Feeling Grateful

This sweet girl....

 

is over SEVEN weeks old!

 

How is that even possible?

 

This time has flown by at incredible speed and as exhausted as I've been at times, I've loved every single minute with her. While I've missed my kiddos at school, I'm so grateful that we have the ability to allow me to stay home for so long.  In fact, Ellie and I went to visit them today. It was so great to see their smiling faces!

That being said, I still have eight more weeks at home with my girl. I'll go back for two weeks to finish out the school year. Then, I'm home again for the summer.

I don't think we could have planned it better if we tried.

 

Happy Monday, friends! :)


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IwishIwouldaknown

***TMI Warning: I'm being completely honest in this post. If you're one to get easily grossed out,
freaked out, you are a man, or are not pregnant, I'd suggest skipping this one altogether.***

 

I've done a lot of research.

Before we were pregnant, once I got pregnant, and since having Ellie.

 

I've read countless books, articles, and I may or may not be a blog junkie.

Throughout all my so called research, I've read a lot about being pregnant, labor and delivery, and life at home with a baby. Even then, there are some things I just didn't realize. I didn't realize how hard, intense, or lack thereof things would be.

 

These are the things IwishIwouldakown.

Perhaps I read about them in some instances, but I guess I just didn't truly get it
or fully understand until I experienced it firsthand.
Well, now I know.

 

IwishIwouldaknown about the seriousness of discharge.

I never thought much about this one, although I read it could happen. In all honesty, I don't think all women experience discharge during pregnancy. However, if you get it, be prepared. The amount can be ridiculous and I highly suggest investing in panty liners. In bulk. It's ridiculous.
Costco membership anyone?

IwishIwouldaknown how difficult peeing in a cup could be.
With each prenatal appointment, I was always asked to pee in a cup. Well, folks, when you have 30 pounds of baby ALL up in front, you can't really see down South. Yet, you have to pee in a cup?! Exactly what you're picturing is exactly what happens.
 

IwishIwouldaknown that back labor is no joke.

First of all, much to my dismay, contractions are not like cramps. They are a thousand times worse. I'd always heard back labor was painful, but oh. my. gosh. It was a million times worse than a regular cramp. The morning I went into labor the contractions were painful, but hardly ever reached a minute in length. I for sure thought I was in false labor. However, once they moved around to my back, I knew it was the real deal. There were not words to describe the pain. My contractions were only 30 seconds or so in length, but I just knew. That was our sign and we were on the way to the hospital shortly thereafter.

 

I wishIwouldaknown about pushing.
When you're ready to push, as in push the baby out, you will know. It will feel like a bowling ball is sitting on the inside of your rectal area and you need that bowling ball out..stat. It's intense, but hey! On the bright side of things, at least I knew it was time.

I wishIwouldaknown about postpartum bleeding.
Rather you deliver naturally or via C-section, be prepared for the bleeding. It goes on. and on. and on. Sort of like the energizer bunny. When I say on and on, I'm not talking about a few days. More like a few weeks. At least. Trips to the bathroom take some time, especially with that first week or so. Don't expect to be in and out in a minute. It just doesn't happen. Don't even get me started on the ridiculous pads you have to wear in the meantime.

IwishIwouldaknown breastfeeding is REALLY tough.

I'd heard that it was tough. Women often give up. Now, I truly get it. Those first two weeks or so are brutal. I mean, really, really brutal. I'm not going to sugar coat it for you. They get raw and sensitive. Eventually a scab forms. Your baby sucks the scab off and reopens the battle wound. Rinse and repeat. There are things you can do to help ease the pain, which I'll wrote about here, but be prepared. Nothing completely rids you of the pain for those first two weeks. IF you can get past it though, it's more than worth it. Not only does your baby get all of the nutrients and antibodies from your milk, but it's such an incredible bonding experience. I love that time with my sweet girl and while I wanted to give up on more than one occasion, I am SO, SO glad that I pushed through.

 

IwishIwouldaknown life at home with a baby isn't as hard as I expected.

