There have been some moments where I am catching myself saying and doing (or not doing) things that totally make me laugh and realize that yep..I am SUCH a new mom!
Mollie's first Ped appt was 2 days after she was born (1 day after we left the hospital) and it was at 9:30am. I still honestly do not really remember much about going other than the the fact that Mom and I drove Matt's car because it had the car seat in it. I am pretty impressed that I got myself dressed, make up on (I think), Mollie ready and ON TIME!! We arrived there and Molls was fussy, although had just eaten, she did not want her paci and glad mom was there as she checked her diaper and yep, total blowout- and that was prior to my milk coming in so it was a good and dirty diaper! Mom said 'Leigh Ann, grab your diaper bag.' I think my answer was 'What?' I mean...how long ago did I pack and have that diaper bag ready to go and then when our daughter is actually born and I need the darn thing, I leave it at home?!?! Mom and I both laughed and figured hey, at least we're in a place that will have diapers & wipes. So that's the first public blowout experience- not too delightful, but I will say it was funny after all the preparation I had done, only to NOT be prepared!
My good friend and neighbor Nicole had a little girl May 2 so she and I have had a great time sharing pregnancy stories/tips and now newborn stories/tips! Since her daughter Lauren is a couple months ahead of Mollie, she has been a GREAT help to me. The other day I was asking her about pumping as she is scheduled to go back to work next week & I knew she had a full-on milk factory going over there...they even bought a chest freezer from Costco. Friends after my own heart for sure! She offered to show me how to use my pump (or at least explain the parts!) so I offered to fix us lunch and walk over. I told her I'd be about 5-10 mins and in reality I think I took about 25 mins. Oops. Guess I'll learn soon that all things take longer with a child! So after I get myself and Mollie ready, I walk out of the door and over to her house. As I ring the doorbell I realize my appearance and giggle out loud with amusement; I am carrying a sack lunch consisting of turkey sandwiches, caffeine-free sodas & 2 portioned out ziplocs with Wheat Thins, then I am carrying a car seat with this tiny, precious baby in it and best of all, this cheesy backpack thing that is my breast pump..I seriously must have looked hysterical. The backpack breast pump was enough to top me over the edge in the 'new mom' category. Confession: I am not really looking forward to the day when that device has to travel everywhere with me!
This morning, Mollie & I attended a Breastfeeding Support Group at the hospital where we delivered. I know, the name doesn't sound too enticing and a little 'earthy'- that's what I thought in the beginning, but was SOOOOO pleasantly surprised. I met the nicest group of about 12 moms, with babies all ranging from 2 weeks-6 months. We sat there sharing stories & worries with each other regarding baby sleeping, eating, going back to work, etc for almost 2 hours! It was awesome to have a group like that and just talk, no real agenda. I didn't think it would be the case, but I cannot wait for the next one in 2 weeks:) Did I really just say that?! Ha. *If any breastfeeding mom wants to join me next time, let me know!
Monday, July 26, 2010
Saturday, July 24, 2010
The Nursery
I did give a sneak peek of Mollie's nursery a while back and then just realized I never showed the finished product! I adore this room..it feels so full of life, color and just us, really.
The sleeping quarters- very thankful we moved her in there after only a few nights in our room. It wasn't working that great with us and the bassinet in our room, so after some encouragement from my friend Kelly we figured we'd give the crib, heartbeat sound machine and the new video monitor a try. Well...the rest is history-- it works for all 3 of us and seems much less disturbing.
This is my nursing center (where I spend about 5 hrs of each day, thanks to my sisters calculations)...The drawer consists of remote controls, a nail file and many granola bars for my midnight snacks- Whew, I need those almost each night! One thing I will say is that this whole set up is a MUST for any breastfeeding mom. My huge water bottle, notepad/pen, Lansinoh boob creme, burp cloths, bibs, boppy, etc etc. This is the whole kit n' caboodle.
