Day 7: Getting in the swing of things

Popcorn is a week old today and we are really getting in the swing of things.  She sleeps at night and naps at reasonable times.  She eats lot and though I am pretty swollen and leak a little, I'm not engorged. Engorgement can be super uncomfy to say the least-like sleeping on two giant red, leaky boulders. I nurse very frequently, on demand, so this isn't an issue. She's gaining weight nicely and interacts with us. She can lift her head, too.  I made her birth announcement today :) I like to wait a little while until that newborn newness wears off before taking pics, but Popcorn is crazy cute. She didn't peel at all, probably because she's never had a bath. I'll elaborate on that later. Anyway, here's the announcement:

Photo Card

View the entire collection of cards.

Okay, about the bath. I recently read some literature that indicated bathing immediately after birth could interfere with bonding. She was wiped down, though she really came out relatively clean anyways.  She hasn't been bathed since.  Unlike the other children, she never peeled and her umbilical stump has already fallen off.  The other kids, that didn't happen until they were about 2 weeks old. I only cleaned hers with water and used rubbing alcohol on the others.

Popcorn sleeps a lot better than the others. She takes timely naps and sleeps for long stretches at night. She tends to cluster feed, but I actually prefer cluster feeding because it frees up long stretches of time where I can do other things, like hang with the big kids or bathe.  She's a really good baby and I feel so blessed to have her! The kids treat her with so much love. Here's Side Salad singing to her:



I was looking at last year's Easter pic and it looked like someone was missing.  It already feels like she has always been her, like she's always been a part of our family.  It's amazing how she fills a void I never knew was there.

day 6 and I'm blogging kindle style!

My laptop is acting stinky and blue screening me so I haven't been on much. Then I remembered that I can do almost *anything* from my Kindle Fire so here I am.

Popcorn is 6 days old. She has her one week check up yesterday and she is just perfect! She's gained 3 oz over her birthweight and looks fantastic. Her umbilical stump fell off yesterday, too, giving me a new spot to kiss on. She's also picked up the unfortunate nickname "Pig." She roots around, grunting, and smacks her lips. It's so cute!

Oink!

{Postpartum TMI: my bowels finally moved yesterday. I am relieved, in more ways than one. Today, I had horrible gas pains that had me in tears. I may need to up the alfalfa...}

My mind has been in overdrive trying to come up with ways for me to continue to be a SAHM. Last night, I tried my hand at making a tutu and a couple of head bands. They came out kinda cute and I'll add pics when I can get my computer to work. My plan is to show Pig off with them on and hope people want to buy them. I also plan to make big girl head bands for Princess and Squirrel to wear to attract the tween and kindergarten set. If supplies for 3 headbands cost $5 and I sell them for $5 each, there's a profit of $10. That's not including tutus. Hopefully, I'll make enough to help Lettuce and have fun doing it.

First attempt at a tutu and headband

And another headband

And here's Popcorn rockin' her mama's creation!

Looking forward to the Summer

This is a totally un-baby post. I was just thinking about the fact that the kids have about a month and a half left of school before they are home the summer.  I want the kids to have some enriching experiences and a lot of fun.  I've been looking into unschooling and it sounds like a great way to help them learn and explore without making things so structured that they have no summer. My good friend R is such an inspiration to me in this area. She is a like minded mama of 3 who unschools her handsome boys.

I think that I'd like to explore two themes this summer and have the kids interact with them in a variety of ways.  The first theme would be dinosaurs and I haven't determined the second theme yet. I have all these ideas for how we can learn about dinosaurs in a cross curricular way.  Here are a couple of my current ideas:

• Pangaea maps
• Making fossils
• Zoo trips to learn about the descendants of and modern day relatives of dinosaurs
• Maybe a dinosaur skeleton puzzle, if I could find one
• Museum trips to touch dino stuff
• Music and whatnot
• Dinosaur life cycle tableau replete with dramatic music [I can see my kids doing this with mock seriousness]
• All culminating with a journal of a cavekid. Yes, I know that humans and dinos didn't coexist, but think of the creative writing combined with the practical knowledge. Even Side Salad could do it, albeit a pictorial journal.

Maybe we could even do a joint theme.......hmmmm.....

Any suggestions for the second theme?

Day 3: Kaboom!

A pre-nursing nap. Or is this a post-nursing nap? I forget.

As I was saying yesterday, my milk is in now. Baby Popcorn is a voracious nurser. This girl gets down to business.  She prefers to nurse on one side per feeding (about 15-20 min) and go until she falls off in a milky coma, complete with a sweaty nose and a satisfied grin. {I've been trying to catch that grin on camera all day.}  She sleeps for a few minutes, maybe 10, then wakes up to eat on the other side.  I know you're "supposed" to switch baby after 15 minutes but I just don't do it like that. We have a more child-led approach. After all, this ain't my belly we're filing. As long as my sweet baboo is happy, I'm happy.


