1 Week Postpartum

I hate to jinx myself by saying this, but the first week home with David has been a breeze.  My in-laws are here as well as my mom and my sister, and I haven't had to do much of anything except for keep my feet up and feed the munchkin.  It's been so great!  I've learned a lot over the last 7 days about being a mom, and I'm loving every second.

1 week post-baby - pretty happy with this bod so far!

Healing
I'm still getting used to having an incision.  I like that I have glue instead of stitches, but it's really strange to not be able to feel my belly.  The area about 2" above and below my incision is totally numb, but sometimes starts to sting which I'm guessing is the nerve endings starting to grow back.  I have a girdle/wrap that I wear during the day, because my abs are so weak I can barely stand up straight if I do too much without it.  I've been able to take a few trips out of the house to the store, and walking around feels really good.  I can't wait until I can start doing a little bit of exercise and taking walks/jogs with David, it's going to feel so good!

Breastfeeding
Is amazing.  I was so scared after the c-section that I'd have a hard time with this.  In the books that I read it was said over and over again that the more medications you have, the more interventions you have, and the longer you wait after birth to feed the baby the more trouble you will have with breastfeeding.  This terrified me.  The very first time I tried in the hospital, we used a shield to help David latch.  After that first feeding, he's had ZERO problems, doesn't need a shield, and nurses often and well.  It's such a euphoric feeling for me, I can't really describe it - it's like, when he's feeding I can tell my endorphins are rising and my mood gets better.  It really is one of the most natural things I've ever done, and is great bonding time for me and the little guy.  He's funny though, when someone else is holding him and I say something near him, he starts suckling the air - he's already associated my voice with food!  SP calls me the milk factory, lol.   Oh yeah, and my boobs are humongous

Sleeping
David is a great sleeper.  During the day he naps for 2-3 hours at a time, sometimes more, then eats and socializes for 45 minutes or so before taking another nap.  His favorite time is late evening, between 8 and 10 - he's super alert and that's usually when he has 'Daddy time'.  The first few nights he would cluster feed from about 11:30-1:30, and then sleep until 4 or 5, and then cluster feed again.  Thank goodness this didn't last long.  Now, at 8 days old, he pretty much sleeps for 3-4 hours, eats for 30 minutes, and sleeps again throughout the night.  This is great for me - I just pick him up from his bassinet (which is bumped up to my mattress), feed him, and lay him back down and go to sleep myself.  Usually once SP leaves for work, I put David in bed next to me and we doze and watch the news until I feel like getting up :)

David is such a good baby.  He only 'cries' when he gets his diaper changed, and even then it's such a wimpy, fake cry :)  He doesn't fuss, sleeps great, loves to be held and cuddled, and will nap/rest/hang out anywhere.  I know all of this can change, but I'm counting my blessings that I have such a happy, healthy, wonderful baby boy - and such a great family to help me out and transition into my new life!

Birth Story

Short version: Induced at 5:30 AM on 4/20, and ended up with a c-section after 22 hours of labor at 3:47 AM on 4/21.


Grab a drink and get comfy, friends - this is a long one!


I got to the hospital at 4:30 AM for my scheduled induction on 4/20, filled out all my paperwork, and got settled into bed to begin the process.

Last baby bump picture!! 38 weeks 6 days.

 

 

Ready to rock and roll!

They offered me pain meds right off of the bat, but I wanted to wait and see what it all felt like before I decided what I wanted to have.  They started pitocin at 5:30.  For the first few hours I barely felt the pitocin contractions.  It sort of felt like mild period cramps, but they weren't even that bad.  The nurse checked me a few times, and I was still hanging out at about 2cm, and I was effacing quickly and my cervix was moving into the anterior position.  She said that my doc would come in and break my water around 10.  At about 9, I got up to use the bathroom and my water broke all over my bare feet.  I kind of stood there like, "What the hell??" and the nurse just laughed at me.  My doctor came in a bit later and said, "I knew you were going to go today!"


