Burping Machine

I have currently accepted the role of burping machine, a slight demotion from feeding/cleaning machine due to my own bad behavior... so far so good.

After speaking with the lactation specialist yesterday we determined that my current issue (fussy, uncomfortable, constantly hungry baby) is a combo of growth spurt and excess gas. So, I'm now pre-feed burping, burping during the feed and afterward! I'd never heard of pre-feed burping as, like most people, I thought that babies got most of their gas during the feed. However, a lot of gas is created after baby eats during digestion (duh!) so burping before you feed ensures you feeding on top of a bubbling belly! I've also been using some new techniques that I got from this website and they seem to going well. I've got a burping cycle now - I start with the over the shoulder, I switch her to the lap-lying position, then I do the sit up position all with a combo of back-patting and circle motions. I've also been throwing in the bicycle legs move once in a while. :p It's still taking me an hour to feed because of all the burping but right now she's staying on my boob (before she was on and off, on and off), she's not crying when she pulls herself off and she's falling asleep afterward (instead of screaming bloody murder for an hour). YIPEE! I'm praying this isn't a fluke!

Also, I realized that I basically have Jane is my arms 24-7 and when I put her down to get things done, I put her in her swing. So, she's not getting any chance to move her own gas by moving around much (stupid mommy). So, I've put out the activity gym - she's currently awake, lying on it, and kicking up a storm... much better for moving gas then being stuck in a swing! I'm learning, slowly, but learning. This mommy brain crap is truly phenomenal as I have literally lost every bit of common sense I had.

Lastly, my mom's friend, Lisa, recommended this product "Bio-Gaia", a probiotic drop that can be given to babies, that apparently reduces colic/gas. I couldn't find it at my pharmacy (it's over the counter) so they have ordered it in for me, I will keep you posted on how it goes. Can't hurt! I've also been using Kolic drops (@ Walmart) when she gets uncomfortable and it seems to help relieve some of the pain within 30 mins or so.

Well that's it for today - I know, a lot about gas lately, kind of boring, but this is my life right now. My life has been consumed by gas, poop and burping. Perhaps next week I will be so lucky as to get upgrade to reflux and vomiting! WOOHOO! As I always say, 100% worth it for my little lady.

Jen :)

PS - Ordered my birth announcements - thanks to the poll-voters! I went with the basket pic as recommended!

Growth Spurt

No time to write today - dealing with the three week growth spurt according to the public health nurse (who I called desperately today because Jane's been super fussy for the last 12 hours or so).

To summarize, breastfeeding is freakin' hard when you're dealing with a gas-y, fussy baby. How did the cave-women do it - they didn't have public health nurses!?!?

Jane's basically really uncomfortable which breaks my heart... she'll start to fall asleep and then she wakes up crying a few minutes later because she's moving some gas and it hurts! :( I was actually crying with her this morning - half frustration and half heartbreak for her.

My sister's dealing with a similar issue - Lucy has been crying since yesterday at 2pm and neither of them slept a wink last night. Not sure what the cause of her problem is but we'll see. Thankfully, Jane was fine last night so we slept- but the feeds before and after were challenging to say the least.

Dan's currently on baby duty for a little while so I can get my sanity back... will keep you posted on how this plays out. Hoping, for her sake, that it doesn't last too much longer, poor thing!

Jen :)

I can't believe she's mine!

Our photographer just posted some of Jane's pictures to her blog last night... I was in tears at how beautiful the pictures are! I can't believe she's mine!

I've put a poll up on the right to get your help choosing which of Kerianne's blog pictures I should use for my birth announcements... I'm leaning towards the basket picture but would love some other opinions. I've not included the two pics that have Dan and I in them as this is all about Jane! :)

Here's the link... enjoy!

Jen

God help me... :p

So I'm running around like an "effin" maniac this morning... Dan's out of town for the weekend for a stupid frisbee tournament (can you sense my support?)! tee hee hee. Honestly, glad he's keeping up with his sports as I'd rather have him gone for a weekend here and there vs. having a lazy hubby who never gets off the couch.

Regardless, crappy weekend for him to disappear... my Mom-in-law arrives tomorrow from NYC, which is great but I'm sweaty freakin' buckets here trying to get laundry done and house semi-cleaned all while trying to keep Jane asleep.

Threw her in the sling for the first stage of cleaning and she loved it but now my back is broken from carrying her around (perhaps I'm not wearing it right but I followed the instructions!). Not to mention I think those slings are a little dangerous as you kinda forget your wearing them and, then, OOPS a little poke in the bum from the vacuum, baby makes and peep and you go "$^#&"! Genius! :p

Heading out this afternoon to visit a few friends so they can finally meet Janey. It'll be hard not to be one of those crazy women you see running around with the Purell, saying "wash your hands, wash your hands"... I always thought those people were annoying. Now with Jane, I have no intentions of toting hand sanitizer around in every purse and pocket, but I know what's on MY hands - what's on yours is what freaks me out! :p And non-parent friends won't get it... I'll just have to smile and call myself a "bitch". ;) Makes people feel better if I do it myself vs. just thinking it inside their head!

Anyways - this is officially the fastest written post to date as I've got too much to do. Whoever invents a self-cleaning house is a GOD! Seriously, we can send people to into SPACE but we can invent a house that you just shut the door, press the button and a bunch of sprinklers come on, clean the heck out of everything, and then it super-heats itself dry... almost like a giant dishwasher. I want it now.

Jen :)

Tips-N-Tricks: Bathing

Here's what's worked for me for bathing baby Janers...

I've been bringing her in the bathtub with me. She loves it and I love the bonding time! We have a corner jacuzzi, so before I get in with her, I set out a nice big towel on the corner "seat" of the jacuzzi so I can wrap up Jane right away so she doesn't get cold. It is so easy to bathe her this way. She basically floats around and I just support her head to make sure she doesn't turn her head into the water, which she's tried to do 100 times. When I want to suds her up, I put my legs together and let her lie between my legs, supporting her head my my hand and thigh.

I found this much easier than putting the baby bathtub inside the tub and having to lean over the edge of the tub, or using it on a counter/sink. I think it's also safer than bathing in the sink which, once she started lifting her head and squirming (basically day one), I was too worried she'd bang her head on the sink or faucet.

Most importantly, Jane enjoys bathing this way more. She is completely relaxed... when I let her float, lying with her scalp in the water, she kicks her legs out, stretches out her arms and coos the entire time! She'll lie on my chest with her bum in the water, completely wide-eyed and awake, forever. She's yet to cry getting bathed this way.

