It’s so hard to believe that it’s already been six months since Alyona’s birth. This evening was a bit of a whirlwind and at about 9:30 I awoke in our bed, still wearing my clothes next to a crying, hungry baby. I wondered how I got there to being with. “Just a second baby, Mama’s gonna get you some food” I say to her softly as I scoop her into my arms and make my way to the recliner. I find myself staring down at her little chubby legs and notice how long they have become. I study her, her sweet soft cheeks, tiny little eyelids, baby hands that seem to be turning into toddler hands with each passing day and the most adorable little baby toes. My heart just overflows with so much for this little person. I squeeze her tight against me and remind myself that she won’t always be this little; she won’t always need her Mama in this way. At first I am a little sad and then I remember that God is writing this love story, one between a mother and daughter and He has little hidden treasures each season of the relationship we share in, just as Micah and I have experienced in our own marriage.
Funny thing is though I never wanted a child. When I first started telling people that they would shush me and say things like “Oh, Colleen you don’t mean that”, “Ah, yes actually I do” I have never been one of those people who pretended I thought a certain way about things because that’s what everyone expects of you. When I found out I was pregnant I cried – A LOT! I was sick to my stomach and not because I was nauseas (never had morning sickness) but because I did not want this. After five years Micah and I had finally come to the conclusion that we were perfectly happy just the two of us. At the time getting pregnant was not part of the plan. We were finally on our own, full-time self-employed. Our days were spent doing things we loved, sleeping in late and pulling all nighters in the prayer room at International House of Prayer, afternoons hanging out by the pool and napping, lunch dates, dinner dates and just because dates. We were free and loved the opportunity that God had given us to do whatever we pleased.
So the night that the two little lines showed up on the stick was a total shock. We waited three days before heading into a clinic to get the official word. I was in denial I think because I really expected for them to say “Negative”. Instead the nurse burst out laughing and said “Oh you are for sure pregnant, the test normally takes a few moments and yours is positive within seconds”.
When we had our first ultrasound I remember seeing these tiny arms and legs (nubs as Micah and I called them) flying everywhere. I STILL could not believe it was real. I got home and kept looking at the ultra sound pictures trying to convince myself that it was in fact all real. I had so many ups and downs wondering how this baby was going to fit into my life. I was finally becoming established in my business, I was making a name for myself and with the birth not too far off I knew that I was going to need to take time off. I wondered when the pregnancy would get “hard”. Would I need the three weeks before her birth off? Would I be on bed rest at some point? Would my back hurt etc etc etc. I worried about everything and how it would all come together. God is awesome because I literally worked right up until I had her. I was on the train tracks doing a maternity shoot the evening before I gave birth to her and felt great!
It took me until that 5th month to be really excited, keep in mind I was already two months along when I found out so it took a few weeks for me to come around. It was in that month that I met the most wonderful and supportive people, my midwives, chiropractor, chiropractor’s receptionist and a few other home birth Mamas. It was wonderful to share with all of these ladies the miracle of birth and I have no regrets of how everything turned out. When that sweet baby girl was born and lying on my stomach I was in total shock. I don’t remember feeling anything right away I just couldn’t stop staring at her.
The first couple of months were rough. I cried almost every day because we had some issues in the beginning. I remember sitting in Dr.Alyssa’s office crying literally like a baby. I was so lost and felt totally helpless. My Mom lived 8 hours away and we had planned for them to come two weeks after the baby was born. My in-laws were not going to make it for a visit even further out than that. We had no one close who knew anything about babies and she was a little baby mess. Even as I write this, thinking back to those first couple of month I want to cry. It was hard and I don’t just mean a little, I mean a LOT! We got that baby everyone hopes they don’t get. The colicky baby! We never slept more than two hours. For the first three months Alyona would literally scream herself to sleep in our arms and we would have to keep passing her back and forth. I regretted getting pregnant so many times during that season. I cried and cried, wanted to jump out of a window, wanted to get in the car and drive as far away as I could. Micah and I felt totally trapped and had absolutely no help. We finally found something that would get her to stop crying – The Vacuum! We ran that thing so much it ended up burning out and it was brand new. We would all three sleep with it running for up to 45 mins and as soon as we shut it off she would scream again.
