We Cloth Diaper!

I'm not quite sure how I came across cloth diapering.  I had a friend/co-worker who cloth diapered her son, but I never saw it or really heard about it.  It was just mentioned in passing and I never really asked about the details.  Much like breastfeeding, even though I didn't know a lot about it initially, it was something that I decided I wanted to do before I was even pregnant once I researched it.

Whenever I mention cloth diapering, people envision the old school flats, pins and crunchy, balloon-type covers.  Cloth diapers have really evolved into something wonderful.  They are EASY to use, stylish, cheap (in the long run), and contain messes like no other.  I LOVE THEM.

I believe I came across cloth diapering on someone's mommy blog and from there I researched and read all about it until my eyeballs bled.  Seriously, my husband will even attest to this, when I get interested in something I google the ever-living-hell out of it, buy books, watch you tube, etc.... I become obsessed, staying up until ungodly hours and then I dream about it too.  This was no different.    After I had read and watched everything there was to see/know about it online, I decided that I wanted to do it.  The main reason that I wanted to was that they are so cute.  I'll be honest... that was what GOT me.  If they were still the old school pins and crunchy pants, I wouldn't have looked any further than that first blog where I found it.  But since they are soooo stinking adorable, I looked more into it and realized that there were a lot of benefits to using them.  Plus, I knew just being cute wasn't going to be enough for me to convince my husband.

So the other real reason that we decided to cloth diaper is money.  We aren't pinching pennies or anything, but I'm the type of person that never buys anything at retail.. I ALWAYS get a deal.  So to me, buying disposable diapers and wipes is LITERALLY throwing money away.  I'm sure we waste a great deal of money on other silly things, but this is something that you HAVE to have and you get absolutely nothing out of it.  The cloth diapers are much more expensive up front, but you just wash and reuse them, most of them grow with your child and can be used from birth to potty trained, you can use them on the next child (and the next, and the next), and you can even sell them and get some of your money back!  There are lots of sites that break down the cost per child per year in disposables vs. cloth and they take into account the electricity to wash and dry cloth... cloth wins.

Getting my husband on board was a little tricky; he didn't appreciate the cuteness as much as I did.  I announced that I wanted to cloth diaper our babies and he just rolled his eyes, sighed and shook his head.... as he usually does when I come up with some hair-brain idea (or try to talk about football.....well, sports in general).  I harped on it for a while and explained how much money we would save and even promised that he didn't have to change diapers (he does!).  He agreed and is very supportive now.  Once we found out we were having a girl, I ordered a bunch of bumGenius 4.0 Pocket Diapers from www.cottonbabies.com.  When they came in, I showed them to my husband and he said.. "Uhhhh..... Logan.  These are all girly."  Woops. They weren't ALL girly; and I've since ordered a few more unisex ones.

There are TONS of different types and brands of cloth diapers.  I won't go into detail of ALL the different types, but I'll explain the three kinds that we use (it's actually just two "types").  We use pocket diapers and covers over some sort of "insert" (usually a prefold).  I went with the bumGenius brand of pocket diapers, because they had such good reviews.  Pocket diapers have a fleece lining and has an opening in the back that you stuff an absorbent "insert" into.  The insert sits between the non-absorbent fleece (against baby's bum) and the waterproof PUL material.  Once the baby potties in one of these, you have to wash both the insert and the "cover" because the fleece part becomes soiled).  These are really great because you can customize how much absorbency you need (how many inserts to stuff) and the fleece doesn't hold moisture, so the baby doesn't feel wet (and doesn't rash as easily).

Here's a visual for you:

This is a bumGenius Pocket Diaper on it's smallest "setting".  My baby currently has one snap between the flaps and she's almost 10lbs.. lots of room to grow still. 

This is the same diaper on it's largest "setting".  I think I know a few adults that could squeeze into this. :)  

The insert is hanging out the back (left side).

The other type of cloth diaper that we use is putting a cover over an insert.  We have two different styles of inserts that we use.  The first is a prefold.  We just put it on her old school style (minus the pin.. they make a thing called a snappi that clings to the diaper to hold it together) and then put a cover over that.  The prefold is pretty absorbent, but she can feel when she's wet and if left too long, she could develop a rash (though she never has).  The cover is just the waterproof PUL material and usually doesn't get soiled, so it can be used over and over.  Here is how the prefold/cover works: 

Teddy bear was used to model this. :) 

I do a technique called "Jelly Roll"... it makes the diaper fit between the legs easier and creates a pocket  to catch poo.  

Roll each side towards each other until they almost meet, then pull it up between the legs. 

Spread the top back out once it's pulled up between the legs. 

