August 2011

The death to a new mom’s sanity: light sleeping baby cat nappers!!

by Courtney on August 29, 2011

Ok, we’re 5 weeks into this whole baby alive in my house thing and one thing is for sure – we need to be on a freaking schedule that includes naps. And I mean REAL naps – none of this 15, 20, or 30 minute cat nap B.S. Seriously, how am I supposed to get ANYTHING done around the house, or get my ass back into shape if baby girl can’t close her eyes and keep ‘em closed for at least an hour a couple times a day?? I know she’s only 5 weeks old, so I can’t just whip her into shape, which my husband seems to think I should be able to do… He’s all; “If I were you, I’d have baby on a schedule and just be doing the same shit every day.” Oh like he’s some baby whispering pro. (He’s not.) I’ve heard people say that you can’t put a baby on a schedule until about 3 months old, but I feel like by then we’ll be into some habits already, good or bad, and I just want to make sure I’m not missing some window of time where I should be creating this schedule and sleep associations for baby Annabelle.

I don’t understand it. Annabelle will just get done eating and be dead to the world on the boob – sleeping on the job, as always.  So I’ll put her in the swing or in her Boppy pillow and be all hopeful that I’ll get a break to do other things. I’ll literally tiptoe all over the house, even if she’s upstairs and I’m downstairs – I’m still tiptoeing! I give my poor dog death looks and tiptoe chase him around the house if he decides now is a good time to bark at the delivery truck outside. And if I’m anywhere near Annabelle’s sleeping body, I literally hold my breath for fear that the sound of my exhales will wake her. And this is my other problem; baby girl is one helluva light sleeper! In the first couple of weeks, when she slept you literally had to check her pulse to make sure she was still breathing because nothing seemed to wake her. No such luck anymore. So this light sleeping has created this cat napping situation that is exhausting this new mama. Tonight, my husband was picking a fussy Annabelle up from her oh-too-short nap and told her he was arresting her on suspicion of cat napping! Ha!

Swaddles and swings

I’ve been hearing that the book “The Happiest Baby on the Block” is a great book on how to soothe a crying baby, so I bought the DVD version because who has time to read anymore? There are some great tips to help get your baby to calm down and to sleep longer, such as swaddling and putting your baby in a swing. So we’ve started swaddling again (we’d stopped swaddling after week two for some reason) and the stupid blanket comes undone too easily so it sort of fails to do its job, which is to hold Annabelle’s flailing arms down like she’s in a straight jacket. But we do have a sleep sac with these wing things that cross in the front and Velcro, holding her arms down. That works pretty well at night, but we don’t want to use it during the day because we want it to be a nighttime sleep association.

The other thing we did was purchase a big Fisher Price swing because the DVD said the swing is where it’s at and so many moms have told me that the swing is a life saver. So far it’s definitely an improvement as far as helping to calm her and a place to put her when she’s falling asleep and we want to give our arms a break. But it doesn’t soothe a screaming baby – only a boob does. However, I would definitely recommend all babies have a swing because they do love that swinging motion and it certainly does help to improve a situation.

When we’re ready (and Annabelle is a little older), I’m thinking of purchasing the book on the Ferber Method, which  it’s all about getting your baby to sleep and learn how to nap and sleep in their cribs as opposed to co-sleeping with mom and dad or sleeping in a bassinet in mom and dad’s room. The idea of putting Annabelle in her crib if she’s fussy and not picking her up when she’s crying sounds so devastating to me, but at some point, you have to teach your baby some independence and actually teach them how to sleep, because apparently babies need to be taught to sleep!? But there’s a whole process to it, you don’t just put her in her crib and walk away never to be seen again. You go back several times to reassure her. But this is all I know, I need to read the book.

Anyways, this is where my heads at right now – getting baby on a schedule and figuring out how to turn these cat naps into real naps that last for about 1-2 hours a couple times per day. I need this for my sanity! At the end of the day, Annabelle is a good baby and I’m thankful that *so far* I’m not dealing with colic or anything like that; but being a new mom is definitely a challenge and you just NEED a break at least a couple times a day.

If any of you have a success story on how you got your baby to nap during the day, or if you have any book suggestions on the topic please share in the comments section! I’ll take any advice I can get these days!

