My New Breast Friend - Month One

I will be the first to admit that I had seriously underestimated the workload that is being a stay-at-home-mom.

The first three weeks were easy as pie. Baby eats, baby sleeps, baby poops and repeat. The schedule was intact, the diapers were stacked and naps were being had alongside the happily-sleeping Carmen Jade.

The next three weeks, notsomuch.

Carmen is now closing in on six weeks and it shows. She's over 8lbs with pudgy thighs and arms - she even fits into the cute little Robeez slippers! She is quickly outgrowing the old-school Snugli we have, the one that Jason wears with pride even though it has a big feminine bow on the back and makes him look like a pregnant man! We even had to move up in diaper size, although we realized our earlier error in moving up too quickly when the poo streamed down her leg and all over my clothes!

She tolerates the stroller, hates the carseat, but loves to go outside and out for visits. She is alert a lot more now and demands attention and playtime, usually when I am trying to eat! I've had many one-handed meals where my pinkie is stuck in her mouth to soothe her until I've finished. I think this is why it's been so easy for me to return to my (mostly) normal weight!

Carmen also likes to join me in my afternoon Pilates session. When I roll out my yoga mat, I put her quilt down on the floor beside me for some tummy time. She sits on my hips for Baby Bridges and ab curls. She even does a mean Double Leg Stretch!

Unfortunately I've developed Carpal Tunnel in my right hand again from breastfeeding, so I can't do much yoga. The splint I'm wearing is annoying, but it definitely helps. It's also quite fashionable - as if!

I started pumping my breastmilk to allow me a bit of freedom, not to mention relieve the stress around being the only one that could feed her! In the first few weeks, I would often wake up and think that I was in the middle of nursing, madly patting the duvet around me in search of my missing baby! I even woke up once seated upright, with my nursing bra pulled down and boob out, air-nursing the invisible infant cradled in my arms!

I haven't actually tried using a bottle with Carmen, but Jason has successfully fed her a couple of times now. I think if I tried, she would smell my boobs and push the bottle aside - even when I'm just holding her in my arms, she will peck my nipples through my clothes! She gets that from her daddy...

I've returned to teaching a few times a week now, which is great for my well-being and also for Jason, to give him a bit of daddy-only time before he starts school in July. Lenore, the woman across the road, is going to help me with child care for a few hours here and there.

I was having misgivings about leaving her with someone so early. However, the other night Carmen was going berserk with gas - Jason was out and I was in tears with frustration and remorse for having eaten brocolli the previous evening, inflicting my poisonous breastmilk on my daughter! After nearly 21/2 hrs of her crying, Lenore saw me out on the front porch and told me to come over. She proceeded to whack the crap out of Carmen, along with about 5 burps and a fart. As I stared agape - half in horror and half amazed - she explained that she was NOT beating my child, but burping her like a baby instead of a fine porcelain doll. Needless to say, after teaching me three new burping positions and calming my daughter in less than 10 minutes, Lenore was HIRED.

When I choose to watch what I'm eating, my breastmilk has become Liquid Gold. I can use it to drug my darling daughter in order for her to sleep through an entire haircut appointment in her carseat! In the first three days of her life, the colostrum I was producing sustained my little cutie, but she was always quite alert after feedings. On day three, my milk came in and her first feeding nearly knocked her out! Her arms and legs dangled loosely at her sides, her jaw was slack and her eyes rolled back in her head! She let out a massive burp, much like Barney from the Simpsons. I was so worried about her lethargy that I called the midwives, who said casually, "Oh, that's just Drunk Baby."

Bella has become quite protective of us when we are out and about. I had to breastfeed her in the middle of an outing to the park today. As I perched on her changepad and rested against a tree trunk, Bella stood watch. When another dog came sniffing around, Bella wasted no time in establishing her perimeter and chasing the dog off. Usually she is so friendly, but not when she is being Big Sister!

We had a recent bout with diaper rash. My sister asked us if we had tried using the blow dryer to dry her off properly before putting on the diaper ointment. What a difference! Not only was she totally calmed by the noise, but the rash was gone in days! Now we have created a bit of a monster though, she is much like Marilyn Monroe over a sewer grate during change time. Oh well, whatever works.

I wonder what month two will bring?

Diaper Champ

Wow, it really takes me a long time to get on the computer these days...

Carmen is growing up so quickly, it is hard to believe that she'll be a month old next week! She's grown out of a set of onesies now - she gained 2lbs 1oz in 3 weeks!!! She went for her first visit to the midwife yesterday and Leanne was shocked at how much our little girl had gained!


Got Milk? 

Aside from a bit of perfume sensitivity, the little peanut is doing very well. She definitely keeps us on our toes, but at least we are no longer guessing what is wrong when she cries - for the most part anyways. The perfume thing took a few instances to sort out.


Alert Sprout! 

