How much do I weigh: 50,5 kg – stays pretty much the same How much does Quinn weigh: around 8 kg Belly size: Still eating too many sweets… I can’t stop either. My excuse is all the rough nights of not very much sleep 🙂 Wow, it really seems like my belly doesn’t change at all. I have eight weeks strength-endurance behind me and am building muscle now for the next ten weeks. Let’s see if my belly changes in 8-12 weeks…
Sleep: Not that good. He used to come at 21:30, then 0:00 continuing about every two hours. I skipped one breastfeeding meal and he came every three hours the last week. Since about three nights he switches, once he comes after two hours, I feed him, then he sleeps three hours. Currently he’s in a phase where he’s wide awake in the middle of the night and it takes me 15-30 minutes to get him back to sleep. Today he woke up at 4:30 and we got up at 5:30 *sigh*. Symptoms: Still have the yeast infection after every period since giving birth due to a lack of vaginal flora and about a week ago I made a 6-day therapy with uvulas. Maternity clothes: Not anymore. Miss anything: Still sleep at times (Best) happenings:
Quinn makes peek-a-boo
I still breastfeed during the night
He eats with us while sitting in his highchair
He is sleeping in his own bed in his own room
Falling asleep works very well, I sing “you are my sunshine” and “I only want to be with you” while he’s in my arms, put him down after and he either plays a bit with his sheet or binky or is sleeping already
He started saying Mamamamama, sometimes only Mama
Once, in his lifetime of 10 months on this planet, he fell asleep on his belly
To everyone out there, a wonderful, happy, healthy, content, relaxed, funny and amazing new year!
Our New Year’s Eve was very calm, the three of us stayed home, Quinn went to bed at around 19:00 and my boyfriend and I cooked meals out of the “Game of Thrones” cookbook. That was my Christmas present for him, as well as the “Game of Thrones” monopoly which we played to stay awake until midnight.
Having a little baby which wakes up every day at 6:00 o’clock sharp and keeps you busy during the day can be exhausting and normally we both fall asleep on the couch at around 21:30 :).
2015 was a very special and impressive year for me, for sure. I
They say a pregnancy goes 9 months and it takes 9 months for the body to get back to normal. My belly is still there and I’m pretty sure it will take a couple of months at least to have a flatter belly.
I started working out again at 8 months after my pregnancy so I’ll keep posting about my belly and see how it turns out.
How far along: 9 monts after Quinn’s birth How much do I weigh: 50,5 kg (+1,7 kg from my before pregnancy weight – my goal is to reach 50 kg) How much does Quinn weigh: around 7,5 kg Belly size: It looks pretty much the same like in the 4 months after my c-section post, maybe even a bit bigger. I haven’t been eating too well and I eat way too much sweets 🙁 The middle photo shows very nicely that my belly muscles are still not completely together and how my belly is curved to the outside. I’d say I look about 16 weeks pregnant.
Sleep: Since about September, so when Quinn was around 5 months old, my (and his) sleep has gotten worse. He still sleeps in our bedroom and comes every 1 to 2 hours. Symptoms: Sorry, but I want to post this for my records: a yeast infection after every period since giving birth due to a lack of vaginal flora. I told my gyn about that in December and now I have to take uvulas after every period to build up my flora and if that doesn’t help I have to take three uvulas against the yeast infection. Let’s see how long that lasts… You can still see my Linea nigra, too. Maternity clothes: I sometimes still wear my smallest maternity jeans but mostly I wear my normal pants and tops. Miss anything: Sleep at times (Best) happenings: Wow, a lot has happened the last few months (my last post was 4 months after my c-section, I totally forgot all the others…
Quinn has six teeth, two below and four on the top
He gets mush at noon, in the afternoon and in the evening
I still breastfeed during the night and in the mornings
I have the feeling I’ll breastfeed forever, it seems Quinn doesn’t get enough!
Quinn’s room is pretty much done decorated
He broke the changing table while stomping with his legs 🙂
Quinn was sick once with fever and a cold, it took about three days for him to feel good again
We all had a stomach flu right before Christmas
Quinn started rolling around from belly to back and from back to belly at 7 months
He loves to take his binky and his on objects to make noise
Sports: I started lifting weights and doing strength cardio the beginning of December 2015.