Share

{ 11 comments }

Deep thoughts on projectile poop, breastfeeding, and anxiety over being alone with the baby!

by Courtney on August 23, 2011

Happy one month birthday to my baby girl, Annabelle! I can’t believe how fast time has flown by! It seems like just yesterday that I was in the hospital delivering this little cutie-pie and here we are, a month later! We’ve been lucky to have family in town for the last month helping out and giving us an extra set of hands so we can do other things here and there, like go on a date or run some errands. But as of today, we’re officially on our own – everyone is gone. :( And now I’m having anxiety about being alone with the baby for extended periods of time while my husband is back to work and traveling overnight. The morning and afternoon isn’t that bad being alone with baby, but it’s when we get into the early evening when she has her fussy time and she’s not napping and I need to make dinner, do some laundry – WRITE A BLOG POST – and she’s not having any of it!

“WAH! WAH! You better not put me down mama!!! WAH!”  – I imagine this is what her cries translate to.

I know every mom has to deal with this, but it just makes me nervous. Like, am I going to pull my hair out not being able to do much during the day other than hold, feed, and change the baby? Or will I feel horribly guilty for letting Annabelle cry it out a bit while I go to the bathroom, sit down for a meal, or take a shower? I don’t know how single moms do it, or moms of multiple babies!

Take cover from the…POOP! (Warning: TMI!)

Let’s talk about poop, specifically, projectile poop. We have a changing table in Annabelle’s room upstairs and then we’ve made a makeshift changing spot on our ottoman in our living room for convenience when we’re downstairs. But now we’re realizing this living room changing spot is a bad idea. At least three times this week we’ve had to clean projectile poop off our couch, SHAG rug (ew!), and Jeff’s shorts and legs from sitting right in front of the ottoman as he changes AB! She literally squirts shit out EVERY TIME SHE POOPS! And it happens like 3-4 times in ONE changing session. We’ve wasted so many diapers from thinking she’s done sharting and then she totally blows out a brand new diaper before we’ve even taped the second side of the diaper shut! So now, I sort of have to create a shield with the old diaper to catch the second and third coming of projectile poo that resembles split pea and sometimes butternut squash soup! This is a pain in the ass at 4am when I’ve just nursed her for 40 minutes and I’m so sleepy and just want to go back to bed! But, you know what, I love the little munchkin and she makes such cute little faces while pooping that I forgive her sharts.

The breastfeeding saga

Ok, so breastfeeding definitely gets easier than that first week, but I’ll be honest; it’s still a challenge for me. Sometimes it’s more painful than others, and for some reason, those painful times just happen to be at her 3am and 7am feedings! Ugh! At 4 weeks old, I think baby girl is going through a growth spurt, so she’s hungrier more often than the 3 hour schedule I’m trying to keep her on, and she wants to eat longer than 20 minutes on each side. That being said; I’m a little concerned because I don’t think she’s gaining much weight. She gained 12 ounces in one week in our last pediatrician appointment, so I thought she was well on her way to plumping up. Because of this, the doctor even gave me the green light to cut out the formula supplementing since her weight gain was going well. But then last week I weighed her and she weighed about the same as the week before! They say babies are supposed to gain about an ounce per day, so what’s wrong with this picture?? Is AB not getting enough breast milk? This is definitely frustrating because you try so hard to do this thing that is definitely a challenge and then you freak that you may not be producing enough milk! I’m going to call and make a lactation appointment with a consultant because I think I could use some tips on how to make this easier. AHHH! The breastfeeding saga continues…!

The good news is that I joined a mommy group and started it today. I’ll blog on that next because I think it’s going to be a life saver for me! There’s nothing like talking projectile poop, boob feeding challenges, sleep issues, etc. with other ladies that are going through the exact same things I’m going through! From here, mommy play dates will spin off and I’ll officially be in full on mommy mode with a packed schedule. I’ll need to go get a dry erase board for my kitchen wall to keep things organized! Oh, look at my life now!

