6 weeks postpartum–bad news

Listen carefully: I should have had a c-section. 

There is oh so much to share in this post and very little of it is good news.  So bear with me.

Why don’t we actually tackle the good news first:

Daddy and soybean (after his milk coma)

The soybean is doing so well.  He seems to be gaining weight (thanks to supplementing with about 3 ounces of formula daily) and is happy as can be.  In the last week or so, he’s started to intentionally smile (they say this happens at 5 weeks) and I melt every time I see his toothless grin.  We are having fun making faces and noises to get his little lips to curl.  It’s absolutely amazing.  We are operating well on the schedule I mentioned a few posts ago.  He sleeps in nice predictable chunks and is fairly easily soothed in times of distress.  He also is starting to come alive on his activity mat – it took awhile for him to notice all the toys/animals, but now they totally intrigue him.  Yay

Sawyer is the light of my life and makes bad news palatable.

How’s that for a segue?

I had my 6 week postpartum appointment yesterday.  You know, the one where you get the all clear to resume normal activity?  Yeah, I didn’t get that.  In fact I got a dose of bad news:

• My estrogen levels are quite low.  There is a name for it, but it has escaped me.  Basically it means I’ll struggle more with my milk supply.  This apparently can happen fairly easily in thin women.  Estrogen supplements are an option, but something I’m waiting on due to wanting to deal with the following issues first.
• I have granulated scar tissue as a result of my stitches – my body reacted poorly to the material apparently.  Granulated scar tissue is extremely painful and will not go away on its own.  As a result, I had to have the areas treated with silver nitrate yesterday at my appointment.  Luckily the numbing cream made it relatively painless.  BUT, there is one area that is requiring more extensive treatment which could require surgery and IV sedation.  Good lord, that just sucks.
• And if that’s not enough, I either have muscle or nerve damage in my pelvic floor muscles.  I’ve been scheduled to see a specialist next week to pinpoint the issue(s) and ascertain the best way to fix it, which could be something like physical therapy or surgery.  This is the bad news that scares me the most because it would be pretty invasive and most impacts my life.  Sigh.

So yeah, I definitely did NOT get the all clear for resuming all activity.  I can still take long walks and do some light work outs (like yoga), but nothing strenuous.  This sucks given my resistance to weight loss (which my doctor said happens a lot more than people think while breastfeeding).

Had I had my c-section like I originally wanted, I would have avoided the hemorrhaging post birth, the huge blood clot (most likely), the scar tissue, and the reduced muscle control.  Argh.  I guess I should listen to my instincts eh?  Even my doctor said “next baby, c-section.”   Though birth was a breeze, aftermath has not been kind to me.

I still plan to track my progress so here ya go…stats as of February 8, 2012, 6 weeks postpartum:

• Weight: +10.9 lbs (down 2.1 lbs (16.1 lbs since birth))
• Ribcage: 29” (down 1”)
• Waist (smallest part above belly button): 30” (down 2” (~8” since birth))
• Hips: 35.5” (no change)
• Right Bicep: 10.75” (down .25”)
• Left Bicep: 9.75” (down .25”)
• Right Thigh: 21” (no change)
• Left Thigh: 21.75” (down .25”)
  (all measurements at widest part)

Standing up my tummy is completely flat, but it’s definitely wider and looser than pre-pregnancy.  At about 4 weeks postpartum, I tried on a pair of pre-preg jeans and they fit comfortably.  Subsequent to that, I’ve tried on some other pre-preg jeans and not all fit, that’s for sure.   I can tell my upper thighs and hip area are larger than before and that will take some time to lose. 

On that note, I am debating going back to the same facility for personal training that I trained at for my wedding.  I was able to drop 5% body fat and about 10 pounds via the workouts and have similar hopes this time around.  I’ll keep you posted. *This is only after I am healed and get officially cleared

Hopefully I’ve shed some light on what isn’t always talked about post pregnancy.  And maybe some new moms can relate.  If any one has had similar experiences and have words of wisdom, please do share!

Shoes-Day! Grey boot repeat, now and then

Hey hey!  How goes it?

I’m still pregnant.  And yes, I may just remind you every single day until I finally give birth. 

Aches and pains are the name of the game and I really need to listen to my body and stop overdoing it.  Oye.

Anyway, thank you for your sweet comments on Sawyer’s nursery.  We are so ready to introduce him to his room and to the world

Moving on, it is Tuesday Shoes-day after all.  And while I’m not showing anything new, I do want to highlight some of my fave boots. 

