I am absolutely convinced that...

... Whoever coined the phrase, "Don't wake a sleeping baby" was definitely NOT NURSING!



First of all, let me just start by saying I am still completely astonished that milk is coming out of my boobs. It still seems like such a foreign concept, even though it is happening to me.

Second, I have always heard about feeling your milk "let down" but it is the most unbelievable concept until it really happens to you. It is so weird. Hi, my name is Tiffany, and I can feel when my milk lets down. I can now be fully admitted into the "mom's club".

Third, holy painful hell when your milk does let down, and needs to be let out, and there is a sleeping baby. Don't wake a sleeping baby, my ass. When your boobs which are already 2 cup sizes bigger than normal, are now so full of milk that they have grew another 2 cup sizes and no longer fit into your nursing bra which is bigger than any size bra you've ever seen...like hell you don't wake a sleeping baby.

Now I know during those situations I could pump, which I do, but back in the day before great pumps what did women do? Wake the baby! Just my observation that the person who says not to wake the baby, was not experiencing pain in their boobs unlike any pain they've ever experienced.

Wait, come to think of it. The person said it was probably a man.

Tiffany

My New Pet Peeve

BABY TOUCHING!

Why must you touch my baby?

Is there like this magnetic force that pulls all strangers in to touch my baby as if my baby is the north pole and all strangers are the south pole and they just get attached to each other.

Why must all strangers touch the hands or the cheeks of the baby? Yes, I realize that those are the only exposed parts of the baby, but can't you touch a foot which is conveniently covered by a bootie?

Or how about this? I don't know you, so how about you cross your hands behind your back and just look at my precious baby. That would terrific!

I mean come on, I know my baby is the most beautiful thing in the world (if I do say so myself =) however I am running out of alcohol swabs to wipe is his little hands down after strangers touch them.

Wow- I can't believe it but I think I'm becoming a germ-a-fobe. If you knew me, you would know this is so far from my personality. I mean I'm the person that will eat things off the floor...of the bathroom. Well not really but I've never been one to worry about germs, or catching other people's colds.

They do say a baby will change your life....And he's changing mine in more ways than I'd ever imagine!!

Tiffany

This Might Be Harder Than I Thought

No, I'm not talking about being a mom. That is coming so naturally. I really feel like I was born to be a mommy, and it's the best feeling in the world!



What I'm talking about is blogging. Keeping up with my blog might be harder than I thought. But I must prevail! Why? Because I'm horrible at journaling as there is no spell check button at the end of a spiral notebook. So this is really my main form of keeping my memories.



Here is us on our last day in the hospital, and Bradley's first day at home meeting his two sisters.

Of course we couldn't leave without getting a picture of Nurse Angela holding our baby boy.



Lacy and Kilo meet Bradley

All the beautiful flowers and congratulation notes. It really made my hospital room a brighter place!

Mommy and son

Ahh, our first nap on the couch.

Tiffany

Scabby Nipples, Industrial Size Pads and Couldn't Be Happier!

A link to Bradley's hospital photographs: http://www.our365.com/NewbornPortraits/BabyDetail.aspx?birthid=e6deed86-3b79-4a0a-ab82-75b71db16641

This is the time where I feel like mush and want to go all soft on you and talk about the 'amazingness' of motherhood and the uncontrollable amount of love I have for my new son, but I will refrain. :)



But don't worry, I won't even begin to start complaining about the lack of sleep or nipple pain either. I love it all so much. Every second of it.



I have been home from the hospital since Sunday and really have been feeling great. Recovering from a c-section is not at all as bad as I would have expected. Hubs is amazing, and I look at him in awe everyday. He's such a good daddy. Such a natural.



And Bradley, oh Bradley. You had me at "Waahh." As we cuddled at home on Tuesday the 9th it was amazing to look down and see our baby boy already in our arms on his due date. I can't even begin to tell you how thankful I am for the doctors who put the needs of my baby first, and practiced such amazing medicine. They are unbelievable. For the cord to have been wrapped 3 times around his little neck, and to have him here and so healthy is such a blessing.



Another blessing was our nurse Angela. She was the nurse that started at 7am on Thursday the 4th. It was 7pm that day when she was supposed to be getting off her shift when they decided to take me by c-section. She decided to stay late and be with me all through my surgery so I could have a familiar face. She was so kind, and so sweet.



