Before I get into this recap, I thought I’d tell you about my labour music story.
During my pregnancy, I always read about other mama-to-be’s making a playlist on their ipods so they’d have music to listen to during labour. Genius, I thought. I need one too. And so I used my pregnancy card for the umpteenth time and charmed Eric into making me a playlist when I hit around 38 weeks. I was busy nesting my heart out and luckily he was willing to entertain my labour requests. Much to my control-freak’s chagrin, I let him choose the entire playlist. I had no clue what would be on it, but remember – at 38 weeks pregnant I was too tired to care! I just asked him to include a mix of upbeat/fast tempo and slower songs. I also asked that there be little to no classical music. I’m all for classical music at the right time, but if it’s the wrong time it can drive me bonkers. So there’s that.
He made me a playlist and since Eric never does anything half-assed, he didn’t just make me any old playlist. He made me a playlist with two separate categories: fast/upbeat, slow/chill and I’m pretty sure he spent a few hours picking the “perfect” songs. I even heard him chuckling about adding the Rocky theme song. Oh boy…
I packed the ipod along with portable speakers (you know, to blast the roof off the joint) in my hospital bag. It sat for 2 weeks in my bag and I was so happy that I would have amazing music to play during labour! It was going to be the BEST labour evaaaaa.
Fast forward to the labour. Do you think that ipod even got taken out of the bag? Of course not. Do you think I even opened my bag during labour? No again. Do you think my hospital bag even made it out of the car? Nope!!! I was in so much pain when we got to the hospital we totally forgot about my bag. Eric got it shortly after delivery when we moved into another room. Here I was thinking I needed my music to get through labour, but the thought of music didn’t even cross my mind during labour. I guess I had other things on my mind!
Fast forward to last week. Eric hooked up our treadmill in the basement so I could workout in the house. After he set it up, I dug out the beloved “labour” ipod music, and clicked play. Holy crap, this is a GREAT playlist. He didn’t let me down. Maybe next time!
Did you listen to music during your labour?
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A lot has happened over the past two weeks! When I started these bi-weekly recaps, I worried that I wouldn’t have much to write about, but I’m finding there is so much to write about. I’m actually thinking I might have to switch to weekly recaps so I can stay a bit more organized. What would you guys prefer?
During week 10, my dad came to visit for the week. It was his first time meeting Adriana so that was very special. Unfortunately, he came down with a horrible flu just prior to his arrival so that really put a damper on the visit. He felt so horrible all week long. Luckily, none of us caught it, so I am very grateful for that.
We had an exciting milestone happen this week. Adriana rolled over from her tummy to her back. She was on her tummy for tummy time and all of a sudden she just rolled over out of the blue! She did it once more that same day, but she hasn’t done it since. Maybe she decided rolling over isn’t all it’s cracked up to be?
Another thing she has started to do over the past few weeks is pouting. She sticks out her bottom lip and is so dramatic about it. I can’t handle it. I’m sure the pouting lip will get old, but right now we think it’s the funniest thing we’ve ever seen. Where do they come up with this stuff?
Adriana appears to be showing early teething signs. After reading up on it and talking to other moms, apparently teething symptoms can start months before the first tooth cuts. Around the start of week 10, she started to drool a ton. She’s been chewing her shirts and soaking them, gumming everything, rubbing her cheeks (which can be from nerve pain), fussing and crying a lot more than usual, etc. She has also been rubbing her cheeks against my nipple when breastfeeding. Maybe it’s not early teething symptoms, but it sure seems like something is up. We pulled out her Sophie the Giraffe teething toy she received as a gift and she’s loving it so far. I also ordered her an organic cloth/wood teether from a Toronto company called Ringley.ca. I will report back if she likes it!
