Best thing in the whole world is to wake up in the morning to a baby that smiles at your voice.
Each morning when I wake up I look at my little guy who is co sleeping in his bassinet and I say morning sunshine and I get the biggest grin ever from my little guy, who then proceeds to suck on his fist letting me know he wants to eat. LOL...
The days are flying by and in about a month I will have to return to work and leave my little guy at home. Although I am not sure how that will work yet. I haven't researched any daycare facilities or in home nannies. The truth is I don't want to go back to work not as I did before anyway. I wouldn't mind working mornings since I need to work to stay a breast in my profession and for my sanity and adult interaction.
I am torn as to what to do and realize that no decision will be easy. My profession allows me to work part-time but I probably wouldn't be able to do that at my current company. I have spent the last two months not thinking about it but now need to consider my options. Still unsure what I will do.
In other news my little man is getting so big and handsome. He smile constantly and only cries during his fussy period at night and when he's hungry. Lately we have had to keep him awake during the morning so he would go down at a decent time at night. Otherwise he would be fussy and stay awake until about midnight, which is a no no once I start doing some kind of work. So far so good he's been going down by 8pm and staying asleep at least 6 hours a night...YIPPY....
Last Sunday was his first time sleeping for 6 hours straight it was awesome...The first 4 weeks were a blur but now the fog is gone and each day is good and I get to experience my little guy and his developing personality.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Birth Story - Final Installment
At midnight the Tuesday after I was sent home...My contractions were coming every ten minutes.
I spent all night sitting up and sleeping between contractions, and writing down the frequency of the contractions. By Wednesday morning I was contracting between 8-6 minutes apart but it wasn't consistent. I headed to the hospital because it was 45 mins away, but I wasn't consistently contracting every 5 mins, when I called my doctor, the 3rd doc in the practice told me to take a Tylenol for the pain but to call back when the contractions were 5 mins apart for an hour or more. Hubby and my mom didn't want to leave the area of the hospital so I convinced hubby to walk around the hospital grounds for an hour, it was pretty chilly so this lead to him getting a cold later. Then we decided to leave the hospital and we went to Marshalls and the grocery store...After 3 hours we decided to head back to MIL because I was tired of walking around and I wanted to relax and try and take a nap...
When we got back to the house around noon. I sat in an arm chair and napped while breathing through contractions... At around 3 pm the contractions started feeling a bit more painful, so I had hubby bring up the exercise ball. I rocked back and forth on the ball for two hours. At one point I felt sharp pain in my back and my pelvis, it felt like the baby was trying to go into my pelvis bones...it was so painful. At about 5, the contractions were coming 6 mins apart on a consistent basis, but it wasn't 5 mins and I didn't want to go to the hospital because I was afraid they would force me to lay in bed, which is so not what I wanted. Up until this point my water had not broken, although, I was peeing a ton. So I couldn't be completely sure. Since I couldn't figure out if my water broke but the contractions were definitely between 5-6 mins. Thus my hubby and my mom convinced me we needed to head to the hospital... my mom kept saying we had nothing to basis how fast things were going to progress since this was my first baby...but if it took all day for the contractions to be 5-6 mins apart I figured I had time. However, there were 2 of them so I got in the car and to the hospital we went.
I got to the hospital around 6, since the registration desk was closed I went straight to the maternity ward and then my mom went to check me in. While I was being checked in I explained to the nurse that was working on my paper I wanted to have a natural birth and told me as long as the baby looked strong I didn't have to stay in bed...what a relief...I was so terrified of having to labor in bed. Once I was checked in the hospitalist checked me to see how dilated I was... I was dilated 7 a tight 8 cm...WHAT!!!!!!!
Of course I couldn't go home at that point but still my water had not broken. I asked if I could have a pain killer to take the edge off the pain but the nurse said it was I was too dilated but that I could take a hot shower... So I jumped in the shower for an hour...after an hour the contractions were 1-2 min apart...and the most painful thing ever. I rocked on the ball for 30 mins and then danced with my mom for a while. But nothing seemed to work and I was terrified of getting into bed... At midnight, my doctor from my practice came back to check on me...it was a blessing to have the doctor that I liked there and who knew my history and wishes. At midnight I was still only 8 cm and my water hadn't broken...at that point I was exhausted and it was my last chance for an epidural...so I took it...