Speaking of happy, I'm about to throw all the big kids out. I swear it sounds like they are remodeling my living room out there.

Except this one. He's too cute.

Gotta make sure we are latched on right-areola, not nipple.

I spend a a good bit of time making sure we have good latch every time I nurse because good latch is vital.  I don't want cracked or sore nipples. I already have lanolin waiting JIC but I'd rather have intact nipples.  I haven't had to deal with engorgement (yet) this time, which makes it a lot easier for me. My motto is, "You can nurse too little, but you can't nurse too much."   Nursing is my default action for her. It may seem excessive but it truly works for us.  She's fed and happy, our nursing is becoming well established.

Anyways, now that my milk is in, Popcorn does more than just eat and sleep. She's picked up a new skill:  she "looks."  She likes to gaze around at her siblings and walls and other fascinating things. She supplements this skill by "making faces at things."  She does some cute ones.  I'm glad she's found a new outlet for her creativity.

I'm not angry. I just look this way.

Reflecting on the time I spent in utero....

Oh and I forgot her biggest skill: filling her diaper.  And man, is she good at it. She was taking an nap and let loose a bowel bellow worthy of a oil tanker.  We're starting off with gDiapers this time and I'm so happy.  There isn't as much trash as with sposies and I'm not up to doing laundry so this is perfect.  If we were using sposies, she'd be blowing the backs out but cloth contains better.   Her last poo was all the way yellow-no meconium at all.  In the words of Squirrel, "You know like Tinkerbell's hair?  That kind of yellow."  Even at 6, she has the eloquence of her mother.  This is a good thing and means her little GI track is up and running.  All that colostrum she guzzled really cleared her out. Her first pediatrician appointment is on Wednesday.

Snuggle time with Daddy <3

Mama-wise, I feel less overwhelmed, probably because the hubby is off today.  I'm not going to lie. It's not peaches and cream every second, though it may seem like that when I blog. I get frustrated, I get tired and I am very much overwhelmed.  I just try to take things moment-by-moment.  I don't look at the big picture, because the big picture is too much sometimes.  But today is pretty good.  He is kid-wrangling and cooking and cleaning and even went to the grocery store.  He had to call me three times and took exceptionally long, but at least he went.  He's off tomorrow, too :)  I still wish some of my friends would come by but I know people always feel like they are intruding when you have a new baby.  My mother and some of her friends my drop by today. Hopefully they will.

Sweet baby toes; is there anything more precious?

Day 2: Help!!

Happy Easter!

We finally had some company last night!  I have 3 little brothers, though I use the term little loosely.  They are 22, 26, and 27. My baby brother is stationed in California so he only gets to see Popcorn by Skype. He was still the first to see her. My other two brothers both came by last night as did my mom and my extra brother (the 26 year old's best friend whom I absolutely LOVE). It was nice just to have someone here, which brings me to my topic for today, What New Mamas Want.

[Disclaimer: Of course I only speak for myself, but I can't be the only one who feels the way I do.]

I want some company and some help with the kids!!!

{I get lonely very easily.  I wish I had more company. I get frustrated when it's just me and the kids here.  Lettuce has to work so he's gone a lot already but he also just got a second job which means even more alone time.  Popcorn was sweet enough to be born on the first day of spring break so while I don't have to worry about making sure no one misses the bus I do have a house full of kids who just want to be kids. That means they want to run around, jump on the furniture, and all sorts of things.  No bueno. They annoy each other, make a mess, and wake the baby.  Plus, I'm still recuperating so nursing sometimes gives me after pains in my belly.}

The top 5 things that would help me right now

1. Take the non-newborns to the zoo for a few hours.  I have a membership, so this wouldn't even cost anything. Or take them to the $2 movies, to family night at the children's museum, strawberry picking, etc. I want them to have fun on their spring break, but I can't do it with them.  
2. Come and hold the baby while I bathe or sleep. Sometimes, I just need a break.
3. Drop off dinner or a gift card for a restaurant.  My wonderful brother actually left pizza money for dinner tonight and I appreciate it so much! Most people will be having ham and whatnot but we'll be doing Domino's.  Better yet, make me this.
4. Wrangle my kids for me. Make them clean up the way they know they are supposed to. I just don't have the energy for it and it's already starting to show.
5. Just be here.  That's all. Watch TV with me.  I don't care. It's really lonely when your world is being controlled by a tiny tyrant who commandeered your body for nearly 41 weeks, put you through the ultimate physical challenge, and now demands my entire upper body.  Just don't leave me here with these kids!
6. Bonus Points: help me take my braids out and wash my hair.  It's gross.  