With a smaller tub, it may be safer to have Daddy do the baby exchange with you, letting you get in/out solo. My large tub allows me to move easily into and out of the tub safely with Jane in my arms. Would be a good idea to get stickies for the bottom of the tub to prevent slipping also.

Jen :)

PS - To pre-answer this question, NO, Jane has not pooped/peed on my in the tub... I don't think you should worry about this. :p

Bring My Sexy Back :p

My best friend Kristie gave me the idea for this post after a hilarious chat yesterday... so I dedicate it to her :p

Our conversation, in between kisses to our babes (she's got a 3 mth old), focused on how nasty, for lack of a better word, we feel about our bodies post-baby. We determined that we had "lost our sexy" and Kristie summed it up like this -

"Excuse me, what room was I in in the hospital?... Can you go in and look under the bed and see if I left my sexy there?"

I died when she said this as it is exactly how I feel. I knew that post-baby it would be an adjustment but I didn't realize that all my confidence would disappear. Between the post-baby bod, vajajay "changes", leaky boobs, lack of time for shower/prettying up myself, constantly smelling like spit up, sweating like a monkey, etc., even Justin Timberlake himself couldn't help me at this point! My poor hubby keeps telling me I'm hot and grabbin' my butt and I'm trying desperately not to push him away or tell him to shut up. It's hard to take a complement when you're feeling like crap. :p

To update you on the breastfeeding issues... bf-ing is freakin' hard! Just when I think I've got the green poop issue under control, it's still a worry and now I have "overactive letdown"... awesome. Basically my boobs are so friggin' full that when Jane latches on she drowns in milk, chokes, pulls off the boob, and doesn't get a good, relaxing feed. She actually refused the boob two nights ago and screamed bloody murder for 30 mins because she was hungry. Solutions include lying down to feed (which let me tell you is so frustrating for both of us that it's not worth it) and expressing some milk pre-feed which I'm going to try from now on... problem is if I start expressing milk then my boobs will think I need more milk, make more milk, and my problem will not get better! HELP!!

So, I'm surviving... sticking with breastfeeding no matter how difficult it gets as it's a HUGE priority to me. Curious when I can start working out - strength training/ab exercises - does anyone know? I think it was 4-6 weeks post, but I have no idea. Hoping this will help me find my sexy again ASAP. :p

Jen (who's the grouchy girl now) :)

PS - Bought the cutest hat for Jane on Etsy that my photographer used during our photoshoot... adorable and only $14 including shipping!!

Sleeping Beauty...

Pre-baby I had no idea what to expect when it came to sleeping after Jane came... if you listen to rumour, you're never going to sleep again! You'll be a zombie!

Personally, I am not a zombie nor am I exhausted... sorry to disappoint. I'm not saying I'm sleeping fabulously or that I'm not tired sometimes, but I'm not finding it as difficult as I was lead to believe it would be. We have good nights and bad nights... most of which are my fault for eating something that doesn't agree with Jane and gives her gas (we're both learning).

Right now, here's the deal as far as what my night looks like:
8:30pm - Bath time
9:00pm - Feeding
9:30-12:30ish - Sleep
12:30am - Feeding/Bum Cleaning
1:30 - 4:00am - Sleep
4:00am - Feeding/Bum Cleaning
5:00 - 7:30am - Sleep

I usually wake up at 7:30am as Jane usually doesn't have a long sleep after the 4am feeding... plus, that's when Dan wakes up and I like to have time with him in the morning before he heads to work. So, overall, I'm getting about 6 hours sleep a night by the time I fall back to sleep after feedings which I think is great! I usually have a nap during the day with Janey during one of her sleeps as well.

We decided that Jane would sleep in our room (in a cradle) for the first 3-4 months. I don't think I'd sleep well with her in another room... I think I'd be running to her side at every peep whereas now I just open my eyes to check on her. I've now gotten to the point where I can sleep through her milder noises and wake only when she starts really fussing. I can see how nursery sleeping would also work as I'm sure you eventually don't wake for every peep-n-squeak and avoid the transition to crib later on. For me, it's the convenience of having Jane right there. We have slightly modified our cradle and placed a folded blanket under the mattress to elevate the head of it just over an inch. It makes no sense to me to feed a baby and then lay her flat - how do you feel when you lay down with a full tummy? No wonder babies get gas-y and have reflux! They have products out there that do the same thing but why spend the money if there's a simpler fix? I also play relaxing music throughout the night - either Baby Einstein lullabies or spa-like music, I think both of us enjoy this! :)

Last night, I was so glad to have Jane next to me. After our 4am feeding, I put Jane down and she was really uncomfortable - gas. I stayed awake and kept an eye on her for 30 mins or so and thank god as she basically projectile vomited in her cradle. I was so glad to be there immediately to pick her up so she could wouldn't respire anything and so I could comfort her. :( Poor thing.

If anyone has any tips-n-tricks for helping baby sleep or advice for crib sleeping, leave a comment!

Jen :)

Grouchy, Gas-y, Girl

So I screwed up breastfeeding for "a minute". Thankfully I have quickly repaired my stupid mistake...

Three days ago, I noticed Jane's poop (yes, you WILL start worrying about poop) had changed from it's yellow colour (good) to a green colour (not so good). I called our nurse yesterday to check it out as some of the online info I found said it was fine and some said it could be a bf-ing issue. Well the latter was right...

Initially when I started bf-ing, if Jane only fed on one boob for a short time, I'd go back to that boob for the next feed so that she would get the hindmilk (the good, fatty stuff in the second half of your milk). During her visit, the nurse told me to offer the first boob twice, switching to the next boob if Jane pulled herself off boob #1 twice. I started doing this but obviously it doesn't work for me. Jane often feeds for 5-10mins and pulls herself off because my milk flows so quickly that she needs a breather! So if I switched to the next boob after two pull-offs, she hadn't gotten the hindmilk from boob #1. Apparently the result is green poop, and a gas-y, grouchy baby. For the last two days, Jane was not herself - feeding for short periods, more frequently (equals less sleep), super gas-y, and crying for what seemed like no reason. It was a hard couple of days as I didn't realize something was wrong, I just thought this was life with a newborn! The hardest part is that you get frustrated with the baby and then you inevitably feel intense guilt 5 seconds later for feeling frustrated with your sweet baby!

Anyways, long story short - yesterday, I went back to my old method. If she only has a quick feed, I return to that boob for the next feed until it feels empty. Already, her poop is turning yellow again (YIPEE for yellow poop!) and she is sleeping regularly again and, thankfully, not fussy! HALLELUJAH!