Use a snappi to clasp each side and pull the diaper up towards to crotch for better absorption.  

Finished product without the cover on.

Finished product with a cover.  This is a Thirsties cover.

See, easy peasy.  

The other type of insert/cover that we use is also by bumGenius and it's called a Flip diaper.  It's kind of a hybrid of the two described above.  It has an insert that has a similar design and function as the pocket diaper kind, but you just lay it inside the cover (no wrapping or snappi required).  The insert has several layers; the one closest to the baby bum is a fleece material so that you get the same benefits of the pocket diaper (no wet feeling/rash).  We don't use the flip inserts very much now because our baby isn't on solid food and her poo is still really runny.  I think because it has the fleece material closest to the baby, the mess kind of runs to the sides and gets soaked up from there.  That's fine and all, but then the cover gets messy and it kind of defeats the whole purpose.  I think I'm really going to like the Flip diapers once we are to the solid poo stage. :)  We use the Flip covers with prefolds (in place of the Thirsties cover pictured above).  

Our diaper stash is enough to get us through several days, but I do a load of diaper laundry every other day.  We have 3 Flip covers, 3 Prorap covers (cheap, but good), 2 Thirsties covers (I got these used for $3 for both!! STEAL! I wasn't comfortable with using used diapers, but since it's just the cover and it doesn't actually touch the baby, I'm okay with it... everything else I bought new), 24 prefolds, 6 Flip Stay Dry inserts, and 18 bumGenius 4.0 Pocket Diapers.  We have two pail liners and one travel wet bag to collect the dirty diapers in.  We also use cloth wipes, which are just square pieces of flannel (I wet them with water and put them in a normal wipes warmer).  For some reason it usually shocks people that we use cloth wipes too, but it makes the most sense.  Once I wipe her, I just throw the wipe and diaper into the pail together and they are washed at the same time.  If I used disposable wipes, I would have to transfer just a soiled wipe to a trashcan and that would be awkward and stink up the trash.  Typically, we use prefold/cover during the day if we are at home, where we can change her pretty frequently.  We use the pocket diapers at night because she sleeps 4-5 hours at a time (the fleece keeps her skin dry) and also they are easier to put on at 1am when you are half asleep.  We also use pocket diapers if we are out and about because they are a little easier to change on the go and in case we can't change her, then again, the fleece keeps her skin dry until we can.  

Here is our stash (not all of it, but a bulk of it): 

I stuff the pocket diapers before putting them away so they are already ready when I need them!

I had planned on cloth diapering her from day 1, but we ended up waiting until she was about three weeks old.  Even though some of the covers were made for newborns and had a dip in the waistline where the umbilical cord was (Prorap), it still made me nervous to use them.  Once her umbilical cord fell off we started using cloth.  We had disposable diapers from the hospital and more that we had received as gifts (same with wipes), so we never had to buy the first disposable diaper.  We still have some disposables just in case the electricity goes out for an extended amount of time.  

My mom was kind of skeptical about the cloth diapers, but now that she's used them she says they are way better than disposable.  In the three weeks that we did use disposables, we had two or three blow outs and several leaks.  Since we've been using cloth diapers, she's had one leak of pee and that was because she slept a REALLY long time (overnight) and I didn't stuff it enough to accommodate that length of time, so I consider that user error. 

This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to cloth diapers.  There are SOOO many other diaper styles and insert options (hemp, organic, etc).  

This system works for us and I LOVE it.  I'm such a huge advocate of cloth diapers now.  I didn't even mention it before, but the other pros are that baby's skin isn't subjected to the chemicals used to make disposables and we are helping the environment by reducing waste.  Yay!    

Here is my Little Bird in a pocket diaper during her 1 month old photo shoot... which she totally botched by crossing her eyes the ENTIRE time!  Poor thing couldn't focus.  Luckily, she's much better at focusing now and doesn't do it anymore!!  

The Breast Experience

I have never really been around breastfeeding.  I've seen people in restaurants (though usually they were concealed), I saw a friends mom do it when I was little (little as in younger than 7 or so), and I have a sister-in-law who just weaned my nephew, but she lives in another town and I never WATCHED her do it.  Even though I had never really been exposed to breastfeeding, I still had decided I wanted to try it before I even got pregnant.. maybe even before I got married.  I guess I've always had this idea that I would at least try it based on the premise that it's the most natural way, so it's probably the best.

After considering it, I Googled it (as I do EVERYTHING) and read all about the great benefits for both baby and mom.  The main things that really pushed me to want to give it a try were that the baby would be less likely to be obese/overweight as an adult, less likely to have a huge list of diseases, mom is less likely to get breast cancer (we've had enough of that in our family!) and mom loses baby weight quicker.

