10 days after birth

We made it through the first week! Nina is doing great! She sleeps anywhere from 2-4 hours. Last night she had two stretches of 4 hours so we got a fair amount of sleep. Thank god, because I was starting to lose it.

I have 3 pounds to go before I'm at my pre-baby weight. I lost all weight gain with Jack after 2 weeks as well. I never really lost my belly pooch with Jack but now that I'm done having babies, I really want to work on firming up my belly. We have been talking about losing weight but now is the time to actually get it done. My appetite is back so I can actually focus on eating healthier.

Jack is finally starting to come around to his little sister. He won't hold her or really come near her but is concerned when she cries and tries to give Nina her binky. Jealousy is staring to creep in. Yesterday Jack made me put Nina in the swing so that he could curl up in a tiny ball in my lap. He hasn't done that in a while and I was more than happy to cuddle with my monster of a boy child.

Perspective has changed. Jack is seemingly huge now. Two weeks ago he was a smallish toddler. He weighed nothing. His head was light and fit right in the notch on my shoulder. When I came home from the hospital, he was a giant. He weighs a ton, has a giant, solid "big boy" head, and his diapers are enormous. He is a big kid now. I have heard my friends discuss this strangeness but it was trippy to experience it from my own baby!

4 Days Old

I am not posting any photos. Sorry. Too lazy to grab them off the camera. I will get some good ones tomorrow morning when the lighting is good.

So, since my last post, Nina has lost almost 9% of her birth weight. The danger zone comes when they hit 10% so we are supplementing with formula every 3 hours today and probably tomorrow. This is fine. We had to do the same with Jack and at least Nina doesn't have jaundice. My milk finally came in today so we should be able to drop the formula tomorrow, I hope. We will have to go back to the hospital for another weight check and we'll determine a course of action from there. The important bits are happening: she's pooping more, peeing a lot more (dehydration is the biggest concern with newborn weight loss), and is even eating more. She's received 3 bottles since we've been home and has demanded to nurse in between them. She doesn't seem to be developing nipple confusion, which is also fantastic.

Speaking of poop. OMG. Sorry, but the first few weeks of your kid's life revolve around bodily functions. They really don't do much else. Jack has always been a solid, once a day pooper. When he was very tiny, it took 3 days for him to produce his first poop in the hospital. After that, we could pretty much clock him in at once a day. During the times when he was exclusively breastfed, he would go up to 6 days without pooping and Todd would freak out and we'd feed him formula and he'd poop (upon reflection, we should have known he was mildly lactose intolerant). So far, Nina has pooped at least 6 times today with 2 pee only diapers and she peed all over the nurse during her weight check.

Jack, as always, is awesome. When Nina fusses, he demands we give her her "burple!" (binky) and it is adorable. He tries to give it to her but is a little too rough. We're working on being gentle to sister. He won't kiss her, touch her (except to offer "burple"), or really acknowledge her. He likes to demand we put her places: the bouncy, back on the floor after a diaper change, and give her back to mommy so we can play daddy! GEEZ! He has learned new words this week: bowling, pogo, diaper, June (from Little Einsteins), battery, and Pop Pop. He doesn't seem to be negatively affected by a lack of mommy attention. Which is good and bad. I miss my Jack snuggles. He did climb up in the recliner with me this morning and we cuddled for a bit and that was especially nice.

My recovery is going well. I use Motrin during the day and then take my Vicodin at night. It's mostly to help me relax and sleep. I find it uncomfortable to lay on my sides without flinching or tensing, so it's nice to have the pain medication for that reason. Nina sleeps in 2-3 hour stretches and because I'm still recovering I sleep on my back at an incline and she sleeps on my chest. She doesn't like to be all alone in the bassinet but will sleep in her Boppy pillow.

November 20, 2012

Nina update: she's amazing. As of midnight last night she's only lost 3 ounces. Her birth weight was 7lb 14oz. So far, her weight loss is less than 2%. She is feeding, pooping, and peeing. Bonus points when she does it on mommy. She loves her fingers, mommy, and daddy.

Nina rarely fusses but certainly lets us know when she's displeased. She does not enjoy her bassinet or having clothes put on.

She loves stretching out but is most content when she is swaddled. When sleeping next to mommy, Nina will sleep in 3-4 hour stretches.

She's beautiful. She has a couple of long fingernails and has scratched her face a bit. I didn't bring anything to trim or file them. I am not hiding them from her because she uses them to self soothe. She is getting better about finding her hands to suck on and though she scratches herself less, she grips her face to keep her thumb in her mouth.

Jack came to visit today. He was a little more interested in Nina and mom than his first visit. He was excited to see me at least. He was well behaved and adorable as ever. I can't wait until I'm home and can love on him again. I miss him so much.

The last couple of weeks of pregnancy were very uncomfortable for me. I had a lot of pelvic pressure and pain. I am so grateful that Nina is finally here and that I'm able to move around again. Of course, now I have incision pain to deal with! But, it's such a comfort knowing that she's here and safe and happy.

