when I was pregnant, and my constant pain "down there," it wasn't so bad. Some how, I thought that I would get way less sleep than I did. Lucky for us, Mike's dad came to help out and took care of all of our needs while we took care of the baby's needs. Nevertheless, it took us a while to figure everything out, like how to do quick diaper changes, how to avoid being peed (or pooed) on, how to get onesies over his head and on his body without breaking a limb. We learned that babies are pretty durable (as demonstrated by all hospital personnel), but yet we were still scared and treated him like glass. Breastfeeding was the sort of pain you can feel going down your legs and to your toes. But by the end of the first week we pretty much figured out that if he was crying, feed him and change him.
Month 1: By the third week or so we figured out that there wasn't anything that my wonderful breast couldn't solve. If he cried, we fed him, and he was happy. He was awake more during the days, and sleeping a bit more at night. But getting him back to bed was still a bit of a challenge.
Currently: Ethan is becoming less and less portable (right on with what I've read in all the books). It used to be that we can take him anywhere anytime, and if he was tired, he would sleep. Not anymore! :( Because of this, we've limited going out to just lunches as dinner tends to coincide with bedtime (according to various books, bedtime should start between 7-9 pm). There's not much I can do during the days either, as his awake time should be no more than 1.5 to 2 hours. As always, some days (as well as nights) are better than others. I'm thankful that I am not a single mother and have someone I can "tag in" when I'm feeling a little sleep deprived or frustrated. I learned in the first few weeks that I need to get enough sleep, otherwise I can't take care of my baby the way I need to. It still holds true now. Ethan needs more and more attention each day. Gone are the days of plopping him down, he needs something to look at and someone to talk to. Finding things to keep a baby entertained for hours during the day is harder than it sounds. We have a lot of one-sided conversations.
More to come!!!
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Sunday, November 13, 2011
The Birth...
Here's a little recap of the moments leading up to the arrival of Ethan...
Thursday, October 20th (my official due date)
3 PM: Had my 40th week appointment. We discussed induction options and decided that if he didn't come on his own, we would induce the following Tuesday.
6 PM: Mike and I decided to go walk around at the mall. I had felt a few contractions at this point but was unsure they were contractions. From what everyone's said so far, I'm supposed to know when I was having contractions. Since I didn't know, I decided that they couldn't really be contractions. In any case, I mentioned it to Mike and he decided that we should time the contractions.
8 PM: By this point we were finishing up our meal at Cheesecake Factory and my contractions were coming between 45-60 minutes apart. At this point, I was pretty certain that they were probably contractions. I was told by the doctor that you could not do anything during a contraction because the pain would be too much. I was still able to walk and talk, which was why I wasn't 100% convinced.
10 PM: The contractions were getting stronger, lasting longer, but still coming at about 45-60 minutes apart. I decided that I needed to get some rest since that's what I've been reading in the books. Mike was already asleep at this point.
12 AM: Not sure how long I slept for (felt like 10 minutes), but I was woken up by my contractions. They were now coming every 10 minutes and were mildly painful. I decided I wouldn't be able to sleep since they were coming every 10 minutes and tried to find something to watch on TV while flipping through the pages of What to Expect When Expecting. I felt like I still needed to read up on the labor process.
3 AM: Contractions are coming much stronger now. I tried taking a warm bath to distract from the pain (something I read in What to Expect and seen in documentaries). I can't say that it helped. The contractions were coming between 7-8 minutes now.
6 AM: I woke Mike up so that he could drop off our dog to out favorite dog sitter (thank you to the Espiritu family). Contractions were teetering between 5-8 minutes. I finished packing my bags, made myself something to eat, and watched TV to try to distract myself from the contractions. Watching TV did not help. The contractions were pretty painful at this point, and I had to concentrate to get through each one.
8 AM: Mike came home...but he had to get on a quick call for work. It wasn't as quick as I had imagined. While he was on the phone I packed the car and we were finally headed for the hospital around 9.
9:15 AM: Checked into the hospital. I was really glad that we did the hospital tour at this point.
9:30 AM: The nurse and the doctor came in to examine me. I was 3 cm dilated at this point.
11 AM: Another examination...still 3 cm dilated. The doctor decided to break my water to help speed up the process. I was also told that I wouldn't be able to get an epidural between 12-1 since the doctor had a scheduled c-section at that time. I decided that I could wait it out until after 1 PM.
12:01 PM: Must be something psychological but it was at this time that I decided that I really needed an epidural. The pain seemed to get a lot worse once noon hit.
