Post Pregnancy Day 8

I was chatting with a friend the other day when she asked, " So have you weighed yourself yet?"

My answer was no, not yet. The first few days after the birth was a whirlwind/blur of activity and responsibility. I was just too knackered to do anything much less remember to weigh myself. If you have been reading my last few entries, I have been keeping track of my weight gain throughout the pregnancy, mostly for curiosity sake and partly to keep myself in check to not eat too much. The not eat too much bit was quite unnecessary since I really didn't eat very much while pregnant.

Anyhow, it was my intention to check how much I would lose just from the weight of the baby + amniotic fluid +placenta + blood loss. I suspected I was carrying a lot of weight in the form of amniotic fluids. However like said I never got around to weighing myself immediately after. Now that my friend reminded me of it, I decided I had better weigh now at Day 8 than to wait till much later.

So... as per my previous post, 13kgs was my total gain and I was hoping to lose at least half of it. In my mind however, I suspected I had lost more firstly because of the tiring labour, secondly my first week back home was a difficult one (I'll write more about this in another entry) and thirdly I had seen some changes in my body which indicated I had lost quite a significant amount.

I stepped up on the machine and ..(even this was a surprise to me) I had lost 11kgs.

8 days on and I am now down to 2 more kgs of pre-pregnancy weight. On one hand I was happy but on the other I knew I had to take better care of myself.

So the next weigh in will be on Day 16. I might as well try to keep a trend huh? I doubt there will be more loss anytime soon though.

cheryl

Baby's Here!

We welcomed our little bundle of joy at the hospital late in the afternoon today. We were at the operating theatre when I heard her first cry. I was all numbed up and couldn't see her because of the makeshift curtain set up in front of my face blocking my sight. When we first heard her cry I asked Alex, "Is that our little girl? Is she out?" Hearing her cry for the first time was such a heart tugging experience.

I had intended to have the entire labour process as natural as possible. No drugs, no assisted delivery, no inductions. However as my midwife puts it, babies decide how they want to arrive and no amount of intention on the part of the parent makes any difference.

My labour was a long one. It started at 12pm with waters breaking and I was admitted to the hospital for overnight observation. By 10pm that night, the contractions had started and it went on till 3.30am at which point the pain was bordering on unbearable. I called my midwife informing her and I was moved down to the birth centre which was my preferred place of delivery. From that point, labour continued laboriously (no pun intended) and it was at 12pm that the decision was made that I needed an epidural to get us through the final stage. Prior to the epidural I had had an IV drip put into me, sat under a hot shower for 2.5 hours, sat in a warm bath for an hour and had 4 saline injections on my lower spine to manage the back pain. I don't recommend the latter to anyone. It really hurt and the relief that it provided was brief. Our little one was in a posterior position and it was causing me a lot of back pain. My strength was fully depleted by then and I was slipping in and out of consciousness in between contractions. The epidural restored me to much of my usual self but by 3pm the decision was made to send me to the operating theatre to retrieve the baby via forceps, failing which they would perform an immediate caesarean. I told the doctor that I really didn't want a caesarean and he assured me that my preference would be made known to the surgeon. I started praying at that point that baby would move and a caesar could be avoided. To end this little story, our baby arrived safely at 3.52pm. As I was being pushed up to the operating theatre, she had miraculously moved to the correct position and was delivered via forceps.

Although I managed to avoid having an induction earlier on, I pretty much had everything else and narrowly missed having a caesarean. I was fully drugged up in anticipation of a caesar (no sensations chest down) but we thank God that prayers work wonders. Now we are praying for a quick healing of my wounds as the surgeon needed to perform an episiotomy on me. The healing process is a long one but with prayer we ask for a speedy recovery.

From the point the waters broke, it was 28 hours before we first saw baby.

While I was pregnant with the little one I remember saying to Alex, " We have to remember these few months. It will be the last time its just the two of us."

After the birth of our little one, I said to Alex, "Remember what I said before about just the two of us? Now, I cannot imagine life without our little girl."

Alex agrees. She is our little precious one and such a joy to carry. She really is just too adorable.

cheryl

Pregnancy - Week 39 & 4 days

Here is the final update on the weight gain. Looks like I have much exercising to do 2 months post partum. I am very keen to find out how much weight will be lost once baby + amniotic fluid + placenta is out. Half of 12.5 kgs hopefully?

I have not been keeping tabs on the amount that I ate throughout this pregnancy. I must say though that I am a little disappointed that I haven't had as much appetite for food as I did prior to being pregnant.

I have always thought that since I love all things food, I would be eating like a horse round the the clock. Unfortunately it has been the reverse. I have not had much cravings if any at all. In fact I had more cravings being unpregnant than being pregnant. Here are some of the changes I have noted about my diet.

