I have some exciting (and belated) news to share. The baby has finally arrived! Baby Ben came into the world on April 10th at 11:27pm. He weighed 8 pounds 8.8 ounces (yikes, I know!) and he's doing great.
One of the biggest challenges this time around has been breastfeeding. Ben didn't want to extend his tongue and several lactation nurses thought he might have been tongue tied. The pediatrician at the hospital disagreed and so we struggled through the beginning stages of feeding. At one point I was expressing more blood than milk and I gave up, then the hospital called and sucked me back in. After a 2 day break, I was healed and we started over. Currently, I'm breastfeeding during the day and he gets a couple bottles in the beginning of the night to give mom a break, then it's back to the boob. He's a picky little guy and definitely prefers breast milk straight from the tap over the bottle.
I've also been battling postpartum depression. It reared its ugly head about a week after Ben was born. I had it with my 2nd child as well so it was easier to seek help this time. Actually, Ben's pediatrician is the one that got me help. I was at a weight check with him, and I was tired. I had a breakdown in front of her and she called my OB to get me in for medication. I was embarrassed, but I went. I'm not sure if the drugs are really working yet, but having them gives me some sense of empowerment and when I start getting the weepy overwhelmed feeling it helps to know that I'm getting help and it won't last forever. Logically I know that PPD is nothing to be ashamed of, but I still feel embarrassed and like a bit of a failure knowing that I only made it a week without having to get help.
In other news, my husband took a week off after Ben was born, but he's back at work now. During his week off he didn't really spend any time with us - instead he did a fence project in the yard and crossed stuff off of his to-do list. Part of me is angry at him for that, but the other part of me knows that watching me sleep on the couch with the baby probably wasn't the most exciting way to spend a week off, so it's probably better that he spent time doing what he needed to do. It also gave me little trial runs at managing the kids alone. I was finally able to get outside with the baby yesterday and the fresh air was nice. The mosquitoes however, were not.
So that's the update. Not too exciting, but this mama is taking her time easing into caring for 3 little ones before things get too hectic.
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Monday, April 7, 2014
Pregnancy Update: Week 38
I haven't done an update in a long time because there hasn't been much to say. I see the Dr. again tomorrow to find out if I've made any progress. I'm scheduled for an induction on Thursday, which I'm really not excited about. I'm huge, I'm having swelling issues in my feet (though Toxemia results came back negative - not sure how that's possible!) and I'm basically miserable. The pressure and foot swelling is making it hard to do much.
My sister is here to watch the kids when I go into labor, but it's been a lot of work having her here. Today is day 8 that she has been in town and it's basically like having another child. More dishes, more work making actual lunches (that she'll eat) and more clean up. She doesn't cook or clean or do any of that. I'm not really sure what she thinks she's here for? I know if I was going to help her out before the baby was born, I'd be at least helping to pick up. Or maybe I'd throw out some food ideas? Offer to make a meal? I mean, she doesn't even initiate food times, she just waits for me to actually get up and make something. I have way too much on my plate right now to take care of her too, so I'm just letting the house go to shit. I can't walk or bend or do much of anything right now, though I'm trying. It's all so frustrating.
Fingers crossed that tomorrow's Dr.'s appointment has some good news... like any amount of dilation whatsoever. I'd love if she could strip my membranes Tuesday so I go into labor BEFORE the induction on Thursday...
My sister is here to watch the kids when I go into labor, but it's been a lot of work having her here. Today is day 8 that she has been in town and it's basically like having another child. More dishes, more work making actual lunches (that she'll eat) and more clean up. She doesn't cook or clean or do any of that. I'm not really sure what she thinks she's here for? I know if I was going to help her out before the baby was born, I'd be at least helping to pick up. Or maybe I'd throw out some food ideas? Offer to make a meal? I mean, she doesn't even initiate food times, she just waits for me to actually get up and make something. I have way too much on my plate right now to take care of her too, so I'm just letting the house go to shit. I can't walk or bend or do much of anything right now, though I'm trying. It's all so frustrating.
