Thursday, November 15, 2007

My son's almost 4 months already

Time has gone by so quickly! My little M will be 4 months old on monday!

I'm back to work (for more than a month), although I negociated with my boss that I could stay only until 2 pm and then work from my house.


My son's is really really delicious! He "talks" a lot, smiles a lot, and is constantly moving his legs, he's so cute!!!


I really can't write much longer now but I wanted to thank Marie for being worried about the earthquake of yesterday here in my country. It was really very far away from where I leave (I think more than 2,000 km) so I only felt a little "wave" that felt like dizziness.

Unfortunately there were 2 deads, and some serious damage, but well...nature's nature...


Hope to write more soon. In the meantime, a picture of my baby!!


Friday, September 28, 2007

Manuel is already 2 months old!

Well, I have been really away from this blogger world, but motherhood leaves so little time!

My precious Manuel is now 2 months and 10 days old, he's absolutely adorable, he has learned to smile and gives me his best faces when he sees me, it's so rewarding!

For the 3 last nights, he has been sleeping all night long (sort of, he goes to sleep at around 1 AM and wakes up at around 7 - 7.30 am), so I'm very grateful for that!

I haven't lost much weight, which has me a little down and furious, even though I've been controlling what I eat and have been going to the gym, I still look like 5 months pregnant, it's very frustrating.

I'm going back to work in less than 2 weeks and I really don't want to go back!! But there's nothing I can do about it, my income represents about 60% of the family income so we can't afford to live without my wage. I plan though, to talk to my boss to see if I can work less hours, because if not I really think I won't be able to get through it.

Things with my husband has been a little roughy, it's difficult to adjust our lives to our new status, but all in all we've managed I think. I also think I'm a little less patient or a little more angry, I think it must be hormones! LOL!

Well, that's what's been going on with my life on these 2 months, hope I can catch up with your blogs! To sum up, Manuel is by far the best thing that has happened in my life, I look at him every day and I'm so grateful to God for sending me this little angel, I love him with all my heart and I'm really REALLY happy!!

Sunday, July 29, 2007

Manuel's Birth Story

Things were going pretty normal over my last weeks of pregnancy. This is, after week 36.5, when an u/s confirmed that he was on the right position (heads down).
I had sporadic contractions, nothing special.
On tuesday, July 17th, I had an appointment with the midwife, who monitored the baby's heartrate and eventual contractions. Baby was doing fine but there were no contractions on the almost 1 hour I was monitored. However, she said the baby was probably going to be born on the next weekend, specially considering I was having an appointment with the OB/GYN on thursday and he was going to check on my cervix and therefore that would stimulate the process.

But little M apparently didn't want anyone to hurry him, so he decided to hurry himself. That same tuesday, or more precisely at 3 am on wednesday, I started having huge contractions...painful contractions, between 5 to 10 minutes apart for about an hour, and then about 30 minutes apart for a couple hours, then 20 and then stabilized in 12-15 minutes for the rest of the night. You can imagine it wasn't a very nice night, because every contraction woke me up, it was pretty horrible. So I called the midwife in the morning and went to see her at about noon. She checked on me and my cervix was 50% effaced, so I had had effective contractions, but considering they were 12-15 minutes apart, I wasn't in labor yet and she told me to have some medicines for the pain, and to see the ob/gyn the next day as programed.

Problem is, contractions continued all afternoon, and by 1.30 in the morning of thursday I was in deep pain and really worried about how was I going to hang on until a decent hour to call either the midwife or the ob/gyn. From that moment on, contraction were more like 10 minutes apart very painful, so I never slept for more than 10 minutes in a row.

Finally, at about 9 in the morning I called my doctor, told him what I was going through but told him that I was aware that I was not in labor (because of the frequency of the contractions), but needed urgently something to ease the pain, so he told me to take some other medicine and see him at 2 o'clock (as programmed, again).

That waiting until 2 o'clock was very difficult, specially because since about 12 o'clock contractions started being more like 6-8 minutes apart.