2 PM: Apparently the surgery ran a little long and I ended up having to wait until 2 to get my epidural. I've seen videos of the epidural and seen how painful the process looks. But at this point, I figured that the pain from the epidural couldn't be much worse than my labor pains. The epidural went slower than I thought (I think it took about 30 minutes, or maybe it just seemed that way). The plus side is that it didn't hurt as much as I thought it would. I was at 4 cm now.
3 PM: Ahhh...yes, the drug finally kicked in. Nap time!
5 PM: Woke up from the nap and found that I was really cold. I was so cold that I was shivering pretty badly. I later found out that I wasn't just cold, that having shakes was normal with an epidural. Another exam...labor wasn't progressing as the doctor had hoped so I got a dose of pitocin to speed up my labor.
6:30 PM: Pitocin worked...I was 6 cm dilated now. Feeling a bit nervous and in disbelief that I would be holding a baby before the night was over.
8 PM: Mike's dad arrived at the hospital but he didn't know where to go. Mike went downstairs to go meet him. While Mike was gone, I had another exam and the doctor said that I would need to start pushing in 15 minutes.
8:15 PM: The nurses and doctors came in and told me that were were ready to start pushing. We pushed through 1 contraction but the baby's heart rate was dropping quite a bit so the doctor wanted to give him a break to see if his heart rate would go back up. The doctor said if the heart rate doesn't go back up that we would need to do an emergency c-section. I was feeling pretty nervous at this point. Mike wasn't back yet and I was learning that we might need to have a c-section to get the baby out. I felt like I wasn't ready to push the baby out, but I didn't want to have a c-section either.
8:30 PM: It felt like an eternity but Mike finally came back. I was afraid that I would be giving birth by myself!
8:45 PM: I had pushed through 2-3 contractions at this point but with every push the baby's heart rate would drop to an alarming 70-80 bpm. The doctor gave us the option of getting a c-section or a vacuum assisted delivery with the next push. If the next push didn't go as planned, we would need to get a c-section. We opted for the vacuum assisted delivery.
8:59 PM: I pushed and pushed with all that I had and the doctor helped pulled out our little baby. They plopped him on my belly and told me to open my eyes (I had my eyes closed the entire time). Mike cut the umbilical cord when he was laying on top of me. They then took him away for a few minutes for a cleaning and checkup.
9:45 PM: First breastfeeding...yes, it is as painful as everyone says it is.
11 PM: Left the delivery room and got to the recovery room. I was very exhausted by this point and I couldn't wait to sleep. But Ethan was crying so the nurse asked if I wanted him to be at the nursery. They didn't have an opening at the nursery (which I thought was odd) so they put me on a waiting list. I don't even know when they took him away because I was so tired that I passed out.
Thursday, October 20th (my official due date)
3 PM: Had my 40th week appointment. We discussed induction options and decided that if he didn't come on his own, we would induce the following Tuesday.
6 PM: Mike and I decided to go walk around at the mall. I had felt a few contractions at this point but was unsure they were contractions. From what everyone's said so far, I'm supposed to know when I was having contractions. Since I didn't know, I decided that they couldn't really be contractions. In any case, I mentioned it to Mike and he decided that we should time the contractions.
8 PM: By this point we were finishing up our meal at Cheesecake Factory and my contractions were coming between 45-60 minutes apart. At this point, I was pretty certain that they were probably contractions. I was told by the doctor that you could not do anything during a contraction because the pain would be too much. I was still able to walk and talk, which was why I wasn't 100% convinced.
10 PM: The contractions were getting stronger, lasting longer, but still coming at about 45-60 minutes apart. I decided that I needed to get some rest since that's what I've been reading in the books. Mike was already asleep at this point.
12 AM: Not sure how long I slept for (felt like 10 minutes), but I was woken up by my contractions. They were now coming every 10 minutes and were mildly painful. I decided I wouldn't be able to sleep since they were coming every 10 minutes and tried to find something to watch on TV while flipping through the pages of What to Expect When Expecting. I felt like I still needed to read up on the labor process.
3 AM: Contractions are coming much stronger now. I tried taking a warm bath to distract from the pain (something I read in What to Expect and seen in documentaries). I can't say that it helped. The contractions were coming between 7-8 minutes now.
6 AM: I woke Mike up so that he could drop off our dog to out favorite dog sitter (thank you to the Espiritu family). Contractions were teetering between 5-8 minutes. I finished packing my bags, made myself something to eat, and watched TV to try to distract myself from the contractions. Watching TV did not help. The contractions were pretty painful at this point, and I had to concentrate to get through each one.
8 AM: Mike came home...but he had to get on a quick call for work. It wasn't as quick as I had imagined. While he was on the phone I packed the car and we were finally headed for the hospital around 9.
