Week Five Postpartum

Ok, so I just managed to post my last weeks post today! (I know that was really late.) I even forgot to take postpartum pictures,  but oh well. Things happen.

So we've reached week five and as far as healing goes, I've stopped bleeding completely as I may have actually mentioned in my last post, but it's continued to stay that way so that's good! My stomach still feels a bit mushy but nothing like it was the first week after birth. My organs are probably still trying to move back in place.

As far as Angelo goes, he's already over 11 lbs as of two days ago! And he has been working on his neck muscles with tummy time. He's doing extremely well at it. But today we were supposed to have a pediatrician appointment and we slept over by a few minutes!  I thought we'd make it for sure, but nope! I had to reschedule which is a pain in the butt because our doctor is filled until August...and he seems to ALWAYS be booked. So I rescheduled with another doctor for July 5th but I think I'm going to have to reschedule that as well...Ugh.  It's pretty frustrating...

In other news, I'm officially a pampered chef consultant!  Just got signed up today so I'm hoping to do well with that and earn us some extra money. And the good thing about it is I can do it all from home. There's a way to do facebook parties and all I need is to have people willing to host.  They're completely free and the hosts get benefits as well. So if anyone comes across this and is interested, LET ME KNOW!  I can set you up. :)

As far as things go with this house we are renting...I'd say not so well...most places want you to have good credit before renting. And we are still looking but I still can't wait to get out of here...

Anyway, postpartum pics.. (sorry forgot to take them).

BY THE WAY, SO SORRY GUYS. I HAD THIS WRITTEN AND NEVER POSTED IT. I ALSO APOLOGIZE FOR NOT POSTING IN SO LONG. TIME FOR ME TO CATCH UP!

Week Four Postpartum

Alright,  so we've reached week four already! Not quite a month, but just about!  Time is seriously flying by SO fast.

For most of the week, we've been in NY visiting Anthony's family. We arrived Saturday night and were supposed to leave Sunday night or Monday morning, but turns out we left Wednesday night.

While we were in NY, we went to a few gigs to see Duncan Holmes (a blind pianist) and Anthony's dad, Jim (the drummer) play at some nursing homes and they've played in other places in the past. Pretty sure they've got some recordings on youtube. Here's one of their videos from last year. (I think I'm even in that one somewhere.) But anyway all the nursing home residents adored Angelo! So sweet.

But anyway we had fun and saw a few friends. Angelo had fun meeting everyone. Anthony got a major haircut. I got a trim. And Angelo keeps growin and growin and growin...

Anyway, as for my own healing progression, I found out that I weigh 145 lbs now and pre-pregnancy I was 135 lbs. Then again, I've got a lot of extra boob weight that I never had before, so that might be it.

Also, my postpartum bleeding has pretty much finished now! So yay!

I've been feeling really good. Not having to wake up as much during the night, but I feel like it's making me feel more tired when I do have to wake up. So if anything, I only feel tired.

As for Angelo, he's growing well, but he's still a bit jaundice. Really hoping it'll go away soon...

Last night, I decided to try out some fake nails cause they're a bit easier than painting the nail. I've just got to get used to the length of the nails because I normally keep mine short. But so far I do like them and they look nice. Might as well do something fun for myself when I can. Even if it's just something small and simple. I'm sure other moms understand. ;)

Andddd I'd like to inform you all that I am probably going to be making a future post about cloth diapering whenever we really get into it. Right now it's kind of part time because we don't have our own washer and dryer. And having no washer and dryer can make cloth diapering difficult.

Now, I apolpgize as I always do for my disorganized posts. I'm kind of writing this the night before I post it and just want to get it out of the way and have it ready for you to read by week four (tomorrow). But if you all would rather me organize my posts better from now on because it annoys you or whatever, let me know!  You're my veiwers and I'd like to make as many people happy as possible. :)
Thank you.

Sorry! Posted this a week late (June 16th) which was totally umplanned and don't have pictures this time! :(

Week Three Postpartum

So my baby is already three weeks! Time seems to be going pretty fast now,  and he's grown so much! As of yesterday,  Angelo weighs 9 lbs 14.5 oz. So he's growing very well. He still has a bit of jaundice in his eyes, but I think it's better than it was the first week. Hopefully it'll be going away soon.

Most of the week has just been extremely HOT. Especially earlier in the week. We only had our front two windows open because the others were hard to open with the paint. Eventually Anthony got them open though, so our house has been so much cooler. Yeah, upper 90 degree weather is no fun when you've got no A/C.

Anyway, I've still been doing well. Definitely not depressed, and just a bit tired at times. But I'm getting a lot more used to everything.

Physically, I have no idea if I've gotten any smaller. Lol. I feel like I've been the same since postpartum day 5...but I'll continue with the pics anyway.