When I took the picture, I realized that I was wearing a nearly identical outfit just over 1.5 years ago and thought it would be amusing to see the changes.

Dec 10 2011, ~38 weeks pregnant, 25 pounds over high end of happy weight: Banana Republic grey/white striped sweater, Motherhood Maternity skinny jeans, and Colin Stuart grey suede boots via Victoria’s Secret. 

April 2010, not pregnant, ~3lbs under low end of happy weight:  Same sweater, same boots, and Paris Blues skinny jeans.  Good lord, I look so much thinner – will I ever get back to that???

Have you ever looked at pictures of the same outfit separated by many months or years?  What were your initial thoughts?

Any hot new shoes you’ve seen at Victoria’s Secret?

False Alarm

Good morning my friends!

It’s a 3 day work week AND it’s the last few days of work for me before maternity leave.  To say I’m doubly excited would be a grave understatement.

If you missed yesterday’s post, check it out – I made Pumpkin cinnamon raisin bread pudding and it’s divine

Okay so let’s recap the weekend a bit.  Yesterday was your typical cardio, laundry, errands, and a mani.  Saturday will deserve a post of it’s own as a group of friends and I made a smorgasbord of Indian food, while watching Stanford kick butt against Cal   Oh yeah!

Let’s really chat about Friday though.  If you follow me on twitter, you saw that I was admitted into Labor and Delivery Friday morning.

(Note, this post will have some graphic pregnancy related information –you can stop reading now and just know I’m fine…otherwise read on)

Friday morning I was getting ready and noticed what I would call a mini-gush or spurt of liquid run down my leg.  And no, I did not pee myself thankyouverymuch.  But clearly this has never happened to me before.  I figured my water may have broke.

Zach and I had just taken a 3rd trimester / preparing for childbirth class less than a month ago and the instructor let us know that water breaking feels different for every woman.  It’s often not a gush.  It can be a trickle or barely noticeable.  But it is a clear signal to call the doctor. 

I continued to get ready and figured I’d call the advice nurse on the way to work.  As I sat outside my office building. the nurse questioned whether I had contractions or cramping and lower back pain.  Well duh, I’m 35 weeks, yes I live with back pain.  But I had been feeling some intense sharp pains.  And while I wasn’t feeling contractions, I was feeling consistent cramping all week (like menstrual cramps).  She said I was exhibiting signs of pre-term labor and I should come in right away.

I asked if I could make an appointment at a convenient time.  HA!  Yeah right…nope I had to come right in and get admitted.

En route to the hospital, I called Zach and told him what was up.  He asked if he should come and I said no, but don’t drive further north to work – just stay and work from home until I had news.

Upon arriving I was fully checked in as if it was the day.  Felt very surreal, yet I was unbelievably calm and not scared in the least.  More, hmm, amused by the whole situation. 

I had to undress and they hooked up all the fetal heartrate monitors to me, took my BP, temp, etc.  All was pretty well.

Except, the nurse immediately noticed how dehydrated I was by the baby’s heartbeat – it was too flat.  Once I started drinking water (with a splash of cranberry juice), Sawyer’s heartrate was singing again. Phew!

It took forever to actually see a doctor.  Thank god for smart phones.  I kept myself busy fielding texts from Zach, emails from work, and reading blogs (<—of course).

Finally the doctor arrived and, well you know, did a full on check.  She took a fluid sample and immediately the pH strip turned blue upon contact.  This is usually an indication that amniotic fluid is present and the water bag did indeed break. 

However, I didn’t have any other signs.  So she went to look under a microscope and discovered that nope, all was well.

To be on the safe side, she took measurements of the amniotic sack via ultrasound and I got a great photo out of it:

If you can’t see what’s going on, allow me to rotate the photo and point some things out

Can you see his adorable chubby face (right half is in shadow)?!?!  So so so amazing!  That’s my little boy

All in all, it was a very interesting experience and I felt like I was the pregnant woman who cried wolf .  All the attendings assured me that I did precisely the right thing and if anything happens like that again, to call and come in.  That helped me feel a bit better.

What surprised me was how calm I felt.  I wasn’t anxious or nervous, but more excited and uncertain.  Zach on the other hand was driving himself nuts by googling preterm labor. 

Bottom line is I am A-OK and Sawyer is going to hang out in his pouch for a few more weeks

Are you a cautious person?

Mamas out there, has this happened to anyone?  Something similar?