The idea that just by breastfeeding as an infant, that person will be less likely to struggle with weight issues and disease is amazing! That in and of itself was enough to make me want to breastfeed (yay for the added benefits for mom).  Weight is a topic that is CONSTANTLY pushed on us as a society.  It is a huge deal.  I have struggled with weight since high school, so I know how upsetting it can be to pull out your favorite jeans from last fall only to find they don't fit anymore!  If I can spare my daughter from having to fret and worry or have low self esteem because of weight by breastfeeding, then I am definitely willing to that.  Now, I'm not saying that just because you breastfeed automatically means that your child will be a healthy weight..obviously if they are given junk instead of healthy food as a toddler/child/teen, then they will still be overweight.  The other reason I point this out as one of the main reasons I wanted to breastfeed is because it effects so many other reasons that are listed as why you should breastfeed.  If breastfeeding does lead to a healthy weight, then the risk of disease is decreased, because of the good weight.

At first I was worried about breastfeeding, because I hadn't ever been around it.  That means my mom didn't breastfeed, neither did my MIL or my SIL or anyone close to us in our family (or my husbands family).  My husband had been exposed to it less than I had (actually, I don't think he'd ever been exposed to it).  So I was really worried that I wouldn't have any support.  I knew it would be really hard if EVERYONE was against (or at least NOT supportive).  I knew I could do it if I just had my mom and my husband's support though.  If they would be supportive, then I knew I could deal with the side remarks of disapproval from everyone else.

My husband was not supportive at first.  Once we were married and had talked about having a baby (before I was pregnant) I brought the subject up.  His response was "Eh, no way.  That's gross.".  He was dead set against it.  So I whipped out my iPad and pulled up a website that just happened to be open that listed all the benefits of breastfeeding.   Once he saw all the benefits and I used the-"Okay, well when I get breast cancer one day, its gonna be your fault because you didn't let me breastfeed"- he said he would support it.

Mom and I were on our way to go shopping when I broached the subject to her.  I wasn't sure how she would react.  Usually I listen to my mom.. I learned a long time ago that moms really do know best, so I always heed her advice.  I thought she was going to give me a list of people that had tried to breastfeed and failed or said it was awful or that she would say I would never get to do anything but nurse.  As we were driving along (I was equipped with my iPad with the same website that I had showed my husband), I said "I think I'm going to try to breastfeed.".  She said "Oh, that's good.  It's supposed to be good for the baby." WHAT?! I couldn't believe she was so supportive right off the bat!  She didn't ask any questions or anything.  Then I decided to list her all those benefits that she'd just mentioned and that I had ready.  It was so refreshing to have her on my side from the very beginning.  If she had said anything negative about breastfeeding, it would've stuck in my mind the whole pregnancy and I'm not sure I wouldn't have said "Eh, mom is right, this is too hard." and quit.  Don't get me wrong, she did give me some horror stories of people that she had known to have some major issues, but that was just so that I wouldn't endure what those people did.  I guess the reason it shocked me so much that she was so supportive is because I thought she wouldn't like it because that would mean she wouldn't get to feed the baby as much (she's so greedy when it comes to baby-lovin, which is FANTASTIC).  The only other time she shocked me like this was when I told her that I wanted to have skin to skin time with the baby as soon as she was born for the first hour and I wanted to nurse her within that hour.  That meant that she wouldn't get to hold the baby until I had for AN ENTIRE HOUR!! She said, "Okay.  As long as I get to be there when she's born, I don't care."  She wasn't there when my Little Bird was born, but she got to see her before me and she let my MIL hold her first since it was her first grandchild.  Mom was really supportive and wonderful throughout the whole pregnancy, labor and since she's been home.

Once I had both my mom and my husband's support, I knew I could do it.  I also knew I would have to pump at work.  I saw a girl I work with carrying a pump at work, so I approached her about where she goes to pump.  Turns out, there are four of us that need to pump, but there is no designated room for it.  We pitched a hissy fit and they obliged (since it's a law and all).  I kept my eyes peeled for the pump that I wanted.. the Medela Pump In Style On the Go Tote.  Pumps are expensive.  Said pump is approximately $250 (on sale).  My doctor told me during one of my check ups to ask my insurance company if they cover pumps.  I called my insurance and they do!  So, I got the exact pump that I wanted for FREE!!!  The only stipulations were that you get either one manual OR electric pump that is commercial grade (as opposed to hospital grade) per pregnancy.  It has to be medically necessary (i.e. you need your doctor to write you a prescription) and it must be purchased from a DME (durable medical equipment) provider.  The hospital where I delivered is considered a DME and my doctor wrote me the prescription when he told me to ask my insurance (just in case).