SP and I played a few card games, watched the House marathon on TV, and they kept cranking up my dosage of pitocin every 30 minutes.  By 3:00, I was maxed out on pitocin and still not on pain meds.  My contractions were about 45 seconds apart and a minute long.  I started feeling a lot of pressure in my right hip, and got off of the birth ball and back in bed to see if I could find a good position to relieve it.  The nurse checked me again and I was around 3cm, 100% effaced and totally anterior.  We couldn't figure out why the heck I was dilating so slowly, since she could feel the baby's head and my contractions were very, very strong.  She suggested I get the epi so that I could sleep, because it was going to be a long night.  I agreed, and they shotgunned 2 bags of fluids into me in 5 minutes to prep me.  My anesthesiologist was hilarious, and soon I was feeling absolutely nothing below the waist except some pressure in my right hip.


I slept for a few hours, and by 10pm they decided to drop the pitocin back down to zero and ramp it up every 15 minutes.  They said most of the time this will stimulate contractions and bring on labor quickly.  I was still at a 3 and 100%, so I went back to sleep.  I started feeling really intense pressure in my right hip but nowhere else.  When I woke up, I mentioned it to the nurse, and she said it was probably because of the way the baby was facing.  I'd been having problems with this hip for awhile, so I wasn't totally shocked.  So, I went back to sleep.

My doc came in at 3:15 and checked me again.  I was almost a 4, they could feel baby's hair, and she wasn't really happy with my progress.  She was really confused as to why I wasn't going faster - she was so sure I was going to go on my own anyway, so she assumed I'd have had the baby hours ago!  She said she'd like to do a c-section, since she couldn't figure out what exactly was going on, and didn't want it to end up being an emergency situation later just in case.  At this point, what the hell - I said OK.

I was in the OR, prepped, and drugged from the shoulders down in less than 20 minutes.  SP joined me and my body was trembling horribly from the drugs when they started to cut.  About 2 minutes later I heard some mumbling from the doc and nurses, SP made a face at this strange popping/cracking sound, and I heard a teeny tiny little baby cry.  The whisked David over to the warmer and started to clean him up, and I was crying my eyes out on the table

Hello my sweetheart!

 

7 lbs, 3 oz

 

They finally brought him around to see me, but he was grunting and breathing bubbles so they rushed him to the nursery to get him fixed up and dried out.

Love at first sight

His APGARs were 8 and 9, and the nurse told me he was acting great!  SP went with him and took pictures and let his parents see the little guy while I got stitched (well, glued up).  They wheeled me back into my room to let the anesthesia wear off before moving us to our postpartum room.


I was told when we did our nursery tour that I'd have the baby within an hour for breastfeeding (sooner if it was a vaginal birth), and an hour came and went.  SP told me they still had the baby under a light and warmer.  A nurse came in and I asked here where my baby was and when I could have him.  She didn't know, and went to check.
Another hour passes.  Another nurse comes in.  I ask again, "WHERE THE HELL IS MY BABY?!"  She doesn't know.  She'll go check.


Finally, one of the nurses comes in and explains to me that sometimes c-section babies end up with fluid in their lungs that they have to allow to absorb.  A baby born vaginally will have these fluids "squeezed" out when they are born, but that doesn't work with a section.  If you handle or agitate the baby during this time, they can aspirate the fluids further, so the best thing to do is to put them under a warmer and leave them be.  I was stuck in bed, unable to walk because of the anesthesia, and couldn't even see my baby at all.  SP would go periodically to the nursery and check on him, but couldn't go in and see him so he just reported what he saw through the glass.

SIX HOURS LATER, they finally brought David to me and I started crying all over again.

As it turns out, the c-section was absolutely necessary.  David's head was jammed into my hip socket, which is why I'd been having so much pain in my right hip for the last 2 weeks and especially during labor when my contractions got stronger.  The right side of his face was smashed up at delivery, he has a huge bruise on the side of his head, and his right ear is clubbed at the top.  The doctors think that it will become normal over time, however.  His cord was also wrapped around his neck.  I'm so glad that I listened to my doctor!

David Arthur Delany II was born on April 21, 2011 at 3:47 AM, weighing 7lbs, 3oz and at 19 inches long.  We can't get enough of him and can't wait to continue to show him off as he grows up!

Lady, quit talking and let me feed my baby.

We think he has Daddy's nose!

