Post-Partum-Week 5

Another week has passed, and I hate to say it, it's had one pretty big fails. 

Fail #1-Milk blisters. Ow, OW, OW! My nipples are friggin killing me this week. I have milk blisters on both sides. I cannot even explain the excruciating pain. 

Fail #2-Blow out. This starts off sounding like a win-we're starting to fit into our one size diapers. Woohoo! 

Except that I forgot to adjust the rise on a Charlie Banana pocket diaper. When I was feeding him at Buy Buy Baby in their lovely feeding room, he pooped...and it all came sliding out of the diaper and onto my lap and the chair. I had to send the hubs 2 doors down to buy me a pair of yoga pants Old Navy. I put Jack in his back up outfit-a sleeper-which he apparently has just outgrown. Jack was not pleased with his uncomfortable outfit, which resulted in a new outfit, complete with cape. 

And, I had the mortifying job of informing the employees they had a shitty chair to clean up. Lovely. 

Fail #3- I'm down only 1lb. This should be a win, but the fail is more that I didn't track, and, while my habits were improved, I still didn't do as well as I would have liked. And bathing suit shopping was successful this week, but not fun. 

Fail #4-Jack hates to nap on the afternoon. Fights it like crazy, and just wants to nurse and cry. I'm more than apply to let him nurse if he's hungry, but don't use me to avoid sleeping when you're obviously exhausted. He has started napping better in the swing, and we had an awesome nap in the Moby wrap while I vacuumed yesterday. 

In other news, Jack's outgrown about half of his newborn clothes. I'm constantly in awe of how big he's getting. Last night he slept a 4.5 hour stretch, which was amazing. And Saturday night, he was well behaved for Ellen, who watched him while we say Paul McCartney in DC. Tomorrow night Jack's grandfather is baby sitting so we can go see fun. Let's hope that goes just as well.  We're starting to fall into a rhythm (definitely not a schedule), so that is helping some at home. Just in time for us to through everything off by going out of town for a week and a half. 

And just for fun, here's more of Jack. 

Jack-1 month!

I cannot believe you've been here for a month (+1 day) at this point. Time has flown and yet stood still (like those evenings when you just want to eat ALL NIGHT LONG). It has been a bit of a crazy month-we haven't sat still much, so much that I had to abandon our weekly updates. Oops. During this month, you experienced a lot of firsts...

• First Wedding(Saturday, June 22, 2013)
• First Overnight trip (Saturday, June 22, 2013...Thursday, July 4, 2013...Monday, July 8, 2013-I said we were on the go a lot!)
• First Bath (Wednesday, July 3, 2013)
• First Holiday (Fourth of July)
• First Bottle (July 6, 2013)
• First Trip Restaurant Outing (Tuesday, July 9, 2013)
• First  Night with a Baby Sitter (Friday, July 12, 2013)

  You had your 1 month check up today, and you did great, although you werent thrilled with round two of the Hepatitis B vaccine. You are officially not a newborn anymore, which is a bit bitter sweet rugjt now. Here are some stats on your first month...

Weight: 8 lbs 10 oz
Length: 21.25 inches
Head Circumference: 14.25
Clothing: You are officially outgrowing your smallest newborn stuff and into some (smaller) 0-3 month clothing. Mainly Gerber newborn onesies and Babies R Us brand newborn sleepers have been retired. There are a few Carter's items you can wear in the 0-3 month size, but they are few and far between. 
Hair: Brown, long and thick...although, it is lightening up some and I can see where new hair is growing in underneath. After your bath, or when you get sweaty, it gets curly, which makes me think you have your mama's hair texture.
Eyes: Brown with a little bit of dark blue around the edges. Sometimes they almost look a little bit gray or slightly green. I would not be surprised if you defy all odds and end up with hazel eyes.
Sleep: You started off sleeping in the rock and play in our bedroom, but we moved you into your own room (still in the rock and play) once you hit two weeks. You sleep about 3.5-4 hours during the first stretch of the evening, then about 2 hours at a time. I think you'd sleep longer if you stayed in our room, but you are such a noisy sleeper, I would stay up worried about you the whole time. You are not a very good napper during the day-usually only half an hour at a time, unless you are being held. We are hoping to move you to the crib soon, although we'll probably wait until after we get back from vacation.
Nicknames:Jackie, Jackie Doodle, Jack-o-lantern, Just Jack,Jack Jack, Jack Attack...the list goes on and on.

