The challenges begin...

Well... nothing too serious, but just when things were starting to feel like they were getting into a rhythym we could manage (we're getting really good at dealing with fussy times now). I found out today that likely my milk supply is too low. We were so proud of little Aubrie for sleeping so well, and it turns out that we're probably not getting enough feeds in to keep my supply up to her demand. She gained a bit of weight, but not much. She's up to 7 lbs 4 oz (ideally, she'd be closer to 7 lbs 10 oz). So, now I go into pumping mode - not only do I have to do regular feedings, but in between I have to do "moo-cow feedings" (that's what I call them, cuz pumping makes you feel like a cow). Plus some herbal remedies, and waking more often for feedings. Hopefully it will get things going and we can continue with the breastfeeding. Her tummy has issues enough without having to introduce formula.

Aside from that, like I said... we're getting much more adept at dealing with fussy times, and they don't throw us as much as they used to. I actually find myself enjoying some of the fussy times. She sleeps pretty well at night (most nights... last night was not one of them). All in all, we can't complain. In fact, quite the opposite... every day, when we think we can't love her any more, somehow we manage to fit some more love in.

And that... deserves another pic...

Lacking the super powers

How do people do it? How do so many new moms blog so frequently? It baffles me!! When RSM, Miss Zoot, and Amalah (some of my most favorite bloggers) had their little ones, they blogged every day. I kept thinking… having a baby can’t be that hard then, can it? I can’t fathom how they’ve done it. I think they must just have super powers (or babies that sleep in cribs and whatnot). Even CC (whose little one is even younger than Aubrie) is managing to do it thanks to a Boppy pillow. With which comes super powers I tell you… super powers.

So now, I’m trying the “blog on word… then transfer over” type thing. That way, I can blog a sentence at a time. And you all can read my blog and say “darn… that makes no sense… it was like she was writing it one sentence at a time”. To which I say “yes… and with minimal sleep”.

And… I’m getting a cold. A COLD, darn it! I need a cold like I need a kick in the head. Fun times.

In other news… Aubrie’s yucky cord stump thingy fell off yesterday. That’s good times. Cuz those things are really quite gross you know! We’re pleased it dropped so soon.

Oh, and yes… the pic on her site says it all… Aubrie is now using pacifiers. The midwife (although she doesn’t recommend it) did say if we wanted to we could go for it now. Considering Aubrie uses me as the human pacifier, we thought we’d give it a shot. So far, so good on the paci.

And today marks day one of the attempt at cloth diapers. We’ve been putting it off for awhile now… but it’s finally time to give them a shot. We’ll see how it goes.

Perfect timing

Ok, so posting has become much more difficult these days. Primarily because Aubrie really doesn't like to sleep anywhere but in people's arms (namely, mine). This is making things quite difficult. Some days, I wonder if we are ever going to get back to a place where we can lead a normal life (normal as in being able to shower, eat, sleep, clean up the house). I know it will come, but it seems a long way off these days.

So, at night... we've resorted to letting Aubrie sleep in our bed for part of the night. Just enough of the night so that I can be moderately coherent. Last night, for instance, she joined me in bed at around 10 or 11 (can't remember now), and slept till 3am. That's a good solid chunk (one that is only achieved when she is with me in bed). But then, she needed to eat. No problem... we're getting good at that. So, I fed her. Thing is... she never "quits" the eating. I keep thinking I should try to let her eat till she quits (rather than cut her off at a certain time, mainly cuz I don't know what that time should be). So, I let her keep eating and eating last night. For a solid hour she ate. Then, I figured there was no food left, so I cut her off. Brought her to bed for awhile, till she was good and asleep (about an hour). Then, did the transfer over to the Pack n Play (beside the bed). Not 2 minutes after that, she erupted!! Spit up flew the entire length of the Pack n Play (that's a long distance). We just laughed and said... at least it wasn't the bed.