Just after three months we found out that I was over producing milk and she was getting to much foremilk. No one would have EVER suspected that because in the beginning I was getting only eyedropper amounts of milk out. Poor baby was so gassy she would spit up from the pain. It took about two weeks to get everything figured out and for her to become “normal”. I remember the first time she slept for 3 hours; I thought I had won the lottery.
As the weeks rolled on I kept wishing she would get bigger, be older, be out of the baby stage etc and then all of the sudden one day while she was lying on the bed staring up at me it happened. I fell totally in love with this little baby and I actually felt for the first time like I enjoyed being a Mom. I looked down at her and tears started to flow only this time it wasn’t because I felt like I was losing my mind from all the crying and sleep deprivation. I was so extremely grateful for the gift of her life. I was thankful that God ordered our steps and that a child was part of those steps. I had wanted a boy in the beginning and was actually disappointed that it was a girl for the first half hour after the ultrasound. As I stood there, looking down at that precious little girl I couldn’t even imagine HER being a boy and I was reminded once again how awesome God is. He knows what is best 
and a girl, for us was the best.
I have watched this beautiful relationship between Micah and Alyona unfold these last six months. I find myself totally fascinated at the way he loves her. He is always so tender and loving towards her, he is like total mush when that little girl coos and smiles at him. She will lay her head on him and only him just to snuggle here and there. I find myself at times feeling like the outsider looking in and thinking “This is how God loves me”. Growing up without a father left a hole in my heart that I wasn’t sure would ever be filled but over the years as God has revealed Himself to me as “Abba” I have learned to rest in His love for me. Now that we have a daughter of our own I feel so blessed to get see firsthand that special bond between Father and Daughter form. I LOVE the way that he loves his little princess.
And so…as we embark on the 6th month of the little beans life I have to ask myself, “Has this all been worth it?” I gave up my passion to be a stay at home mama, to change poopy diapers and take care of a home. My Medela has become my best friend and I spend more time with it throughout the day (and night) than I had originally hoped but that’s life. I sing “the itsy bitsy spider” no less than 20 times a day because honestly that’s the only thing that will keep her from fussing while she waits for me and Medela to finish. I shower with her sitting at the back of the tub in her bumbo and Micah and I have only had one real date since she was born. So really is it worth it?
Yes! A thousand times yes. Looking back, my once “full life” that I wasn’t sure how a baby would fit into seems as though it was soooo empty. All of my self-centered ideas of what having a baby looked like and what it was about are long gone. I dreamed of a nursing baby who ate, pooped and slept but that didn’t happen for us. I learned it’s not about the sex of the baby, all of the fun things that go in a nursery, buying itty bitty baby clothes (although all of that is so much fun in itself) but really it’s about love. It’s about giving of yourself even when the person you are giving to doesn’t have the ability to give back. Alyona wrecked me in more than one way and without her in my life I have no idea where I would have ended up. I have learned that there is more to life than have a “career” and truthfully I do not feel less of a person for being a stay at home mom. I know that I could sit in an office wearing a suit – been there done that but if I still had to do that to maintain our lifestyle my heart would ache for the all the little moments of her life I would be missing out on because I chose my passions, my career over her. The funny thing is the things that I gave up, that I thought were so important at the time have since become pale. That is not to say that if you have to work that means you are choosing your career over your baby. For me, my husband sat me down and gave me the choice. As much as I wanted to keep working at the time it wasn’t a “must” and I knew in my heart home was the best place for me. Being a wife and Mother have now become my passion.
