This was definitely a trying month - a serious roller coaster of emotions. It has been a little harder than I expected - but not in terms of taking care of the little ones - I have found myself feeling guilty about everything. As a result - have realized a few things:
1. Having a baby this time of year (at least after having 1 child already) is NOT a good idea. When I had Luci, it was easier to get through the summer. Now, it kills me when Luci asks me to go outside, go swimming, go on the swings, etc - because the reality is that I don't want to take Alena out in this heat. Therefore, I think that it is smarter to have a baby in the fall or winter - that way the little one is older by the time summer comes along, which would make outings MUCH easier!
2. When we try for #3 - we will wait until Alena is at least 2 years old before we even start trying to get pregnant. That way, Luci will be in school and Alena will (hopefully) be out of the "terrible two's" phase, which would make things much easier.
Now onto the kids:
Alena gave me the best night yet just last night - she nursed at 10:30pm and then didn't wake up until 5am! It was the best gift ever! I just hope that she doesn't go back to ever 3 hours again tonight.
I have started pumping a little just to get Alena used to taking a bottle, which she has done without any problems - thank goodness! I have a friend whose baby refused a bottle and therefore went a week without eating while my friend was at work.
Although I have been feeling guilty about not being able to do the things with Luci that I typically would be able to do - she is really good. She'll play quietly by herself with her toys or read books to herself when I can't play with her. She'll even bring puzzles or books over to me when I am nursing Alena, which I love. Plus - she is so sweet with her little sister.
We had a crazy weekend - I decided to venture out on Saturday and take the girls to Gabi's soccer game and then to the pool for a little. Saturday's weather was not bad at all and Alena really enjoyed being outside for a while. Sunday was a different story - we had a graduation party to go to - and I was a little too over-confident after how well Saturday went. Sunday's weather was crazy hot and and crazy humid - and the baby was NOT happy. Not to mention that John has been unfortunately MIA for the past month due to getting the pool ready to open after teaching all day, and since this weekend was opening weekend, he couldn't come with me to anything. Thank God for my parents - they are my saviors! They saw how overwhelmed I was yesterday with feeling split between the 2 girls, and offered to take Luci to a picnic today. Although I was supposed to go to the picnic too, today is hotter and more humid than yesterday and I didn't think that the baby could handle the weather again.
Here's hoping that next month will be a more emotionally stable month for me!
Monday, May 30, 2011
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Yeah Hines!
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Fluke or New Pattern?
Alena gave me a 4 1/2 stretch last night - TWICE!
I am hoping that this is going to be her new nightly pattern,
but I have a feeling that it was a fluke.
I am hoping that this is going to be her new nightly pattern,
but I have a feeling that it was a fluke.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Chunky Monkey!
That is what Alena is! We went for her 2 week check-up yesterday and we all (the pediatrician included) were amazed with her weight:
Birth weight - 8 lbs, 2 oz.
2 wk weight - 9 lbs, 4 oz.
I guess there are no issues with nursing. Actually, I have to cut her off at 20 minutes each feeding because she sucks so fast that she was spitting up a little more than I liked. Luci did the exact same thing.
Nights are more routine now - Alena will wake up around 2-2:30am and then again at 5-5:30am. Not too bad for 2 weeks old. I am just hoping that she will start with longer spans soon - yeah, I know - keep hoping!
Other than that - things are going very well. Luci has adjusted to Alena better than I had ever hoped. She loves her little sister so much - she is always concerned about her whereabouts, why she's crying, which boob she is feeding from, etc. One less thing for me to worry about!
We are all amazed at how much Alena looks like Luci - the only exception is that Alena's hair is a little darker.
Birth weight - 8 lbs, 2 oz.
2 wk weight - 9 lbs, 4 oz.
I guess there are no issues with nursing. Actually, I have to cut her off at 20 minutes each feeding because she sucks so fast that she was spitting up a little more than I liked. Luci did the exact same thing.
Nights are more routine now - Alena will wake up around 2-2:30am and then again at 5-5:30am. Not too bad for 2 weeks old. I am just hoping that she will start with longer spans soon - yeah, I know - keep hoping!