To be completely honest, I think we have an easy baby. By easy baby I mean she cries, she poops, we change an unreasonable amount of diapers, she gets fussy, she's demanding, and she wakes me up at night. I consider all of that normal, hence, the easy baby part. That being said, I got so many comments while pregnant, "Get ready to never sleep!" "Your life is over as you know it." and other variances of these phrases. In reality, it isn't that bad!! I get at least 6-7 hours of sleep at night and while it may not be consecutive, it's plenty to function the next day. I still do all sorts of things: I still see my friends, I go shopping, I run errands, and I can keep my house clean. I still shower too, gasp! I was honestly expecting the worst with a newborn and you know what I got? The best. I love my sweet girl and she makes being a new mom wonderful and easy. **knock on wood**

 

IwishIwouldaknown I'd miss aspects of my "old life."

Now, don't misinterpret this as contradicting to IwishIwouldaknown # 4. Motherhood and life with my new little family is absolutely amazing. I wouldn't trade it for the world. However, when things like spring break are upon us, I miss the good ol' days we'd all pile in a couple of SUVs and head down to Mexico. JP and I won't go on our annual tropical vacation this summer. I miss happy hours in the sun with this beautiful weather. Those are the sorts of things I miss. Granted, we'll get to do those things again, sometimes with a baby in tow..even if a tropical vacation isn't in our near future. In the meantime though it doesn't hurt to daydream about cocktails by the pool and days spent on the beach.

 

I wishIwouldaknown sneezing, coughing, and laughing would never be the same.
Towards the end of pregnancy, it was essential that my bladder was empty at all times and in particular, before I'd sneeze, cough, or laugh. You just can't control yourself and end up peeing a little. I thought it would go away post partum. Nope. Also, if you have to pee, go pee. Holding it does not work out in your benefit, both before and after baby. Trust me.

IwishIwouldaknown babies poop. A LOT.

Yeah, yeah. Of course babies poop. Duh. I knew she would and I know all babies are different, but oh. my. gosh. This girl poops like it's her job! I think she poops at least 10 times a day, maybe closer to 15 some days. It's ridiculous.

 

So, there you have it. For all of my friends that are pregnant and soon-to-be-mamas, don't say I didn't warn you. Although, keep in mind that every woman, pregnancy, labor/delivery, and baby are different. So, take it for what it's worth - with a grain of salt.

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Linking up with the Friday Baby Shower!

 

Sunday Funday

Back in the day (okay, last year) Sunday was one of my favorite days.

Well, it still is, only for different reasons.

 

Why, you may ask?

 

Sunday Funday.

 

I spent Sundays doing a variety of things. JP and I may have just spent it at home relaxing and simmering down from a crazy weekend. It was my day to go shopping. Most often (and when I was a wee bit younger and my body was capable of teaching a class full of kids the next day), I'd go out with my friends - happy hours, cocktails, sunshine, and girl time.

 

Well, my friends. Sunday Funday has officially changed.

 

I'm married.

I have a baby.

And I have the perfect little family.

 

So, what does Sunday Funday consist of nowadays?

 

Lunch and shopping with my perfect little family.

It was absolutely gorgeous outside today!

 

Love this girl to pieces!

Baby Daddy and Baby - the loves of my life!

 

We ran out of room for the baby! :)

 

I miss the good ol' Sunday Fundays, but these ones are equally as amazing, if not more.

 

Have a great week, y'all!

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Good-bye Dairy

Dairy sensitivity, what?!

 

I think my poor girl might have a dairy sensitivity. While I despise milk, I've always loved everything dairy - CHEESE! ice cream, yogurt, every dessert imaginable. I ate all of the above and then some while pregnant. They say if you avoid this stuff while pregnant your baby may develop an intolerance. Well, experts, this mama baby craved all of the above and had no limitations while pregnant.

