Tips and Tricks Tuesdays from moms birth story part 1

Don't be distracted by that cute little bundle of joy in the picture. Look at that poor lady in the background! That is what someone who went into labor at 2am and had an 8lb 14oz baby with a head circumference of 36cms looks like. People thought it was weird that I was eating right away. Are you kidding me? I was starving!!!

*TIPS AND TRICKS ARE IN CAPS IN CASE YOU DON’T WANT TO READ EVERY DETAIL

But, let’s start at the beginning. THE FIRST THING YOU NEED TO DO, IF YOU HAVEN’T DONE IT ALREADY IS WATCH THE VIDEO, “HAPPIEST BABY ON THE BLOCK”. It has 5 ways to calm a crying baby. When you watch it you might think it’s a little wacky but that first night in the hospital you will be using every single way. We would have had a more miserable first night if we hadn’t watched that movie. I really think sending the baby to the nursery will make breast feeding more difficult. If your baby is there with you in the room you can keep working on it.

Most of you that read this blog or follow me on twitter know that Chase was due April 27th. At my 38 week appointment I was 1-2 cm dilated. We were all so excited! We thought he would for sure be here in a week. I started having contractions that night and people get even more excited. A week went by and still no baby. I lost my mucous plug at some point but knew that didn’t really mean anything. I was 2-3 cm dilated at my 39 week appointment. I had contractions like 5 minutes apart but they weren’t intense to the point I couldn’t talk on the phone or walk around. WE TRIED EVERYTHING TO GET THE BABY OUT, NOTHING WORKED. IF YOUR DOCTOR TELLS YOU THAT YOU ARE DILATED, DON’T GET EXCITED. EVEN IF YOU HAVE CONTRACTIONS, DON’T GET EXCITED.

I made it to my due date and had an appointment that day and I was 3-4 cm 70% effaced. The doctor jokingly said, “See you tonight!” That was Wednesday, April 27th. On Saturday, April 30th we did a lot of walking! We ran a bunch of errands and then went on a walk to my cousins’ house and then walked with them and back to our house. WALKING ABOUT 5 MILES PUT ME INTO LABOR. At 2am on May 1st I woke up with contractions. I had a couple false alarms already so I didn’t get too excited.

The contractions were pretty intense and kind of close together and I started to pay attention. I was timing them and had a contraction so painful I had to get out of bed because I felt like there was nothing I could do. At that point we were thinking we might need to go to the hospital. We started getting ready and Hubby made me a smoothie.

IF YOU ARE GETTING READY TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL A SMOOTHIE IS NOT ENOUGH FOOD. HAVE A CLIFF BAR OR SOME CARBS AND PROTEIN. WHEN I WAS WALKING AROUND THE HOUSE I WOULD HAVE TO STOP WHATEVER I WAS DOING DURING A CONTRACTION. YOU REALLY CAN’T WALK DURING LABOR CONTRACTIONS. I called the hospital because the books say they will talk to you during a contraction and tell you if you should come in. My hospital asked us to call and let them know we were coming and when I called she just said see you when you get here.

Let’s talk about what to pack for the hospital. BUY TRAVEL SIZE TOILETRIES SO YOU DON’T HAVE TO PACK THEM BEFORE YOU LEAVE. BRING PILLOWS WITH BRIGHT PILLOW CASES AND TOWELS FOR YOU AND YOUR HUSBAND IF HE IS STAYING. The hospital bed, pillows, and towels suck. YOU NEED A COUPLE PAIRS OF SOCKS, CLOTHES FOR HUSBAND AND BABY. My husband wished he had slippers. The baby wore one going home outfit and used one blanket. I brought a nursing nightgown but stayed in my hospital gowns the whole stay. CAMERA, VIDEO CAMERA, AND LAPTOP WERE USED. We never turned on the tv or the ipod. YOU CAN A BRING DIAPER BAG JUST IN CASE THE HOSPITAL RUNS OUT OF DIAPERS, I’VE HEARD IT HAPPENS, AND THEN IT’S READY FOR APPOINTMENTS A COUPLE DAYS LATER.

IF YOU ARE GOING TO BREAST FEED THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU BRING WITH YOU TO THE HOSPITAL IS MY BREST FRIEND . I was given a boppy and thought that would be fine and never got around to asking if I should bring it to the hospital. I don't know why I didn't think I would need it. The boppy was too soft. My Brest friend is hard and keeps him in the right position which is so important when you are both figuring things out. My little guy is such a squirmer it was so hard to just use hospital pillows the first couple days. I came home and tried the boppy but it was still difficult. My Brest friend is amazing!