Postpartum Part 3: registry

I want to talk about my baby registry: what was on it, what we bought and what we have used. We ended up getting most of what was on our registry, either as gifts or we bought it ourselves. Some items we were able to find used and other items we bought new. One mistake I made was deleting items that we bought instead of just marking it as purchased. Luckily I transferred the registry items to a google sheet early on, so the entirety of the list was preserved.

Memberships

Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens
LA County Arboretum
Costco Membership

Colleagues at work bought us the Zoo and Costco memberships. We have our Arboretum membership but I think it expires in June or July. Unfortunately the coronavirus has made it pretty unfavorable to go out and use any of these. I am hoping as Albert gets older and as we emerge from this pandemic that we will be able to use and enjoy these memberships.

Baby Gear

Pack N Play (with bassinet and changing table)
Glow in the dark Pacifier (2 ct)
Cradle n' Swing
Pacifier (3 ct)
Batman Walker
Pacifier Clip
Pacifier Holder
Lillebaby Airflow Carrier

A pal gave us a pack and play but without the bassinet and changing table. Once our baby was home from the hospital (we live in a two story condo) we realized that we really needed a bassinet and changing table on BOTH floors. We had a bassinet and changing table on the second floor near our bed that we got secondhand. I guess the secondhand pack and play will probably live in the van so that we have it when we visit family.

The only pacifiers we have used so far are the ones that we got free in sample boxes. They're working well so far. We also got some pacifiers as gifts at baby showers. We got a couple of pacifier clips from a friend. I thought I would not use pacifiers but it turns out Albert loves them so I guess those ideals are out the window. He also loves his swing. We got that secondhand and my mom kindly figured out how to take it apart and washed all the fabric parts so it was nice and clean for Albert when he came home from the hospital. As far as I can tell, the weight limit is 15 pounds and he's already 11.5 pounds, so we're definitely getting our money's worth now while we can.

The Batman Walker is something my husband wanted to get and one of his bros bought and shipped it to us. So I'm glad about that. It's currently sitting under the TV in pieces. I guess we'll put it together when it gets closer to the time when Albert is able to use it (when he can hold his head up). The baby carrier issue is something I want to cover in a separate post. Let's just say for now that this particular carrier we picked out by going to Buy Buy Baby and trying all of them on. This one was comfortable for both my husband and I. It went on sale and I rode the bus to Hollywood to buy it. Then we ended up getting 4 more carriers as gifts so it's now just one of many that we have.

Transportation

Graco Modes Stroller
Avocado Stroller Toy
Infant Car Seat
Seat Mirror
Thule Yepp Mini
Scamp Kids Bike Helmet
Weekender Bag

The stroller and car seat we definitely love. We haven't got the bike seat or bike helmet yet. We might get a trailer for the bike. We didn't buy a diaper bag because I found that I had a vintage bag that works perfectly. A friend gave us another stroller, and we only used it for the first time this past week, but I almost had a panic attack because the baby was so tiny and exposed in there, and heaven forbid we left without covering the stroller up. I was freaked out that he would get either sunburned or sick (or both) so we turned around and went back home after less than a block. So I would highly recommend adding a stretchy carseat cover or two. We got one from a friend and use it daily!

Clothing

Gown (2 pack)
Halo SleepSack Swaddle

It's a good thing we didn't buy too many clothes. I had hardly any "newborn" size stuff because I thought there would be a chance that my baby would be born too big for them. We bought footed PJs in newborn size after he was born and we realized that he'd be needing those. He had enough of them in the 0-3 month and 3-6 month size, which we had received as gifts. Also, we learned that Albert likes to have his hands free, so he would have hated the swaddles.

