So…  It’s a GIRL!

After waiting 40 weeks and 6 days, (July 22) our little baby decided to come into this world.

She is a chunker!   9lbs 2.2oz at birth, au natural with a lovely epidural in my back.  Thank goodness for modern medicine!

But my poor lady bits will never be the same.  Luckily it was only a level 1 tear but I needed stitches and was sore down there for a week and a bit.  cooling ice pack pads were my bff, along with numbing spray and  witch hazel pads.  I felt as if i was ordering from subway whenever i went to the bathroom.  pad, ice pack pad, witch hazel pads, spritz, and whala!  vagina sandwich!

Also, all those mommies who say breast feeding doesn’t hurt?  Big.Fat.Lies.  The first week is painful.  Once your milk comes in, yes it is a freaking walk in the park, till then. Damn.  Just the thought of having a tiny mouth sucking hungrily on your virgin boob is enough to make your toes curl. When it actually happens, watch out.  Colostrum is an amazing fluid and worth more then gold, but it is a natural laxative.  Chub rock, yes baby girl, was hungry all the time since it went straight through her.  My poor nipples have never taken a beating like that before.  Cracked, bloody, sore and tingly…  Welcome to motherhood!

Needless to say the first week was a blur of sleep deprivation, chapped nipples, vagina sandwiches and baby poop. 

Now a month later, sleep is still limited, chub rock is still hungry but breast feeding doesn’t hurt, vagina sandwiches are only panty liners and baby poop is still rampant, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. 

Dear Baby,

Today is your eviction notice, your due date, and the only thing you have done is wiggle around in your tight living quarters. I get to see the doctor today and get your induction date set up with the hospital. I guess you are like mummy in that regards and you like to have things planned. Although… Mummy is getting a little impatient for she has waited for this moment for so long.

Mummy had a few contractions the other day and got excited. Then nothing, no contractions for 3 days. I hope to be able to see you soon!

Thankfully you have been moving, otherwise I would be VERY panicky.

So dear baby, I know I need to savor this time being pregnant with you, and I am, but I hope to see you soon!

Love,
Your Mummy

So I have started this post about 3 different times but kept forgetting to post it or falling asleep or ______ Fill in the blank.

I am 39 weeks 2 days  and I can’t wait to meet this little bundle growing inside of me. I had my doctor’s appointment and I’m still rocking a soft cervix and 1/2 a centimeter. In the past month I haven’t changed. Not a centimeter. I knew getting pregnant would be difficult, but I didn’t think the baby would be loving my uterus as much as he/she does.

Since I have not progressed anywhere I got to talk to my doctor about Induction,  and what that would mean for me.  Because I am at .5 cm I have a 30 – 50% chance of needing a c-section at induction if I don’t dilate past .5 cm. Since  I haven’t had a contraction in about 5 days I’m starting to get nervous that this is what will happen.  The doctor (and I!) is still hoping I go on my own.  I agree as I do not want a c-section.  If I have to obviously I will,  Major surgeries  freak me out. Since I have been poked and prodded so many times before because of IVF , a potential c- section  raises some long term risks. Thanks Dr. Google for letting me know about: a greater chance of miscarriage, placenta previa, other placenta issues, such as the placenta imbedding too deep into the uterus causing bleeding during delivery and potential hysterectomy, and uterine rupture if and or when I have a second child.

If induction does happen, they will schedule during my 41st week or July 23 – 29.  I am hoping baby will decide to come earlier than these proposed dates!  I am now trying some of the home “induction” methods.  This includes mainly just walking in the evenings when it is cool out and some ahem, “bedroom time.”  Which the husband is all for since well, he is a guy and loves sex. Hopefully something will lead to contractions which will efface and dilate the blasted cervix.

I know, I know, once it comes out, world is changed, never the same, sleep is minimal blah blah blah…  but Mummy wants to be able to bend again!  Even better yet, mummy wants to be able to pull up her panties without having to do this:

Oh and another fun side effect of 39 weeks?  I droppin it like it’s hot!  Well, I certainly am not dragging my booty on the floor, but everything in my hands seem to be. In the past month I have have dropped 6 bowls, 5 of which have broken. Hubster has tempted to get plastic bowls for me, luckily it was a joke.

– The naked egg

Holy Batman that’s some Braxton Hicks!

Horrible horrible, not posting in forever. 

Another Snow Day,  At this rate I will have to take my maternity leave at the end of June instead of September.  Bloody Hell. This morning I awoke to period cramping and a huge desire to wee. Which of course, freaked me out. After a quick text to a friend and a call to the midwife I was assured, yes you are fine, No you are not going into labor, and yes what you felt was most likely a braxton hicks contraction.  Congratulations! 

Bleh.

Other then that everything has been peachy besides normal pregnancy pain.  feeling HUGE, Sore back, achy breasts, hips tender. normal.normal.normal.

Signed up for a baby registry.  Scanned some very cute things and tried not to look at all the price tags.  Babies are hella expensive.  I have to keep reminding myself that in reality I have already spent a lot more trying to conceive said baby, now I am reaping the rewards, but the US health care system sucks. 

I went out to dinner with some of the hubsters colleagues, most of whom are from a different country, and they were appalled that the US has no maternity leave.  It doesn’t make sense to me either. How can the US, a powerhouse, have no maternity leave?  There are only 3,  3 other countries without some sort of paid maternity leave.  I will be applying for federal aid, Hubster and I will need it.  Stupid country.  Alas, you deal with the cards that have been dealt. 

I am excited to be looking for paint colors soon, and elated that my best friend and mum will be coming to visit in April.  No nesting yet, but I feel it will hit me like a tidal wave, and soon!

-Naked Egg

I am alive.  I promise.

December was a hiatus i guess.  No real reason to the stop other than I didn’t post.

I know part of the reason was I did not want to be one of those ladies that rubs the pregnancy in others faces, but also i need to accept the fact that I wouldn’t have this blog or the support I needed during the IVF process without these very same ladies.  The end product that we want is the same in all our cases.  A healthy baby, and that IVF can, and does, work.

After my pity party, and stealing the laptop from the hubs, here I am.

December was a whirl wind of my bed, the toilet, work, sleep, and eating.
Oh food.  I am getting to the point now where I am sick and tired of having to eat all the time.  DOn’t get me wrong I like to eat, sometimes it feels like a chore.
Reason?  I must eat about every 2 – 3 hours or I become a groaning pepto – Bismol ad puddle.  yuck.

In other news I graduated last week. On Monday December 30th I had my last scan with my Reproductive health care provider. I got a few hugs and a goodie bag with a free pacifier and diaper. I think that is when it first really hit me. Baby.

I had a few “I’m Pregnant” instances but that hit home.  I no longer will go to the IF clinic, I go to the regular women’s care.  which I did, 30 minutes later.  (They are in the same building!)

Since I have only been with my IF family when going to the regular clinic no one in the waiting room played the advert-the-eyes game, or had the wishful hope sparkle.  That was different and strange. ( I swear I thought I saw one lady give me the “How can I be pregnant again?” look! And yes, I wanted to punch her and tell her to cheer the F up, down the hall there are plenty of women who would love to be sitting in your seat!)  Alas, I regress…

When I finally got to see the normal women’s doctor she asked the normal questions, How are you feeling? any blood? cramping? took a Doppler sonogram and said thanks, see you in 4 weeks, and walked out the door.

Wait.  What?  That’s It?  No ultra sound?  No jokes? No nothing?    uhh this can’t be right.  But it is.  I am curious as to what will happen in 4 weeks.

(more later… Sleep now…)

Naked egg

P.s.  Sorry for any incoherence.