pregnant

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?

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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?

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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!

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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!

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Patience is a virtue…

by Courtney on July 21, 2011

Nope, I have not had my baby yet. Yes, my due date was Monday the 18th, and today is FRIDAY the 22nd. And I’m still f-r-e-a-k-i-n-g pregnant!

The anti-climatic passing of my due date has caused me to feel somewhat depressed in the past few days. I wake up every morning at 9am with the sun shining in and no contractions or a soaked bed under me (you know, from water breaking!) and I just pout as a lie there. I’m almost through three full weeks of maternity leave with no freaking baby! There’s only so much you can do to pass the time before it starts feeling like Groundhog’s Day and you’re doing the same thing over and over again. The highlight of my day is going to the dog park with my husband and red puppy and walking the 20 minute loop around the park. That’s about it! And then every few days or so I go to the pool and do my own little version of water aerobics to help with flexibility. Today, Jeff said he was going to the gym and I wined; “Well, what am I supposed to do?” And he said I should go to the pool. I then said; “I’m so sick of the pool.” And Jeff’s all; “Who says that???”  

The hard part is that throughout this whole journey you look toward this arbitrary delivery date that your doctor gives you and everything revolves around that date. You begin to love the sound of that date…the number becomes perfect to you – it’s going to be your child’s birthday! And then when the date comes and goes with zero fanfare, it’s SO deflating. And then people are constantly calling, emailing, texting, Facebook stalking trying to find out the latest news and all I can say over and over again is: No baby. Annnnnd it can definitely add to your depression/frustration over this whole lack of a baby situation! Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s really sweet that so many people are interested. I just didn’t realize HOW MANY people were this interested! It’s pretty cool actually.

The bottom line, I will have the baby by or before Monday, July 25th – my official induction date. So I’ll be a mommy in 4 days or less. So when I say it like that, it makes this entire blog post sound kind of complainy for complaining sake! But I think those ladies that have had late babies can attest to the feelings I’m feeling. It doesn’t matter that you know the baby is eventually coming; it’s just that you can’t wait to meet your little one that even one more day is too many days to wait!

But now I’m trying to just be patient and enjoy my final days, baby free. Patience is a virtue they say. Soon, I will be doing ‘round the clock feedings, diapering, and sleeping – all with a super packed schedule that is recommended in my current baby book “The Baby Nurse Bible”. After reading this schedule, it really opened my eyes to the hard work this is going to be – not that I ever thought it was going to be a cake walk! But there’s something about seeing a 24 hour schedule laid out for you in half hour intervals that include; “Mom, take a shower”, which definitely makes reality set in. Sooooo…maybe I should shut up about going to the pool?

Alrighty peeps, this will be my last blog post before the baby is born! I’ll try to get my birth story out as soon as I can find some free time to blog after the baby is born! Hmm….free time after the baby is born…. Perhaps these are mutually exclusive things here? Ha! Well, I’ll do my best! I’m sure my excitement over sharing the news will help me power through! Talk to you on the other side!

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Ok baby…it’s your due date…WHERE ARE YOU??? Oh fine – check out my 40-week baby bump!!!

by Courtney on July 17, 2011

Today is July 18, 2011…

Do you know why this date is significant, dear readers? Well, today is my baby’s DUE DATE!!! Today is the day I’m supposed to meet my baby girl…the love of my life, the apple of my eye – the doll that I get to dress up every day for at least the next 5 years…. But I don’t know, something tells me little one is getting cold feet. This little chica is turning out to be stubborn as hell! And she doesn’t get it from me!!! SO, because of her lack of urgency in joining this world, I now have an official INDUCTION DATE of July 25th. Yep, if my stage 5 clinger doesn’t come on her own in the next 7 days, she’s getting forced out!!

Oh why me? Why did I have to go and eat such horribly awesome things that taste so good throughout this pregnancy that baby doesn’t want to ever come out? Why would she give up pizza and daily Wendy’s Frosty’s for a bland milk diet? (I can’t say I blame her in that regard.) People try to make me feel better about my still being pregnant problem by saying I’ve created such comfortable living quarters in my belly that the baby just doesn’t want to come out. And then I feel comforted. But technically I know that has nothing to do with it. I just don’t get why some babies come 2 weeks early and some come a week late and have to be dragged out kicking and screaming (no pun intended!).

