- Our first and biggest rule when we brought E home was that no one, not a single person, mommy, daddy, grandma(s), was allowed to sleep with him. This being said, our mom's spent the majority of their time here, taking turns with daddy, staying up all night holding our little boy because he didn't want to sleep on his own in his cradle. They were kind enough to let mommy sleep (most of the time). Come around to 2 months of age. E was still not desiring to sleep on his own. Daddy would hold E sitting up in the rocking chair half the night and mommy would bring him to bed when daddy got ready for work. The beginning of sleeping with our baby happened here. I never expected to be a co-sleeper, but out of necessity, became one. It's a rare night now that E doesn't end up in bed with us. We haven't had to start most nights with him in bed, but almost every morning we are awoken by his beautiful smile when he needs to furiously sit up and crawl around immediately upon waking. I can't say that I don't love the cuddles in the morning, they are wonderful, but so are the cuddles with J when we don't have a baby in between us.
- I was going to be a "Babywise" mom. I've mentioned this before, but let me mention it again, I had my mind set on exactly what kind of schedule we'd have in order to increase the probability of my baby sleeping through the night at an early age. When E hated being scheduled and would refuse to eat when I said it was time to eat, the whole Babywise went out the window. I still managed to have him awake after eating on most days, but then again, sometimes he'd only go to sleep for a nap if he was "nursed" down.
- I was going to nurse my baby for 12 + months. Mommy's to be, nursing can be hard, in fact it may be one of the hardest things that you have to learn at the beginning of mommyhood. For us, it actually went off without a hitch. I was nervous that it wouldn't go well because I wasn't able to have E put immediately to my breast after he was born, but within 30 minutes to an hour after (I really have no recollection of time after birth, so it may have been shorter or longer), he was latching on without much need for help from the nurses. I was elated. I thought, oh good, one thing I was worried about I don't have to worry about! When my mom came down the day after he was born, she was shocked at how well it was going for us as well. I wasn't in any incredible pain, and enjoyed our time together. A week later things weren't going so well. E would scream and pull away every time we nursed. We began to think that he had colic, but that was not the case. Crying took place from both of us, he'd scream, I'd cry. We had a difficult time. J would come home from work and I'd be so defeated from the day and nursing. I gave in at 4 weeks and started giving him a bottle, which he took much better. I assumed I had an overactive let down, which I did, but that wasn't what bothered him. I visited a Lactation Consultant, they suggested reflux. E's dr prescribed him medicine, which didn't make much difference. I later realized (all too late) that E reacted negatively when I ate anything citrus. I had two weeks in which I didn't have citrus at all, and he nursed wonderfully. When he finally quite nursing during the daytime all together, I started pumping exclusively. It's tiring, obviously time consuming, and to be honest, hurt my feelings. I felt like a complete failure, and looking back still do. I pumped exclusively for 4 months. E was 6 months when my supply completely dried up. I will always feel guilty about this, although after speaking with E's pediatrician, my surgery was why I dried up (can't feel TOO guilty about a much needed surgery).
- You may never get anything done at home, may never have a great meal on the table when your husband gets home, and at the beginning of mommyhood, that is okay! I never realized how hard it is to keep a clean home and dinner on the table with a clingy, non-sleeper. When I finally learned that baby wearing is the way to go, dinner became a much easier thing to do. However, the cleaning still takes awhile. E hates loud noises, so turning on the vacuum cleaner is an absolute no, unless J is home to watch him on a different level of the house. As E's pediatrician said, the housework can wait, just take care of your baby. I had a hard time with this, especially for the first 4 months, while E took every single nap on me.
- Mommyhood is hard. Wait, duh! Who said it was easy? I know, I know. No one said it's easy, but no one said it's as hard as it has been. No one said that you may go crazy when your baby doesn't stop crying and won't go to sleep and won't nurse. No one said that you may not know why your baby is crying. No one said when other mommy's talk about everything they do and you look at yourself, unshaven, not showered, wearing dirty, spit uppy, clothes, that you'd be more jealous than anything. No one said that you'd be stuck in the house day in and day out. It's hard work. Harder than anything I expected. And no, it hasn't always been great.