The second most popular spot..the changing area! SO glad I did my diaper couponing and stocking up prior to her arrival as we have gone through some serious diapers-- about 12 a day I'd say. Didn't believe it when I read that in my baby books, but yep, it's true:) We also have our washcloth wipe down's here as well and our many daily outfit changes.
So that's our baby room. We love it and hope Lil Mollie does too:)
The sleeping quarters- very thankful we moved her in there after only a few nights in our room. It wasn't working that great with us and the bassinet in our room, so after some encouragement from my friend Kelly we figured we'd give the crib, heartbeat sound machine and the new video monitor a try. Well...the rest is history-- it works for all 3 of us and seems much less disturbing.
So that's our baby room. We love it and hope Lil Mollie does too:)
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
2 weeks- Survival Mode
14 days...yep that's 2 weeks. Mollie arrived in our lives 2 weeks ago today! There are so many things you can read up on and be 'prepared' for, but at the same time I feel that us women are a bit duped by each other as not being really upfront with other moms on how HARD these first couple of weeks are on the mom, baby and even dad. I didn't realize 14 days could feel so short, but at times feel so long ago!
I had a great conversation with my mom and friend Jennifer yesterday about how these first couple of weeks are a total whirlwind. The baby is trying to adjust to life in the real world, you are adjusting to caring for another human being 24 hrs a day and yet at the same time, try and live your life as 'normally' as you can nd actually maybe try and FEEL normal. Well, I know our 'normal' is a new normal and could not be more excited about that. When you choose to bring a life into this world, that's what you are signing up for- and I looked down at Mollie this morning and had a happy cry wondering how I have gone this long in my life without her in it.
It didn't even dawn on me that after she would be born that my body would have to take a while to readjust and my hormones would take a while to plateau. During a 9 month pregnancy your hormones are so high, then WHOOSH you have a baby and your hormones go way low. Now..add that to very little sleep, if any and it really doesn't make for a delightful combination- no lie you feel quite like an emotional zombie.
Once you have your long awaited baby there is nothing like it in the world..even the hard times in these past 2 weeks have shown me that unconditional love to our child really does exist and is at times a bit overwhelming and emotion gets the best of me..haha, time & time again! My tear ducts have gotten a great workout:)
I have greatly relied on some of my mom friends these past 14 days with random breastfeeding questions, sleep questions, burst of tears for no apparent reason other than the fact I felt as to having no clue what I was doing! But as I was told by our fabulous pediatrician the day after Mollie was born 'The first two weeks are all about survival- YOU are in survival mode as is the baby.' I have literally said that to myself multiple times each day since then and it has greatly helped. I also heard, "Each day gets better & it will get easier." Again, soooo true, but about day 4 I could seriously not see how that was possible. Having that motivation by friends and family were a huge help.
So on that note, I want us ladies to be encouragement for each other, be able to lean on each other more and most importantly TALK about these hard times that come with a new life..I knew it would be a blessing and love would be abundant with a baby, but I feel like I was not prepared for my body/insides to feel as bad as it did for a whole week plus, that nausea would be my stumbling block and the vicious cycle of lack of eating/sleeping would completely DRAIN me, that my emotions would take over often and I could just cry and cry. The list goes on..this is a juggling act. There is always a ball up in the air & not sure it will ever come down when you have children! The trick is to learn to juggle- I am currently taking lessons, but no pro yet:)
I had a great conversation with my mom and friend Jennifer yesterday about how these first couple of weeks are a total whirlwind. The baby is trying to adjust to life in the real world, you are adjusting to caring for another human being 24 hrs a day and yet at the same time, try and live your life as 'normally' as you can nd actually maybe try and FEEL normal. Well, I know our 'normal' is a new normal and could not be more excited about that. When you choose to bring a life into this world, that's what you are signing up for- and I looked down at Mollie this morning and had a happy cry wondering how I have gone this long in my life without her in it.