Thank you sweet baby for being all that you are, for all of the chances you give me to snuggle you in the dark hours of the night and the special moments throughout the afternoon napping together. Thank you for teaching me patience and what it truly means to serve another unselfishly. You have taught me more in your first, little six months than I would have ever learned in a lifetime.
WOW! It’s hard to believe an entire month has already gone by! Recovery has been going amazing and we have been able to enjoy more and more outings. Alyona is doing great besides a few tough times with gas more than likely because of different things I have had to eat. Nursing is a process and for sure something you do, not because it’s easy but because it’s best for your baby.
This last month has had so many ups and downs (typical from what I’m told 
). I think because each baby is different, each couple is different, women’s bodies respond differently to different things, everyone responds differently to sleep deprivation, some people have more outside help than others, some things that work for others may not work for you makes adjusting to life with a baby something no one could ever fully prepare you for. You slowly start to see that not everything has just one way of being done, like choosing a home birth/water birth vs delivering in a hospital. You learn to trust your own instincts more and more and worry less about what those around you are thinking or saying about your choices. Those that have gone before you will have advice about things that worked for them. Take advice as a suggestion and not gospel…if it works for you and your baby great! If not throw it out until you find something that does work. Don’t be more concerned about pleasing the people around you and less concerned about meeting the needs of your child. I was sharing with someone else some advice I had gotten from another person. I had asked this person their thoughts on it and she said “does it feel right to you?” I of course replied “no” subconsciously I knew it didn’t feel right or I don’t think I would have asked her opinion to begin with. She then said “then don’t do it”…that’s what I have been living by this last month.
I’ve had a few people make comments about how I am spoiling my baby because I always go to her when she’s crying, pick her up, rock her etc. I also put her in bed with us most nights especially if she has a bad episode with being gassy or just wants to be cuddled. I really couldn’t care any less what others think about it. Why? Because it works for us and my baby is happy! The first few weeks we tried things just through trial and error. She cried constantly the first few days because for one she wasn’t getting enough to eat and two she needed some Chiropractic care. We would let her cry for a few minutes here and there to “wear herself out” and then she would sleep…only to wake a little while later and the cycle would repeat itself. Once we got her eating more and she was adjusted she was perfectly fine. A few weeks later she is up and alert more after her feedings. I started putting her in her swing and letting her sit for a little while, I would clean up a bit and within a few minutes she was crying, then screaming. I would pick her up and she’d stop…then I would put her back down and it started all over. She wasn’t hungry, I changed her and she was burped so what was the deal??? Micah and I would go back and forth about “gee I wonder what’s wrong with her..seems like she just wants to be held”. Then I started thinking about it and I was like “what’s wrong with her wanting to be held?” Is it that something is wrong with HER or that I don’t want to be inconvenienced by holding her for an hour if that’s what it comes to?
We have since started picking her up as soon as she fusses. I don’t even let her get to a full blown cry. She has been the happiest baby since I started doing that. She is also going right back to sleep after eating much easier and quicker. Funny thing is her gas hasn’t seemed half as bad…interesting since anxiety and stress can cause bloating, gas, and pain… I also hold her until she is back a sleep. Yes I have JUST held her for two hours sometimes and had a million other things I could have been doing during that time but why reject her need for being held when I will feed her, change her and burp her if I know that’s whats making her cry? And why does that constitute in most peoples minds as spoiling??? Psychiatrists and MD’s are wondering why we have such high rates of attachment disorders among parents and child. I wonder how many parents just don’t want that inconvenience of responding to the every need of a child.
I highly recommend reading “7 THINGS PARENTS SHOULD KNOW ABOUT BABY’S CRIES” scroll down about 3/4th of the page to find the section referenced.
That’s all for tonight folks. Hoping to post more frequently since she has started sleeping longer and I am learning to juggle this life with a new baby! Below are a few more recent photos of the peanut…
Baby Blessings!
She has smiled and even giggled in her sleep since day 3!