I just couldn't imagine another 4 hours of the pelvic rocking pain...So I got the epidural, I was all over the nurse who allowed me to hold her while I was getting my epidural...I was so grateful for the nurses...they were all really nice and thoughtful. After the epidural, my contractions slowed considerly but I was able to sleep. Sometime during the night the doctor came in and broke my water, but the contractions still were not strong enough so they gave me potocin to help with the contractions...At 4am they took me off the epidural and told me I had to start pushing but since I couldn't feel the contractions I couldn't be on the epidural. Once the epidural wore off...I had to push for 90 mins because my little guy was still too high...then finally he started crowning and I gave one last strong push and the doctor helped him out...at 6:03am on Thursday morning. During most of the pushing my mom was there holding my leg and helping me push...and she helped me with the one thing I was afraid of...pooping on the table...which I did but my mom who is a nurse cleaned me up and of course the other nurses didn't skip a beat but I was mildly horrified for about a millisecond...oh well... Where was the hubby you wonder, he had gotten a cold and spent most of my active labor sleeping in the sleeper in the room...he got up a few time but would just go back to lie down he kept saying he didn't want to get me and the baby sick.
Once it was time for the baby to come out, hubby was up and they offered me a mirror, which I declined. But hubby saw the whole thing and then much to my surprise he cut the umbilical cord. I was so proud of him...he took tons of pictures.
Of course Benjamin came out screaming, they placed him on my stomach, and he looked at me then they whisked him off to be cleaned and weighed...I must say it never really hit me that I was having a baby until he was on my stomach and looked into my eyes...I was overwhelmed and still crying from the previous pain of pushing and the overwhelming emotions of having this little guy... Once he was cleaned up, I tried to breastfeed him, and it was fine but it's still all a blur. I got to rest for 2 hours and then headed to the another room. We stayed in the hospital until Saturday at which point we were released at 10 pm because we had to wait for Ben to pee after his circumcision.
Since I couldn't get my pediatrician to see Ben within 3 days after his birth, the pediatrician at the hospital told me to bring him back to the nursery after his billirubin test on Monday. On Monday after being released it turned out that Ben's billirubin level had increased and he had lost 14oz. So they decided to readmit him to put him under the lights in the nursery...I thought I was going to die...I mean I just had him and have fallen in love and now I had to leave him in the hospital over night... They let me use the hospital pump so that I they could give him breast milk but otherwise had to use formula to supplement his feedings so that he could poop and pee more often. The next day I was at the hospital by 10am and spent the whole day there with my little man and by 5pm they released him back into my care...I was so happy...
What an ordeal but still it was worth it to make sure that the jaundice was under control and that my Benny was healthy...
I spent all night sitting up and sleeping between contractions, and writing down the frequency of the contractions. By Wednesday morning I was contracting between 8-6 minutes apart but it wasn't consistent. I headed to the hospital because it was 45 mins away, but I wasn't consistently contracting every 5 mins, when I called my doctor, the 3rd doc in the practice told me to take a Tylenol for the pain but to call back when the contractions were 5 mins apart for an hour or more. Hubby and my mom didn't want to leave the area of the hospital so I convinced hubby to walk around the hospital grounds for an hour, it was pretty chilly so this lead to him getting a cold later. Then we decided to leave the hospital and we went to Marshalls and the grocery store...After 3 hours we decided to head back to MIL because I was tired of walking around and I wanted to relax and try and take a nap...
When we got back to the house around noon. I sat in an arm chair and napped while breathing through contractions... At around 3 pm the contractions started feeling a bit more painful, so I had hubby bring up the exercise ball. I rocked back and forth on the ball for two hours. At one point I felt sharp pain in my back and my pelvis, it felt like the baby was trying to go into my pelvis bones...it was so painful. At about 5, the contractions were coming 6 mins apart on a consistent basis, but it wasn't 5 mins and I didn't want to go to the hospital because I was afraid they would force me to lay in bed, which is so not what I wanted. Up until this point my water had not broken, although, I was peeing a ton. So I couldn't be completely sure. Since I couldn't figure out if my water broke but the contractions were definitely between 5-6 mins. Thus my hubby and my mom convinced me we needed to head to the hospital... my mom kept saying we had nothing to basis how fast things were going to progress since this was my first baby...but if it took all day for the contractions to be 5-6 mins apart I figured I had time. However, there were 2 of them so I got in the car and to the hospital we went.