Feeding

Aden Little Bibs
Rocking Chair w/ Footrest
Stokke High Chair
My Brest Friend / Boppy
Burp Cloth (Burt's Bees)
Baby Brezza Bottle Warmer
Baby Brezza Sterilizer
Medela Manual Pump
Breast Milk Bags (100 ct)
5 oz Bottle Set (3 pack)
8 oz Bottle Set (3 pack)

We were gifted more bibs than I know what to do with since I keep forgetting to put one on him. Although people have told me that he might start drooling more as his teeth come in, so the bibs may be more useful in the future. We do use the rocking chair, which we found secondhand at Goodwill for $15. The high chair we will start using when Albert starts eating solid food and can hold his head up. We definitely use the breastfeeding pillows every day. I got the Boppy free for joining First 5 LA and we found the Brest Friend secondhand in Burbank.

The burp cloths are something that I sent dear husband out for just after baby was born. We didn't get them as a gift so we bought them at regular price ourselves. But they have been absolutely fantastic. We have 12 and I would say that is a good number. I was on the fence about the Baby Brezza, actually I was leaning towards not getting it, but once we had to put the baby on a bottle it became quite useful quite quickly. I also didn't fully understand the purpose of the breastmilk freezer bags, but when you have an oversupply then you can save it for 5 weeks. Then when baby is going through a growth spurt (and is hungrier), bam! You can pull extra supply out of the freezer. I had a "freezer stash" built up that we exhausted during Albert's 3-week growth spurt and I am currently building up a new stash for his 6-week growth spurt.

I was worried (and still am) that the composition of the "good stuff" in the breastmilk is altered by refrigeration and/or freezing then defrosting, but I'm trying not to get too paranoid about that. I guess if we can take enzymes and freeze them at -80 deg C and then defrost them for an assay and they still show activity, then what am I worried about? See, this is why I write. So that I can process what I'm worried about and talk myself through it.

A friend brought over a 15 gallon storage tub full of breastpumps and pump parts and bottles and pacifiers and baby spoons. It was overwhelming to me prior to Albert's birth, but when my mom arrived, she helped me sort through it all and put out the bottles and nipples that we would need. We did purchase a few more of the size that is working for us now, but having an assortment to get us started was super helpful. We also had a set of six matching Avent bottles that we got free from Motherhood Maternity every time I went shopping there, so we use those for formula. I will write a separate post about the breastpump and parts and schedule etc.

Pump Parts

Tubing
Breast Shield
Membranes
Valves
Car Adapter
Connectors
Nursing Bra

Nursing Pads

The thing I will say is that the nursing bra has allowed me to pump hands-free and this has been completely liberating. I have used an infinity scarf that a friend gave me as a way to cover up the pump parts while I'm pumping. It also keeps me warm if I get chilly. The washable bamboo nursing pads really are everything. We have definitely used the car adapter. I have an apron-style nursing cover, but it's black and I haven't used it yet. Being that we're in Southern California, I'm more worried about getting too hot rather than being too cold. I don't have a lot of black things in my wardrobe, but I'm certainly accumulating them. It's like my mom outfits are either black or dark blue. I don't know why that is because dark colors seem to show the spit-up more obviously, but hey, I'm not designing the clothes.

Bath Time

Puj Tub
Ducky Thermometer
Hooded Towel
Bath Sponge

We have definitely used the tub, hooded towel and washcloths (which came as a set). Never got the sponge. Definitely use the ducky thermometer. A popular gift at our baby showers was baby body wash and shampoo so we have about 80 oz of that. Someone also got us the cutest bath spout cover that looks like an elephant. I don't know how we ended up with an elephant theme for our baby's stuff, but I'm not mad about it. I can't wait for this pandemic to ease up so we can take a walk at the Zoo.

Diapering

Disposable Diapers size 0 (36 pack)
Disposable Diapers size 1 (196 pack)
Disposable Diapers size 2 (37 pack)
Dy-Dee Diaper Service
Toilet Sprayer Kit
SprayMate
Diaper Backpack
Diaper Genie
Diaper Genie Refills
Cloth Diaper (style A)
Bum Inserts (6 pack)
Cloth Diaper (style B)
Wipes

We have been using disposable diapers. They get you started at the hospital and it's hard to switch to something else when what you're doing is working. So we did end up buying two boxes (194 count) of size 1 huggies little snugglers. We've used a whole box. The weight range for huggies size 1 is 8-14 lbs. We sized Albert up from newborn size due to his hernia. When it's enlarged, the newborn diapers were too restrictive. He weighs 11.5 lbs today and according to the growth chart, he should be able to use those for about another 1-2 months. Huggies size 2 has a weight range of 12-18 pounds. We did get some size 2 honest diapers this past weekend, but I heard they run a bit small. It says that their diapers fit babies from 12-18 pounds, I guess, same as huggies.