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Not So Great, Expectations
I think I'm like most mommy's to be, you have a picture in mind on how things will go. You have expectations set out in front of you, and excitement giving you these amazing expectations. I'm here to tell you, to burst your bubble, mommy's to be: that mommyhood doesn't always go as you expect. Would you like some examples?
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
A Heartbeat
Baby G, I've already talked about how much I loved you from the get go, but I don't think I realized just how much until I was 10 weeks along. We had waited until we were almost 9 weeks to tell family. My parents and sister and her family were in town for Easter. We announced it to them and to a few friends, then called the rest of our family. I can't speak for them, but I'm sure everyone was elated, especially my family. I was going to have the third grandchild in a year. My grandparents came into town shortly after and we announced it to them as well.
Two days later, J was at work, and I started seeing some spotting. Now, for some people that might not shock them all that much, but to me, panic set in. I waited through the morning, laying on my side, drinking water, everything that Google tells you to do. In the afternoon I had more bleeding, and I knew that I had to visit the doctor. I called and got in immediately.
I begged J to come home and go with me, but he wouldn't have made it in time. So I went by myself, expecting the very worse. I cried the whole 2 miles to my OB's office. I sat in the waiting room feeling completely numb, watching all the other, very pregnant mommies around me. I thought to myself that this was the worst possible thing that could happen to us. I prayed and prayed that everything would be okay with you, Baby G.
I was called back to the ultrasound room. I undressed, and hopped up on the table. I can't remember the ultrasound tech's name, but she was so gentle and so kind. She handed me tissues, telling me I'd need them either way. I am sure I held my breath the entire time I was in that room, until she turned on the sound of the heartbeat. Your beautiful, strong heartbeat Baby G. She was right, I needed tissues no matter what. I didn't even cry the first time we "met" you, when I was 7 weeks and we saw you on that ultrasound and heard your heartbeat. I admit there were tears in my eyes, but not full out crying.
A short 5 days later, I had my first OB appointment, and you scared me again. As my OB said, it was early to get a heartbeat on a Doppler, but I still got scared when it didn't show up. So, I got to see you again and hear that beautiful sound again. Mommies to be and wanna be mommies, that may be one of the most amazing and beautiful sounds you'll ever hear, the heartbeat of your child. I wish I could bottle up that sound and release it whenever I have a bad day. In those short 5 days, you grew so much. I still love looking at those ultrasound pictures and looking in amazement at this little "thing" that would soon be in my arms. Although these were my first two scares in mommyhood, I'm sure they will not be my last.
Two days later, J was at work, and I started seeing some spotting. Now, for some people that might not shock them all that much, but to me, panic set in. I waited through the morning, laying on my side, drinking water, everything that Google tells you to do. In the afternoon I had more bleeding, and I knew that I had to visit the doctor. I called and got in immediately.
I begged J to come home and go with me, but he wouldn't have made it in time. So I went by myself, expecting the very worse. I cried the whole 2 miles to my OB's office. I sat in the waiting room feeling completely numb, watching all the other, very pregnant mommies around me. I thought to myself that this was the worst possible thing that could happen to us. I prayed and prayed that everything would be okay with you, Baby G.
I was called back to the ultrasound room. I undressed, and hopped up on the table. I can't remember the ultrasound tech's name, but she was so gentle and so kind. She handed me tissues, telling me I'd need them either way. I am sure I held my breath the entire time I was in that room, until she turned on the sound of the heartbeat. Your beautiful, strong heartbeat Baby G. She was right, I needed tissues no matter what. I didn't even cry the first time we "met" you, when I was 7 weeks and we saw you on that ultrasound and heard your heartbeat. I admit there were tears in my eyes, but not full out crying.