It’s probably going to implode as soon as I type this, but sleep has been pretty consistent lately. We’re in a great routine right now where I feed her around 9:30-10pm, she sleeps until 3-3:30am when she feeds again, and then she sleeps until 6-6:30am for an early morning feed. Our overnight sessions are also much shorter now. They used to take about an hour by the time everything was said and done, but now we’re down to about 25-30 minutes per session. I feed her on one side, then Eric burps her and changes her diaper, and then I offer her the other side (sometimes she takes it, other times not).
Breastfeeding is still going well, although she gets sillier by the day. Sometimes she loves to coo and act silly when I put her on the breast to feed (unless she’s very hungry, then it’s all business). I’ll go to feed her and she will look up at me with this huge grin on her face and let out a big squeak. It’s hilarious to her! It takes her a few moments of this little game and then she finally latches on. I’ve also been making progress with breastfeeding around other people a bit more. We went to a Christmas party this weekend and I fed Adriana in the same room as everyone else (I use this nursing cover). I’m shy so this is a big step for me. I hope to get more and more comfortable with it over time. I’ve also discovered parking lot nursing! We’ve had a couple outings this past week where she all of a sudden needed food yesterday, so I nursed her in the backseat of the car in a parking lot. I also changed her diaper in the back seat! It was awkward and I thought I was going to pull out my back, but it worked. You gotta do what you gotta do!
Our biggest challenge over the past few weeks (and really, the past 11 weeks) has been finding a balance with our relationship. Eric and I have a lot of love and respect for one another, but sometimes it’s easy to forget that we’re on the same team. Sleep deprivation and hormones are no joke. It’s easy to be snappy and bicker for no good reason. So we’re trying to work on things and not take each other for granted. My friend told me that her and her husband have weekly meetings where they talk about everything from their children, to schedules, to their relationship. We gave it a shot and let me tell you it was so refreshing. We spent half of the meeting talking honestly about our relationship and parenting (what’s going good, what we can improve, how we can help each other) and the other half about our business. I think it’s going to help us a lot and we plan on continuing these weekly meetings into the future. It’s amazing how just a bit of communication can make all the difference.
Exercise: After getting into spin classes around week 8 and 9, I fell off the spinning bandwagon. When my dad came to visit during week 10, I didn’t make it to any spin classes. I didn’t want to wear myself out given there was a chance I could catch his flu. So I took that week off exercise. The week after, I decided to start working out in the basement on my treadmill. Since Adriana still isn’t taking a bottle, it’s a lot easier working out at home. So now when she naps I squeeze in my workout.
Here is what I’ve been doing:
Treadmill Hill Workout:
Warm-up for 2 minutes
1-10 minutes: Speed 4.3 mph, incline 8%
10-20 minutes: Speed 4.3 mph, incline 9%
20-30 minutes: Speed 4.4 mph, incline 10%
Cool down for 2-3 mins
It might be a walking workout, but don’t let that fool you. The hills and fast pace have me covered in sweat and out of breath!
I’m also doing these resistance/weight workout videos every other day:
10-Minutes Pilates Butt Workout (via FitSugar)
Madonna Arms 10-Minute Workout (via FitSugar)
I LOVE these two videos. In just 10 minutes each, I really feel like I squeeze in a great workout. The beauty is you can do them anytime, anywhere. For the Madonna arms, you will need a set of 3-pound and 5-pound dumbbells and for the butt workout you will need one 5-pound dumbbell. I’m loving getting my strength back!
Bottle feeding: We ordered the Comotomo bottle based on some of your suggestions. It has great reviews for babies who don’t take to bottles easily. She still hasn’t latched onto it yet, but we are going to keep at it (both with me out of the house and in the house). I think I have a fast letdown reflex, so we might also try ordering a nipple with a faster flow to see if that’s what she prefers…it’s all trial and error at this point!
Favourite game: I started sticking out my tongue at her to see if she would stick hers out at me. She is so captivated by my tongue sticking out! Sometimes she will stick it out back at us. It’s SO stinkin cute.
