Our One Month Favorites

Now that G is one month 

{I don't get how this happened}

We are developing a list of favorite things that we use with him. 

1. Luvs diapers. We tried pampers and huggies before we tried Luvs and had significant leaks with both. Although I prefer pampers to huggies at this point, Luvs have had less leaks over all and seem to hold a lot and still keep the peanut dry!! The only negative is I like the wetness indicators on pampers and huggies which Luvs do not have. 

2. Summer Infant: SwaddleMe's-  G can not sleep for long without being swaddled. These swaddles on simple to use and a lighter weight so when it is hot out he doesn't get too hot! Plus they come in very cute deigns. 

3. Snuza- Our Snuza is still my biggest piece of mind. Since G is still sleeping in our room in his pack and play, he can not use his Angel Care Monitor. We clip this little diddy on his diaper and I know it will tell me if he stops breathing. NOTE: we have already had TWO false alarms. One because he wiggled his way and and it was not reading him well and two because he wiggled so much it fell of. I have a VERY wiggly baby. However, both times I JUMPED out of bed saw he was breathing and put it back on. He did not wake up, although he rustled a little bit. I would also rather this false alarm, that way I know it works well!!

4. Chicco Keyfit Car Seat and Stroller- G loves his walks and car rides and I love this stroller. I rides so smooth, and is able to be run with well. Only downfalls: its pretty heavy to get in and out of the car. The covers to keep the sun out suck there are little corners everywhere that let sun in. I often just throw a light weigh blanket over part of it to help with that. 

5. Avent Freeflow Pacifiers-  For som reason these pacifiers are the ones G prefers!

6. Halo Swaddle Sleep Sac- Since we swaddle every night we need a variety. These are even SIMPLER to use than the summer infant. They do take a bit extra work to get his arms in them however which sometimes wakes the babe up a bit. These have a bit more fabric so they are perfect in chillier weather. 

I am sure there are more that I am not thinking of but for right now these are our life savers :)

How Motherhood Has Changed Me (So Far)

With my little man just about to turn 6 weeks old 

(really? 6 weeks? how did this happen)

I have already noticed the motherhood had changed me a lot. 

1) Privacy is no longer something I require. 

Although it is something that I enjoy, after having 15 nurses and doctors stare at my, as my niece calls it, hoho & having to whip out the boob to feed the babe, I am not longer as embarrassed for my body parts to be seen in public. Now don't get me wrong I am not whipping out my hoho everywhere. But I have gotten to the point where I don't care if you are around if baby needs to eat, baby needs to eat. Granted I have a nursing cover, but before I would be even be embarrassed to do that. 

2) Bodily fluids don't gross me out. 

At least, Squishy's bodily fluids don't gross me out. 

I use to be the type of person who would gag at the smell of spit up or puke. Who would not be a fan of changing diapers & who would become embarrassed about farts. Remember Vince Vaughn on Four Christmas'?

Hahah, that was me. 

Now. I have been puked on, spit up on, peed on and pooped on, and I don't bat and eyelash. 

3) Naps are a must. 

I use to not be able to nap. If I napped I couldn't sleep at night and would be up all night. 

Now I nap at every single chance I can get. 

I probably would die if I didn't nap because I would get like 3 hours of sleep every night. 

I however have also found that I can function quite well on about 5 hours of sleep a night where I use to NEED 8. 

4) Eating while sitting is a happy memory. 

Most of my meals recently have been inhaled while the baby is in the sling and I am walking around our kitchen. I will occasionally get to eat while he is sleeping, but I am usually taking advantage of that time to NAP (see above). 

5) I am extremely LOW maintenance. 

I use to require a pretty lengthy routine of getting ready in the morning. Showering, blow drying my hair, straightening my hair, makeup, cute outfit. Now unless hubby is home I am lucky if I get a shower and my hair gets thrown up into a messy bun. My outfits. Yoga pants, leggings and tank tops. 

6) My shopping habits have changed drastically. 

I can't remember the last time I bought stuff for me other than nursing bras and tops. My shopping cart has become overflown with cute onesies, slings & toys.

7) My whole wide world had changed. 