I got to the hospital around 6, since the registration desk was closed I went straight to the maternity ward and then my mom went to check me in. While I was being checked in I explained to the nurse that was working on my paper I wanted to have a natural birth and told me as long as the baby looked strong I didn't have to stay in bed...what a relief...I was so terrified of having to labor in bed. Once I was checked in the hospitalist checked me to see how dilated I was... I was dilated 7 a tight 8 cm...WHAT!!!!!!!
Of course I couldn't go home at that point but still my water had not broken. I asked if I could have a pain killer to take the edge off the pain but the nurse said it was I was too dilated but that I could take a hot shower... So I jumped in the shower for an hour...after an hour the contractions were 1-2 min apart...and the most painful thing ever. I rocked on the ball for 30 mins and then danced with my mom for a while. But nothing seemed to work and I was terrified of getting into bed... At midnight, my doctor from my practice came back to check on me...it was a blessing to have the doctor that I liked there and who knew my history and wishes. At midnight I was still only 8 cm and my water hadn't broken...at that point I was exhausted and it was my last chance for an epidural...so I took it...
I just couldn't imagine another 4 hours of the pelvic rocking pain...So I got the epidural, I was all over the nurse who allowed me to hold her while I was getting my epidural...I was so grateful for the nurses...they were all really nice and thoughtful. After the epidural, my contractions slowed considerly but I was able to sleep. Sometime during the night the doctor came in and broke my water, but the contractions still were not strong enough so they gave me potocin to help with the contractions...At 4am they took me off the epidural and told me I had to start pushing but since I couldn't feel the contractions I couldn't be on the epidural. Once the epidural wore off...I had to push for 90 mins because my little guy was still too high...then finally he started crowning and I gave one last strong push and the doctor helped him out...at 6:03am on Thursday morning. During most of the pushing my mom was there holding my leg and helping me push...and she helped me with the one thing I was afraid of...pooping on the table...which I did but my mom who is a nurse cleaned me up and of course the other nurses didn't skip a beat but I was mildly horrified for about a millisecond...oh well... Where was the hubby you wonder, he had gotten a cold and spent most of my active labor sleeping in the sleeper in the room...he got up a few time but would just go back to lie down he kept saying he didn't want to get me and the baby sick.
Once it was time for the baby to come out, hubby was up and they offered me a mirror, which I declined. But hubby saw the whole thing and then much to my surprise he cut the umbilical cord. I was so proud of him...he took tons of pictures.
Of course Benjamin came out screaming, they placed him on my stomach, and he looked at me then they whisked him off to be cleaned and weighed...I must say it never really hit me that I was having a baby until he was on my stomach and looked into my eyes...I was overwhelmed and still crying from the previous pain of pushing and the overwhelming emotions of having this little guy... Once he was cleaned up, I tried to breastfeed him, and it was fine but it's still all a blur. I got to rest for 2 hours and then headed to the another room. We stayed in the hospital until Saturday at which point we were released at 10 pm because we had to wait for Ben to pee after his circumcision.
Since I couldn't get my pediatrician to see Ben within 3 days after his birth, the pediatrician at the hospital told me to bring him back to the nursery after his billirubin test on Monday. On Monday after being released it turned out that Ben's billirubin level had increased and he had lost 14oz. So they decided to readmit him to put him under the lights in the nursery...I thought I was going to die...I mean I just had him and have fallen in love and now I had to leave him in the hospital over night... They let me use the hospital pump so that I they could give him breast milk but otherwise had to use formula to supplement his feedings so that he could poop and pee more often. The next day I was at the hospital by 10am and spent the whole day there with my little man and by 5pm they released him back into my care...I was so happy...
What an ordeal but still it was worth it to make sure that the jaundice was under control and that my Benny was healthy...
1 month
Hello My lil man -
It's been a month and 3 days since your eventful birth...
Aww how you have grown...at your last well baby check up.. you were 11lbs and 6 oz...which is 3lbs 5oz since you were born...wow...you are a big guy. And you have grown 1.5 inches...getting taller and chubbier by the day.
This last month, you had to be rechecked into the hospital due to jaundice, which nearly broke my poor heart. You learned to latch on so you could get all the breast milk available. Although, you still tend to favor the left breast. You discovered your hands and have used them to hold my hands down during feeding and to let me know when you are not happy while crying. You also discovered your little fingers, after my having them covered for 2 weeks you found that they do exist and that you could pacify yourself by sucking on them.