Share

{ 2 comments }

Figuring out parenthood one day at a time

by Courtney on August 16, 2011

When I was pregnant it used to sort of annoy me when people would tell me; “Oh, having a baby is SO MUCH WORK………..but it’s so worth it.” I think it irritated me because it wasn’t like I expected motherhood to be a cake walk or anything! And I felt like what people were really saying was; “Holy shit, having a newborn is Hard-As-Hell and can suck buuuuuut….oh, how can I put a positive spin on this??? …..But it’s SOOOO worth it!”

Now, just about every day someone asks me how motherhood is.  They might phrase the question; “OMG, congrats! Don’t you love it?!”  And my response just so happens to be… “Well, it’s a lot of work…that’s for sure. But I love my baby to pieces so it’s so worth it! I’m just figuring out parenthood one day at a time!”

Hmm…sound familiar? Now I get it! You see, it IS a lot of work. Your whole life changes when you become a parent. Your schedule is now dictated by your baby’s feeding schedule and sleep times. I’m now three weeks into being a mommy and I would describe my days somewhat like Groundhogs Day! It’s pretty much the same schedule with a little variation from day to day based on what our ONE outing is; whether it be out to lunch, to the store, or simply a walk in the stroller. With breastfeeding, you get about a 1 ½ -2 hour window of time to get some things done, such as laundry, cleaning, taking a shower, writing a blog, etc. before you’re back to feeding again! But that’s only if the baby will let you put her down! Sometimes you work that entire window of time to get her to go to sleep and she finally does 30 minutes before her next feeding! Ahh!

Tummy time!

Luckily, we’ve got little Annabelle on somewhat of a schedule, where she eats every 3 hours and she knows her days and nights. She goes to bed after her 10pm feeding and gets up around 3am and 6:30am to eat, and then sleeps until 8ish. Problem is; I don’t really know what to do with her when she’s awake! I feel like my husband and I spend all her awake times trying to get her to go to sleep! I actually just discovered yesterday that she’s old enough now for “tummy time”! We tried this when she was 4 days old and she hated the hell out of tummy time, but at 3 weeks, it’s kind of interesting to her! She kicks her legs and tries to lift her butt in the air. I swear; this little girl is going to be crawling WAY before I’m ready for it. Plus, she already lifts her head on her own!! In those 15 minutes of tummy time yesterday I feel like I saw a whole new side of Annabelle. I’m used to the eating, sleeping, crying Annabelle…now I see that she’s old enough to learn stuff or physically try new things, and suddenly I fear she’s growing up too fast! But I’m realizing that I need to start doing more stuff with her than holding her and feeding her. Everyday it’s a learning experience.

The next thing I need to tackle is getting on a real routine where I can start putting her down for naps at the same time each day and I can find time to do other things, like go to the gym or maybe go to Baby Boot Camp with her.  I have anxiety about joining a boot camp or mommy and me yoga class because I don’t want her to break out into a crying spree that only ends with a boob in her mouth. A boob in the mouth isn’t so convenient when I’m trying to push a stroller with 15 other moms and keep up with the pack! But surely I’m not the only mom that worries about this – or has to deal with a screaming baby at the most inopportune time! Oh, the insecurities of new motherhood…

It’s amazing how quickly life changes in a single moment in time. I know things will get easier as little AB ages, and quite honestly, she’s a pretty darn good baby, so I don’t have a lot to complain about. It’s just getting used to the fact that I don’t have the freedom I once had and this is my new normal. I hope to create a schedule that affords me some more time to not only get some much needed things done around the house, and to start a new exercise routine, but also a chance to blog more regularly and share this journey of figuring out motherhood as I go! So stay tuned!

Any moms out there have advice for how to get your baby to nap during the day, or books I should read on getting your baby on a schedule?

Share

{ 9 comments }

Mama Drama: Breastfeeding woes – more stuff no one ever tells you…

by Courtney on August 8, 2011

Milk drunk!

To continue on with the theme of my last blog of the stuff no one talks about after childbirth, let’s talk about breastfeeding, and the stuff you just don’t ever hear about…

In pregnancy, you read all about breastfeeding in baby books, magazines, etc. and for me at least, it became a big source of anxiety. Aside from the positive nutritional benefits of breastfeeding, I also read that it’s a great way to lose the baby weight, so I was totally on board with this! That being said; there was SO much written about it, that I started psyching myself out for it.

