Hannah's Birth Story: Introduction

Welcome to a new series I'm planning to write for this blog about my pregnancy with Hannah. Overall, I felt that Hannah's birth was an incredibly positive experience. Having an unmedicated labor went better than I could have hoped and made me confident in the health of my daughter. Since she was born several weeks early, it could have been a very scary time so I am proud to have gone the natural route and would encourage other Moms to make the same decision as well! I had never thought of myself as an athlete before, but after giving birth I felt like I had just completed a marathon. I got such a rush from the sense of accomplishment and the exhaustion, mixed with true love for our new baby.

There was a lot of preparation in the months and weeks leading up to her birth. I started with a healthy diet once the morning sickness passed. Then, I began exercising regularly when I regained my energy. I chose prenatal workout videos of yoga, cardio, and strength training. I also walked around the mall during my lunch breaks or walked around the neighborhood with Zac after work if the weather was nice. Zac helped encourage me to drink plenty of water, too. All these things were instrumental in my choice to have a natural birth.

It wasn't until halfway through my pregnancy that I actually started considering that option. Mostly out of fear that for some reason I wouldn't be able to have an epidural, I wanted to know how it would be done without one. The more I learned, the more it seemed like it should be my first choice and not my backup plan. I finally made the decision when I considered that (like me) many women are too scared to have their first baby the natural way, but think that they could do it the second time around. Why not my first time? I resolved to do everything I could to prepare myself for the natural birth plan, but to keep an open mind and do what seemed best for the baby when the time came around.

Initially I borrowed the book "Husband Coached Child Birth" for Zac, in the hope that he would learn how to support me during the delivery. Well, he didn't read very much of it, but he was still a great resource for information because the book kept touting the benefits of swimming to pregnant women. Lucky me, married to a Rescue Swimmer. I needed to get into a pool with him- stat! We started swimming during our vacation in Florida and kept it up when we returned home. He showed me how to breathe in the pool and coached me to swim laps. If you can believe it, I didn't even know you had to exhale prior to drawing in a new breath before we started. I quickly improved from controlled drowning to active swimming. Whenever I got tired or cold and wanted to quit, Zac prodded me along and sent me on a stroll to the other side of the pool. Then I would feel my little future Olympian kicking and I knew that this would be good practice for me to eventually keep up with her in the pool as well. I had just enough time to get the hang of swimming before Hannah decided it was time for us to meet!

This Little Mommy Stayed Home by Samantha Wilde: Book Review

“Think of the funniest person you know, give her a baby and a month without sleep, multiply by ten, and you’ve got the incomparable Samantha Wilde rocking the hilariously appalling realities of motherhood and the modern marriage.” Karen Karbo

Joy is stumbling through the first year of Motherhood with a husband who works 24/7, a monster mother-in-law, and a loveable baby boy. Her humorous take on everything from her mother’s impending fourth marriage to a crush on her steamy yoga teacher, mixed with the everyday trials of first-time motherhood will have you poring through this page turner.

She starts in a seemingly normal situation for many new moms, having recently relocated to the suburbs of New York for her husband’s work. This brings them closer to her opinionated mother-in-law, who balks at everything Joy does as a parent. It’s no help that her absentee husband has begun siding with his Mother on top of everything else he does to get on her nerves. She has a hilarious breakdown from the bathroom when her husband asks her where she keeps the diapers. Is it possible that it’s been so long since he changed the baby?

Amidst all this, a stream of amusing characters parade through Joy’s day-to-day. Her flirtatious yoga instructor and former college boyfriend keep the romance sparking even as it flickers out of her marriage. She’s accompanying her Mother on too many pre-wedding errands to allow enough time to cyber-stalk her future Father-in-law. As if she didn’t already have her hands full with a new baby! So, if you can find a few minutes to yourself or if you can manage to hold a book while nursing your baby, I highly recommend this one. Any other Moms read any great books lately? Let us know!

Could Motherhood be Making Me Crazy?

The Bump sent me an email asking this today. In short, I'm sure the answer is yes. I have a feeling that Zac would tell you I was crazy long before Motherhood. If we're referring only to my sleep-deprivation, supersonic hearing, and lack of adult conversation-related insanity, then I would attribute all those things to Motherhood. What are the craziest things I've done since having Hannah?