You have taken well to cloth diapering, you will let me or your daddy feed you by a bottle but only if we give you breast milk. You will no longer take formula...you have become a breast milk elitist. You grunt, moan, and sigh all while sleeping and a lot when you are pooping...
In the last month you have peed on Grandma and your daddy and projectile pooped two times onto your mommy...You scream once you realize that bath time means getting wet...you have your own personality and you display it on a daily basis...Aww my jelly bean I fall in love with you all over again everyday... I never knew love like this existed but I thank you for showing me...Happy 1 month and 3 days my love.
It's been a month and 3 days since your eventful birth...
Aww how you have grown...at your last well baby check up.. you were 11lbs and 6 oz...which is 3lbs 5oz since you were born...wow...you are a big guy. And you have grown 1.5 inches...getting taller and chubbier by the day.
This last month, you had to be rechecked into the hospital due to jaundice, which nearly broke my poor heart. You learned to latch on so you could get all the breast milk available. Although, you still tend to favor the left breast. You discovered your hands and have used them to hold my hands down during feeding and to let me know when you are not happy while crying. You also discovered your little fingers, after my having them covered for 2 weeks you found that they do exist and that you could pacify yourself by sucking on them.
You have taken well to cloth diapering, you will let me or your daddy feed you by a bottle but only if we give you breast milk. You will no longer take formula...you have become a breast milk elitist. You grunt, moan, and sigh all while sleeping and a lot when you are pooping...
In the last month you have peed on Grandma and your daddy and projectile pooped two times onto your mommy...You scream once you realize that bath time means getting wet...you have your own personality and you display it on a daily basis...Aww my jelly bean I fall in love with you all over again everyday... I never knew love like this existed but I thank you for showing me...Happy 1 month and 3 days my love.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Date night out with a baby
My hubby's birthday is November 5 (Happy BIRTHDAY HUBBY!!!!), but before that date we had a groupon to the Melting Pot, if you don't know what that is look it up ( it's awesome), which expired Oct 27.
So on October 27, I started prepping the baby from 6pm and then left the apartment at 8pm to drive to the train station to meet hubby in the city. We decided to have a late dinner in the city that way it would be closer to the baby's bed time and less people and traffic. So we met hubby in the metro and we rode the train to the restaurant. Surprisingly the train was packed even though it was 9pm at night. My little guy did really well though he slept the whole train ride and until we sat down in the restaurant. At which point he woke up so we gave him bottled breast milk and then he hung out in our arms until it was time to leave.
Hubby had never been to the Melting Pot before so it was a great experience for him. Melting Pot, for those who don't know, is a fondue based restaurant. So they do cheese fondue, and the main course is meat and veggies in a broth base in a fondue pot and then the best part chocolate fondue. Oddly enough as we were wrapping up our dinner we ran into hubby's sister who was stopping by the restaurant to pick up something she left there during her birthday celebration earlier that month. She was so amazed at how much Ben had changed...the last time she saw him he was 3 days old.
It was very interesting eating out with a baby...because you have to really plan and be prepared for diaper changes, eating and entertainment if he wakes up. Luckily my little guy is a calm baby so as long as he is fed with a dry diaper he will just hang out. He will stay asleep as long as he is on me or his dad's chest, but the minute we tried to put in the car seat he would start crying. He seems to hate the car seat we purchased for him...the other thing that amazed me is people...they would all look at the baby and be like he is so cute. However, when I stepped on the packed train everyone just shoved there way in. This little old lady is the only person who moved to give up her seat for me to sit down. When I was pregnant people would give up their seats with no hesitation...why does actually having a baby mean that men still shouldn't give up there seats...humm...
In the end it was an interesting experience and it went a lot smoother than I expected..
So on October 27, I started prepping the baby from 6pm and then left the apartment at 8pm to drive to the train station to meet hubby in the city. We decided to have a late dinner in the city that way it would be closer to the baby's bed time and less people and traffic. So we met hubby in the metro and we rode the train to the restaurant. Surprisingly the train was packed even though it was 9pm at night. My little guy did really well though he slept the whole train ride and until we sat down in the restaurant. At which point he woke up so we gave him bottled breast milk and then he hung out in our arms until it was time to leave.