 

So, what led me to this conclusion? About two weeks ago Ellie developed a light rash and started having green stools. We went to our monthly checkup just a day or two after both started. Our fabulous pediatrician whom I LOVE said the rash was likely due to sweat. This made sense, she does get sweaty pretty easily - clearly not a trait she gained from mama! ;) She said the green stool was likely due to my breast milk going through her body too quickly. She told me to not worry about either. Well, now she still has both symptoms two weeks later.

 

Then, this entire past week my happy Ellie has been taken over by fussy Ellie. She sleeps, wakes and is happy, eats, is awake and happy, gets SUPER fussy and cries a lot until I can get her to fall back asleep. Sometimes it takes an hour to get her back to sleep. It breaks my heart!! I'd be lying if I said it hasn't caused me to cry several times. I just hate seeing my sweet girl in what appears to be some sort of pain or unhappiness.

 

Anyhow, I can't take it any longer. A lot of these symptoms can be due to a dairy sensitivity. Instead of giving ALL dairy up right away (did you know just about everything has at least a little bit of dairy in it - check your food labels!), I'm going to start with the basics: milk, cheese, yogurt, and butter. It's going to be tough, but breastfeeding is far too important for me to switch to formula. So, if I have to give these up in order to breastfeed my baby, I'll sadly gladly oblige.

 

So, here's to a new diet!

 

Without this...

 

or this...

 

or this...

 

or this..

 

but at least I can still have this...

 

 

You may want to stay far away from me for a week. I may or may not be a grumpy mama!

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Breastfeeding

Long before I ever had children I knew I'd want to breastfeed. Then, once I became pregnant and started doing research I learned just how essential breastfeeding would be for my sweet girl. Among the wide range of pros there are to breastfeeding, those that stood out to me were as follows.

 

1. The bond.

There is a very natural and special bond between a mother that breastfeeds and her baby. It's hard to explain, but now that I'm here, I get it. I absolutely love that special time with her, even when it's 4 in the morning and I want nothing more than to catch some more zzz's.

 

2. MANY health benefits.

Breastfeeding has been linked to many health benefits. The colostrum that your body produces the first few days before your milk comes in provides your baby with carbs, proteins, and antibodies specific to your baby's needs that keep your newborn healthy. Due to the exact balance of high nutrients your body makes in order to meet your baby's needs, breastfeeding can protect against many infections, colds, and viruses as well. Breastfeeding leads to a decreased risk of allergies and asthma. There are SO many other health benefits to breastfeeding. Read more about the benefits here or here.

 

3. Convenience.

It's so much easier to whip out a boob than to go make a bottle with the powder, warm it up, yadayadayada. Rather I'm at home or even in public, it's easy and convenient for me to breastfeed. I always use a blanket to cover up, but I personally have no shame or embarrassment when it comes to feeding in public. It's easy. It makes my baby happy. It makes me happy.

 

4. Nurse while sleeping.

Sounds crazy (read: awesome), right? It took some time, but after a bit of practice I've become quite the pro at nursing while laying down. It's SO wonderful. I only do this at night, but she simple sucks while I snooze. Deal.

 

5. It's free.

Who doesn't love something free, especially when it's so incredibly beneficial??! I have no idea what formula costs, but I know it isn't cheap!

 

6. Lose weight.

An exclusively breastfeeding woman burns 500 calories a day when breastfeeding. Coming from a mama that gained 32 pounds while pregnant, I'll take it! You had me at lose weight.

 

That being said, there are cons as well. I'm the only one that can feed her. I need to have pumped milk ready in my absence. My husband doesn't get to feed her or feel the bond as often (he bottle feeds her with pumped milk when I'm gone). If I miss a feeding, I have to pump in order to gain some relief.  That being said, I personally feel the pros FAR outweigh the cons.

 

So, then comes my first breastfeeding experience. I was determined to breastfeed right away, within 15 minutes of delivery. We tried, but Ellie had other plans. She just wasn't ready. We tried again an hour later to no avail. Finally, about two hours after she was born, she was ready. This was the first sign that Ellie simply does things on her own time. Really? A personality already?

Have a baby diva? Check!