I have a recurring dream when she starts crying that I'm already holding her. Since I think she's in the room with me, I desperately search in the dark for her until I snap "into it" and go to her room to calm her. I'm pretty sure that I've even slept with my arms in the air (thinking that I'm cradling her) because they're often numb when I wake up.

I've read a ton of advice books and googled even more things than I can count. I've battled (and conquered!) a dryer that refused to start in the daytime in order to use cloth diapers. I even agreed that Zac could go away for a guy's weekend when Hannah was only 3 months old. I spent the entire time both regretting and being grateful for that decision.

The biggest thing that's making me crazy is spending time with Hannah. Just when I think I have everything figured out, she throws me for a total loop. For example, she's been getting better at falling asleep for naps over the past few weeks. Recently, she really fell into a predictable pattern of exactly when she would fall asleep in my arms. Then yesterday as we were going through the whole process, I got to the part when she would generally relax into dreamland and her eyes popped open and she started smiling and talking to me! Of course, I couldn't be mad that I would have to start all over and spend another 20 minutes coaxing her to sleep. I just tried not to laugh, responded to her that it was "night night" and went back to relaxation mode. What else can you do with someone so crazy cute?

Becoming an expert on Hannah

If Zac could throw out every book I've ever read on pregnancy or child rearing, he would do it in a heartbeat. But, as much as he would like to raise our daughter by figuring it out as we go along, he can't deny that she is truly thriving from some of the expert advice. He is still a strong and true reminder that our little girl will not likely fit any mold, and she needs personalized care. Which is why I'm excited and nervous to be doing it myself.

How will I know we're on the right track? When Hannah greets me with a smile post-nap or pauses while nursing to flash a toothless grin at me. I'll know it when she sails through a new experience confidently with me by her side. It'll be clear when I no longer hear wails as she cries, but individual and unique statements telling me exactly what she needs.

Every once in a while the books may give some looney advice. On the other hand, they might even make a suggestion I desperately want to follow, only to find that it definitely doesn't work for Hannah. That's the great thing about striving to become an expert on one little girl. I don't have to be a perfect Mom, I just have to be her perfect Mom and I can't help but feel like it's going well as I watch this amazing little girl grow.

15 Weeks Old

Hannah is quickly approaching the 4 month mark and has the personality to prove it! She is excited and delightful to play with. She's gaining more control of her limbs and is enthusiastically reaching for her toys. Her vocabulary is expanding from mmmms and oooos to big words like Google, Gaga, and Wagyu. Who know she had a taste for expensive beef?

Poor baby got the sniffles along with her Mama on Friday :( We have been keeping them at bay by trying to get extra rest. Dada raised her crib mattress and set up the humidifier so that's helping quite a bit. Surprisingly, the nasal aspirator did not turn out to be a torture device as I expected. She smiles and coos after I clear her teeny nose!

Here's a video of her on the boppy. She starts talking after about 20 seconds. Look at those bright eyes!

Sugar and spice...

Sugar and spice and camo and helicopters. That's what little girls are made of in this house! We're so excited to take Hannah to her first Air Show tomorrow. She will be wearing this adorable onesie- the first craft I made for her! I finished it just in time :)

**Custom orders for sale on Etsy

Hands aren't just for gnawing!

Hannah recently discovered her hands and she enjoys soothing herself by gnawing on them. She is starting to get used to having them around all the time and is getting better at controlling her arms as well. I like to help her gain awareness of her arms using a little activity from Baby Yoga.

First I squeeze each of her joints (shoulders, elbows, wrists) about as firmly as I would squeeze a peach to test the ripeness. Then I open her hands by stroking the inside of her fist and rub in a circle. I hold each finger on each hand. The whole time I tell her what I'm doing; "this is your arm, this is your elbow, here is tall man!"

Today, she absolutely adored this exercise. She followed me with her eyes while cooing and smiling. Afterwards, she kept her fists open for quite a while- which is something that will help when she's ready to put her palms on the floor and crawl. She kept using her arms and hands, so I mirrored her motions so that she could watch. This is a playful connection you just can't match by shaking a rattle in a baby's face. It was a lot of activity for her and she was ready for a nap right away after we finished, but it was a little trickier to coax her to sleep. Pretty sure she was saying, "I don't want to go to sleep, I want to stay up and have fun all day. I love playing and... zzzzzz."