Real Talk

So, we've been home from the hospital for a little over a week now and baby Waylon is doing pretty great.  We had a doctor's appointment on Monday and she said everything looks great.  He gained about 4 ounces in 5 days which is right on target, and grew half an inch! He already looks older to me when I look at pictures of him we took in the hospital which is crazy to me.  I like my tiny little Sprout and it makes me a little sad he is already getting bigger.

Waylon is still a mostly peaceful happy baby.  He is starting to focus more when he looks at you and his eyes look a little lighter to me than when he was born.  Might they stay blueish-gray?  That would be so cute.  He really only cries when he's hungry or has a tummy ache and it's either the most overdramatic screaming fit you've ever heard (which makes me laugh) or this sad little baby bird noise (which also makes me laugh).  Yes, I laugh when my child cries.  Bad Mom!

Without jinxing myself, I have to say that Waylon has been sleeping pretty well.  He wakes up only once or twice a night, eats and goes right back to sleep.  Last night he slept from 1:30 to 7:00 which was amazing.  Keep it up little Sprout.

Okay, breastfeeding.  Obviously, he is eating well based on his weight gain and everything, but I have to be honest:  I hate breastfeeding.  It's not as painful as it was in the beginning but it's just not the romanticized lovely bonding experience that everyone leads you to believe that it is.  You're basically tethered to your child all the time, especially because pumping is not working for me, and I find myself watching the clock whenever he eats and counting down to when this particular round will be over.  Is that harsh and blunt and unloving?  Yes, but that's the truth and whether I enjoy it or not doesn't really matter.  I'm committed to doing it because I know it's best for both of us but I'm telling you, I can't wait for him to start eating food that doesn't come from my body.  Judge away.

How handsome is my little boy?

One Week of Waylon

Well that sure went by quickly.  I can't believe little Waylon is already a week old!  I think I've done a pretty good job adjusting to everything.  Breastfeeding by far has been the most challenging part of it all, but it is finally starting to get better.  Honestly, for the first couple of days I would just pray he didn't get hungry because it was so painful.  I tried pumping but it just doesn't produce that much for me and I felt like I spent all day either feeding him, pumping, or washing pump parts and bottles.  I think I will try pumping again in a couple of weeks just to give myself some freedom but for right now, it looks like the little Sprout is stuck on me.

I pray I don't jinx myself, but I think he is sleeping pretty well.  The doctor told me that I can't let him go for more than three hours without eating, even if this means that I have to wake him up in the middle of the night from a sound sleep.  That's about as counterintuitive as anything I've ever heard and I contemplated telling the doctor she was crazy.  If Waylon wants to sleep for 4 hours at a time at night, I'm not messing with that good fortune.

Other than that, he is a pretty happy and peaceful baby.  He only really gets upset when he's hungry or needs to be changed and I feel really lucky.  His face is expressive and hilarious.  I love how straight his nose is and his cleft chin. Basically, he's pretty much the most awesome little creature ever!

Waylon Scott's Birth Story Part #2

Okay, so I'm in the OR, shaking like crazy and crying because I'm freaking out about the impending C-section.  The nurses were all really nice as I was getting the spinal tap (or whatever the one that's not an epidural is called) but the anesthesiologist was like "listen, you need to pull it together."  Someone else might have thought that was pretty mean, but I actually found it quite calming.  People do this every day, these doctors and nurses probably do this every day, and it's going to be fine.

After I was numb and laying down on the table with the curtain up around my mid-section, they finally let Scott in the room.  Go time!  Even though nothing they did was painful, I could still feel the entire procedure take place.  It was weird, the zipping feeling, the moving around of my organs, the moment they pulled Sprout's little head off my rib cage (what a relief after months of burrowing!).  After a very short time the doctor said it's a boy and held up a slimy purple mass over the curtain for a split second, not even enough time to identify it as a human baby!  How annoying!

Scott could see much better than me and he was able to go over to where they were cleaning him off and told me that he was beautiful and perfect...and he is, don't you think?  Long and lean and handsome.

Scott got to see him first while they were still sewing me up.  How cute are these two?

Finally I got to see little Waylon Scott.  I think in the first moments the overwhelming emotion for me was relief.  My little Bean Sprout is more than fine, he's awesome!  I didn't die from surgery!  Everything is going to be okay!

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from that we took in the hospital of little Waylon.  Somehow we missed having a picture taken of the three of us!  I should probably remedy that soon.  Anyway, look at this fat little Sprout.  Can you see his cleft chin in this picture?

This was one of the first pics I could get with his eyes open.  He is really alert!  I hope his eyes stay the color they are now, but I think they might turn brown.

Here is my favorite one, of us finally leaving the hospital and heading for home (trying to beat the hurricane!).  He looks so pensive, staring out the window and it's the cutest thing ever.

I have lots more to talk about (people have been particularly curious about his name) but I think that's enough for the day.  Thanks to everyone who has been so supportive through the unknowns during my pregnancy.  It was scary at times but mostly exciting.  I'm so glad it's all over and I just get to enjoy my little Waylon now!

