the board seems to have gotten a little quiet. Curious how many of us are still around.
comment if you are still here with the following
1. How old is your LO or how many days past your due date are you.
2. What's one thing that surprised you during labor/delivery/end of pregnancy or now since having your newborn home?
My LO is just a few days over a month old. I've been surprised how different DS2 has been compared to DS2. It's also harder some days than I thought it would be with having two kids now. I just want to sit and snuggle DS2 but DS1 craves my attention so much too.
Re: March role call
No real surprises other than how much easier of an adjustment it's been having him vs my first. I guess I was surprised my daughter struggled with it at first but I also expected her to, just wasn't sure what exactly her reaction would be. She's doing much better now though
I am am mostly surprised at how much I'm not loving BF right now. Little miss got thrush last week and it seems that I have gotten it now too. Hers has cleared up but I'm struggling to get a handle on mine. I had always pictured BF to be this amazing, bonding experience and I'm just not feeling it. I'm hoping it gets better over time.
Nothing really too surprising here. Although, I was pleasantly surprised by how much easier recovery was this time around compared to my other three deliveries, especially considering he was my largest out of all of them.
I'm surprised how bad I'm handling the middle of the night wake ups. I just can't get into the swing of things on my own and need DH to help out with changing his diaper and bringing him to me. I guess I have a lot of guilt since he is working full time and feel like I should be handeling it all on my own but yet we have a 2.5 yo and shes home with me all day so its not like I'm relaxing/napping all day and I'm tired. DH doesn't complain and willingly helps out although I know its starting to weigh on him as well, he keeps trying to suggest ways that we can take turns getting up with him though he doesn't realize that since I'm BFing its not that easy. Last night DS only woke up twice and I feel pretty rested today, fingers crossed that keeps up or gets better.
DD amazes me with how well she is doing adjusting, she still has her moments/days but mostly she loves helping (picking out a diaper, grabbing his pacifier, singing to him when he is crying "it's okay baby boy, its okay..."), tells him she loves him multiple times a day, and is very protective of him already.
EDD was 2/8...had her on 2/18 (41 weeks 3 days)
8 lbs 7oz, was down to 7 lbs 13oz, back up to 8 lbs 3oz as of yesterday's appointment.
What I am most surprised about is that I'm kinda bored most of the time. LO sleeps A LOT! I wish I had the choice to work from home to fill up some time, but it's not an option for me.
I'm surprised at how much a baby can puke up at one time. My son had silent reflux and was on Zantac twice a day. He never even spit up, so I'm not use to anything coming back up. She projectile vomits, like in the exorcist. Also, spits-up or full on pukes any time she's horizontal or her legs get pushed up during diaper changes. I'm also surprised, even though I shouldn't be at, at how bad my 2 year old son's tantrums and meltdowns are, and the screaming is so much worse than before.
biggest surprise is how much I hate bf'ing. We have to supplement since I'm not producing enough and he's still having trouble latching so I'm constantly trying to nurse and end up pumping. This morning I was pumping and feeding him and lost it, why is there a middle man in this process? DH is trying to be supportive but doesn't understand why I don't transition to exclusively pumping. I thought bfing would be the easiest most natural thing possible
I'm still in shock over how quickly I went from 4-5cm to holding him in my arms... And that I survived a medicine free child birth (in hind sight, I would do it this way again, always!!). I'm also surprised how well he is doing with latching and BFing because I had so many issues with DD. However, he has reflux, which DD did not have, so dealing with this is new. Overall, besides looking like siblings, my children could not be any more different. I love it!!
My recovery was much more difficult this time around. This baby also is colicky during the day so if he's awake and not on the boob he's probably screaming. He does sleep good at night, he wakes every 3-4 hours. But it'd be nice to be able to put him down so I could make lunch or nap!
I'm most surprised I have a little GIRL. We were team green and I was 100% convinced I was having a boy. So in love with her!
I am surprised how difficult breastfeeding again is. After successfully BFing DS 3.5 years ago, I thought it would go easier than before. But it's actually been harder. Also, dealing with expectations and discovering differences in personality between DS as a newborn and DD. DS was a really good sleeper and DD only wants to sleep attached to my boob. It's frustrating because I thought I would be dealing better than this.
Asher is 1 week 4 days or at least he will be around 10:40 tonight. He's a really active little guy, loves to squirm and wiggle, and has already rolled on his stomach once.
I haven't been able to go on a proper walk since he got here, and DH is working longer hours as he finishes up training for his new part time job and continues to work at his old part time job. BFing pretty well with a shield but holy cow my nipples are killing me.
Emergency c-section so I can't take a nice hot bath until I'll cleared or a month goes by. My obgyn does two post partum appointments, 2 and 6 weeks so first one is on the 7th. Asher's second doctor's appointment is on the 11th, but weighed myself and us together and he's just over his birth weight and I've lost almost 18 pounds.
DS3 is such a good baby right now. He hardly cries. DS2 was colicky and I was terrified of having another colic baby.
DS1 Jan 2012
DS2 July 2013
DS3 February 2016
I'm surprised at how freaking loud of a sleeper he is... Constantly grunting, huffing and puffing, random screeches, bouts of crying, etc. He does all this while sound asleep at night and only wakes up 2 times a night. My crazy sensitive hearing skills are preventing me from sleeping much. He doesn't make any of these noises during the day. Crazy kid!
I guess what surprises me the most is how much her cries affect me. They're just piercing and give me an instant headache. They make my SO anxious and cranky. Thankfully she doesn't cry a lot, and it's pretty easy to calm her down.