My plan for the first eight weeks:
15-20 x 53kg leg press
15-20 x 30kg abductor
15-20 x 15kg row
15-20 x 15kg chest press
15-20 x “back sit-ups”
15-20 x 25kg carcass-turning
45 minutes jogging on the treadmill or cross trainer
So here I am, writing a postpartum blog post three months after Quinn was born. I noted a lot of things in my calendar just so that I don’t forget when I write this blog post. Life isn’t the way it used to be (well, really?) but having this little baby, to hear him cry, to see him smile, to hear him babble around – all those things just make you realize once more: you have a baby, you’re a mom, the baby needs you because he is real! And that’s an amazing feeling.
Let’s start with April Fool’s Day, Quinn’s birthday. The day I had the very much unplanned and very spontaneous c-section. I didn’t mind the operation, while all the nurses etc. were getting things ready for the section I thought “wow, I’m going to have a c-section in a few minutes, that’s kinda exciting and an experience not every woman shares”, I was excited and also relieved to know my baby-boy will have no problems getting stuck or whatsoever in the birth canal.
Anyway, the c-section itself wasn’t scary, it didn’t hurt (although I did almost faint when my organs went back to their old place or whatever that feeling was I had after they got Quinn out) and the recovery was very fast.
I did curse the c-section that day and the day after because of all the pain, especially when I had to get up and said things like “how could a woman have a section voluntary?!” But two days after I felt so much better (also thanks to painkillers) and the recovery went quite well.
Of course it wasn’t the best feeling when the nurses pushed into your belly to see how big/small the uterus has gotten and the cut also hurt, but day after day everything got better.
Now my scar is still hard and I massage it at times, my belly is still bigger than before my pregnancy but it vanishes slowly, very slowly. Three weeks after the operation I started lifting heavier things again (like the baby’s car seat and the stroller) and started doing things with my son alone and not being dependent on my bubby. That’s probably the thing that bothered me most on the section – not being allowed to carry heavy things. This and the pain I had whilst peeing from the bladder catheter. That pain stayed a few weeks.
The bleeding (oh the bleeding) stopped after 9,5 weeks! “They” say normally you don’t have lochia for so long after a c-section but oh well. I bled every day for 9,5 weeks, sometimes stronger, sometimes just a few drops. The day my OB checked me (almost 6 weeks after giving birth) my period started! Fresh red blood came and my OB saw that my ovary was “working”. That first period lasted around 3,5 weeks.
Oh great I thought, that’s something I could have lived without for another year or so. On the other side though I was happy to see that my body, in that respect, is back to normal.
During that time I used lady diapers, extra long and thick pads (the huge ones from the hospital are the best) and seeing my scar didn’t heal that good in one place I didn’t even wear normal undies for a loooong time, I wore the net-panties you get in the hospital. Very sexy.
Just one week after my lochia stopped and 33 days after my first period after Quinn’s birth I got my second period. And I could finally use tampons! It started very strong but only for around two days, then it got weaker day by day.
Breastfeeding worked good from day one (now, don’t believe you can’t get pregnant when you breastfeed because bam – your period can start any minute). It’s a great feeling to see how my body can nourish my baby boy and I’m very happy that it works so well. I didn’t read anything about it and I didn’t take a class and just trusted my womanly instincts.
It did hurt a bit in the beginning and I only let Quinn drink on each side for a few less minutes so that my nipples don’t get infected. The weeks after the birth the first ten sucks from Quinn really hurt (my body was quite tense and if my bubby asked me something during that time he had to wait 10-20 seconds for me to answer, until the pain was over). I don’t remember when the pain stopped, maybe three weeks after giving birth.
Three months after giving birth I still do not fit into my regular pants. My belly is still there but I also didn’t only gain on my belly but also my legs *ehem*. Seeing I was pregnant in the winter I had to buy new summer shorts and I had to buy them in maternity-style. Ouch!
I started training my pelvic floor after six weeks and am still doing it two to three times a week. I’ll probably keep doing it until mid July. That’s an advantage of the section – I don’t have problems with incontinence.
