Raspberries

Mommy Moment #1323: Last week Bryant learned how to "blow his tongue" at us. He sticks out his tongue and blows it, making a raspberry sound. Now when we do it to him, he does it back.

It am so in awe at how much Bryant has learned in five months, and how much I have learned in five months. I wish a lot of things that I had to learn would have been shared with me while I was pregnant. I read books and blogs constantly while I was pregnant and some things were never addressed. Now I am giving advice to my friend Jen about her pregnancy and delivery and newborn baby and I compiled this list of "10 things books won't tell you."

Most of these things people won't normally tell you. This list is made up of things I WISHED I would have been told going into my pregnancy and delivery of my son.


1.Breastfeeding isn't easy:
It will hurt a lot, and it may hurt for a long time. You may have bleeding and cracked nipples, your baby may have to be taught how to latch correctly, let down is going to be painful, you will probably have clogged ducts at some point, you could get an infection, and your going to cry...a lot. Be sure to let your partner know that HIS support for you will make all the difference. The women who succeed in breastfeeding are the ones who had the most support. During the painful days ask him to hand express your breast while you feed with the other. Just know that no matter how much pain you go through, breastfeeding is one of the most rewarding things you can do for your child.

2.Most newborn clothes will go to waste:
Do not waste your money on a bunch of newborn sized clothes, you will not use them all. I have an entire box full of newborn clothes that were not even worn. Be sure you have enough to last a month at the most, ten to fifteen outfits will be plenty. And don't try to buy dressy newborn clothes because as soon as you dress your baby he/she will pee, puke, or poop on them and you will have to change the outfit.

3.Newborn poops are noisy:
A newborn baby's first poop is called meconium. It is a tar-like black substance consisting of materials that were ingested during the time the infant spent in the womb. After that, baby's poop is pretty much liquid until he starts eating solids. Liquid poop makes lots of noise and can be forceful coming out. Beware of projectile poop while changing your baby's diaper. Be sure to put the new diaper underneath him/her so you can keep poop from going everywhere if this happens.

4.“Getting to know” baby takes a while:
It is completely normal if you have a hard time adjusting to mommy hood right after child birth. Not everything comes naturally and not everyone snaps into “mom mode” immediately. Give yourself a break and remember your body is going through a lot of hormonal changes and they should subside gradually after birth. If you feel depressed, or if you feel you want to harm yourself or your baby talk to someone. Do not feel ashamed. Sometimes women have postpartum depression and the sooner you tell someone the sooner you will feel better.

5.You will bleed postpartum:
For a few weeks you will be wearing pads and changing them so often you will feel like you are wearing diapers just like your baby. The bleeding is normal for up to three to four weeks as long as it does not get heavier. You can spot for up to six weeks. If you get the chance, lay on a towel on your bed without any panties or pads and let yourself dry out and air out. All of the moisture can cause infections if you are not careful.

6.You will hurt postpartum:
Not only will you bleed but recovery will hurt. Your uterus will continue to contract when you breastfeed especially. The first time you try to poop you will feel like you are turning inside out. You will be constipated, your back will feel out of alignment. Your shoulders will hurt. You will be emotional over every little thing. You will be sweaty, and still look about four months pregnant. It will probably burn when you pee. Your tears will hurt and burn. Your feminine area will be loose and stretched for a week or so. As stated above, your breasts and nipples will be going through hell. But believe me, it is ALL worth it. I would do it all over again if I were given the chance.

7.You wont have time for anything else:
It is so nice to think that when you come home you will have a clean house, laundry done, and dinner on the table every night. Wrong. A baby takes so much time to care for, even with two people doing it. Learn to let the housework go and rest with your baby. The housework will be there when you come back to it. And the more rest you get, the quicker you will heal.

8.You wont know what your crying baby wants:
At first you will not know the difference in your baby's cries. The more time you spend with him/her the better you will get to know them. Just remember, a low pitched cry usually means they are hungry, a high pitched cry means they are in pain (usually from gas), if the crying builds in intensity he or she is tired, and if the baby is bored it will sound like a whimper.

9.Baby might mix up night and day:
To help prevent or correct this try taking baby outside in the sunshine for a few minutes a few times a day, let her feel new textures, smell new things, and hear new noises. When it is night time keep the atmosphere sleepy. No light, no talking, giggling or singing, no loud noises. Wake her up to feed, burp, change the diaper, and immediately lay her back down. She will get the idea eventually.

10.Your sex life will change:
After having a child you will be more attracted to your lover than ever before, but for a month or more sex will be off limits. You need to obey this rule to allow your body to heal. The first time you try to have sex after you have a baby be sure to warn your partner that it may not happen completely. If you feel discomfort, stop and try again after a few more days. Once your feel comfortable enough proceed with caution, take things slow. And if it does not feel like it used to, don't worry that is normal. You will eventually get back in the groove of things and it will be better than ever!

This was written from my experience of a vaginal natural birth. What would you add for a c-section delivery? Or for those of you who had an epidural?