So, there ya go, my first new-mommy screw up - many more to come I'm sure! How bad did I feel when I realized that it was my fault that she was so uncomfortable with an upset tummy?!?!

Jen :)

PS - Anybody watching the Bachelorette (guilty pleasure)? I love Jillian but, seriously, she's an idiot - Jake was the best! Why do these chicks go on these shows and let go of the guys who would be "dream" hubbies! Come on people! Yes, you may have more "chemistry" with the bad ass dude, but he's an idiot, and you're gonna regret your decision in 6 months when the "lust" stage ends and you're stuck with an "effin" loser! :p The previews suggest that Jake returns (love a man in uniform), but guaranteed she's going to end up with the annoying, sleazy Wes - YEEHAW and YUCK! :p

Getting "Fat" :p

Wanted to post about a topic that my girlfriends and I discussed on several occasions throughout our pregnancies... weight gain.

Before I got preggers, I joked that I would eat everything that I wouldn't allow myself to eat pre-pregnancy and eat it regularly! However, just as we experience in non-pregnant life, there is also pressure on pregnant women re: weight gain. I completely understand that gaining too much weight is not good for Mom or baby. But the average women doesn't need to worry about gaining an extra 5 or 10 lbs!

I don't know what it is about pregnancy that makes it OK for people to say any of the following:

• How much weight have you gained?
• How much do you weigh now?
• When I was pregnant, I put on...
  
• Oh my god, you're huge!
  

If I wanted you to know how much weight I've put on, I'd make a freakin' t-shirt, writing my updated weight on it every week - just for you! And if I wanted to know that you only put on 20 lbs in your pregnancy, I would have asked you! Of course, people always tell you this right before they ask you how much weight you've put on and you, no doubt, downgrade yourself a few pounds :p Why the competition?

Don't get me started on my doctor (God love him) who, at 16 weeks pregnant, told me I was putting on weight too quickly... I had 8 lbs on total. I was so pissed. I'm a super healthy eater, I walk for an hour every morning, and he was giving me diet advice. Of course at my next appt, I didn't have enough weight on! I immediately pointed out that, PERHAPS, I was just putting on weight inconsistently. I couldn't wait to be referred to my Ob-Gyn so I wouldn't have to be scared about potentially being scolded by my family doc anymore.

Like most women, I've always been insane about my weight. Hilariously (of course) I look back at my pre-preggers pictures and think HOLY $&*@, I had a great body, I was an idiot!

For me, the mistake began in early pregnancy when I set a goal for the weight I expected to put on. Mom told me she'd only put on 25 lbs in her pregnancies, so I chose 25 lbs. Stupid. I had 25 lbs on by 28 weeks. I ended up putting on 35 lbs. So, of course, I felt like a blimp. My advice, don't set a goal for yourself and look away when the doctor weighs you. Don't get caught up in the number vs. the important stuff - eating nutritious food and continuing to exercise.

Funny enough, despite being a "giant person", I'd never been so comfortable naked in my life! I'd strut around in front of Dan, dancing and acting like a fool with my big ol' belly. It may be a while before that happens again - the post-baby body ain't so hot (YET)! ;) Wait until I learn how to work these Pam Anderson-boobs a little better! HA!

Curious what your thoughts are? It's a touchy subject and it's unlikely everyone will agree with me... comments please :)

Jen

Baby Blues

Thought I'd do a quick mention about the "Baby Blues"... my neighbour, who's Mommy to a sweet 16 mth old, made sure to prepare me for this experience pre-labour. She told her story of completely breaking down to her nurse while still in the hospital after baby spit up and she wasn't there to comfort him right away.

The baby blues apparently affect 60-80% of women post-delivery - causing us to cry over nothing and be a little moody. Apparently it's caused by hormone changes post-birth but can be exaggerated by exhaustion and being overwhelmed by your new little bundle. Thankfully, it's only supposed to last from a few days to about two weeks.

For me, I don't think moody has been a factor, but crying over everything and nothing is quite common. I've cried over how much I love Jane and how worried I am about something happening to her. I actually cried over her sweet peach fuzz (a.k.a. lanugo)! I've cried over the slightest disagreement with Dan, or over something stupid, like a commercial, on tv. Made the mistake of watching a Disney movie last week... had to turn it off within the first 10 mins because the cartoon wife died and I was losing it.

My advice - be aware of the baby blues and don't worry about it unless it's completely overwhelming or lasts past two weeks (may be sign of post-partum). Make sure you hubby is prepared for and aware of how normal the blues are as well or he will likely worry about you and make you feel even crazier which will just make you cry more!

Jen :)

You CAN handle the truth #1

First in my series of simple truths that somehow get glossed over in the sweetness of having a baby...

Truth #1 - Contractions "effin" hurt, bad... really, really bad.

Jen :)

First Two Weeks, In Review :)

My first two weeks as a Mom.. It's amazing how much more comfortable and confident I am after such a short time!

I'm feeling good. Surprisingly not that tired, getting about 5 hours of sleep a night (on and off, of course). My "wounds" are healing well... much better than last week. On day four I broke down, scared to pee, because it burned like hell. Thank God for Mom for getting me a sitz bath - a necessity if you have any "battle wounds"! I've lost 22 lbs, mostly within the first 2-3 days, but I've still got a ways to go. It's neat to see your belly shrink so quickly, though it looks quite a bit different (understatement). Crunches will be my friend in a few weeks - I hate crunches. Kegels suck - WAY more difficult that they used to be. No strength whatsoever post-delivery. Hopefully this can be repaired so I get some bladder control back!

The biggest transition has been becoming a feeding and bum cleaning machine. Not a complaint, just a truth. My life is run by this little angel yet I wake up every morning excited to spend another day with her. Life is not necessarily busier but I am occupied 100% of the time... it's hard to get everything done. I run my ass off in 20 min intervals while Jane sleeps - cleaning, cooking, laundry, etc.