Before I end this short post I'll share something hilarious from this week: About two or three days ago I was changing Angelo's diaper, and as I'm changing him he shoots poop out and it gets ALL over me. I bursted out laughing after that. It was hilarious even though it was very messy. So you can say, I've gotten used to the "grossness" of everything. He had a bath right after and I changed my clothes and got myself cleaned up while he did that. I totally wasn't expecting it to happen either! But sure is a funny story to share.

Anyways,  I know this post was short but I guess we didn't have as much goin on this week. Until my one month post!

Here's week three postpartum pics:

Week Two Postpartum

Small update from last week; Turns out, I was just tired that one day because I haven't felt down since, which is good. So I guess I don't have baby blues or postpartum depression. So that is really good...I was almost scared that I'd get something, but nope! :)

So far two weeks has passed but I think it feels longer! Little Angelo is already around 9lbs! So he's still getting enough to eat for sure. Been getting more used to nursing and I can tell the difference between when he's hungry and when he just needs a diaper change now.

As far as sleeping goes, he sleeps pretty well. Occasionally there's days where he won't sleep for a few hours(usually between 6-9 pm) no matter how much I try....but eventually it happens.

As for myself, I've been feeling good. My boobs aren't sore at all anymore, and my bleeding is slowing down. Also, my tear no longer stings. Just feels a little itchy at times. But I don't feel uncomfortable to sit in a chair for a long time anymore.  So I know for sure that I've made progress.

Wednesday morning we actually went to the midwife to have the newborn screening done and then after that we went to our pediatrician appointment; but I had to call and reschedule because we were late and thankfully they still let us in because the next opening wasn't until July! But anyway, we met the doctor and he was awesome! I did a good job chosing for the fact that all I did was look at reviews online to see who looked like a good doctor. But turns out he's better than we expected and not the type of doctor to pressure you into things like vaccines which is pretty much one of the first things he said he doesn't do (some doctors will tell you to get out if you don't choose to vaccinate). So we're happy with the choice I made. (:

On another note, these past two days  have been nearly 100 degrees outside!! And we only have two windows that open upstairs and no A/C. But today I realized A LOT of heat was coming from the attic which wasn't closed off because when the inspector came awhile back, the door for the attic kind of disappeared. So Anthony got some boxes to close it off and that helped a bit. But seriously, every time I passed it, it felt like hot hot air from an oven! The heat has really not been too fun...but we should be moving hopefully by end of June. HERE'S TO HOPING!

Gotta say though, it's pretty amazing how much things have changed in just a few days. My body has made progress way faster than I ever expected, and Angelo is already getting bigger and bigger! It's just all happening so fast!

Now for week two postpartum pictures!

Week One Postpartum

So, It's already been a week since Angelo was born! And you're wondering how him and I are doing?

Well...

We are doing great! :)
When we first brought him home I had some trouble latching him on to eat, but later that day he latched on perfectly. It seemed frustrating at first...but being that it was only difficult for a few hours, I was surprised.  And thankful.

Changing diapers; his first poops were thicker and harder to wipe up and he's peed on us a few times. But over time his poop wasn't as bad and it's actually very easy to clean. Also, having never changed a diaper in my life before,  I'd say I've become a pro! ;) One plus side to breastfeeding is that their poop doesn't smell bad! Hooray! Honestly this is a lot easier than I expected.

For myself, when I go pee I use the peri bottle which feels pretty nice and then pat dry and put on a new pad. The first day I had the worst bleeding and after that it became more like a period and now it's like a very light period. As each day passes I've noticed my stomach is a whole lot smaller!(will post a pic for one week postpartum at the end) Gotta say I am absolutely surprised at how fast my stomach (more like uterus) has shrunk.

Another thing I've done is the sitz bath. It feels sooo good and I'm glad we have it because we don't have a bathtub. My healing thus far has been good. I can walk normally and probably could do more things (although I'm not cause really I'm not supposed to do a whole lot of anything yet).

After about a day or two my boobs were SO engorged they felt like they were gonna overflow (which really is what started happening). That is the sign my milk has come in. And my nipples were very sore up til after the first day my milk came in. I've been using the"Motherlove" nipple cream which has been fine for me since my nipples really weren't that bad anyway. Now that I've been nursing a few days it doesn't really hurt.

When I first started, and he first latched to start nursing at each session, it was a very strong pulling sensation and I literally could feel the oxytocin like taking over my body! Also, the uterus contracting felt like period cramps while I nursed. Now, I don't really feel any of that. Which makes it a bit easier and more comfortable for me.

About a day or two ago he started to spit up a bit. And I was worried he wasn't eating enough. I started burping him more which has helped a lot, and because I think my milk is fast it sometimes goes faster than he can swallow so giving him a little break between has also helped.