9:15 AM: Checked into the hospital. I was really glad that we did the hospital tour at this point.
9:30 AM: The nurse and the doctor came in to examine me. I was 3 cm dilated at this point.
11 AM: Another examination...still 3 cm dilated. The doctor decided to break my water to help speed up the process. I was also told that I wouldn't be able to get an epidural between 12-1 since the doctor had a scheduled c-section at that time. I decided that I could wait it out until after 1 PM.
12:01 PM: Must be something psychological but it was at this time that I decided that I really needed an epidural. The pain seemed to get a lot worse once noon hit.
2 PM: Apparently the surgery ran a little long and I ended up having to wait until 2 to get my epidural. I've seen videos of the epidural and seen how painful the process looks. But at this point, I figured that the pain from the epidural couldn't be much worse than my labor pains. The epidural went slower than I thought (I think it took about 30 minutes, or maybe it just seemed that way). The plus side is that it didn't hurt as much as I thought it would. I was at 4 cm now.
3 PM: Ahhh...yes, the drug finally kicked in. Nap time!
5 PM: Woke up from the nap and found that I was really cold. I was so cold that I was shivering pretty badly. I later found out that I wasn't just cold, that having shakes was normal with an epidural. Another exam...labor wasn't progressing as the doctor had hoped so I got a dose of pitocin to speed up my labor.
6:30 PM: Pitocin worked...I was 6 cm dilated now. Feeling a bit nervous and in disbelief that I would be holding a baby before the night was over.
8 PM: Mike's dad arrived at the hospital but he didn't know where to go. Mike went downstairs to go meet him. While Mike was gone, I had another exam and the doctor said that I would need to start pushing in 15 minutes.
8:15 PM: The nurses and doctors came in and told me that were were ready to start pushing. We pushed through 1 contraction but the baby's heart rate was dropping quite a bit so the doctor wanted to give him a break to see if his heart rate would go back up. The doctor said if the heart rate doesn't go back up that we would need to do an emergency c-section. I was feeling pretty nervous at this point. Mike wasn't back yet and I was learning that we might need to have a c-section to get the baby out. I felt like I wasn't ready to push the baby out, but I didn't want to have a c-section either.
8:30 PM: It felt like an eternity but Mike finally came back. I was afraid that I would be giving birth by myself!
8:45 PM: I had pushed through 2-3 contractions at this point but with every push the baby's heart rate would drop to an alarming 70-80 bpm. The doctor gave us the option of getting a c-section or a vacuum assisted delivery with the next push. If the next push didn't go as planned, we would need to get a c-section. We opted for the vacuum assisted delivery.
8:59 PM: I pushed and pushed with all that I had and the doctor helped pulled out our little baby. They plopped him on my belly and told me to open my eyes (I had my eyes closed the entire time). Mike cut the umbilical cord when he was laying on top of me. They then took him away for a few minutes for a cleaning and checkup.
9:45 PM: First breastfeeding...yes, it is as painful as everyone says it is.
11 PM: Left the delivery room and got to the recovery room. I was very exhausted by this point and I couldn't wait to sleep. But Ethan was crying so the nurse asked if I wanted him to be at the nursery. They didn't have an opening at the nursery (which I thought was odd) so they put me on a waiting list. I don't even know when they took him away because I was so tired that I passed out.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
The waiting game....
It has been a week now since I stopped working. And yes, it's as wonderful as I had imagined it would be. I've been doing little things here and there. Still cleaning up all of the presents we got from the baby shower, and organizing everything for the baby. Trying to put up Halloween decorations around the house. Also, I still need to order the rocking chair, but I've been intentionally holding out since it is quite a big purchase. Same with the stroller.
I have to say that I feel pretty lucky for not feeling so lousy. When people find out that I have less than a month to go in my pregnancy, I get a sympathetic "how are you feeling?" look and questions. But aside from some carpel tunnel pains in my hands when I wake in the morning, it hasn't been that bad at all. Ever since I stopped working, I haven't gotten any swelling in my legs or feet, and my back hasn't been hurting too bad. It's amazing what a little R&R can do for you!
I went for my 37th week appointment today and it doesn't look like the baby will come anytime soon. Which is fine by me, for now. It'll give me some more time to get ready and yes...more time to pick out a name for the baby.
I have to say that I feel pretty lucky for not feeling so lousy. When people find out that I have less than a month to go in my pregnancy, I get a sympathetic "how are you feeling?" look and questions. But aside from some carpel tunnel pains in my hands when I wake in the morning, it hasn't been that bad at all. Ever since I stopped working, I haven't gotten any swelling in my legs or feet, and my back hasn't been hurting too bad. It's amazing what a little R&R can do for you!