It didn't even dawn on me that after she would be born that my body would have to take a while to readjust and my hormones would take a while to plateau. During a 9 month pregnancy your hormones are so high, then WHOOSH you have a baby and your hormones go way low. Now..add that to very little sleep, if any and it really doesn't make for a delightful combination- no lie you feel quite like an emotional zombie.
Once you have your long awaited baby there is nothing like it in the world..even the hard times in these past 2 weeks have shown me that unconditional love to our child really does exist and is at times a bit overwhelming and emotion gets the best of me..haha, time & time again! My tear ducts have gotten a great workout:)
I have greatly relied on some of my mom friends these past 14 days with random breastfeeding questions, sleep questions, burst of tears for no apparent reason other than the fact I felt as to having no clue what I was doing! But as I was told by our fabulous pediatrician the day after Mollie was born 'The first two weeks are all about survival- YOU are in survival mode as is the baby.' I have literally said that to myself multiple times each day since then and it has greatly helped. I also heard, "Each day gets better & it will get easier." Again, soooo true, but about day 4 I could seriously not see how that was possible. Having that motivation by friends and family were a huge help.
So on that note, I want us ladies to be encouragement for each other, be able to lean on each other more and most importantly TALK about these hard times that come with a new life..I knew it would be a blessing and love would be abundant with a baby, but I feel like I was not prepared for my body/insides to feel as bad as it did for a whole week plus, that nausea would be my stumbling block and the vicious cycle of lack of eating/sleeping would completely DRAIN me, that my emotions would take over often and I could just cry and cry. The list goes on..this is a juggling act. There is always a ball up in the air & not sure it will ever come down when you have children! The trick is to learn to juggle- I am currently taking lessons, but no pro yet:)
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Sweet Mollie is here!
Ok, so yeah, I am just getting around to my first blog post since Mollie's birth 8 days ago! Whew...where do I begin??!!
We are so overjoyed to have this precious child in our lives and it's still a tad on the surreal side. One minute I am so anxious to meet her and then the next minute there is she is my arms! Just truly a miracle of God, no other way to explain it.
I was so nervous about being induced and feeling like we were 'forcing' her into this world, but it was probably the best thing we could have done. I went in at 3cm dilated and 80% effaced, which I know made a huge impact on my easy labor/delivery. We arrived at the hospital Tuesday, July 6 at 6:30 am- they hooked me up to my pitocin to start true labor and it immediately went into effect. I should say that I went into this process with no plan as far as pain meds go..I had no clue what labor would feel like and figured I would just play the epidural by ear. The nurses also informed me that 3 planned c-sections were also that AM and that would tie up the anesthesiologist for 1 hr each & if I were planning to have some meds I needed to consider that it may take a while. Eeks. So, labor REALLY kicked in and it didn't take me long to feel horrible back labor and decide yep, bring on the epidural- who in the world can endure natural labor (back, nonetheless) and NOT have meds. SHEESH. Not for me...I remember saying like 'Am I really calling for an epi and it's 8:50am?' Well, glad I did, as it arrived about another 45 minutes later. 44 minutes later than I had hoped:) But after that, the nurse checked my dilation and she gave me a high-five and was said 'Holy cow, you're at 8cm- we're almost ready to push!' So freakin' weird..I was prepared to be in that room for 10-12 hrs as of course I have read & heard about alllll these stories from people- Note: don't pay attention to anyone else's labor/delivery experience..you cannot control what your body or baby wants to do, so just be knowledgeable about options, but don't think you can plan any of this!!
After 2hrs and 3 mins of labor, Mollie Bess Garrett arrived at 10:42 AM!! Matt and I both cried as it was truly touching and really, sooooo fast!! We stayed in the hospital that day and night and left mid-day that next day. We were ready to get home:)
We are now home and getting adjusted to our new 'normal' life with Miss Mollie. She is a true sweetheart..I swear she is already smiling! Other than the trials and tribulations of breastfeeding and not getting our regular sleep hours, life could not be better!! Matt and I are so blessed to have this little girl as a part of our lives forever now and it's hard to believe that she is already 8 days old. And on the other hand, I am like has it really only been 8 days?! Some times/days have been very hard I won't lie, but I have some incredible mom friends (and my mom!) who have been an awesome support system and have answered all my random questions. Thank you ladies!!! ;) I look forward to one day passing on this new found knowledge to my other girlfriends yet to experience this crazy time. What an amazing crazy time, really. And even when some times have gotten tough I am reminded that each day gets better..and to enjoy it while it lasts! Ha, sleep or not sleep, feeling like a feeding machine or not, it all has been wonderful and I am privileged to call myself Mollie's mother.