Milestone: You started smiling this week! Last Monday, I wasn't sure if it was a fluke, or a conscious smile at me while I was getting you dressed in the morning. Saturday morning, though, you smiled at Daddy when he was playing with you, and then you did it again for Aunt Ellen! You're head and neck control/strength are ridiculous right now. You haven't done a whole lot of tummy time on the floor, but you spend a lot of time doing it on our chests. You even use your hands to push up against us, and try to press down with your feet. I also noticed this that you are following the mobile on your swing with your eyes as you swing back and forth.

First Bath with Mommy

Daddy's Turn

Like Father like Son?

First Bottle

Milk Coma!

The Dogs are not thrilled with the lack of space in the backseat now.

 Fireworks?

First outgrown sleeper

Serious

Naptime with Grandma

My favorite way to sleep right now...

Bedtime story

Post Partum- Weeks 3 & 4

So things have gotten a bit crazy around here. To be honest, the shit hit the fan, not with Jack or Nick and I, but in several things regarding our lives, and it's been difficult to find the time to breathe, let alone blog. We are thinking things are going to slow down for a little bit, so I should be hopping back on the blog more frequently. Also, I've had the chance to try a few new beers, malt beverages and wine, so I need to get back on writing about some of them!

As soon as I think we're getting into the groove of breastfeeding, something ends going not quite as smooth. Jack has hit several growth spurts lately, encouraging him to feed like crazy and very little time between feedings. I get cranky from sitting for long periods, and sore. My butt hurts, my back hurts, and heaven help my poor nipples. That being said, after a day or two of frustration, it calms down and we're good again. I've started pumping more to build up a supply, and Nick has taken one of the middle of the night feedings. It's nice to not have get out of bed at 3AM, but I'm still using that time to pump. Additionally, even though I know Nick is completely competent, I stay up listening to him on the monitor, wondering if I need to get up and help him. I have not gone in there yet (although, I would if he asked me to), but I can't let myself fall back to sleep while he's in there.

We left Jack with a baby sitter for the first time. He stayed with Nick's sister Ellen while we went to see Paul McCartney (which, by the way, it sucked to try to pump while there). I was thankful to have some pocket/all-in-one diapers for her to use on him. Of course, he was a pooping machine while we were gone, so he went through all 6 of them and 2 additional disposables while we were gone. I thought that Nick would like these diapers, too, but he actually avoids them like the plague. He much prefers the prefolds and covers (now that he knows how to use them).

During the week, I also celebrated my 31st birthday during the week. It was an awesome birthday. My family asked what I wanted/needed for my birthday. I knew I needed a new purse, so I was perusing the Vera Bradley website. I ended up finding 2 purses, a cooler tote, and a check book cover for $100, with a beach towel thrown in for free. Mom got me those for Christmas, and considering that each of the purses were originally $74 or so, I think it was a pretty good deal. I also got some beautiful flowers to plant in our front yard (which desperately needs some attention) and a promise for manual labor to help get everything cleaned up/planted, and a gift certificate for a spa package (pedicure, facial and upper body massage). I'm debating whether or not to try to use it before we go to the beach for pretty toes, or wait until we come back.

As far as the weight loss goes, ehhh...not pleased. 2 weeks ago, I was up 3lbs, and then down 1.5 this week. I rejoined Weight Watchers this week, and although I haven't been as good as I was previously with tracking thus far, I have been making better decisions. Everyone keeps telling me my stomach has gone down so much, which is great, but in all honestly, I'm much more concerned about my hips and thighs. I cannot wait until I can start Pilates again (and maybe throw in some yoga) once I'm cleared at my 6 week post partum appointment.

