10 days postpartum - Tired but happy

It's been an interesting first week. So far so good I'd say. Anna is adjusting but does seem a bit mystified by the new arrival. She's regressed a little and wants to be the baby. She sucks on a pacifier and sometimes wants a bottle of milk to drink from. I'm sure it's a phase so if it makes her feel better I let her pretend. I know this is hard on her now but she's so much better off having a sibling.

The picture on the right is me yesterday (9 days postpartum). I actually got into a pair of my pre-pregnancy pants! I've been amazed at how quickly my stomach is shrinking. I have about 4 kg (8 lbs) to lose yet before I get down to my pre-pregnancy weight. With my first pregnancy it took me months to come down to a reasonable weight and I had to work at it. This time the weight seems to be falling off, at least so far.

The only problem I've had since coming home is a horrible kink in my neck and it just doesn't seem to want to go away. It's been 3 days and doesn't show any signs up letting up. I try to keep it warm and keeping my shoulders relaxed but no sign of relief yet. Maybe I can talk the husband into rubbing for me when he comes home.

JP is off to Helsinki tomorrow for business. It will be interesting to see how I handle having both kids by myself. It's a real trial by fire. Everything is an adjustment these days =). Millions of families do it so I'm sure we'll be fine.

One week post partum

I should have put another picture on line. You would not believe how fast I'm shrinking. I haven't been brave enough to try on my old clothes yet but I'm getting there. Maybe I'll wait while JP is at work so he doesn't seem me jumping around trying to squeeze into jeans :). The baby is great. He sleeps so peacefully. He's a little angel. Anna is adjusting and she's taking it very well. We spend lots of time with her and have kept all of the normal things that we do like story time and jumping on the bed and morning snuggles. I'll try to get some pictures on line in the near future.

A new arrival !

On February 24th, 2008 we welcomed a little boy into the world! He was 3260 g (a little over 7 lbs) and was 51 cm (20.1 inches). Labor only lasted a total of 2.5 hours. My water broke at 6am. JP's dad came to get Anna a bit before 8am and we sped off to the hospital. We got there at 8am and by the time I got into my hospital clothes I had to push. The little guy was officially born at 8.26am.

The labor and birth itself was so pleasant and calm! Sure the labor sucked but it was so short. There was no time for any kind of pain relief. It went so quickly that they didn't even have time to monitor the little guys heart rate. I had no machinery attached to me, no tubes, no needles and no intrusion. There was only one mid-wife and she was wonderfully calm. JP was a rock and so calm and he really helped me stay grounded. Hearing his soft calm voice while he stroked my head helped so much. The pushing phase only lasted 15 minutes. I had a teeny little rip that took 2 stitches but nothing else! After the birth they brought us a celebratory breakfast and then left us alone to enjoy our new baby right there in the birthing room. They dimmed the lights for us. They didn't measure or weigh him for about 2 hours. He only cried a bit just after being born and then was calm and looked around and then fell asleep.

The way I felt after the birth I can only describe as fantastic. There was no pain. I got up and had a shower and then walked to my hospital room. JP went home to get some sleep and I had a nap. Our little boy is so calm and chilled out. I've really enjoyed these first few days with him. I never knew that the whole process could be so wonderful :).

My stomach has shrunk so quickly and I'm still so positive. We'll see how it goes when Anna comes home. We'll have her home Friday evening. I thought it would be good if JP and I are both home for Anna's first day getting to know her new brother. That way she can get all the attention she needs. I don't want her to feel left out. She's a very important part of this family and I want her to feel that way. When she came to the hospital to visit she pointed at the baby and asked, "What is it?". I suppose he looks like a doll to her. We'll see how it goes :)

36 weeks + 1 day - I've made it another week

We've made it past 36 weeks so as promised here's a new picture. It's not my most flattering but I was too lazy to take another one. I actually made it to the doctor yesterday. I never did make my second doctors appointment with Anna. Anna was born exactly at 36 weeks.

The doctor did his exam and said that I have some signs of imminent labor and basically that the baby could be born at any time. Interestingly enough he said that when the baby's heart rate begins to slow but is still strong and steady it can be a sign that the baby is readying itself for birth. He told me that if I suspect that I'm in labor to head to the hospital right away. It's all a matter of patience now. JP really wants this baby to be born on the 29th of February. He might just get his wish :).