Other than that - things are going very well. Luci has adjusted to Alena better than I had ever hoped. She loves her little sister so much - she is always concerned about her whereabouts, why she's crying, which boob she is feeding from, etc. One less thing for me to worry about!
We are all amazed at how much Alena looks like Luci - the only exception is that Alena's hair is a little darker.
Luci:
Alena:
Here are more pictures.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
The First Week
I survived the first week of having a newborn and a toddler at home. Although I knew that it was going to be a challenge, I am impressed with how quickly I have adapted.
I will admit - I had a mini-breakdown the day that I came home from the hospital. I was just overwhelmed - with Luci and a scheduled C-Section, everything was done. I didn't have to come home to loads of laundry, I had everything ready and set up for the baby. This time around, however, I never expected Alena to come a week early - actually I thought that I was going to have to wait till my scheduled C-Section at 41 weeks. As a result, I was not 100% ready to bring home an infant. I was afraid that post-partum depression was setting in, but I got over it pretty quickly.
John was home all last week, which posed a challenge for me with Luci because she wanted to be with him at all times. And he wanted to get things done around the house - mow the lawn, wash the cars, fix things, etc. Now that he is back at school, Luci, Alena, and I are getting into a little routine which is working out very nicely.
I am very spoiled to have my Mom 10 minutes away. She comes by everyday and helps out. She mainly distracts Luci so that I can rest or focus on Alena when I need to. My parents have been providing tons of food and support - and I don't know if they will ever know how much I appreciate them!
Nights with Alena have been variable - Sunday night I didn't get to sleep until 3:30am, but she slept till 7:30am. Monday night, she was only up at 1:30am and 4:30am to nurse, then woke at 8:00am for the day. Last night, she was only up once at 2:30am, but it lasted for about 2 hours - all she wanted to do was nurse, then she was up at 7:00am.
She is starting to do what Luci did when she was an infant - those cluster feedings in the evening. This is what I used to refer to as the "feeding frenzy." I don't mind that she does this as long as I can have spurts of sleep through the night.
Now for the results of C-Section vs vaginal birth. Both have their own ouch-factor for sure. I was so uncomfortable when I first got home that I briefly thought that maybe I had made a mistake about being so insistent on a VBAC. But now that a week has gone by, I feel much better and I know that I made the right decision.
Strangely enough the weight has melted away already this time around. I gained the same amount with both pregnancies, but I have already lost a significant amount of weight. I weigh 3 pounds less today than I did when I decided to go on Weight Watchers 8 months post-partum with Luci - crazy, huh?
Once I get more organized, I will start posting more pictures - we took a ton in one short week, so it will take some time to get through them.
I will admit - I had a mini-breakdown the day that I came home from the hospital. I was just overwhelmed - with Luci and a scheduled C-Section, everything was done. I didn't have to come home to loads of laundry, I had everything ready and set up for the baby. This time around, however, I never expected Alena to come a week early - actually I thought that I was going to have to wait till my scheduled C-Section at 41 weeks. As a result, I was not 100% ready to bring home an infant. I was afraid that post-partum depression was setting in, but I got over it pretty quickly.
John was home all last week, which posed a challenge for me with Luci because she wanted to be with him at all times. And he wanted to get things done around the house - mow the lawn, wash the cars, fix things, etc. Now that he is back at school, Luci, Alena, and I are getting into a little routine which is working out very nicely.
I am very spoiled to have my Mom 10 minutes away. She comes by everyday and helps out. She mainly distracts Luci so that I can rest or focus on Alena when I need to. My parents have been providing tons of food and support - and I don't know if they will ever know how much I appreciate them!
Nights with Alena have been variable - Sunday night I didn't get to sleep until 3:30am, but she slept till 7:30am. Monday night, she was only up at 1:30am and 4:30am to nurse, then woke at 8:00am for the day. Last night, she was only up once at 2:30am, but it lasted for about 2 hours - all she wanted to do was nurse, then she was up at 7:00am.
