Almost 1 month old!

These past few weeks have really flown by. Morgan is changing everyday and it's so fun to watch her grow. I can tell already I am going to be that Mom who cries at every little milestone. I got weepy when her umbilical cord fell off. Now she is almost too big for newborn size diapers and some of her newborn sleepers. My little girl is getting big!

Morgan has been to the pediatrician a few times since I last posted. She has reached and passed her birthweight (8lbs 3 oz) and now weighs a whopping 9 lbs 1.5 oz! Yay! It is such a relief to know that your child is growing and getting enough to eat, especially when you are breastfeeding. Unfortunately, we have both developed a case of thrush, which is more annoying than anything else. It affects how she eats though, so each feeding is a challenge. I am sure we will get past it, and I am determined to continue nursing as long as possible. My mom warned me before Morgan was born that mothers who breastfeed are often discriminated against and rarely receive the support they need. Wow was she right! I never knew how controversial a topic it was until I became a nursing mother. I guess I will never understand why some people find it "inappropriate"/"disrespectful"/"disgusting"/ to meet a child's most basic need. If our society had a better attitude towards breastfeeding mothers, maybe there would be more nursing stations so that women could feed their child without a bunch of judgemental, uptight creeps staring at them. Fortunately, I do have the support of my husband, family, and many of my close friends, and that is all I need!

Being a Mommy is definitely a challenge, but nowadays there are so many wonderful products that make things just a tad easier. Here is a short list of the things I could not live without:

Pack N Play with changing station and storage (Living in a 2-story home, this is a must! We can change her downstairs without Waylon getting in our way and without having to go upstairs to her nursery)

Rock N Play Sleeper (One of my Mommy-friends recommended this and I am so glad she did! Morgan sleeps like an angel in it and it is super portable. Much easier than a bassinet).

Medela Pump In Style (Thanks Lori! This thing is wonderful.)

Canon Eos Rebel (My camera is amazing. I charged it before I went into labor and it still has most of its charge. Not to mention it takes wonderful pictures. A must for any Mommy!)

Microwave Sterilizer bags (So quick and easy. No boiling necessary! Each bag can be used 20 times. Amazing!)

Diaper Genie (Being that we change 99% of Morgan's diapers in our living room, it is so nice not to worry about my house smelling like baby poop. However, it does smell like dog poop from time to time, Oh Waylon).

I will admit, it is easy to go overboard now with baby gear, but some of the "luxury" items out there (you know, the things that your Mother said she never had and did just fine without) are so nice to have.

On a side note, I started Weight Watchers last Saturday. Yesterday was my first weigh in and I was UP a half pound. I had to laugh. I told myself I should receive an award for being the only woman in Weight Watchers history to gain their first week on the program while nursing. Ha ha. Today I weighed again and was down 3 pounds. The scale can be so mean sometimes. I have definitely been following the program and tracking EVERYTHING. I have about 5 lbs to go to get to my pre pregnancy weight, and about 13 to get to my goal weight. Wish me luck!

Morgan is here! The birth story...

I had a feeling that my 38/39 week post would be my last as a preggo. My maternity leave began Monday Feb 27th, which was perfect timing! Monday night/Tuesday morning I woke up to use the bathroom and noticed some blood (sorry if that's too graphic for you). This was obviously pretty alarming for me after having gone over 9 months without bleeding at all. I called the on-call doctor and she said it was probably my "bloody show" or "mucus plug" and to keep an eye out for contractions. I tried to go back to sleep, but I had a feeling this was the real deal, so I stayed up and watched TV for a couple of hours. Around 2:30am I noticed some mild cramping that was irregular at first, but then starting coming about 8 minutes apart. So I called the doctor back (pretty sure I woke her up and she was pissed, but oh well), and she said I could come to the hospital now, or I could wait until the morning and go into the doctor's office. No way was I going to wait until the morning, so off to the hospital we went. I honestly thought they were going to send me home, because I was not 100% convinced I was having contractions, and I had no idea if I was more dilated that I was at my last appointment.

We arrived at Johnston-Willis around 3:30am and when they checked me I was 2 cm dilated, 70% effaced, and my contractions were 3 minutes apart! I was shocked. They gave me some pain meds which were great at first, but then I got really sick at my stomach. At 8:30am I was 5 cm dilated, so they broke my water and on came the painful contractions. I received my epidural within about 30 minutes of them breaking my water. The anesthesiologist (sp?) gave me WAY too much medicine, and I was numb up to my chest. VERY SCARY. My blood pressure kept dropping so they had to turn my epidural off for over an hour and give me epinephrin (I think) to regulate my blood pressure. The low blood pressure made me very sick at my stomach, so I felt like I had the stomach flu until they could get it back to normal. Finally they got everything normal, and I went about 2 hours where I was feeling great. Unfortunately, the epidural slowed down my progress, and I went hours without dilating. So then they decided to give me Pitocin, which also made me sick at my stomach. I felt like I couldn't win! But the Pitocin worked, and I dilated 3 more cm in a short amount of time. Before I knew it I was 10 cm and ready to push! I was incredibly numb, but the nurses said I was pushing great. About 30 minutes of pushing and Morgan was here! 8lbs 3 oz (holy crap), 20.5" long, born at 2:31pm. Best moment of my life.

We are definitely settling into our new lives as a family of 3 (well 4 if you count Waylon). Morgan is doing very well. She had dropped some weight (as expected), but has gained a lot of it back. She also had some mild jaundice, but that has resolved itself as well. Breastfeeding is going well. It isn't as difficult as I expected. Brad is doing WONDERFUL as a Daddy. I am so proud of him and feel so blessed to have such a great husband. He is very hands-on with Morgan. He has no problem changing diapers, getting her dressed, or holding her if she is fussy.

Well, I would love to share more but I have a beautiful baby girl who needs my attention. I will try to post often to update on her progress, and of course, share numerous pictures.

Thanks to everyone for their thoughts, prayers, and support as we start our journey as parents.