One Amazing Journey

Wow! Our little Joseph is going to be 7 weeks on Monday. It has been one amazing journey so far. I have been stretched out to my limits in many ways. Motherhood is amazing and extremely difficult at the same time. At least for a new Mommy like me, it is certainly way more tough than I ever imagined. IF certainly made me grow in patience but my little Joseph needs all of me and so I am learning more and more about being patient and tending to his needs rather than satisfying mine.

The first 2 weeks were really good or I shall say I was in bliss. He was a happy baby. Feed him, change diapers, swaddle him and he would sleep peacefully for 2-3 hours. I had time to get things done. We had just moved to a new house and I used all my free time to arrange stuff. Big Mistake!  These are the things I didn't do and wish I had done during the first month.

• I didn't nap when he napped. So when evening rolled, I would be really tired and those night time feedings were miserable as all I wanted was to sleep but Joseph had to be held and rocked to sleep after nursing. Some days, I would wake up with a headache. Lesson learned!
• I simply climbed up and down the stairs too many times a day and it didn't help with my stitches. I didn't even get time to do Sitz baths. I should have rested and allowed others to do the work. I had my six week postpartum appointment this week and though the stitches have dissolved, there is still an area which is raw and needs healing. Lesson learned! Rest when you can. My back still hurts when I carry him for a while.
• I was given a nipple shield by the lactation consultant at the hospital. I didn't hesitate to use it and never read about the consequences. The first week went really well. My milk came in the third day. Joseph would nurse happily and my nipples weren't sore. Wow! I didn't know nursing could be painless when all I had read was about sore nipples.His birth weight was 5lbs and 15oz. At this 3 day checkup, he weighed 5lbs 7oz but by 10 days he had regained his birth weight and weighed 6lbs 1oz. I was happy even if it meant using a nipple shield. Enter week 2 and the stupid shield began falling out and it was a pain to put it back on with a screaming baby specially at night. We tried removing the shield but he wouldn't latch and would cry miserably. By Week 3, I was desperate to get rid of the shield as it meant I couldn't nurse peacefully during night or when I went to church. My Mom and I would try different techniques to make him latch. Poor Joseph would throw up a fight each time. I was ready to give up but my Mom insisted that we teach him to latch and finally by Week 4, my baby learned to latch and we said bye to the shield.
• By Week 4, my baby had learned to latch but my nipples became sore and the pain was unbearable. I was ready to throw in the towel. I would be in tears each time he nursed and I was worried he wasn't getting enough milk. Finally, we decided to visit a Lactation Consultant. She corrected his latch and showed me a good position to nurse. She said my supply was really good and he was gaining really well. He weighed 7lbs 7oz. Thankfully, my nipples hadn't cracked and so I didn't need any medication. Looking back, I shouldn't have waited until Week 4 to visit the Lactation Consultant. I thought breastfeeding would be a breeze. In fact, I never read any book or took classes on Breast Feeding. Big Mistake! I thought I would somehow figure it out with my Mom to help. Wrong! There was a limit to what my Mom could do in teaching me and I get upset with all the advice from Mom and MIL.
• Somewhere around Week 4, Joseph began crying more and he wanted to be held all the time. We desperately called the Pediatrician's office. The culprit was Gas! My poor one would cry so much and everyone would try different tricks to calm him down like burping, putting him in the car seat and so on. DH didn't want to give him Gripe Water without asking his dr. I was also hesitant to give him the Pacifier before he turned one month. However, my Mom insisted and we gave him the Pacifier 2 days before he turned 4 weeks. My baby was so much calmer and he wasn't screaming so much. At his one month appointment, he weighed 8lbs 7oz and his doctor said we could try Mylicon and Gripe Water for Gas. Of course, we tried Gripe Water after a few days but it didn't really help. I was alarmed by the amount of sweetener used in it.
• By Week 5, Joseph was coughing a lot. He would spit up and there would be mucus in it. The cough was scary enough to make us visit his dr. The doctor found no problems and thought it was reflux which was making him cough. The cough went away after a few days. That's when I began noticing how Joseph was spitting up milk many times a day and he would seemed to be in pain. The doctor thought it was Acid Reflux. I have been doing a lot of research on reflux. I am trying to avoiding Dairy. Also, there seems to be a problem with oversupply which is making him spit up.We hold him upright for 30 minutes after feeding him but I guess we need to put him on medication before it gets worse.