Dan and I are doing well... very few moments where we have wanted to kill each other. :p I feel for him now that he's back at work. He gets so little time with Jane. Plus, it breaks our hearts, but Dan has started sleeping in the guest room. :( It makes no sense for him to wake up with me for nighttime feedings but when Jane woke up, Dan was waking regardless and was quickly becoming exhausted. I miss having him with me but he'll sleep with us on the weekends. Eventually, Jane will sleep a bit more throughout the night and Dan can come back to bed. :)

Jane is great. Things have gotten easier since her check-up last week. When we first brought her home, she had to be fed every 3 hours until she got back to her birth weight. We had to wake her up to feed her and to keep track of her dirty diapers. God, that sucked! Thankfully, the nurse weighed her last Thursday and Jane was 8lbs 11oz! She surpassed her birth weight in less than a week! I think the early cluster feeding made my milk come in faster so she put the weight on quickly. Now I feed on demand, still every 3 hours or so but much easier than following a schedule. Because of Jane's blood type, she was higher risk for jaundice. They checked her billirubin at the hospital and she was fine but we did have to sit in the sunlight for 15 mins, twice a day for a few days. To be clear, by sunlight, I mean sitting by the window with her not putting her out on a towel for a sun tan! :p She is sleeping well in the cradle (next to our bed). The first few nights I kept letting her sleep on my chest because she fussed a lot less this way and I slept better having her closer. I'm resisting this urge now as it's not as safe having her in the bed. We've both gotten more comfortable with the cradle every night and are sleeping more every night.

I can't believe how quickly the first two weeks have gone by. I look at Jane and see her getting bigger and see her face looking "older"... I'm savouring every minute I get with her as I know the time will continue to fly.

Jen :)

Jane's Cousin Arrives Today!

Just got a call from my Mom followed by a chat with my sister, whose water broke at 12:30am! She's having contractions 2 mins apart and growing in intensity! YIPEE! Baby Lucy will join us today - two weeks to the day after her cousin Jane!

Perhaps I'll convince my sis to tell us her labour story once she's got one! Never hurts to hear a few experiences!

Over the moon,

Jen :)

Dissecting Daddy: Labour & Life in Week 1

It was my hubby's idea to start a monthly post talking about things from his perspective. We'll do it interview-style as he's not much of a writer and wants to spend any free time he has with Janey. Of course, when I suggested doing an "interview" he asked if I would sleep with him to get more information out of him... ha ha ha. Men!

Here we go...

Jen: What were your thoughts and concerns during labour and delivery?
Dan: My only concerns were that Jane came out healthy and that you were as comfortable as possible. I did everything from adjusting your pillows to holding you hand and, literally, running to get some dinner. Thinking about your delivery after the fact, I may have placed too much trust in the capabilities of the medical team. I was extremely grateful that your Mom [a nurse] was in the labour room with us. She made sure everything was handled the way it should be... something you and I were not familiar with. If you don't have the luxury of your own personal nurse, I'd recommend to other husbands to ask their medical team a lot of questions, until you are satisfied. You basically have to demand the best care from them, as if it was their own labour.
Jen: What were you thinking during my early labour at home?
Dan: I was anxious to get you into the hospital because I didn't want anything to happen at home and I knew you'd be more comfortable and relaxed at hospital.

Jen: What advice to you have for other Dads-to-be on how to be a good labour partner?
Dan: Just be there for your wife. As stressed as you might be, she is way more stressed. So just pretend to be confident and put on a good face. She needs you to be the one thing she can count on.
Jen: You did a great job at this honey! I didn't think you were stressed at all, so to hear you say this cracks me up. You "pretending" to be relaxed definitely helped me as it would have stressed me out big time if I had to calm you down or convince you everything was going to be ok!

Jen: How did you feel when you saw Jane for the first time?
Dan: The single most proudest moment of my life. I thought she was beautiful and I was so relieved that she was healthy.

Jen: What advice do you have for other Dads-to-be re: the first week home?
Dan: Sleep whenever and wherever possible and be prepared to be pooped and peed on! Basically you have to be a "servant" to your wife as she adjusts to her new role of feeding and cleaning baby in a constant cycle. I've gotten a lot of glasses of water, cleaned the house more than I have in six years and had to cook, which is scary.

Jen: What has been your biggest challenge so far?
Dan: Understanding that, as Mommy, Jane is more strongly bonded to you and that you get to spend more time with her, at least at this stage in her life. It's hard to accept but it's a fact of life.
Jen: I can understand how that would be challenging... sometimes I wish you had boobs so I could have a little break!

Jen: What are your biggest concerns now that Jane is here?
Dan: Just being the best parent I can be. I want to make sure I teach her all the right lessons. Being a parent makes you want to be a better person so that you're a better role model for your child.

Jen: Anything else?
Dan: Not this time but I'm sure I'll have lots to talk about in a month!

Looking forward to my next "interview" with my hubby... he's super cute wanting to help me out. I hope he can help us gain some insight into how our hubbies are truly feeling, what they are concerned about, what they are annoyed about, etc. It definitely can't hurt!

Jen :)

Labour Bag Update!

One of my "followers" (sounds like a cult :p) gave me the great idea to update my labour bag list post-delivery, giving you what I used, what was useless and what I needed!

Here's the original list - with my comments and additions! Warning - extra long post, sorry!

1) Labour Bag:

• Slippers and a housecoat for walking around the hospital - wore the slippers up until pushing time, my feet were freezing. Housecoat = useless, I was "cremating" post delivery.
  
• Socks to keep your feet warm - useless, bring slippers only.
  
• An old nightie to wear during delivery (or wear a hospital gown) - hospital gowns were nasty, plus you had to wear two to cover your rear... my nightie was perfect.
  
• Toiletries - lip balm, headbands, hair elastics, etc. - essentials, esp. lip balm!
  
• Digital camera (don't forget to charge your battery) - duh!
  
• Your birth plan (discussed in my next Baby Prep post) - would have been great had anybody bothered reading it! Mention it out to each doctor/nurse who tends to you...
  
• Snacks and drinks for your hubby/labour partner. - essential.
  
• Hard candy for a dry mouth - My mouth was so dry from early labour to delivery - these were a blessing! Stick with basic flavours though... at one point Dan's green apple breath made me nauseous... never seen him spit something out so fast! ha ha ha.
  
• Your health card and insurance information - again, duh!
  
• Sweater for hubby - room gets cool as Momma gets hot! - Unnecessary for us - the excitement of it all kept Daddy nice and toasty ;)
  

2) Post-Delivery Bag:

• 2 nursing bras - necessary.
  
• 12 breast pads for when your milk comes in - not really necessary until your milk comes in. Although, if your nipples are sore, having a pad in your bra hurts less than the bra directly on your skin.
  
• 24 Sanitary/maternity pads - hospital supplied for us, otherwise, essential.
  
• 2 nighties - easy for beastfeeding and allows easy access for nurses to check your vajajay! ;) - essential, lived in these. Again, hospital gowns = nasty.
  
