Sunday, September 26, 2010

Hello, Motherhood! Goodbye, Modesty!

Warning: Post will contain some information that is TMI.
It’s very true. From the second that you get pregnant, any sense of modesty you have will be out the window. Now, I’m not saying that you’ll suddenly start stripping in public or will become a nudist, but a degree of your modesty will be gone. As someone who is uncomfortable wearing a shirt that is a centimeter too low-cut, this is saying a lot.

Being pregnant usually brings along an ability to go to the bathroom five times (or more) in thirty minutes. I’m the type who can’t stand when someone is in the stall next to me, but I quickly had to let go (pun unintentional) of my pride and just do it. Soon enough, I no longer cared if somebody was in the next stall over. Being pregnant does not give the ability to hold it in for long.

When I entered the hospital to be induced, I wasn’t prepared for the onslaught. Upon being shown to my room, I was instructed to put on a baggy, thin hospital gown, wearing nothing underneath. This is because the doctor regularly has to check for progress, which is so much easier if nothing is in the way. Yes, it is humiliating, but is it as humiliating as the first time I stepped into doctor’s office and I had to have a yearly exam? No, not at all.

Then, of course, baby is born. Once I began to push, my doctor and a few nurses were everywhere. Someone was constantly looking to see how much further you have to go before baby is born. Oh, and sorry if TMI, but don’t be surprised if a baby isn’t the only thing that is pushed out. It happens. It happened to me (it was actually something that I was worried might happen), but honestly, I didn’t find it that humiliating, because I knew about it and it’s completely normal.

Please forgive me if this post grossed you out in the slightest. It’s the unfortunate truth of being pregnant, and I’m not afraid to give a friendly warning to those out there who have never experienced it. And please keep in mind that just because it happened to me, it doesn’t mean it will happen to you.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Tip to Mothers: Be Creative!


In parenthood, sometimes you just don’t know why your child in crying. You’ve tried everything from changing to feeding to doing the most ridiculous face you can think of and nothing works. That’s the one it’s been for me today so far.

Yuuki has only been awake for about four hours, but she’s already consuming the contents of two bottles of formula. I’ve changed her diaper about four or five times. I’ve put her in different clothes just in case she was too warm. She’s had a brief nap in her swing.

For a while, a strange invention of mine was working to keep her on the quiet side. She is almost always absolutely mesmerized by her Takealong-Tunes, so I came up with this:



It’s not working anymore, but for some time, it did. So mothers, don’t be afraid to dig into your creative side and come up with something that might work. Oh, and don't use this if your swing actually works and you're going to turn on said swing. The batteries on ours are dead right now.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Lucky in Pregnancy

This is just going to be a little post about what symptoms I dealt with during pregnancy, both good and bad.
Good:

1) I didn’t have swelling of the hands and feet. I wore my wedding rings until the day I gave birth.

2) I did not have gestational diabetes.

3) I was able to wear most of my normal clothes throughout pregnancy.

4) This doesn’t really count, but one of my cravings was chocolate.

5) Near the end of my pregnancy, I could eat tons of food. I once ate five pieces of french toast for a single meal.

Bad:

1) My blood type is 0-, so I had to have a Rho-GAM shot. It didn’t hurt, but the fact that I had to have it bothered me a bit. Basically, it means that your body might see your baby’s blood as intruders and attack it. It’s a scary thought.

2) I ended up testing positive for Group B Strep. I don’t even fully understand it, but the fact that I would need the medicine four hours before I gave birth helped me decide to be induced.

3) I do have stretch marks from pregnancy. For a long time, it looked like I would miss out (hahaha) on them, but in the final weeks, they appeared.

4) I did have morning sickness the first trimester. The very sight of pizza, even on TV, made me sick. Luckily, this passed and I was able to have pizza later on in pregnancy.

5) I had to have stitches after delivery.

