I'm just popping in with a quick update for y'all. I'm still processing the whole labor and delivery process, and am jotting a few things down to share once I've written all my thoughts down for myself. It's so hard to believe it's been over a week since our little one arrived. DH and I have made remarkable strides with caring for her as well as my recovery. Amazing what a week can do.
Some new post-partum vocabulary I've learned: sitz baths, Tucks pads (witch hazel), Dibucaine cream, personal cleansing bottle, etc. All were new to me prior to giving birth, and if you don't know what I'm talking about, just think of perineum care after a traumatic event.
Yesterday we took Baby R. to get her newborn pictures by the same photographer that did our maternity ones. I've only seen one preview shot, but it is adorable. I can't wait to see the others. Her cord also fell off yesterday before the photo shoot....at just one week old. DH and I think she's going to be an over-achiever.
Our farmer's market opens tomorrow in town, and I'm so excited for fresh, home grown veggies! DH is going to go and pick some things up for us tomorrow from our share of produce we purchased for the summer. Can't wait!
Mother's Day is coming up this weekend and my head and heart are so full of mixed emotions. Last year was terribly emotional for me as an IF mother and mother to 2 lost children due to miscarriage. Church that day was especially hard and difficult, and I can clearly remember being so angry at God. And now we come to a completely different place just one year later. It's almost too much to process. The irony of it all is I won't be attending church (because Baby R. is too little to be brought out in big crowds yet), yet this will be my 1st Mother's Day as a mother to living children this side of heaven.
Now that I'm home all day, I realize how many junk calls we get on our landline. Yes, we still have a landline phone, but maybe now is the perfect time to get rid of it! We're also looking at budget issues since DH had a bit of sticker shock when he went to buy diapers. I've been telling him how much a kid is all along, but now I think he is finally starting to understand. Add to that, I got a message from my boss yesterday saying that I may not have a job for the fall. That was a little bit of a shock for my post-partum emotions to handle. I'd been planning to take the summer off and return to part-time teaching in August, teaching just 1 class. She scheduled me for the class I wanted to teach at a time frame that works with DH's schedule. I thought things were going to work perfectly with me bringing in a little income, yet not having to return to too much work. It looks like that might not be the case any more with decisions coming down from above, etc. It's hard for me to think my career for the past 8 years may have ended this past term without me realizing it was over. Of course, things could change before August, so I'm just trying to trust that it will all work out, but it does make us a little more mindful of our spending habits right now.
Finally, I think Baby R. has her days and nights mixed up. She is such a happy, content baby (for the most part) during the day time. She feeds well and sleeps fairly well during daylight hours. As soon as the sun goes down, it feels like we have a different baby. Those first few night feedings were rough. I'd feed her, DH would swaddle her, and she'd cry and fuss for hours. Now she's just awake for 1-2 hours after a feeding. That wouldn't be too bad during the daytime, but at 2 or 3am, it works on our patience. As I thought back, I realized she was more active in the womb during evening hours, so it does make sense. Still, my phrase for the day that I put as my Facebook status has been "my sleep tank might be running on low, but my heart is full." That pretty much sums up life for us in the PPIW household!
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Elizabeth had her days and nights mixed up for a couple weeks and you are right there was one time where she didn't go to sleep until 4AM!! I just remember sitting in the rocker almost delerious because I was tired and it was just like Rachel (well it sounds like) - Elizabeth didn't cry until you laid her down in her pack and play, she just liked to be held and rocked and if you did that she was very content, but at 3 in the morning, that is not when this Mama is very content! :) However, it turned around pretty quickly I think - maybe 2 weeks tops - so hopefully it gets better soon for you! I love hearing about how things are going!
ReplyDeletei could amen to just about everything on this list! (minus the job situation, which seems a bit different than yours) One week does WONDERS, I think I finally can stop the sitz baths, we went to a farmer's market yesterday (probably a bad idea, had to pull over to nurse on the way there and nursed before the way back), we're waiting for our newborn pictures too, AND his cord fell off at one week too! hopefully you're able to get the job situation worked out...but worse case scenario, being a teacher will hopefully provide some part time opportunities. thinking about working just makes me cry at this point, so I'm just choosing not to :)
ReplyDeleteHappy Mothers Day (early)!!!
ReplyDeleteLuke still has his nights and days mixed up sometimes. Some nights he does good, but last night we were up til 3 am. He likes to be awake from 12-3 am. And he likes to be held! Put him down and he wakes up ... That's how I get him to finish his bottle if he falls asleep in the middle of it. :-). Things look so much bEtter with 5-6 hours of continuous sleep!
I can't wait to see R's new born pics ... I have a feeling they are amazing!
Happy Mothers day!!! If it's any consolation too, a lot of our NICU babies are really fussy in the evenings/early night, so R sounds like she's acting normal to me :)
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