I went for my 37th week appointment today and it doesn't look like the baby will come anytime soon. Which is fine by me, for now. It'll give me some more time to get ready and yes...more time to pick out a name for the baby.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
A list of things I miss...
I decided to make a list of things I miss most about being not pregnant so I can remind myself for when I'm no longer pregnant...
1) Sushi...raw sushi. Somehow eating just California rolls or caterpillar rolls just isn't cutting it anymore.
2) Being able to drink...I have to admit that I don't miss drinking that much. I just miss being able to go out and have a drink with co-workers, or having a glass of wine with dinner or while reading. I also miss drinking because of the summer feel, like having a nice Mimosa with brunch, or a Margarita while dining al fresco.
3) Deli meat? While I don't really miss deli meat...I miss not being restricted. I never really cared too much about what I should or shouldn't eat, so I guess I miss not having to think about food.
4) Runny egg yolk. I actually really miss this because it reminds me of my childhood. Every morning before I go to school I used to eat egg, mixing the yolk in with the rice with Maggi soy sauce. It's so yummy.
5) Shopping...but kinda not really. Since I've gotten pregnant, I've developed an aversion to shopping. Weird, I know. But I hate walking around the malls, I think its because there's typically one maternity store in each mall. So I end up shopping at the same maternity store over and over, which gets a bit boring. I'm also easily annoyed by other shoppers. I don't miss shopping that much because I think of how much money I've actually saved. :)
I guess there's really not that many things that I miss. Either that or I can't seem to think of it. I'll have to update this post as I think of more things.
1) Sushi...raw sushi. Somehow eating just California rolls or caterpillar rolls just isn't cutting it anymore.
2) Being able to drink...I have to admit that I don't miss drinking that much. I just miss being able to go out and have a drink with co-workers, or having a glass of wine with dinner or while reading. I also miss drinking because of the summer feel, like having a nice Mimosa with brunch, or a Margarita while dining al fresco.
3) Deli meat? While I don't really miss deli meat...I miss not being restricted. I never really cared too much about what I should or shouldn't eat, so I guess I miss not having to think about food.
4) Runny egg yolk. I actually really miss this because it reminds me of my childhood. Every morning before I go to school I used to eat egg, mixing the yolk in with the rice with Maggi soy sauce. It's so yummy.
5) Shopping...but kinda not really. Since I've gotten pregnant, I've developed an aversion to shopping. Weird, I know. But I hate walking around the malls, I think its because there's typically one maternity store in each mall. So I end up shopping at the same maternity store over and over, which gets a bit boring. I'm also easily annoyed by other shoppers. I don't miss shopping that much because I think of how much money I've actually saved. :)
I guess there's really not that many things that I miss. Either that or I can't seem to think of it. I'll have to update this post as I think of more things.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
It's finally kicking in
A few days after we found out our baby would be a boy I went shopping for baby clothes. As I pick out cute little outfits, I saw an outfit that I thought would be perfect to bring the baby home in. It came complete with a matching blanket. Some how, picking out the baby's coming home clothes finally made it real...that I'm having a baby. That in 4-5 months, I'll be a mom, and I'll have a son. Its such a weird thought, and it got me a bit emotional.
An old co-worker of mine once said that it takes exactly nine months for you to be emotionally ready to be a mom. I'm starting to think she might be right.
An old co-worker of mine once said that it takes exactly nine months for you to be emotionally ready to be a mom. I'm starting to think she might be right.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
The opposite of anorexia...
I started buying maternity clothes relatively early because 1) I figured I'd need them sooner or later so I might as well get them now, and 2) my pants were already starting to get tight at 8 weeks, mainly because I never stopped being hungry. I first started with the belly band, which lasted for about 2-3 weeks. By week 12 I was wearing only maternity pants. After a few trips to Pea in a Pod and Motherhood, I figured out that I was a size XS (gone are the days of numbered sizes).
Today, after another expensive trip to Pea in a Pod, I thought that I'd try my old non-maternity work pants on. It wouldn't fit over my thighs. GASP! I quickly pulled it down because I didn't want to dwell over it too long. I then figured out that shopping in maternity stores made me think I only gained belly weight, but in reality, I've gained weight everywhere else as well.
Everything started to make sense now. When I would shop at regular clothing stores for tops, I would still grab my usual extra small or small, only to find that it wouldn't fit. Instead of thinking that I've grown out of my usual size, I thought "oh, it must run small." Now I know better.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)