A short 5 days later, I had my first OB appointment, and you scared me again. As my OB said, it was early to get a heartbeat on a Doppler, but I still got scared when it didn't show up. So, I got to see you again and hear that beautiful sound again. Mommies to be and wanna be mommies, that may be one of the most amazing and beautiful sounds you'll ever hear, the heartbeat of your child. I wish I could bottle up that sound and release it whenever I have a bad day. In those short 5 days, you grew so much. I still love looking at those ultrasound pictures and looking in amazement at this little "thing" that would soon be in my arms. Although these were my first two scares in mommyhood, I'm sure they will not be my last.
Monday, July 23, 2012
Enjoy It While You Can
Pregnant mommies, have you ever heard the saying, "Enjoy the sleep while you can?" I'm hear to tell you, it's true, but more true than that would be, "You'll never sleep again, so enjoy your last semblance of normalcy in that department!"
Okay, so it's not ALL true for all mommies, but 7.5 months in, I can tell you I haven't had sleep in 7.5 months, and even more than that. I started having interrupted sleep at the very beginning of pregnancy, stretching to the end and now, I hardly ever, get sleep. I'm not trying to exaggerate things here, my lovely son detests sleep and anything to do with it.
I've read every sleep book, I had expectations going into mommyhood about what it would be like. I'd have weeks of broken sleep, but just like the plan I had followed "Babywise," my son would be sleeping through the night at 6 weeks. Now please know, sleeping through the night (STTN) is clinically when a baby sleeps 5 hours straight (not your 8,10,12 hours that you'd really like). My son at 7.5 months has probably STTN a handful of times. Worse than that, he wakes every 1,2, maybe a stretch of 3-4 hours tops. And naps, we won't even start on naps.
Now, before you start suggestion what we should do, please know, we've done it all. We first followed our gut, which was to CIO. It worked for awhile. Then we did it multiple times again, this all after months of holding our son while he slept as we stayed awake. I hit the breaking point, the point where I wanted to leave my family, the point where I couldn't take it anymore and CIO was our immediate answer. We tried the rocking to sleep, the pick up/put down, the 5 S's, co-sleeping, every single method out there. Nothing works, at least not for more than a few days.
This is not the mommyhood I expected, or signed up for. I'm exhausted, stressed, frustrated. I'm here to tell you mommies, when others are bragging about their children STTN at an early age, it makes your blood boil. I really don't wish a sleepless baby on anyone (okay maybe I do so I don't feel like such a bad momma), but seeing that your baby is a great sleeper, takes wonderful naps, goes down without screaming for an hour or more at a time, and doesn't wake constantly in the night, really makes me upset! I know it's not anyone's fault and you should be excited that your baby sleeps, but I'm pretty sure my heart breaks every time I hear of the "perfect" baby.
Maybe those other moms with all these problems just never share their issues. Maybe they want to make everyone else think that life is just grand. And maybe I should sugarcoat my life in mommyhood, but I'd much rather be there for others going through the same thing. I'd rather tell my story so that people going into mommyhood with much of the same expectations that I had, won't be so broken down. I never imagined that I'd still be at this spot with a 7.5 month old. I never imagined that I would understand why some people do end up shaking their baby. I would never be able to do this (I've always put E down when it's gotten bad), but as I talked with my aunt about sleep problems, she also spoke the words of understanding this when she was in my shoes. Pure exhaustion, frustration, and complete brokenness in mommyhood is a scary place to be. I'm there, almost every day.
Okay, so it's not ALL true for all mommies, but 7.5 months in, I can tell you I haven't had sleep in 7.5 months, and even more than that. I started having interrupted sleep at the very beginning of pregnancy, stretching to the end and now, I hardly ever, get sleep. I'm not trying to exaggerate things here, my lovely son detests sleep and anything to do with it.