I started working out after 8 weeks and try to go to the gym 2-3 times a week to lift weights and do cardio. I lift very less weight but make more repetitions and NOT the belly. Doing sit-ups etc. will have to wait a few months.
I started my pregnancy with 49kg, my normal weight when working out is 50-51kg and now I weigh 53kg. So, I’d like to lose 2-3kg this year which hopefully should be doable.
My postpartum emotions have treated me quite well. All in all I only cried twice, once when I watched How I met your mother and Lily gave birth and once when Quinn just didn’t stop crying. Oh well, and of course there have been (and still are) many many times where I look at my baby boy and just spread tears of joy. Luckily I’m not that exhausted from the nights, I just try to keep Quinn and me in bed until I’m fully ready to get up. Doesn’t work always but most of the time.
How much do I weigh: 52,1 kg (+3,1 kg from my before pregnancy weight – my goal is to reach 50 kg) How much does Quinn weigh: around 6,2 kg Belly size: My belly takes its time… Sleep: Soso. Quinn definitely has a day-night rhythm, sometimes he comes every two hours, sometimes every three. Yesterday he came after almost 8 hours for the first time (I fed him at 18:15 and he came at around 2am) Maternity clothes: Still wearing the shorts/pants 🙁 Miss anything: Wearing nice tops who don’t show my belly Looking forward to: Every new day with Quinn (Best) happenings: Quinn discovered his hands and his voice and is kicking his legs like crazy. He got his first vaccination which he recovered from quickly. Sports: Started again with jogging and lifting weight and ruined my knee from too much jogging. So now I’ve paused for a week, now the knee is better, thank god! Seeing it’s super hot this week I might skip the gym and just go for long walks in the morning.
How far along: 2 monts after Quinn’s birth How much do I weigh: 53,1 kg (+4,3 kg from my before pregnancy weight – my goal is to reach 50 kg) How much does Quinn weigh: around 5,3 kg Belly size: looking better than a month ago Belly 8 weeks after c-section Sleep: Quinn is hungry every 2,5 – 4 hours. He luckily falls asleep right after I feed him and me too. He drinks 5 to 10 minutes. He’s quite fitful at night which sometimes makes it hard for me to sleep. There are nights where he’ll come after 6 hours for the first time 🙂 Symptoms: Lochia, still! Big belly Maternity clothes: I still wear my smallest pants which I wore in the very beginning of my pregnancy. I also bought some maternity shorts. I’m not trying to fit into my old pants yet, I first have to lose some weight Miss anything: Not really Looking forward to: Working out, I can start NOW 🙂 (Best) happenings:
Quinn’s doctor appointment went very well, everything is good and he peed on the doctor 😀
He’s smiling lots which is the best thing ever, he smiled on May 2nd 2015 for the first time.
At 7 weeks Q. decided he wants to go to bed in the evening rather than staying on the couch with us. So now I try putting him to bed around 19:30. I once fed him and put him to bed at 22:00 and he slept 6 hours until 4:00. Amazing!
I had my OB appointment and everything looks good. I’m allowed to start working out again 8 weeks after the birth.
I started back-formation at 6 weeks
He won’t take the bottle, we are trying to train him. He also doesn’t take a pacifier. I stick it into his mouth when he’s cranky and it calms him, but it falls out if I don’t hold it.
Sports: Going for walks with Quinn. I started my back-formation which I’m doing 2-3 times a week for 40 minutes (with a dvd), my course starts in the beginning of June and I’m planning on doing back-formation until mid/end July.
Now, at 8 weeks I’m allowed to start working out again, my OB said it’s ok now. It feels good to be at the gym again but it’s also so nice to come back home to my baby boy and see how happy he is to see me 😀
I’ll just continue this from my weekly baby bump posts to weekly/monthly post-baby bump birth bump posts (whaat?!)