I no longer think about myself first. It doesn't matter if I am exhausted, starving and unshowered. If my cute little love bug is snuggly, happy, fed and clean. I am as happy as can be. I stare at his little face and wondered how did we make something so perfect. It truly is a miracle. I can't remember what it was like not having him here and I am already preparing my speeches to his future girlfriends. This little man is the most important person to me ever. It is a love like no other. 

Happy Father's Day!!

To all the daddy's out there but especially to the 4 most amazing men in my life!!

To my Father!

My Grandfather

My Brother

and my sweet Hubby!!

I love you all!!

My Road to C-Section Recovery

Similarly to little man's birth story, 

my C-section recovery was quite rough & less than desirable by far. 

As I mentioned previously in Grey's birth story Part II (click here to read).

I lost quite a lot of blood during surgery. 

The doctor still blames it on me being a red head reporting there was no other reason why I should have bled so much. 

With that being said... on to the road to recovery. 

Day 1.

The day of the c-section, I was pretty okay. I was quite drugged up on Dilaudid, due to just having a major surgery, but I was awake enough to talk, nurse, visit and hold my baby. 

After a bunch of times where they came in and painfully pushed on my stomach, they took out my catheter, and asked me to try and get up and walk and attempt to go to the bathroom. 

I was thinking "I have an 7 inch incision and  you want me to walk already."

They report it is the best think for you. 

So off I went. 

They didn't want me to walk far. Just get up and out of bed. 

That part was not bad. 

It was difficult getting out of bed, as you don't realize how much you use your lower abs to sit up and stand. 

But once up and standing up straight, other than the dizziness from the Dilaudid was not bad.

So off I went to go to the bathroom.

They need to make sure that you are able to pee & that something didn't go wrong. 

Well, as I sat in there for 10 minutes trying to go, I couldn't. 

So back in bed. 

They came back every few hours for the next 24 hours to try and make me pee. 

No luck.

The doctor came by the next day. 

He threatened (nicely, my doctor is amazing) that if I didn't pee in the next two hours we would have to put the catheter back in.

20 minutes later I thankfully peed!!

Day 2. 

Day 2 in the hospital was a bit harder. I was very drowsy, and had a splitting headache. THe nurses and doctor said this was most likely a reaction to the anesthesia and pain meds. I started declining the remainder of the Dilaudid, so they switched me to Percocet. 

Still my head was pounding but they were sure with time it would get better. 

I had a more difficult time getting up more this day, as every time I got up my head was sure to explode. So squishy and I had lots of skin to skin time in bed!

My appetite was very poor in the morning and at lunch and I couldn't really eat until dinner. 

The doctor came in later that evening and reported that my blood levels and more particularly my hemoglobin were not where they should be. 

He attributes this to the loss of blood in surgery.

"Hemoglobin is a protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen."

The normal range for hemoglobin for men is 13.5 - 17.5

& for women 12 to 15.5.

Mine were at a 7.

He reports this will most likely increase itself.

Day 3.

I woke up feeling much better.

I was able to get up and move around better, my appetite had increased and I even got up to look somewhat presentable.

The doctor came in around early morning and reported my blood levels were still not where they should be, but since I was feeling better he was going to discharge me.

I was okay with this. 

I had more energy, only a light headache and was starved!

At around 1pm, we were able to leave!

For the rest of the day I felt pretty okay. 

My brother and sister-in-law to be came up and visited and I went to the store with hubby and shopped for food. 

Around 9pm, I started to get a horrible headache. 

Around 10pm it was so excruciating I couldn't stand up straight or stay in bright lights. 

I was also getting a horrible throbbing pain in my back. 

 I had hubby call the doctor due to not even being able to hold the phone to my ear. 

Our doctor reported that it could just be a side effect from the meds and surgery.

I felt so guilty that I couldn't even change my babies diaper. I had to nurse him lying down. 

At midnight, we called hubbies dad to come over and help because poor hubby was so sleep deprived and I was so useless. 

Day 4. 

Day four was just as bad as the night of Day 3. 

My headache was horrible, I couldn't get out of bed. 

Having to get up to pee was a chore. 

Hubby continued to do most of the work as I laid in bed. 

Squishy hung out with me in bed mostly & I continued to nurse him lying down.

My headache was NOT NEARLY as bad when I was lying, although it was still there. 

I thought to myself if it wasn't better by the weekend I would call the doctor back. 

Day 5. 