Basically, this is to say that every pregnancy is different. Some woman won’t have to deal with morning sickness at all, or will have it a lot worse. Some women don’t need the Rho-GAM shot or will test positive for GBS. Some women won’t have any stretch marks. Some women won’t be able to wear rings on their fingers during pregnancy. Some women won’t have to get stitches when they deliver.

However your experiences are or will be, it will be different from anyone else’s experience. My next pregnancy, hopefully five years away, might leave me with none of these same symptoms (except for the stretch marks, those won’t go away).

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Insomnia

So, I’m not even sure to write about right now. It’s nearing one o’clock here and I can’t sleep, so I thought I would write another post while I’m up.


I’m usually exhausted when I get up in the morning, but by bedtime, I’m just not tired anymore.

Insomnia is not something that is new to me. I’ve always had a difficult time falling asleep, but it’s become even more difficult since Yuuki has been born. It’s all too easy to stay up late when most of my hours are spent taking care of a baby, and I’m wanting some me time or time with my husband.

It’s weird, because I spend so much time during the day around noise (crying, rattle, her Take-along Tunes, etc.) that I can’t sleep when it’s quieter (my husband likes background noise when he sleeps; I want none). I’ve taken plenty of naps in the middle of the day with the TV on and Yuuki’s swing playing music at the same time. I suppose it’s just one of those things that I’m going to have to get used to as a mother.

Now, I’m going to figure out how to balance sleep, baby, and writing. I’ve accepted a job from an independent source to write a novel based on a manga. I will have to make sure that I have plenty of time to devote to this job during the day, and with Yuuki’s semi-regular schedule, maybe I can work something out. I just hope that the hours I should spend sleeping don’t become new work hours.

Sunday, September 12, 2010

After Delivery

I’m going to start off by saying that if you don’t feel an overwhelming love for your child from the moment you lay eyes on them, you’re not alone.
Giving birth is one of the most draining times, both physically and mentally, that a woman will ever do. Shortly after Yuuki was born, too fast to even wrap my mind around it, the nurses unsnapped my hospital gown and plopped her stomach-down on top of me for body warmth. I say plop, because literally it was as if she wasn’t there one second and then she was the next.

This isn’t even the weirdest part, but she was crying nonstop when she was born, and the second the nurses put her on me and our eyes met, she stopped. At least, I think that’s how it happened. I was still in shock from the actual process. I guess I must have looked it too, because one of the nurses asked if I was okay and if I wanted her to take Yuuki off me. I told her that I was fine and they could leave Yuuki there.

Here’s where the first sentence will start to make sense. I did not feel overwhelming love when Yuuki was born. I looked at her, and I was immediately thinking ‘that came out of me’ and ‘they lied when they say that you forget the pain the second you see your child’. I could remember the pain all too well. Actually, since I had an epidural, it was more like pressure. (Note: If you get an epidural, make sure to eat first, because you’re not allowed to afterwards.) All I knew was that I was relieved when she was finally out.

I’m going to be completely honest. I have never been a baby person. Before I had Yuuki, I had never changed a diaper, fed a baby, and had barely even held one. I had only held two babies before Yuuki. The first time was when the children’s pastor’s wife handed over her child to me while she went to do something during children’s church. The other time was when my best friend handed her child over to me unexpectedly. Both times, I just sat there awkwardly with no idea what to do with them.

With this knowledge, actually having a child was difficult to wrap my mind around. I almost thought that after all the doctor visits, the ultrasounds, after everything that proved that I was pregnant, that I would come to find that it was just a hysterical pregnancy. It’s strange for me to admit that, but it’s true. It did not feel real for a long time.

While she was still on me is when they birthed the placenta. All I remember is a very unpleasant tugging and pulling feeling and the relief when it was out too. I won’t say more than that. I did not see it, thank goodness.

After an hour, they took her off me and proceeded to wash and clothe her. I was just waiting in the hospital bed the entire time, watching everything happen around me. The only things I really felt were being worn out and tired. She cried the entire time they washed her.