I didn't have any issues getting my Little Bird to nurse.  I had read tons of blogs, books and websites about breastfeeding prior to delivering (so much so that I dreamed about it) and they all said that breastfeeding shouldn't hurt and that if it does hurt or your nipples bleed or crack, then you need to adjust your latch.  I would like to let everyone know that even if your latch is PERFECT, it still hurts at first and your nipples still get tore up at first.  I had three different lactation consultants tell me that my latch was perfect, not to change a thing.  Both of my nipples cracked, bled, scabbed over.  You can't stop nursing just because it hurts (it only hurt when she first got going), so then the scabs are sucked off and you end up with raw nipples.  Raw nipples hurt worse than scabbed ones.  After your nipples finally adjust, it stops hurting.  I had people say the first week or two is the worst.  I will tell you the first month is the worst.  Truthfully, the first three weeks are the worst, but expect a week more and then you'll be relieved after just three weeks.  As I said, it doesn't hurt the whole time she nurses, just when she first latches on.  Someone would be holding her and she would get fussy and they would say.. "Uh, I think she's hungry." and I would look over and see a little alligator chomping at me... AHHH!  haha... So, if you're considering breastfeeding, expect your nipples to get tore up and for it to hurt like hell for the first month.

The only "issue" I had was that one of my boobs broke.  :)  I'll explain.  She usually "eats" one boob at each feeding.. for instance, when I put her to bed, she will eat left boob.  When she wakes up in the middle of the night (usually about 1am), she eats the right boob.  In the morning, she eats the left boob... etc... It's also important to note that I change her, then feed her.  I did this thinking that if I nursed her and she's good and sleepy, then I would wake her up too much by changing her.  So, one night, I put her to bed (left boob drained).  Around 1am, she started to stir.  I got up, changed her and when I went to nurse her (right boob).. she didn't want it.  She was too sleepy or not hungry.. whatever the reason, she didn't want it.  (When she doesn't want it, she purses her lips together and lifts her chin up as high as she can away from me.. it's so cute!).. so I thought, "okay, you'll be hungry in an hour or so, I'll be up again.. no need to pump."  She didn't get up in an hour.. she didn't get up until about 5:30am.  My right boob was about to explode when I got up.. I had leaked also.  I fed her and instantly felt 1000 times more comfortable.  Now, that boob has never been right since.  It NEVER gets engorged.  I was really worried and so I called a lactation consultant who said that it's rare, but if left engorged for too long, the milk cells will explode and you loose them.  She said I wouldn't gain that volume back, but I could try by always starting on right boob and pumping or hand expressing after she nurses on that side.  I gave that boob extra attention for a while (I didn't pump after EVERY nursing session and I didn't ALWAYS start on that side) and it's definitely better now, but not as "good" as it was before.  She still gets plenty to eat and it's not so much difference that you can see my boobs are lopsided, so I'm not really worried about it.

From this experience I learned a few things (I had never read about this happening.. or if I did I didn't pay attention). I have changed my routine: I nurse on one side until she stops eating, then I burp her, then I put her back to the same boob, burp again, then I change her diaper (which wakes her up a bit), then I nurse her on the opposite boob (sometimes she doesn't want anymore), then I burp her again, then I lay her down to sleep.  A nursing session usually lasts about half an hour (including the diaper change).  I have also learned to wait a little when she wakes up at night.  When I go to her as soon as I know she's waking up (little grunts and whines) then she never fully wakes up and usually is too sleepy to eat.  Now I wait until I hear one good cry, then I turn the volume down on the monitor, close my bedroom door (so I don't wake my husband with the light and noise.... ain't I sweet) and go to her room to do the routine outlined above.  By the time I get there, she is awake and anxious to eat.

Nursing is SO intimate.  I LOVE it.  Reading about the bonding and whatnot does not do the experience justice.  I feel so close to her and truly cherish having this connection with her.  I cannot describe in words the deepness of the connection or feeling. You just have to experience it.  A lot of times she looks around or stares at my shirt or something, but sometimes she stares at me and it is so amazing.  I LOVE when she looks at me and we just stare at each other.  I ALWAYS cry when she does that.. I can't help it.  Hormones?  I don't know, but I look forward to nursing now and am so glad that I got the support I knew I would need and never gave up, even though it hurt at first.