How far along: 1 month after Quinn’s birth How much do I weigh: 53,7 kg (that’s around +4 kg from my before pregnancy weight and 8,5 kg I lost) How much does Quinn weigh: 4230g (gained 1kg in 4 weeks) Belly size: Taking much longer for the uterus to go back after a c-section. It’s a weird feeling to have a bump seeing I cannot pull my belly in. Belly 4 weeks after c-section Sleep: Quinn wants to be fed every two to three (sometimes longer) hours, yesterday I fed him at 23:00, then 2:00, 4:30, 7:00. I’m normally awake between 30 and 60 minutes then Symptoms: Lochia, big belly, my infected area on the scar is a bit itchy and the trouser waistband rubs it which is not that comfortable, short of sleep some days Maternity clothes: I wear my smallest pants which I wore in the very beginning of my pregnancy. I have to see if I fit into my normal pants, probably not seeing my thighs got fatter as well. UPDATE: No, not at all, they really don’t fit at all. Miss anything: Kinda miss feeling comfortable in my body and buying clothes in my actual size (and not maternity summer clothes) but that’s clear that it takes a few months to reach your old size (for most moms) Looking forward to: Going to the gym again and getting my body in shape, also looking forward to meeting Quinn’s pediatrician next week. I hope I/we like him. Best happenings this week:
Quinn’s cord fell off
We went into a store for the first time
I breast fed in public for the first time, not as easy as I thought
So here it is, my first baby’s birth story. I delivered at 41+2. The birth wasn’t dramatic, it was fast, it was with a totally unplanned way, it was totally different than I expected, it was the best decision, it was painless and I had our Baby-Boy in my arms three hours after entering the delivery room.
Let’s just say, I never expected to have my baby-boy in my arms only three hours after we got to the delivery room. And let’s just say – you can not plan a birth, not one minute of it. You can have your ideal birth in mind but it can develop totally different than you expected. Just like with Quinn.
In my case, I was scheduled for an inducement, seeing Quinn didn’t even think about leaving his one-room apartment and entering the big world. I had no labor signs at all so, in my case, inducing was the only way to go.
On April 1st 2015 my bubby and I left home at around 06:15 in the morning, we grabbed some breakfast (white coffee and a pretzel) and headed to the hospital. We went to the delivery room but left all my bags in the car. I was of the mind that the induction will take at least 6-12 hours until it kicks in (if I’m lucky, if not I would have to wait one whole day), so there’d be lots of time to still get my bags.
My bubby and I were feeling good, he was a bit nervous but which soon-to-be-daddy wouldn’t be. I was totally calm and mentally ready for a 30-hour birth, I just felt good and ready.
So, we headed to the delivery room and arrived at around 07:30. Luckily it was very quite that day, not a lot of births going on and the midwives were in a good mood 🙂 We went through my documents and then I was put on the CTG at around 07:45. A few minutes later one midwife checked me and decided we need to induce vaginal with a pill. The same diagnosis like the days before.
My attending OB came in right after 08:00 and explained to us the procedure of this induction way. That it can kick in quite fast or that it also can take a day and that I have to come back to the delivery room for a CTG check every 1,5 hours. I would get one pill in the morning and one six hours later, and if no contractions occur we’d pause during the night and go on the next day.
My boyfriend and I prepared ourselves for long walks, waiting and sudden contractions.
My OB left the delivery room and said he’d be back soon so that we can start with the induction. At around 08:45, the CTG machine made some noise. I told my boyfriend that the midwives will come in and change the paper, that same thing happened to me a few days before. Yet, the noise this time was a bit louder but I didn’t think of anything bad. The midwife came and checked the sensors and asked me to hold them and push them against my belly so that you can really hear the heartbeat of the baby.
I did so but a few minutes later the machine made that same noise. My boyfriend thought that it’s not recording the baby’s heartbeat but only mine, seeing it was down to around 60.
Now it hit me that it’s probably not the paper which needs to be changed but that’s something going on with the baby, me or the machine. The midwife came back into the room and so did the gynecologist of the hospital, seeing my OB was on ward rounds. She introduced herself, I looked at the paper of the CTG and was happy because I saw a contraction. I asked her if I just had a contraction and she said yes, a very light one which I didn’t even feel and which is not even close to a birth contraction.
Then she explained to us why the machine made that signal, that it was a warning signal because our baby boy’s heartbeat sank not only during the peak of the contraction but also after. She defined the fetal distress as a late deceleration.