We are so overjoyed to have this precious child in our lives and it's still a tad on the surreal side. One minute I am so anxious to meet her and then the next minute there is she is my arms! Just truly a miracle of God, no other way to explain it.
I was so nervous about being induced and feeling like we were 'forcing' her into this world, but it was probably the best thing we could have done. I went in at 3cm dilated and 80% effaced, which I know made a huge impact on my easy labor/delivery. We arrived at the hospital Tuesday, July 6 at 6:30 am- they hooked me up to my pitocin to start true labor and it immediately went into effect. I should say that I went into this process with no plan as far as pain meds go..I had no clue what labor would feel like and figured I would just play the epidural by ear. The nurses also informed me that 3 planned c-sections were also that AM and that would tie up the anesthesiologist for 1 hr each & if I were planning to have some meds I needed to consider that it may take a while. Eeks. So, labor REALLY kicked in and it didn't take me long to feel horrible back labor and decide yep, bring on the epidural- who in the world can endure natural labor (back, nonetheless) and NOT have meds. SHEESH. Not for me...I remember saying like 'Am I really calling for an epi and it's 8:50am?' Well, glad I did, as it arrived about another 45 minutes later. 44 minutes later than I had hoped:) But after that, the nurse checked my dilation and she gave me a high-five and was said 'Holy cow, you're at 8cm- we're almost ready to push!' So freakin' weird..I was prepared to be in that room for 10-12 hrs as of course I have read & heard about alllll these stories from people- Note: don't pay attention to anyone else's labor/delivery experience..you cannot control what your body or baby wants to do, so just be knowledgeable about options, but don't think you can plan any of this!!
After 2hrs and 3 mins of labor, Mollie Bess Garrett arrived at 10:42 AM!! Matt and I both cried as it was truly touching and really, sooooo fast!! We stayed in the hospital that day and night and left mid-day that next day. We were ready to get home:)
We are now home and getting adjusted to our new 'normal' life with Miss Mollie. She is a true sweetheart..I swear she is already smiling! Other than the trials and tribulations of breastfeeding and not getting our regular sleep hours, life could not be better!! Matt and I are so blessed to have this little girl as a part of our lives forever now and it's hard to believe that she is already 8 days old. And on the other hand, I am like has it really only been 8 days?! Some times/days have been very hard I won't lie, but I have some incredible mom friends (and my mom!) who have been an awesome support system and have answered all my random questions. Thank you ladies!!! ;) I look forward to one day passing on this new found knowledge to my other girlfriends yet to experience this crazy time. What an amazing crazy time, really. And even when some times have gotten tough I am reminded that each day gets better..and to enjoy it while it lasts! Ha, sleep or not sleep, feeling like a feeding machine or not, it all has been wonderful and I am privileged to call myself Mollie's mother.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Tomorrow is the day!!!!
We had our last check up Dr appt this AM at 41 weeks and 2 days and all was super..Passed the non-stress test with flying colors, Mollie's heartbeat was perfect and consistent with her movement. Her heartbeat sounded like a pack of horses just as she was about to move..really amusing to follow along with it! That sound was beautiful-if only we could have recorded that, how cool would it have been:)
The other great news is that I'm 3cm dilated and 80% effaced, so no need to have us come to the hospital tonight. She liked the natural progress we are making and I do too!! Yayyy another night in our fabulous bed at home:) Note: One thing that is strange to hear from your OB..' Good God, I have no clue how you are still pregnant, her head is RIGHT there!' Uhhh, well I am still preg and can tell you I KNOW her head is right there, I feel it! Ha- maybe this will help me in delivery we're are thinking:) Sorry if this is a little TMI for some of you..I'll spare you any more details or info, don't worry. I have for sure become less modest about bodily stuff than I ever imagined I could. It has been pretty neat though, to get with Matt on a different more personal level about stuff- although some of it I could/would have kept shhhh. haha- he has been great!
