Saturday, July 27, 2013

Things You Might Quickly Learn Upon Entering Parenthood


For some reason he kept feeling the need to stick his face into the couch, worrying this mother that he was going to suffocate himself.   On another note, just look at that hair in back. 

Since becoming a parent, everyday has felt like a crash course in parenthood.  So many things to learn, so many things to freak out about, and so many things to experience.  Here are just a handful of those things...

1.  If you have a boy, chances are he might pee on his face, or even into his ear.  Half of you is mortified, the other half is just laughing hysterically.
2.  When people say newborns can dirty a lot of diapers, they weren't lying.  If only they had given me the minute to minute breakdown I might not have been so surprised he could dirty four within an hours time period.  Make life easier and just pretend you got those diapers for free so you don't see the money rolling right out the window.
3.  Watch out when your baby pulls off your nipple, you might be spraying him in the face.
4.  Sure they tell you your baby will start pooing yellow and that it's a good thing but what they forget to tell you is that the babies poo could also be orange.  Chances are you are freaking out for nothing.
5.  Beware when you Google anything poo related.  Plenty of people have taken pictures of their babies poo for people like you and me to view.  It's not pretty and certainly not wanted.
6.  How did I not know babies have soft spots on the top of their head.  Thanks Google (seriously my best friend and lifeline) for help on this matter.  Because of you, I wasn't freaking out for an extended period of time and/or embarrassing myself by calling the doctors.
7.  Any previous insomnia issues automatically become cured.  Your body finally realizes how precious a commodity sleep is.
8.  Babies do really weird things (see picture above).  This is actually good because it would be hard to survive these first few months without so much laughter.  Just remember that one day you will have to stop laughing at your kid, even if they continue to do weird and absurd things.
9.  Gas is serious business.
10.  Breastfeeding gives you the perfect excuse to watch TV guilt free.  Take advantage.

Friday, July 26, 2013

It's All Unfathomable


I hate how the hubbies head is cut off but our little boy just looks too cute in this picture. 

Before I got married, the hubby and I agreed that we would hold off on children for at least a year.  While we both happily agreed to this arrangement, I would say it was heavily my doing.  Sure I knew I wanted kids one day but with them came the unfathomable, things I just couldn't wrap my head around, the unknown.  Plus, I wanted time with the hubby first.  Then, as fate would have it, we were put into nursery at church. They say newlyweds are put into nursery to make them want children.  What a ridiculous notion.  Lets be honest here...it's really because they are the only ones that can be tricked into agreeing to do it.  And were tricked for two years.  TWO years of hardship...but also two years of super duper cute kids.  And before the first year was over, the ridiculous and impossible had happened.  I wanted children sooner.  It may have helped that I happened to have the cutest nephew ever living near me but either way,  I began to yearn for an adorable child of my own.  But as per the agreement, we waited until the end of our first year of marriage.  

The end came and went, as did a few more years.  No we didn't struggle with infertility issues but we had our own set of struggles and maybe one day I will open up about that, but for now lets just say that those struggles got in the way of our dream to finally start a family.  During this time life treated us well and we had a lot of fun together as a couple, but something was always missing, at least for me.  My hubby would probably say that I am a hard one to please, and adding that to the fact that I am a bit lazy by nature, I was never satisfied with what I was up to professionally.  My jobs in no way fulfilled me.  I wanted, needed, something more.  Then we moved to California and I stopped working.  I won't lie, I loved not working.  It drastically decreased my stress levels and I was probably much easier to be around.  But again, while I was enjoying life, I wasn't satisfied. I needed something more.  

Come the beginning of October I had had enough and was ready to nip this baby making problem in the butt and began planning and researching and tracking my periods.  The main problem we then faced was the coming up holidays and the planned traveling.  It was going to be impossible for me to get pregnant before the end of the year.  I was annoyed but we had waited for years and I knew we could wait longer.  Little did I know I was already pregnant. 

The tiredness hit me hard right at the beginning of October.  I never wanted to do anything because I was just so tired.  I actually began tracking a few other weird things going on with my body just on the off chance I would eventually need to go to the doctors.  I thought it was possible I had some deficiency or something.  I had a trip planned to Utah that month and by the time it rolled around I didn't really want to go.  I was just too tired.  At the back of my mind I kind of wondered if I was pregnant but I didn't give it much credence as I was sure the possibility of me being pregnant was slim to none.  It wasn't until I arrived in Utah that I really began to seriously consider the possibility.  Not only did the tiredness seem to get worse, to the point where I didn't do half of what I had planned to do, but I also began to feel like I needed to eat allll the dang time.  By the time I got home I was almost sure I was pregnant but at the same time my mind couldn't fathom it and I put off taking a test for about a week.  Finally my hubby forced me to buy a test and it confirmed what we already knew.   But I still couldn't wrap my mind around it and ended up scheduling to get my blood tested. 