Honestly, our best nursing sessions are at night.  The house is quite and it's just us two up and there we are: bonding and spending time together while the rest of the world sleeps.  It's weird, but I don't want her to sleep through the night.  When I go back to work, I will be gone from 6:15am until 5pm.  We start her bedtime routine at 8:30pm and she's out by 9:15, usually.  That only gives me 4 hours and 15mins to spend time with her during the week!  I'm used to spending ALL day with her!! I also have to cook, clean up, and let my husband play with her in those 4hrs... that's not a lot of time!  Because of this, I know I am going to look forward to her nightly nursing session even more, which is why I don't want them to end.

Sorry this was such a long post, but this is a HUGE part of my life now, so there was a lot to say. :)

Newborn Photography Session

I really love photography.  I have tried my hand at it a few times and have been pretty impressed with how well I did.  When I found out I was pregnant, I became obsessed with newborn photography.  I googled for positioning ideas and tips and tricks.  For Christmas I...I mean, my husband, got me some editing software.  So when my Little Bird arrived I could not wait to get started!!  The only problem was, I was still learning the ropes of being a mommy and I kept putting it off.  I get really good lighting at about 2pm in the living room, but it seemed like everytime I was ready to do it, she would be awake or fidgety or hungry or not asleep enough that I could position her.  FINALLY I did it when she was 11 days old.  I am very pleased with how they turned out.  I thought I took a ton, but apparently I just took a ton of the same few poses.  If I were to do it all over I would definitely have moved her around more and "played" more.  Maybe next time. :)

Here's what I ended up with....

Along Came Baby.....

My pregnancy was awesome.  I was worried that it would catch up with me and I'd be miserable by the end, but it never did.  I'll admit getting around was a little more difficult than normal, but I felt great.  I wasn't tired or achy or bloated....just anxious!

My due date was March 22, 2013.  I had weekly check ups the last month.  There was never any real progress leading up, so those appointments were always a bit disappointing.  I was 1cm dilated on my due date...that was the most progress.  One week later, they did another sonogram and a NST (non-stress test) to make sure everything was good.  This sonogram was really cool..we could see her chubby cheeks and that she had hair!  They estimated her to weigh 9lbs 7oz!!  Dr. Owens said that everything looked good and they could induce me the next day or I could ride it out another week if I wanted to let nature take its course.  Even though my pregnancy was fine & I wasn't uncomfortable, I decided to be induced, because I was so anxious to meet her!!

This is the last "belly shot" that I took.

So, the next day, Good Friday, March 29th, I got up bright & early. I had a bowl of Frosted Flakes for breakfast & left for the hospital. We waited for my in-laws at a gas station so that they could follow us. My mom and SIL drove separate and were ahead of us. :)

 We got to the hospital at about 6:30am. After checking in, getting weighed and changing into a hospital gown, Dr. Montgomery came in. I was expecting Dr. Arnold to induce and deliver, but was pleasantly surprised to see Dr. Montgomery (he's my favorite doctor). He came in and checked me (still only 1cm) and gave me Cytotec (Misoprostol) by 8am to induce my labor. Contractions started, although I couldn't feel them. I still hadn't dilated much by lunchtime, so after I "ate" (chicken broth, apple juice, orange jello, sweet tea) Dr. Montgomery broke my water to get things going. That was gross....apparently, I had A LOT of water. I was very uncomfortable after that because it would not stop leaking! Every time I felt a "gush" I would waddle to the bathroom and clean up.  Needless to say, I did a lot of waddling back and forth.  :/  Also, there was meconium (baby poop) in my water.

Anyways... The contractions were very weak and I still wasn't dilated much, so I was given Oxytocin. Once that kicked in, I started feeling the contractions. Once they became painful, they gave me fentanyl, which was awesome. The nurse said I would feel like I just drank two margaritas really fast..boy was she right! I hadn't been drunk in more than 9 months (obviously!), so that was fun. :) I got in the Jacuzzi for a bit, but the water wasn't hot enough for me, so it didn't help as much as I thought it would.  I guess I should have told the nurse to use all hot water, but I wasn't really thinking about that at the time. :)

Around bedtime the fentanyl didn't help with the pain very much anymore and I decided that I wasn't going to go through the pain if I didn't have to (there was nothing natural about my labor so far anyways!). The nurse said, "You don't get a trophy when it's all over for not getting an epidural." I took her advice and asked for an epidural. Dr. Montgomery must have known I was going to ask for one, because the anesthesiologist was ready.  I think people hype that up a lot more than it should be.  Getting the epidural didn't hurt AT ALL.  Getting the IV on my arm was a lot worse than the epidural (I have bad veins, apparently).  They would only let one person be in the room when getting the epidural, so my mom stayed with me.  After I got the epidural, I told them to crank up the Oxytocin so we could get the show on the road!  They cranked it up and I didn't feel ANYTHING. It was fantastic!  I was having contractions lasting 90 seconds every 2 minutes basically all night.