She loves: diaper changes, mornings, eating, daddy’s silly faces, snuggles/being held, mamaroo, playing airplane, bathtime, Christmas trees/lights, black chandelier in our bedroom (she grins at this thing)
She dislikes: nail clipping, ear cleaning, eye cleaning, gas pains
Nicknames: squirmy wormy, monkey, milk monster, werewolf
New postpartum symptom: We are both losing our hair! I knew this day would come…sniff, sniff. My hair got so thick during my pregnancy, and it’s starting to fall out now (especially around the forehead area – my hair stylist said this is so common). It’s the circle of life, I suppose. Adriana’s hair has also thinned out a lot! It seems to be coming in a lighter colour, so it’ll be interesting to see how it grows in.
Eye colour: Still blue, but they have changed from navy to a lighter blue now.
“It’s not only children who grow. Parents do too. As much as we watch to see what our children do with their lives, they are watching us to see what we do with ours. I can’t tell my children to reach for the sun. All I can do is reach for it, myself,” – Joyce Maynard.
I sure do love your updates (would totally prefer them weekly), but have to admit right now they are making me crazy jealous. I’m almost 42 weeks and this kid does not seem to want to come out! I am already filing away things that you’ve found out as possibles for me, so thanks!
Come on baby! Must be cozy in there. :)
Good luck with everything!
I’m all for weekly baby updates!!
Thank you for sharing, Angela! I had my baby boy in August, so it’s nice to read about another new mom’s journey. My little guy does the same thing while breastfeeding. It’s so adorable to watch him smile, laugh and latch — only to jump back off again.
Also, my hair has been falling out like crazy lately. I’m contemplating going for a shorter cut, especially since my little one keeps grabbing my hair. :)
I would love weekly also!
My hair also started falling shortly after each of my two pregnancies. But after a while it stopped falling and I got my awesome hair back :).
Both my kids, when they were little (yes, now they are very grown up :) – one is almost 6 and the other one is almost 3) loved to watch the fan in our bedroom.
Each stage in our kids’ lives is awesome. It sounds like you are enjoying your time with Adriana. Keep it up :)!
I changed my twins’ diapers in so many crazy places; ironically, one of the few places I did not were changing tables provided in restrooms, etc., as they seemed to me a germfest (-:
Would love weekly updates.
You cracked me up to warm joyous tears with your labour music story! It was just what I needed, thank you. (PS – No music during my son’s birth either – though my fantasy was to have Anne Murray – Danny’s Song played during labour, haha.)
It’s funny what you think you’ll want for your “ideal labor”. I did listen to music but couldn’t have cared less what music it was (don’t even remember). I’d also brought a pretty picture to “focus” on during my contractions but ended up having my eyes squeezed shut for most of the time!
My little one started teething at 3 months but didn’t get her first tooth until 4 months and 3 weeks. This is the time to stock up on plastic-backed bibs :-).
Enjoy your nursing cover while you can…if Adriana is anything like my Fiona, by 4-5 months she’ll start amusing herself by lifting the cover every which way, yanking on it, trying to peer out from behind it…I quickly gave up on it as it became more of a nuisance than a help!
I’m all for weekly updates! As for music during labor, it didn’t happen for me either. The pain, oh the PAIN!! I had my 3rd child in July and love reading about your journey with your darling girl.
Totally off subject… I absolutely love your watch in the picture! I have been on a hunt to find the perfect watch for a really long time. Is there anyway you can tell me who makes it? I would be ever so thankful! :)
haha so true!
The watch is Michael Kors from 2013. Its a mix of gold and silver and has tiny crystals around the edge. Love it! They have awesome watches (I too looked for ages for one that I loved)
I love reading your updates, Angela. It warms my heart. <3 You sound like the most loving, attentive, caring mother any child could hope for.