The all-in-one (AIO) cloth diapers we got from a lady at UCLA came in newborn (4) and size one (8). We have lots of cloth diapers in the one-size-fits-all (OS) which Albert isn't quite big enough for yet (33 pocket, 7 AIO, 16 PUL, 16 Sloomb and 122 inserts of various fabrics). I guess we'll go into those when he's fitting into them. Some of these we bought and some were generously gifted to us by friends.

We are currently using two PUL Diaper Covers (PUL = Polyurethane Laminate) that we use with 100% cotton flour sack towels (FSTs). We have 28 FSTs that I have folded into the kite newborn fold. We have about 12 snappi fasteners and an assortment of diaper pins. Doing diaper laundry every-other-day we end up washing about 8 FSTs and the 8 size 1 AIOs. So far, so good. Albert definitely cries more often in the FSTs than in the AIOs, most likely due to the microfiber liner in the AIOs that doesn't let him feel the wetness as intensely.

We haven't used the sprayer kit, but we did install it. It might come in handy as a bidet if the pandemic stretches out and there is really a toilet paper shortage. The SprayMate also has not been used yet. The need arises after the kid starts eating solid food (around 6 months). We decided to skip the diaper service and just get a stock of our own inventory and wash them ourselves. I think this is how the diapering category of our "actual" spending became the largest slice of the pie (see chart at the end of this post). We calculated that we would only have to cloth diaper for 6 months to "break even" with disposables. So if we can do it for longer than that, we will save money. At this time, when people are hoarding disposable diapers and wipes, it is good to have an alternative.

Nursery Decor

Crib
Crib Mattress
Crib Mattress Protector
Crib Mattress Fitted Sheets (2 pk)
Changing Table
Changing Pad
Changing Pad Cover
Bassinet
Crib Mobile
Nightlight

We were able to find a changing table used, which saved us some money. Our colleagues at work pooled their money and bought us the crib, mattress, mattress protector and sheets. One colleague got us the mobile. We got a free nightlight at our doctor's office. Another nightlight we found at IKEA. We ended up adding a cosleeper. The deluxe model comes with a sound, light, and vibration unit which works well for getting our baby to sleep in 30 seconds or less, on vibrate. The baby is also getting fascinated with mobiles, particularly on his swing, so when we transition him into his bassinet, he will probably enjoy the Trend Lab mobile that we have.

Health and Safety

Brush and Comb set
Medicine Dispenser
Hydrocortisone
Gas Relief Drops
Infant Tylenol
Rectal Thermometer
Nail Clippers
Nose Frida
Nose Frida Filters (20 ct)
Babyproofing Kit (46 pc)
Safety Gate

We got a comb at the hospital, the gas drops came with a medicine dispenser. We bought the nail clippers after baby was born. A friend gave us the Nose Frida. We haven't bought the safety gate yet, but we will. We bought the thermometer and other medications. The only thing we don't have so far is "gripe water" and we also bought probiotics after our baby was having a lot of reflux and gas.

Toys and Books

Mortimer Moose

We haven't bought this but we got a lot of toys as gifts from friends and family. We got a bunny that sings. We got a lion and a monkey. My mom tried to buy a snuggly toy, but the recommendation now is that baby has nothing in the crib with them, so I don't understand when the kid is supposed to play with the toy. I am guessing we'll get a Sophie la Girafe Teether and maybe a Skip Hop Farmstand Avocado Stroller Toy and maybe Mortimer Moose. We did register for some books: All Aboard National Parks, Quantum Physics for Babies, and Planting a Rainbow. We got some other books as gifts and others we bought at the used bookstore.