Catching some zzzzz’s (she’s already a Daddy’s girl)
My recovery has not been what I had imagined it would be but nonetheless it is well under way I ended up still having some tissue that needed to be passed. Had I been a second time Mom I probably wouldn’t have waited as long as I did to go in and have my midwife do an exam but oh well. I had some really great days in the beginning of recovery and then it sort of just seemed to go down hill. I didn’t have any abdominal cramping or anything just a LOT of pressure in my bottom. The pressure got so bad I could hardly walk or stand up for more than about a min. at a time. I was still doing the sitz baths and occasionally taking showers but standing was so hard I had to mainly shower while on my hands and knees. When I went to see my midwife Suzanne at her office she said I shouldn’t be in that much pain. After the exam she said that I was still dilated and that more than likely meant that I had something up there that still needed to be passed. I got home and rested for several hours. She gave me some medication to help clamp down on my uterus in hopes that I would be able to pass it on my own vs having a D&C. THANKFULLY after a few hours of rest and massaging my stomach as much as possible in between naps it passed. I was so relieved!!! I spoke with my mom just a few hours before and she mentioned that she actually had the same thing happen to her with one of her pregnancies. She came home from the hospital and it passed on it’s own without needing to go back into the Dr. so those of you wondering had I delivered in a Hospital would it not have happened…the answer is no. Hospital birth or home birth makes no difference.
Other than that everything else has been great! My Mom and StepDad stayed with us on two different occasions to help us catch up on sleep and me with recovery. I slept 9 and half hours the second night they were here and Micah slept 13!!! I so miss the days of going to bed when I want and getting up when I want but I enjoy this little baby girl more than I could have ever imagined and know this season of life will be over before I know it. She is so happy and healthy, only crying when she is hungry, needs changed or has gas.
Micah’s parents will be staying with us next weekend so I am excited to have them in town soon
Things have calmed down for us for the most part. Alyona is on some what of a sleeping schedule and we finally understand a little bit more of how she works. She hates have a dirty diaper and she also hates having it changed..figure that one out. She is hungry every 1.5 to 2 hours and needs to be held/burped for a good 15mins. She might poop three times before going back to sleep so have fun changing three diapers in the course of 15min-30mins. Just when you think she’s done doing her business she surprises you again!
She has been smiling at us like crazy the last couple of days. She is much more alert now as well and prefers to stay up little bits here and there looking around and listening to Micah and I talk her. She is also doing much better with nursing although she’s not a 100% yet. I’m not so much of a fan of the pumping thing but if it means no formula for her I am willing to do it as long as it takes.
On a happy note I have about 5 pounds to go until I am back to my pre-pregnancy weight! I have been eating so much protein and have zero cravings or desire to eat anything that has sugar in it. Even my beloved coconut milk ice cream hasn’t sounded the least bit appealing. Micah has been such a massive help with my eating. He wakes up makes me eggs and turkey sausage, the I have a glass of juice with liquid protein in it followed by some almonds or something of the sort for a snack. Lunch is some sort of meat dish, sloppy joes, steak, all beef hot dog, hamburger etc. and dinner is usually some left over from lunch or maybe some 100% real chicken strips. I also have been drinking my mothers milk tea every two hours or so along with LOTS of water. I am also amazed at how much pumping can make you thirsty. I can drink about a half gallon of water and another half gallon of tea and STILL have cotton mouth.
Recovery has been a little slower than I had hoped. I guess I should have known since everyone told me 6-8 weeks before going back to work. I for sure over did it two days in a row which stinks because I think that set me back just a bit but the last day and half I have been camped out on the couch snuggling with my sweet little baby. I get a little discouraged sometimes because when I have moments of feeling in pain I also feel like I am missing out on these precious first weeks. I’m trying to remind myself this is completely normal though to not be 100% active and that for my sake and her sake I need to rest. It’s so hard sometimes when you are constantly on the go and then you physically have to stop and sit for a few weeks… either way she is so worth it all! I just adore this little baby girl so much and everyday it seems like your heart wells even deeper. It really is a miracle.
