original due date 3/23

last friday was my due date.  i couldn't imagine being pregnant for 2 more weeks or not having maki in our lives until then.  he has filled our days with so much love, joy and laughter... and poop.  :)

there are a lot of surprises after delivery for me:

1) why do i still look pregnant?  at least 6-7 months pregnant.  my belly is still huge.  i don't want to go anywhere without the baby because besides that he's too cute to be left behind, i don't want people to ask me how many months i am!

2) the hospital gave me these granny mesh disposable undies to wear.  they also gave me 8 things to use for my business down there:

• big blue pee pee pads similar to a dog's
• ice pack
• dry washcloths to wrap ice pack with
• squirt bottle
• super huge sanitary pad (haven't worn these since hs!)
• witch hazel pads for front and back
• lidocaine
• dermoplast spray

each time i went to the bathroom to pee, it took at least 15 minutes to put all that stuff on!  the bleeding was very heavy the 3-4 days then it lightened up a lot after that.  i couldn't go #2 for a couple of days.  such bad hemmies!  i was taking colace but it wasn't helping.  on 3/15, i finally got prescription for proctozone cream from my OB and that really helped with the discomfort.  i was surprised the hemmies bothered me more than my one stitch (i tore a little).

3) i thought that with the arrival of my baby, my breast milk will follow shortly after the colostrum.  not true!  maki was soooo hungry on the 2nd night.  he was also dehydrated and had crystalized "brick dust" in his diaper.  to top it off, his bilirubin level (jaundice) was high.  we ended up supplementing with formula - we were getting worried!  my breast milk finally came last friday 3/16 - when i also started pumping.  now i understand when my friends called the milk "liquid gold!"  every drop is so valuable.  the first time i pumped, i barely got any - it was so pathetic!  i drink mother's milk herbal tea 3x daily to help with my production supply.  after a week of pumping, my milk supply has definitely increased.  we only have to give maki up to 4 oz of formula these days and will probably remove it from his diet entirely next week depending on my milk supply.  i think it's insane that we have to worry about not having enough milk supply on top of lack of sleep and caring for a newborn.  mother nature, is this a cruel joke?!!

first pump: where is all the milk?!!

4) contractions - i still have them after delivery.  it's from my uterus trying to go back to its normal size.  i felt them more while i was breastfeeding.  haven't been feeling them lately.

5) i'm still suffering from pelvic pain.  i take motrin to help the pain from this and from the contractions.

6) i spend most of days and nights nursing, changing diapers, washing pump parts/bottles, sanitizing and pumping.  in between those, i try to eat/drink and shower.  it's crazy!  wish i had more time to just cuddle with my little guy.

7) my hands, feet and face were ridiculously swollen a couple of days after delivery.  my feet/ankles looked like an elephant's!  it was not cute at all.  my feet are still a little swollen now.

my feet were so swollen!!!

8) i eat more now than when i was pregnant.  all the breastfeeding and pumping make me so hungry!!!  i have to drink a lot more fluids now too (at least 3 liters).

9) for someone who used to get 9 hours of sleep, i didn't think i can survive with 4-5 hours.  i'm surviving but i need at least one nap during the day or i become delirious from lack of sleep.  i get about 4 hours at night since mik bottle feeds the baby at 3am so i can get some sleep.

will try to blog about the labor and delivery soon... just hard to find time!