39 Weeks!

Updating on a Sunday as I don't think time will be my friend tomorrow morning. I am definitely not a morning person and getting up at 6 for surgery is even worse. However, the outcome of the surgery is pretty exciting so the anxiety is a bit different.

I am most concerned with how Jack will react to his sister and less time with mommy and daddy. I'm worried how he will handle the change. If you asked me 3 months ago, I would have said he's the most flexible kid ever, won't notice the baby, might whine a bit when his needs weren't met immediately. Now? Now we are in the lovely terrible twos. Tantrums still really don't happen, at least not the kind you think of. He cries, a lot, and for no discernible reason. He whines for things, won't use his words, and seems to have developed a selective hearing impairment when the word "no" is used. For the most part, he is still an easy kid. We just don't know how to respond to the tantrums and endless crying because we have never had to endure it from him before. It's a learning process.

I will likely not update my blog until I get out of the hospital, but will post photos and birth updates on Facebook. Hopefully, I will get to go home Wednesday sometime. If things are weird, or if Nina develops jaundice like Jack or loses more than her alloted weight, I will be coming home Thanksgiving. Expect at least a quick update on Friday after things settle down a bit.

Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

One More Week! What?

We almost had a baby on Friday.

*gasp*

Not really. But it was looking like that for a short while. After my NST on Friday, I began to feel very dizzy and nauseated. My blood pressure was taken twice, once after resting for 10 minutes. Joanne and I were told to go home, gather my things and head to the hospital. Calls were made, Todd came home from work, I got anxious. Then, my blood pressure went down. Waaaay down. From 154/96 to 120/67.

For the past few weeks the only labor symptoms I've been having are weird dreams. I dreamed that my epidural didn't take and only worked on one side. Apparently I was having a vaginal delivery, not a c-section. That was weird. I keep having a recurring dream that my water breaks. Sometimes I wake up thinking I've peed the bed and sometimes I just sleep through it. (note: I have yet to pee the bed, honest.)

I'm writing and posting this on Sunday because I honestly don't think much is going to change at tomorrow's appointment. There's nothing new going on. Dilation doesn't matter because I am having a c-section in a week. Unless the baby falls out, I'm going to go ahead and assume that tomorrow is going to be relatively routine. HOWEVER, I will update this sometime tomorrow with a 38 week belly picture. I'm currently upstairs in bed and will not be leaving until the morning. Hopefully. Maybe. We'll see.



Now, onto the fun stuff. Since we did think we might have possibly ended up with a baby this past Friday, we thought it was about time we got our butts in gear. Enjoy some photos of Nina's crib set, along with a close up of her Mr. Bear. I also got her diaper stacker hung in our room as well as the bassinet emptied out and lined with aluminum foil (to keep out cats, especially Miss Zelda).

We have to hang new shelves in the kids' room. Their current shelves which were moved from one wall to the other are no longer safe. They're drooping, which is weird, since they're floating shelves. Somehow, over the last two years they have lost their structural integrity. We'll do that sometime this week. Since Nina will be in our room for the first little while, it's not a HUGE priority that they get hung today.

Crib set with bow holder

Mr. Bear and Lady Bugs

I haven't been posting much about Jack lately. He is starting to talk, answer questions, and is becoming more willingly repetitive. He obtained "my" recently but isn't really all about MINE MINE MINE, so that's good. He "needs" things. "I need dat, Mama!" is especially effective when referring to the iPad.

I used to have a baby who hated dirty hands. No more do we have that child. Look at him finger paint! His daycare teacher says he really enjoys painting, so we're encouraging that at home. His uncle is a fantastic artist so hopefully this will bring them close together. Of course, paint is messy business. Jack must be stripped down to his diaper because that stuff, it gets everywhere. Obviously, we only paint on bath night.

You want me to what now?

Here are my hands! Covered in paint!

We went to lunch at UNO today and Todd introduced Jack to hand tracing with crayons. After that, everything had to be traced. Mama's hands, Daddy's hands, GG's hands, Mama's iPhone. He had a blast. We also discovered that he's grown out of his shoes in the last week. Thankfully, GG had 30% off at Kohl's and some Kohl's cash so we stopped and bought him new "choos!" He didn't want to try any shoes on until we bargained letting him out of his seat to run around. Then, he adored his "choos!" and ran all over the store. He's been in the same size shoe for close to 6 months now. He has finally outgrown 24 month size pants. They're floods on him. Still not filling out the waist, so adjustable waist pants are absolutely still necessary, but at least we know he's growing taller.

His growth spurt is accompanied by a cold, we think. His eyes have been watery and his nose is running. He's not been running a fever though, and has as much energy as you'd expect a 2 year old to have. It's about time. I don't think he's had a cold in months. Despite his cold, his appetite has been incredible. He's been eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner. For a while dinner was a fight. However, on Thursday he at french toast for breakfast, requested TWO PB&J sandwiches for lunch, ate a ton of cereal, cheese and fruit snacks between meals, 3-4 cups of watered down juice, AND ate grilled cheese for dinner. That's a lot of food for my little guy to partake in one day. I even let him have one of my Milky Way Midnights for dessert.