While I am not digging my body right now, at least my hair looks decent.

Stay tuned for Jack's One Month post...I'm waiting until we go to the doctor tomorrow to update his height and weight stats.

Post Partum Week 2

A day late...but I couldn't get the pictures to cooperate yesterday! And really, who wants to read this without the pictures....

Another week down, and we're all getting better acquainted with each other. It's been a crazy busy week-in the last week, we went to a wedding, took our first overnight trip, visited dad's old school, visited with lots of friends and family, and ran a plethora of errands. Jack's 2 week appointment was earlier this morning, and we were thrilled o learn he grew 1.25 inches (up to 20.25 inches) and had surpassed his birth weight (up to 6 lbs 15 oz-->a full14 ounces in a week and a half!) everything went well at the appointment this morning, and Dr. Baust cauterized his belly button, removing most of the umbilical cord stump.

Jack with big cousin David

No! He's Mine! -Cousin Colbie

With Aunt Jeri-Lee

Very Serious

Daddy calls your forehead wrinkles your WiFi reception.

Everyone's taking pictures of the little man.

Napping before the wedding.

Jack and Emily, the Bride

Tank goodness Wegman's has carts big enough to accommodate a car seat and our massive cereal haul.

Breast feeding is getting better and better. I need to find a better chair to sit in downstairs so I don't kill my back, and we're working on being able to lay down and nurse at night. 

Cloth diapering is going well, too. I can't wait for him to fill out and be able to wear his one size diapers. I still love using fitteds at night, and we're able to use his itty bitty Kawaii Pure and Naturals and Little Bamboo Baby pockets. I'm anxious to see if he'll fit in his Rumparooz-they say they fit at 6 lbs, but I've been too nervous to try them. 

Happy Baby, modeling a Thirsties XSmall Diaper Cover

 As far as my recovery goes, I'm doing well. As of today, I can start driving again. I haven't taken any pain killers since Tuesday, and even then it was just Advil. The dermabond covering my incision is starting to peel off, and the incision looks pretty good. My swelling has gone waaaaaaay done-my feet and ankles look normal again my hands are still a little puffy, but I can finally wear my rings again. I'm down another ten pounds from last week-I weighed in at 221.4 this morning. 22.6 lbs down from delivery, 61.4 to go till I'm back at my Weight Watchers goal. I've read conflicting information on rejoining Weight Watchers after pregnancy, so my plan is to wait until my weight loss either tapers off or I reach 6 weeks pp. That will give my milk supply a chance to stabilize, and as long as I'm losing weight, I do t think Weight Watchers can do much more for me right now.

Seems to have gone down some, although, we took this picture after a Mexican smorgasbord. I feel like I look a little smaller most of the time...

Post Partum Week 1

I can't believe that a week ago at this time, the doctors were debating what the best course of action would be for me and Nick Jr (as we still called him at that time). This last week has been quite a learning process, but we've been blessed to have (thus far) an easy baby to guide us along. So here are a few reflections on the week:

Breast feeding : It ain't easy, and while it takes time, it seems like an eternity to adjust, especially when you're in pain. It wasn't bad in the hospital, and thankfully, his latch was never bad. Once we got home, however, my nipples were so irritated and beginning to crack. My milk came in on Tuesday (4 days pp), which was a relief. Jack was down 9 oz from his birth weight at his pediatrician appointment on Monday, so I was hopeful for him to start gaining weight quickly. Wednesday, he was up 5 oz from Monday! Wednesday was also the peak of my nipple pain, and while its not perfect yet, things are getting a lot better. I have found that Bamboobies Boob-Ease Natural Nipple Balm and Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Nursing Butter help, although I prefer the Bamboobies. I've also used some of the Bamboobies nursing pads and Phillips Avent Washable Nursing pads. The Bamboobies are much softer and more comfortable. I've also pumped twice, just to alleviate some engorgement. I think once we get back above birthweight and are a little better established with breast feeding, I'll start pumping and introduce the bottle. Nick is really eager to be able to feed him.

