Adventures in Mommyhood: October 19, 2011: The Day My Life Turned Upside Down

I'M BACK!! It's been almost 2 weeks since my life completely changed for the better. Amelia Anne Jones was born on October 19, 2011 weighing in at 7lbs 6oz and measuring 19in long. I know I've said it before, but THAT was the best day of my life.

It seems weird not to start my blog letting everyone know how "far along" I am and how I'm feeling.....so I think I'll keep that going. Today I am 1 wk and 6 days into my newest adventure....Mommyhood. I feel completely exhausted, totally inadequate, a little sore and HAPPIER than I have ever been in my entire life! Looking back on the 40weeks and 4 days that I was pregnant, I remember reading daily about what I should expect in regards to how much my baby would eat, when she would sleep, what her poop would look like, what my body would look/feel like.....and it was all a waste of time. Nothing prepares you for what comes with pushing a child through your...well, you know....and simultaneously caring for said child while trying to recover from the trauma your body just went through....on NO SLEEP! It was no joke....it's still no joke. I do remember asking every mother I know though, "How do you do it?!" and every mother responded the same "You just do." And they were all right.

This has been the most challenging and rewarding 2 weeks of my life. I may only get to sleep for 2 hours at a time, but when ever I wake up, I get to stare at the prettiest little face I've ever seen. I get to hear her coos, toots and catch her smiling even though I know she doesn't mean to. For the first time in my life, I am a kid's number 1. Regardless of who is holding her, when she cries, they look at me. When she's hungry, they hand her to me. It's the best. I wouldn't trade one midnight feeding or dirty diaper for anything in the world.

But I think I may have jumped ahead a little bit.....

For those who read my pregnancy blog, you know about me and my need to plan. And you also know that every inch of the way, this kid let me know that this was NOT ABOUT ME! She is still no different. I had every intention on waiting until the last possible moment to think about inducing and not taking any drugs during the delivery process. Well, I made it until 4 days past my due date and got an epidural at 3 cm. I was induced at 7:30am and she finally showed her cute little face at 7:14pm. All of my progress was made in the last 3 hours I was in labor. I was at a 3 for at least 6 hours, but went from a 6 to a 10 in less than 30 minutes (ouch, btw). It was ridiculous.....and totally worth it.

Dan, Mia and I got home from the hospital on the 21st and took the first two days to recoop. It was just the 3 of us, and it was a blur. My first night at home, my milk had not yet come in and Mia literally nursed for 10 hours straight. I was in tears because I was going on no sleep and had a little human gnawing on my nipples for an ungodly amount of time. But I made it through with the help of my amazing husband/baby daddy. He really was the only thing keeping me from a complete melt down. In fact, through the whole process, he has proven to be the best coach/cheerleader/shoulder to cry on....and more importantly, the best Daddy I have ever seen. The way he interacts with her makes me melt. He's so attentive and when he looks at her, you can just see how much he loves her.....aaaannnnddd.....now I'm crying (again).

Dan went back to work last Wednesday, and that was the day that I broke down (again). Let me just tell you, pregnancy hormones had nothing on what's going on in my body at the moment. I'm ridiculous. When Dan went to work, my mom took some time off to help me out. She too, has been a life saver. Today was her last day....tomorrow I completely expect to have another meltdown.

I'm quickly learning that getting out of the house is both necessary and completely exhausting. My need to plan is making it difficult for me to feel succesfull during these outings. I have realized that in order for me to be somewhere, I need to allow myself at least 2 hours to get myself and the baby ready....and often times, even that is not enough. The biggest problem, is that from feeding to feeding, there is sometimes not even 2 hours....so I would say that my hygeine may be the one that's suffering most ;-) My child, however, looks adorable every time we leave the house, and I'm pretty sure THAT's what's most important :)

This whole post is extremely scatter brained.....I will try harder to make future posts more thought out and cohesive. That will probably be easier once I'm not trying to catch up on a two week period that includes the birth of my child and my first attempts at parenting.

I'd really like this blog to be one where I reflect on what I have learned. During these two weeks, I have learned:
- It doesn't matter that she JUST ate, she may actually be hungry again
- She will wait until I sit down and get my boob out before she decides to poop
- Breastfeeding is not for the week at heart (or nipple).....This sh*t is hardcore!
- Regardless of how bad or tired I'm feeling, looking at her face, ALWAYS makes me smile :)

Here are some pics from her first two weeks, I will eventually upload the ones from our good camera, but I'm just not there yet....baby steps. So please bear with my little phone camera photos.