Well, I went to the doctor, he checked on me and I was already 90% effaced and 2 cm dilated, so he FINALLY sent me to the hospital! (his office is in another place), although he considered at that moment that I had a lousy tolerance to pain, which hurt me a little because I was really in huge pain.
Anyway, I arrived to the hospital at around 3.15 pm (my wonderful husband was with me at all times, when I went to the midwife, both times, when I went to the doctor...always with me, behaving wonderfully), and met the midwife there, who checked me (which was SO painful, considering the huge contractions I was having at that time) and she was like "oh yes, you've progressed a lot since yesterday, you really did have contractions", and I was like "told you!"..so then to pre-labor, where the amniotic liquid was taken out of me (MORE AND MORE PAIN), and then I was administrated the epidural (I thought I wasn't going to be able to stand the pain of the contractions while being in a fetal position and having that big needle crossing my back, but I survived!) and I started feeling A LOT better (this was around 4.45 pm).

In the meantime, families and friends had been warned, and while waiting to be more dilated, I could be with them...thing is, about 5 minutes after the epidural, the midwife checked on me and I was 3-4 dilated...some 20-30 minutes went by and I was already 6 cm...so the midwife said the baby was going to be born around 7 pm. But by 5.45 I was already completely dilated, so they called the doctor, the pediatrician, and things started to move around me (they were transforming the room into a labor room)...some times the midwife told me to push, and there I was, feeling the baby's head in my lower vagina...almost waiting for the doctors to be ready!

The doctor arrived a little past 6, and then it was "push" (head went out), "push", and pum! the baby was out!!! It was unbelievable!! He was with his eyes wide open!! And so cute!!!

Well, they measured him, made him breathe and gave him to me (my husband took him to me)...it was really a great great unforgettable moment...after a while they dressed him and the re-transformed the room again, so my family and E's family could come and see the baby...

After a while I was taken to my definitive room, always with my baby in my arms....I stayed there 3 nights, had a LOT of visitors....E was wonderful all the time, stayed with me, attended the visitors...I felt great, I had a couple stitches that still bother me a little, but nothing special.

I think the only "negative" thing is how tired I am, because after 2 nights of not sleeping, I was exhausted the day M was born, but couldn't sleep well because I was so excited (so E and I spend half the night recalling the events), and the following nights I have to feed M, so I haven't been able to have a good night's sleep for the last 2 weeks...

But really? it's all MORE than worth it, my son is INCREDIBLE, I'm so in love with him. My husband is the best of all, he has been so helpful and wonderful....I have so many people that care about us and have visited us...so I'm so grateful for this whole experience, and I haven't stopped thanking God for allowing me to finally be a mother of such a fantastic baby!!!

Meet little M


I've been dissapeared for a long time, mainly because I was a lot out of my house...and then well, my precious baby was born, on thursday july 19th.


Here's a picture of him...he's really wonderful!!!
Birth story in another post!

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Bottom-down position

Yesterday I went to the OB/GYN, everything's ok with me, sugar levels, biochemical levels, blood levels....but little M hasn't turned around yet, he's still bottom-down! E baptised him "little buda", regarding his "sitting" position!

I'm a little worried, at 34 weeks most babies have already turned around (doctor said something like 85%-90% of the babies)...he says there's still a chance he can turn, but if by week 36-37 he's still bottom-down, we'll have to schedule a c-section....and I really don't like that idea! I mean, I know there's a lot of women who have c-sections all the time, but I still prefer the vaginal birth!!!

In fact, last night I had a really hard time going to sleep, thinking about all this....well, I know there's still a chance he turns around, but something tells me he'll stay just like that until the end...

I've read some "techniques", like crawling or putting a light in the lower abdomen, but then I think I may be forcing destiny and that something bad may happen if I try to force things....but then again, I think I should take the opportunities I have and do whatever I can to make little M turn around...so there I am, anxious, nervous, scared...and a little angry because AGAIN things are more difficult for me than for my friends, who have had easy labors and of course, all vaginal!! But then again, it's never good to be always comparing to the rest...so I'll try to focus in my own pregnancy and my own feelings!