Overall, my sweet one is a happy baby. Even on days, he is gassy or spitting up a lot, he doesn't fuss much. The best part is that he sleeps well at night. The first few weeks, he slept in his crib but when he turned gassy and was crying, I moved him to our bed by Week 4. Best decision ever! I was scared the first few days to sleep next to him but now I love it. I love sleeping with my little Joseph next to me and it is so easy to check on him when he spits up or coughs. Also, things have settled down over here and these days I nap when he naps. I don't worry about things that need to be done. I know time is flying and that I will never get another chance to be with my newborn who is soon outgrowing his NB cloths.

And There Was Joseph

On June 2nd, we welcomed our precious little miracle "Joseph". Thank you my dear Jesus, Mama Mary, St. Gerard, St. Gianna, St. Joseph and all the saints for interceding for us. My water broke on June 1st and after 36 hours, Joseph arrived weighing 5 lbs 15oz. He was born two weeks before his due date but has been perfect in every way. I haven't felt so much joy in my life and I haven't cried so much. The tears haven't stopped. Each time I hold our little Joseph in my hands, my heart overflows with gratitude.

This all seems surreal to me. Being a mother to a tiny, little one is certainly amazing and exhausting. I always fear that I am going to mess up my role as a new mother. I still can't believe that Joseph grew in my womb for nine months. Those nine months were so special. I can never forget how we prayed for our little one every single day, how our hearts filled with joy at those little kicks and movements. I wasn't even prepared for labor and delivery. After all, I thought I would go past 40 weeks as I never had any contractions. I still had plenty of stuff to do before he arrived but God had other plans. My water broke when I least expected and so I had very little time to worry about labor. I had to get to the hospital and once we were there, I knew we were going to meet him soon. My anxiety went away and I was ready to meet our miracle.

I will never forget the moment when they placed him on my abdomen. I have never cried so much in my life. Those tiny hands and feet, wide open eyes all clinging onto me. It was as if time was standing still.

Yesterday, Joseph was baptized and welcomed into the Church. What a great blessing from God. We had always prayed that our baby would be baptized and God has blessed us abundantly. Thank You Lord for everything that you have done for us! Our hearts overflow with joy and gratitude.

Deo Gratias!

Six Years

On Memorial Day, we celebrated our 6th Wedding Anniversary. Our first anniversary as 3 instead of 2. Thank You my dear Lord! I feel so humbled and unworthy for this great gift from God. After being so used to celebrating every anniversary as 2, this time it felt so different.

The last week was really crazy over here. Remember how I told things were going so well over here. My in-laws came last Tuesday and then we were packing our stuff to move to a bigger place. By Thursday evening I had a back ache which wouldn't go away. By midnight the pain was radiating to my abdomen. I knew these weren't contractions as it was a strong, continuous pain. I called my doctor at 3am and they wanted us to get to L&D. They had me admitted for a few hours during which I had a few irregular contractions but I was only 1cm dilated. The pain got so horrible that I couldn't stand or walk and I was in tears. However we had to go home since it wasn't true labor. It could have been the baby's position. I came home and took pain killers and rested the entire day. By Saturday morning, I was much better. I had a few contractions on some nights but it would go away after some time.

I have another ultrasound and Non Stress Test tomorrow. 37 weeks and so ready to meet this sweet baby. The funny thing is we have never been able to get a 3d picture of the little one's face in spite of all the weekly ultrasounds. Baby likes to cover his face with his/her little hands. Hmmm looks like we need to wait patiently for 3 more weeks. No more previews for Dad & Mom!

I will be praying for all of you as we wait for this little miracle and please keep us in your prayers. 