I am still trying to actually take newborn photos of her. Part of me wishes I would have hired someone to take them when she was 3-4days old but Micah and I both have a hard time handing that sort of control over to someone else So hopefully before shes a month old I will get her pics taken and birth announcements sent out.
So my Mom and Stepdad were in town for just a few days. They got in Wednesday night and left this morning. Thursday morning was a total treat since Grandma woke up and took care of Alyona for several hours in the afternoon while Micah and I slept. I woke up and came out in the living room to find my Brother, Mom and Stepdad all hanging out and Mom making us all lunch. We apparently were sleeping so hard we never even heard Alyona cry when she was getting her diaper changed (she hates it). I gave my mom a huge hug and said “Mom, if you never do anything for me again this was so worth it.” haha… It was sooooo nice not having to do everything even if it was just for a few days.
We all got ready for the afternoon and were off to see Dr.Alyssa again. I had my mom come since she loves “natural health” and I wanted her to see what Dr.Alyssa was doing. We have had such great results with the treatments that I think for awhile anyway we will be taking her in once a week. She has been far less gassy, sleeping better, eating better and overall is just so much more happy.
After going to see the Dr. we hit up Whole Foods again to pick up a few things. I would like to suggest that if you have stitches after your birth cotton pads are the best! It lets your bottom breath while you are healing vs the ones with the plastic on them that seem to trap moisture. The first few days you may want to wear the plastic ones still but once you are feeling “safe” I would try to use all cotton.
Today it’s been raining and snowing on and off. I was given strict orders that I will NOT be leaving the house again at least until Monday. Sorta bummed about that since I really wanted to go to church either Sat. night of Sunday. I had some pretty bad cramping this morning and we are pretty sure it’s because I have been on the go the last few days. It was so beautiful out yesterday (high of 49 and sunny) that I just wanted to be out in the fresh air. Hoping next week I will be more mobile and feeling even more rested. Thanks to Micah I got to take about a three hour nap today Feeling pretty refreshed!!
I suppose that’s about it for now.
So it’s been two days now since Alyona saw the Chiropractor and has been getting more food in her. She is like a completely different baby! Yesterday was an absolute blast for both Micah and I. She was awake for about an hour or so on and off throughout the afternoon and a little bit just before bed and she was so alert and happy. Sure beats her crying any and every time she was awake and her whimpering for most of the night in her sleep. I felt so bad for her since I had no idea what I could do to help her.
We took her to Whole Foods yesterday evening and Babies R US and she did awesome. She slept for 7 hours straight again in her car seat so once we got home we just left her in there until she woke up. Her skin is looking better as well and I would imagine that’s due to the rest and more food that shes been getting.
The whole breastfeeding thing is also going so much better. I had a really great day yesterday with it and am feeling more encouraged. She still isn’t getting the whole latching on thing all the time but we will just ease her into it. I am not super concerned about it since she is doing so well with the bottle feeding and my main desire is for her to be getting breast milk over formula which we have accomplished! We have another appointment with Dr.Alyssa this afternoon so I’m really hoping that it will be just one more step towards getting her little body back in line
Also my Mom and Stepdad are in town and Alyona will meet them for the first time once she wakes up.
Below is a photo of her just before leaving for Whole Foods yesterday.
“what a difference a day makes” couldn’t have said it better myself! Thanks Dr.A
We had our first outing yesterday although I wouldn’t exactly call it your first ideal outing. We had to bring Alyona into the Chiropractor to see if we could find out why she was having some issues with latching on and also arching her back. Good news is after Dr.J and Dr.A started adjusting her they figured it out. We are in the process of praying over Alyona and working with her to help her be more comfortable while breastfeeding. One of the bones in her cheek causes her pain when her mouth is open too far so once it moves itself back into place she will be fine. The journey from the womb to world can sometimes be a tough one and she just needed a little TLC and adjusting yesterday to help her out.
