Alexander’s first month
On Saturday Alex turned 1 month old! It is incredible how quickly that first month goes even though you end up being awake more hours than you are used too!
The first 3 nights at birthcare were tiring. I missed my husband and daughter and while looking after Alex came as 2nd nature, there were still some things I wasn’t sure of. This time round I was adamant I was going to get this breastfeeding thing down pat! Those people that tell you that breastfeeding shouldn’t be sore…. sure, not after about a month or more, but when you boobs haven’t had a sucker on them ever or in a while, they will obviously get sore! Bubs and mom are learning how to get this drinking thing right! It doesn’t come easy!
The first night Alex would make hungry signs and noises so I would promptly latch him on before he got to the crying stage. He would feed a little then pop off and go back to sleep. Lovely! I didn’t get much sleep that 1st night with being in a new surrounding and being able to hear other babies cry even though I had my own private room.
The second night came along and Alex went into cluster feeding mode and latched on and would not let go! I would sit on the chair or bed for up to 4 or 6 hours straight with him feeding, falling a sleep, then me trying to put him back to bed with him then waking up soon afterwards and wanting to feed again. This was pretty draining and especially when all you want to do is sleep! Now of course cluster feeding is for a right cause, to bring my milk in! Unfortunately it took a little while for that to happen and he lost about 8% of his birth weight so when we got home we bought some formula to top him up with when he needed it to regain some weight on him.
It took till he was almost 2 weeks, sore, cracked and bleeding nipples and hours of him attached to me to get my milk in properly, but I’m pleased to say that I’ve been exclusively breastfeeding since then! Considering how difficult it was for me to breastfeed my daughter, this was a great achievement! I’ve actually got to a point in the last couple of weeks where I’ve been engorged and even have had to express after a feed to relieve the discomfort! He feeds anywhere from 2 – 4 hours day and night.
My milk seems to be brilliant because at his 4 week check up he weighed in at 5.04kg’s! When we brought him home he weight 3.7kg’s so that’s a fantastic gain! He has also grown to 58cm in length from 51cm and HC of 38.5cm from 35cm!
In his first month he has shed most of his skin that was protecting him in the womb. His nails have been trimmed and his front part of his hair has actually fallen out so he looks like he has a receding hair line! He had a bruised nose and blood shot ring around his right eye from the pressure of birth but they have both pretty much cleared up now.
He got his dose of pimples from mommy’s hormones and if I don’t wash his face every day then he will get a “milk rash” on his face but otherwise he looks so handsome now.
Changing him was a new experience and I’m going to say that it is much easier changing a girl than it is to change a boy! First off with a girl, you don’t get caught off guard with a pee shower! I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve been caught in this line of shower! That area seems to delicate and I was so scared I was going to hurt him that it would take ages for me to change him! Then it’s dealing with the bowl motions and those lovely explosive nappy numbers! Breastfeeding makes their poos runny like water, so if you are not careful, it can leak everywhere! I think I’ve pretty much got it down on how to change him quickly without much mess!
The hardest thing is trying to swaddle him in this current heat which is very unusual for New Zealand. Normally it isn’t this warm till January but we are onto our 2nd day of reaching 27 degrees and Alex’s room reaches 30 degrees and he hates not being swaddled! As much as I’m really happy to have my summer baby as birthdays will be lovely to have outside, it’s these first 3 months that will be hard to keep him cool. I’m looking into a few things but it adds up when you don’t have extra income!
My daughter found it very hard to understand this new addition that took up all of mommy’s time and she has been very clingy with me during food/bath/bed time. It has sometimes taken me up to 2 hours to get her into bed if I’m feeding Alex! The most frustrating part is she chooses not to listen to me when I’m trying to tell her not to do something and that has been difficult. But… she adores him and gets upset if he isn’t around for some reason. Always wants to hold and hug him. Such a sweetheart 
My 2nd labour story
10 November 2010
It was a lovely summer’s day so I decided to get some things organised. I did some washing, and tried to organise bubs room as much as possible while my hubby tried to finish painting the tall boy and cupboard for the kids room. I decided to make a roast chicken for dinner with some veggies and our previous border popped in to pick up a duvet inner and we invited him to stay for dinner. While I was making dinner, I realise now that I was already starting to feel some very minor back pain but thought it was just from standing and making dinner for so long.