What made it real was the utter misery that was November and December.  My sister came to visit and I was concerned about having the energy to sight see.  The first half of the week was hard but I was surviving and even having fun.  Then I got sick.  I went to bed one night not feeling well and woke up early that morning with a horrific cough.  One of those coughs that make you throw up.  It was a continuous cycle for the next few weeks and I worried that it would go on for the next 9 months and wondered how I would survived.  I could barely get out of bed, couldn't sleep well, and couldn't eat much.  And just maybe I told the hubby I probably would never want to be pregnant ever again.  

While I knew I wanted this baby, I couldn't fathom the extent of that want and how much love I had already developed.  After finally going to the doctors and after just one dose of medicine, I was feeling significantly better, physically and mentally.  Then, during one of my last major bouts of coughing, I burst a blood vessel.  Basically, I started bleeding like crazy and though I was almost sure I wasn't having a miscarriage based on the color of the blood, I couldn't figure out what else it could be and I was in full out panic mode.  Thankfully my OB/GYN agreed to see me even though he was technically suppose to be closing, thankfully I felt good enough to drive there, and thankfully he quickly figured out what had happened and put my mind at ease.  I was put on bed rest, and it took a while to heal, but my baby was in no real danger.  That day, I think both the hubby and I realized how much we wanted, needed, and loved this baby of ours.   

My second and third trimester were much easier, despite the belly growing and the inability to get comfortable those last few months.  Sometimes I could almost forget I was pregnant.  I certainly still couldn't imagine being a parent. 

Then the baby came.  There I was in the hospitable, already having had some majorly painful contractions, and all I could think about was the fact that HOLY SMOKES! I AM PREGNANT! (you would think that I would have gotten over it by then) and HOLY SMOKES! WE ARE HAVING A KID!.  Could it really be so?  

I was instantly in love with my child and instantly more in love with my husband.  It really was a beautiful moment.  More so than I could have ever imagined.  But me, a mother?  

It has been one month and sometimes I still look over at my son and think "Holy crap I have a kid.  How did I become a mother?"  It's not much different then those "Holy smokes! I am married!" moments.  I was still having those moments three years into my marriage.  Apparently, I am incapable of wrapping my mind around certain things. 

But now, despite the hardships that come with being a parent, I know why some people advice couples to have children early on in their marriage.  Parenthood truly is a blessing and a miracle.  My husband's coworker told him that certain things that seemed so important before, like traveling, would all of a sudden become less important.  And while I will always want to and enjoy traveling, he was right.  Priorities, needs, and wants really do change. 

Parenthood can take a major leap of faith.  But it is a leap well worth it.  I have no idea if I will find myself in my calling as a mother.  I have no idea where life will take me or even how many kids I will end up having.  But I do know that I am more in love right now that I ever thought possible.  And I have faith that things will only continue to get better.

In the meantime, I am going to continue to try to fathom the unfathomable.  Maybe by the time my kid is having his own kids, I will begin to fathom the fact that I am his mother. 

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Baby #1: 1 Month Update



I seriously need to get a more recent picture but the cuteness in the above picture will have to do for now.

-Weighed in this week at 8 lbs 11.5 ounces.
-He makes the best faces ever.  I wish I could document every last one of them but his face is always changing so it's nearly impossible.  My favorites have to be the puckered lips and the accidental smiles.
-He likes the pacifier but lets me know plain as day if he would much rather have the boob.
-He has no hair left in front.  And the hair in back is light blond with some brown mixed in.  It also curls out at the end.
-He has gorgeous blue eyes, though I was hoping he would get my hazel eyes since they aren't as common.
-He often throws one or both of his arms up while he is sleeping and keeps them there for a while.  Can't imagine it's very comfortable but to each their own.
-He sometimes sleeps with his fingers spread across his face.  Makes me laugh.
-Burps, farts, sneezes, and hiccups like no ones business.
-Doesn't like tummy time very much but sure is getting good at squirming all over the floor.
-One of the most common comments about him is how long his limbs are.  He could end up being a rather tall boy, which pleases the hubby.
-He has had some hard days lately leading to a tired and overwhelmed mom but we will pull through just fine.