For the Parents

Bed Pad
Birth Ball
Exercise Ball Plugs

These items we bought for ourselves, but they have definitely been useful. The bed pad was something I used while waiting for my water to break. The birth ball I used every day while pregnant and I use it still now to calm baby and as a substitute for a chair. A friend gave me two peanut balls and a smaller exercise ball, but none of them had plugs. I found a pack of plugs on Amazon, which made them viable again. I felt very proud about that.

Forecast

Actual

In summary, the projected total amount of items on our registry was $3,500. The amount we saved was $1,200 which we accomplished by exploring consignment shops and Facebook marketplace. The amount we actually spent was $1,300 and the rest of the items we got as gifts.

https://www.mother.ly/love/to-the-moms-who-gave-my-kids-their-hand-me-downs-thank-you 

300: Easter in the time of COVID-19 with a 1 month old baby boy

I just want to write a quick post giving an update on the current situation in our household. We've been doing cloth diapers for 5 days now and it seems like we have a pretty decent workflow going. We have transitioned away from formula with the exception of one bottle per day. Albert is drinking around 25 oz per day. We've been doing 1 to 2 breastfeeding sessions per day with the rest of the milk coming in bottles. I have been using the Medela "Pump In Style" to collect my breast milk. I am able to pump between 2 and 6 ounces per session by pumping both breasts simultaneously.

Nursing Hoodie

https://www.motherhood.com/side-access-hooded-nursing-hoodie/001-92679-002-001.html

Nursing Dress

https://www.motherhood.com/plus-size-lift-up-tiered-nursing-dress/006-96240-000-001.html

Nursing Tee

https://www.motherhood.com/lift-up-nursing-tee/006-92676-12.html

Graphic Tee

https://www.motherhood.com/eat-local-zipper-side-access-nursing-top/006-96623-000-001.html

Pumping Bra

https://snugabell.com/products/pumpease-hands-free-pumping-bra/

I spend a lot of time worrying about nursing, pumping, producing milk. I spend lots of time feeding the baby, changing diapers, burping baby, cleaning up baby's puke, doing laundry, washing pump parts. I am super hungry. Here's what I've been eating:

Pork burritos https://damndelicious.net/2014/10/10/slow-cooker-pork-carnitas/ With canned refried beans, shredded cheese and cooked minute rice. Freezes well.

Egg burritos https://kaiserwellnesscenter.tumblr.com/post/614660394599022592/step-1-make-pesto-step-2-scramble-eggs-step-3/

Meatloaf https://kaiserwellnesscenter.tumblr.com/post/614660854937436160/cubed-meatloaf-makes-a-great-addition-to-pasta/

Chicken nuggets https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/8849/baked-chicken-nuggets/

Date balls https://www.loveandlemons.com/almost-raw-carrot-cake-bliss-balls/

Chocolate caramel balls https://kaiserwellnesscenter.tumblr.com/post/614659844723621888/these-homemade-chocolate-truffles-are-great-for-a

Chocolate oat balls https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/chocolate-peanut-butter-bake-energy-bites/

Trail mix https://kaiserwellnesscenter.tumblr.com/post/614163056456564736/clean-out-your-pantry-and-make-your-own-trail-mix

Biscuits & Gravy: Bacon grease, 2 C milk, 2 C beef broth, 1 1/4 C flour, 3 pieces of crumbled bacon. Bisquick biscuits.

Monster cookies https://www.justataste.com/re-post-monster-cookies/

Barley risotto https://www.oviahealth.com/guide/2023/pregnancy-recipe-butternut-squash-barley-risotto

Simple scones https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/79470/simple-scones/

Eggs Benedict (see recipe in the Joy of Cooking)

Deviled Eggs https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/classic-deviled-eggs-recipe-1911032

So as you can see: lots of butter and animal fat. Not a lot of dairy. Lots of nuts. There was the first week we were home from the hospital that I was getting between 1-2 hours of sleep in a 24 hour period (according to my FitBit). Then there were a couple of weeks where I was getting 7-8 hours of sleep. In the past week I'm back down to 5-6 hours. Albert is waking up in the night and doing a fair bit of fussing, which breaks up the long night into two chunks. I can't seem to do well with mid-day naps.

