My little baby is three months old already! When people tell you that time flies and they grow up so fast, they are NOT kidding. I am amazed at how much Elías has already changed- it seems like every week he is doing something new. His big things recently are sitting up, eating his hands constantly, "talking," and laughing. He is supposed to be entering a very interactive stage, and I think I'm in trouble. It's already hard enough to tear myself away from his adorable smile and kissable cheeks!
As I was reflecting back on the past three months, I realized that there have been some things I am very proud of, and some others than I want to keep working on.
First, the good stuff:
-I am very glad that I got to experience E's birth without any medication.
-I feel so lucky that breastfeeding has been going flawlessly for us.
Both of these things I was very concerned about before he was born, because On the one hand, there are certain things you can do to facilitate them, but On the other, there is also a bit of luck involved with each. I prepared myself as much as I could for both, but luck gets the rest of the credit, since they were only possible because we had no complications related to either.
I am also very pleased that I have continued to be more or less as active as I was before he was born. We'll see how things go when cold weather sets in, though. I was wondering to myself the other day- Could I put him in a carrier and walk on the treadmill at the Y? Of course I've never seen a baby at the Y in that area, but is there a rule against it, or just no one does it? Would he just cry the whole time? I think I'm going to investigate this further- if we go in the afternoons before their busy time, maybe it could work????
I have been able to do a little bit of knitting here and there, but I would like to be able to do more. Having a baby who rarely takes naps and likes to be held and played with is not very conducive to major project knitting. It also means most of my "free" time is spent prepping/grading for classes. The house has been maintained in relative order and cleanliness, which was another concern of mine. We have some projects going on, since we just moved in, but Juan has been mostly doing all that. At this point, I would like to finish my bathroom- I need to paint, change the knobs, find a mirror, replace the curtains, and get a new floor. HAH- that's it :) As of today I do have functioning sconces, though, so things are moving along, snail's pace or not.
My other two goals for improvement: 1. Get the dissertation completely done. I still need to get back revision comments and then defend, but it is getting closer. I may have a graduation to attend this December. 2. Watch the nutrition. Since I'm breastfeeding, I have been a bit slack with my sweets. I've made a resolution to beef up the good stuff and cut down on the sugar, because even if I'm ok now, I'm establishing habits that will be really hard to break once I stop needing those extra 500 calories. This one is really hard. Last week I made two batches of cookies- half of one I gave away to the neighbors, but Juan and I polished the rest off in a week, and I still somehow managed to lose two pounds! So, this week no cookies. I*must*break the cookie habit. (ok, full confession, I just made hot fudge, but a girl has to have some chocolate in her life!) Yup, this one is going to be really hard.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Progress Update
Elías is going to be six weeks tomorrow, and since that was the magic number they gave me in the hospital in terms of my healing and recovery, it seems like a good time for a recap.
He is 13 lbs and 6.5 oz, so he has been gaining a pound a week since week 1. And he's grown 2 inches length-wise.
I am feeling almost like my old self, physically. I went to my first yoga class yesterday and was so happy to be able to do twists, lie on my back, and do the stomach poses, as these were all no-nos during pregnancy. It was interesting to see where I was tight and sore, too. Mobi, Elías and I have been walking about an hour most evenings, too. We've given the stroller a rest for now and have been going in the sling or the wrap. These allow Elías to eat when he wants, which is a bonus, because it keeps him happier longer and thus, we get a longer walk in.
I have my check up on Friday. I did weigh myself at the Y yesterday for the first time since his birth, and I was a pound away from my start weight. That number actually included an extra 5lbs I had added on in August from being in Spain for a month and not exercising at all and eating A LOT. So, I've got 6 to go. I'm not going to obsess about it, but I just want my old clothes to fit again.
I pretty much avoided the baby blues because Juan was so wonderful about taking care of us and the house. I did get pretty restless by week two just to be able to take walks again, but then my mom and aunt came and I got out more and between that and their company, it was all good. I never really had an issue with sleep deprivation because I just took naps when needed.
Breastfeeding is going great- I love bonding with Elías and seeing all the sweet faces he makes and his funny noises. He is sleeping 5 hour stretches at night and eating less in the morning, so I've been able to freeze some milk, which will free me from the house a bit more. We haven't actually tried the bottle feeding yet- they were supposed to yesterday, but he slept the whole hour I was in yoga. I'll go again tomorrow and see if they can do it then. I really want him to take the bottle, since I'll be starting work next month (ugh!)