I woke up early this morning to get ready for Squishy's first doctor appointment. 

I got into the shower and immediately felt so weak and was in so much pain I had to sit on the shower floor just to get through it. 

I wasn't hungry but forced myself to eat muffin bites. 

Finally we got to his doctors appointment

(which he was doing awesome)

I could barely stand the entire time I was there. 

I again felt so useless. I sucked it up and made it through the appointment.

Next we had to go to the OB to drop off my disability paperwork. 

When I got to the doctors, I asked to speak with a nurse. 

I broke down crying. 

I told the nurse that I felt awful. 

That I felt so sick I couldn't even take care of my baby.

She had me come in a room and the doctor came to see me.

He reported that I looked awful and that he wanted to re-admit me back to the hospital. 

He told me he would readmit me to the maternity floor so Squishy and Husband could be with me!

I asked what he thought was wrong. 

He reported that it could be two things. 

1) A spinal headache. A headache caused by leaking spinal fluid from the spinal block

or 2) My hemoglobin levels. 

I headed over to the hospital. I walked there (remember my doctors is RIGHT next to the hospital) as I sent husband home to get some things. 

I almost passed out on the walk over. 

I was admitted to maternity and they took a bunch of new blood tests. 

I waited and waited. 

The doctor had to head in for an emergency c-section. 

The anesthesiologist came to visit while I waited.

He reported that he did not think I had a spinal headache and that I didn't present as the typical case. He reports he would due a blood patch (where they re-do the spinal block and inject some of your blood into you to clot it. Therefore no leaking fluid and no more headache)

He reported that he would not be able to do it today because I had taken Advil that morning. 

So more waiting. 

Our doctor finally came back. 

He reported that my hemoglobin levels were STILL at 7.

He reports that he was quite surprised that I made it as long as I did without calling him. He reported that he thought it could be my anemia that was causing my levels not to increase. 

He reported that I would need a blood transfusion. 

He explained the risks. 

I didn't care, I just wanted to be able to hold my baby and be a good momma. 

He reports that I would need at least two bags of blood meaning I would be there overnight. 

Awesome. 

They finally hooked up the first bag of blood. I couldn't even look at the IV it was grossing me out so bad. 

We did this for the next 8 hours. 

Day 6.

I woke up that am early. 

I wanted to try and stand up as much as I could and move around as much as I could to see if the transfusion worked. 

If it didn't, I would have the blood patch that day. 

Two hours went by and I felt okay. 

At 3 hours (around 7am) I started to get a dull headache. 

The doctor came by at 8. 

He reported that my hemoglobin levels were now at 10.5. 

He reports that they weren't at the 12.5 they were before my surgery but they had improved. 

He reports that some times they can take some time for the "blood to thicken in your body" (Gross)

He told me he would like me to stay until noon.

At around noon, he came back. 

I had a dull headache. 

He discharged me. 

Squishy had his newborn photos that day at 3pm so I was going to be there for them!

I told myself if it wasn't better by tomorrow I would go back to the ER. 

I got home and got ready as best I could. 

My headache got really bad when I got home.

I was instructed to drink soda (caffeine) and lots of it.

I tried. 

No improvement. 

I couldn't get myself into the shower (hence why I look awful in the Newborn photos, but hey at least I was able to be in them!!)

His photographer came. 

I tried so hard to be present but my head hurt so bad. I had to sit and lay my head. 

1/2 through the photos, I said screw this and sucked up the pain and watched my cute little baby be photographed and took pictures with him. 

I had to keep laying my head down throughout the pictures, but I was there!!

About two hours after his photographer left, I FINALLY started to feel better.

My headache became less painful.

I told myself. 

If I can make it through a shower tomorrow then I am good. 

Day 7.

I finally woke up and felt okay.

Not great.

But not bed ridden. 

I took a shower. 

I stood!

I drank a soda.

It helped. 

I changed my babies diaper. 

I cried. 

I finally felt like a good momma!!

Throughout the day I started feeling better and better. 

I went to bed that night feeling near to 90%!

I thanked God. 

I can't explain to you all how guilty and how terrible of a mother I felt.

It was one of the worst feelings ever not being able to take care of your baby.

I am SO thankful that I am now better and able to enjoy my time with my baby.

I will NEVER take him for granted or my health for granted!