Waylon Scott's Birth Story Part #1

Sorry I'm a little behind with this but we're still getting used to being at home with the little man.

Anyway, Friday morning Scott and I got word that the offer we put on a house had been accepted! I will discuss this more in another post, let's stay on topic today.  It was a great start to the day and I went to my chiropractor appointment to try to turn the little Bean Sprout feeling good about the possibility.  Even though the version hadn't worked, I just still wanted to try everything that I could and you just never know.  After that, I went to meet Scott in Hartford for a delicious Mexican lunch around noon.  As we were driving, almost as we pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant, a black cat crossed in front of our car.  I'm not even kidding.  It narrowly avoided being hit on the other side of the street by a truck and ran right in front of it.  I did a double take and sure enough, all black.

I am a fairly superstitious person.  Okay, really superstitious!  So all during lunch, I just went over in my head what kind of bad luck a black cat crossing your path in the week of Halloween might mean.  Was something going to be wrong with the house?  Was the hurricane that was approaching the East Coast going to obliterate us all?  Was everything going to go okay in 6 days when Sprout was scheduled to come out?  I was so stressed out, I ended up overeating at lunch, but at least it was food I really loved.  Afterwards, I drove home at 5 miles below the speed limit in the right lane the whole time, just trying to make it home without incident.  I implored Scott to please do the same when he came home from work in a few hours.  It was a little after 1 and I settled down on the couch with my computer to catch up on election news and celebrity gossip.

As I was enjoying the amazing irony of Justin Timberlake having to share cover space of his ridiculous wedding photo with Britney Spears, I felt a little pop and then a huge whoosh.  Water broken!  I was a little caught off guard, partly because I had no other signs of impending labor and partly because my doctor had warned me that because of the position of the little Sprout, I was going to have to come to the hospital right away if my water did break.  So, I called Scott and waited in the bathtub for him to come while Niagara Falls continued to spill out of my body (seriously, totally unprepared for the sheer volume of water.  Sorry if that's gross, but it's true.)  My stomach actually got noticeably smaller as I sat there.

Scott didn't take to long to get home and luckily I was able to pass the time calling my parents, brother, and a couple of friends to keep me distracted.  We got to the hospital around 2:30 and they immediately did an ultrasound of Sprout and started monitoring his heart rate.  Still head up and a strong steady heartbeat.  It seemed we weren't in any danger but I was definitely going to have a C-Section, I thought within an hour or so.  Except when you eat two enchiladas, a tamale, rice, beans, and chips and salsa, you cannot undergo surgery right away.  So I was going to have to wait until 6 before I could be prepped for surgery.  Here's a photo of me chilling and waiting for the hours to pass.

It didn't seem very long at all before the nurses were coming to bring me to the OR.  It was very bright and cold in there, there were about 6 people all scrubbed up and a table full of medieval tools  in the corner, Scott couldn't come in while they prepped me, and I started to panic.  I've never had anesthesia, surgery, stitches, anything.  And that stupid black cat from earlier....

38 week update

It's time for some Real Talk:  It's a lovely warm day, the leaves are at their most colorful and beautiful, I've had a nice relaxing weekend with Scott, and I feel like punching somebody in the face.

Friday's version attempt was not successful.  The doctor and midwife beat on my stomach like it was a particularly infuriating ball of bread dough for what seemed like forever.  They got the Sprout turned about halfway around and were optimistic that s/he would figure the rest of the way out him/herself.  Except, as soon as they took their hands off me, Sprout seemed to say "Actually, I was just fine where I was before, thanks," and you could see the little head shift right back to where it had started.  So, I spent three hours in the hospital and have nothing to show for it except some lower abdomen bruising. The good news is, this whole fiasco seemed to have no effect on the Sprout whatsoever, as his/her heartbeat stayed steady and even the entire hour afterward that I had to be monitored (and s/he looked very healthy in 2 nurses' opinions.)

I am so uncomfortable all the time.  Sleep is a joke because I can't even roll over without building up some momentum or getting help, I don't like to sit down because it's too much of a hassle to stand up afterwards, standing too long makes my feet feel like they're asleep, and I have the weirdest feelings in my stomach.  It's either a pulling/squeezing really low, or this hot shooting pain in my groin and leg.  I'm hesitant to call them contractions because although it is painful, it is not devastatingly so which is what I've been made to believe contractions are.  Add that to the continued delight of a head stretching out my rib cage and making my upper stomach tingle constantly, the ever-increasing pain in my wrists, daily heartburn, and knobby little feet doing a dance on my bladder. Basically, the girl at the store today who told me I looked "really tired" is lucky I didn't open-hand slap her.