Not much else has been going on. I have just 7 more days (at the most) before Nina arrives. We're down to the wire here. Things are starting to feel real, people. My next update may possibly include fresh baby pictures! 

2 Weeks Left!

37 Weeks

Two more weeks? That's a long time. Let's see...what can I complain about today? I'm waddling, there are feet protruding from below my right ribs, I am clumsy(ier than normal...), and I can no longer bend over when things get dropped on the floor. You should see me put on a pair of socks. That's hilarious.

So, I'm 37 weeks today. I've never been 37 weeks pregnant before. It's beginning to look like I'm actually going to make it to my scheduled c-section. I'm excited and miserable about this. No, I don't want Nina to come earlier than she should. I want her to bake for as long as possible. However, I am uncomfortable. She wedges her cute self down into my pelvis as low as possible and it hurts to walk, roll over, and is hard to pee (apologies, but I promise not to talk about what happens after the baby comes...)

As of this morning, our sweet Nina Bug is approx. 7lb1oz. That's a bit smaller than Jack was at 36w5d gestation. However, measurements are give or take up to a pound, so she could well be closer to 8lbs. I have not gained weight in the last two weeks. I don't know if this is good or bad. I'm under my 25lb limit, so I think they're fine with it.

We are mostly ready for baby. My house isn't as clean as I would like it to be, but we are managing. Her bassinet and crib are ready. Clothes are washed, sorted by age, and ready to go. My hospital bag is packed as is her bag. We have Jack's big brother gift ready. The van seats are rearranged to accommodate the new car seat (INSTALLED!) and allow adults to fit in the back seat. I went all nesty and panicky this past weekend trying to locate my pump parts and milk storage bottles. I am thinking that we must have tossed them. After a frantic search of three different stores, we tracked everything down. I ordered new tubing since my old tubing was weirdly discolored. I think all we are missing now is the actual baby.

We are so excited for this kid, it's insane. Todd, his mother, and I talk to Nina everyday begging her to come out at any time. I even think Jack is finally acknowledging the baby. He started saying baby this weekend and calls only his little Mickeys "baby." The next couple of weeks will go by quickly, I hope!

Speaking of Jack and new words:

Purple
Spider
Bye-bye (yup, took this long)
Baby
Bug (the letter "B")
Paint (we think, he could be saying pink)
Sound

He is also structuring 2-3 word sentences. His language isn't very clear, but it's a definite improvement over whining and pointing. We are definitely starting to understand him more and it's very exciting.

3 Mondays left!

36 Weeks. Am huge. Penguin is offering moral support

Sorry, sorry. If you've been trying to access this via Facebook, I inadvertently turned it back into a draft. Oops. I blame pregnancy brain.

Today I am 36 weeks pregnant. We had a bit of a wind storm named Sandy, so I spent the day in my pajamas. I did wear clothes to the doctor, I promise, but boycotted fitted clothes once I got home. It was a pajama day for everyone. Anyway, I have three weeks until my scheduled c-section. Today's doctor appointment included signing my pre-op authorization forms. We discussed whether I am going to make it to my surgery date. My doctor once again agreed with me that she hopes I don't because I am likely to be more uncomfortable than I am. My blood pressure was slightly elevated, but I blame it on my inhaler use. I've been wheezy the last few days; probably because I made Todd dust our entire room and I'm deathly allergic to cleaning. 

This past week, I've been feeling energetic, grumpy, and frustrated. I'm frustrated because I can't do the type of nesting that I would like to do. I'm grumpy because no one sees my vision. I'm energetic because I need to nest. I've cheated on my bed rest because I fully believe my blood pressure is increased due to anxiety this pregnancy. I've noticed a difference at home. My numbers are easily 10-15 points lower than at the doctor's office. Could I have a faulty monitor? I say no, because when the numbers have been high, it is on par with the MAs readings. 

Beginning next week, I'm going to attempt to get this baby out. (Oh, don't be like that. I'll get permission first...) Because of my blood pressure, past abdominal/uterine surgeries, I am certainly not a candidate for a vaginal birth. I'm good with this. It also means that if I show signs of labor, they'll bypass labor and send me straight to the OR. Whee! Dear lord, I've never been more excited for surgery in my life!

Jack found my surgery instructions in my purse today. He said "wow!" and brought them to me. I said they were my instructions to get baby sister out. Jack, in the most adorable way possible, said "oh," and then lifted my shirt and spread the paper across my belly. We often wonder how much he picks up on when we talk about the baby, baby Nina, little sister, etc. While he will oblige and point to my belly when asked where baby is, he doesn't show any other interest in the other changes (crib bedding, swing, new carseat, all of the tiny baby clothes) and overall doesn't seem anxious or intuitive at all. Sleep patterns aren't changing, eating is as stubborn as usual. He is so go with the flow that I really don't anticipate a problem once Nina finally arrives.

I'm typing this from my phone and my thumbs are protesting the length. I will update again after Friday's appointment. Have a wonderful week.  Hs