Ok... she's crying again... time to cut it short. Hopefully there will be more posts soon (meaning she'll spend more time sleeping on her own, not wailing)

*Sigh*

That's my sigh of relief. Aubrie had another check up today with the midwife. She has now gained back all the weight she lost after the birth. She was down to 6 lbs 6 oz on Wed, and today... up to a whopping 7 lbs! YAY!! That's our little piggie eater!

She had a particularly daunting binge last night, when she decided she didn't want to sleep at all that night, and wanted instead to be up either feeding or fussing. It made for our first really terrible long night. I'm sure we'll have more, I'm just hoping they aren't tonight!!! What can we say... she's a weekend partyier.

My brain isn't functioning enough to write much more, so I leave you with another adorable picture. How she loves her daddy...

Oh please, please...

Doesn't this picture look like Aubrie is praying? It's so cute.



She's saying "Oh please please God, let me sleep and not be fussy tonight". Actually, she's been pretty good through the nights. The first night in hospital was tough (lots of fussing, and I was by myself), but at home she's been pretty good. She feeds a lot, and is often awake, but is totally happy being awake and often just lays in her bassinet-type bed, or in our bed, and stares at things (especially us).

She's getting fussier and fussier in the day though. Usually sometime after noon... then doesn't let up till after dinner. Makes for tough afternoons. I'd rather that, though, than tough nights! We are holding up well regardless, and loving all the time with our little girl.

She had her first bath at home today (had one in the hospital). She wasn't too fond of it, but seemed to enjoy being clean afterwards. Definitely not something we want to be doing all the time though!

We're still "adjusting" to some sort of schedule (or lack-there-of), so I'm not sure how often I will update... but I will try for lots!

Ok... the news

She's here!!!! Bear with me as I type with baby in tow. Aubrie Anne, our pride and joy arrived Sat Jan 14th @ 10:30am. Weighing 6 lbs 13 oz, and 20.5 inches. Our perfect little angel!!!!! We are so in love!

Some pics for you... http://aubrie.shorrockin.com. Snobpapa likes to take pics!

The labor was long. 57.5 hours long upon the start of active labor. Owch! I'll spare most of the details for now (though I'm getting better at the typing). Prelabor started Wed day... then progressed to more active labor at 1am on Thurs. Midwives suggested to labor at home, which we did all day Thurs. It progressed a lot Thurs night. Throughout day and night contractions ranged from every 2 minutes to every 10 with varying intensity (though many very strong) so it was a difficult day and night. Water broke Fri morning. Midwife came by... only 2-3 cm dialated. Labored more at home with our wonderful doula. Midwife came by again in the afternoon to come with us to the hospital. We had to wait for a room, so labored more at home than I would have liked. The car ride around 7pm was TOUGH! Arrived at the hospital. Finally was worn out, and had to opt for the epidural. The anesthesioligist was in surgery, so that took awhile and I got some drugs to help (ok, it made me feel good between contractions... but really... doesn't do much for the contraction!). Thoroughly enjoyed the epidural. But, around 5am?? (I think) it started to wear off. More importantly, I developed quite the fever. The combination of transition sans-epi and fever made for a very rough time. I was also ridiculously ill (poor snobpapa!). Also, still only about 8 cm!!! All this time, I was also on pitocin to speed things up (which luckily, I was very sensitive too, so it helped tons). I don't think my body would have managed without it :(. Finally, the anesthesiologist was able to return to top up the epi. My fever started to level off a bit, so talk of c/s diminished.

Finally, at around 9:30 I was ready to push. All the hours of labor made her super low. It didn't take much. I pushed for about 10 contractions, then her head was visible. We thought it would be several more pushes. Then.... out she SHOT. Our little crazy canninbal. Resulting in a lovely quick second stage of birth, and a lovely well-shaped beautiful baby... but a very torn up mommy :(. After looking it over, the midwife decided to consult the OB surgeon. A little late... as I had bled a LOT. The repairs were grueling and took a long time. I missed out on a lot of time with my darling girl, but loved watching snobpapa bond. After the repairs... I was a little worse for wear, and passing out. That meant a longer stay in the hospital than I would have liked, too many blood tests, and too long on the IV drip. But, we're home now and in LOVE. It is so worth it. I'm anxious for a speedy recovery to enjoy our daughter. Please pray for some quick healing! (And no more trips back to the hospital!)