• Lots of old undies (your "period panties") - our hospital has these sexy mesh "panties" (picture the worse grannies you've ever seen). Regardless, they work and prevent you from ruining your own. Bring a few pairs anyways.
  
• Toiletries - essentials only (you don't need makeup)! - don't forget Daddy's stuff, like I did... he did smell great in my mango-tango deodorant ;)
  
• PJs and change of clothes for Dad - see above. Oops. :p
  
• Calling card and phone numbers of family/friends - we were allowed to use the cell so the calling card was unnecessary.
  
• Money - for snacks, parking ($35 parking @ IWK), etc.- Yuppers! Esp if you're going to get delivery/take-out, etc.
  
• 2 pillows in coloured pillow cases- Essential, @ least 2.
  
• Pens for completing post-delivery paper work - Sure.
  
• Going home outfit - something loose and comfy. You aren't leaving the hospital as Giselle Bundchen! - I left the hospital looking like I ate Giselle, I was about the size I was at 20 weeks preggers... if that helps.
• Breastfeeding pillow - so you don't have to use the one behind your head!
• Books, magazines, etc. to keep you busy when you're not sleeping (which is the entire time you're at the hospital).
  
• Phone numbers/menus for your favourite delivery/take-out places - hospital food is gross and you deserve some spoiling.
  
• Lanolin cream - in case your nipples are sore.
  

3) Baby's Bag:

• 12 newborn diapers OR 3 dozen if hospital doesn't supply diapers. - Hospital supplied for us, although they were like diaper nazi's - only giving us 5-6 at a time!
  
• Diaper cream - vaseline, zincofax, etc. - Hospital supplied.
  
• 3 onesies and 3 sleepers - Bring some newborn and some 0-3 mths... Janey was a big, long, girl and didn't fit any of the newborn stuff we brought for her.
  
• 2 receiving blankets (warm blankets if winter) - Good for bringing her home, hospital had blankets that we used while we were there.
  
• Take home outfit - Not a priority for us... Jane wore whatever we brought that fit her! ha ha ha.
  
• 2 pairs socks or booties and a hat (season dependent) - didn't use.
  

Having 2-3 separate bags was helpful and definitely made it easier on Dad. As I said before, your purse is useless... leave it home. Leaving your bags in the car is likely a great idea. In the excitement of early labour, heading to the hospital (finally), etc. I could totally see how you could forget everything at home!

Feel free to comment and toss in anything you found useful that I missed!

Jen :)

Our First Night Together

After the excitement and exhaustion of delivery, Dan and I finally had our first night as parents... thinking back now, even after just 10 days experience, all I can do is laugh! We had NO CLUE what the heck to do with her! I hadn't changed a diaper since I was 13 and here I was taking care of a baby, my baby!

When we got into our room, we hoped it was quiet time as it was 11pm... we were wrong. The nurse had check on Jane and I every couple of hours, including Jane's first bath. We didn't get to "sleep" until 3am and, of course, didn't sleep at all. I stared at Jane in her bassinet all night, trying to figure out her peeps and squeaks but mostly making sure she was still breathing! It sounds insane, but I kept checking... anytime she was too quiet, I'd rub her hair and she'd move a little and then I'd be OK! :p At one point, Janey was sleeping on her back but her head had fallen to the side. Dan and I were actually worried because we didn't know if her head was allowed to stay to the side like that! I seriously asked the nurse! She must have thought "we're letting these people take this baby home?!?!". ha ha ha. They don't tell you this stuff in baby books... how the heck are we supposed to know all the tiny things! I suppose it's common sense, but still! When you finally have this little baby, you're constantly worried about her, you question everything, even your own common sense.

Thankfully, breastfeeding was going well. Jane's latch was great from the start and I am determined to keep it that way. My girlfriends had suffered from razor-blade nipple pain and I want to avoid it and to make sure she is getting the best out of "the boob". What I hadn't expected initially was the uterine cramping. As soon as Jane latched on, I could feel my uterus cramping back to its original size. It felt a lot like mild menstrual cramps and, for me, with all the other little pains (boobs, twat, IV, etc.) I barely noticed them except that they made me a little nauseous. My cramps lasted about 3-4 days and I could feel the difference in the size of my uterus with each "session".

Our two days in the hospital were OK. We had a great nurse who helped me learn the ropes and was super supportive. What was difficult were the constant visitors... not friends and family, but the nurses, docs, flower deliveries, reading program people, etc. Although most of the check-ins were necessary to make sure baby and I were doing well, I wish that the "team" could have coordinated themselves. Perhaps they could team-up on visits instead of each coming one after the other! Every time I got comfortable feeding her or got her to sleep, someone came in to do a check, woke her up, made her scream bloody murder, and then said, "OK, looks great, bye"! Leaving us to calm her down and figure out the whole swaddle thing AGAIN... initially we could not do "the swaddle" - how did they get it so tight?!?! But rest assured, it will come, you will be a swaddling machine!

Jen :)

PS - Anybody have any funny/embarassing stories from their first few days? Come on, I told the whole head-to-the-side story! :p

I'm Gonna Be A Supermodel... ;)

Hi all,

Jane had her first photoshoot yesterday... she must have sensed that Dan and I were anxious and that we were in a different environment as it turned out to be quite the adventure!

We arrived at Kerianne's (our photographer) house at 9am and didn't get to taking pictures until after 11am. Poor little Janey pooped on me, peed on me and barfed on me. She was definitely not herself and my heart just broke for her. We were all about to give up when finally she fell asleep. The photoshoot was amazing! Kerianne was so patient and sweet with Jane and the photos are going to be GORGEOUS! She didn't even flinch when Jane peed and pooped on a bunch of her towels and blankets (in addition to me)! I have no idea where it all came from! Our photoshoot ended perfectly as Daddy held a naked Janey and with the last click of the camera, she pooped in his hand! Priceless. We're definitely members of the parent club now.

Kerianne posts on her own blog after photoshoots so once Jane's is up, I'll provide the link so you can see a few shots. She was amazing with Jane and I haven't even seen the product of her efforts yet! It took every bit of will power I had not to cry the entire shoot as Kerianne put Jane on these beautiful, textured blankets in these sweet curled-up poses... she looked like an angel.

Here's the link to Kerianne's site. Look at her Newborn gallery pictures - so sweet...
www.keriannebrown.com

More posts to come on our first week home with baby - including some thoughts from Daddy in what will become a monthly "series": Dissecting Daddy! :)

Jen :)

Out, Out Little Babe - Active Labour, Part 2

And so the story continues...