 In baby news, Popcorn took the hugest poo two of the hugest poos EVER!  I was absolutely shocked at the size of it them.  I didn't know such a tiny baby could have so much poo in her. If we used disposables, it they would have been a blow out.  Like, ewww.  I can't stay mad. Look at that little face.

Enough with the camera, Ma. I'm trying to sleep.

Oh, and my milk came in!

The first 24 hours with Popcorn

I get the distinct notion that this blog will be morphing into a breastfeeding journal for the time being.  I don't care how many kids you have, each one is almost like the first one because they are all so different.  Popcorn is about 36 hours old now.  It seems like she changed so much already. Her features aren't so "new" anymore. I am one of those weird people who thinks newborns look kinda funny so this is pleasing to me.  She's beginning to look more like Side Salad, which is interesting because I thought she'd look more like Squirrel (they are her full blood siblings).  She's such a sweet little thing and loves to spend time just looking around.

Yesterday, it felt like all I did was feed her.  Because all I did was feed her.  My uterus is going down quickly, though the after pains are something serious when she nurses on the left-yeesh!  Some of them feel almost like contractions and believe you me, I've had enough of those.  I have an abdominal binder that I wear because I have allergies and sometimes I need to cough or sneeze.  I was holding a pillow against my belly until one snuck up one me and made my whole side hurt. My organs are still floating around in my jelly-like midsection and must be reminded where to go.  I slept on my tummy a little. Win!  I look about 6 months pregnant without it and about 4 months pregnant with it.

Last night was a blur of feeding and sleeping. Though she nursed about every 2 hours all day, she actually slept in 3 hour stretches from 2 am to 8 am, which I didn't expect. Of course, she slept with Mommy and Daddy.  All of mine do in the early days.  It makes feeding and changes so much easier.  I also took a shower this morning, a super long one, while Lettuce held our baby girl.

Again, with the weighing?

My midwife Lisa came by for her 24 hour check-up (just because you go home doesn't mean they cut you loose to the wind). My little cricket is doing well. According to DHEC, every infant has to submit a heel stick so we did that today. It really angered my baby girl and she took a TWO HOUR NAP IN THE CRIB!  This may actually be the high point of my day.  It's amazing what somebody smaller than a sack of rice can reduce you to.  Anyways, we talked about breastfeeding and the fact that my clever baby (because aren't all of our babies, geniuses?) may be using me as a paci. She won't take a paci and I'm semi okay with it as long as she's awake. I won't let her sleep at the breast.  Sometimes, I give her a finger to suck on, which she likes. I don't want my nipples to be sore or cracked so I am adamant about making sure her latch is right. That's not always an easy thing with a noob because their mouths are tiny.  I sometimes have to pull her chin down to help her but usually she manages by herself.  Lisa was surprised that my little one has already had about 5 bms.  She is really sucking up a lot of colostrum. It's not even black anymore, more brownish. She lost weight through all that pooping but pretty much all breastfed babies loose weight until your milk comes in.

One thing that has truly shocked me today is how sore I am. And I don't mean in my girly parts, where you'd expect it. I shocked my midwives by not tearing with such a fast labor and I've resumed my Kegels already. My lochia is the lightest it's ever been. I am shocked.  I am still taking alfalfa because we opted not to have Vitamin K administered to her.  This soreness is in non birth related parts.  I don't remember chopping any firewood but my shoulders and back are telling me otherwise. Was it always like this?  That's really why my shower was so long. That hot water was so relaxing. I wish I'd asked my midwife to bring that doTerra blue something cream for my aching arms and back.  It's hard to relax when you feel so crappy. Getting up is an ordeal and I'm afraid sometime that my arms will give out from sheer exhaustion. I can't imagine having to hold bottles like this.

I have been trying to sleep when she sleeps but it sucks with 4 other kids in the house. The big ones are as helpful as they can be. Princess fixed them hot dogs, baked beans, and macaroni for dinner.  When I need a minute to go potty or something, they hold her.  They bring me drinks and stuff, and try to wrangle the littles.  The little ones have low impulse control so my main goal is to keep them from waking the little one.  Side Salad keeps telling me all the things he's going to buy for her: shoes, a new bed if she breaks her crib, candy when she learns to talk-it's really cute.  Squirrel wants to hold her but she's so flighty and bouncy that it makes me nervous. I let her lay next to the baby but then she wants to lean over her and I don't want the baby squished.