Update

Well, still at home, no midwife here yet. We did call her (but held out till 6:30). She seemed to think it was early labor, but sent me for a soak in the tub, some gravol, and an attempt at sleep. The tub went terribly... I had two contractions and they hurt very badly! I did manage some sleep, but the contractions that woke me up out of my gravol stupor were tough ones. Now, I'm up, having a bite to eat, and the contractions are back to their sporadic selves. I'm really hoping they pick up so I know what's going on. It's the whole not knowing that sucks (oh... and the bad contractions aren't a picnic either!).

I'll stay updated as much as I can...

Perhaps...

Well, I think we've decided to call the midwife soon. I started having contractions yesterday evening, and they've progressed through the night. If I'm up and busy, they come every 2-4 minutes and last about 20-35 seconds. If I lay down, they come 4-7 minutes and last up to a minute. Weird pattern... but who knows.

Likely, this is a false alarm. I think it's a general rule that all first time moms have at least one of those. That's why we're trying to hold out to a more hours (to call at a relatively decent hour).

I just woke snobpapa up recently (around 5am). We keep saying... let's see how the next few go. Hopefully, we'll know the scoop soon!

Final pics

Ok... so I finally got the courage to take the final belly pics. Here they are, 39 weeks in all their glory. I'm not taking ANY MORE!!! (Until after... when I've lost 50 pounds).




And, if you're wondering... yes, I DID touch up the bare belly shot. I know photoshop, and I'm not afraid or ashamed to use it!!! I didn't shave off any of the belly, or elsewhere (though now that I think of it, my legs and butt could look better)... just touched out the horrific stretch marks. Who said that whether you get them or not is based on heredity is full of crap. My mom never got them, and I got screwed big time. But no, I'm not bitter.

In other news, chiropracters are wonderful people! I went to my first prenatal chiro appt today. Why, oh why, did I wait so long to go to one? My midwife recommended it on Monday so that an adjustment could increase the room in my pelvis and encourage good positioning of the baby. She didn't say how absolutely wonderful it would feel to have 10 minutes on my tummy (yay for special pillows) with massage and very gentle back adjustment. Or having all the muscles and ligaments gently stretched. Wow... it felt great! I can't wait to go back on Friday. I was picturing the very jarring, somewhat frightening adjustements I've had in the past. But prenatally, chiro appts are much much different and much much better! Highly recommended!

Doing better

But then, of course... I never was able to post a blog to say that I wasn't doing well. But who cares, because I'm doing quite a bit better! I had a few days where all the medical issues of late pregnancy got the best of me and I was on bed rest, but I'm doing much better now, and that's all that matters! But I tell ya... had labor hit on Saturday, I would have said NO THANKS. Now that I'm feeling a bit better - bring it on! Still not 100%, but who at 39 weeks is???

I had a great meeting with the midwife today. Baby has turned to the side now (neither posterior or anterior) and she gave me more things that should help ensure a lovely anterior presentation (including a chiropractic appt, and an herb... no clue how the herb will help, but we're willing to try anything!).

I also get to start taking her concoction of "mother's cordial", which contains some herbs that will strengthen contractions and regulate them. Apparently though, it tastes horrible. I'll let ya know after dinner when I take it!

Now that I'm up and about more, I'll try to keep updated so y'all know when labor hits. So far, no sign though! I'm guessing I've got at least a week to go at minimum!

Hmmm...

Guess it's time for a color change??

Your Blog Should Be Purple

You're an expressive, offbeat blogger who tends to write about anything and everything. You tend to set blogging trends, and you're the most likely to write your own meme or survey. You are a bit distant though. Your blog is all about you - not what anyone else has to say.

What Color Should Your Blog or Journal Be?

Ramblings...

Hmmm, couldn't think of a good title today, as I'm not even sure what I have to say. Just thought I'd start blogging a bit to get the day started.

