Fourth Trimester Needs, what do I need now?

 So you had your baby and you're home from the hospital..... now what?

This is the question all new parents have. You're incredibly tired, you're not sure why the baby is crying and you're not even completely sure what is going on with your body. Your boobs are filled with milk now, you're so sore down below, and to top it off.. you're going to have your "period" for around 4 weeks! How fun, right? Don't get stressed out about all of this stuff. You've got a sweet babe in your arms, and I promise they will make it all worth it!

Here's my list of things you should have on hand once you're home!

PHOTO FROM EARTHMAMAANGELBABY.COM

C-Mama Healing Salve / Mommy Bottom Spray/ balm:

I love Earth Mama Angel Baby products, (obviously) but if you happen to have your own brand preference, great! As an example though, I am using these. If I have a VBAC I will use the Mommy Bottom Spray, (and/or possibly this balm) and for my scheduled C-section my handsome and wonderful husband ordered this salve for me. You can buy the spray in stores at Target and Babies R Us, the C-section salve you have to order online.

To see their full collection of postpartum care products, go here.

Pads:

Let's face it. Nobody really wants to talk about the bleeding (lochia) that happens after birth. But it is going to happen regardless, to every mother. You can't wear tampons during this time frame (4-6 weeks) so what do ya do? In the hospital you'll be wearing these huge diaper-like pads that they provide. Last time, I bought my "favorite" pads, which were thin and what not. I hated it.This go around I bought maxi pads, because let's face it, thin just ain't gonna work. I made sure to buy nighttime ones too, because worrying about leaking all over my sheets is at the top of my worries. Blood just grosses me the heck out, and coming from there is even worse. For the first week to 10 days it'll be at it's heaviest. I will switch to a smaller, thinner pad once the bleeding goes down to a regular flow.. until then, maxi pads!

Belly Band:

I mentioned this in my hospital bag post, but I think it is fitting here too. Your belly is gonna be swollen and most likely your skin will be loose/ saggy feeling. These belly bands help hold everything up and in. It helps after a cesarean too, because you can protect your stitches/ scar from your clothes rubbing against it.

Lactation Cookies/ Teas:

I may pack a couple cookies for the hospital and have some on hand for my arrival home. Good to help your milk supply. I've heard from a lot of women that these types of products helped them. I have used the teas before, but never the cookies. I may give them a shot!

Postnatal Vitamins:

I will finish the bottle of prenatal gummy vitamins that I have and then I will switch to some postnatal vitamins and possibly add some specifically for nursing. I will talk to my OB about this, you should too.

Water Bottle:

The thirstiest you've ever been in your life will be the second your baby latches on to your breast. I promise. And if you are unable to get up to get something, you'll be a crazy woman demanding anyone in your house (possibly even your dog or cat) to get you a beautiful tall glass of ice water. So to avoid this scenario from happening, make sure to top off your water bottle before nursing.


Hope this helps you remember and plan for yourself AFTER birth.

xoxo, Chelsea.

Week 36 of pregnancy. Decision time.

I can't even believe we are finally SO close to meeting our little man.

We have about 4 weeks left, (3 if I elect a C-section!) THREE WEEKS!

He is around 19-22 inches long and 5.5 lbs. 

I definitely think he is on the long side, because he is making me super uncomfortable!

I think this upcoming weekend I am going to go out and pick up the last of the things that I need for my hospital bag.. and I should pick out a little cute outfit for him to come home in. 

I am hoping it wont be too hot the day we bring him home. You just never know here in the DMV, it can be 90 degrees but raining out of no where! :-)

I am getting really nervous for my next appointment. For some reason my doctors like to pretend that the only thing that matters is that your baby is head down. But for some women, their positioning is JUST as important. I am not sure if there is something about my body (like the shape of my pelvis, or that my pelvis is misaligned) but my daughter was posterior (meaning that she was facing my belly button rather than my spine; also referred to as "sunnyside up".) This is a problem because the diameter of her head was too large to fit through my pelvic bones, and she got stuck pretty bad.

Because of the baby being in that position I had extreme back pain, long drawn out labor (weeks of prodromal labor [false labor], and days of actual labor). I was told by my doctors weeks ahead of time that she was sunnyside up. I was told the chances of it leading to a c-section but told that it probably wouldn't happen. But that was by ONE of my many doctors. She was really upfront about it all and honest. It gave me a lot of time to try to turn her with recommended exercises. (Check out Spinning Babies for more information.) 