Once I was fully dilated, the nurse said I should feel the urge to push. I never did. I basically "faked" the urge to push - instead I continually felt my tummy for signs of a contraction and once I felt it, told the nurses I was ready to push. I don't know why I never felt the "urge" - perhaps it was the epidural... maybe one of the downsides to the epi vs. natural.

For each contraction, I pushed 3 times for 10 seconds each, holding my breath. My hubby said the first few contractions I really wasn't getting anywhere (of course he told me this after the fact) but then once I got the hang of it, they could see her moving down. What surprised me most was that the first 15 mins of pushing, only myself, hubby, Mom and the nurse were present - I had expected the entire delivery team to be there. Once I was getting close, however, the nurse paged the docs and the room was full before I had time to have another contraction!

I didn't experience any pain during delivery and only pushed for 30 mins before baby was out. I did, on the other hand, have a few tears and an episiotomy which, thankfully, I didn't feel at all. Once baby was out, she cried immediately and I could see her colour was great, a nice pink! The NICU team took her quickly but she was in my arms within 2-3 mins. Her APGAR scores were 8 (at 1 min) and 9 (at 5 mins), so she is a healthy babe.

I was basically a ball of emotion - crying like a maniac and over-the-moon relieved she was healthy and happy. Apparently I was given a shot of oxytocin right away (don't remember any of that due to being completely high on baby love) and my placenta was delivered within minutes. Once baby was out, the docs turned to getting things cleaned and sewn up. I was in la-la-land, making jokes and kissing all over my little babe.

After the docs finished up, we started breastfeeding right away and Janey's latch was great (relief!). She was rooting as soon as she was on my chest - so cute. Daddy took Jane as I got cleaned up in the bath. Despite an early delivery at 8:06pm, we didn't get up to the recovery room until 11ish. Long day!

I am so thankful I had my hubby and Mom with me. They were exactly what I needed - my hubby was my support and motivation and my Mom was my peace of mind.

Jen :)

Sweet Baby Jane

Daddy took this video of me sleeping last night. Excuse Mommy - she just finished crying (oh the joys of the "baby blues") because she watched the first five minutes of the new disney movie "Up"... ALERT: DO NOT watch Disney movies when suffering from the baby blues! ha ha ha.

PS - See below for a new post on my labour experience!

Out, Out Little Babe - Active Labour, Part 1

My last post on early labour ended with being admitted to the hospital at 3cm dilated... I was taken to a birthing suite and immediately hooked up to an IV for electrolytes. I'm not afraid of needles by any means and don't mind the little pinch that often accompanies, but the IV sucked! For me it was the most uncomfortable and annoying part (post-epidural of course).

The anesthesiologist arrived next (HALLELUJAH) with my epidural. I told him I loved him at least twice during the 15 minutes it took to get me set up. The worst part of the epi was the uncomfortable position you have to get into during insertion... You have to hunch over, rounding your back and stay completely still - very uncomfortable when you still have a giant belly! I didn't feel any pain or discomfort with the actual epi going in... just a mild pinch from the freezing needle before they started the "installation" :p The epi took about 10-15 mins to fully kick in, although my contractions gradually got less and less painful within 5 mins or so. After 15 mins, I could still feel a little pain in my right side during a contraction so my nurse had me switch and lay on my right side to balance the epi out. That worked - apparently it can pool on one side.

At 4:30 the resident (we have a teaching hospital) arrived to check my cervix - 6cm dilated. They also broke my water with what looked like a crochet needle. I didn't feel anything except the warmth of the fluid. Right away they noticed meconium in my fluid. I knew that this was fairly common for overdue babes so it only worried me a little - I was hoping this was the only "hiccup" we'd have. What it changed for my delivery was that (1) they would avoid stimulating baby immediately to avoid her respiring fluid, (2) she wouldn't be placed on my chest immediately post-delivery because (3) the NICU team would be present and would take her to the other side of the room to clear her airway and assess her.

Then came the next "hiccup"... baby's heart rate dropped dramatically. I was switched to lying on my side, put on oxygen and the nurse checked my cervix. Apparently I had dilated fully and the baby had "dropped" very quickly - the nurse could show my hubby and Mom the top of her head! Thankfully, within a minute or two her rate was back up and she was doing ok. This "lit a fire under my ass", you could say, that motivated me to push my ass off once I was ready to go. The docs actually said they'd never seen someone so eager to push... I just wanted her out and safe!

Sorry for the suspense but this post is insanely long and there's a baby sucking on my chest looking for a boob - I'll finish my labour story tomorrow! :)

Jen

Early Labour - My Experience!

Thought I'd start my first of many post-baby posts with some details about my early labour experience. Labour was completely different from what I had expected. As much as I had "prepared", I quickly learned that there is no way to prepare for labour and delivery

As you read last Thursday, I was so disappointed about having to be induced. I was 100% convinced I had no other choice as I felt no "signs of labour" and didn't anticipate a change before my scheduled induction. Mistake! :) In my Natural Labour Inducers post, I said sex was one of few inducers I thought might work. My girlfriend asked her neighbor (an ob-gyn) what could induce labour and she said sex as well. So, Dan sucked it up (again :p)as he knew how much I wanted to avoid induction. Two hours later, my contractions started. I woke up at midnight not feeling well. My lower back was really aching, I was hot and a little nauseous. I got in the bath, trying to feel better, and noticed menstrual-like cramps that radiated from my lower back. I quickly realized they were accompanied by my contractions and were running about 4 mins apart. After 30 mins, I woke up my hubby and my Mom. I was so scared to get my hopes up that I was in labour that I convinced myself I wasn't for 30 mins!

My contractions started at 4 mins apart, lasting 1 minute, for over an hour - we were told this meant "time to go to the hospital". We waited about 3 hours before leaving however, as I could tell that despite the 4-1-1 contractions, things weren't progressing urgently. Instead we went for a walk and tried to get some rest - impossible btw! :)

Our first and second trips to the hospital both ended with me getting sent home. I was 1cm dilated each time and wasn't in "active" labour... unless I dilated, they would just let me go on having contractions (even for a couple days)! However, by 2pm, my contractions had dramatically increased in intensity to the point that I couldn't talk, walk, move, etc. through a contraction... all I could do was moan and breathe! While sitting, my contractions were 3-4 mins apart but when I walked/stood up, they were 1-2 mins apart. By the time we got to the hospital, I was crying from exhaustion and fear that they would send me home again. Thankfully, I was admitted at 3:30pm at 3cm dilated.