From the minute the nurses guided my baby girl Annabelle to my boob to breastfeed for the first time, I felt the PINCH when she latched on. I guess I did read here and there that breastfeeding shouldn’t hurt if you have the proper latch, but I didn’t think anything of it before it became my reality. But now that I was here, with a baby hanging on, I was like; WHAT THE EFF THIS HURTS SO BAD!! Yet, the lactation nurses and regular nurses all took a look Annabelle’s latch and they all said it looked great! So basically, that whole “it shouldn’t hurt if you have the proper latch” bullshit is just that – BUUUUULLLLLLSHHIIIIITTT!

My nips became raw in no time. My baby has a strong suck and it was killing me one feed at a time! I quickly began to dread the feedings. And that’s not good because you’re supposed to breastfeed your newborn every 3 hours – and the 3 hours starts at the beginning of your feeding. So if you feed for around 40-50 minutes, you only have a 2 hour window to get things done around the house – or go to lunch, get a mani, etc. – before you’ve got to put baby back on the boob and start the process all over again. It’s exhausting.

By day two I already had a blister from Annabelle’s improper latch! So every feeding she was making it worse and worse. It got to the point where when we’d sit down to nurse and she’d latch on I’d literally get chills starting in my head that would shoot down to my toes. It was mind numbing!! And it didn’t get any better when we got home. Thank god I had pain killers to deal with the afterbirth. Hey, pain is pain!  (P.S. The pain meds won’t harm the baby in case you were judging . :) )

One thing that every new mom worries about when she’s breastfeeding is whether her milk has come in. They say it can take 3-5 days before it comes in (in some cases, maybe more), and so all your baby is eating in those first few days is colostrum. This is really amazing super milk juice for your baby, but as I mentioned in my previous blog, it’s only enough to line the baby’s stomach. So what did Annabelle do nonstop in those first 5 days? CRY, CRY, CRY! She was so dang fussy and Jeff and I were at our wits end. I of course had my tearful breakdown in the bathroom that every new mom surely has – I was at a loss for what to do!

The in home nurse came out for her routine visit 2 days after we left the hospital on Friday and gave me the news I was dreading… Annabelle had lost more than 10% of her birth weight, going from 7 lbs 5 oz to 6 lbs 7 oz. in 4 days. The nurse recommended I supplement her feedings with a one ounce bottle of formula. I cried. I wasn’t crying about giving her formula, it was more the feeling like I was starving my baby because my milk hadn’t come in yet. I was afraid if she had a bottle this early she’d have nipple confusion and prefer a bottle – which is easier to extract milk from than a boob – and she’d turn her nose up to breastfeeding. When I saw Jeff feed her a bottle for the first time and she sucked away excited as all hell to be eating something EASY and free flowing I literally had a guttural reaction and cried harder than I ever had. Jeff was shocked by my reaction – and so was I. I felt like I wasn’t good enough. But this reaction also was a result of raging hormonal changes that new moms go through after childbirth!

I’d heard that drinking a beer and using a warm compress on your chest can help with your milk letdown, so I settled into the couch on Friday night and had my first beer since November and heated up my boobies with a hot rag. And guess what….my milk came in! Whether it was a result of the beer or it was just that time, I was thrilled to the max. The first time I saw milk on Annabelle’s chin when I pulled her away from the boob I was over the moon – I even took a picture!! I supplemented her feedings with that one ounce bottle after every feeding and by Monday Annabelle was back to her birth weight of 7 lbs 5 oz! I quickly learned that a well fed baby is a happy baby – and a sleepy baby! Things changed for the better rather quickly after this feeding change up.

Ways to relieve nursing pain

1)      Take a hot shower in the morning – or before a feeding – and that will help sort of numb your chest a bit.

2)      Drink a beer at night before her bedtime feeding. It relaxes you and warms you up.

3)      Find a good spot in your house with lots of pillows or a Bobby pillow that can help bring the baby to your boobs. Whatever you do, don’t slouch forward thinking your milk will pour out like a pitcher of iced tea! This is what I did and my back got so bad that I’ve already seen the chiropractor twice in the last 2 weeks!