Now yesterdays outing wasn’t bad because we were going to the Chiropractor it was more so because Micah and I were a mess. Fatigue had caught up with us, the baby wasn’t feeding well or sleeping well and we were both wearing pretty thin. I cried the second I got in the car and then all the way to the office. Then I cried when Dr.A asked me how it was going etc etc etc haha. You get my point. I had been really discouraged about the breastfeeding not going as well as I’d hoped (I wasn’t producing enough to feed her). Dr.A reassured me that the breastfeeding would come but just stick with it. Our midwives have been wonderful as well visiting us at home helping me work with Alyona and also making suggestions about natural ways to stimulate breast milk. They also were great about getting us some breast milk in the mean time to help out with feedings so we didn’t have to use formula. Just that alone really took the pressure off of me to produce, produce, produce for the milk and the pumping has been going so much better! Micah has been highfiving me everytime I finish saying “There is way more than last time!”. He has also been packing my meals full of protein and nutrients and that’s really seemed to help produce more quantity.
Dr.A gave me a few different words of encouragement about just staying calm and talking to the baby when she is really worked up. When we got home Alyona slept for almost 5 straight hours! Then she woke up fed and went right back to sleep for another 3 hours! Micah also got to sleep during that time and it helped him a TON since he hadn’t had more than about 2 hours of sleep if that at a time since before she was born. I think God gives mothers a special grace for energy because while they slept I got all caught up on work and had time to just sit and relax. All that to say I think the Chiropractic care was exactly what the baby needed!
After she did finally wake up we snuggled for a bit and she fell asleep and since then almost a full 12 hours later she has seemed to settle into a pattern of sleeping 2-3 hours, eating, pooping and going back to sleep I can’t imagine where we would be at today if we did not have such an awesome team of people around us who know babies and also know “parenting”. I am learning more and more to just trust my own intuition if you will and let my body do what it needs to do in it’s own time.
My Mom and Step Dad will be on their way down to visit us later this evening and I am so looking forward to having even just one hour that Grandma can hold or rock the baby for us while we get to sleep.
That’s all for now!
Here is a photo of her still snoozing several hours after we got home…
So I did my last maternity shoot on the 12th of February. I REALLY didn’t think she was going to come early although like I had mentioned in my previous post I really hoped she would come on the 13th
I hardly got any sleep the evening of the 12th. I had pretty intense contractions all early morning and early afternoon on the 13th. Micah and I managed the best we could considering she wasn’t due for another 3 days. I was really hesitant to keep calling and texting our midwives with every little update since I knew it would be best for me to labor as much as I could on my own. Finally around 2pm our midwife Sarah showed up. At the time she came I was really feeling like I needed someone to help me keep my focus. The contractions were way more intense and physically I was really worn out from two nights of not much sleep.
Sarah used counter pressure on my hips during the contractions which helped a ton. It didn’t take the pain away but it seemed easier to focus while she did this since it helped focus the pain in one area vs my lower abdomen and hips. Sarah was positively fantastic in supporting me with breathing techniques, different positions and breathing the baby down. Suzanne our other midwife showed up around 5:30ish and came right in along side Sarah and helped with applying pressure during my contractions. Honestly everything after that was such a blur for me. I remember several times throughout the night feeling so safe having both Sarah and Suzanne helping me every step of the way that I just gave into what my body was doing and looked to both of them for extra guidance.
I got out of the pool and had gone in to lay on the bed and hopefully get some sleep in between contractions since they were getting closer and closer together. I did end up taking an IV and I’m so glad I did because after so many hours of labor I think just getting the extra fluid in me really helped when it came time to pushing.
Before I knew it Suzanne was asking me if I was ready to push! I couldn’t believe it was already time and although exhausted I was feeling ready to have the baby! I gave it several pushes and before I knew it she was laying on my chest. I never reached down and touched her head because I felt like I just needed to stay focused on the next contraction coming and getting ready to push again.