Fingers crossed that tomorrow's Dr.'s appointment has some good news... like any amount of dilation whatsoever. I'd love if she could strip my membranes Tuesday so I go into labor BEFORE the induction on Thursday...
Monday, March 31, 2014
Sister
As part of my previous post on "time management" I'm trying to get ahead with the blog posts a little bit. I thought I'd pre-write Monday's post as my sister is coming to stay with us until #3 is born and she's due to arrive Sunday.
So today's post is about her, even though she isn't even here yet. I haven't seen my sister in 2 years and out of the blue she volunteered to leave her family and come stay with mine while we wait for #3 to arrive. I'm shocked that she'd do that, and at the same time I'm not sure what to expect. We're not exactly "close" these days so I really don't know what's going to happen. On top of not seeing her for years, she's 6 years older than me and her daughter is a pre-teen. Her husband is in the military, so they live several states away. Not exactly a strong foundation of things in common.
I'm a little nervous about how things will change while she's here. I'm taking a work hiatus for the duration of her stay (because it's polite, but mostly for my own sanity so I can have plenty of time to rest, prepare for the baby and pay attention to my older kids).
I'll be sure to keep everyone updated on how it goes.
So today's post is about her, even though she isn't even here yet. I haven't seen my sister in 2 years and out of the blue she volunteered to leave her family and come stay with mine while we wait for #3 to arrive. I'm shocked that she'd do that, and at the same time I'm not sure what to expect. We're not exactly "close" these days so I really don't know what's going to happen. On top of not seeing her for years, she's 6 years older than me and her daughter is a pre-teen. Her husband is in the military, so they live several states away. Not exactly a strong foundation of things in common.
I'm a little nervous about how things will change while she's here. I'm taking a work hiatus for the duration of her stay (because it's polite, but mostly for my own sanity so I can have plenty of time to rest, prepare for the baby and pay attention to my older kids).
I'll be sure to keep everyone updated on how it goes.
Friday, March 28, 2014
Time Management
I'm starting to go into "panic" mode now that #3 is almost here. I barely have time for my 2 kids AND my work AND the housework AND appointments. I'm not sure how I'll have time or a 3rd baby, especially an infant that actually needs me to do things for him. On top of that, my oldest will be starting preschool in the fall which requires me to drop her off and pick her up. I'm wondering how I'll possibly have time to do everything in a single day. As it is, I often find myself working until 11 at night and I still haven't gotten everything done.
Quite simply, I feel over extended and I don't have time to do anything that I want to do.
It's a terrible place to be. I know it's just poor time management on my part, but I'm starting to feel like I really need to get things in shape so I'm not scrambling. Any tips from super organized moms on how to make things go smoother? I know I can't make all the changes I need to make all at once, so I'm thinking of setting little goals for myself, which will probably get shot to hell when I go into the hospital and come back with a baby. Here's a few things I'd like to change off the top of my head:
-Spend less time on the computer (includes work, Facebook, etc.)
-Clean the kitchen before bed each night
-Clean the dining room table before bed each night
-Get back into my cleaning routine
-Get work done faster
-Spend time outside with the kids every day once it gets warmer
Quite simply, I feel over extended and I don't have time to do anything that I want to do.
It's a terrible place to be. I know it's just poor time management on my part, but I'm starting to feel like I really need to get things in shape so I'm not scrambling. Any tips from super organized moms on how to make things go smoother? I know I can't make all the changes I need to make all at once, so I'm thinking of setting little goals for myself, which will probably get shot to hell when I go into the hospital and come back with a baby. Here's a few things I'd like to change off the top of my head:
-Spend less time on the computer (includes work, Facebook, etc.)
-Clean the kitchen before bed each night
-Clean the dining room table before bed each night
-Get back into my cleaning routine
-Get work done faster
-Spend time outside with the kids every day once it gets warmer
Monday, March 24, 2014
Chicken Coop
So, I think Facebook is spying on me. It seems like every time my husband and I say that we're looking for something, it comes up on the yard sale site and then Facebook makes it a highlighted post or something that shows up on my news feed. Yep, weird, right? It's like they can hear me.