I have transitioned back into "regular" underwear (with pads attached). I am still bleeding but it's much less than it was two weeks ago. I am wearing maternity jeans today (not PJ pants) for the first time since baby's birthday, so we'll see how that goes. I am wearing the nursing bra with underwires that I picked out very early on in pregnancy. The "Tummy Transformer" that I bought and tried on two weeks ago (that didn't fit at that time) fits now. I wore it yesterday while walking and it helped stabilize my core a bit. I pulled it up over my breasts for a bit of stabilization there too.

I am gratefully using all the mommy products so lovingly given to me by friends and family members. The calendula nipple cream is on my breasts right now, thanks to CT Organics. I am drinking Pink Stork Herbal Mint lactation tea from my sister. I used lanolin on my nipples last night, which was gifted to me by the same person who gave me the breastpump and a ton of bottles. I am absolutely humbled by the gifts that people gave me, and I already have a box ready to ship out to my other sister to pay it forward.

299: Hospital Provided

I was pleasantly surprised about what the hospital provided. Here is a rundown of what I thought I needed to bring that was actually provided by the hospital.

Puke bags (4)
Trash bags (4)
Tiny box of Kleenex
Toothpaste / toothbrush
Moisturizer
Baby shampoo
Baby body wash
Baby hair comb
Baby wipes
Baby diapers
Overnight pads (20)
Mesh panties (4)
Slipper socks
Puppy pads
Peanut birth ball
Orange juice
Straw / cup for water
Pillows (4)
Breast pump (available for rental)
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner (for mom)
Formula (for baby)
Swaddle blankets
Newborn hats
Baby bulb syringe nasal aspirator

I will say that there were adequate pillows available, we used 4 of them throughout our stay. The hospital staff did comment that they were wondering where all the pillows were on the floor and that usually they only allow people to have 2 pillows. We had 2 other pillows from home.

They gave me all the pain medication that I asked for. Unfortunately, I didn't get any stool softeners or laxatives. This is an important point, know what drugs you want and ask for them. You might not get them at the moment you want it, but it will arrive eventually. Also, know the mode of delivery of the drug. At one point, my IV got clogged and my arm swelled up something fierce. After that, all medications had to be delivered orally.

I wore a hospital gown (with nothing underneath) the entire duration of my hospital stay. There were nurses coming in and out all the time to measure my (and baby's) blood pressure and temperature. I was constantly undoing the snaps on the shoulders of my gown to breastfeed. The only time I tied it in the back was when I went for a walk up and down the hallway (to try to move fluids up and out of  my legs). I did a lot of pacing around my hospital room. I did some ugly crying while pacing or while sitting on the toilet. I cried when my sister explained that I had a lot of trauma going on in my body.

We were discussing the pros and cons of having or not having a doula. With the COVID-19 happening right now, some hospitals are limiting laboring mothers to one visitor (support person) so in my case I would have had to choose between my mom and my husband (the baby's father). It would have been an easy choice, since my husband had been preparing by attending birth classes with me. In fact, for "day 3" and "day 4" of my hospital stay, my mom wasn't allowed to be there due to the pandemic. But for women who hired a doula, it would be difficult to have to choose between your husband and your doula.

In our case, a doula may have been helpful because of all the things that happened to cause a cascade of interventions that eventually ended in a C-section. Maybe (or maybe not) the doula would have been able to explain everything that was happening and advocate for us better. Maybe a doula would have helped me understand how to push the beg button on my epidural to have a more steady pain level. Maybe a doula would have told me to request stool softeners sooner and make sure I was discharged with a combination of pain meds (opioids) and stool softeners.