4)      Did I already mention pain killers? At least in the first week (or two)! And then Ibuprofen should suffice after that!

5) *UPDATE* I just discovered Medelo tender care hydrogel soothing gel pads for your nips! They provide a cooling sensation after a feeding, which is great, because if you’re like me, your nips feel like they’re sunburned after a feeding! Plus, there feels like a medicated effect as well. Two days after using the product, my nipples are a lot less sensitive after a feeding. AWESOME!!

Two weeks later, I’m just learning to toughen up with the breastfeeding. There’s always that little sting at the initial latch, but as long as I’m supporting the baby well then I quickly get used to the feeling and the pain fades to a tolerable amount – especially if I have a distraction, like talking on the phone, watching TV, writing thank you cards, etc.

Why stick with breastfeeding if it’s painful?

A happy milk drunk!

Let me just say that I was on the verge of formula within a couple days because I couldn’t stand the pain. But what kept me going was the look on Annabelle’s face when she was nursing. She just looked so content and happy. I have fallen in love with her profile because that’s the angle I spend so much time looking down at during the day. She just looks so precious and this has become our little mommy and daughter bonding time every day. Despite the discomfort of nursing, it’s also my favorite thing to do with my baby. So my advice to new moms who plan to breastfeed is to stick with it and you’ll get past the initial pain and suffering! I’m not in the clear in a pain free zone yet myself, but I hear I’ll eventually get there and I feel like I’m on my way, so I’m just looking forward to that time!

I hope this doesn’t scare expecting moms who are reading this blog, but I just wanted to share my experience thus far and keep it real for you. As I’ve said; everyone says it does get better and so second nature that you do it in a snap and don’t feel pain anymore. You just have to get over the initial hump! So keep with it, mama!

If you breastfed, do you have any suggestions for getting through those early days of nursing?

Share

{ 3 comments }

The afterbirth…the stuff no one talks about. (Warning: gory details ahead!)

by Courtney on August 4, 2011

At the end of your pregnancy you’re just so over being pregnant. You can’t wait to meet your child, but also you can’t wait to just get her out so you can have your body back too! While preggo, you read all about pregnancy, labor, and how to care for your newborn, but you never really read about what happens after you deliver your baby…the afterbirth. And since there may be some ladies who are expecting that read this blog, or plan to have babies in the future, this is just an F.Y.I. :)

Alright, PUUUUUUUUUUUUUUSH!

They pull the baby out….she cries…RELIEF! They put the baby on your chest…Oh Hi Honey! Your doctor tells you to give her one final push, you do, and then she pulls out your placenta that looks like a big ole sirloin steak – aaaaaannnnnd she used tongs to get it out. Then you feel tugging at your crotch and you realize doc is sewing you up because your tore. OUCH!! But thankfully, with an epidural, you won’t feel the pain in this procedure – for now. In my case, I had a fever during labor (not that I felt it, I was asleep with an epidural the entire time), and because of this, my baby had to have an IV and be monitored by the NICU for 48 hours. So they took her away soon after birth for like 6 freaking hours. So I slept.

The gory postpartum

After a couple hours it’s time to move to your postpartum room, so your nurse wheels you there, and with an epi, you’re in a total sleepy fog. The nurse wheeled me to the NICU, parked me and someone handed me my baby and asked me if I’d like to breastfeed. I’m all; “sure…” I probably slurred my word. The nurse hands me the baby, positions her, and then helps your baby latch on. One thing that you quickly learn during childbirth and beyond is to get over your modesty if you have any. I have a lot. But it’s true what everyone says, you get over it really quickly – you’ve got no choice anyway! Within 3 minutes of breastfeeding, which maybe felt weird to me at first, I can’t remember, I was asleep with a baby on my boob. Breastfeeding releases a hormone called oxytocin, which makes you super sleepy.

Then I’m wheeled to my postpartum room and handed to a new nurse. She puts me in bed and comes and checks on me periodically. Then she did what I was dreading – she took out my catheter. So now, I’m going to have to be a big girl and pee on my own. This is where you kind of feel like you lose your dignity. Your nurse sits in front of you and squirts your crotch with a water bottle because wiping is out of the question at this point in time! Then she helps you into gauze type underwear that make granny panties look sexy, and gives you a giant maxi pad. She comes in throughout the day and night to check your pad to monitor your bleeding, then checks your ass to monitor your hemorrhoids! To say you have a bit of a sore ass and crotch is an understatement. I lived in constant fear of having to go to the bathroom.