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

97-Year-Old Microsoft Paint Artist




I don't know about you, but I pretty much stink at art.  Doesn't matter what type of media I am using, or what I am trying to create, I am no good.  But that doesn't mean I can't appreciate great art.

Hal is awesome.  Microsoft Paint was fun, but that's all it was.  To actually accomplish anything worthwhile with it was almost impossible.  But Hall...he has mastered Microsoft Paint and continues to do so at a time most of us have long passed it up and moved onto more expensive and fancier programs.  Oh and did I happen to mention he is the cutest old man ever???

Seriously, if you haven't done so already, watch this video.

And then maybe I will reward you with pictures of some of my drawings from middle school.  I may have found a sketch book from one of those required art classes.  Lets just say I was finally able to prove to my husband that there is no hope for me in the art world, no matter how much I practice.

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Pictures From Turtle Beach








Just some pictures we took at the beach.  At this particular beach, turtles will sometimes (often?) come up onto the sand.  We waited awhile hoping to see them but they seemed pretty content staying in the water near shore.  Maybe next time!

If you look closely at the first picture, you can see some smoke in the background.  We were driving near the area we used to live and saw a massive amount of smoke.  We got really worried because it was coming from the direction of Haleiwa, which is an old historical town that could easily burn down fast if the fire got out of control.  We happen to love Haleiwa, as do many others, including the tourists, and it would have been a real loss to the community and a huge financial burden to many if the fire destroyed it.  Luckily it was just a brush fire and the firefighters were able to get it under control before it spread.  If you want to see some pictures of the incident, feel free to visit North Shore Notes.

We were lucky enough to have my mom visiting with us for 10 days so she could meet the baby and help out.  I miss her like crazy already.  I wish I could convince her and my dad to move to Hawaii.  But of course it's a no go.  Anyways, she's beautiful isn't she?  Do you think we look alike? Because we get that a  lot.

Monday, July 15, 2013

Nerdy Things From Around The Web

Have you ever wondered what sort of things the Smithsonian has acquired that have been long forgotten or not displayed?  Treasures in the Smithsonian's Attic is the story of one man's quest to find out about some of the oddities in their collection.  He didn't come across anything earth shattering but there are certainly some random and unexpected items such as the pigeon-guided missile system. 

As I was researching something from that article, I ran into an article entitled Mystery on Fifth Avenue.  If you enjoy reading about decorative oddities or weird house quirks or just dream about the day you can have a house that contains hidden passages or some other random mysteries feature, check this article out.  If you hate reading long articles, and are more of the movie watching type, it just so happens you are in luck.  There is a movie in development as we speak. 

Speaking of which, did any of you history lovers happen to watch the White Collar episode about the flag George Washington took over the Delaware.  The nerdy part of me just loved that episode, even if it's quite clearly not historically accurate.  And yes, the episode did happen to contain a secret passage.  So perfect! 

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Comments

So apparently the comment form on my blog was not working.  I have no idea how long this has been a problem and was only informed of it last night.  So sorry if you've ever tried to comment and it didn't work.  I do believe the problem is fixed now so feel free to begin commenting if it's your thing!

Monday, July 1, 2013

Baby #1 - Birth Story

I wanted to write down my birth story as soon as possible so I could get the details written down before my horrible memory forgets them.  This will probably be a really long post, and like all birth stories, one filled with lots of TMI, so proceed at your own caution.

Before I get into the details, I thought I would give you a bit of background on my plan and birthing beliefs.  For at least half my pregnancy,  I was in the "most definitely getting an epidural" camp.  I was that person who says, "I don't handle pain at all.  I am such a woosie when it comes to pain."  It wasn't until I started learning more about hospital procedures, what each type of birthing method entailed, etc. and started hearing other peoples birth stories that I began to consider the natural approach.  There were a few things that motivated me to try and go the all natural approach, the main one being that I wanted control over my experience.  I did not want to be forced to eat ice chips and be in a certain position the whole time.  Another thing I had decided was that I would go as long as the doctors would allow me until I had to be induced.  I wanted to avoid Pitocin at all costs as my ultimate goal was to avoid being forced into a c-section (unless absolutely medically necessary) and I personally think too many woman end up getting c-sections thanks to the Pitocin, though that's my own personal belief and may be completely untrue.  In the end, the experience was completely different than I had originally hoped and planned for, but I now have a very healthy baby boy and I am truly grateful for that.