Tomorrow is the day!

Had a great final doctor's appointment this morning:  I'm fully effaced, 2cm, and we're going to start the induction tomorrow morning at 4:30!!  Doc says we'll start pitocin and IV antibiotics (for GBS) right away, and then later on we'll break my water depending on my progress.  I couldn't be more excited or anxious!

My in-laws will be here this afternoon, so I'm hoping SP gets off of work early enough for all of us to be able to do something nice for dinner and just relax.  I have no idea how I'm supposed to sleep tonight, but I'm going to try!

38 weeks - the final countdown!

I've always said since the beginning of this pregnancy that I wanted to make it to at least 38 weeks, and here we are!  I had my "last" appointment this morning with my OB, and it was pretty uneventful.  I haven't made any significant progress since last week, which is neither good or bad (plenty of women don't have progress until labor starts!).  I follow up with her on Tuesday to see if I'm either a bit more dilated or a bit more effaced, and if I am we are a GO for induction on Wednesday morning (starting at 4AM... yikes!).  If I haven't made progress, I'll have the option of starting Cervadil on Tuesday, or holding off the induction for another week.  Baby at this point isn't going to change much if any between now and then size/weight wise, so it'll essentially be my call.

While I'm all for getting him out of there at 39 weeks, I want to be a very favorable candidate for induction (right now I'm a "good" candidate), so I can avoid a c-section as much as possible.  I know, it's not the end of the world if it happens, but major surgery isn't high on my list of "things to do in life".

I'll be doing lots of walking and other "labor-stimulating activities" this weekend to help the process along, I'm so ready for this to all be over and have the little guy here with us on the outside! (no teas, no herbs, no supplements, no castor oil... just the, um, physical stuff that I can do to get it moving along!)

This week I found out two of my other girlfriends (due in September) are on Team Blue - congrats to Brandi and Darla!!  Went to the doctor with Darla on Tuesday, and when she asked about her weight gain, he said "Oh you're doing just fine, you just might not be having a 9lb baby like your friend here!".  I will hunt that man down and stab him in the eye if that is the case.  For the record, my OB says David should be between 6.5 and 7.5lbs at birth based on his and my growth patterns over the last few weeks (read: minimal).  And I'm more than OK with that!!

The weather here is great so I'm hoping to enjoy what will probably be my last weekend without baby with SP, doing something fun outside.  His parents arrive Tuesday, and hopefully Baby D will arrive Wednesday!  So much to look forward to!

Crawfish boil and single-digit countdown!

It's only natural to kick off the week with our "Bump Pic Monday Survey", so here goes:

I can't be bothered with clothes before 10 AM.

 

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 37w, 4d

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +32lbs

Is your nursery done? Still need a rug, but yes!

What is your favorite piece of baby gear that you've purchased?  Moby wrap and baby swing.

Which stroller did you buy? Chicco Cortina system in Adventure

How many inches around is that bump? 42"


Are you getting nervous? Not anymore, I'm just ready for him to be here!

Have you dropped yet? Yes! He was a -2 at last appointment

Lost your plug?  Mostly, still bits and pieces here and there

Any other signs that baby is on their way? Not nearly enough of them!

Are you still working/how long will you work? n/a

How do you feel in general? I actually feel good.  Nights are hard when I have to get out of bed, but other than that I have tons of energy!

What are you getting the most excited about? Holding him for the first time, the look on his daddy's face when he's born... bringing him home with us!

Do you have a blog? Love Songs and Nursery Rhymes

Any big fears or concerns? Just wondering what labor is going to be like.

What is in your hospital bag? Clothes, socks, PJ's - that's about it!

Are you exercising? Just walking

How many more days until D-Day? D-day in 17 days, induction date in 9 days!


This weekend we headed over to Darla and Doug's for a crawfish boil.  Aubrey flew into town for a wedding, and Crystal came up from New Orleans.  We had a great time and it was awesome to see everyone!! Not sure when we'll get another chance to do something fun like this for quite awhile :)
We ate crawfish out of a canoe:

Technically, it's a pirogue.  But it looks like a canoe.