Your relationship with Eric tugs at my heartstrings on so many levels. The two of you seems so matched that it makes me smile. To hear that you're both going through some of the ups and downs of relationships, given everything you have on your plates, is encouraging and it reminds me that relationships always take work, no matter what. You're both such beautiful, wondrous people and I feel fortunate that you allow us to be a part of your lives by coming here and reading your updates. Please know that I'm sending all my love and warmth to you both, and to your beautiful baby girl, to remind you that the struggles you face will make your love stronger, and will build a strength in you to overcome what's next. I truly believe in a love as luminous as the one I see between you and Eric, and no two people deserve each other as much as you do. In the end, the only thing that matters is the connection you two have, and the love you both share for your daughter, and no matter what tries to wedge it's way into your relationship, if you hold on to that delicate string of love that ties the three of you together, nothing will be too big to overcome.
Keep breathing. ~
I had my second baby on November 8th, so I’m certainly enjoying following along with your adventures in parenting and cooking. I didn’t really listen to music during either of my labours, but my doula and I did decide we had to hear ” All About That Bass ” at one point for some reason, and then I had that stuck in my head while I was pushing and for days afterwards! What I did do was watch sitcoms on an iPad (first labour: Big Bang Theory. Second labour: Modern Family) which kept me just distracted enough to keep going through the contractions. I watched almost a whole season of MF in active labour this last time and then got to watch it all again because I was so out of it with pain I hardly remembered any of the episodes!
Love these updates and would love them on a weekly basis!
Hi Angela,
So happy to hear that all is going well. I found with the 3 month mark that the mile stones just keep happening and each day is so much fun. I loved the 3 month stage ;0)
I would love to read a weekly update. I really enjoy the quotes you add to the end of each baby update. Its so sweet ;0)
Thanks again for sharing!!
We are almost IN the same place our little Gabriela was born on Sep 25. i have been loving to read your posts, both our girl are almost in the same page! Keep recording! Love to read it
Reading about your parking lot nursing sessions made me remember when my oldest was born and I’d hide away in the mall bathroom before nursing in public. A nice mom once suggested a dressing room in a store since it’d be much cleaner and the sounds would be less disgusting! Lol. I thought of her advice when I saw your post. Soon it’ll be freezing cold and hopping in the car during a power shop won’t seem so inviting. Bonus, in the dressing room there’s usually a bench for easier diaper changes! :)
I love reading these posts. They are so inspiring, interesting and fun to read. I look forward to them every two weeks and am always eager for the next one – getting one every week would be even better!
I LOVE your updates! I am all for weekly updates if you think you have the time :) They always make me smile when I read them!
I love reading your posts about how things are going, so I would not mind a once a week post at all!
I loved the part in this post where you talked about the relationship between you and Eric. That’s so important to remember just how important your relationship with your partner is. My husband and I don’t have children yet (we are getting there!), but this is definitely a big fear of mine when we do. Communication is our number one priority in our relationship, so knowing that is still works and is key when adding in a child is helpful to know.
Love your updates! I love reading about all the changes that we just recently went through. My daughter is 5 months and i’m here to tell you that 10-12 weeks were life changing! It gets better and better! The whole teething thing seems to last FOREVER. My daughter still hasn’t gotten her first tooth and i can’t believe we are still waiting for it. As for the bottle thing, i had the exact same problem. We went through 6 different bottles and eventually the Avent natural flow 0+ nipple size worked for her. She still isn’t a huge fan of the bottle in general but i know that i can leave her and she will be just fine. I work 12 hour weekends every other weekend and her and my husband manage just fine now! Good luck and let me know if you have any other questions. Motherhood is such an emotional roller coaster. I never know i could love another human being and much as i love Olivia until she came into our world! Its amazing ;-)
That’s so funny that Adrianna rolled over so early! My daughter is 3months now and did the same thing where she rolled over twice in a day. Not once since then, so I’m assuming it was a fluke.
I also have that cover and I love it! It was really scary, but I fed my daughter on the bus over the weekend and it ended up not being a big deal. I think the more you nurse in front of people the easier it will get. Baby’s gotta eat! My daughter puts up with bottles, but I’d rather nurse her when I am with her!
I can also relate to the sugar cravings!!!!! They are out of control!