One thing I absolutely HATED about my hospital room is that my bed was facing the wall instead of the window. I had to stare at a markerboard that had a list of things that we had to do before getting discharged. And they never crossed things off when we had gotten them done. It was a markerboard that could be updated and it drove me crazy that they didn't update it. I mean, they did change over the names of the nurses on duty. I could have done a better job of talking with the nurses and calling them by their names. I could have brought them gifts or whatever. But staring at that "to do" list that included pain management when I was in so much pain was utter torture.

Also seeing all the action items in acronym form, and I had no idea what those acronyms stood for, made me nuts. I kept walking by that damn thing and wondering what it all meant. I really wanted to cross off some stuff once I found out what it was, and we had completed it, but I was hesitant because it wasn't "my" markerboard, it was really for the nurses to keep track of stuff and I didn't want to mess up their workflow. And one nurse took a look at our window and said, "I'm sorry you have such a terrible view. Some of our rooms have a really nice view." And I was thinking, just don't tell me that I got shafted on the room. I'd rather pretend that everyone has a view of a storage unit and a crappy parking lot, and one window missing a shade.

There were two chairs in that postpartum room, one of which folded out into a bed. I can't comment on the comfort of the chairs since I didn't sit in them, but my mom did complain about it. The nurses did provide bedding for dear husband, who was allowed to stay the night. There was a TV in the room and I turned it on once, on day 4, but the channels were all kind of weird. There was nothing on that I would have wanted to watch.

They sent 3 different lactation consultants (LC) into my room, who were very helpful. They gave me a nipple shield and taught me how to put it on. I showed them the breastpump that was provided by my insurance and we both agreed it was crap. I wished I had brought the other ones that my friend gave me. One of them was really good and I could have saved myself a lot of money if I had shown it to the hospital LC's. They could have given me a kit with all the necessary disposable parts to get going with it. We ended up getting those parts at Target, at our cost, so it wasn't a big mistake, but it could have saved us some money. I plan to write up a summary of what we had on our registry, what we bought, what other people bought for us, what we were able to get second hand, how much money we spent, how much money we saved, etc. That will probably have to be written on another day.

I guess I haven't posted before about this, but 7 days after my son was born I ended up with my colon packed full of poop. That's right, I didn't poop for 7 days. I ended up going to the emergency room and getting a Fleet enema (mineral oil) sometime between 10pm and midnight. It was very effective. I tried doing it at home using Burt's Bees Mama Bee Nourishing Oil with Vitamin E but I had no idea what I was doing. Even though that hospital is a regional drive-through testing location for coronavirus, it felt like we had no choice. There was no way that poop was coming out on its own. Thank goodness for healthcare workers.

What we did when we came home from the hospital was to set up the house as much like our recovery (postpartum) room as possible to make the transition easy. Now that we're 4 weeks postpartum, we've become comfortable getting into our own routine. But when we were first discharged, I had a big fear of doing things wrong and so we carried on exactly as we had in the hospital. They showed us how to give baby a bath and we have done it a few times since we've been home. It's something we plan on doing again today, so he can be all clean tomorrow for Easter.

One more important tip that I realized too late: you can wash the mesh panties the hospital gives you. That way you can reuse them. I just started wearing "normal" panties yesterday. If I would have washed and reused the mesh panties from the hospital, I would have been better off. As it happened, I threw away the first three pairs after 3-4 days and then washed and reused the last pair over and over until now. There's no way to explain how sensitive that whole area of my body has been. From my ribcage down to the top of my legs has been a "no go" zone. I had little sensation or feeling in that area and I definitely didn't want to wear normal pants or panties. Even now, I have these two pair of Victoria's Secret Pink cotton bikini panties that are no doubt 20 years old. They've been washed and washed so many times that they're REALLY soft. I can't wear any newer panties because they would be too tight and restrictive. Luckily I have two pairs.

I want to eventually write a blog about the clothes I've been wearing since coming home from the hospital, but baby is waking up now so I doubt I will have the time to compose that today.