 

The first 24 hours or so weren't bad. She was eating for very short periods of time and very frequently. My nipples had yet to decide they weren't a fan, so I loved every minute.

 

Day 2 in the hospital was the first sign of breastfeeding hell. My nipples finally caught on and were quite frankly, not a fan of the abuse. Then began the daily life cycle of my nipples:

 

Get raw and sore.

Start to heal by growing a scab.

Time to nurse the babe.

Babe sucks the scab off.

Massive pain.

Rinse and repeat.

 

So began this life cycle. This cycle repeated for about two, maybe two and half weeks. It was honestly miserable. I had nothing good to say about breastfeeding other than the fact I knew my baby was getting the nutrients she needed.

 

There were times that would hurt more than others. When Ellie would bring to life her inner baby diva, I would struggle more. She had a pretty good latch from the get-go, but she liked to play games as I referred to it. Picture a child bobbing for apples. That's what my child did. With my nipple. She still does this once in a while, but my nipples are use to the abuse so now I simply find it more amusing.

 

I'd be lying if I said there weren't multiple times I wanted to give up. Late night feedings when I had a fussy baby that didn't want to latch on, but would yank an yank at my prized possession was really, really hard to get through. While the pain never went away there were a few things I did to help relieve the fire burning sensation. While everyone woman is different, this was the routine I'd follow that helped me make it through that rough stage.

 

1. Feed baby and pray pray pray for the pain to go away.

 

2. Rub Lanolin all over your nipples. Lanolin does not have to be cleaned off before feeding your baby. I also do not recommend rubbing a half a tube of Lanolin on your boobs, covering them with breast pads, and going to sleep for the night. When you wake up you may or may not have wrinkly and raw nipples similar to what happens to your skin after being in the pool for too long.
Learn from my mistakes, friends.

 

3. If you're at home and able, try your best to remain topless. I know it sounds crazy, but both the lactation consultant at the hospital and my pedi recommended this. Let's be honest, I don't think your husbands will complain either. Those babies need air to dry! Do not trap them inside of a tight bra or top. You can thank me later.

 

4. When guests are coming over or you're going out in public, do not use Lanolin. Instead use Soothies. These gel pads are cold and provide so much relief. I wouldn't recommend any other brand. I once tried Simplisse gel pads and they were awful. They hurt to pull off!

 

5. While this isn't part of the cycle, the number one relief, or motivator if you will, is a good support team. My husband was definitely my rock during this time. He was SO supportive and helpful when I'd cry in pain or want to give up. He never even once suggested switching to formula which I love him for.

 

While my stance on breastfeeding is quite clear, I know that not all moms have the luxury of doing so. While I think it's incredibly important to nurse for at least a couple of weeks to get the initial nutrients from the colostrum and other antibodies, I know some struggle. My biggest piece of advice would be to make sure you have a wonderful support system and stick with it. If a month goes by and it's still not working, at least you know you gave it your all. Don't give up, you can do it! :)

A couple resources I particularly find helpful:

Timeline of a breastfed baby
what to expect throughout each stage of breastfeeding your baby, the benefits, challenges, etc.

La Leche League
a support website where you can find tons of information, ask questions, and find a local LLL meeting with other breastfeeding mamas in your area

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One Amazing Year

One year ago today I married my best friend.

The sweetest, most handsome, loyal, intelligent, and funny man I know.

The best baby daddy a girl could ask for!

 

It's hard to believe that just one short year ago we were sharing our commitment and love for one another with our vows. Little did I know one incredible year later we'd be sharing our commitment and love with a sweet, perfect, and beautiful baby girl. Wow! We are lucky, babe!
 

Happy Anniversary my love!!
 

I am so lucky to call you mine.

Love you, pumpkin.

Happy Friday!

Happy Friday, y'all.

 

 

To be completely honest, every day is almost like a Friday in our world since I'm not working. However, it is exiting because that means mama gets more sleep JP is home for the weekend.

 

Make it a good one, friends. :)

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