Late decelerations occur when a fall in the level of oxygen in the fetal blood triggers chemoreceptors in the fetus to cause reflex constriction of blood vessels in nonvital peripheral areas in order to divert more blood flow to vital organs such as the adrenal glands, heart, and brain.
Source: http://perinatology.com/wordpress/?p=45
She also said that doctors and midwives are not fond of seeing something like that on the CTG and she will make an ultrasound of the baby to see if everything is ok.
She left the room and I mentioned to my bubby, that just a few days earlier I read an article of why the c-section rate is so high in Germany and it’s because of the CTG and what it tells us about the baby.
And that’s the first time it hit me – I might be getting a c-section! I said to my boyfriend “I think I might be getting a c-section…. and I’m ok with it…”
At around 09:00 the hospital OB came back and did an ultrasound of Quinn, my placenta, the amniotic fluid and the blood circulation of the umbilical cord. All was fine, yet the placenta was quite calcified and the amniotic fluid was quite less, but still enough. You could tell that it’s time for the baby to come out.
The OB talked with my attending OB about the results and told us that neither the doctors nor the midwives will induce a woman with a CTG result as mine. Once you induce, there’s no way of stopping and if such a little contraction already results in such a bad heartbeat of the baby, then there’s no way they will force me getting harder contractions and risking the baby’s life.
Quinn and momThe only alternative would be a c-secion and that my attending OB could operate me within the next hour. And I said ok right away, I didn’t even think about it, I just said yes, do it, the only thing I care for is getting my baby healthy and safe!
I did ask the doctor if we could wait for another contraction to see if it just was false alarm but she said she’d really rather not. Of course, as the mother, you can always say no to the birth method the doctors prefer but really, the only thing you think of in a situation like that is the life of your baby.
So, at 09:10, after I got informed about all the risks of a c-section and how it works, I signed all the documents for the cesarean, the doctor said we’ll make it within the next hour and I will see my baby very soon (which made me happy). I had to change into a sexy hospital gown, a midwife came in to shave my private area and then I hopped onto a big bed with big tires. Everybody in the delivery room explained to my boyfriend that he could stay by my side the whole time and what he has to expect.
While my boyfriend and I waited to get rolled to the operation room, one little tear dropped out of my eye due to the fact that I would not have a vaginal birth. Yet I was so ready for this operation and I was calm and even put my boyfriend’s mind at ease, telling him that the most scary things about operations are all the machines and the sterile clothes.
Our first family photo with Quinn At 10:00 I got rolled into the operation room while my boyfriend was changing into “operation-room-friendly” sterile clothes. At 10:10 I got the spinal anaesthesia (this was actually the thing I was scared of the most) and I didn’t hardly feel anything, a little sting, the cold fluid and that was it.
I got sprayed with something which seemed like ice-spray, once on my arm and once on my belly to see when the anesthesia started to work and at 10:22 my attending OB made the cut. I felt them push and pull and do things in my belly, I heard them suck away the amniotic fluid (and I thought this sounds like at the dentist) and at 10:25 our son Quinn was born and I heard him cry – the best feeling ever and my happy tears came.
I heard my OB saying he’s got the umbilical cord around his neck twice and it was cut right away.
The nurses showed me our baby and then my boyfriend went with Quinn and the nurses to do all the checks and after a few less minutes, I got our baby put on my chest. I actually thought that would be the moment I’ll burst into tears but nothing – I held him on my chest and just was happy to have him close to me.
Quinn and Mom go for a walk I felt the doctors moving my organs, felt the pressure (no pain of course) but still, after about two minutes my circulation left me, I felt quite bad and like vomiting (I thought OMG I can’t vomit now when my whole belly is open – you have worries like that), my boyfriend said I turned totally white. The nurse asked me how I’m doing and I told her that my circulation is leaving me so she gave me some medicine into the infusion and from one second to another I was feeling good again and enjoying our baby-boy.
My OB removed the placenta and scraped out my uterus. He performed the c-section using the Misgav Ladach method, meaning ripping – not cutting. After the doctors were done, Quinn and I were rolled into the anesthetic recovery room where we had to stay for two hours. My boyfriend was there too.