This is what my husband finds humorous.

Cloth Diapering: We used disposables in the hospital, but were eager to start using cloth when we got home. It seemed like we weren't getting any pee diapers, though. We think that some of the cloth we were using were so absorbent (Hello, Thirsties Duo Fab Fitteds) that I was missing some of his potty breaks. We switched back to using leftover disposables from the hospital for a day or two while we made sure his input and output were appropriate for gaining weight. After our appointment on Wednesday, we switched back to cloth. I've gotten much better at fooling Prefolds, although Nick wasn't quite sure what do with them at first. I looooove Kissaluvs fitteds. The Thirsties Duo Fab Fitteds fit well, although bulky, and are super absorbent. These will definitely last for a while. Thirsties Duo All-In-One also fits him well right now, and is a bit more trim. At this point, he's able to wear both Thirsties Duo Wraps and Xsmall covers. If I hadn't been afraid the wraps would be too big, I probably would have just stuck with the wraps as they will fit him for longer. As far as Prefolds go, we have a diaper Rite unbleached ones and Green Mountain Diapers bleached ones...I'm not sure if its the brand of the bleached/unbleached factor, but the Diaper Rite ones seem to be more pliable and easier to work with.

I love the owls...

Sleep: We are truly blessed by a baby that likes to sleep! We had a rough time with sleeping I. The hospital, but for the past 2-3 nights, he's decided to start sleeping for 4 and 5 hour stretches at a time. This morning none of us got out of bed until about 9:45-we were up at4:30 and 7:30 only long enough to eat and get back to sleep. I had hoped he'd go right to his crib, but he's been sleeping in the rock and play next to our bed at night, mainly because I'm too paranoid to not have him close by. The first night at home was horrendous-only because I was too worried that something would go wrong. 

Little Squirt hanging out in his Snugabunny Rock and Play.

Weight loss: This morning I got on the scale for the first time post partum. I am down 13lbs from prior to giving birth. (It feels like a lie to say that, as I didn't have to do much-the doctors did all the work!) My final "weigh in" was 244lbs last week-up 85 lbs from my Weight Watchers goal, and 70 lbs from my first pregnancy doctor's visit (I wasn't very responsible last summer). I would guess I have at least another 5 lbs of water weight I'm carrying around-my feet, legs, and hands are still very swollen. My stomach has gone down a lot. It's going to be my hips and thighs that are going to be difficult to get the weight off. I've been eating healthier this week (no more emotional eating!), and my goal is to rejoin Weight Watchers at the end of next week. I can't exercise right now, so I'm hoping that just adjusting my eating habits and breast feeding to help melt as much if the weight away as possible. 

OK. so while the tummy is going down, I still feel like a heifer. But the goal of this picture is to help inspire me to keep losing weight and get back down to where I was.

General Recovery: I'm pretty proud of all I've done this week. We've been out and about a fair amount, and I've handled it really well. Today I've been a little more sore, but I also forgot to take my painkillers. Oops. Sometimes I forget that not only did I have a baby, but I had surgery as well. 

John Robert's Birth Story

On Monday, June 10, we were told to schedule a routine Non Stress Test for Friday, June 14, just shy of 41 weeks to ensure baby was still looking good in utero. When we showed up at 9AM that morning, I'll admit, I was a bit nervous. I wrote it off as taking another test I couldn't study or otherwise prepare of, and my blood pressure showed it, up in the 140s/90something.  Then, during the NST, he was not particularly active. Blood pressure was down to 136/82 by the end of the test, but we were sent on the Labor and Delivery for further monitoring.

It was about 10AM when we arrived at the hospital and made our way up to OB Triage. My blood pressure was way down when I laid on my left side, and, while I felt baby reacting on the fetal heart monitor, his heart rate was not accelerating like they had hoped. (Good news was, though, that it wasn't decelerating, either.) My Dr came back and explained the results. The next plan of action would be to admit me, do a Contraction Stress Test, and decide from there how the baby was going to get here. Regardless, she told us, "You're having a baby today." Nick promptly went home to switch cars and get our stuff.