35 weeks + 6 days

The picture on the right says it all doesn't it? One more week of taking it super easy and then I can go back to doing everything as normal. Tomorrow will be a milestone. I've got a doctors appointment and I'll be 36 weeks along. With Anna I never made it to my doctors appointment as I went into labor.

The little one has slowed its movements a bit and doesn't kick as much as it did. He still moves around. I guess it's just getting tight for space in there. I'm sure when the baby is born I'll think to myself "why oh why did I complain about having nothing to do?"

35 weeks + 4 days - Still baking...

Baby is still a resident so I'm happy. I'd like to keep him in there for another 1.5 weeks. Keeping him in there involves my being extremely bored. Sitting around trying to relax is difficult. Don't get me wrong, I love being able to sleep as much as I want but I can't do anything that I want to. I can't really go out or do too much, otherwise I get contractions that come fairly regularly at 10 minutes apart. That's not a good thing if I want baby to stay inside and grow a little bit more.

I've got my bag packed and all the forms filled out so I'm pretty well prepared. We have yet to bring in the baby bed from the storage but there's really no rush to do that as I'm sure I'll be in hospital with baby for 2 days or so and JP will have all the time in the world to go and set up the bed. Baby's clothes are all washed and so are his sheets so now all we need is the baby :). It might be good to make some food in bulk that can be frozen and heated up but at this point...I think we'll just order take-out if we're all too tired to make food after the little one arrives.

If it's a boy I really like the name Leo but JP's not so sure he likes it. His uncle is named Leo but I really don't care. We rarely see his uncle and the name just sits so well in English and Finnish. It's easy to say and easy to spell. I can't think of how kids would tease the name in English other than maybe Leo Peeo. It's similar what I did with Ian's name. Ian Peein. Ian's my younger brother in case you didn't know. If I make it to 36 weeks I'll post another belly picture in celebration. I'll be 36 weeks so you keep your fingers crossed and I'll keep my legs crossed. *giggle*

35 weeks - last picture?

I've made it to 35 weeks. The little one seems to want to come out. I've been having contractions like crazy and have been ordered to rest. Ideally the baby should bake for another 2 weeks and get a little more weight. The baby has already dropped which means labor can start at any time so I really have to take it easy. Second babies don't usually drop until labor so you get the idea.

On the plus side, nothing will be done to stop labor if it starts. The baby is big enough that they will let things progress as normal but ideally they want a little more weight on the little one. 37 weeks is considered full term and due dates are placed at 40 weeks. The baby is head down and in a good position and pretty low in my pelvis. I thought it was my imagination that the shape of my stomach had changed but I was right. They checked the position of the baby with ultrasound today. It was nice to see the little one and his little head and spine.

The baby has dropped just enough that I've not been getting the usual jabs under the ribs. The baby has been growing fine and is very active. Basically this baby could be born at any time. This could very well be the last belly picture I post before the baby is born. Don't worry, I'll keep writing after the baby is born just to keep you up to date =).

34 weeks + 3 days - At home resting

It's nice that I don't have to go back to work anymore. Now it's just waiting for this little one to arrive. He does big rolls now and some pretty intense kicks. He takes up quite a bit of room and his feet seem to have taken up permanent residence under my rib cage. Turning over in bed has become quite the chore and I'm often tired. It's probably due to the little guy growing and my lack of good quality sleep. I seem to nap a lot these days. It feels so good to lie down. My joints are aching and my lower back around my tail bone pop's when I walk. It's a strange sensation.

I've been reading a lot about painless childbirth. There are some interesting theories in there. The theory goes that when the mother is scared it tenses muscles up and slows the birth process down and because the body is fighting itself it causes pain. The uterus has no nerves in it. They say that childbirth shouldn't be painful as it's part of the natural process. I like the idea of it but I guess I'll just have to wait and see. I've written my birth plan and have asked to use the tub to help alleviate discomfort. There's only one in the hospital so I hope I can get it. I can always use the shower as there's one of those in every room. There's only a few weeks left so I'm sort of mentally preparing myself. When Anna came it was a surprise and I found myself semi-panicking and I'd like to avoid that the second time around if at all possible.