We've gotten some random, fleeting smiles, but nothing consistent yet. He is a very sweet baby. He prefers to be held, which some people would perhaps find frustrating or exhausting, but I knew I wanted to hold him a lot anyway (hence, all the slings), so it hasn't been much of an issue. And we've been working on putting him down to entertain himself here and there and he's getting better. So, I'd say all in all, so far, so good. We're happy with our little guy and we think he's content with us. We look forward to seeing his emerging personality and getting some more smiles.
He is 13 lbs and 6.5 oz, so he has been gaining a pound a week since week 1. And he's grown 2 inches length-wise.
I am feeling almost like my old self, physically. I went to my first yoga class yesterday and was so happy to be able to do twists, lie on my back, and do the stomach poses, as these were all no-nos during pregnancy. It was interesting to see where I was tight and sore, too. Mobi, Elías and I have been walking about an hour most evenings, too. We've given the stroller a rest for now and have been going in the sling or the wrap. These allow Elías to eat when he wants, which is a bonus, because it keeps him happier longer and thus, we get a longer walk in.
I have my check up on Friday. I did weigh myself at the Y yesterday for the first time since his birth, and I was a pound away from my start weight. That number actually included an extra 5lbs I had added on in August from being in Spain for a month and not exercising at all and eating A LOT. So, I've got 6 to go. I'm not going to obsess about it, but I just want my old clothes to fit again.
I pretty much avoided the baby blues because Juan was so wonderful about taking care of us and the house. I did get pretty restless by week two just to be able to take walks again, but then my mom and aunt came and I got out more and between that and their company, it was all good. I never really had an issue with sleep deprivation because I just took naps when needed.
Breastfeeding is going great- I love bonding with Elías and seeing all the sweet faces he makes and his funny noises. He is sleeping 5 hour stretches at night and eating less in the morning, so I've been able to freeze some milk, which will free me from the house a bit more. We haven't actually tried the bottle feeding yet- they were supposed to yesterday, but he slept the whole hour I was in yoga. I'll go again tomorrow and see if they can do it then. I really want him to take the bottle, since I'll be starting work next month (ugh!)
We've gotten some random, fleeting smiles, but nothing consistent yet. He is a very sweet baby. He prefers to be held, which some people would perhaps find frustrating or exhausting, but I knew I wanted to hold him a lot anyway (hence, all the slings), so it hasn't been much of an issue. And we've been working on putting him down to entertain himself here and there and he's getting better. So, I'd say all in all, so far, so good. We're happy with our little guy and we think he's content with us. We look forward to seeing his emerging personality and getting some more smiles.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Dining with Baby
Juan and I have quickly gotten used to eating in turns as the other holds the baby. The other night some friends of ours came over to have dinner with us (they brought the food, we provided the serving ware). I'm still unable to hold Elías and walk very much, so this is one of the first times I gave the Moby Wrap a try. It worked really well, and we were all able to eat together at the table.
Elías, having already had his dinner, slept through most of the meal.
By the time we hit the cupcakes, though, he was ready for his own dessert.
A quick fix from mom, and he was out again.
Elías, having already had his dinner, slept through most of the meal.
By the time we hit the cupcakes, though, he was ready for his own dessert.
A quick fix from mom, and he was out again.
Friday, June 12, 2009
One Week Checkup
Eliás had his one week check-up today. Not only has he already gained back his birthweight, but he is up to 8lbs 8oz, putting him in the 75th percentile for weight. He has grown a half an inch, up to 21.5", which puts him in the 90th percentile for height. He is healthy and thriving, and a very content baby as long as he is fed and not changed too much-he still hasn't caught on that it is over quickly and leaves him better off than he was before.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Birth Story
On Tues, June 2, I was 4 days past my due date, and got a call from my midwife that she wanted me to come in for another nonstress test- she had seen some dips in his heartbeat the day before and the more she thought about them, the more worried she got. So, we went in for 20-30 min (we thought) to see if I would need to push my ultrasound up a couple of days. After an hour and a half, my midwife came in and told me that I wasn’t leaving the hospital- they were going to break my water that night- she had seen one dip at the very end of that hour that made her think there may be a problem with the cord. Since I hadn’t had dinner and it was already 9 at night by this time, we negotiated a compromise. Juan and I could go home, eat dinner and get our things and come back to sleep at the hospital. They monitored me all night and as long as things were good, we’d just wait until morning to start the process, so I could have a good night’s sleep before starting labor.