Speaking of which, it baffles me that it is now 9:30am, and if this was several weeks ago, I would be at work (already teaching) and having been at work for at least 2 1/2 hours. Here I am, today, having barely started my day at all. I just seems surreal that my days have changed so much already!

I'm trying not to whine as much these days. I feel like I kinda lost it over the whole positioning thing (see last post). It really threw me for a loop. My wonderful doula has made me feel better about it, and I know there is still hope. I just have to learn to let go, and know that I have minimal control over this, and chances are she will turn and all will work out anyways. Those that know me, know that I don't give up control very easily (haha, that's an understatement!!!!). I'm learning... slowly...

I spent a good 2 or 3 hours yesterday on my hands and knees, cleaning blinds. I'm hoping that it helps with the positioning... and I wanted to get those blinds cleaned anyways. I have 2 more sets of blinds I want to clean, so hopefully on Saturday I can get those done.

Today, I'm off to the office, because I just can't seem to give it up completely (well, I need to pick up my R.O.E., I have an excuse). And to get the car serviced (fun times). Still trying to keep as busy as I can. Luckily, it's working, as this week has passed by quite quickly.

Can you believe my due date is only 10 days away???? Tomorrow, I reach SINGLE DIGITS. Wow!!!!

And yay for hockey tonight.... go team Canada!!!!

My child hates me...

Just when I thought I might get some good news at a midwife appt... I find out that baby girl has dropped a bit (yay) in the wrong position (very much NOT yay). Occipital Posterior... otherwise known as "I am screwed because I have scoliosis and OP means back labor". I really thought I would be able to avoid this with proper "positioning". I'm told it's still a possibility, if I spend the next 2 weeks on my hands and knees at every waking opportunity. In fact, if I could sleep like that, all the better. Yipee for me. No sitting on the couch anymore. So much for enjoying my long wait. Oh, and to make it even more reassuring, here's what I read when I look it up on babyzone...

"Face-up, called Occipital Posterior (back of the head down), is a more difficult delivery because the baby can't flex the head on exit. It's like delivering a baby a pound bigger. It's not impossible, but it's more difficult to push with effectiveness, and the pushing stage of labor can last longer than usual."

Ok... any time they have to preface with "not impossible"... you know it sucks. Couldn't they just say more difficult. For some reason, when people say something is not impossible... it automatically makes you think that it is sooooo horribly bad that many may think it is impossible. It's not impossible to climb Everest... does that make you want to try?

Ok... I'm just bummed...

Welcome to 2006

I'm not much of a New Year's girl at all... but this year, it just seems like I have to celebrate the start of it. Not that I've found any fun ways to do that, I guess I'm just doing lots of reflexion. My New Years consisted of going to bed early, but then laying there, wide awake, unable to sleep (very common these days) until about 1am. Fun times.

My accomplishments today include getting to church. Sounds miniscule, I know... but snobpapa didn't think I could do it. I mentioned going and he thought I was crazy. He didn't think I could sit still for the 1 1/2 hours required. Haha, proved him wrong (though, I must admit, I was squirmy and uncomfortable... I blame the portable chairs... we meet in a school gym). It was FABULOUS to get out of the house though. And, we went out for lunch after, which was nice too. So, all in all, I had a large portion of my day occupied.

Then, I came home pooped... and slacked on the couch most of the afternoon watching movies. Aaah, but it was enjoyable. And, I did get to some housework in the evening, so it wasn't a waste.

I'm trying to plan a solid week of activities to occupy myself. Highlights include going back in to work (I know, I know... stay away, you're on mat leave... but I have to pick up my R.O.E. for E.I, and I wanna see my coworkers and students too), meeting with the doula tomorrow, the midwife(s) on Tuesday, family dinner tomorrow for SIL's birthday (mmm, chinese food)... details will follow.

Note my recommitment to blogging. Aah, how 1sts of the year can kick our butts back into shape. Can't wait till that will also include some hard-core running and pilates. I'm truly anxious to drop 50 pounds now!