So labor and delivery went well, I wasn't scared or nervous I didn't want an epidural and that's probably good because I wouldn't have time for one if I did. Contractions started around 4 am on the 7th and I went to the hospital in the afternoon and they said oh your only about a centimeter dilated and three days early, first baby just go home honey, it could be days before this baby pops out. So next morning 5 am arrived back at the hospital they looked at me and said we'll check but they might just send you home or have you walk (I'm thinking I'm not walking anywhere) and at 5:58 am my little Guinevere Annette came into the world at 6 lbs even and 19.5 inches. She was so tiny and so perfect, with the deepest blue eyes and the blackest baby hair. Everything was going smoothly, she found my breast and latched on within an hour or so and the hospital does rooming in with all their newborns, so that was nice.
Labor wasn't all that bad, and honestly the thing that hurt the most was having the monitor strapped to my belly. But oh boy after ... I was not prepared for how painful the postpartum experience would be, or how long (it took over 3 months for me to heal completely).
And then there was the breastfeeding problem, it started out great and for the first month she only ever gained weight, she wanted to nurse almost constantly and I was exhausted but she was gaining and growing. Then some strange thing happened and she was still nursing all the time but it just wasn't enough. I tried supplements to produce more milk and even cut out dairy (which was dreadful) but it didn't do much and for some other dreadful reason I just can't pump. So after fighting a loosing battle for a while, I ended up supplementing and as much as I had wanted to be super mom the stressed exhausted mom I had become was so beyond happy for the 5 minutes of peace a 4 oz bottle of formula could bring.
That was all on the up and ups but of course life never throws just one thing at you and adding a squirt of lemon to that paper cut was just what I needed. I was still nursing and she was still ravenous and also a terrible sleeper so I slipped into a bad habit of letting her fall asleep while nursing just so I could have a break. She still will not go to sleep without me 75% of the time (bad habit, not going to repeat that mistake).
Also I couldn't find a nursing bra that fit properly and my breast were super sensitive so wearing anything more then a loose shirt was extremely painfully and I couldn't do it for more then an hour or two. I remember going to a woman's meeting one evening and thinking its all moms and girls and I'm going to forgo the pain tonight, they might not even notice, they did though, no one said anything but it was obvious and that was the last time I did that.
Another big issue was Guinys problem with car seats it is so much better now, but she still doesn't like it. When she was about 2 weeks old we went to my friends wedding an hour and a half away and the ride took probably 3 or 4 hrs because she screamed and cried the entire time and we kept having to stop. Side note we got a 5-50 lbs rear and front facing type car seat and that helped considerably.
Around 5 months I started feeding her baby food because she just wanted real food so bad. I almost wished I had started a bit earlier because after that she finally seemed to normalize eat and drink and then actually be full and okay for a while not so constantly hungry. But oh could she eat, no airplanes for her one mouthful swallow, open mouth, another mouthful swallow, open mouth and cry when the 4 oz bowl was empty and then when we started eggs and noodles and cracker and things she could actually pick up and eat oh you would not believe how happy she was. And she would eat anything and I mean anything (except green beans).
The summer went by fast and she went from rolling to crawling and then cruising along furniture, just last week she started to walk and already she try's to run. She has 4 teeth and another two obviously not far behind. She's about 27 in tall and oh she must be 19 lbs or more by now. She loves to sing with her daddy and she has the sweetest giggle. Also she loves dogs, my brother and sisters pittbull is her favorite, and any other very large dogs. Actually she loves most animals except giraffes. She hates being strapped down (car seat high chair etc) unless she's going for a walk in her stroller, she loves the fresh air and sunshine. Oh she also loves sorting laundry and dusting furniture (mommies little helper).
Special thanks to my mom and dad and husband but esspecially my mom for all the help.
Till next year!
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