1. I want an extra teaspoon of sugar in my milky beverages. Tea, coffee, milo.
2. I am eating a lot more fruit. About 3 a day because of the sweet juices from the fruit. It makes my tongue taste better. If that makes sense to you.
3. I don't eat much meat be it white or red. Just don't feel like it.
4. I am constantly thirsty. (Maybe this explains all the water in my belly!)
5. I prefer soups or soupy food.

I'm glad to say it won't be long now till baby comes and the confinement period begins. Lots of yummy mommy cooked stuff (from my mom and mother in law) and I get to go back to how I used to sleep (on my back!) and how I used to eat (no acid reflux!). It all seems like a distant memory now. These 9 months have been an eye opener and definitely life changing for me. And yet there are more changes to come! Whooh...

I am anticipating the onset of labour pains at any moment now. How very nerve wrecking...

cheryl

Pregnancy - Week 38, 39

One thing has to be said about the final 2 weeks of pregnancy. If you think that the weeks leading up to this final stage could not get any more tiring or have you seeing more changes to your body, you are so wrong.

I stopped working last week and by the end of week 38, my tiredness has doubled, my ability to walk has slowed to 1/3 of its previous speed and the heaviness I'm experiencing on lower abdomen has just about tripled. I had somehow managed to pull some muscles or strained some ligaments and it now hurts each time I stand up to take my first step. I can't even turn in bed without it hurting.

The best thing to have at this time is help. Lots of help. Even the simple act of washing dishes brings so much soreness to your lower back you will appreciate all the help you can get. This is why I'm so glad my sister and her boyfriend are here in Canberra for a short holiday and to also lend 2 pairs of hands around the place. Now that they have left we have lost 2 valuable helpers!

Their trip was planned way before we knew about the pregnancy so Alex and I tried our best to show them the sights and sounds around Canberra which included a short trip to Sydney. I stayed home from the Sydney trip but I got my bottom moving for the sights around Canberra. Here are some pics of this very pregnant lady doing things a pregnant lady probably shouldn't be doing i.e walking at the markets, visiting museums, walking at the botanical gardens, feeding swans and even cycling! :) I did think twice before taking on all this activity but hey, they are only here for 2 weeks and I wasn't keen on missing out on the fun. So persevered I did and I think baby is in no way traumatised by all the action.

The very swollen mama to be, on a night out having hot chocolate in winter at Koko Black

The papa to be enjoying all the noise and company visitors bring

My sister and Ying plus my mother in law cracking their heads over Samurai Sudoku accompanied by hot chocolate.

A picture with the hubs at Regatta Point - a 'must' visit if you are in Canberra. Check out the belly! And I'm wearing black too! (Black minimizes.. if you get my drift)


After church service on Sunday with my sis.

We took a drive up Mount Ainslie for the sights. Very appropriate that the biggest person in this picture is standing furthermost from the camera :)

We took them to all you can eat Dim Sum. I don't think the many plates of dim sum made much difference to the circumference of my belly :)

At the National Museum, they had free access to wheelchairs. I jumped at the opportunity of having Alex push me around. Who wants to walk when you can be off your feet?

Enjoying my ride. I was so very glad I didn't have to tour the place walking.

Even then I was very tired at the end of the tour.

This is Scrivener Dam. Canberra has seen a lot of rain these past few weeks (a very rare occurence in this dry state) and by chance we saw the flood gates open, pouring water into the river below. A very rare sight. Many cars stopped for picture taking.

We decided to take our two guests cycling around Lake Burley Griffin. The sky was very blue and the sun was shining. It was a perfect day for the activity and this 'nutty' mama decided to not miss out on the fun. Pedal cars are so much fun!

Our two guests prior to push off.

If you are in Canberra on a beautiful day like this, you have to hire a bike and do this. Its something you won't regret.

The views on the bike path are breathtaking.

The wheels on the bike go round and round...

The next day we took them to feed some swans at the lake.

Before they left, we had a steamboat dinner at the house.

Nothing beats a steaming pot of communal soup with lots of ingredients cooking in it in winter. Its the perfect set up for conversations around the table. Fresh food cooked slowly and eaten slowly encourages the building of relationships at the dining table.

Thats me at 39 weeks and 3 days. I look tired and rather washed out in all the photos because I really do feel tired and washed out most hours of the day :)

We were really glad to have my sis and Ying Kai around these past 2 weeks. Them being around brought a little festive atmosphere to the house and added extra anticipation to whats about to come. Its too bad they had to leave before baby arrived. We now await my parents arrival in Canberra and hopefully baby will make an appearance on time.

Come on now baby! Its time to come out...!

cheryl