Aside from your personal nurses constantly checking you and your NICU nurses checking your baby, lactation nurses come in and want to check your baby’s latch on your booby, and if you’re doing it wrong, she’ll reposition the baby’s mouth, move your boob wherever it needs to go, etc. Like I said; modesty has no place here. But here’s the thing… yes, you lose any shred of modesty that you had coming into this place, but if your nurses are anything like the postpartum nurses at my hospital, they’ll make a rather unpleasant experience a good one. I had the best ladies taking care of me; they were so motherly and bright and happy which certainly helped me see everything I was going through more positively. By the end of my stay, I’d seen the same nurses multiple times and I felt like I wanted to leave thank you cards for each of them…but there were too many and too many names to remember for me to do that. This is just another day at the office for postpartum nurses, but for me, it meant a lot how well they treated me and my baby.

Annabelle had an IV since mama had a fever in labor.

Aside from the gory details of what your body goes through in the first days following delivery, let’s not forget that you’re now a parent and you’ve got a newborn to take care of – even in your delicate state. And guess what…newborns cry and poop and eat and cry, poop, and eat A LOT. Problem is – if you plan to breastfeed – your milk hasn’t come in yet and it won’t for 3-5 days (or sometimes more!). So you’ve got this colostrum that comes first, which is supposed to be super awesome for your baby, but it’s just enough to line their stomach…not quite enough to satiate them. So what does this mean…………….WAH! WAH! WAAAAAH! WAH! *Baby crying*

Oh no! This is where the breastfeeding woes begin. You go home and you’re all; “What did I get myself into? HELP!!”

Next blog: breastfeeding drama lama! Someone pass me the pain killers and a beer. This. Freaking. HURTS!

Share

{ 10 comments }

The birth story of Annabelle Grace, my new baby girl!

by Courtney on August 1, 2011

After 41 long weeks of pregnancy, my baby girl has finally arrived into this world! I’ve blogged about my entire pregnancy; from finding out I’m preggers to wondering if my baby was ever going to be born being that she was a week late! So folks, I’m super excited for you to finally meet my Stage 5 Clinger – little Ms. Life Changer – Annabelle Grace! She was born on Monday, July 25th at 8:56am, weighing in at 7 lbs and 5 oz and is 19.5” long. She’s a total baby doll. Precious as can be – sweet as pie – and cute as the cutest button! There’s so much to say right now that I almost don’t know where to begin! But since this is her birth story, we’ll back up a week ago to Sunday the 24th, when I went into the hospital for my scheduled induction.

Even though I had a scheduled induction, I was still holding out hope that I’d go into labor naturally up until the last hour before leaving for the hospital. I just wanted to experience labor pains and my water breaking and nervously going to the hospital, excited for what’s about to happen. I wanted the element of surprise, which I wasn’t getting with an induction. But it is what it is – my Stage 5 Clinger wasn’t budging. Jeff and I arrived at 8pm and within an hour or so, I had a Foley Balloon inserted which is supposed to help the cervix mechanically open, preparing me for a pitocin injection at 5am on Monday morning, which would force contractions to start. Despite the fact that I was 41 weeks pregnant, I was still only 1 centimeter dilated and about 70% effaced. The nurse said she expected me to deliver my baby sometime Monday evening.