Our lives are starting to shuffle into place too. I started teaching Mom & Baby Fitness this past Tuesday and felt very strong and full of energy. When Jason starts school in July, the woman across the street has agreed to take care of Carmen for an hour here and there when I go to teach my classes. Hopefully that will turn out well. She is quite excited to have a baby to look after! I've also got my first article ready for publication in fall for Urban Baby & Toddler magazine! So excited! My friend Casey copy-edited it for me, and the magazine editor thanked me for such a well-written and edited manuscript! I felt so official! I'm also getting ready to present a prenatal discussion at Pomegranate Community Midwives on May 28th, so that is pretty exciting as well!

Jason has been volunteering at Shaunessy, helping kids with special needs and teaching wee little Gr. 2's the shotput! He is really enjoying his time with Carmen and I. We go for walks almost everyday to the Endowment Lands, the Seawall, the Van Dusen Botanical Gardens... it feels so indulgent!

For my first Mother's Day, my sister's family and my Mom & Dad are coming into Vancouver to stay for the weekend. My niece Ashley will get to meet her new little cousin, and us moms will have a chance to celebrate a little. Should be fun!


Our little dragonfly 

Daddy's Girl

Daddy's Girl 

The first week of our new baby's life has passed by quickly and we have all made it! Even covered in pooh, we have found the love of our lives.


Catnap 

We have been learning very quickly our daughter's personality and quirks. She loooooooves baths, but HATES to be exposed for dry-off time, diaper changes or any other time that she is the only naked one. This is interesting, coming from nudists like Jason and I!

She loves the sound of Daddy's voice singing to her, and Daddy has no shortage of songs that he has revamped for her - "Bobby McGee" has become "Carmen Baby". I like to think that she loves my singing voice as well, but I think that her smiles and cute facial expressions are really just gas.

She has finally figured out how to poop. Most newborns have no idea how to poop, so they contort their bodies and faces until something finally works (!) and then they are so surprised that they cry! Carmen's got a handle on it now, and I like to attribute this to her father's proficieny in the bathroom.

In just a week, she has went from 5lbs, 12 oz to 6lbs, 2 oz fueled by the milk that is spurting like crazy from my breasts. This girl can EAT! I think she gets it from me.

She sleeps most of the time in her crib, but once in a while I like to get some tummy time with her, and she'll sleep naked on my bare chest curled up like a little mouse. I can't get over how amazing this feels, or how easily I can sleep with her like that, where I know that she is breathing and her heart is beating.

My momma-bear side was quick to develop - I've never been so protective in my life! The other night we went for a quick visit to a party. Jason was proudly passing our daughter between our friends and family, recounting our birth experience and telling everyone about catching the baby, changing diapers and how he looks forward to having me sleep on my side while he puts Carmen to my breast to nurse! I, on the other hand, am staring wide-eyed at everyone holding our daughter, sweating a crazy adrenaline sweat, my inner-voice screaming "GIVE ME BACK MY BABY!!!!" This has calmed down somewhat in the last few days. But barely.

Right now she is curled up in a vibrating chair (hah, baby vibrator!) and is sound asleep beside me. I'm finding it challenging to fit in the tidbits of my old life that still need attention, but I know I am up for it.

For more pics, check out Daddy's blog... thanks Nunuboo!

Carmen Jade Camp

Our little girl... 

After two nights of false labour, I started early labour contractions at 10pm last night, water broke at 4am, St. Paul's by 5:30am. In the tub by 6am in hard labour, pushing started at 7:05am and at 7:25am our little baby girl decided she was finally ready to meet us!

5lbs, 12oz - 49cm long - totally healthy and strong. She's a great little breastfeeder and pooper! I'm doing fine - no drugs and minimal tearing, only a few stitches. I cannot say enough good things about our midwife Leanne! And my hubby Jason held my leg while I pushed laying on my side, then caught the baby and put her on my chest. Pretty amazing stuff!

I can actually see my feet again! And I can't believe the noises that came out of my mouth - my throat is killing me! I don't know what kind of animal I was, but it seems to have worked!

Yippee!

Hope this finds you all well.

Still No Baby

Another day of Braxton Hicks, bloody show and back ache - but no baby.

If I have to shove one more capsule of evening primrose oil up my hoohah... I swear to God, I might lose it. Sorry, too much information?

On the plus side, Jason's mural in the nursery is coming along wonderfully - it is SO CUTE to see him nesting. I will post before and after shots when he's done. I love my Renaissance man, he cooks, paints AND looks hot in a Speedo!

Also, I have finished sewing my crib dust ruffle, valance, rocking chair cover and closet door curtain.

See that, baby??? I'm READY!!!

Tomorrow is my parents' 30th wedding anniversary. I'm thinking a grandchild might be a good gift. I wonder if I should buy a card?

In other news, we woke up at 5am this morning to find out that Jason has been UNCONDITIONALLY ACCEPTED to start school at UBC in July! Yay, Plan A!!! We didn't really have a Plan B...

Yay! Hubby in school!

Baby come now!