About 12:30, we were moved into our Labor and Delivery room. I got hooked up to another Fetal Heart Rate Monitor, a contraction monitor, and some pitocin. The goal was to get the pitocin to bring on 3 contractions in 10 minutes and see how the baby responded. Once again, baby was non-responsive. Around 3:30, the decision was made we'd move forward with a C Section. The concern was baby would not tolerate labor well, and eventually require an emergency C Section after a long (and unnecessary) labor. 

It was 8:45 before they walked us down the OR-quite possibly the longest 5 hours of my life. We kept thinking we were getting to I back, but another woman was ready to push around 6, which turned into an emergency c section, so we continued to wait. Even as we walked down the hall. The stopped us as they thought the doctor was being called into another emergency situation. (Thankfully, for everyone, he was not.)

Nick waited outside the OR while they gave me my spinal and did the final preps for surgery. (He said it was the longest 15 minutes of his life.) Once he to back there, they began the actual cutting and 5 minutes later, John Robert was here with us. Hearing him cry for the first time was one of the most amazing experiences ever. 

Once they finished putting me back together, Nick headed to the NICU with Baby Jack (for standard transitional tests and measurements), while I hung out in recovery. Recovery went pretty quickly-I was finally able to get a cup of water and some ice chips. Nick and Jack joined me about 15 minutes before we started on our journey down to the post partum unit.

As they sat me up in bed, I felt the nausea strike...and I just got sicker with every turn we made. I was thrilled to see my family waiting in the hallway, but I would have been just as happy to curl up in a dark corner somewhere. We got settled in our room, and my family greeted little Jack. It was wonderful to see how excited they were over him. I mowed down on some beef broth, cranberry juice, water, and a Popsicle. And as my family was leaving, promptly threw it all up. I threw up again around 2AM and 4AM. I think it was a combination of the anesthesia, exhaustion, hunger, and eating too quickly. At 6AM I took some anti-nausea medicine. For breakfast I had toast, jello, crackers, and cranberry juice, but by lunch, I was eating a normal lunch.

Saturday, I was slow, stiff, and sore to stand up, but otherwise well. No pain killers, until about 10PM. No poop yet (I know that's what you were wondering about), but I've been peeing like a pro, and generally recuperating well. We were expecting to be in the hospital until Monday, but we were doing so well, they sent us on home by lunch time.

Induction thoughts

The further past my due date I go, the more I think about the possibility of induction. I really, really hate drugs. In a situation where I have minimal control, they make me feel even more out of control. And, for me at least, a planned induction equates a C section, something I truly want to avoid.

I was born 6 days late. My mother's water broke at 11PM, with no contractions in sight. They gave her pitocin right away, and when her body made minimal progress (and I was in distress), they switched to an emergency C section 24 hours later.

My sister was induced around 37 weeks with my nephew due to pre-eclampsia. Her body was not ready, so 46 hours later, he arrived via C section. When my niece bordered on 2 weeks late, they didn't even other to try to induce, they went straight to C section.

I know family history is not the be all, end all of how things will go down for me, but the longer I go, the more likely I believe it. And I don't want it. (But, truly, who does?) It just seems like the women in my family are not cut out for birthing babies.

At the same time, I'm over being pregnant. Yes, I'm uncomfortable and huge, but that seems minimal at this point. I'm ready to move on to the next phase. This week in particular I feel like I've been in a holding pattern. I'm ready to move past that.

So when I go for my appointment next week at 41 weeks 1 day, what do I say? Ask them to try to hold off longer to see if I can make this happen and avoid induction? Beg them to induce me that day so I can move on? Then there is always the fear that baby won't be doing too well at the Non Stress Test tomorrow. We could be looking at an induction (or C section if its really bad) tomorrow afternoon.

All I can do at this point is hope, wish, and pray that Nick Jr decides to make his appearance today...or at least sometime before Monday.