Anyway, he mentioned that he wanted to do chickens. This is something that comes up every spring and every spring I have a reason not to do it - Oh, there's no fence, oh, we don't have a coop, we're doing a home addition, you don't have time, etc.
This year, I said oh, we're having a baby. Well, my due date matches up with the dates that the chicks come in, so he's like perfect, I'll be home for 2 weeks to take care of the baby chicks. So then I was like oh, we don't have a coop. BAM. A free one shows up on the yard sale site. It's in good condition, about the size he wanted and even has a little tray you pull out to clean it so it's easy. At this point I'm like, are you kidding me?!
The home addition is done and he built a fence last fall so there's an area for them. Great. Looks like we're adding to the madness and getting chickens.
I've never had backyard chickens, so I'm not sure what to expect. My husband says they eat ticks and bugs, lay eggs and are low-maintenance. I'm hoping he's right. At least we got the coop for free, so we're not going to put a huge amount of money into this adventure and if it doesn't work out we can just cut our losses and call it a day. Best case scenario, he's completely telling the truth and we'll have fresh eggs and no bugs. Hopefully he takes care of the chickens like he says he will!
Anyway, he mentioned that he wanted to do chickens. This is something that comes up every spring and every spring I have a reason not to do it - Oh, there's no fence, oh, we don't have a coop, we're doing a home addition, you don't have time, etc.
This year, I said oh, we're having a baby. Well, my due date matches up with the dates that the chicks come in, so he's like perfect, I'll be home for 2 weeks to take care of the baby chicks. So then I was like oh, we don't have a coop. BAM. A free one shows up on the yard sale site. It's in good condition, about the size he wanted and even has a little tray you pull out to clean it so it's easy. At this point I'm like, are you kidding me?!
The home addition is done and he built a fence last fall so there's an area for them. Great. Looks like we're adding to the madness and getting chickens.
I've never had backyard chickens, so I'm not sure what to expect. My husband says they eat ticks and bugs, lay eggs and are low-maintenance. I'm hoping he's right. At least we got the coop for free, so we're not going to put a huge amount of money into this adventure and if it doesn't work out we can just cut our losses and call it a day. Best case scenario, he's completely telling the truth and we'll have fresh eggs and no bugs. Hopefully he takes care of the chickens like he says he will!
Friday, March 21, 2014
New England Cold
Attention New Englanders: It's cold out.
I said it. I'm sure you haven't noticed - or at least that's how the news is acting. We get it. This winter sucked - it was cold, it snowed a bunch and home heating fuel is at an all-time high. Tell us something we don't know. Any idiot could tell you that not breaking freezing several days in a row in mid to late March is "unseasonable".
I'm ready for the cold to be over and I'm sure everyone else is too. We normally plant our peas around St. Patrick's Day to get a nice early crop of them, but that didn't happen this year. The ground is frozen still and at this point it seems like garden season may never come.
Now watch, this summer it will be hot and dry. We'll have droughts and fires, going from one extreme to the next. I hope not, but that's how things work around here. Our town recently implemented a $215 capital improvements charge on top of our water bills, so we'll be setting up rain barrels to help conserve water and make up the difference. I have 1 barrel, so I'll be checking for plans online to turn it into a rain barrel and catch some of the snow melt this weekend.
I said it. I'm sure you haven't noticed - or at least that's how the news is acting. We get it. This winter sucked - it was cold, it snowed a bunch and home heating fuel is at an all-time high. Tell us something we don't know. Any idiot could tell you that not breaking freezing several days in a row in mid to late March is "unseasonable".
I'm ready for the cold to be over and I'm sure everyone else is too. We normally plant our peas around St. Patrick's Day to get a nice early crop of them, but that didn't happen this year. The ground is frozen still and at this point it seems like garden season may never come.
Now watch, this summer it will be hot and dry. We'll have droughts and fires, going from one extreme to the next. I hope not, but that's how things work around here. Our town recently implemented a $215 capital improvements charge on top of our water bills, so we'll be setting up rain barrels to help conserve water and make up the difference. I have 1 barrel, so I'll be checking for plans online to turn it into a rain barrel and catch some of the snow melt this weekend.