Even though I didn’t birth my little water baby for me the whole birth was still ideal. I wanted to work with a care provider that was more focused on me as a mother and what I wanted for my birth vs someone who was focused on the “procedure” of having a baby. Sarah and Suzanne were extremely supportive in the decisions Micah I had tentatively made about the birth. We never felt like we were violated or that our birth was not our own. They made suggestions based on what the circumstances were at the time and we trusted them and went with it. I did labor in the pool but just as much as I used the pool Sarah had me change positions after 5 consecutive contractions to help bring the baby down and to also give her room to adjust if she needed to. After Alyona was born Suzanne was right by my side helping me get cleaned up, in and out of the shower and all the other fun things you get to do before going to bed. Sarah was cleaning up the house and flying around the bedroom getting the bed made for when I was ready to get back in. Micah held the baby and just got to enjoy being a Dad while all of that was going on
I am sure I have left so many details out but after being in labor so many hours and the experience of birth in itself there is no way I could have remembered every detail. I had to ask Micah what time everything happened at since I didn’t look at the clock once all day. I hope that if you are considering doing a home birth or a water birth that my own experience is a testimony of the beauty of it. Birth is not something we as women have to be in fear of. The best thing you can do is surround yourself with others who feel the same way. Facebook honestly has been such a great source of support for me since all of our midwives have profiles on there and so many of their past clients have added me as a friend as well. It helps so much to see little comments pop up through out your pregnancy like “I also did a home birth, you will love it and do great” or “I had my first baby at home and loved it so much I’m looking forward to number 2″
IF you are planning on a home birth here are few tips I wish I would have done/planned for.
Hire a Doula! I had no idea until I was really almost too far along that I figured out the importance of the support a Doula brings to you. Thankfully for us since we worked with a team of midwives that support was given to us on the day of our birth. Without that extra support I really have no idea how I would have mentally made it through the birth.
Plan on your baby coming early! Even if your baby doesn’t, stock the cabinets with food not only for yourselves but for your midwives. I felt horrible when I realized that our team had been here all day and we hadn’t even offered them any food. Prior to your birth I would also let your team know that they can help themselves to whatever they would like to eat just in case you and your husband are caught up in the whole moment and don’t think about it.
Make sure you prepare yourself. I really felt like had I prepared myself better that I could have enjoyed the whole process more than I did. I was so busy with work and buying baby things that I didn’t take the time to actually do the reading I should have. I did read a few things but wish that I would have better prepared myself. I do think you can over process and over read about some stuff but make sure that you feel adequately equipped.
Lastly don’t wish away your 9 months of pregnancy. I know that everyone has their moments of feeling like “Baby come out already” but it REALLY does go by so fast and it’s such a special time that you will never get to experience again with THAT baby.
Tomorrow will be her first photo shoot so I will post pictures then!
So last night I went to bed at my usual late time. I slept for maybe about an hour and started having contractions. They were more intense than they had been days prior. For those of you wondering what it feels like to have a contraction for me it honestly just feels like a really bad period cramp for about 45secs and then is subsides. I’m sure as they increase in intensity it will change but for now that’s my own experience.
When I woke up at 4:30am I realized the contractions were way more intense. I was excited but also wondering how it was possible for them to be so close together for what seemed like such a long time. I had a few that were over a min. but most were about 43-45secs coming every 3 mins. Micah called one of our midwives just to see what she thought since I still haven’t lost my plug. She encouraged me to get the bath and once day light came they would more than likely subside. I took a bath and it did help but as soon as I stood up out of the water they were back and started to increase again. I figured the best thing to do was TRY and ignore them and get on with my day. I had been wanting to do one last maternity shoot before I went into labor so I got myself ready the best I could and Micah and my brother (who stayed with us last night) headed down to the Plaza to hit up MAC Cosmetics. One of my past clients is the store manager and I absolutely LOVE her so she did my makeup for me. I had several contractions while she was doing my makeup and I just really tried to relax during that time. It seemed to work and they slowed down to about every 10mins and lasted about 20-25sec. Next it was off to Bangz salon in Bonner Springs were another one of my clients works. Ms. Kate Mann is the BOMB and one extremely creative hair stylist. Micah has been going to her for awhile now and she is the only person we’ve found that can actually cut/style a fohawk well I spent about two hours at the salon getting my hair colored and cut and then I was ready for photos! Normally I would probably have done a two hour shoot but I was having contractions the entire time so I think about 30 mins into it I was good We did a few shots on some tracks and I actually had a pretty intense contraction just as I was getting up! haha. We had a good laugh about it after the fact.