Today we had a home care visit from another nurse. Bradley left the hospital weighing 6lbs 15oz and today he weighs 7lbs 5oz. Go boobs, go! He is sleeping, peeing and pooping. So he is doing is job. I just look at him and my heart melts. It was worth everything, EVERYTHING. Hubs and I were talking today and it's just so amazing that with every follicle that I grew over the months, and every sperm that was shot up there, Bradley was the one who was created. He was the one who decided to stick it out with us. Thank you little B, you are my hero.





Tiffany

Our "Line Maker" Is Here!

Here's our precious Bradley Carl. Born 11/4/10 at 7:50pm. 7lbs 8oz 20.5in

Born at 39weeks 2days

What an amazing little baby. He has changed our lives in the blink of an eye. We couldn't be more in love. We have waiting for this our whole lives, and it's more perfect than we'd ever imagined.

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The story: On Wednesday the 3rd of November I went to my normal 39 week appointment. Everything was normal and going as usual. When asked if I was feeling my baby move, I casually let them know that, "I haven't been feeling his as much as I did last week or the week before, but I'm sure that's normal considering that he's getting so big." The nurse immediately decided to put me on a monitor. For about 15 minutes I was hooked up to a machine that recorded the baby's heart rate, any uterine activity, and then I held a button that I was supposed to push when I felt even the smallest of kick.

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After about 20 minutes the dr. came in and looked at everything. While I was still on the monitor she checked my cervix: still closed. While she was in the room watching the monitor I had a contraction and she noticed the baby's heart rate dip. She said right away that she was going to send to right to the hospital for continued monitoring. Then, she noticed that it happened again, and before you know it I'm on my way into the hospital for a complete admittance and induction.

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It all happened so fast I don't know if I was more excited or scared. We got the the hospital and the waiting games began. Long story short: Started my on a 12 hour cervidril to soften and dilate my cervix. 2:30 am on Thursday the cervidril came out and I was soft but only a finger tip dilated. They moved onto a different med for 4 hours. It went in at 4am and at 8am I was checked again. Only 1cm. A second dose was put in. During the second dose the baby was showing signs of more stress. They put me on oxygen and on my side. At 2pm I was started on pitocin. 5 hours of painful contractions, no dilation, and more fetal distress they came into my room at 7pm and said your going into the OR for a c-section right now. Wow! I can't even tell you the whirlwind of emotion: scared, excited, terrified, relieved.

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I walked into the OR and was given a spinal around 7:30. Hubs was in the OR by 7:45, and Bradley was here at 7:50.

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The reasons for the distress: The cord was wrapped around his neck 3 times. Poor guy. Probably the reason he never was able to drop. Good thing they sent me into labor when they did instead of me just waiting around and possibly being late. The doc said we would have had to had a section anyway.

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He is perfect.

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So amazing, so healthy, so blessed.

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I will be in the hospital until Sunday or Monday (hopefully Sunday) More to come later!

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Tiffany

Still waiting BUT...

We are officially ready for Baby B's arrival!

Ok I know, I know I'm way jumping the gun with hanging the Christmas stockings....but I just couldn't help myself. If you only knew the whole story:

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Last year I ordered personalized stockings for our family; Hubs myself and the two dogs. I thought to myself, "should I order extra stockings?" "No!" I quickly told myself as that would have been breaking my rule to not buy anything baby or remotely planing anything around a possible baby since we had been infertiles. So about a month ago I remembered how I would need to order Bradley his own stocking. I'm pretty anal about decorations and I don't like anything real tacky and I don't like things that don't match. So, you can imagine my disappointment when the lady on the phone told me that they had discontinued the stockings I had just bought last year. I was crushed to say the least. Fast forward a few weeks and I received the catalog to the company that the stockings came from. I almost tossed it directly into the garbage in disgust for cancelling my beautiful stockings. I last second decided I would give the catalog one last shot and opened it up. About 8 pages in THERE THEY WERE! Yippy! So I immediately called in my order for one red Bradley stocking, and then I broke my #1 infertile rule and ordered and extra green stocking that is blank. Let's hope I didn't jinx myself. If worse comes to worse, we'll just have to get another dog!

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Anyway, you can see why my excitement over whelmed me when they came in the mail. I had to put them up. Plus, I'm hoping that I will be too busy to do any decorating very soon!

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39 week update:

NOTHING!

I go to the doc tomorrow. Maybe I'll ask her to strip my membranes....or would that be too forward? I mean, we have been seeing each other pretty regularly. I think it's getting serious.

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Tiffany