How far along?  38 weeks
Total weight gain?  Right around 30 pounds.  It feels more like 100.
Maternity clothes?  Yes and no.  It really doesn't matter.  I look like a blimp.  Not even my big cozy bathrobe closes anymore!
Stretch marks?  Still in a holding pattern.
Sleep?  No.  I'm actually surprised Scott can sleep either, what with all my flopping around.
Best moment of the week?  Seeing Sprout on the ultrasound and hearing everyone say s/he looks very healthy.
Miss anything?  Mobility.  A full night's sleep.
Movement?  So much.  After the version attempt when they were monitoring Sprout and me the nurse came in three times because she thought I was having contractions.  Nope, just Sprout doing his/her little morning dance routine.
Food craving?  I've actually kind of lost interest in food.  Even when I'm hungry, I'll just eat anything, I have no taste or preference for anything.  That makes it easier to eat healthy!
Anything make you sick or queasy?  Nope.
Gender?  Scott had a dream last night we had a blond haired girl, which, if you remember, I also did a few months ago.
Labor signs?  No.  I talked to my mom about the "contractions" I've had and she suspects that I just have a high pain tolerance.  She had a hard time identifying contractions as such too.
Symptoms?  Oh, I think we covered that above.
Belly button in or out?  Out.
Wedding rings on or off?  I keep it on.
Happy or moody most of the time?  Yeah, I'm cranky.  I am ready to be done with this and deal with  my stubborn little Sprout in the flesh.
Looking forward to?  Tomorrow the doctor should be calling me to let me know what day they are scheduling my C-section for, sometime between Oct 29th and Nov 2nd.  But I'm just hoping Sprout shows up this week.

So here's what's up...

At my doctor's appointment yesterday, we found out that Sprout is still breech.  All those weird positions and ice packs and chiropractor visits haven't budged him/her at all!  We spent some time talking to the doctor about what our options are, and decided to try an external cephalic version on Friday morning.  Basically, the doctor will manually try to flip the baby around to head down position while monitoring his/her vital signs to make sure everything is going smoothly.  One of three things will result from this:

1)  Sprout flips, everything is good, and I wait to go into labor on my own.  The chances of this happening in a first pregnancy are not as great as a second or third, but it's the only thing left at this point.

2)  Sprout does not flip, and I have to schedule a C-section for my 39th week (Halloween week!).  Because of the position the baby is in (not your everyday breech, of course not) I can't really go into labor on my own because if my water breaks there is a risk of a prolapsed cord and we don't have much time if that happens before things can get dangerous.

3)  Sprout reacts badly to the version and I need an emergency C-section on Friday.

I'm staying as optimistic as possible, but I am also having to accept the increasing probability of having a C-section.  Whatever is going to happen is going to happen.  Yes, I would like to feel more in control of what is happening in my body, and I would ideally like Sprout's birth to be something I DO rather than something that happens TO me.  But, it seems like Sprout is insistent on making his/her birth as dramatic as possible and putting on a little show.  I can't hate on that because, well, obviously I'd probably do the same thing.

37 week update

So, Baby Bean Sprout is officially full term.  That means any day could be THE day, but so far no signs of anything.  From here to the end, s/he is just going to keep getting bigger and stronger.  I've been doing all the last minute stuff I can think of and trying to stay busy, willing the days to go by quickly.

I've spent most of the week doing my baby-flipping exercises and feeling around my stomach to try to determine which little body parts are where.  I'm feeling much more calm about the whole thing.  I'm going to do everything I can to flip Sprout but it's possible that s/he is a stubborn little thing (where could this personality trait possible come from?!?) and will not cooperate.  In that case, there's nothing that I can do.  I will just wait to go into labor naturally, no induction, no scheduled C-section, and hope for the best.

How far along?  37 weeks
Total weight gain?  Meh.  I have a lot of work ahead of me in the new year.
Maternity clothes?  I feel lucky that I haven't had to spend a lot of money on this.  I'm in all regular clothes in my photo this week.
Stretch marks?  I'm pretty happy with the situation here.  It could definitely be worse.
Sleep?  I still wake up every night and can't get back to sleep, but when I am asleep it has seemed much more restful, if that makes sense.
Best moment of the week?  Realizing that we really are getting near the end and one way or another, Sprout will be making his/her debut soon!
Miss anything?  Nothing comes to mind
Movement?  YES.  A lot and it's sometimes painful.  I'm taking that as a sign that there's a good chance Sprout might figure out how to get his/her head down.
Food craving?  Oh my god I love grapefruit juice!  And carbs.
Anything make you sick or queasy?  Nah.
Gender?  Strangers are still split about 50/50 on guesses.
Labor signs?  Nope, but I'm much less disappointed about this than I was last week.  Take your time and get your head down, Sprout!
Symptoms?  Back pain has subsided somewhat, but my wrist is on fire all the time.
Belly button in or out?  Out
Wedding rings on or off?  One on, one off.
Happy or moody most of the time?  Happy, and focused on checking things off my to-do list.
Looking forward to?  I will be having another sonogram on Tuesday to see exactly what position Sprout is in, so that I best know how to get him/her where s/he needs to be.  Also, we can get another peek at his/her little face!

P.S.  I don't know what's up with the weird spots on my photos.  I think there's sand in my camera or something, ugh.