Surprise BFP! 06/08/15
Nadine GraceMarie 02/10/16
Diagnosed with placenta increta post delivery: emergency partial hysterectomy - cervix and ovaries still intact
Gestational surrogacy or adoption TBD
From a L&D standpoint, I'm surprised at how painful the recovery has been from a vaginal delivery. I had a c/s with my last, and I didn't think it was that bad, but I also think we block out pains related to childbirth after awhile. Otherwise, we'd never have more than one kid
I'm also surprised at how good of a nurser she is. I struggled big time with DD1. Constant latch issues, poor weight gain, etc.. Many many tears were shed with that one, but this one hasn't had any issues.
I'm surprised at how much calmer I am about everything this time around. Hubby had to talk me down every night from calling the pediatrician about something with my first. Now I'm all; "meh- he's probably fine".
I'm also surprised at how much harder it is to handle the nights this time. My first was a sleepy newborn and it feels like he slept for the entire first month of his life. He had no problem sleeping flat on his back in the bassinet or his crib or anywhere really. This guy ... He is a noisy sleeper (like pp have mentioned) and is awake much more of the day/night. I didn't understand why breastfeeding mothers would have their husbands wake up with them until now. I have to change him, nurse him, hold him upright/burp him, re-swaddle and Rock him, etc. it's a long process! With my first, I was up to nurse/change him and he went right back down with no issue.
The hardest struggle is BF. Like pps said I thought it was going to be this amazing totally easy natural thing and its been rough. A shield has been a lifesaver for both of us and its been better the last two days. I get a little frustrated with H though because i'm exclusively BF and I get up every 1-2 hrs and H just gets to sleep but oh well...
I was surprised how little she was when she was born. I'm also surprised that I'm doing so well recovering from my c section. But I was also surprised that I had problems getting rid of fluid after my c section and had to get re admitted a day after we were initially discharged with a heart rate of 36.
One thing that surprised me about during labor/delivery/end of pregnancy was how lucky I was i suppose. I definitely felt pain down there these past few weeks, but the recovery process has been a lot smoother than I expected.
One thing about my newborn that surprised me was how much their little tummies can actually hold. I mean, I knew they feed every few hours, but she's eating 4-6 ounces per time and i just underestimated how much they actually eat i guess.
So far she's been pretty good overall though, i've more or less gotten her cries down to where i can tell what she wants and she doesn't cry for no reason so i'm just praying it stays like that!
eta: auto correct knows nothing
We have been married since September 28, 2013.
We had our first child, Zoey, February 7, 2016.
The one thing that surprised me was the fact I had him when I did. I knew I was suffering from low amniotic fluid but had been doing alright. So when I went in for my 37 week appointment and the fluid level was under a 3 and was told I was having him that day I cried. Ugly cried.
I just realized i never typed out or told anyone here my birth story.
My LO is 9 days old! Omgosh!
The biggest surprise I had during l&d was how fast it went. As a FTM, technically being induced, I fully expected to be in labor for days! Ok, not days, but at least 20 hours! It was 10 hours total, from pitocin to baby being here! I progressed so much faster than I assumed I would.
Also 1 to 2 was so hard. I'm finding 2-3 much easier. It helps that my kids are a bit older (4 and 3) and don't seem to be negatively acting out from new baby. I feel for all of you that have toddlers acting out -- been there and it's no fun, but it does get easier I promise!
Anyways, If I could keep Grace a newborn for a few more months I would. I'm loving this stage.. We don't plan to have another so I'm really trying to soak it up right now.
Most surprising thing...she doesn't sleep in her crib at all at night! Sleeps beautifully in crib during the day, feeds like clockwork every 2-3 hours. Then at night she feeds constantly, needs changing, rocking, walking, chatting to....anything but sleep in crib! I'm surviving (hmm!) on around 1/2 hour of sleep a night and random day naps. Hope this changes soon!
1. LO is 3 weeks + 1 day.
2. I didn't expect that I would never be on time anymore. Almost every time I have tried to leave the house LO has to nurse making us very late. Also my 8 year old is not adjusting well at all. However surprisingly my 6 yr old is doing great!
The most surprising thing is how exhausting motherhood can be. FTM here and I knew I would be tired but this is on a level I have never known. DH is a champ. He works from 4-12 then comes home and watches her until 8am so I can sleep. He never complains or gets frustrated. He does our laundry and cleans and I'm convinced he's a unicorn lol. We have our moments of frustration but overall I'm proud of how well we've worked as a team. I go for my post partum appt next week and I've healed well from my emergency CS. Ready to start exercising again.
Glad we're checking in. I miss reading threads during the day.
What surprised me is how tired I still am with 2. Definitely missing being able to nap when I had just a newborn and not a toddler. When they do nap at the same time I can't seem to relax to fall asleep.
I missed you guys. Finally back on the board. I guess my surprise is that I can't seem to get anything done besides feeding and cuddling her. And she was actually really sleepy at first so I had it easy. She's now getting much more alert and I'm feeding every 1 to 2 hours day and night. That kind of schedule makes it impossible for me to get anything else accomplished, like doing the birth announcements, adding her to my insurance, paying the bills, etc.
I was also surprised how intense the "baby blues" were for me the first few days. I think it's a really stupid name for them because calling them "the blues" kind of minimizes what it felt like to me. For me it felt like full blown depression and psychosis. Luckily, it went away but it was pretty sad and scary for a bit and really rattled me.
Oh haha, is anyone watching the new reality show, "Rattled"? I'm loving it right now. Great timing!
ETA that Rattled is a reality show about new parents. I think on TLC.
Surprise BFP! 06/08/15
Nadine GraceMarie 02/10/16
Diagnosed with placenta increta post delivery: emergency partial hysterectomy - cervix and ovaries still intact
Gestational surrogacy or adoption TBD