Wives Tales and Pregnancy Myths

Mommy Moment #1316:  I find myself telling an expectant mother the same things that I once laughed at (less than one year ago) as an expectant mother.

You know how the moment you get pregnant, people start giving you advice?  You get advice on everything from "indigestion means your baby will have a head full of hair" to "sleep now, because once the baby is here you wont" and "don't lift anything over your head or the you will choke the baby with the umbilical cord."   Many of the wives tales and myths surrounding pregnancies are obviously just that-tales and myths.  That doesn't seem to deter well-meaning friends and relatives from recounting these tales and myths over and over to you, and insisting that a pencil or needle and thread can predict the gender of your child.

The past few weeks I have found myself reminiscing about my pregnancy and recounting many moments that I remember fondly, and I start to realize that there are many things that are said that are completely true.  For example,  "you will miss being pregnant", "time will fly by", "a baby will bring the mommy and daddy closer together", "you have never known love until you have a child", "trust your instincts", and my favorite "you won't remember the pain."  I do miss being pregnant.  I miss having my baby safely in my womb where no one could harm him, I miss having that extra bond between us.  Time is moving by at the speed of light and I feel like I cannot even catch my breath some days or I will miss out on something.  Bryant has brought Josh and I closer together in a way that we never would have known without our son.  I loved many people before I became a mother, but the love I have for my son could move mountains, and calm seas if only I could harness it and use it as a form of energy.  My instincts as a mother surpasses most anything that a doctor could tell me.  And finally, my memory of the birth of my son somehow ignores all of the pain that was involved (and that is saying a lot considering I delivered him one hundred percent naturally.)

Now, when I come across a friend or loved one who is expecting their own precious angel, I find myself offering the same words of wisdom that were passed on to me not even a year ago.  I must admit that when loved ones originally shared their experiences and advice with me I doubted much of the reliability of their words.  I now know that every sentence uttered to me was completely true, and every word was spoken with love.  And you will now find me sitting right beside the pregnant lady in the room telling her everything I can remember about my own experiences, offering her as much advice as she will tolerate me giving, and recounting my own stories with a knowing twinkle in my eye that as a mother will always be there when I speak of my child/children.

Once you are a mommy, you are a lifetime member of the greatest club in the whole world.

Here are a few of my maternity photos:

Do you have any wives tales or advice to offer expectant mommies and daddies?

He gives me butterflies...

Mommy Moment #1233:  All my baby has to do is give me one little smile, and I instantly get one thousand butterflies in my tummy.  I cannot believe this perfect little person in my arms is my son.  Half me, half Josh.  I couldn't ask for more.

If you guessed from the title of this post that I would be gushing like a school girl about my love for Josh, well--you are half right.  This blog is dedicated to my son, but in recognition of how much I love my son I must make this clear.  I am totally enamored with Josh.  Someone once said, when referring to their love, "you are the butter to my bread."  I feel that way sometimes.  Without Josh I am still me, but a much more bland version of me.  Had I never met my love I would have continued in existence, and maybe have been perfectly content.  But once I found him I knew I would never be the same and could never be without him, because without him I am a butterless piece of bread.  And how can you eat bread without butter once you have had the joy of trying it WITH butter?  It just cannot be.  So Joshua, I love you, you are my butter.

With that being said, I now have a rosy cheeked, chubby legged, snorting, dimpled, angel to show for the love Josh and I share.  Every time I see my baby smile, my heart skips a beat, my tummy fills with butterflies and I am happier with every moment of the day.  I am thrilled to be a mother, and consider it a privilege to be Bryant's mommy.  Okay, enough of all the sappy stuff here is a picture of my angel. 

Not so funny.

Mommy Moment #1150:
Last week Bryant was laying in the floor with his daddy, and everytime daddy laughed, Bryant laughed.  So I decided to join in the fun with my pretend deep voice "Green Giant" laugh that I thought Bryant would love, and he started crying!  Of course this made me laugh which in turn, made Bryant laugh once more.

I guess, everyday, I am learning as much about Bryant as he is learning about me.  About two weeks ago I found out I was laid off from work.  As hard as this is on our finances, I cannot help but be thrilled with the fact that I get to spend all of my days with my favorite chubby guy.  By spending more time with Bryant I get to learn so much more about my little man.  He is so smart already.  His brain is literally a sponge soaking in everything that he sees, hears, smells, feels, and tastes.  For instance, he already knows a genuine laugh from a pretend laugh.  And let me tell you, there are no smiles from his little dimpled face unless you smile and laugh genuinely.

 As I search for a job, I find myself wishing that we were at a point in our lives that I could stay home with my baby boy,  tend to all of the chores that I could never get around to when I work, and wait for Josh to come home, instead of coming home later than him.  It never hurts to dream, right?  Oh well, back to the job hunt.  But meanwhile, time to get some more kisses and hugs from my prince...and of course the KING of the house.

I love my chubby, piggy, man.