But for some reason, a lot of the doctors at my clinic like to pretend that I am naive and don't know anything about the situation. They say that the baby will turn and that I have nothing to worry about. They said that everything I've read about and all the research is false. They said that the exercises on spinning babies is not going to do anything, (yet with my last pregnancy I was encouraged to do them....?) I hate that I don't have one set provider. I hate seeing strangers that don't know me. I hate that they all contradict eachother. Something inside of me tells me that if I listen to them and I attempt my VBAC everything is going to end up the same exact way it did last time. 

I don't think I am doubting myself; I think I am just coming to terms with the fact that a c-section is the smartest way to go if I know he is posterior. I just vaguely remember the surgeons saying that my pelvis was shaped a certain way while they were tugging away trying to get Opal's head out of my body. I have more peace in my heart knowing what will happen if I do elect a repeat c-section than if I let the doctors fill my head with my dream birth and then it be robbed from me again.

I honestly cannot let what happened last time happen again. I was there for 6 days with an infection. I was told I lost too much blood and was going to need blood transfusions.. I was swollen from head to toe because the nurses neglected to take my IV out causing my body to be over packed with fluid.. I didn't even get to use the restroom or walk until day 5. It was torture. I was neglected and not taken care of, honestly. I just want to go in, have my baby, and leave like a normal person. I don't want to be away from Opal for a week. I don't want to be in worse shape than the average woman who goes in and has a c-section, all because I was pressured into a VBAC knowing that my babies don't like to turn.

So, all in all, I am skipping my checkup for the 2 wk mark and just chose to go to the last appointment (38 weeks). I'll be scheduling my c-section and going to have Oliver the next week. I have been stewing over this decision for weeks now, and I am starting to feel happy and confident about it. I feel in my heart that this is what is best for my baby, and best for my body. I don't want to put myself through the painful labor that a posterior positioned baby causes. I want to be at peace with this birth, since I am still traumatized from the last. 

I don't think I will be choosing an "easy way out" that most people perceive about c-sections. I honestly think I am choosing the harder route. I am trying to mentally prepare myself for a potentially horrible looking scar (I am really happy with the one I have now, and don't want it to be worse), the fact that I will have weight lifting restrictions, not be able to hold my oldest for months, etc. I really will have a rough road ahead of me, especially with a move across country happening just 3 weeks later. I hope that it all works out. 

I am just so thankful that I have my husband and my daughter by my side. It is the most reassuring feeling. I hope that my sister and my in laws will be here for the birth or soon afterwards. It will help so much to have people here to show Opal that she is not forgotten or unloved. That is the last thing I want for my precious girl.

All in all, I know it will all work out. I know that it is the most stressful situation right now just because we still don't know whats going on with the Marine Corps or child care for Opal.. But I know in my heart that the Man above is watching over us and going to make sure we are taken care of and that all is well. I have faith. <3

xoxo, Chelsea.

C- section scar.

I am the type of person that obsesses over my imperfections, especially my skin. Growing up I always had really great skin, and then puberty happened. Since then, I've gone through every stage of skin problems. (Oily, acne, dry patches, and recently cysts.) 

Hormones are not my friend.

Well, I was really confident going into my pregnancy about everything.. But then , before any noticeable bump popped out I was already bearing 2 stretch marks... Before I was even 12 weeks pregnant.

I talked to my doctor and she told me that the elasticity of my skin would probably resemble that of my mom's and grandma's. Well, crap. They're covered in stretch marks. 

And well, the same thing happened to me. It has beaten me down pretty bad, because it was already a bad insecurity of mine. It really doesn't help that my skin is highly sensitive and will react to anything.

Well, when the reality of a possible c section was brought to the table weeks before I was due, I had to come to terms with another damn scar. It's been a big problem for me mentally. But, I religiously try to keep it moisturized and I use a dark skin neutralizer. I finally checked my scar today for the first time in a month.. And I'm pretty happy with the difference that I already can see! 

I was having issues with sensitivity and itchiness in the area, so I stopped wearing any undies that touched my scar.. (THANKYOU PINK FOR MAKING THESE AWESOME UNDIES)..

Here is how my scar looks currently. :-)

I pulled my stretched out skin up for you to see, haha!