I've read every sleep book, I had expectations going into mommyhood about what it would be like. I'd have weeks of broken sleep, but just like the plan I had followed "Babywise," my son would be sleeping through the night at 6 weeks. Now please know, sleeping through the night (STTN) is clinically when a baby sleeps 5 hours straight (not your 8,10,12 hours that you'd really like). My son at 7.5 months has probably STTN a handful of times. Worse than that, he wakes every 1,2, maybe a stretch of 3-4 hours tops. And naps, we won't even start on naps.
Now, before you start suggestion what we should do, please know, we've done it all. We first followed our gut, which was to CIO. It worked for awhile. Then we did it multiple times again, this all after months of holding our son while he slept as we stayed awake. I hit the breaking point, the point where I wanted to leave my family, the point where I couldn't take it anymore and CIO was our immediate answer. We tried the rocking to sleep, the pick up/put down, the 5 S's, co-sleeping, every single method out there. Nothing works, at least not for more than a few days.
This is not the mommyhood I expected, or signed up for. I'm exhausted, stressed, frustrated. I'm here to tell you mommies, when others are bragging about their children STTN at an early age, it makes your blood boil. I really don't wish a sleepless baby on anyone (okay maybe I do so I don't feel like such a bad momma), but seeing that your baby is a great sleeper, takes wonderful naps, goes down without screaming for an hour or more at a time, and doesn't wake constantly in the night, really makes me upset! I know it's not anyone's fault and you should be excited that your baby sleeps, but I'm pretty sure my heart breaks every time I hear of the "perfect" baby.
Maybe those other moms with all these problems just never share their issues. Maybe they want to make everyone else think that life is just grand. And maybe I should sugarcoat my life in mommyhood, but I'd much rather be there for others going through the same thing. I'd rather tell my story so that people going into mommyhood with much of the same expectations that I had, won't be so broken down. I never imagined that I'd still be at this spot with a 7.5 month old. I never imagined that I would understand why some people do end up shaking their baby. I would never be able to do this (I've always put E down when it's gotten bad), but as I talked with my aunt about sleep problems, she also spoke the words of understanding this when she was in my shoes. Pure exhaustion, frustration, and complete brokenness in mommyhood is a scary place to be. I'm there, almost every day.
Friday, July 20, 2012
Today
Today my dear son, it doesn't matter that you won't take another nap. It doesn't matter that you didn't want to sleep last night, it doesn't matter that you won't let my friends, who you know well, hold you. It doesn't matter that you drooled all over my face and spit up all over my shirt. It doesn't matter that you ate my whole nectarine, the only one left. All that matters is that I love you. I love you with all I am. Today, I'll hug you just a little bit tighter. I'll kiss you more than you'll probably enjoy. I'll hold you just a little bit longer. And I'll love you more than you'll ever know.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
The Beginning
To all mommies, mommies to be, and especially my son:
The beginning of mommyhood was a long road for us. We had desired to become parents for quite awhile, but much to our dismay it does not happen as easily for some people as it does for others. Months upon months of waiting, quitting a job that we felt was causing a lot of stress on the situation, and months later, my journey in mommyhood began. For all you mommies to be and want to be mommies, prayer and friends is what got me through my months of waiting. Knowing that others had been in my shoes and that others were going through it with me at the same time made it a little easier, but nothing made people's announcements any less hard. It is hard to be genuinely happy for others that get pregnant (and especially easily), but you try with all your might.
I wish I could remember the date that I "knew" I was pregnant. I didn't even share it with J (my husband). I didn't want to get our hopes up. In fact, I wasn't one of those POAS (pee on a stick) addicts. I had only done it once previously on our journey. I never wanted to get my hopes up, so always waited for the dreaded Aunt Flo day. This time it was different. About a week and a half before Aunt Flo was to arrive, I knew it. People had told me I would, but I didn't believe them. I was supposed to have my annual appointment with a new OB/GYN on a Monday, the night before I told J that I had thought we were pregnant, Aunt Flo wasn't supposed to arrive until Friday. Since I wasn't sure, I went to my appointment with the same mindset I had previously, to talk about not being able to get pregnant. I told my new Dr (who is amazing), that I thought I was pregnant, but if I wasn't, we were having trouble doing so. We went through everything, blood work, plans for J to visit a urologist, etc, etc. She also made mention of my thyroids. During the appointment she had said my "uterus felt generous." I had no clue what that meant, but walked away feeling good. She'd call the next day with the blood work results.