One of the worst things was that since I had had an epidural, which numbs you from the waist down, I was not allowed to get up without a nurse there to assist me. Once I was able to, the hospital bed was remade, and I was finally able to eat at midnight. Remember, I hadn’t eaten since about 7 that morning. It honestly just took them forever to actually get the food to me. I mentioned wanting to eat almost immediately after delivery.

The other part that I really did not enjoy was that I ran a fever for awhile after delivery. Therefore, I was not allowed to shower or bathe until I was back at normal body temperature. They also would not take out my IVs. Every few hours, a nurse would come in to check my blood pressure and temperature, so I slept in about hour long blocks of time. It was not until nearly 3 or 4 in the morning when my temperature was finally back to normal, and the IVs could be taken out. It was amazing to be able to walk around freely.

I will write about the recovery process later. If you have any questions, just mention them in your comment.

Why I’m Not Fond of the Newborn Stage

I’m not going to lie. I’m not too fond of the early months of a baby’s life. Don’t get me wrong, I love my daughter, but it’s not always bunnies and rainbows.
I don’t much care for having my daughter depend on me for everything. I understand why, and I do it anyway, but that doesn’t mean I’m fond of it. Also, I don’t like not knowing why she’s crying, especially when nothing seems to work. Does she need to be changed? Yes, okay, and she’s still crying. Is she hungry? Okay, and still crying. Usually at this point, she’s dry and full, so she might go down for a nap or she might enjoy either her bouncer or her swing. And that’s not working, which means she probably wants to be held or entertained.

Now, I understand that part of figuring out what’s wrong is trial and error. If this doesn’t work, something else must be the issue. However, sometimes it is a much longer process than I like.

This morning, when I was feeding Yuuki for the first time, she actually held her bottle up for about 3 seconds. It was actually probably closer to one second, but I’m going to give her the benefit of the doubt.

Instead of being upset that she’s reached a new milestone (if you want to call it that, she didn’t do it again), I was glad. I look forward to when she can point and show me what she wants instead of trying to play a guessing game. I can’t wait until she can talk and tell me. I can’t wait until she can walk. I can’t wait until she can hold her own bottle.

I understand that these milestones also lead to more problems. She’ll learn to say ‘no’, and it’ll be her new favorite word for awhile. She’ll get older and refuse to get into the car seat for the fourth time in one day. She’ll start running away and squirm like crazy when I try to change her, both diapers and clothes. She’ll have her own opinions and voice them, and she’ll think she’s the center of the universe. She won’t understand when I try to reason and explain things to her, at least not at first.

However, I look forward to it more than I dread it. I’ve always wanted to raise a strong, independent woman. If she has to go through her difficult phases to get there, so be it.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Crazy Prices

So, I’m currently looking into getting a new travel system. I love the one we have now, don’t get me wrong, but it was used, and it would be best to buy a new one ASAP.

Currently, Babies “R” Us is having a trade-in sale that I’m hoping to get in on, but it’s impossible to find something at a decent price, even with the 25% off.

Now, I understand that part of what you’re paying for is the materials of the product. So, I would not just be paying for the product, but the plastic, cloth, and the production cost.

However, I also personally believe that items that are needed and not just wanted should not be so expensive. If you have a young child, you need a car seat. It’s not some optional item should you decide that it would just be easier if you had one; it’s required.

I’m currently stuck between a few different travel systems. I originally thought it would be better to just get a car seat, but some of the car seats alone are worth about as much as a travel system. I thought I was going to stick with the plan, but now I’m not so sure again.

The price issue is the same with formula and diapers. I don’t understand why it should cost 20+ dollars to buy a large can of formula. Again, if you’re not breastfeeding, it’s not an option. With diapers, honestly, it depends on brand. If you look, you can find good deals. Same with formula, of course, but even those brands seem overpriced.

Truth is, you will always need items for baby, overpriced or not. I suppose it just comes down to the lesser of two evils. I’d rather spend extra money for a good product than less money on a bad product. I guess I made my choice.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

How People View Me Now

There’s an amazing phenomenon that happens after a woman has a child. Within hours of sharing the news, I found multiple people branding me with a new nickname. “Mommy”, “mama” and countless other words that mean likewise suddenly became branded as part of a new identity.