Today REALLY magnified how positively amazing Micah is. He too only got a few hours of sleep last night and he took me to makeup/hair/target to get some new jewelry, two different locations for photos and also got his hair cut (at my request) when he could have been snoozing in the car before my photo session. Then we got home he dropped me off for a nap while him and my brother went to pick up our new rocker/recliner for after the baby comes. He never complained to me that he was tired and didn’t want to do something. He was totally with me 100% today. Gave me the cash card at MAC and said “Just get whatever it is you want” Then at my photoshoot he proceeded to tell me how cute I was and that I make his job easy because he gets such a “cute subject”. It’s such and blessing and honor being married to this man who has fully embraced all of the changes my body has gone through and loves this bump just as much as I do!
So after our busy morning/afternoon we headed home and I got to rest for about an hour until my contractions kicked in again and were too intense to sleep through. I am drinking water like crazy and eating LOTS just in case I do end up going into labor. We are both really excited and looking forward to this little girls arrival but it looks like for now she’s just teasing us….so we’ll just keep waiting until she’s ready to meet us
Below is the link to my maternity session my fan-tab-ulous husband did for me. <3
www.ColleenEide.Com
What a totally crazy day! We got up this….afternoon and left the house with our “list” in hand of things we still needed to pick up. We are night owls what can I say?
We hit about 5 different stores. My husband is positively the BEST and gave into most of my “wants” today. We have several outfits from 0-3 months so I got some 3-6 month stuff. We didn’t want to get anything beyond that just in case she is either small or big… guess we’ll just have to wait and see. I had a few contractions through out the day again. My mom actually called me and my cell was on silent so it was a few hours before I got back to her. Right away when I said “Hello” she was like “Oh my goodness I was driving home from work having these visions of you already having my granddaughter and maybe you were in labor and I didn’t know.” We had a really good laugh about it since my step-dad saw on my Facebook that we were out and about today. Luckily he was able to tell her no, I was not in labor and that I was indeed out. haha. Love my Mama.
By the time we got back home Micah and I were both exhausted! We picked up most everything we had on the list except the baby swing and a new recliner. I am reluctant to get a swing just because of how much they are and I babysat kids over the years that hated them. We will be getting the recliner/rocker sometime this week…once we have energy to venture back out. We literally had bags and bags of stuff laying all over the floor of our living room and Micah high fived me saying “Go team E, we did it” ahhhh….we did do it! Planning for a baby (and having a baby that wasn’t planned) is a lot of work but so much fun at the same time. haha We feel so blessed to see how God’s hand has been on everything from the time we found out up until now…6 days before my due date.
So many people have asked me how I am physically…if I am miserable etc. Honestly I feel great! I get tired after walking for 8 hours but other than that I have been feeling wonderful! The baby is so low that I haven’t had to experience any pain from her kicking or punching etc. and I can still wipe my own butt and tie my own shoes so I’ve got that goin for me too (TMI?) I think after all of the stuff we got today and the house cleaner coming tomorrow I finally feel “ready”. Now the exciting “waiting” period can begin! Below are just a few of the cute little things I talked the husband into getting today. I LOVE Old Navy’s baby stuff so I can for see us visiting there A LOT!