298: Hospital Bag

When I was packing my hospital bag, I watched several YouTube videos about what to pack. What I can do is share my packing list and then share *what I actually used.*

In a Binder (which never came out of the bag)

Birth plan / advance directives / will
Prenatal lab results (blood type, HIV, Hep B, rubella, measles, syphilis, group B strep)
Bradley class cheat sheets
First stage labor positions / mantras
Hospital Pre-Registration Form
First 5 LA Registration Form (postcards)

In the car

Puke bucket (1 Gal ziploc bag)
*Car seat (for baby)
Trash bags
Deodorant for dad
Wet wipes

Red hospital bag

Back massager (red claw)
*Ice pack
*Phone charger
Deodorant for mom 

*Chapstick
Toothpaste / toothbrush
*Shampoo / conditioner

*Comb
*Face wash / moisturizer

Bar soap
Massage oil
*Fan (folding)
Nursing pads

Nipple cream
Pedialyte
Nut snacks 

Protein bars
Beef jerky
Baby diapers & wipes

Diaper bag
Witch hazel solution 

Overnight pads
Adult diapers

Blue hospital bag

Back massager (blue turtle)
Washcloths
Swimsuit for dad
*Noise generator 

*Music
*Nursing bra
Slippers / socks
*Flip flops
*“Going home” outfit for mom
*“Going home” outfit for baby
Change of clothes for dad
Puppy pads

Pack at the last minute

*Headband / Hair clips
*Headphones / earplugs
Birth ball + pump
Orange juice
*7-Up 

Popsicles 

*Insulated cold bag
*Straw / cup for water
Pillows / 2 old towels, large, clean

*Breast pump

The items with a star are things that we actually used during labor and throughout our 4-day hospital stay. An unexpected MVP of the ordeal was "Sparky" my pillow pet. It was a great thing to snuggle with, to stay grounded, to have something familiar and colorful and fun, to prop up my neck during contractions and to prop up my elbow while learning to breastfeed. 

A second MVP was an eye mask that could double as a headband. One of my windows was missing a shade so if I hadn't have had that eye mask, I would have seen lights from ambulances all night long. It was also great for taking naps during the day.

A fun surprise was that I had come in to L&D wearing Ugg-type boots that I describe in more detail here. When I was released from the hospital, I tried to fit my sausage-feet into them and NOPE, they would not fit. Luckily I had packed some flip-flops that barely fit, but at least I had something to walk out in. It was cold and rainy that day and the nurses were kind of surprised that I didn't have any more appropriate footwear, but what can I say? I also left the hospital in a sweet polyester muumuu that was all rainbow colored. I had no pants underneath! I will say that the ride I took in the wheelchair with my baby in a carseat on my lap was just about the sweetest ride of my life.

I had brought my own drink cup with a straw, but I didn't need to. The hospital provided something like it with a handle. Although they told me I wasn't allowed a straw after my surgery. Something about taking in too much air by drinking through a straw. I was also told that I wasn't allowed to drink orange juice right after the baby was born, so that sweet freshly squeezed OJ from Riverside-grown oranges had to be dumped down the drain. It was something significant to me because it was recommended to prevent tremors (shaking) after a drug-free vaginal birth and I felt like dumping it out was like taking all my expectations and flushing them down the toilet. Which we pretty much did.

All the doctors and nurses made sure to tell us that women who come in with a long birth plan often have everything go wrong, which made me kind of happy that I never showed that document to any of my care providers. I will be making a list of all the items provided by the hospital in a separate post.

Postpartum Part 2: two weeks out

People are asking what it's like to have a newborn during the coronavirus global pandemic of 2020. The truth is that it's scary. I am worried of course about passing this (and every other) virus around. I am worried that if I'm not exclusively breastfeeding, baby is not getting the antibodies from me that he needs to develop his immune system. I'm worried that if I feed him refrigerated breastmilk or even breastmilk from a bottle, he's not getting the freshest possible breastmilk directly from the breast, then he's not getting the immune-building blocks that he needs. I don't know if these are worries grounded in fact and science, or just worries in a vacuum of knowledge. Since I can't attend La Leche League or other breastfeeding support groups, I'm left to just assume whatever I think is right. Even though I have "The Womanly Art..." book, I don't have time to read it right now. It's all we can do to pump, wash dishes, do laundry, feed baby, change baby, catch a nap, REPEAT.

