Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Stay at Home Mom

This is the 4th week of being the mother of two children and I finally feel like I am starting to get into a routine and things are settling down a bit. The days are still tough but more manageable. I am still feeling a little cooped up but getting out for story time, Melody Makers and a mommy's group this week have helped and I think that having things to do has given me more of a feeling of purpose. It has helped me to be more productive at home too.

Now that I have almost a month of post-natal recovery under my belt I feel more comfortable pushing myself a little bit and doing a little bit more. That has helped with my frustration level, which in turn has helped my level of patience with Smug-Baby.

Speaking of Smug-Baby, today she was playing in the tub and suddenly she grabbed her face and started screaming. I grabbed her and asked her to use my finger to show me where it hurt. She pointed to her cheek and I surmised that her last two-year molar is finally starting to cut through. She has done this, grabbing her face and screaming thing several times today and I feel so badly for her. I gave her some medicine to help and she is now napping. I wonder if this pain is why she hasn't been sleeping well and been so cranky.

Little-Smug is just amazing! He is so calm, rarely cries and has never had a total meltdown or scream-fest. He doesn't seem to mind that Smug-Baby covers him in kisses! He nurses well and sleeps well and even rides in his car seat well most of the time. I never thought Smug-Baby was a high-needs or difficult baby, but Little-Smug is SO much less work!! Nothing bothers this kid!!

As for me, I'm anxious to get back to full strength and full energy. I want to put together a workout plan, start walking with mom, biking with dad and maybe even starting a running regimen. Dad has a treadmill that is collecting dust in the garage and I think that I will ask about borrowing it for a while. I want to get into shape! I know that I have been struggling to do that all my life but I now have aches and pains I didn't have before, and I have two really small children that I need to keep up with, so I really need to get to a place physically where I can do that!

Friday, June 22, 2012

The Birth of my Son

I can't believe that it has been so long since I have posted, but a lot has happened and I have been under water trying to adjust. First things first, I had a baby!!

It was the morning of June 2 and at 4:14am I got up to pee. When I came back to bed and laid down, I felt a contraction. It was rather strong and more on the painful side than the other Braxton Hicks contractions had been and after it passed I felt sick to my stomach. I thought to myself that perhaps the pizza I had for dinner the night before wasn't agreeing with me. I headed back to the bathroom and even heaved a bit although nothing came up. I had two more of these nausea inducing contractions and by this time it was about 4:45. Smug-Baby woke up and came to sit on my lap (while I was still on the toilet mind you) and her moving around brought on another contraction. I pulled out my phone and timed them and I had two that were close to 10 minutes between them and then 4 minutes and then 7 minutes - sporadic to say the least. It was now 5am and I decided to get into the shower and see if that helped and I noticed bloody discharge. I called to Smug-Hub and asked him to call the midwife. He asked if I was sure I was in labor and I told him no. I got into the shower but almost immediately got out so I could talk to the midwife myself.

We decided that we should go on into the hospital and meet the midwife there since I knew I needed to be there at least 4 hours to get the antibiotics required because I tested positive for Group B. I called my Dad and told him to come over to watch Smug-Baby and then I got myself dressed, all the while it felt like the contractions were coming harder and closer together. I was still worried that I wasn't really in labor and just having a reaction to being sick to my stomach. Dad and my step-mom arrived just before 6am and Smug-Hub and I kissed Smug-Baby and headed to the hospital. By the time we were off the driveway I was sure I was in labor and Smug-Hub made the 7 minute drive in about 4 minutes, needing to run only one red light.

We called the midwife when we got off our drive way and it was 6:01, she was at the hospital and said she would let them know we were on the way. When we got there I limped myself to the desk and asked to use the bathroom. The midwife asked me why I thought I needed a bathroom and I told her that I felt like I was going to poop. She replied that the baby was coming and I remember thinking that I realized I was in labor but I still needed to poop!!

Someone brought a wheelchair and I laid myself sideways into it and tried to breathe through the now constant and very strong contractions. I couldn't seem to get ahead of them in order to focus my breathing and counting. They wheeled me into the elevator and I heard the midwife ask if they were able to deliver in the triage area, then I noticed I was being wheeled into a labor and delivery room instead. A nurse told me to get onto the bed so she could check me and she helped me with my shorts and laid down on my side again. Someone started an IV and I heard someone say "no cervix, bulging bag" I wondered if that meant she couldn't check dilation for some reason. Suddenly, my water broke and I remember feeling the gush of warm fluid and thinking that it as cool that I got to know what that felt like since I never remember my water breaking with Smug-Baby. Then I felt a burning, tightness and I started to scoot away from the doctor who I just knew was touching me and hurting me. She told me not to move away and it was only then I realized that my son's head was already coming out. I heard them say that the cord was wrapped twice, and I looked up to see her looping it over his head. Then my midwife told me to tuck my chin to my chest and push, I was still a little in shock that it was happening so fast because it took me a moment to comply. I guess I felt like they couldn't be serious or something. I only remember pushing once, maybe twice and then he was born!


The doctor suctioned him and he made a few little noises and then he was in my arms. I couldn't believe he was there and it was over! It was 6:19am!! He came so fast that he had a little bruising on his face, but wonder of wonders, I didn't tear at all! He was 9 pounds, 2 ounces!!

A nurse told me that my mom was there and could she come in, I said yes and when mom walked into the room, thinking that I was in labor, she say me holding my son and it was like a cartoon, her eyes bugged out and her jaw hit the floor. Smug-Hub got on the phone to ask Dad to bring Smug-Baby and got about the same reaction - after all we had just left the house less than 20 minutes earlier!!

We spent two days in the hospital because I had not had the time to receive the antibiotics and I spent the time nursing and bonding with my son. Smug-Hub spent most of that time with Smug-Baby making sure she was happy and had some one-on-one love too. Once home, we spent the first week bonding as a family. It was just what I had wanted, not a lot of visitors or company, just us getting to know each other.

Smug-Baby is head over heals in love with her brother and spends most of her days kissing him and holding him and talking or singing to him.





My days since getting home have been trying to rest and follow all the restrictions that I need to in order to recover fully and completely. It has been very hard since I don't really feel like I just had a baby! I feel totally fine!

It's been three weeks and I have three more to go until I can consider myself healed and able to resume doing everything I want to do and I am going to do my best not to push myself before then.

I am anxious to get into new routines and schedules and start adjusting fully to my new life as a mother of two.

As for my son, he is frickin' amazing! He is so calm and totally laid back. He rarely cries and seems to have a long fuse before getting upset. He sleeps well, nurses well and doesn't blink an eye when Smug-Baby has a meltdown and in crying and screaming right in his face. He has these amazing "wise" eyes and his jaw actually makes cracking sounds when he yawns. His hair is lighter than Smug-Baby's was when she was born and we can't tell what color his eyes are, they seem to be a hazel or lighter brown, not the deep chocolate like Smug-Baby. He is a totally different baby than she was and so relaxed it is just so cool!

I can hear him grunting a bit in his sleep now and that means he will be awake and wanting to poop and nurse and poop some more soon, so I will sign off. I will try to post more soon, but I'm not promising anything :)