Sorry I'm a little disperse today....

Monday, June 04, 2007

First maternity leave day!

Today is officially my first day at home (last weekend doesn't count)...it's been great! Although I admit it's hard to get used to this new lifestyle, I mean I still feel I'm running to do things, when I have more than 1.5 months to do everything!

Anyway, it's been very relaxing, specially because I know I still have plenty of time!!

I'm still working from home, that was the agreement. See, in my country, maternity leave is payed, that means you continue to receive your whole income (payed by the state), but it has a limit, and my income is above that limit, so I had to negociate with my boss (= uncle) that the company would pay me the difference so I could receive my whole income. This is pretty common, because it's very unfair that people with higher incomes must see their budget reduced. At least I can't afford to live with half of my income for nearly 5 months!...specially considering my income represents about 60% of our total house income!

So, that explanation was to say that I told my uncle I would still be connected from home, and will continue working my whole leave...of course it's different and everybody at my office knows I'm "out", so they don't bother me (or at least haven't today) as always!!

I'm going now to an U/S!!!! friday I went to the doctor, he found me ok, only my BP he considered was a little high (130/80) but I'm sure it was because I was so nervous because he was going to check my cervix and all....but well...oh! and last week I also took a glucose test, it was down to 99 (the limit!), so I was very happy!!

So that's how I'm doing, will update with the U/S results, I'm pretty excited considering I haven't seen little M since week 23 (now I'm at week 32!)....

See ya!!

Monday, May 28, 2007

Last working week!!

This must be one of the few mondays in my life when I'm not hating the fact it's monday..LOL, that's because this is my last working monday before my maternity leave! I'm so happy, I am REALLY tired, I'm not sleeping well at all, I keep waking up in the middle of the night, not only to go peeing, but also because I'm having a hard time finding a comfortable position. It seems when I sleep to my right side, I press something because then I wake up with a huge pain...to the left side, I feel a little uncomfortable, my left arm can't seem to find a correct way to be ....and lying on my back, it's impossible, I feel all my weight over my back and it's really painful....So well, this maternity leave really comes in at a good time...

Officially in my country, working women have maternity leave from week 34 on (42 days before birth) and then 84 days after the baby is born...my doctor will give me the permission from week 32 on (because it's allowed to start the maternity leave up to 2 weeks before the official date, assuming the baby will be born earlier), because I'm really tired and my baby is big and all....

Also I'm happy because the nursery is taking form!! We had the room painted on saturday, a wonderful light blue, pretty light! This week the crib and changer will be ready (hopefully), so then I can start to wash the clothes and put them in the drawers and all. Quilt and protectors are ready, curtains are ready....this is getting pretty exciting!!!

Hope everyone has a nice week!!!

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

30 weeks!!

I finally reached the 30 week milestone....I feel like now I'm really on the final stretch!!

I've been feeling pretty tired, I have huge backache and strange pains all over my body LOL!!

I don't remember if I already told you, but I went to the nutritionist, who was very nice, and she gave me a "diet" that's pretty manageable, it's more than anything to control the sugar in my blood, but I can eat almost anything (except sugar, of course), so I've been behaving like a good girl and hopefully, I won't develop diabetes! I have to take a blood exam next week to see how I'm doing!

I can't wait for my maternity leave to start (june 4th!) but I have a lot of work to do!!

What else? we've been doing a lot of stuff for the baby, crib and changing table are being made, clothes he has lots! We also bought the stroller (Graco Travel System Mosaic), and next week we'll have the room painted! I'm getting very anxious and excited at the same time!!

Baby M is moving like an acrobat! I get a little worried sometimes because there are some times when I feel like he's coming out! Have anyone felt that? it's like a kick WAAAY down....curious!!

And well, peeing is getting really an issue, last night I went 4 times! I mean come on! and by 11 o'clock I had gone 3 more times! It's really annoying....!!!

Well, that's my news for now, it's getting really cold down here, which I find very convenient for my swelling!!

Next OB/GYN appt: june 1st