Hubby had never been to the Melting Pot before so it was a great experience for him. Melting Pot, for those who don't know, is a fondue based restaurant. So they do cheese fondue, and the main course is meat and veggies in a broth base in a fondue pot and then the best part chocolate fondue. Oddly enough as we were wrapping up our dinner we ran into hubby's sister who was stopping by the restaurant to pick up something she left there during her birthday celebration earlier that month. She was so amazed at how much Ben had changed...the last time she saw him he was 3 days old.
It was very interesting eating out with a baby...because you have to really plan and be prepared for diaper changes, eating and entertainment if he wakes up. Luckily my little guy is a calm baby so as long as he is fed with a dry diaper he will just hang out. He will stay asleep as long as he is on me or his dad's chest, but the minute we tried to put in the car seat he would start crying. He seems to hate the car seat we purchased for him...the other thing that amazed me is people...they would all look at the baby and be like he is so cute. However, when I stepped on the packed train everyone just shoved there way in. This little old lady is the only person who moved to give up her seat for me to sit down. When I was pregnant people would give up their seats with no hesitation...why does actually having a baby mean that men still shouldn't give up there seats...humm...
In the end it was an interesting experience and it went a lot smoother than I expected..
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Back to Life
Yippy!
We finally got Internet in the apartment, which means I can get back to blogging. Just in case you all noticed I have been missing for almost a month.
So much has happened in a month. On Sunday my little Bengie will be one month old. One month...I am a mother of a one month old. I can hardly believe it. As I type this my little guy is sleeping. He rarely sleeps for more than 2 hours at a time and he's always ready to eat.
I spend most days getting up at 11am, only because the hubby takes the baby in the am once he is fed and will cuddle with him and change the diapers. Then Ben and I spend the rest of the day together, once Hubby goes to work at noon...lately we have been going for walks so that we can get some fresh air and some exercise. During the day my little guy eats every two hours. Since at about 2 weeks he has had 2 wake periods one in the late morning and one in the evening...I love his wake periods...he just looks around and has found his hands so when he doesn't have mitts on he sucks on his fingers. The other day he was sucking his thumb which was cute but still not something I am endorsing...
So the last month has been crazy to say the least. The first two weeks I didn't go anywhere because it was too overwhelming to get the baby all packed up and head out by myself. However, starting week 3 I tried to leave the house at least 2 days a week for my own sanity whether it was to meet a friend or just to get some fresh air and that has been very helpful. I have learned the knack at leaving during his nap time and being back in 3 hrs when he will be ready to eat again.
No one could have prepared me for what having my newborn was like but I must say it's rewarding when he looks at me and it's wonderful to see his beautiful gas smiles. And the last few weeks my mother comes in town for a day or two to help with laundry and cooking, which has been a life saver.
We finally got Internet in the apartment, which means I can get back to blogging. Just in case you all noticed I have been missing for almost a month.
So much has happened in a month. On Sunday my little Bengie will be one month old. One month...I am a mother of a one month old. I can hardly believe it. As I type this my little guy is sleeping. He rarely sleeps for more than 2 hours at a time and he's always ready to eat.
I spend most days getting up at 11am, only because the hubby takes the baby in the am once he is fed and will cuddle with him and change the diapers. Then Ben and I spend the rest of the day together, once Hubby goes to work at noon...lately we have been going for walks so that we can get some fresh air and some exercise. During the day my little guy eats every two hours. Since at about 2 weeks he has had 2 wake periods one in the late morning and one in the evening...I love his wake periods...he just looks around and has found his hands so when he doesn't have mitts on he sucks on his fingers. The other day he was sucking his thumb which was cute but still not something I am endorsing...
So the last month has been crazy to say the least. The first two weeks I didn't go anywhere because it was too overwhelming to get the baby all packed up and head out by myself. However, starting week 3 I tried to leave the house at least 2 days a week for my own sanity whether it was to meet a friend or just to get some fresh air and that has been very helpful. I have learned the knack at leaving during his nap time and being back in 3 hrs when he will be ready to eat again.
No one could have prepared me for what having my newborn was like but I must say it's rewarding when he looks at me and it's wonderful to see his beautiful gas smiles. And the last few weeks my mother comes in town for a day or two to help with laundry and cooking, which has been a life saver.
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