I slept through the night.  I had a whole posse of family waiting and everyone stayed the night too.  My husband, mom, MIL and SIL were in the actual labor and delivery room with me for support and my dad, FIL, BIL, BIL's girlfriend, BIL's friend and husband's cousin were all in the waiting room.  They probably didn't sleep as well as I did. :)

Even with the contractions being really strong and regular, I still wasn't dilating.  By morning I think I was 7cm, 90% effaced and the baby was at -2 (if I remember correctly).  Dr. Montgomery left and Dr. Arnold took over.  I thought that my epidural had stopped working because I started to feel a LOT of pressure.  It felt like I needed to potty REALLY bad.  I kept saying "I need to poo." haha.. The nurse kept saying that was a good sign.  Eventually, I was fully dilated and 100% effaced, but the baby was still at a -1 position.  The pressure was so intense that it became painful... VERY painful.. WAAAAAAY worse than any of the contractions I had felt previously.  They increased my epidural dosage and that helped for a little while, then they increased it again and that helped for a little while more.  At least with the contractions, there was SOME relief in between them.  The pain caused by the pressure was constant and seemed to only get worse and worse.  Also, sometime either the night before or that morning I had developed an infection and I had a fever of 102F.  Between the pain and fever, I was shaking uncontrollably.

I don't really remember a lot of what was going on that entire morning.. I was focusing on not biting my tongue in half, because my teeth were chattering so bad.  I was just holding on the bed rail and thinking that this had to end soon... it can't go on forever.  I do remember my SIL playing with my hair and that felt good.. I was so grateful for it!  I think my husband may played with my hair too.

The doctor/nurse were trying to get her to get in position, so they kept positioning me different ways to coax her down.  Nothing worked.  I changed positions three or four times for about an hour each.  After laying on each side in a "scissor" position, they wanted me to sit straight up.  Well, when the raised the head of my bed it must have been too quick or something, because as soon as I sat up I knew I was going to faint.  I told them I was going to and then my heart rate dropped, as did the baby's.  I had a vasovagal reaction.  They lowered me back down and put me on oxygen.  There seemed to be a lot of hands working on me, but I can't remember who they all were or where they came from.  After I was stabilized and the baby's heart rate was good again, I asked the doctor for a cesarean section.  He said he wanted to try one more position to get the baby to drop.

So, an hour later he came back and there still had been no change.  They got the anesthesiologist to come in and get me ready, I guess (I'm not really sure why he was in my room).  He gave me something to stop the shaking and that made me vomit.  I think he gave me something for nausea after that, though I can't really remember.  I remember seeing my husband all gowned up (he looked so cute!!) and I remember everyone telling me bye.  My mom was crying and holding my hand and I felt bad for her.  I think all my supporters cried for me at one point or another (not those in the waiting room, just the four that were in the L&D room with me).

My husband all gowned up!

Once they took me to the operating room (which was FREEZING), they strapped me down and put up the sheet so that I wouldn't see what was going on.  I could see what was going on though...I saw it in the reflection of the lights.  My husband came in and I told him I could see it.  He told me not to look, but I couldn't NOT look.  When they were marking me up with the pen I could feel it and I remember thinking, "I hope they don't cut me before I'm numb!"... What did they do?? Oh, yeah.. they cut before I was numb.  I said "I can feel that."  They asked it felt like a pinch or something else that I can't remember now (a sting, maybe?) and I thought.. "What difference does it make?? If I can feel it, I can feel it!!!".  Pinch sounded worse than the other option, so I said that.  Apparently that was the wrong answer, because they continued.  When they started pulling me open I screamed!!!  It hurt so bad!  The anesthesiologist hollered for the to stop, cover me up and not to touch me (he's my favorite!!).  That's the last thing I remember.  My husband later told me that he gave me a shot of something in my IV and before he could ask me how I felt, I was snoring.  They made my husband leave.

When I woke up I asked what was going on.  The nurse said they were just finishing up.  I said "Did you get her out?" and she said "Yes, she's beautiful!  She has your eyes!".  I was so happy that it was all over!  I asked the doctor to do a tummy tuck while he was down there and he said I didn't need it (pppffft).  They took me to recovery and fed me ice chips, gave me a bird bath, and checked my vitals and whatnot.  I asked so many questions!!! "Did she have hair?  Did she cry?  How much did she weigh? What time was she born? WHEN CAN I SEE HER?"  FINALLY, my husband brought her from the nursery (where EVERYONE else had already met her!).

Little Bird as soon as she was born!

Look at all that hair!!!

Everyone meeting Little Bird before she was brought to me.  