These days, I feel like a total masochist. I can’t wait to feel contractions – bring on the pain! (Sure, I say this now!) I learned in my birthing class that this is the only time in your life when pain equals a good thing because you have to feel it in order to get the baby out. Apparently, a contracting uterus is no walk in the park.  You know the saying: no pain no gain! But I’ve felt nothing – no contractions, at least I don’t think. I feel little aches and pains here and there, but nothing consistent, so I don’t know if they’re contractions or if last night’s bratwurst just isn’t agreeing with me.

My celebrity friends are rubbing their newborn babies in my face!!

Can I just tell you how jealous I am reading about all the celebrities popping out their babies in the last few weeks? As I’m sure every loyal reader of Us Weekly knows, about 90% of Hollywood has been preggo this year, including Kate Hudson, Pink, Jewel, Victoria Beckham, Alicia Silverstone, and Natalie Portman, to name a few. And one by one, I’m reading about them all dropping like flies and having their babies. And here I am…all alone on my pregnant island (no more celebrity friends :( ) and I’m dying of envy.

NEWS FLASH: I just read that even Ivanka Trump had her baby today. I thought for sure she was way behind me. HMPH!!

Ahhhh well, even though I feel like I’m going to be pregnant forever, there is definitely an end in sight – and it’s 7 days or less. Even though I think I’m ready, nothing can really prepare you for the responsibility of being a parent – especially of a newborn, because you don’t really know what the hell you’re doing! It’s an overwhelming thought and even now, days away, I still find it so surreal that it’s almost here…

My final baby bump watch pic – 40 weeks!

Forty freaking weeks pregnant! Ten months! Two months shy of a YEAR! I’ve been pregnant for so long, I literally can’t even imagine not being pregnant now! It’s become my identity! So anyway, this is my last baby bump watch picture. Even though I’m SO ready to not be pregnant anymore, it’s kind of bittersweet knowing this is my last weekly bump pic! It’s been an amazing journey to say the least.

Babycenter.com actually says this week: “It’s hard to say how big your baby is now…” HA! I’m just praying little girl doesn’t literally walk out of me a freaking teenager at this point! I actually gave little girl a pep talk today as I rubbed her extended little footsie poking at my side. I told her that it was ok to come out now, not to be scared! Mommy and daddy love her and are ready to meet her, so it was time to enter this world! I hope that eases her cold feet a bit…!

P.S. Does anyone think I look skinnier in my40 week bump watch pic than I did in my 37 week bump pic in the same dress and pose? It’s all that walking I’m doing I think! Just sayin’!

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Hey Moms: What advice would you give yourself days before motherhood began?

by Courtney on July 16, 2011

You know how when you’re about to embark on a big life change, like going to college or getting married, you were wide eyed and didn’t quite know what you were getting yourself into it? And then looking back years later, you wish you could tell your 18 year old self to major in something different or study more? Well moms, what would you go back and tell your preggo self pre-motherhood?

My friend sent me this great video called “Reflections of Motherhood”, created by Nummies.com, and it asks moms if they could go back to just days before they had their first babies, what advice they’d give themselves. Being days away from motherhood myself, I found this video so touching. The advice the moms gave, coupled with the song on the video of course made tears stream down my face!

SO, being due on the 18th of July, I’m curious what advice all the moms out there would give themselves if they could go back to that wide eyed pregnant girl with only visions of grandeur in their eyes. Watch and enjoy the video, and please take a minute to leave a comment of the advice you have for me…I’d love to hear what you have to say!! Thanks mamas!

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A pleasure party and stripper STILL couldn’t stimulate labor. HMPH! Check out my 39-week baby bump!

by Courtney on July 11, 2011

Yum yum!!