Personally, I despise being called this. It’s mostly the idea that I was only a mother; that was my identity. Yes, I am a mother, but I am not only a mother. I’ve said this before.

Well, aside from the whole ‘mommy’ nickname, I also had other changes happening in my life. People would walk by and compliment on how cute Yuuki is or her chubby cheeks which she’s quickly becoming known for having. Everyone seems to think they have a right to make comments, no matter where we are. I was just at the library yesterday, and a man asked if she was reading already (or something like that). While I just laughed, I was really thinking ‘awkward’, you know in the way that everyone says it when something strange just happened. Thankfully, nobody has asked to hold her.

My husband and I have also gotten some strange looks, because he usually pushes the stroller. Honestly, he just can control it a lot better than I can, but I guess people think pushing the stroller is the mother’s job.

I’m also fairly sure that someone has probably glared at us because of how old my husband and I look. We are both 23, young to be starting a family to some, but I’ve been mistaken for a teenager my entire life, and my husband looks younger as well. I distinctly remember being glared at when I was pregnant, one of those ‘how dare you’ looks, if that makes any sense.

The plus side is that people do smile at me more. Nobody, so far, has gotten on my case for bottle feeding her, which is probably because she rarely ever eats in public. It could be because I look fairly unapproachable though. I never had strangers rub my stomach when I was pregnant either. Plenty of people asked when I was due but never to feel.

Being a mother is both good and bad for public life. I feel awkward if Yuuki starts crying in the middle of a restaurant, though we try to figure out what she needs as fast as we can. I don’t much care for the extra attention when someone sees me pushing the stroller and wants to come take a look. And what am I honestly supposed to do when somebody compliments her except smile or say ‘thank you’?

Being a mother certainly is a new world.

Saturday, September 4, 2010

Who Comes First?

Sorry for the brief hiatus. I’ve been trying to figure out my next topic, and I finally decided on one.

One thing that I’ve taken a lot of consideration into is the issue of who comes first, the spouse (or boyfriend, girlfriend, etc.) or the child. It is my personal opinion that the spouse should come first.

Now, before anyone jumps to conclusions, let me explain what it means to me. It does not mean that I would buy a big screen television for my husband over a can of formula or a package of diapers. It does not even mean that I would buy myself clothes when my daughter needs them more. My husband and I have both agreed that we would both starve before she would. I still consider this decision putting my husband first, because it shows Yuuki that any relationship requires sacrifice.

Let me make it clear that to me, putting my husband first means that I put my marriage with him first. The most important thing that we can give our daughter is a good example of what a marriage should be. I want her to grow up knowing what to look for in a spouse. I will not make a decision concerning my daughter without consulting my husband on it. If she is 16 and wants a later curfew, I won’t answer her without talking to him first.

And take any hypothetical questions about who would I save if both my husband and daughter were drowning out of the running. One, because what is the chance that would ever happen? Two, how dare anyone ask me to choose between the two most important people in my life.

I love them for two completely different reasons. I love my husband, because he’s the man I choose to spend the rest of my life with. He supports me in all the decisions I make and is the person I can go to for anything. He never makes me feel stupid for feeling a certain way, but he also tells it to me straight. If I’m being rude, he’ll tell me, because sometimes you just need someone to say it out loud to realize how ridiculous you’re being. Also, without him, Yuuki would not exist, and how would I have come to love her if she was never born?

I love my daughter because she is my flesh and blood. I see both myself and my husband in her, whether it’s the fact that she’s a deep sleeper or her facial expressions. How could I not love someone that is the perfect mix of both my husband and me?

The one thing that I will not give up for either though, is myself. By that, I mean that I am more than just a mother and wife, I am also a person. I take time out of everyday for myself. I go on Facebook. I write. I read a good, or sometimes not-so-good, book. I listen to music. I watch television. I am still my own person.

You can feel free to disagree with me. We’re all entitled to our feelings.