I waited for a phone call. Never got one. Tuesday went by, Wednesday went by, and finally I couldn't take it any longer. J came home that night with an EPT, but we waited for the next morning. Thursday morning, my first pee of the day, I did it. My hands were shaking, J was in bed waiting. I went back to bed to wait. After 3 long minutes, we walked into the bathroom and saw a +! But wait, does that + look the same if you turn the stick this way?! Of course... we had the hardest time reading that thing, but really were just so excited/nervous we couldn't believe what we saw! Lesson #1 ladies: Buy the one that says "PREGNANT" or "NOT PREGNANT." Needless to say, we were elated.
Fast forward through the morning, I had an ultrasound appointment at the hospital for my thyroids, we of course hadn't told anyone, until the moment when asked "Is this an ultrasound for a good reason?" I said "No, but I did just find out today that I'm pregnant." The next week, I waited for a call from my OB, to let me know about my thyroids, there was a noticeable tumor in each one, I needed a biopsy, "Oh and you're pregnant! Sorry the test got sent out with the other blood work!" (Of course we already knew this and had set up our first appointment!) I had the biopsy, nervous that the local would hurt Baby G, as we so lovingly called baby. Until that moment, I had not even realized the possibility of having cancer. It was so real. I was finally carrying a baby and could also have cancer at the same time. I thank God that was not the case, but it brings me to this:
Baby G, my dear son, the moment I saw that +, and really the moment I KNEW I was pregnant, I loved you. There was never a day through my pregnancy and a day since you've been here with us, that I haven't loved you. That love grows deeper every day and I thank God that He has richly blessed my life with you.
To mommies to be and want to be mommies, you hear about this love and how much you love a life and person you've never "met," but to have it, is more than I can even describe.
The beginning of mommyhood was a long road for us. We had desired to become parents for quite awhile, but much to our dismay it does not happen as easily for some people as it does for others. Months upon months of waiting, quitting a job that we felt was causing a lot of stress on the situation, and months later, my journey in mommyhood began. For all you mommies to be and want to be mommies, prayer and friends is what got me through my months of waiting. Knowing that others had been in my shoes and that others were going through it with me at the same time made it a little easier, but nothing made people's announcements any less hard. It is hard to be genuinely happy for others that get pregnant (and especially easily), but you try with all your might.
I wish I could remember the date that I "knew" I was pregnant. I didn't even share it with J (my husband). I didn't want to get our hopes up. In fact, I wasn't one of those POAS (pee on a stick) addicts. I had only done it once previously on our journey. I never wanted to get my hopes up, so always waited for the dreaded Aunt Flo day. This time it was different. About a week and a half before Aunt Flo was to arrive, I knew it. People had told me I would, but I didn't believe them. I was supposed to have my annual appointment with a new OB/GYN on a Monday, the night before I told J that I had thought we were pregnant, Aunt Flo wasn't supposed to arrive until Friday. Since I wasn't sure, I went to my appointment with the same mindset I had previously, to talk about not being able to get pregnant. I told my new Dr (who is amazing), that I thought I was pregnant, but if I wasn't, we were having trouble doing so. We went through everything, blood work, plans for J to visit a urologist, etc, etc. She also made mention of my thyroids. During the appointment she had said my "uterus felt generous." I had no clue what that meant, but walked away feeling good. She'd call the next day with the blood work results.