We head into the hospital tomorrow AM, July 6, to get things rockin' and rollin'. I still have some faith that we will make more natural progress by then, too. My back is KILLING me, so hopefully this is the start of something:) Who knows, maybe labor will start today/tonight and I'll still have my spot waiting on me in the hospital in the morning!! After allll these 41+ weeks of waiting and getting anxious/excited I almost can hardly believe the time is here. No more waiting. Time to meet this chick-a-dee! Maybe Mollie has been indulging me this past week knowing that I'd love a plan and not just winging it. We have our bags packed and in the car, Matt got me some fresh fruit and ice pops from Costco today-- we are ready!! I kinda feel like we're packing for a mini-vacation..magazines, clothes, snacks, portable dvd player and dvd's, pillows. Nope, just spending a couple nights in a hospital! We have for sure over packed and surely our room will look full of stuff, but who cares, we'll feel comfortable.
My sweet sisters (God Mothers) changed their travel/life plans this week so they could be here for me and to meet Mollie..I mean, we have all been waiting for her arrival longer than expected. Thank you girls, not sure what I would do without you in my life and SOOO excited you can share in this with us!!
I look forward to the next post being all about Miss Mollie Bess..including some pics! Please continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers and wish us luck tomorrow in meeting our long-awaited daughter. I can hardly stand the suspense!!!!! We'll keep you all posted for sure.
The other great news is that I'm 3cm dilated and 80% effaced, so no need to have us come to the hospital tonight. She liked the natural progress we are making and I do too!! Yayyy another night in our fabulous bed at home:) Note: One thing that is strange to hear from your OB..' Good God, I have no clue how you are still pregnant, her head is RIGHT there!' Uhhh, well I am still preg and can tell you I KNOW her head is right there, I feel it! Ha- maybe this will help me in delivery we're are thinking:) Sorry if this is a little TMI for some of you..I'll spare you any more details or info, don't worry. I have for sure become less modest about bodily stuff than I ever imagined I could. It has been pretty neat though, to get with Matt on a different more personal level about stuff- although some of it I could/would have kept shhhh. haha- he has been great!
We head into the hospital tomorrow AM, July 6, to get things rockin' and rollin'. I still have some faith that we will make more natural progress by then, too. My back is KILLING me, so hopefully this is the start of something:) Who knows, maybe labor will start today/tonight and I'll still have my spot waiting on me in the hospital in the morning!! After allll these 41+ weeks of waiting and getting anxious/excited I almost can hardly believe the time is here. No more waiting. Time to meet this chick-a-dee! Maybe Mollie has been indulging me this past week knowing that I'd love a plan and not just winging it. We have our bags packed and in the car, Matt got me some fresh fruit and ice pops from Costco today-- we are ready!! I kinda feel like we're packing for a mini-vacation..magazines, clothes, snacks, portable dvd player and dvd's, pillows. Nope, just spending a couple nights in a hospital! We have for sure over packed and surely our room will look full of stuff, but who cares, we'll feel comfortable.
My sweet sisters (God Mothers) changed their travel/life plans this week so they could be here for me and to meet Mollie..I mean, we have all been waiting for her arrival longer than expected. Thank you girls, not sure what I would do without you in my life and SOOO excited you can share in this with us!!
I look forward to the next post being all about Miss Mollie Bess..including some pics! Please continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers and wish us luck tomorrow in meeting our long-awaited daughter. I can hardly stand the suspense!!!!! We'll keep you all posted for sure.
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