She was wearing a white t-shirt, diaper and a white bonnet with lace around the edge.  She was gorgeous!  I couldn't take my eyes off her.  I just couldn't believe I was finally holding my baby.  The nurse helped me breastfeed (on the left, which is still her "favorite" side).  She latched on like a pro.  They took us to the mother-baby unit room and I got to see my family and my baby some more.  I got to see pictures of her first bath and of everyone meeting her.  She was born at 12:04pm on March 30, 2013.  She weighed 7 lbs exactly and was 20.5 inches long.

This is how she looked the first time I saw her!

 Dr. Arnold with my husband and my Little Bird.

My Little Bird nursing. I was high on love. :)  (still am, actually)

Aww.... the hat I made for her fit perfectly!

Recovery was amazing.  I got up and moved around a little that night and was up and in the shower by 8:30 the next morning.  I was dressed and ready to go.  It was Easter and we had lots of visitors.  I felt so good.  I asked if I could go home early (they like for you to stay three days for C-sections) and they said yeah.  They removed my IV and I was set to leave the next morning (Monday).  Later that afternoon, I started to not feel so good.  I started shivering and was really hot.  I told the nurse that I thought I had a fever.  She checked my temperature and it was 100F...borderline.  A little while later it was 102F again and I had to get another IV put in (which was a HUGE task) and was put on three antibiotics that I had to have every four hours.  The worst part was that the nurse gave me a Tylenol until she heard back from the doctor on what antibiotics to start and when she came to give me my first round of antibiotics she took my temperature and my fever had already broke.  You have to be fever-free for 24hrs before you can leave, so I ended up having to stay until Tuesday, which was the day I was originally supposed to leave.  Those days in the hospital were really nice.  We just played with the baby and I nursed a lot.  I stayed up REALLY late Easter night watching The Walking Dead season finale.

After it was all said and done, I was glad I had a C-section.  There are some perks for having had a C-section... 1. my lady parts are still good as ever  2.  extra two weeks of maternity leave 3.  from now on I can schedule my babies births (yes, there will DEFINITELY be more).

It's been 1 month and 4 days and sometimes I still can't believe I'm a mom.  She is amazing.  I am truly blessed.  Now I have everything I've ever wanted in life (well, I also want a son).  ;)  

I'm not sure how I feel about using her name on my blog, so I'll be referring to her as my Little Bird. :)

Baby Shower....

I LOVE baby showers... especially when they are for me.  I had two baby showers. 

My co-workers had one for me at lunchtime and everyone was very generous and thoughtful.  Due to security restrictions at my place of employment, I was unable to take pictures.  :(   

My other baby shower was for ALL my friends and family.  It was on February 16, 2013.   I think there were probably just as many (if not more) people at my baby shower as there were at my wedding!!  I know I invited more!  My SIL and my husband's aunt hosted it and my mom, MIL, and husband's cousin all helped pull it off.  It was, in a word, AMAZING.   I loved everything about it!  I loved the location, the decorations, the food, the chocolate fountain, the cake, the layout and the gifts!!  This was the first event in my life where we registered for gifts and I loved that experience too!!  The ONLY thing about it that I didn't like was that it snowed!!!  A lot of the guests left after the games and food, but before I opened my gifts because they didn't want to get snowed in (I don't blame them!).  

Luckily, I was able to take pictures at this one. ;)  

My husband's aunt made the cake... So cute!!! (and yummy!!)

Here's the chocolate fountain.. and my wonderful SIL.

There were about 298347324987 pictures very similar to this one.. me opening gifts.  I thought one would suffice.  :)

I didn't get many pictures of me with people!!!  This is me with my niece and great-niece.  :)  

My very good (and gorgeous!) friend from high school.. I call her Bean.  

This is me and my mom.. look at all that snow!!!  

And me with my sweetheart SIL. 

We played a few games, not too many.  I originally said I didn't want to have any, but my SIL convinced me and I'm glad we did.  We played the game where people use yarn to estimate how big the tummy is.  We also played a trivia-type game.  There was a list of questions (that I answered ahead of time) and whoever answered the same as me for the most questions won (they were multiple choice questions).  There were questions like "How much do you think the baby will weigh?".  Some of the answers that I picked ended up being waaaay off.  For the weight question the options were 6lbs, 8lbs or 12lbs (I think) and I said 12lbs, because I just knew she was going to be a whopper... she was only 7lbs.  :/   Anyways.... the other game was the one where a tray with baby items is brought around and everyone has to remember as many things as possible and write them down.  (good thing I didn't play that one.. I have a TERRIBLE memory!  I totally would've just listed baby stuff and hope that some of it was on the tray)

All in all, it was a wonderful baby shower and I couldn't have been happier.    