I've been getting lots of practice contractions. Some of them strong enough to wake me up at night. I just keep telling the little guy that he can't come out yet because he's too little. He has to get a little bit bigger. I'll be 35 weeks on the 12th. Anna was born at 36 weeks so you do the math. I have my next appointment on the 13th and a doctors appointment on the 19th. With Anna I never did make it to that last doctors appointment. I'm curious to see how things will go this time :) Anna keeps asking when the baby will come out. I'm a bit boring of a mommy since I can't lift her or run and kick the ball like I used to. I've told her when the baby comes out and my tummy goes away I can lift her and play like I used to. I do look forward to sleeping on my back and tummy again.

33 weeks 3 days - No more work

Well, I've made it to the last day of work. I'm all done. I've cleaned out my desk and taken all my personal stuff home. What a relief to know that I won't have to go back and I can relax at home before the new baby arrives.

On the left is me at 33 weeks and 2 days or so. I had a prenatal appointment today. I've gained very little weight in the last 2 weeks. The baby seems to be growing well. The nurse said we'll need to keep an eye on how the baby is doing as the heartbeat was a little slow this morning as well but the nurse thought that maybe it was just because the baby was sleeping. I go back again in another 2 weeks and they'll measure me again. I've gained very little weight over all. I've gained 10 Kg (22 lbs) over all. I'm a little stiff in the hips and walking is getting a little difficult. Envision a great big duck and that about covers it. I'm in the home stretch though.

I've been home all week alone with Anna. JP has been in a city called Nokia delivering water with the army reserves and getting some army training. The city of Nokia's water treatment plant really messed up and mixed the raw sewage with the clean water. Hundreds of people got serious stomach problems from drinking the contaminated water. The water plant has been trying to fix the problem and clean the water for the past 2 months. They can finally shower in it but they still have to boil it before they can drink it. The army has been distributing clean water to those who need it. JP got called up for reserve duty. He likes it and it's a good thing to do so why not. It's strange to be without him for so long. JP's dad has been shoveling snow for me and sometimes heating the fireplace. JP's parents have been awfully kind. Anna and I will go there on Sunday to visit and Anna is going to stay the night so I can have one night's break without anyone in the house but me. It's a rare treat so I'm going to enjoy it. JP comes back on Monday night but I'm not sure when exactly. The picture on the right is of Anna. She's been wondering where daddy is and asks almost daily when daddy is coming home. I'm sure she'll be overjoyed when he comes home. I'll be happy too. I miss him when he's gone.

32 weeks 3 days - Sinus infections and rounder still

It seems that my lovely flu that I caught from Anna is now a sinus infection. It's presumed viral and so I just have to sit it out and wait until it decides to go away. I think I've started blowing chunks of my brain out of my nose. I swear something looked alive today and extremely dark green. I saw the doctor today and he told me to just keep drinking fluids. If my fever goes up over the weekend to come in and they'd do a strep culture just to be safe. He seems to think it'll clear up though.

My doctor has a wonderful bedside manner. He really listens and gives great advice. It's great that even though it's not private health care we still always have the same doctor. He remembers who I am and even asks about the family both here and in the USA. Much better service out here in the suburbs than in the city.

I've got one more week left of work presuming that I'm healthy by then. I hope I am healthy by Monday. JP is off for some army reserve practice and will gone all week from the 28th of January until the 4th of February. I've been on sick leave again and I think I'll have been on sick leave for nearly 2 months. The doctor did say something interesting things, by the way. He said that sometimes a very healthy person that is rarely sick will have occasional bouts of illness that seem to go on and on like I have. He said that the brain sometimes resets and forgets how to create all the antibodies that it has previously made. The body gets sick and remakes the antibodies and then the person will be healthy again as they usually are. I thought that was rather interesting as I'm rarely sick...maybe once a year and it never lasts long. This year I've been sick for the last 3 months or so. Of course he said it could also just be bad luck. Exposure to viruses at just the wrong time. Lucky me.

I have my next prenatal appointment on the 1st of February. I'll try to get a picture of my burgeoning belly sometime in the near future.

31 weeks 3 days - still fluish but improving

I'm almost done with work hurrah! I intend to enjoy my vacation before the baby is born. Anna will still be in daycare and I'll have the days all to myself and hopefully by then I'll be healthy and able to enjoy my time off.