11 November 2010
I went to bed that night and woke up around 2am needing the toilet. Got back into bed noting I still could feel some minor pains which woke me up a few times till around 6am they got more serious and I went to the toilet and had soft bowl movements and some slightly clear mucous that I thought could be my mucous plug so I went to the lounge and got onto my computer to time the pains and see if I could make anything out of it. They were around 5-7 minutes apart but the length was irregular so again I didn’t think anything of it but I did tell my hubby to keep his phone nearby as today could be it.
Went through the usual morning routines with my daughter and when she went to sleep I went and slept too for 1 and a half hours. I woke up when she did and put the T.V on for her as I felt I needed to go back to bed to rest a bit. I was lying in bed and suddenly felt this very strong kick/pop like motion that took my by surprise at the strength but I somehow knew immediately it was was waters that broke! I checked my watch and it was 1:11pm! How cool is that time considering it was the 11 November!
I went to the toilet just to check and yes, my waters had broken and were leaking more so than it did with my first labour! Luckily I was wearing a pad. I checked my midwife notes that said if my waters broke during the day to give them a call, so I very excitedly called Alison at 1:30pm and she asked me what colour it was and I said it was a little red so she told me to come in and she would check me out.
1:30pm
I sent my husband a text and said to come home because my waters had broken and I then proceeded to get my daughter dressed and her bagged packed while organising somewhere for her to go for the time I was in labour.
My contractions were getting serious now but I could still do things like shower, shave, wash my hair, style it, put make up on, get dressed and finish packing my bags!
3pm
My husband came home packed the car and my sister in law came to pick up my daughter and my contractions were making my stop in my tracks by now! We finally made our way to see my midwife!
3:30pm
Got to my midwife’s office and went in to see her and she checked my waters which turned out to be more pink in colour rather than red which was fine and a good sign that my cervix dilating well. Alison proceeded to check my cervix which was very painful for me as I have a very sensitive cervix but I was 4cm dilated already! Yay! Alison then started to time my contractions which were much closer together than she realised so it was off to Parnel Birthcare!
4:30pm
We arrived at birthcare and went to my birthing suit. Had my temperature checked which was on the slightly high side, my blood pressure was fine though and bubs heartbeat was good. I had a wheat pack to help my tummy cramps while my husband massaged my back. The labour pool was ready so I took my clothes off and hopped into the pool. Every time a contraction came my husband would lean over the pool and massage my back which helped alot! They were very close and painful but as long as I could concentrate through them, I could handle them.
5:30pm
I was starting to get 3 lots of contraction on top of each other which really was painful and almost hard to deal with but decided it was time to get out as I could feel the need to push. I went to the bathroom as the need to pee wasn’t there but I did read that not emptying your bladder regularly can actually slow down the process. So off to the toilet I went and sure enough, it helped and it was time to push!
5:35pm
Got onto the bed and tried pushing on my side to help prevent tearing but I just couldn’t handle that so sat on the bed with legs up and my back at an incline and pushed. I think it took about 3 pushes and 9 minutes to get him out. I was definitely more controlled this time round and his head came down very quickly and was experiencing that terrible “ring of fire”!
5:49pm
He was out! The poor little guy was a little stunned due to having his cord wrapped around his neck and Alison called the midwife on site to get oxygen sorted for him but luckily a good rub down helped him out and we heard our first cry!
I got to hold my little man for about an hour while my placenta was removed and I was stitched up. I certainly felt more sensitive everywhere than I remember with my first and more tired.
Alexander’s first breastfeed went really well and then he was taken from me to get weighed and checked over.
Weight: 3.755kg
Height: 51cm
Head circumference: 35cm
Born 9 days early on 11 November 2010 @ 17:49
Next post – photos!
40 weeks – my due date
20 November 2010
So this day was my due date and to celebrate my husband and I went out for brunch and I had my long awaited Eggs Benedict with hollandaise sauce that I wasn’t allowed to have while pregnant because the sauce is made with raw eggs… yummy! We took along my little man which only proved a little bit of a problem when he wanted a feed and the bottle I had for him wasn’t enough! So I took myself to the car where he knocked himself out on breastmilk! We shared the brunch with some friends while my daughter stayed with the in-laws.
Here’s a photo of me and Alex on his due date and Alex is 9 days old:
What happened to 39 & 40 weeks belly photo?
Just a quick note to say that I didn’t make it 39 weeks because our boy decided to arrive 9 DAYS EARLY!
Alexander Maxim was born on Thursday 11 November 2010 @ 5:49pm weighing 3.755kg’s (8pd2oz). 51cm in length and 35cm head circumference.