Also, though I don't really expect anyone to care enough to comment on this post, if you do, please be nice.  People, especially on the internet, tend to get very passionate about their beliefs regarding delivery and about any health matter for that reason,  and many often get way to high and mighty about the whole thing.  I love hearing peoples opinions and advice, but it's disappointing when people act like its their way or the highway.  I know that my opinions are far from perfect as well so if you disagree, please just be respectful about it.

Sunday night I responded to an email from my bishop, telling him the baby had yet to arrive and I would just be happy if he arrived by the end of the week, and then I headed to bed.   Shortly after, or before, I honestly can't remember, I started getting what I thought where back cramps.  I typically cramp in the back when I get periods, and I had experienced the same thing Tuesday night for roughly 4 hours before they stopped.  I knew from Tuesday night that they could get pretty painful but nothing worse than period cramps and I fully expected them to go away, especially since the ones on Sunday night weren't as painful as those on Tuesday night.  I was lying there just thinking about my first trimester and waiting for sleep to overcome me since I had gone to bed a bit earlier than usual.  It wasn't until between 11 and 11:30 that a "cramp" came painfully enough that I knew sleep wasn't going to be an option for another few hours.  This one was painful enough that I moaned, or made some other weird noises, loud enough to wake the hubby up.  He asked if I was okay and I said I was heading to the couch so he could get some rest for work the next day.  Before I got out of the room I got another bad "cramp" that was extremely painful and he got out of bed and came to me asking me if I was sure this wasn't me going into labor.  I said I figured they were just cramps but they could quite possibly be contractions.  I then realized I needed to hit up the bathroom and went to go take care of business which (TMI ALERT) ended up being just my body gushing out blood.  After getting cleaned up and situated, the hubby and I were trying to figure out if that was the normal bloody show or if I was bleeding more than appropriate.  Not getting sufficient answers out of a quick Google search, and by this time realizing that yes I was in labor and the "cramps" were contractions (silly me for thinking they were just cramps), we called the hospital.  After talking to the hubby and me they said the blood was fine, yes I was in labor, and I could come in right away or wait a bit and do some laboring at home.  Our plan had been to do as much of the laboring at home as possible so I said we would probably stay home for a bit longer.  But soon after getting off the phone, as we finished getting everything ready for the hospital so we would be ready when the time came, I realized that laboring at home wasn't going to be an option.  The contractions were already coming within 2-4 mins of each other and were extremely painful.  So we packed up fast, got into the car, and headed to the hospital.  The car ride was awful.  I was in so much pain, the car was uncomfortable to be in, and all I could think about was how fast we would make it there.  The hubby spent the time trying to vocally calm me, which I appreciated and tried to pay attention to, but it was hard and "relaxing" wasn't an option.  As we neared the hospital I told the hubby I couldn't make it to the labor floor on my own so he pulled up to the emergency door and an attendant got me in a wheelchair.  Typically, you are suppose to sign paper work, pee in a cup, get weighed, etc., but I was in so much pain that they rushed me right to a delivery room.  Time wise this was around 1:45 a.m.

My initial plan was to hydrate myself as much as possibly and not rely on an IV.  But because I didn't pee in a cup and they had no idea how hydrated I was or wasn't, they automatically hooked me up to an IV.  This ended up being a huge blessing as I was by then in too much pain to think about drinking or even respond to the husbands attempts to keep me hydrated.  They also checked how far along I was.  This was something else I wanted to avoid as I didn't want to know how fast or slow I was moving along but at that point I knew things were happening fast and felt like the baby could come any time so I had them check.  I hate getting checked.  So painful and it sucked but I found out I was already 7 cm along.  At my appointment the Friday before, I was at 3 cm and knew that I could possibly stay there for a long time so while I wasn't surprised at how far along I was based on the intensity of the contractions, I was overall surprised that I was so far along without feeling many strong contractions between Friday and Sunday.  In fact, at my appointment when I was checked and they tried to get things moving along so I wouldn't end up having to get induced, I was told I should start feeling cramping, and it could get a bit painful.  But no, I didn't even feel any cramping, so Sunday night, and the fact that I was 7 cm already, caught me by surprise.

They got me settled in and the midwife left.  One annoying thing was that the epidural lady showed up even though I hadn't said I wanted one.  I was annoyed because by that time they had a copy of my birthing plan which clearly said not to offer me one, that if I wanted one, I would ask for it.  Well one of the nurses came in, after I sent the lady away, and said she thought I had wanted it and that if I was just undecided I needed to decide fast.  I was annoyed with her for not only ordering the epidural but also for bringing it up and thankfully, without even requesting it, she never came to our room again.