That morning (Wed, June 3), she broke my water around 8:30 and we thought things would be pretty fast from there since I was already 75% effaced and 4 cm dilated. Well, nothing happened. So, Juan and I “sneaked out” of the hospital to take a walk around the lake to get things started. By 3pm I still couldn’t feel any contractions, and we had to start talking about inducing with Pitocin or Cyotec, even though I really didn’t want either, because my water had broken so long ago at this point. I didn’t want pain meds and knew it could be hard with Pitocin, but my midwife assured me that they would increase gradually and stop increasing as soon as my contractions got regular. We really didn’t have any options left at that point- she really thought I would have gone into labor with the water breaking. She gave me another couple of hours to try natural methods, and when nothing happened, we started pitocin at 6:30 ish.
I used my hypnobabies tracks to manage the contractions, which I kept waiting to get more intense and really didn’t. I couldn’t have done it without my birthing ball- I sat on that at the foot of the bed with a pile of pillows to lean on between the waves. Juan was the other essential component- he was right there the whole time, and I couldn't have managed without him.
I had looked forward to the tub, but never got in- it seemed too much trouble to move. After midnight I got on the bed to be checked and couldn’t get off- I went from 7 or 8 cm to needing to push in less than a minute. I ended up pushing and delivering on my side- a position I swore I’d never like. they had set up the bar for squatting, which I had been practicing for months, but I just couldn’t get up to do it- I kept thinking it would go so much quicker if I did, but I think it was better in the end to go slower because I didn’t need any stitches.
Elías arrived at 1:59 am at 8 lbs 5 oz, 21” long. When he came out, I was shocked at how soft he was- not that cheesy stickiness I had expected, and his head was perfectly round- well, he was just perfect ;) He latched on right away and has been feeding well ever since. I couldn’t be more in love :)
That morning (Wed, June 3), she broke my water around 8:30 and we thought things would be pretty fast from there since I was already 75% effaced and 4 cm dilated. Well, nothing happened. So, Juan and I “sneaked out” of the hospital to take a walk around the lake to get things started. By 3pm I still couldn’t feel any contractions, and we had to start talking about inducing with Pitocin or Cyotec, even though I really didn’t want either, because my water had broken so long ago at this point. I didn’t want pain meds and knew it could be hard with Pitocin, but my midwife assured me that they would increase gradually and stop increasing as soon as my contractions got regular. We really didn’t have any options left at that point- she really thought I would have gone into labor with the water breaking. She gave me another couple of hours to try natural methods, and when nothing happened, we started pitocin at 6:30 ish.
I used my hypnobabies tracks to manage the contractions, which I kept waiting to get more intense and really didn’t. I couldn’t have done it without my birthing ball- I sat on that at the foot of the bed with a pile of pillows to lean on between the waves. Juan was the other essential component- he was right there the whole time, and I couldn't have managed without him.
I had looked forward to the tub, but never got in- it seemed too much trouble to move. After midnight I got on the bed to be checked and couldn’t get off- I went from 7 or 8 cm to needing to push in less than a minute. I ended up pushing and delivering on my side- a position I swore I’d never like. they had set up the bar for squatting, which I had been practicing for months, but I just couldn’t get up to do it- I kept thinking it would go so much quicker if I did, but I think it was better in the end to go slower because I didn’t need any stitches.
Elías arrived at 1:59 am at 8 lbs 5 oz, 21” long. When he came out, I was shocked at how soft he was- not that cheesy stickiness I had expected, and his head was perfectly round- well, he was just perfect ;) He latched on right away and has been feeding well ever since. I couldn’t be more in love :)
Saturday, May 30, 2009
40 weeks and waiting...
Yup, still pregnant. Since last week's flurry of activity, it's just been a waiting game. Juan is now done with classes, so he's ready, too. At yesterday's appointment there were some signs of progress- still 3 cm but now 75% effaced and he's down to zero station. But still no measurable contractions- a lot of people have them for weeks or even months ahead of time, but at this point when I start feeling them, I really hope they are the real thing!
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