As far as growth goes, my nurse weighed him Friday and he was 7lbs 6oz so he lost a bit of weight which is normal. She came by again on Tuesday and he weighed 8lbs 1oz which is wow! So we definatly knew he was getting enough milk.

As far as any depression or baby blues goes, I've got none. I've actually felt happier now! Occasionally I get more emotional but that's it. Gotta say I'm surprised on that too cause I had gotten a few down days during pregnancy and being that postpartum depression is common, I thought I'd have it...but so far so good!! :)

[Small update: I wrote all this during the day yesterday,  but actually last night I was a lot more tired than I had been and it made me really frustrated and cranky and emotional....and I think I may be developing slight baby blues because it's not severe enough to be depression. So gotta keep an eye on it. Also I skipped my usual nap yesterday and gonna try to get more sleep today and see if it helps.]

And as far as anything goes...I feel amazed at what my body was capable of in order to have this baby. Thinking back, it really does get so much harder to remember. And having experienced it, I know I would do it again as most all women always say.

Now time for week one postpartum pictures. :) As you might see, I've also gotten a few stretch marks that didn't show up until near the end of my pregnancy.

My Natural Birth Experience

So as most of you know, I had planned a natural waterbirth at my midwife's house. Angelo was due May 15th but he has arrived not even 24 hours ago! Here is MY experience. :)

So once I hit the 39 week mark I decided to start drinking my red raspberry leaf tea more mainly cause I didn't drink it as much as I planned to during my pregnancy although my prenatals contained some in them. I don't believe I've mentioned the tea in any of my other posts, but this kind of tea is supposed to be really good for toning the uterus and is known by other people's experiences for fast and easier labors. It's also very good for milk production, and many other things. Reading about it, some people say it will do nothing if you start taking it too late and I didn't drink much during my pregnancy at all! But at 39 weeks I had 2-3 cups per day which is when I personally noticed things starting to happen. Could be coincidence but I believe otherwise!

So it started off where I was just getting loads of Braxton hicks contractions which had no pain what so ever. Around 9 pm on Mother's Day I timed them just to see and they were about five minutes apart but lasting different times. Then they eventually tappered off although I was still getting a lot.

In the evening of May 9th I was still getting braxton hicks but started getting a slight pressure like pain that came with them although it still wasn't really painful and they were ten minutes apart. I went to bed with them and woke up May 10th with them. After a shower they tappered off and disappeared for at least two hours.

At 6 pm on May 10th I got the contractions again but this time I noticed a pain that started from my lower stomach and rose up with each one. They were about ten minutes apart lasting different amounts of time. I told my midwife and she said it is possible I was in early labor or pre labor. So I went to bed and was able to sleep some. Midwife said to try and get good rest just in case. So I did. Even though I woke up after four hours and then two hours. But still had good rest.

So morning of May 11th was my midwife appointment and my contractions hadn't been tappering off when I did anything so I felt they were more real especially with that rising pressure feeling with each one. Anyway the midwife said it was possible I'd be going there later that night if it was really early labor but we decided to go to the appointment still anyway. Found out I was 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced at that time. So I was in early labor!  I'm assuming my early labor started at 6 pm on May 11th because  that's when they stopped tappering off entirely and started progressing slowly as time passed.

ANYWAY throughout the day they started moving closer together and that day we went to the park and walked a bit. Thats when my walking really slowed down through them. So I knew they were getting more intense.

After the park we headed home because Anthony's mom had arrived and they brought furniture and spent time unloading that. As time passed I kept timing the contractions with my app and kept updating my midwife. Soon enough they became SO strong I had to seriously work through them. They started being 5 minutes apart lasting about 70 seconds at 7 pm on May 11th. Midwife wanted me to time them and after only a half hour of those they went to 2-3 minutes apart lasting over 70 seconds. I didn't even have the 5 minute ones for an hour which is what they suggest before you leave for birth! Thats when the midwife said to leave by 8 pm!

So we gathered everything and went. At this point I had been on all fours coping through them with deep moans. I rode like that the whole way in the back seat of the car too. The deep moans really helped me get through each contraction. As Anthony drove, he ended up being pulled over by a cop. Of course, I wasn't paying attention to much because I was focused on my own thing and literally didn't care what anyone was thinking.

The cop comes up to the car right as I entered a contraction and from what I heard she wasn't able to escort us but she let us go being that I was in labor, but I recall she said not to speed anyway. Of course I wasn't focused on the conversation so I could be wrong.