I waited for a phone call. Never got one. Tuesday went by, Wednesday went by, and finally I couldn't take it any longer. J came home that night with an EPT, but we waited for the next morning. Thursday morning, my first pee of the day, I did it. My hands were shaking, J was in bed waiting. I went back to bed to wait. After 3 long minutes, we walked into the bathroom and saw a +! But wait, does that + look the same if you turn the stick this way?! Of course... we had the hardest time reading that thing, but really were just so excited/nervous we couldn't believe what we saw! Lesson #1 ladies: Buy the one that says "PREGNANT" or "NOT PREGNANT." Needless to say, we were elated.
Fast forward through the morning, I had an ultrasound appointment at the hospital for my thyroids, we of course hadn't told anyone, until the moment when asked "Is this an ultrasound for a good reason?" I said "No, but I did just find out today that I'm pregnant." The next week, I waited for a call from my OB, to let me know about my thyroids, there was a noticeable tumor in each one, I needed a biopsy, "Oh and you're pregnant! Sorry the test got sent out with the other blood work!" (Of course we already knew this and had set up our first appointment!) I had the biopsy, nervous that the local would hurt Baby G, as we so lovingly called baby. Until that moment, I had not even realized the possibility of having cancer. It was so real. I was finally carrying a baby and could also have cancer at the same time. I thank God that was not the case, but it brings me to this:
Baby G, my dear son, the moment I saw that +, and really the moment I KNEW I was pregnant, I loved you. There was never a day through my pregnancy and a day since you've been here with us, that I haven't loved you. That love grows deeper every day and I thank God that He has richly blessed my life with you.
To mommies to be and want to be mommies, you hear about this love and how much you love a life and person you've never "met," but to have it, is more than I can even describe.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
A long time coming
I'm a mommy of an, inquisitive, bright, cheerful, sleepless, and amazing little 7 month old boy. 8 months ago I never would have imagined the journey that I've been through in my short time of being a mommy. I want to share my story, my preconceived notions of being a mommy, how life changes, and how to live in God's graces through mommyhood! I'll take you on a journey through my pregnancy (I wish I had done that during that time, but God willing, you'll get to share in future pregnancies with me), on a journey of the first half of my son's life, and beyond.
I should preface the entire blog with just how much God has blessed me with my sweet baby. I, in no way, regret my decision to become a mom, nor do I take my son for granted. While many of my posts may seem that I hate my vocation as a mommy, I do not. It has been the most rewarding and challenging vocation that I have been blessed with.
While I don't plan on scaring anyone away from mommyhood, there are so many things that I wish I would have been told prior to becoming a mommy. Things that I'd like to share, not to scare women away from it (maybe scare the teenagers), but so that hopefully I can touch one person to be better prepared for the new life that often comes with mommyhood! This is also such a joyful time, so I won't fill this space with scare tactics, but my journey has been far from what you see on tv or in the movies!
Please join me on this journey. Learn with me, laugh with me, at me, cry with me, join me in my joys and in my sorrows, pray with and for me and feel free to share your stories. I'll jump around for awhile until I get us to the present time, but I may always reflect on my pregnancy!
(And yes, I know mommyhood is not a word!)
I should preface the entire blog with just how much God has blessed me with my sweet baby. I, in no way, regret my decision to become a mom, nor do I take my son for granted. While many of my posts may seem that I hate my vocation as a mommy, I do not. It has been the most rewarding and challenging vocation that I have been blessed with.
While I don't plan on scaring anyone away from mommyhood, there are so many things that I wish I would have been told prior to becoming a mommy. Things that I'd like to share, not to scare women away from it (maybe scare the teenagers), but so that hopefully I can touch one person to be better prepared for the new life that often comes with mommyhood! This is also such a joyful time, so I won't fill this space with scare tactics, but my journey has been far from what you see on tv or in the movies!
Please join me on this journey. Learn with me, laugh with me, at me, cry with me, join me in my joys and in my sorrows, pray with and for me and feel free to share your stories. I'll jump around for awhile until I get us to the present time, but I may always reflect on my pregnancy!
(And yes, I know mommyhood is not a word!)
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