Nursery Decor for a Sweet Lil' Girl

Guess I got a little caught up in the aforementioned projects that I was working on.  Mostly, the human I was creating, I'd say.  TONS to write about!!  Let's start with the nursery.

I finished all the bedding and it was REALLY tedious (the bumper at least).  I could have taken a few shortcuts, but decided against it because I'm too proud and stupid, apparently.  I learned SO much making this stuff.  Before beginning this project, I didn't even know what "bias" was (in the context of fabric/sewing, of course).  So, I made bias tape, the piping to go around the edge of the bumper, the ties (that was the worst part of all!!!), and the "body".  I didn't take any "in-process" photos....whoops.  It turned out okay... somehow a bit shorter than I had measured (and measured and measured), but it works and looks decent.  

Other than the bumper, I made the skirt (easiest part) and the blanket.  I had a little problem when making the blanket because the fabric I had chosen was discontinued!!  Sooo... I had to sew together leftover pieces from the bumper to make one big piece! Instead of a square blanket, as most baby blankets are, this one ended up a rectangle... roughly the size of the mattress.  I made it work (haha..project runway, anyone?).  I figure this way she will have a nice big blanket for when we turn the crib into a day/toddler bed.  

The rest of the nursery came together pretty well.  I love her room.  It took on a bird theme somehow, which turns out to be perfect because she reminds me of a little bird....gaping her mouth open if I come near her, wanting some boobie. :)

Here are some pictures of the finished product:  

The Ties

Check out that piping! :)  

Both the bumper and crib skirt have both fabrics and are reversible.  

I like them to match, but they could be arranged so that each print shows.  My mom bought us the crib from Toys R Us.  It converts to a day bed and then to a full size bed.  It is really good quality.  I highly recommend it.  If you're interested, it can be found here.

Here are some pictures of the nursery: 

My little sweetie's monogram above her closet.

The changing table has been moved so that I can actually use it.  I didn't think I would use a changing table (I thought I'd just change her in her bed...what was I thinking?!).  After I realized that I did need one, I moved it out against the wall to the right in the picture.  My mom had bought the changing table years ago for some extra storage space because it was on sale for so cheap.... I didn't go buy one with no intention of using it.   The white "blob" on the top shelf is a mold of my pregnant body at 8 months (I think).  And there is a quote by Audrey Hepburn in the picture frame with the really bad glare that says "Happy girls are the prettiest.".   

I LOVE the cherry tree decal that I bought from Etsy.  You can find it here.  It came with a TON of flowers.  I was pregnant when I put it up and I got tired of putting them up, but I am definitely going to add more soon. :)

Here is my super comfy rocker.  My MIL got us this rocker from Toys R Us.  I spend A LOT of time in it.  If you're interested, you can find it here.  The pom-pom things hanging from the ceiling are from my baby shower.  I thought it would be something fun to look at while she nurses and they have some sentimental value.  

Well, that's all for the nursery.  I'm always changing things around and searching for new/cute ways of decorating.  If you have any suggestions, please share!!!  

Pregnancy So Far

My pregnancy has been easy and enjoyable.. so far.  I have not been sick at all (although I do seem to have a weaker stomach), no soreness, swelling, etc.  My weight gain has been very minimal.. I lost 4 lbs between my first and second appointments and I've gained one pound per month since (so I'm still at negative 1lb so far!).   I'm hoping that the remaining few months will be as easy as the first few and I'm hoping even more that the delivery is just as good (I know I'm being overly optimistic).

I started taking belly pictures at 5 weeks and I've tried to keep them coming at regular intervals (doesn't always happen) and in the same clothes.  Next time I get pregnant (there will definitely be a next), I am going to pick a cute outfit.. I think when I started this I was just excited to get started and didn't think much about it.  SO.. most of the pictures are right before bedtime and I look a hot mess.....eeks..

I was REALLY hoping for twins (I know, I'm crazy.... I've always wanted twins, though) and I thought I had a good chance at having my wish because my husband's dad is an identical twin.  No such luck this go round.... maybe next time!  I've also always wanted a boy first and my husband wanted a girl... so on November 9th at 21weeks we found out that it's.....

A GIRL!!! 

 

 

Since then, I've been Googling and buying like crazy... mostly for the nursery.  I decided to not do a "theme", but more of a color palette of dark brown, tan, cream and pinky-coral.  I also decided that I would not find bedding that was exactly what I wanted, so I have decided to make it all.  I am by no means "good" at sewing or even adequate really, but I am pretty crafty and I think I can pull it off.. if nothing else it will be a good learning experience. :)  There will be more posts on the nursery, bedding, decor, etc. coming soon......