A week ago when I got an invitation to attend a surprise bachelorette party for my friend this weekend, I was sure I’d have a baby by now. BUT, if for some god awful reason I was still preggers by the time the party rolled around, I figured the “live entertainment” – read: STRIPPER – would send me straight into labor! So I was all about it! I was told recently on Twitter that the key to having your water break and going into labor is to have someone make me laugh really hard. And what better occasion to be laughing my ass off than to watch some sweaty stripper rub his sock filled G-string all over the bride-to-be? This will be GREAT!  I even told my husband it would be a good idea for him to drive me to the party and just wait in the car for when I’m being rushed out bent over in labor pain! Unfortunately, I had no such freaking luck.

During the pleasure party portion of the event, I struck up a nice conversation with one of the other ladies about having babies; her experience at the same hospital I’m delivery at, what to look out for, postpartum expectations, etc. We talked about the miracle of childbirth and how you’ll never love someone so much until you first hold your baby – all while passing dildos and bullets (if you don’t know, Google it) between us onto the next person in the circle!

Then it was time for the *entertainment*. I just prayed that no one got any ideas about pointing the stripper towards the pregnant girl for a lap dance or anything. Any time you’ve got a room full of women and a stripper, 9 times out of 10 the stripper will go for 1) the Bride and 2) the shy girl in the corner desperately avoiding eye contact – i.e. the PREGNANT GIRL!  Because hey, it’s funny to watch people squirm right? Well sure enough, the stripper had to give preggo a little special attention. Ugh! I tried to smile through it, but when I saw the pictures that were of course snapped like the paparazzi during these 30 seconds of discomfort, my face looks like I just ate a mouth full of Sour Patch Kids! Ha! But despite mama’s discomfort, the baby seemed to be enjoying herself. The music that pounded through these massive speakers that the stripper brought in certainly replicated the feeling of being at da club and obvy little girl could hear it plain as day! She particularly liked the song “SHOTS” by LMFAO! Girlfriend was dancing all over the place in my tummy! Finally, 6 hours later, after waiting around to enjoy a piece of the vanilla, butter cream and fondant penis cake, I was on my way home. Still pregnant, no labor pains – just ringing ears.

I still have one week until my due date, so I should really save the drama filled “I’m still pregnant post” until I’m beyond my due date, but honestly, I just thought for sure I’d be a mama by now. Like I said; pretty much every single person I’ve talked to went early with their first baby, so I was sure the same would happen to me. Come to find out, it’s actually more common for first time moms to be on time or late in delivering their baby – not early. I must’ve just been talking to a lot of freaks of nature lucky women who went early.

Baby bump watch CONTINUES – week 39!

Pretty much all Babycenter.com says this week is that baby is just “waiting to greet the world.” But every day she’s just getting fatter to help control her body temperature after birth. Yet another reason I want to have the baby now – I don’t want to be on the evening news for birthing the largest baby in Contra Costa County! The good news is that at my 38 week doctor appointment last Friday there is some progress being made on the birthing front, so this is good. Now it’s just a matter of time.

Tomorrow night my husband and I have a dinner date at the local pizza parlor where apparently they have this “Preggo Pizza” that has been known to stimulate labor –with 43 documented success stories on their website of women giving birth the same day or next day after consuming this pizza concoction! In fact, my childbirth preparation instructor from a few weeks ago is among this crowed! She told us the story of the preggo pizza and how she was delivering her baby the next day! Crossing my fingers that this pizza can work its magic on me!! We’ll see! :)

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Maternity leave pre-baby checklist: pampering, pediatrician, daycare. Last minute prep before baby!

July 6, 2011

I’m officially on maternity leave now for the next 4 months –WHAAAHOOOO!!!! I used to say a couple months back that I hope I get to enjoy the 2 weeks of maternity leave I have before the baby’s due date so I can just enjoy the “calm before the storm” and have a little “me” [...]

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My birth plan: Give me the drugs. Plus, check out my 37-week baby bump!

June 26, 2011

With 3 weeks until my due date, I’ve taken my final class of pregnancy – childbirth preparation! From 9-4 this past Saturday, Jeff and I learned the various techniques of pain management, watched videos of women giving birth with and without an epidural, and learned all the many details I’ll need to know to help [...]

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