I'm going to stop this post here. I'm going to break my labour story up into a few posts so it's not 40 pages long! Stayed tuned... despite my perfect outcome (she's so cute!), things did not go "perfectly". :)

What every mom-to-be should know about early labour is that you forget about the pain, fear, etc. the minute you see your babe for the first time. Apparently this is the key to survival of our species, ha ha ha. Secondly, listen to your body. You will absolutely know when it's time to head to the hospital, trust me. Lastly, even if you have low tolerance for pain (I'm pretty wimpy), by some miracle, you can handle it. You just do.

Elated to be sitting here with my little girl in my arms,

Jen :)

First Post-Baby Update

Just a quick update... it's been a busy few days as we adjust to our sweet arrival.

It's great to be home. The two days at the hospital were challenging. Your life revolves around checks and tests and nurses and doctor visits. It's really difficult. Just as you start feeding or FINALLY get her sleeping, another knock comes at the door for a check-up! But our nurse was awesome and we were so lucky to have a private room.

Finally got some sleep last night. Jane was cluster feeding (she is a sucker) at the hospital and I literally got 30mins sleep within four days. We gave in yesterday and tried the soother on her so I could get a break and it worked. The nurse said Jane's latch was great so we didn't have to worry about nipple confusion. This gave me peace of mind as I really wanted to avoid the soother but I couldn't survive on another night of no sleep. We've only had to use the soother for a total of 10 mins, so far, which makes me happy.

Breastfeeding is going really well so far. Her latch was great from the very beginning. Regardless, my nipples are sore as hell from the initial cluster feeding. My milk is starting to come in and already Pam Anderson ain't got nothing on me!

Heading to the docs now for Jane's first check-up. My blood type is 0+ and she's A+ so she's at higher risk for jaundice. She was checked at the hospital and her billirubin levels were fine but the Pediatrician still recommended checking in with my doc once we got home.

We are so in love with our baby girl... love isn't even a good enough word. I can't leave her alone and don't let her out of my sight. Dan has taken thousands of pictures and just keeps staring at her. He's been amazing, very supportive and wants to do his "share" which is a big help.

Will give you lots of details on the labour and delivery when I get my next free minute.

Jen :)

Welcoming Baby Jane

Quick details - born last night, June 5th, at 8:06pm, 8lbs 8oz. Got to the hospital at 3pm and the delivery was fabulous. She's perfect. We're so in love.

Updates to come.

Jen :)

Preparing for Baby #8 - Post-Baby TO-DOs

This is the final post in my "Preparing for Baby" series. If there is something I missed that you'd like to hear about, let me know!

A Post-Baby To-Do List

Starting a to-do list of items that need to be completed once baby arrives is essential. Pre-pregnancy, a list might not be necessary but "mommy brain" can strike at anytime! :p FYI - some of these items are Canada-specific but you likely have similar to-dos where you're living...

1. Birth certificate: Here is the link for Canadian Moms.
   
2. Provincial health card: Here is the link for Canadian Moms.
   
3. Social Insurance (social security, etc.) number: Links for Canadian and American Moms.
   
4. Personal health insurance: If you have additional coverage through work, add your baby as a dependent.
   
5. Employment Insurance: Apply for maternity and parental EI if you haven't already. If you've applied, call to confirm baby's birthday. Also, check that you're approved for parental benefits which are separate from maternity benefits.
   
6. Life insurance and Will: Make sure baby is taken care of if something happened to you and/or your partner.
   
7. Daycare: If you've already registered, confirm once baby is born.
   
8. Canada Child Tax Benefit: You may be eligible for a little "something, something" from good ol' Mr. Harper. More info.
   
9. Baby's passport: Yes, baby needs a passport (Canadian/American). Canadian baby's passports are good for 3 years and cost $22.
   
10. Newborn photos: Book your photo-shoot pre-baby. Our photographer recommends doing photos within the first 10 days, before baby's startle reflex kicks in.
    
11. Birth announcements: For photo announcements, I'd wait for your professional shots. Otherwise, pack them in your hospital bag and fill them out while you're stuck in bed!

Hope this saves you some time once baby arrives! FYI - Some hospitals provide the necessary newborn paper work, so you can knock off some items right away.

Jen :)

"Early Labour"

My contractions have been increasingly painful since midnight, every 2-4 mins. Went to the hospital, but according to the nurses, I'm only about 2cm dilated, which means I'm not in "active" labour. Was sent home until either my water breaks, I have bleeding or the pain gets too intense. The pain is pretty nasty but only lasts for about 30 seconds during each contraction. If I take 7 deep breaths that gets me through the pain, so I start counting down with each breath once a contraction starts! :p

I have no idea how long I have to wait. Wishing there was a way to check your own cervix dilation to see if I was progressing at all. I'm hoping my water breaks or else I'll eventually have to say, enough is enough. Otherwise, they will still wait until Sunday to give me the Cervidil to dilate me... which would mean I'd be awake for four days straight as sleep is impossible because of the pain.

The pain is significantly more intense when I'm standing/walking, as contractions come one after the other so I'm struggling with wanting to walk to dilate more vs. wanting to sit to reduce the pain. Currently I'm on the "sitting" plan. The bath is great, reducing my contractions and pain, but I get over-heated and can't stay in for too long.

May update again before I give up and head to the hospital... otherwise, you'll hear from me when this is all over and our baby is here! :)

Jen

MAYBE BABY!

It's almost 2am on Friday - what I would consider Thursday night as I've not been to sleep yet. At 10, Dan offered up the one natural inducer I thought might work in hopes of kicking this baby into gear...I think it may have worked!

I've been having painful (not unbearable) contractions for about an hour now, coming 2-3 mins apart and lasting about 1 minute. My back is aching, my mouth is dry, I'm a bit nauseous and I feel like I constantly have to pee.

Scared to get too excited as I don't want to get my hopes up but fingers crossed this is the real thing!

We'll be heading to the hospital soon. Hoping my next update includes pics of my sweet baby girl!

Jen :)

Guess AGAIN on Jane's Birthday!

My original poll only lasted until Sunday, and it appears baby Jane may not join us this weekend... so, there is a positive side to all of this, you get to vote again! :p Choose a new date - you have way better odds this time! :)

PS - Today's post is below...