Ready to Go

Yesterday, I visited my midwife and had a cervical "massage". Let me tell you that anytime a midwife asks you if you want a massage, you should know that it is NOT a massage and is more like prodding! But I should know that from my perineal massage experiences...

Anyhow the idea is to find out how your cervix is doing - i.e. is it dialating, effacing or softening, which are all precursors to labour. Secondly, the massage is done to stimulate the cervix to produce prostaglandins, which are the hormones released that start the abovementioned cervical contortions!

So after finding out that I was about 1.5cm dialated and 50% effaced, the massage was performed which stretched me a further centimetre or so.

After spending the rest of the day with menstrual-like cramping and crazy Braxton Hicks contractions (both side effects of irritating the uterus), I tried to get some sleep. At midnight, I woke up to some harsh BH contractions, coming at regular intervals. At 2:30am, when they were about 5 minutes apart, Jason and I decided to page our midwife.

She advised a warm bath after my descriptions to her, and because I was still able to talk through my contractions while I was on the phone with her. Sure enough, I had a bath and the contractions ceased.

I woke up 5 hours later with more contractions. They have been going ALL DAY. My midsection is continuously one rock-hard lump weighing over my bladder, which has been flattened to a pancake.

I'm doing everything I can - sex, exercise, Ninth Month Tea - and soon I will have some spicy food. Maybe eating jalepenos while doing jumping jacks?

BABY GET OUT, GET OUT, GET OUT.... Hotel Callie-fornia is closing it's doors!

Scrubdown

In preparation for a Fit 4 Two photoshoot with Nunuboo over the weekend, I went to the spa to get a body scrub and self-tanner application. Vain, yes. But if I'm going to feel like I'm on vacation, first I must LOOK like I'm on vacation...

I had no idea the hurdles that awaited me in my quest for bronze goddessness! When I walked into the sterile shower room, the esthetician prompted me to undress, hop up on the table and lay facedown, covered with a towel.

Firstly, at nearly 37 weeks pregnant, I cannot hop anywhere, especially not onto a table that loomed seemingly 10ft in the air! Secondly, lay facedown???? If I attempted to lay on my belly, I would either burst like an overripe grape or just rock back and forth on said belly like a weeble-wobble! So I just arched my eyebrow in response and told the esthetician that it wasn't going to happen due to the advanced state of my pregnancy. She chuckled nervously, and said that on my back was fine. Did she not notice my belly?

When she left the room, I used a nearby chair to assist my ascent to the diving platform table and tried to cover my ever-expanding self with the towel. This achieved the equivalent of hiding my belly with one of my Grandma's lace doilies! I didn't know if the objective was to preserve my dignity or the esthetician's, so I left the teeny towel perched precariously on the apex of my midsection and attempted to relax.

She came back in and donned the little scrubbie gloves and began quickly whisking away my dead skin cells. In order to do the back of my legs, she asked me to bend my knee slightly so that it lifted off the table. At this point, she directed her gaze to a far corner of the room, so as not to look at my crotch. Again, I wondered if this were to preserve my dignity or hers, although I imagine she must have seen a crotch or two in her day, being an esthetician and all! I've had midwives, doctors and students all looking at my girlie bits for months now, so I no longer HAVE a shred of modesty! Who knows, maybe she was trying to not embarass me by witnessing my botched bikini line waxing from weeks before?

After she had finished, she asked me if I wanted my stomach done. For some reason, I had assumed that the scrub would automatically include body parts like my boobs and belly, but apparently not! As my belly seems like about 70% of my body surface these days, I quickly nodded my assent. So she turns to me with this little facecloth folded in half - to put over my breasts. Again with the modesty! Besides the fact that my big pregnancy boobs were hiding happily in my armpits at this point, I obliged her and coaxed my nipples out of their hiding places to huddle together under the terrycloth. Using tasselled pasties would have achieved the same effect!

The lightest of scrubbings across my belly nearly sent me into laughing fits from the tickling. I think she was afraid to put too much pressure on my belly - maybe she was afraid to scrub through the layers of skin and uterus? In any case, she ended this portion quickly. I was a little sad because pregnant belly skin is notoriously itchy from all the stretching. Mind you, had she scratched me vigourously, my foot probably would have thumped on the table like a dog's.

After using gobs of every product available in the shower following the scrub (have to make it worth it!) I changed rooms for the self-tanner application. Again, I lugged my naked bulbous self up onto a table and draped a teatowel over my mountainous belly. The esthetician returned, snapped on a pair of rubber gloves and lightly applied the coconutty lotion to my various body parts. After the application, I realized that I was going to look much like a tanned barber pole without any intervention since my boobs, underbelly and butt were completely without tanner! So after she had left the room, I dashed to the counter where she had left the bottle of tanner and doused myself liberally!

After it was all said and done, I awoke the next morning to find myself a darker shade of pasty white! Totally like I had been vacationing on the Mayan Riviera! Sigh.

In future spa visits, I think I'll stick to facials.