We kept going and arrived at the midwife around 9:15 pm. She checked me to see where I was at and while I was expecting like 5cm...I was at 7-8 cm dilated and already entering transition stage. After that we continued and I stayed on all fours and got some back massage from others to help me as they got the tub ready and filled.  Once the tub was filled, I got in and just stripped all down because it's what was comfortable(sorry if you didn't wanna know that, but I'm not holding anything back). They left Anthony in there with me and after awhile I got upset cause whatever he was doing wasn't helping and I yelled at him to go away and get out!(now if I remember I think I got mad cause he started looking at his phone). Maybe I didn't say those exact words, but something like that. He just had no clue how to treat a woman in labor! Lol.
After that he left and the midwife came in to replace him. Eventually Anthony came back and got in the tub with me. He helped give me support on my back and made it more comfortable for me. And seems that someone had given him advice to be of better help which I really appreciated!

When we were in the bathtub, shortly after that I figured I couldn't cope with the pain through moans anymore and thought I had to push. So I started pushing which felt better but then I got sick and threw up the Subway I had earlier before we left not knowing I'd progress so fast. At that point we had to get out of the tub even though I didn't wanna move...but couldn't have a baby born in water like that..so hadda get out and they cleaned it and while that happened I tried out the birthing stool and leaned my back against Anthony. Then my midwife suggested moving to the bed where Anthony would get more back support for himself. So that's what I did cause I didn't want Anthony to be too uncomfortable trying to make me comfortable.

I ended up staying on the bed and not getting back into the tub when it was ready because I really didn't want to move. So I ended up pushing him out on to the bed.

It was very interesting...indescribable...but I gotta say all the pushing felt good and it was one of the quieter phases of labor I think. When his head crowned I knew the burning I felt is what's known as the "ring of fire." It seriously feels like a ring of fire! But gladly after that my hardest part was over. He actually arrived with the broke water since my midwife broke it and somehow it was good that it didn't break earlier cause the cord was around his neck in a way that was pinching the cord and she was able to help guide me to push him out. Those last five minutes were scary for her she said, but I did it!

Anyway...once he popped out they laid him right on me and he was just sooo slippery and Anthony says he was flopping like a fish after he was born. But as we were holding him we just couldn't believe he was actually real..like HE'S ACTUALLY HERE! Then so we were just holding him and waiting for the cord to stop pulsing and Anthony actually cut it. Then all we had to do was wait for the placenta. Wasn't bad at all.

After awhile of holding Angelo I got more cleaned up and took a shower. The midwife weighed him and measured him. He was 7lbs 12.5oz and 20 inches long and born at 12:06 on May 12th.

We stayed the night at the midwife's house and I slept with Angelo on my stomach and I surprisingly got some good sleep even though I thought I wasn't gonna be sleeping.

The hardest part for me was breastfeeding...I think he was just super tired from the labor though because now he's been breastfeeding a little more on a good timing! So yay!

After waking up at the midwife's they made Anthony and I breakfast and the midwife did the filing for the birth certificate and social security. We also changed his diaper which was loaded and as that happened he had more come out!  Who knew a newborn could carry so much poop? Lol. Anyway we got Angelo dressed and in the carseat and then headed home. (:

Also, to add, I only pushed for about an hour and twenty minutes which apparently is really good for a first time mom. I got one minor tear that needed no stitches,  and he was also a posterior baby in which cases you'd normally have really bad back labor, but I had no back labor!!

And THAT was my experience. :)

Ps- I have been writing this since yesterday so it's not posted as soon as I wanted to, but kind of understandable with everything I've had to do.

Week 38

Hey everyone! So, today I am actually 39 weeks, but thought I'd do an update from the last week.

So not much is happening at all really. Little Angelo is just taking his dear time, which I'm okay with. I saw my midwife on Wednesday and she confirmed he is fully engaged. So I'm pretty sure he dropped the night of April 25th because that's when I significantly noticed a difference in my stomach feeling like I wasn't as crowded and also feeling smaller(but apparently I look the same size).

My midwife says they typically come within a week or two of whenever they dropped for first timers. But I've read that it's typically two to three weeks. There's really no way to tell when he'll be here though. I was hoping for Mother's Day (today) but it looks like that isn't happening. Lol. But I guess you still never know...

The waiting game is just making everything drag on feeling like forever though. I try to keep myself busy as possible to pass time. Then I think something is starting only later to realize it wasn't. Waiting at the end really is one of the hardest parts of the pregnancy. I'm a patient person, but I'm so excited to meet Angelo that it's like I just can't wait. I just keep telling myself that he will be here when he gets here because he can't stay in there forever.  So that helps a bit.

In other news,  we will be moving. We just don't know when exactly. We're still looking at places, but we will be getting a much nicer house for sure. So I'm excited about that too. We've got a lot of things packed now just so we can be ready for when we move. And since Angelo will most likely already be here by the time we move, I'm sure it's gonna make things a little more difficult, but we'll figure it out.

Here is me today at the 39 week mark!

And here is a shot of Angelo's crib. It has a few things in it, but those things won't stay there. As I said we're moving so most the stuff is packed yet still accessible. So this is just the basic crib for now.