She is starting to do what Luci did when she was an infant - those cluster feedings in the evening. This is what I used to refer to as the "feeding frenzy." I don't mind that she does this as long as I can have spurts of sleep through the night.
Now for the results of C-Section vs vaginal birth. Both have their own ouch-factor for sure. I was so uncomfortable when I first got home that I briefly thought that maybe I had made a mistake about being so insistent on a VBAC. But now that a week has gone by, I feel much better and I know that I made the right decision.
Strangely enough the weight has melted away already this time around. I gained the same amount with both pregnancies, but I have already lost a significant amount of weight. I weigh 3 pounds less today than I did when I decided to go on Weight Watchers 8 months post-partum with Luci - crazy, huh?
Once I get more organized, I will start posting more pictures - we took a ton in one short week, so it will take some time to get through them.
Monday, May 2, 2011
We only produce girls
So I only progressed to 5cm by 5:45am.
My water broke a little, so my doctor helped that situation.
By 7:50am I was 9 cm dilated, but it took a while to get to 10cm.
I started pushing at 10am.
I had a great nurse and a really good family medicine resident with me (in addition to John).
BTW - John did great!
The 4 of us had a good time in between contractions - joking, laughing, and chatting.
They were AWESOME - so encouraging and nice.
I pushed for about an hour and a half - and she was here!
Alena Mazurek (pronounced "a - LANE - a") - people keep asking!
Born 11:27am
8 lbs, 2 oz
20 inches long
So happy about a successful VBAC!!
Just for a refresher - my dad now has 3 daughters and 6 granddaughters!
PS - Luci loves her so much already!
My water broke a little, so my doctor helped that situation.
By 7:50am I was 9 cm dilated, but it took a while to get to 10cm.
I started pushing at 10am.
I had a great nurse and a really good family medicine resident with me (in addition to John).
BTW - John did great!
The 4 of us had a good time in between contractions - joking, laughing, and chatting.
They were AWESOME - so encouraging and nice.
I pushed for about an hour and a half - and she was here!
Alena Mazurek (pronounced "a - LANE - a") - people keep asking!
Born 11:27am
8 lbs, 2 oz
20 inches long
So happy about a successful VBAC!!
Just for a refresher - my dad now has 3 daughters and 6 granddaughters!
PS - Luci loves her so much already!
No false alarm now!
Started with STRONG contractions at 11:30pm.
Every 3-5 minutes for an hour.
Boy did those hurt!
Called the doctor again - said to return to hospital.
Contractions got worse -- OUCH!!!!
4cm dilated at 2am.
Epidural at 3am.
God bless anesthesia!
Feeling good and waiting to be checked again.
Every 3-5 minutes for an hour.
Boy did those hurt!
Called the doctor again - said to return to hospital.
Contractions got worse -- OUCH!!!!
4cm dilated at 2am.
Epidural at 3am.
God bless anesthesia!
Feeling good and waiting to be checked again.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
False alarm!
Woke up at 5:00am and couldn't fall back to sleep.
Contractions at 5:30, 5:40, 5:50
Then anywhere from every 7-14 minutes for the next 4 hours.
All of a sudden, they were every 5 minutes and strong.
Called the doctor, told to go to hospital to get checked.
Contractions every 3 minutes while on monitor,
checked out by doctor - still 1.5 cm.
Encouraged to walk around,
which I did for about an hour or so.
Still contracting, but they didn't feel as strong as earlier.
Re-checked - no progress.
Sent home. Contractions stopped.
Bummer!
Contractions at 5:30, 5:40, 5:50
Then anywhere from every 7-14 minutes for the next 4 hours.
All of a sudden, they were every 5 minutes and strong.
Called the doctor, told to go to hospital to get checked.
Contractions every 3 minutes while on monitor,
checked out by doctor - still 1.5 cm.
Encouraged to walk around,
which I did for about an hour or so.
Still contracting, but they didn't feel as strong as earlier.
Re-checked - no progress.
Sent home. Contractions stopped.
Bummer!
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