His 'n Her Towels

1 Month

It’s been a month (actually, it’s been 6 weeks, I’m late posting this as per usual). And in this last month I’ve learned a few things about being a mom:

1. I may never eat a hot meal/never finish a meal, ever again.
2. I may never get to shower ever again.
3. I may never be able to use both arms at the same time, ever again.
4. I may only ever sleep in two minute increments, for the rest of my life.
5. Sleeping standing up and draped over a crib is totally possible, and sometimes necessary
6. I will always be covered in bodily fluids that are not my own.
7. I will always have an enormous amount of love for my little plum baby. Even if it’s not always reciprocated.

 

(I'm stealing this monthly newsletter and weekly/monthly photo idea from many other bloggers.  Too many to credit the orgin of the idea though.)

 

Dear Miss Della Plum,

You are a month old now. I’d like to say that time has just flown by, but at 3:00 am while we are both up watching the Smart Mop infomercial for the 5^th night in a row, time could not move any slower. You are definitely the best and most challenging thing I’ve ever done though. Before you were born other parents would comment on how much our lives would change and how little sleep we would get. I laughed, because really, how hard could a tiny baby be? I mean, babies are so small and can be easily manipulated, right? Then you joined our family and I quickly learned that with only 2 hours of sleep a night my negotiating skills fail me and even the simplest tasks are mission impossible.

 

 

From the second night in the hospital you did not want to be put down to sleep. The nurses even had to take you so we could get some rest. When we brought you home, your dad and I took turns holding you all night. We all slept on the couch for the first week, and we were waking you up every two hours to eat. Then we got a little smarter and eventually tried transitioning you to the bassinet and then the crib and letting you wake up on your own to eat. It’s still a work in progress, but now on a good night we can get four straight hours of sleep from you. Then you wake up at 2:00 am and want to have an after party in our arms until 6:00am. From then on, you’ll sleep in 10-15 minute increments, and you’ll wakeup for the day at 7:20am on the dot, each day.

After a month of not sleeping or showering, I have come to the conclusion that you are well worth the stink. You are too cute to be mad at.

 

 

 You are a very good eater, when we left the hospital you were 6lbs and a month later you are now over 8 lbs. You are just starting to fill out your newborn clothing and newborn diapers.

 

 

You don’t cry that much (partly because mom does not want to see you unhappy at all and does whatever she can to stop you from crying. I would do a one-handed cartwheel holding a bowl full of grape juice on our white carpet if it made you stop crying) but you do fuss A LOT! It seems like you are never comfortable or happy, it makes me sad when you fuss…I feel like it’s something I’m doing wrong when all day long all I hear is “eh, eh, eh, eh,”  I hope you get happier soon!

 

 

Things you like: my boobs, the sound of the tub water running, the sound of the vacuum cleaner, stroller and car rides, my boobs, and whining.

Things you dislike: SLEEP, baths, dad’s cold hands, redlights, SLEEP

Birth Story - Part 2

We arrived at the hospital around 4:00 am. They hooked me up to a monitor to see if I was actually having contractions or not. And lo and behold, I was! They were coming every 4-8 minutes, and I was dilated to 4 cm! I was in active labor and far enough along that I didn’t have to be sent home. I was relieved to know that I wasn’t imagining the pain, but I was kind of in shock that I was actually going to have a baby on that day! It seemed to be happening so fast. I was ready for her to get here, but it was taking awhile for me to process that my March baby would be born in February.

The nurse asked me if I wanted an epidural. I had planned on trying to have a natural childbirth, without any drugs, but also realizing that I could change my mind if I wanted to. Well, my “plan” didn’t go as planned. I opted for an epidural ASAP. The contractions HURT, and I wanted to enjoy the experience as much as possible and I couldn’t do that through the pain, so I reneged on my natural childbirth plan and it was the best decision I’ve ever made. After the epidural kicked in, my body and mind were able to relax and I started to get really excited about getting to meet our daughter! It was a fun morning as Carl and I spent the last moments alone as a couple.

Things did get a little scary when the doctor came in and told us the baby’s heartbeat was dropping with each contraction, and she was in distress. I was put on oxygen and monitored closely. Around 8:30 am I was 5 cm dilated, so they decided to break my water in hopes to get things moving. They wanted to get the baby out of me as soon as possible, as did I. When my water broke the doctor also noticed there was meconium in the fluid.

We progressed quickly, and by 9:00 am I was fully dilated and ready to go. I was feeling a lot of pressure down below, and I remember telling the nurse that I felt like I am pushing out a poo…she assured me that I was not pooing.

At 10:10am I started pushing. I do not remember much else, except pushing really hard, and feeling a lot of pressure. Carl has more graphic details about this part as he had a front row seat and was fully alert. At about 10:50 am her head was out, and the cord was wrapped about her neck. As the doctor tried to take the cord off, it snapped and blood SPLATTERED everywhere! I could tell they were beginning to panic a little and they had me push one last time to get her shoulders and the rest of her out. Della Plum was born at 10:52am and was rushed to the warming area where the NICU nurses worked on her and made sure she didn’t breathe in any of the meconium. She started to cry about a minute later. Carl didn’t get to cut the cord, because it had already snapped, but they did give him a little section to cut for tradition’s sake. After they cleaned her off, I finally got to meet my baby! She was perfect and healthly!

 

 

 

 

A few things about her birth surprised me. I had thought in my head things would go one way, but they came out completely different. For example:

-         I thought I was going to have a HUGE baby, when she actually was very teeny at 6lbs, 5 oz.

-         I thought she was going to be overdue, and she was early

-         I thought I could handle the pain, when in fact I could not

-         I thought she was going to have a lot more hair than she did.

So, I’ve officially learned my lesson, that babies are unpredictable and my daughter is no exception! For example, just when I think she is going to sleep, so that I can too….she reminds me that she makes the rules!