Well, now the little one is up and needs some love and attention, so gotta go....

Friday's Child, or I popped! (a birth story)

Here is Baby Popcorn's birth story:

Yesterday (April 5th), I contracted throughout the day. I'd missed my 40 week appoint on April 4 because of a tummy bug and I was recuperating from that.  My contractions weren't consistent and only moderately strong, so I went to bed around midnight.  At first, I slept through them but about 3 am, I found myself awakened about every 10-20 minutes, then nodding back off.

At around 4, I got nervous and decided to time them.  They were approximately 11 minutes apart and lasted about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.  I woke Lettuce up and called my midwife Alex at 4:18 and we had a chat. I didn't want to wake everyone up and get them out of bed if it was going to be hours but after listening to a contraction, Alex decided we should go to the birth center.  Lettuce got the babies up and I got dressed.

We arrived at the birth center around 5 am. Alex was a blur of activity-she had that room ready in no time flat!  Meanwhile, Jen the midwive's apprentice arrived and filled the tub.   I got in the bed around 5:15, 5:20ish and Alex checked me.  I was 3-4 cm dilated and 90% effaced and baby was at -3 station.  Baby was also still posterior.  Alex suggested I wait til I was at least 5 cm to get in the tub because it could slow my labor. Jen put the birthing ball on the bed and I got in a hands and knees position and rocked to help the baby move down.  My contractions were getting a lot more intense but between them, I felt so normal.

Then, something happened. I made sure everyone in the room knew by announcing:

"Something happened!"

I'm eloquent that way.  Anyways, it felt like a little snap so I figured I'd either broken my water or a tiny bone in my pelvis. Turned out to be my water.  That was a preciptious event.  I began making all sorts of ungodly noises accompanied by animal-like wailing.  Fun times in that room. Apparently, there was a marked increase in blood, so the midwives checked the babies heartbeat (fine) and wanted to check me (not fine). I had an anterior or front-lying placenta and we needed to make sure it wasn't detaching early.

Anyways, I as I said, I wasn't fine with being checked as I was frozen in position. I told them I wanted to get in the tub and they said I could after the next contraction. However, on my next contraction I felt this crazy sense of fullness followed by a burning sensation and my body was shoving that kid out! The head was out and Alex looped the umbilical cord from around the neck. Then I delivered the body.

Yep. Kid was born.  5:57 am.  57 minutes after we got there.

The kid was kinda dusky and wasn't crying so Alex laid it on my chest and administered oxygen. The cord had been wrapped around the neck once, possible from the fact that the baby turned around as it was being born.  Popcorn was breathing, but was basically stunned from being ejected from my uterus like the bullet of a rail gun-told you I was eloquent.  The kid looked at me, I looked at the kid. Then I picked it up and looked under the warm towel.

It's a girl!

The long awaited Baby Popcorn is a perfect little girl!   Astronaut cut the baby's cord.  How special is that! He later said, "How often do yout get to cut the cord on your new sibling? Of course I wanted to cut it!"

Never again, my son, never again.

A calm moment

Anyways, I didn't deliver the placenta until 6:35.  Do the math. The baby's birth took about 35 minutes. The placenta took about 40. It took longer to deliver the placenta than it did to deliver the baby. I had to get a shot of pitocin and get on the birthing stool to get it out.

I breastfeed my wee bairn after that. In fact, I've been breastfeeding her since LOL She has an amazing latch for someone so new. I wouldn't be surprised if my milk came in tomorrow. She's passed merconium twice since we got home.  That's right, we're home. We got here a little before noon.

Being born is exhausting. I must eat NOW!

At the birth center, you aren't required to stay home if you have proven your mettle by eating and peeing. I did these with gusto.  I delivered my baby girl over an intact perineum, thank goodness.  Then I took a beautiful nap, the first of many beautiful naps taken today. In fact, naps were en vogue this morning.   Lettuce took a nap. Side Salad took a nap. Princess took a nap.  My mom took a nap. I woke up to a chorus of snores. We got dressed, got our little one ready and packed up.  It feels so very good to be home and in my own bed. I wouldn't trade it for all the nurses in the maternity ward.

The take over of my bed begins

I'll add pictures later because someone tiny is hungry NOW. Man, this kid has a set of pipes on her. Today wasn't just Good Friday; it was a GREAT Friday.

The whole family

Baby Popcorn <3

Baby Popcorn's Birth Stats
GA: 40 weeks 5 days
DOB: April 6, 2012
Time:  5:57 am
Weight: 7 lbs 10 oz
Length: 20 inches
Length of labor: 57 minutes
Interventions: None