By this time it was nearing 2 or 2:30 and I really just wanted to die.  I didn't want to breath, I would just make weird noises every time the contractions came, and everyone kept having to tell me to breath.  "Breath in through the nose and breath out through the mouth as if blowing out a candle."  But it was too much to think about and everything was happening much faster than I had expected which was very overwhelming.  By then I was getting nauseous and felt like if I continued, especially without getting a good breathing rhythm down, that I was going to pass out.  Shortly after that, after a particularly painful contraction, I bluntly said I needed the epidural.  Up until then I kept throwing the option out, trying to decide what to do, but this time there was no question about it, I needed one.

They got me prepped for the epidural which takes a bit of time since you are working around contractions.  I was a bit scared of the epidural itself, but besides the numbing shot which hurt, it wasn't bad at all.  And though I was concerned about not being able to move if a contraction came as the shot was being given,  the contractions timed themselves just right and the position they placed me in for the shot actually helped me work through the contractions better.  The epidural worked super fast and in no time I was laying down, with those darn ice chips, in a much happier state.

I was a bit down about accepting the epidural and that feeling only got worse as my contractions began to get farther apart but I also knew that I had no idea how long labor would have been without the epidural and I couldn't have mentally dealt with those contractions for much longer.  If I knew for sure that I was about to enter the transition stage it would have been easier, but I was already majorly loosing it, and I was only at a 7 cm which meant there was no guarantee about when I would transition and get to the pushing stage.

The epidural slowed my contractions down by about 2-3 mins and they weren't as strong.  It went this way for about the next 3-4 hours.  Then the midwife came in to discuss options to get the show on the road.  I was a little concerned that they were trying to rush things but I didn't have it in me to debate.  They gave me two options.  One was to put me on Pitocin and the other was to break my water bag.  I said I would prefer having my bag broken as I wanted to avoid Pitocin but after she checked me again she felt like it would be a bit safer to put me on the Pitocin.  After she told me that they would probably only have to put me on a low dosage of it, I agreed, though a bit hesitantly.  Really, I shouldn't have agreed so fast, since I was hesitant about it, but I did and it's over with and luckily it didn't cause any issues.

They gave me a super small dosage at first and said they would up it by 2 (not sure how they measure it) from there.  It only had to be upped once before it really got things moving which is a super duper low dosage, which made me a super duper happy person.  So shortly after 8 a.m. contractions were again moving along and I was feeling absolutely nothing.  They kept asking me about my pain level, telling me I could push the button for more epidural but lets just say that medicine typically works really well on me.  It doesn't overwork and make me crazy but I rarely need a larger dosage.  The epidural was working just perfectly.

At 8 was a shift change so I actually got a new midwife for the delivery stage of labor.  After checking me she said I was almost fully dilated but my water bag wasn't breaking so she was going to have to break it.  I think one of their concerns before with the water bag was how the baby was located but after the Pitocin the baby had moved down more.  Getting the water bag broken was painless but it did take her a moment to break it.  Apparently my bag was pretty darn strong.  Shortly after that they had me do a few practice pushes and the decision was made to lower my epidural so I could feel enough pressure to push well.  They actually took me off of the epidural completely but I ended up asking to have a bit of it back just to take the edge off.  I am not sure what pain the low dosage blocked, but if it did block some, I am super grateful.  Things were getting super painful again.  I am not positive what time it was that I actually started pushing but it had to have been between 10:30 and 11:00.  I remember it was shortly after 11 when I started telling them I couldn't do this anymore, it was all too much.  And they had to keep telling me, "Only a bit more time.  You are almost done."  Of course they were lying to me (next time remind me to have them remove the clock).  They started having me push in cycles of three but I eventually had it up to 4 or 5.  Push, breath, push breath, etc. Wait until the next contraction peaks, begin again.  Pushing felt much better than the pressure and the post pushing pain so it was relieving to push, though extremely tiring.  So I pushed as much each contraction as I could to get it over with and the baby out.

Though I was making great progress and doing great for a 1st time mom, at least according to them,  it still took a bit of time.  Apparently his arm was positioned by his head, making him a bit stuck.  But at 12:08 p.m. Jack finally joined the world and I couldn't have been any happier, finally relieved of most of the pressure and pain down there.