Birth story and photos coming soon!
My baby shower
On Saturday I had my baby shower that a good friend organised for me. Unfortunately she ended up in hospital from the Thursday so another good friend took it over at the last minute which was very sweet of her.
About 9 family and friends turned up and we played games, opened presents and at yummy food. Because preparing for another baby, especially another gender can be as expensive as buying for a first baby I am truly grateful for the gifts.
Here are some photos from the day:
38 weeks belly photo and update
Have been getting lots of little niggles but seems to just be Braxton Hicks contractions which isn’t a bad thing. The most painful lot I had was on Wednesday, as mentioned in my previous post, that it actually got me to pack my bags which I hadn’t done yet!
Thursday morning I had my midwife appointment. My blood pressure is fine and bubs heartbeat is fine. When I saw her I was 37 weeks and 5 days along but I’m measuring around 35 weeks in fundal height, so almost 3 weeks behind which she isn’t concerned about as my daughter was a 4kg baby at 39 weeks and 5 days. He isn’t engaged yet either and will most likely not be till I actually go into labour. I would be really happy to have a smaller baby this time round as they are so cute and tiny and I would think would make labour easier and hopefully he won’t have a huge head that I will need to squeeze out… ouchie! I don’t see her now till I’m 39 weeks and 3 days along.
I’ve been drinking the Raspberry leaf tea and on to 3 bags a day now. I will be starting the Evening Primrose oil tablets soon but will only take it orally 3 times a day. Alison doesn’t think I will need it though as I seem to have efficient labours. The only thing that’s holding me back from taking them is that the baby room is just not ready! I only just had my baby shower yesterday and still have to get a few things. I’m currently trying to sell the man-robe on Trade Me and if it sells, will only go on the weekend. There is also a Plunket Baby Fair on Sunday where I can get a lot of great second hand items for cheap prices and I might as well wait till then to got some of the items rather than pay full price for new items. I much prefer getting a good deal on second hand deals in great condition. But I will be 39 weeks then and pushing it very close to possibly having bubs, especially if he comes early! We still haven’t painted the tall and short boy cupboards but hopefully my husband will sort this out tomorrow and it will dry ASAP and I will be able to sort and pack bubs clothes and figure out what I still need.
Trying to sell some of my daughters clothes so I have some extra cash to be able to afford things we need. Getting a little panicky that things have been left so late but what can I do?
I’m getting tired these days and so grateful that Asher still has a day nap so I can sleep when she does. I didn’t get to have a sleep on Friday or Saturday and was really tired today. Thankfully Asher slept for 2 and a half hours which I managed to get 1 and a half hours out of it. My hips and shoulders are getting sore at night now and lying on my right hand side for too long makes me dizzy as it restricts blood flow to my vital organs. I’m also not enjoying the weight gain now and think I look like a chubby bunny now!
Not too long to go now hopefully.
Braxton Hicks or Labour?
It started this morning with some lower tummy pain and throughout the day I’ve had lower tummy pain with some back pain here and there. They haven’t been consistent which makes me think it’s braxton hicks which can be painful with consecutive pregnancies. Even so, it got to a point this afternoon that I thought I better get my bags packed asap! I wanted to wait till after Saturday to pack my bags as thats when my baby shower is but then if bubs decides to come before then, I don’t want to be frantically packing my bags!
I have a midwife appointment tomorrow morning so if nothing eventuates overnight I will be chatting to her about this all.
My 1st pregnancy labour story
According to my scan sizing dates, my baby’s due date would be on the 17th August 2008. According to my cycle I worked out my due date to be on the 15 August 2008.
On Wednesday evening the 13th August we met with some friends and I had some yummy pancakes for desert at Denny’s restaurant. I certainly didn’t feel that labour would be starting soon! That night I went to bed in a separate bed to my husband because I would have “running legs” and would have to kick my legs around before I could fall asleep and this would help him fall asleep! That night I tossed and turned and was so uncomfortable and I can’t even tell you how often I went to the toilet! Didn’t help that I was drinking so much water either I suppose!
On Thursday morning my husband left for work around 7am. I got out of bed at 7:30am and went to the toilet. I felt something different and even could say I heard a “pop” sound, which later I found it was my waters breaking. I wiped to find my plug had started to come away and started to feel lower tummy and back pain, like milk period cramps. I was getting them every hour or so.