Not going to lie, the insertion of the balloon hurt like hell. As soon as the doctor left, I cried. I was thinking; OH GOD, if I’m crying over this, how the hell am I going to handle labor? It’s going to be a long night! I felt like a wimp. The nurse told me I’d experience some mild cramping from the balloon, but I noticed not too long after the balloon was inserted that I started feeling contractions and they’d last maybe 45 seconds and come and go every 3-4 minutes. I asked my nurse if it was possible for Mother Nature to step in at the same time I’m here to be induced and I could go into labor before the pitocin shot. She said it was unlikely since this was my first baby. But I was sure I was having contractions because it was more than “mild cramping”. As the pain increased, I asked what kinds of pain meds were available. I felt like the nurse was thinking I was a total pussy because in her mind I wasn’t even having contractions and I was already asking about narcotics and epidurals! So she gave me some pain drug that made me feel totally high as a kite and it did numb me…for a bit. But then my contractions got stronger and they felt really trippy being on this pain drug. The pain got worse and I was telling my judgey nurse to get me an epidural stat! I didn’t care if I hadn’t even had my pitocin shot, I was suffering!  It’s all a bit of a haze, but about 1 or 2am, the anesthesiologist came in to save my day. I was a little nervous about the epi shot because of all the hoopla surrounding it and how big that needle is that people always talk about. But hell, I never even saw the needle because dude was behind me! And with my level of pain, it literally felt like a freaking bee sting! It was a joke! Ladies – don’t’ fear the epidural shot. It’s nothing! Within about 20 minutes or so, the lower half of my body was numb. Relief!

Then, I slept.  And slept…

The nurse would come in periodically through the night/early morning to check me, and by about 4am she informed me that I was now 5 ½ centimeters dilated and will not need a pitocin shot anymore! Ha! So I was right – Mother Nature stepped in before the pitocin injection had a chance to come near me – awesome! Then, I went back to sleep. By about 7:30am on Monday my new, nicer nurse (shift change) came in and told me that I was now 10 centimeters dilated and will be pushing as soon as the doctor gets there. I’m all; WTF? So aside from those 1-2 hours of horrid contractions pre-epidural, I slept through my entire labor? How. Freaking. Awesome. Around 8:15am my nurse said we should do some practice pushes, so we got into position — by the way, this moment is so surreal to me because it’s what I’ve seen in movies and on TV my entire life, but I could never actually picture myself in this position — and I pushed. The nurses were impressed, telling me I was a great pusher and they could already see the head!!! But we needed to wait a little longer for the doctor. I was like; do we really need a doctor anyway? By 8:30 the doctor arrives and I have 4 sets of pushes (which have 3 rapid pushes in a row per set) and my baby is born – 25 minutes later! *Tears*

Holy swollen mama!!!! But look at that wittle girl....!

It was a bit scary for a couple minutes because she wasn’t crying. Suddenly, it went from a room of 4 people to about 15 people, either working on the baby or working on me. They told me the baby was just stunned because when she came out the chord was wrapped around her neck twice. This has always been my fear. But soon she was crying and they were placing her on my chest. I did that ugly cry thing where I close my eyes and try not to cry but I fail miserably and just look pitiful as I sit there shaking in silence! But obviously they were tears of pure joy to finally hold my baby – that little thing that had been kicking and hiccupping and rolling around inside me for all those months! I couldn’t believe I was finally meeting her. And she had my nose…and my lips! When you’re able to see a reflection of yourself in your baby so fast like that, it’s………………….it’s hard to explain the miracle of it all…

My next blog will be a part 2 of this birth story to discuss what nobody ever seems to talk about – the after birth. And breastfeeding…oh the breastfeeding….. (ouch!) Ya, nobody ever talks about the “ouch” part either!

What’s in a name?

The name Annabelle Grace has a special meaning for me. Back in 2006, my Granny passed away and I was absolutely devastated. She was the classic grandmother that cooked the best Southern food and doted on me just as a grandmother should. I was HER stage 5 clinger when I was a kid! :) When she passed, I told Jeff immediately that I wanted to name my future daughter after her. And her name was Anna Grace. But when I moved to California 4 years ago my boss at the time was named Anna, and suddenly the name reminded me of work! So for a while I kind of lost interest in the name. When I found out I was pregnant I was reading a list of top baby names and I really loved the name Isabella, but it was the #2 baby name in 2010. I just didn’t want her to have the same name as 5 other girls in every classroom she’s in growing up. I moved all the way down the list and my eyes landed on name #73, Annabelle. There it is, I thought. This is the perfect combo of my two favorite names. I could pay homage to my Granny but the baby will still have her own name. I added Grace as the middle name and ta-dah, Annabelle Grace it is. And I love it so much.

Thanks for reading!

Share

{ 11 comments }