Random New Mom Insights

I've had this post brewing in my mind for months and I can't seem to stay on top of blogging so it gets pushed to the back burner. The following are a few insights I've had since giving birth:

The "Baby Blues":
Ha! Baby blues my ass! I, like most women out there, read all the pregnancy books, researched information online and talked with friends and family about what to expect those first few days. Sure the books say you'll have hormone fluctuations, that you might cry and feel blue. No one warned me just how severe a drop in hormones there'd be! I swear those first two days home with Sophie I thought I was going to have a nervous breakdown. It didn't help that she was having weight gain issues and my milk wasn't coming in fast enough but I was so on edge it was scary. Just having our high-anxiety greyhound pacing and staring at me as I breastfed sent me over the edge. I cried for no reason for two days straight. I had headaches, constant nothing-would-make-them-go-away headaches. I was so in love with Little Miss S yet I felt miserable. Thankfully, after about a week and a half, things settled down and I was feeling more like myself.

Sleep when the baby sleeps:
This was likely my biggest mistake. I didn't rest or sleep when Sophie slept during the day. Because she came early and Y had no baby experience I didn't feel like I could rest. There was laundry to do, Christmas to prepare for and cleaning to stay on top of. I think I felt like because I had no control over my body with hormones awry and milk not coming in that I had to control something. So, moms-to-be, it may be hard but SLEEP when your baby sleeps. You need it. Your body needs it!

Epidurals and other labor meds:
I'm not going to debate natural labor versus labor with pain relief. Everyone's different. Each labor is different. Your body, your choice. But remember to be flexible in your plans. I was frustrated that I had to be given Pitocin to move labor along but since my membranes ruptured at home we couldn't risk infection. I wasn't given a choice. It had to be done. I knew I wanted an epi. I'm a wuss, I admit it. No where did I read I'd have entire body shakes while under the epi. That was the freakiest thing - I felt I was going to shake right off the bed. I had no control and immediately wondered if that was how a person with Parkinson's felt. Oh and the itching! As your body numbs, your belly or wherever the border is for numbness vs full feeling will itch like crazy! For about 10 minutes I thought I was going to go insane!

Labor and pushing:
If you don't want to be grossed out, stop reading here and skip to the next heading. Still reading? I warned you. Now's your last chance.... You know you need to start pushing when it feels like you need to poop. Ladies, accept it, you're likely going to poop while pushing. All the muscles you use to poop are the same ones you use to push. It's gross, yes, but just a fact of life. That being said, pushing is exhausting. I reached a point, and my labor/pushing time was very short, that I couldn't push any longer. I wanted to throw up and felt I actually was going to vomit and then your child's head crowns. Holy mother of all that is sacred....my epi had worn off at this point (beacause of my reaction my dosage was turned down) and IT HURT. There is no experience to which to compare your child's head that's stretching and tearing your cervix. I recall my labor nurse telling me "Her head is right there. You're going to feel some stretching." Ha! Trust me, you'll know why some women scream.

Baby Clothes:
Just like adult clothing, each manufacturer makes their baby clothes slightly different. It seems Sophie has a slightly longer than normal torsoe. Here's what we've found works for us:

• Carter's (aka Child of Mine and The First Years): These onesies are longer through the torsoe and will fit a few pounds beyond their suggested weights on the tags.
• Gerber: All gerber onesies and one-piece sleepers are short through the torsoe. For Sophie, she can wear Gerber products early in the size range. For example the 3-6 month sizes say for 12/12.5-16/16.5lbs. I was able to put her in the 3-6month sizes from Gerber before she had outgrown the Carter's 0-3 month sizes. She's now to the point she can barely wear the 3-6 month size - they're just too short.
• Osh Kosh B'Gosh: Their clothing, especially one-pieces are shorter in overall length than most other brands. If you have a long baby be aware!
  
• Circo (Target): I love shopping at Target and can often find great bargains but we've found the Circo brand clothing tends to be wider. If you have a long and skinny child, these pieces will be flowing around the middle. The onesies and one-pieces tend to be a bit shorter through the torsoe but not as short as Gerber products.
• Gymboree: Their clothing is pretty true to size, if not running a little small.
• Carter's: Back to Carter's for a moment. They size their clothing in NB, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, etc. This means the sizes are UP TO that size. So a 6 month outfit will actually be a 3-6 month size range.

My best tip for buying baby clothes: check the weight range. When I was initially buying clothes I always thought a 6 month tag meant it fit a 6-month old. Not the case. A large baby could be in 6 month clothing long before that age. Maybe I was just clueless but this was a big Aha! moment (teachers you know what I mean) when I figured this out!