Final Stretch

It's been a long while since I posted something here. Things are going pretty well over here only that I have been ridiculously busy. I am 36 weeks pregnant! I cannot believe that I am just 4 weeks away from my due date. I have tears of joy and gratitude when I think of this precious gift from God. I am sometimes so ready to meet this little one and on other days I feel I have a million things to do. I love being pregnant and I will sure miss this wonderful feeling. I am so thankful to God. I hope and pray that our little one will continue growing and be born safely into this world.

Life is going to be hectic the next few weeks. We are moving to a bigger place. My in-laws are here and my parents will be here in 2 weeks. We have finished buying most of the things needed for the baby but my to do list never seems to end. I am still trying to find a nursing friendly dress for our baby's baptism which will be in the end of June.

I am praying for all of you. Please leave me your intenions so that I can pray for you these last few weeks. Deo Gratias!

Third Trimester and Pregnancy Related Questions

I have entered the third trimester. Hurray! We had an ultrasound and OB appt yesterday. The fluid levels have gone up to12.1 from 9.8 and so that is one thing less to worry about. The little one was head down yesterday and I hope it stays that way. Yay! I kind of had an intuition that the baby had flipped because my upper abdomen was no longer hard since last week.

My iron level was low and the OB recommended taking Iron Supplements daily. We are scheduled for weekly Non Stress Tests from Week 30. Now that I am in my third trimester, I have lot of doubts and not to mention anxiety. I had plenty of questions for my OB.

I asked my doctor what are the chances of being induced before my due date because of gestational diabetes. She said they usually allow women to go beyond 40 weeks and only induce by Week 41, unless the sugar levels get uncontrollable. So that was kind of reassuring. Some of my friends told me that I would be induced by Week 38 as the baby would get bigger in size beyond that, which made me kind of nervous. My Mom & MIL also thought 38 weeks was full term and 40 was too far away! Come on Ladies, please don't confuse me. The most ridiculous question I heard was from a relative as to whether I was planning to have an elective C-Section. What!!! Why do I need to schedule a c-section? Yes, I know we have waited for 6 years for this precious little one but that doesn't mean that I want to put myself under unnecessary procedures.

I am still undecided about attending Birthing Classes. Our hospital offers paid classes but I am not sure if it's really going to help. DH gets dizzy at the sight of blood and so I don't want to torture him with gory visuals. I also watched "The Business of Being Born" and liked the idea of home birth. I have a high risk pregnancy and so we will need to use a OB/Gyn and Hospital. Midwives and home deliveries are not going to work. However, I don't want unnecessary medical intervention if that is possible. That's something to discuss with my doctors and possibly find out while touring the hospital. I have borrowed a few DVDs from the library and am hoping it helps.

I still don't know if I can do a natural birth or if I will be going the epidural route. Most of the ladies I have spoken to talk about how easy epidural is and so on, but I am worried about the possible side effects like spinal headaches. I know that I have plenty of time to decide and what finally matters is that the little one arrives safely.

I haven't packed a hospital bag yet and there are friends who have told that I should be always prepared because labor could happen anytime. Hmmm, I don't think it is all that important and I honestly don't have the energy to do it right away. Must be the low iron !! ;)

During the second trimester, I didn't do any shopping but now I have started ordering stuff for the baby. I don't want to overdo it. In India, people don't even buy essentials for the baby before birth. They usually do it after the baby is born but things are slowly beginning to change. Ladies, any suggestions as to what the absolute essentials are and the stuff you loved. We are planning to get a Mini Crib since the little one will be in our room. We don't decorate Nurseries or have baby showers. Baby co-sleeps with Mama. I understand it is very different here in the US.

My parents and in-laws will be staying with us for at least four months. We will baptizing our little one within a week or two of birth which means the grandparents need to be here. Since they are traveling all the way from India, they will be here for a while. I hope I don't lose my sanity by the end of four months. :) Well, it's a nice opportunity to grow in humility & patience. I hope and pray God gives me the grace and strength to handle two families at the same time.