Docs Appt Update

Currently swallowing my sorrows in a bowl of frozen yougurt... a large bowl. Docs appt this morning confirmed what I already believed, nothing is happening. The doc couldn't even do a good "sweep" because of the position of my cervix. I'm so disappointed. I wanted to cry when she checked me, I could tell right away that it wasn't "good" news.

So, the plan of "attack" is as follows - Sunday morning we'll be admitted to outpatient "cervical ripening" (sounds like a party). They'll start with Cervidil, prostaglandin gel, to dilate my cervix. I'll be monitored for an hour to make sure baby is OK, then they kick me out for six hours after which I come back to see where we're at. If there's no change, they'll double the dose and try again. What happens next depends on how my body responds. The Cervidil could stimulate labour or I may have to get Pitocin (oxytocin), to simulate contractions. It's really frustrating and disappointing to have to be induced. I feel like I've done everything "right" my whole pregnancy and now my body's failing me. Sorry to whine, but it's just one of those days! I know once Jane is here I will not give a hoot how the heck she got here. We have been very lucky so far, so I am thankful.

In the meantime, I'm praying that, by some miracle, my body decides to kick into gear before Sunday and I'll avoid induction altogether. Unlikely, but who knows! I had some extraordinarily good soup for lunch that my friend says is sure to stimulate labour (thanks Karalynn!)... you'll get full credit! :)

Despite all the crappity-crap above, I am SO excited about finally getting to meet our little girl in the next few days. I know it will all be worth it in the end.

Jen :)

Congrats to Jill & Peter!

Wanted to send a big CONGRATS to my blogging-buddy, Jill, whose sweet little boy, Parker Jacob, finally arrived yesterday at 11:30am. She was 12 days overdue and I'm positive he was worth the wait! 6 lbs, 7 oz, 19.5 inches... so there's still hope that baby Jane won't be a 20 pounder! ha ha ha.

Docs appt update on it's way this afternoon!

Jen :)

Operation: Get Bun Out of Oven

Seeing as I've basically tried all of these - all at once, upside down and backwards - I thought I'd give my opinion on natural labour inducers:

• Nipple stimulation - Refuse to give this a try despite hubby thinking it's a great idea (surprise, surprise)! Nipple stimulation releases oxytocin which may cause contractions. Problem is, you need to play with your nipples for an hour, 3x a day. PASS!
• Castor Oil - OK I lied. I haven't, nor will I, try all of these. The laxative effects of castor oil may stimulate the uterus. No thanks! Plus, that would dehydrate you - not good pre-labour.
• Sex - Gave this a shot but we were pre-emptive in our strike. Persuading hubby at this point is impossible... too uncomfortable with the baby being "right there". Why it may work - prostaglandins in sperm can ripen the cervix and orgasm releases oxytocin, the contraction hormone . Worth a try!
• Spicy Food - Complete nonsense unless the above theory re: castor oil proves true. Did nothing but give me heartburn.
• Walking - If this was true, I'd have given birth 20 weeks ago. I walk every friggin' day trying to get this baby to engage and stimulate my cervix... ZILCH!
• Exercise Ball - My hubby watches the ball with concern every time I bounce on it... as if it's going to pop and take down the house! :p Bouncing supposedly helps get baby into the right position. Personally, it just makes my back feel better.
  
• Membrane Sweep - I've had two sweeps so far and nodda. It's apparently effective if you're cervix is already preparing - can stimulate labour within 48 hours and decreases your chance of going overdue. They can be painful but mine have been OK so far. Having a 3rd tomorrow at docs appt. Pray for success! This is the only natural inducer I'd put my money on.
  

There are tons more about teas, curries, pineapple (WHAT?), etc. but, personally, I think a lot can be written off as coincidence. Fact is, we try these wives tales around our due dates when our body is already set for labour. Naturally, whatever we did just before our first contraction, we will credit with "stimulating" labour. With that said, if I go into labour today, I'm writing a paper on how blogging about labour inducers induces labour... I'll be rich and famous!

Jen :)

PS - New poll started yesterday on your biggest newborn concerns - check it out!

Preparing for Baby #7 - Freezer Meals

Freezer Meals for Post-Baby

Several of my mom-friends recommended making a few meals to freeze for post-baby. Apparently, bringing home a newborn may result in you being too exhausted, sleep-deprived, busy, and pre-occupied to cook - WHO KNEW?!?! :p

As usual, I went a little over board and have 15 meals frozen in my freezer...

Some healthy, tasty, freezer-friendly meals:
(1) Wanna-be Chicken "Potpie"
(2) Chicken Lasagna
(3) Butter Chicken
(4) Buffalo Chicken Chili
(5) Mom's Mac-n-cheese
(6) Minestrone
(7) White Chicken Chili
(8) Whole Wheat-Flax Pizza Dough

I froze my meals in 2-serving portions so I don't have to thaw the entire batch and each batch will last for two or more meals. I don't intend on using all of my pre-made meals within the first week of being home with baby... I'll save them for the nights when I have absolutely no desire or energy to cook (which may end up being my first week home) ha ha ha! :)

Hopefully this gives you more energy to focus on yourself and your sweet baby!

Jen :)

See no baby, hear no baby, speak no baby...

Morning...

Well, the only surprise at this point is that I'm not grouchy about being overdue. I expected to be overdue and hoped I wouldn't turn into a grumpy pregnant lady, but who can predict these things?!?!

No changes since the last update on Saturday. Still having a lot of braxton-hicks, sometimes having 2 to 3 in 15 minutes, but they are quite irregular and unpredictable. Apparently, the b-h are strengthening my uterine muscle and preparing my cervix so I'm hoping that this means my labour will be easier... ha ha ha, unlikely! All I can tell you is they make me uncomfortable and make my belly so hard you could bounce a coin off it... which is not something I've ever said or will say again about my belly! :p

Had an exciting moment last night... baby was moving more than ever before, causing a lot of contractions. I started having some painful cramps in my lower pelvis, which I thought was just her head-butting my bladder as usual. But it lasted significantly longer than usual and accompanied a contraction so we thought it might be early labour. We were disappointed 20 minutes later when I hadn't had another contraction. Must sound crazy to wish for painful contractions, I know! I am hoping, at least, that all that movement was her engaging further and increasing the pressure on my cervix. Remaining positive! :)

According to the poll, the majority seem pretty convinced this baby will come in the next 3 days, so fingers crossed! My Mom is flying in tomorrow, so perhaps baby will realize we are all ready for her now and then decide to make her grand entrance!

Will update you again on Wednesday, unless anything changes in the meantime.

Jen :)