First Baby Update

Because my brain is at a minimally functioning level due to the typical sleep deprivation that comes with a new baby, I am going to just break down the last week in sections. : )

The Delivery

As C-sections go, I was told this was as textbook as it could have been.  I am so glad for this because I was truly nervous and did not want to have a second C-section, but knew it was the safest avenue for myself.  I also prayed a lot that if this is what the Lord wanted then for Him to just let it happen.  I know nothing is impossible with Him so if he wanted me to delivery naturally He would have provided away, but I accept what has happened and am totally fine with it.  

     I ended up making it to my scheduled C-section date, April 17th, which I was surprised about.  I was so glad to have my regular doctor perform the surgery this time, since last time I went early and had a different doctor.  I ended up carrying Atticus for 39 weeks and 1 day, plenty full term and he came out looking that way too at 8 lbs & 22" long.  

Atticus

He is doing extremely well and sleeping fantastically and hardly fusses at all. He did have a little bit of jaundice, which is disappearing and also a bit of a hip click, which comes and goes.  We'll just need to keep an eye on those two things until they go away.  He had his first doctor's appointment last week and our pediatrician said he looked great and was surprised he already was back to his birth weight in just one week, where according to our doctor it usually takes at least two weeks.  This was surprising because he had lost 10% of his weight instead of the typical 5%.

Nursing

Atticus was born to nurse.  We had our fair share of small issues that we had to painfully nurse through, but he and I are doing much better.  At one point though it hurt so bad I questioned whether or not I could continue, but I knew I wanted to.  With the help our some lactation nurses I got the hang of things again. 

Sleep

Since I am nursing, Atticus needs to eat every 2-3 hours.  This means he needs to eat 2-3 hours from the time he began nursing last, and with each nursing session taking 40 minutes, that only leaves about 1-2 hours to sleep at a time, making it difficult to not feel absolutely zombie-ish when waking to feed again.  I know this will pass.  Things could be worse so I am truly thankful for the sleep I am getting.  I usually try to take a nap when Judah naps, since he sleeps about 2-3 hours for his one nap now and I can usually squeeze in about an hour after I feed the baby.

Myself
I am obviously tired and sore from the surgery, but I really can't complain.  I have a few other areas of healing like my hand from an IV that went in wrong and my shoulder from a shot.  Other things to deal with are night sweats and emotions due to hormone levels changing.  But, otherwise feeling pretty good and feeling well fed, thanks to my family and church family.  We're very grateful.

Everything Else

Judah is adjusting extremely well to Atticus and loves his brother so much.  He is always trying to "share" and kiss him, especially right on the lips, it is so cute.

     The house is still in the works.  It seems as though we will definitely get it, but it is still in the Lord's hands because until we close, anything can happen.  We will close May 31st, hopefully.  

     Timm will return to work next week and I'll have my Dad helping me for the next two weeks.  I am so thankful for that.  

     I just wanted to thank everyone who has been helping me thus far with food, gifts, and visits as well as those who have given an encouraging or kind word.  I am so thankful and can clearly see how God is working through all this despite my small understanding of His great abilities and love.

Pregnancy Week 39

39 weeks pregnant

Here I am, 2 hours away from being 39 weeks pregnant! And just 36 hours away from being admitted to the hospital to have my second sweet baby boy. I am so happy I have made it this far, but am ready for the pregnancy to be over at the same time.  There have been so many times where I was like "Is this the night?" because I have had so many irregular contractions. Its all been so uncertain yet surreal.  I am quite honestly not looking forward to the recovery, but it is par for the course when you have a c-section.  My preferrable choice?  Of course not! But it is the least dangerous choice in my particular circumstance and I would just like people to respect that.

     Anyway, I have definitely felt a spurt of energy this evening preparing 5 baked potatoes, 4 chicken cutlets, and 12 blueberry muffins and not even for me!  I am preparing some food for my Dad, who has so lovingly and graciously decided to help us out while I am in the hospital by watching Judah.  I love him so much.  Tomorrow I also have planned to make a chicken pot pie, banana bread, and 3 dozen pancakes.  I will probably freeze some of these things, but I just kind of wish I had this energy a little sooner and not at the last minute : )  At least its getting done.  Tomorrow also on the agenda is some last minute food shopping, signing some mortgage papers (ahh! yay!), and prepping for the surgery.

     Almost there....!

Pregnancy Week 38

Week 38 - I had my prenatal appointment this week with a different doctor since my regular was on vacation.  I still weigh in at 178 lbs!  I heard your weight can level off at this point in pregnancy so I am hoping it stays that way so I don't cross the 180 lbs mark.    I was telling the doctor that saw me about my contractions and he really emphasized that if I had more than 4 an hour to go to Labor & Delivery immediately.  But of course, I was not "checked" again so I am clueless to how much I am dilated if at all.  He actually had me go to the hospital for a non-stress test the day he saw me .  I've never had a non-stress test (NST) before so it was a new experience for me.  It didn't take very long, but it was neat because I got to hear my baby's heartbeat for about 30 minutes straight.  The straps they used to monitor my belly were a little itchy though.  But, the tech gave me this cool game show like buzzer to hit every time I felt the baby move. The test ended up going just fine and I only had one contraction during the time she monitored me (figures), so it didn't reveal much there, but my son's stress level (or lack thereof) passed with flying colors.  

As for pregnancy symptoms, I am experiencing a lot of heartburn, no matter what I eat. It is such an awful feeling and there isn't much to remedy it, but luckily I won't need to deal with it much longer.   I have also been very tired.  After my prenatal appointment I took a 2 hour nap, it was great. Then the next day Judah took an amazing 4 hour nap and I rested about another 1 1/2 hours.  My bed time lately has been nothing later than 9 or 10 p.m.  Other symptoms include shooting pains, lots of continued irregular contractions, increased appetite, back pain, groin pain, and many frequent trips to the bathroom.

As a joke, Timm and I have been playing Monopoly Deal to "send me into labor" since I have had a horrible losing streak for about a month, but of course now I've been winning.  So I'm thinking the Lord doesn't want stress to be the catalyst for labor.

It is so strange to be so close to the end of a pregnancy and not be going into labor three weeks early.  It's a totally new experience for me, but now I just feel like all I'm doing is waiting and waiting.  Luckily it is only one more week at the most!

I am officially 38 weeks and 3 days pregnant today!  I'll only be doing one more pregnancy post if I make it through the next 4 1/2 days.  My lack of picture taking will SOON be made up with tons of hospital and baby pictures. 

Welcome To My Blog's New Home!

Some of you may know from reading my pregnancy updates that I haven't been able to put up pictures lately.  This is due to the fact that blogger will only give you 1 GB of free storage for your photos.  The only way for me to get more storage would be to pay a small fee.  I do want to continue blogging, but would not like to pay the fee, so here I am with a new blog but the same me.  But, with no further ado, I'd like to welcome you all to my new blog which includes a new look for a new chapter in my life.  There are lots of changes happening in the Freitas family and I'm glad to be sharing them with all of you that care and take the time to read.

Please note the new URL to this blog is jenniferfreitas.blogspot.com.

Thanks so much!
Jenn