I made myself a hot herbal tea drink with extra sugar and went back to bed with some panadol to rest up because I didn’t want to tire myself out and not be able to cope with labour down the line. I texted a friend of mine to find out if this could be it and reckoned I was in labour.
So from 7:30am through to about 8pm the contractions were becoming more frequent but not very painful yet. My plug was coming away more and more and I was going through pads because my waters trickled throughout the day rather than having one massive gush. During this time when I had enough of lying around in bed I made sure I had everything in my labour and baby bag, had a shower and shaved my legs and then just waited.
I still didn’t call my midwife and to my horror our one boarder decided to bring his fiancée around to work on the invitations at our place and our other boarder had his two daughters over for dinner so I was not impressed that I was in labour and had a full house! NOT what I wanted!
My husband and I decided to get pizza for dinner and I managed to eat a few slices and watched some T.V to pass the time. Sometime around 9 or 10pm then contractions became more serious that I needed to concentrate on them and go to our bedroom to get away from the people in the house.
The pain in my lower belly and back was getting painful now and all I could remember to do was to bend over, leaning on my bed and move my hips from side to side while my husband tried to relax and massage me. I had the computer in the room with me so used an online contraction timer to time my contractions. I can’t remember how long they had to last and so forth but it needed to consistent to at least two hours before I could go into birthcare. So from 10pm till midnight they got consistent and stronger. Sometime around then I ended up throwing up that nights dinner… that was fun…. not! My husband called my midwife, Alison at midnight. I had a chat with her and she said to go to birthcare and she would meet me there.
So we packed the bags in the car and went on our way. We got there and the contractions were getting painful enough for me to have to stop in my tracks. Alison arrived and by 1am she had checked my cervix which I demanded to use gas for because my cervix was so sensitive that I actually asked her if she has long nails to have her answer and say no, she’s wearing gloves! So I used gas which helped but made loose concentration, especially when a contraction came along. She checked me and said my waters have broken already and I’m 4cm already.
The labour pool was ready so I proceeded into the pool which helped and was relaxing. Alison was going to call another midwife fill in for her for my last stage because she had had a week of delivering babies and was pretty tired but to her surprise and mine, I hadn’t been in the pool for even half an hour and I was ready to push! That last contraction that takes you to the pushing stage was probably the worst contraction out of them all and actually made me think if this gets worse I’m going to need more pain relief! But I was pushing and the lower and tummy and back pain went away and became an insane pushing feeling that you just can’t help but push and I made a hell of a noise pushing! Alison was really surprised and checked my cervix again (with the help of gas) and I was 10cm! Within 2 hours I had dilated from 4cm to 10cm!
So there was, got off the bed and went to sit on the toilet to push a bit which helped empty my bowls. I then went back to the bed and tried being on my all 4′s position which I hated! The best position I actually found was being semi reclined on my back with Alison holding my one leg up and my husband holding my other leg up while I made lots of noises while trying to push the baby out! I was holding the sheets with both hands with such force that I’m sure my husband would have been grateful it wasn’t his hands!
Then the pain from the baby crowning was such a burning sensation, it’s a no wonder they call it the ring of fire! That area became so numb that when I did tear I didn’t feel it, thank God! It took all of 45 minutes to push baby out and it’s the head that is the hardest to push out. The shoulders and the rest of the body actually come out easily with the next contraction. Very weird sensation when they do pop out! Baby was born at 4:52am on Friday morning 15th August 2008 at 39 weeks and 5 days.
My body and my voice was sore! But I was running on adrenaline now! I lay there getting my breath back and then thought to ask, is it a boy or a girl, which to my delight, my husband said: “a girl!” I was so happy and amazed that thats what I thought she was all the time!
Alison checked my girl over and she didn’t do very well in the first minute with the apgar test because she apparently had the cord around her neck and feet! But then all went well and I got to hold my baby girl! Alison gave me an injection to release my placenta without any problems and while I held my girl Alison stitched me up.
Once that was all done I proceeded to breastfeed my daughter. We hadn’t decided on a name yet. That first breastfeed went well and then Alison took her to get weighed and measured. She weighed in at 4.070kg’s, much to Alison surprise too! She thought she would be around 3.6kg’s. She had a head circumference of 35cm and was 52cm in length. She had dark blue eyes and dark brown hair with lovely skin colour and complexion.
While that sorted and dressed my baby girl I went to have a shower and because I gave birth at birthcare my private room was just upstairs and their my baby was sleeping and waiting for me.
Here are some photos, one when she was 3 days old and one from a couple of weeks ago at 2 years old.