 

 

Todd is a crawfish master and they were so delicious!  I love springtime in the south for this exact reason.  Good friends, good food, cold beer (O'Douls for me and SP!), and a really relaxing afternoon.

Darla (in purple) finds out if she's Team Pink or Team Blue on Tuesday!

Pregnancy hasn't been kind to my profile, or my biceps.  Ugh!

Master chef Todd (in yellow).  This was such a cool idea!

 

Crystal (left) got juiced in the face and all over her shirt in the first 30 seconds of eating.

SP and I both came home exhausted and with some nice sunburns! 

On the baby front... we have t-minus 9 days until Baby D's arrival.  SINGLE DIGITS.  Yikes.  We're both very excited and anxious, and I'm kind of hoping he decides to get a move on before the 20th, because a) I'd rather go on my own than be induced, and b) Not really sure how I feel about having a 4/20 baby.  But, we'll take what we get!  Today's project will be finishing up the guest room.  SP got my boxes of books out of the storage unit and I need to get them on the bookshelf.  My baby sister did some awesome paintings last year and I want to get those displayed around the house so I can show them off when company comes over!

Tomorrow I get to go to MS with Darla to find out if she's having a boy or a girl... very exciting!!

37 weeks... and 13 days left!!

Well, reached one of the last great milestones today:  FULL TERM!!  Baby should be ready to make his appearance any day now!  I had a growth ultrasound this morning to check on his growth.  The tech started by giving me a really good shot of his face - I swear, this kid looks just like MY dad.  But I think he has SP's nose.  Which is good!  He was even showing off his boy parts again, making his daddy proud.

Baby D is still measuring behind, and his growth has slowed.  Not "too far" behind, but still behind.  He is "small, but not too small".  I am still measuring 32-33 weeks. This, in combination with low AF levels and weight gain (2lbs in 6 weeks for me) is leading my doc to start an induction on 4/20, having baby on 4/21, at exactly 39 weeks.  She says I'm favorable at this point, and any more progress that I make will only help.
So, unless Baby D decides to come sooner (which I hope he does, come on little guy - give me a break!) we'll be meeting our new addition in 13 days!

Less than 2 weeks!! Oh boy, is this going to move slower than molasses...

Can't find shirts long enough to cover the bottom of "the belly"!

Monday Survey

Every Monday, us April moms-to-be post a belly pic and a survey on "The Bump"  Since my picture is the same as my last blog post, I'll just throw the survey up here.

SP and I spent yesterday morning walking around New Orleans with some friends, which was really nice.  We had lunch at a cafe in Jackson Square, which was delicious.  By the time I got home my feet looked like angry pufferfish, and my afternoon nap was glorious.  That is, until I was woken up by some contractions!!  They lasted almost all night long, but never got close enough to time.  Just another sign that Baby D is getting ready to make his appearance soon!!


Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 36w, 4d

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +30

Is your nursery done? Still need a rug and a trashcan for diapers!

What is your favorite piece of baby gear that you've purchased? Moby wrap

Which stroller did you buy? Chicco Cortina in Adventure



How many inches around is that bump? 42 at the belly button

Are you getting nervous? More anxious than nervous!

Have you dropped yet? Yep, baby was at -2 station on Thursday!

Lost your plug? Sure have.  Right before lunch the other day, too - gross.

Any other signs that baby is on their way? Been having ctx for 2 days now, on and off... some loose stools, nesting has kicked into overdrive!  At Thursday's appt I was 1cm, and totally soft.

Are you still working/how long will you work? Nope. Just finished my spring semester of school. Now I just work on my house.

How do you feel in general? Pretty good.  A little crampy but I have energy, I'm not really irritable, I'm not that sore.

What are you getting the most excited about? Bringing him home and cuddling with him and DH

Do you have a blog? clicky link

Any big fears or concerns?  I've had no weight gain or growth in 5 weeks, so we're having an u/s to check little man out on Thursday.  Hopefully he's growing well, if not we'll be having him this coming weekend at just over 37 weeks!

What is in your hospital bag? Just mine and DH's clothes so far.

Are you exercising? Only if cleaning counts as exercise!

How many more days until D-Day? 21.  If he's not here by week 39, that's my induction date.