Not everyone falls in love with their baby right away.  I really had no idea which camp I would fall in, knowing the pain and tiredness of the experience had the potential to inhibit that automatic love.  Not to mention, newborns, especially straight out of the womb, kinda look strange, no offense to them.  I really had no idea what to expect.  What I ended up experience was more than I could have imagined.  The overwhelming relief and joy when I held him for the first time, as soon as he was out.  It was as if I could already not imagine life without him, which is saying a lot considering I still couldn't process the fact that I was pregnant even while I was in labor.  He was a beautiful boy, and he was mine.

I delivered the placenta  pretty soon thereafter.  For some reason I was a bit concerned about this part but it was easy peezy, and actually felt quite good compared to everything else, like them pressing down hard on your stomach.  Oye that part hurt!  I had a 1st degree tear and a 2nd degree tear which I was disappointed by but in all actuality, wasn't that bad.  We have our theories on why I tore, from perhaps being told to push too early, to the fact that Jack came out with his arm up by his head (he still loves to do that), to me being too eager in my pushing.  Whatever the reason though, too late now, and I am just happy it wasn't worse.

The rest of our stay was uneventful.  After about an hour they took Jack from me to check him and then we were moved into our post delivery room.  He eventually got a bath, which he hated of course, learned how to breastfeed, and slept.  I wasn't allowed out of bed for anything but to pee, until the next day, when I finally got a shower and man was that an amazing shower.  Other than hardly being able to get in and out of bed and walk, my only issue was all the needles getting poked into me.  I had about 3-4 shots and blood drawn about 2-3 times, not to mention the IV was actually kind of painful (in fact it was removed early because it was getting so tender).  Some of this couldn't be avoided but some of it could have been and I wish I had worked it out so I didn't get all the shots at once.  My arms ached for the next few days making it hard to maneuver an already aching body and to easily breastfeed my baby.  Thankfully, the aches and pains began to subside after a few days, though there are still bruises all over my arms.

They said we could possibly go home on Tuesday which I was surprised by and I guess because we didn't speak up against the early release, they moved forward with it, and we were out of there by Tuesday afternoon.   Wednesday, after a long night, we were made to go to a follow up doctors appointment which we thought was a bit obscene and it was a really big pain since I still couldn't move very well and moving around wore me out fast.  But overall it ended up being an okay appointment.  One of the things they checked was how Jack was doing on breastfeeding and he got a gold star which I was super proud about.  In the end, the appointment basically reassured me that we were all going to be alright and the hubby and I needed to stop sweating all the small stuff.

Other miscellaneous notes:

The first midwife team put me on an oxygen mask for a few hours then took it off when the baby was doing better.  It wasn't anything serious but they wanted to be cautious.  The next team ended up putting me back on the oxygen mask until I was pushing and then would put it back on me between pushes.  It wasn't a big deal to me.  I was concerned at first about it being uncomfortable but strangely the smell of the mask reminded me of pancakes which was somehow reassuring.  Weird, I know!  Anyways, apparently I really suck at breathing good, which is of course one of the reasons I ended up going the epidural route in the first place.  Note to self, practice your breathing before you deliver another child.

Sleeping....I did very little of it.  The night I went into labor, I didn't sleep an ounce.  I did zone out for a bit, trying to sleep, but that was it.  After delivery, when most woman feel exhausted and want to sleep,  I was  uncomfortable but very awake so I didn't sleep.  That night, I had trouble sleeping as well.  Jack kept making gagging and other weird noises, as if he had fluid in him, despite not spitting anything up.  I guess I was worried something bad would happen to him and I wouldn't be aware of it, especially after the nurses warned me to watch out for him turning blue because of leftover liquid in his lungs.  Finally, late at night, after one particular time breastfeeding him, I was hit by a wave of tiredness and knew I needed sleep.  I was uncomfortable though about not being close enough to him to hear him, plus I could barely move to get him in and out of his bed and I wanted the hubby to sleep as much as possible because he wasn't feeling good.  So I decided I was going to go against the nurses advice and I kept him in bed with me while we both slept for the next few hours.  It was impossible for him to roll off the bed, and I was physically unable to move, so I felt pretty safe about it.  I ran on those few hours of sleep until the next night when between feeding, diaper changing, learning all about my sons needs, etc. etc. I got a few more hours of sleep.  Since that night I get maybe 4-6 hours of sleep a night, and rarely take naps.  After one particular nap I had a difficult time sleeping that night, so I have avoided day napping for the most part, which is sad because he sleeps a lot during the day.  I am trying to be careful though and not over exhaust myself so I will start taking naps if I deem it necessary.

My son has a big head.  Runs on my side of the family. We were actually warned about it early on in the pregnancy.

End of story!