I went through Anna's old baby clothes and found the stuff that would fit a boy. I'll wash those along with the clothes I got from the pack of clothing the Finnish government sends mommies to be. The clothes are cute this year. If you'd like to see what you get in the baby package you can click here for pictures

So nice that it's a free package. I got one for Anna too. I could have taken the money instead but the package is a much better value. I had another appointment with the prenatal folk. The baby is growing very nicely. He's up at my ribs. The nurse said she'd be surprised if I wasn't having problems breathing. I am getting acid reflux though and having a wicked case of it right now. I have another appointment in 2 weeks and then preparation classes on the 4th. I never got those classes with Anna. It was canceled and rescheduled but I went into labor before I could get to the class.

My prenatal appointments are every 2 weeks from now on as I'm getting closer and closer to the due date. After the next appointment I'll see a doctor and he'll makes sure that all looks good. I need to start filling out forms and really thinking about what I want when I go into labor. This time I'll do it early. The last time...I went into labor so early that I had to fill out the forms while in labor at the hospital. Talk about fun times. I've been told that they'll take another blood test in the coming weeks since Anna had jaundice (that's the yellow baby syndrome for those of you who have never heard the word jaundice). I have no idea what it tests for or what good it does but there must be some good reason for it.

I guess I'm just really gearing up for baby. I'm getting things cleaned up and organized both in the house and in my mind. Next I'll probably pull the bed out of the storage and make sure it's clean and ready. We picked up the car seat the other day. It's brilliant and a Graco. Here's a picture if you're interested though it's a different color. I love that it has a base. You just click in the seat and click out. No more hassling with the seat belt every trip.

I should head to bed. I'll need to head to the medicine chest to get some antacids and hope it helps. It's an early rise with Anna.

30 weeks 5 days - Sick again?

Just when I thought I was over a cold and pneumonia, I've caught another cold from Anna. Anna has been sick all week and now when she's healthy it seems I'm coming down with a cold. I've been cautioned by my mother that I should take it easy as it's easy to get pneumonia again. I have another prenatal care appointment on Thursday and I think I'll ask for sick leave so I won't have to go back to work and I can take it easy.

The picture on the right is of me at 30 weeks and 4 days. I'm looking a little rough as I'd been taking care of Anna all week and JP has had very long days at work so neither of us had had any kind of break. This pregnancy is totally different from my first. With Anna I got big all the way around. My hips got wider and I just got big in general. With this baby the belly is growing straight out and I'm not getting any width at all. From the back I look as though I'm not pregnant at all.

My little guy is pretty active especially as I'm writing this. I guess I have anywhere from 5 to 11 weeks left in this pregnancy I suppose. I don't spend much time worrying about it as the baby will come when it comes.

29 weeks 2 days - Unexplained angries

I'm so frustrated and I can't really trace the cause. Is it because work blows goats in a big way right now? Is it that I haven't seen salary in almost 4 months? Is it that I'm totally powerless to do anything about it? I take maternity leave in less than 30 days at this point and I'm looking forward to it.

I ended up having to give up on my boss when it came to doing the necessary paperwork for my maternity leave stipend. He was supposed to supply certain papers and financial information which he should supply by law anyway. When I confronted him about it a week before the deadline he shrugged his shoulders and told me he didn't really know what to do even though I'd told him exactly what I needed from him. How could I NOT be frustrated with that? Luckily I had 2 other options and took the best of the two. I think it will work out better in the long run. I'd spent over 2 months waiting for him to do what he promised and all he did was shrug. I would love to grab him and shake him sometimes.

Although the stipend will be smaller than what my salary would be normally, at least it will be paid on time and will be what I expect every time and I won't have remind them to pay it like I do with my current job. Yes....I think that's the source of my angries. I feel better having vented.

29 weeks - 2008 ring in the new year!

Where did 2007 go? Have to get used to writing 2008. Its always a problem for me to get used to writing the new year on documents and whatnot. At any rate...we all survived Christmas. There were 13 of us under one roof. We got no peace and quiet and the kids were screaming. No one would take naps and the kids were cranky and over-wound. It was nice to get home.

The tummy is getting bigger. Strange to think I don't have that much longer. I'll go on maternity leave officially on February the 12th so I might as well make my last work day the 8th. If I stretch it and take my winter holiday in February I could leave on the last day of January. Not much to report really. My little one is getting very active and I've started feeling jabs of elbows and knees. I guess it's getting tight for space in there. Happy new year all!