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Appointment Scheduling
I've got a great suggestion for all the OB's in the world: Have someone on staff that can watch kids for 10 minutes at a time while a mother gets an internal exam.
I can't even describe how much easier that would make my life right now.
I'm 36 weeks pregnant and was scheduled to go early next week to get my Strep B test done. For those who have never had that lovely procedure done while pregnant, the Dr. basically swabs you in the bum and the hoo-haw to check for Strep B. Results take a few days. If you have the infection, you get antibiotics administered via an IV line during labor. It doesn't sound that bad, but apparently the antibiotics burn like the fires of hell and if you've never been in labor before, they like to put the IV in your hand. Yes, your F*ing hand. Just one more way to torture you while in labor, I suppose.
Anyway, yesterday I got a call from the office saying my appointment time needed to be moved up. To 9:30am. Getting my kids up, dressed and to someone's house to be watched at that hour is nothing short of impossible. Especially given that just getting them in the car this far into pregnancy is like an Olympic sport. I can barely get myself into the car, let alone 2 30lb+ kids. Not to mention they haven't been watched by any of the moms in the club before, so it would be a scary early morning experience for them. Awesome.
Well, there's a chance my husband could work from home that day, so I called to agree to the earlier time and let them know that I might have to cancel at the last second. Oopsie, the 9:30am time is no good. The Dr. will be gone all day. The next available appointment is Friday at 3pm. My youngest naps at that time and there's no way my husband can take Friday off or work from home on a Friday. Nobody can come here to watch the kids. Ok, that one's out. The next one is April 1st at noon. At that point I'll be 37+5, but at least my sister will be here to watch the kids. Fine, that works. Oh, and it takes 3-4 days to get test results back, so I'll definitely be past 38 weeks by the time we know anything.
Uh... the longest I've ever gone is 38 weeks on the dot. I've got the feeling that I'm getting the antibiotics no matter what. Awesome. Just one more choice taken away during labor and one more forced procedure. I can hardly wait. So, fingers crossed that baby boy bakes a little longer than his sisters did and that he's not the monstrously huge child the ultrasounds make him out to be.
I can't even describe how much easier that would make my life right now.
I'm 36 weeks pregnant and was scheduled to go early next week to get my Strep B test done. For those who have never had that lovely procedure done while pregnant, the Dr. basically swabs you in the bum and the hoo-haw to check for Strep B. Results take a few days. If you have the infection, you get antibiotics administered via an IV line during labor. It doesn't sound that bad, but apparently the antibiotics burn like the fires of hell and if you've never been in labor before, they like to put the IV in your hand. Yes, your F*ing hand. Just one more way to torture you while in labor, I suppose.
Anyway, yesterday I got a call from the office saying my appointment time needed to be moved up. To 9:30am. Getting my kids up, dressed and to someone's house to be watched at that hour is nothing short of impossible. Especially given that just getting them in the car this far into pregnancy is like an Olympic sport. I can barely get myself into the car, let alone 2 30lb+ kids. Not to mention they haven't been watched by any of the moms in the club before, so it would be a scary early morning experience for them. Awesome.
Well, there's a chance my husband could work from home that day, so I called to agree to the earlier time and let them know that I might have to cancel at the last second. Oopsie, the 9:30am time is no good. The Dr. will be gone all day. The next available appointment is Friday at 3pm. My youngest naps at that time and there's no way my husband can take Friday off or work from home on a Friday. Nobody can come here to watch the kids. Ok, that one's out. The next one is April 1st at noon. At that point I'll be 37+5, but at least my sister will be here to watch the kids. Fine, that works. Oh, and it takes 3-4 days to get test results back, so I'll definitely be past 38 weeks by the time we know anything.
Uh... the longest I've ever gone is 38 weeks on the dot. I've got the feeling that I'm getting the antibiotics no matter what. Awesome. Just one more choice taken away during labor and one more forced procedure. I can hardly wait. So, fingers crossed that baby boy bakes a little longer than his sisters did and that he's not the monstrously huge child the ultrasounds make him out to be.
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