Sun (3/22) Our hospital had quiet hours from 1-3 pm and I am implementing them in our house postpartum. If I need to scroll on my phone, sit on the toilet, take a shower, listen to my noise generator, sleep, etc. I get those 2 hours to myself. Or cuddles between me and bebe. But no human convos. No annoying singing. No internet (YouTube, Netflix). It has been nice and I hope to keep doing it.

I would say that about 14 days postpartum: I stopped taking the pain medication, my milk let down (leaky breasts), and I removed the steri stips from my surgery. Not gonna lie, I cried afterwards, not because it hurt but because I was literally sliced open from hipbone to hipbone. It's not how I wanted my baby to enter the world and it feels like crazy to have gone through 22 hours of labor first for nothing. All those people who asked me "when is your scheduled C-section" were not crazy, I should maybe have just had a scheduled C-section.

Now that it is April, things have not completely returned to normal yet. Obviously, I am organized enough to get out my laptop and post this blog, but this is really the first time I feel my head is almost above water. I've been ravenously hungry. Like I have to eat every 3 hours just to feel less like a wolverine. I am also drinking 3-4 Liters of water per day. My mom left on Sunday, March 22nd. Since then, it's just been me and dear husband with the baby.

Finally, I am very proud of the inventory that I did of our fridge and freezer. I just started using MyFitnessPal again and setting weight loss goals as well as programming in some of the new recipes we've been cooking up since the birth. I'm very hungry for protein so the two things I've requested are meatloaf and egg burritos. Due to my C-section and COVID-19, dear husband has decided to exhaust his 6-week paid paternity leave all in one big block. Unfortunately, he will have to take sick leave and/or personal holidays in the summer when/if we do our Nebraska trip, but the trip is taking a back seat to dear son's hernia surgery (which has not been scheduled yet, but we are hoping to have it done sometime in June). Dear son's circumcision may or may not be infinitely postponed / canceled.

Every day there is just one thing that I like to do. For example, inventory the fridge. Or vacuum the floors. Or put away boxes of diapers. If I find one block of time to do one thing, I have to be very happy about that. If I am unable to find one block of time to do one thing, I have to be happy with that too. I also try to go for a walk each day. If that doesn't happen, it has to be OK. Expectations must be managed. If the baby is sleeping and eating, everything is great.

we have just a few plants in containers...ummm yeah

Today is the first day that there are carpenters doing work on the exterior of our rented condo. They have asked us to have our pets confined and for the patio to be cleared. We also have to take caution when entering and exiting our front door and garage between 7am and 3:30pm Monday through Friday. This work is expected to take 3 to 5 days, so we're hoping it isn't too much of an inconvenience. The problems are: dog, sleeping baby, hammering, sawing, plants, poop, pee, COVID-19. It's going to be fine.

Now, we have to have the window shades closed so that my boobs are not on display for the workers. It kind of sucks because we were trying to expose the baby to as much natural light as possible during the day so that his circadian rhythm is stimulated and he sleeps through the night (which has been working). I'm a bit concerned that he will get confused now. Maybe I should just go upstairs when I need to get my boobs out. Problem solved!

A light in the darkness is my Fit4Mom group. They have 2-3 activities planned each day that involve either working out, coffee chat, creative time, story hour, game night, etc. It is such a relief to connect with other moms (via Zoom) that have survived this newborn stage and to hear their perspectives on it all. They've assured me that being quarantined with a newborn is much better than being quarantined with a toddler or even a teenager. It's great to have maximum snuggle time with our little baby, and to literally be missing out on nothing since everything in the outside world is also shut down.