And that’s the first time Quinn wanted his food and I started nursing 🙂 It was a great feeling and nursing Quinn works just great. Right from the first moment on, and I was really really happy mommy! I also got my first painkillers and continued taking painkillers three to four days, every five hours 600mg. No problem at all as long as you feed the baby the colostrum and also after.
So, I actually did have a painless birth, just the two days after the c-section were quite painful but thanks to painkillers and thanks to my body for recovering so fast.
I stayed in the hospital for five nights and left one day after Easter.
I am very happy I got the c-section and that Quinn is healthy and happy, especially because my biggest fear of giving birth was the umbilical cord around the baby’s neck!
baby-bump I didn’t think my blog would turn into a mommy-blog so fast but, with being pregnant, the only things I can really think about are things concerning pregnancy and babies. Everything else seems to be so secondary now.
Baby’s Name
Well, a few days before our little boy should arrive we have still not agreed on a name for him. Well, we kinda have, but not really. My boyfriend knows I want my kids to have American names and not a typical German name. He’s still trying to get used to my favorite first name for our boy but still didn’t say “yes, that will be his name”. Our boy will have a second name too and I told my boyfriend he’s the one who’s allowed to chose that 🙂 It’s been the same name for months but now, all of a sudden though, he’s thinking of a different one… argh. I told him that, when I’m two weeks before my due date, I want to write our baby-boys name on my birth plan so that it will be spelled correctly, which I did. I wrote down our Baby-Boys full name, asked my boyfriend if he’s ok with it and he said YES, so… let’s see if that’s really his name.
Pregnancy Brain
Luckily, I didn’t really do a lot of silly things in my pregnancy, yet. I went to the hardware store a few weeks ago and saw this great deal on compost trash bags so I grabbed them. Why would I buy trash bags at a hardware store in the first place, but whatever. A few evenings ago I hear my boyfriend in the kitchen saying “WTF…” and I asked what’s going on? He just said he’s dealing with a never-ending trash bag and seeing I didn’t know what he meant he showed me what I bought.
Instead of 25 liter I bought 240 liter – 10 times the size we need. They really are never-ending! Anybody need 240 liter compost trash-bags?
For the first time in, I think forever, I’m wearing skirts and leggings in winter. I love skirts in the summer but as soon as the weather gets colder I will not wear them. I’m a jeans girl, a flares jeans girl. And leggings? You’ll never see me in leggings when I’m not pregnant. Now, being high pregnant, of course they’re probably the most comfortable thing to wear but I’m not a fan of my legs in leggings. Not at all. So I put on the skirt to make those leggings look a bit cuter.
I tend to spill my drinks on our couch. The photo shows my typical daily breakfast (orange, half banana, half apple, yogurt, spelt flakes, cereal, applesauce) with my red raspberry leaf tea which I spilled. Oh well.
Maternity Leave
My maternity leave has been great. I didn’t miss getting up and going to work once. I normally try to do something each day, also if it’s something little like cleaning the oven. I honestly thought I’d miss my routine days at work, that I’ll be bored so much every day but nope 😀 I did so much the last few weeks that now, one week before my due date I have to slow down a bit (well, I want to slow down a bit).
Fear
I’m a lucky girl. I’m lucky because my nine months of pregnancy have been great, all the examinations of our baby have been great and I don’t have any reasons to worry or be scared. I’m lucky to have an attitude of “what will be will be” and so, a few days before my due date, I’m not scared about giving birth.
I’m not fixated on my “ideal birth plan” because, how could I be? I have no experience at all so I’m just going to let things roll how they’re going to roll.
Sure, no PDA would be nice, but if I can’t handle the pain anymore, why not?
Sure, a natural birth would be nice, but if the baby’s in danger I’m happy for our revolutionary medicine and c-sections.
Sure, it would be nice if no body parts of mine get injured, but if something rips – it’ll heal. I’m really happy I don’t freak out right now and that my attitude has helped me to keep calm during my pregnancy.
Wow, it really seems like my belly doesn’t change at all. I have eight weeks strength-endurance behind me and am building muscle now for the next ten weeks. Let’s see if my belly changes in 8-12 weeks…
