April in Review
Friday, April 1 Matthew started the Saturday cleaning early, which was so nice. My replacement for maternity leave was unexpectedly let go at work, so that wasn't the greatest news. She really did a great job, and I felt good leaving things in her hands.
April 2 was a good Saturday. I went to the gym, did laundry, watched some of morning General Conference, did client check-ins, and Matthew ran a couple errands. He came back with roses for me as a surprise. We grocery shopped together. We went to Cubby's for dinner, got snacks at Maverik, and saw Morbius at the theater. It wasn't great, but wasn't as bad as I expected (it's been getting terrible reviews).
April 4 I did leg press day at the gym. I had a ton of work to do to try to prepare for being out on maternity leave without a replacement. Just making sure meeting agendas were ready, flyers were ready, and calendar reminders were on people's radars. We had a meeting to make sure my important tasks were delegated appropriately. I spent the rest of the day working on that, along with preparing a tenant lease that's coming up. I made chicken korma for Matthew and me for dinner.
Tuesday, April 5 I did bench press day at the gym and hit 100 workouts with Fitbliss Strong Pregnancy program in Trainerize. Work was much lower-key. That evening, we got pizza and caught up on The Walking Dead. I had some pretty intense contractions. The baby digs his head deep into my pelvis, and it sometimes feels like when I had an ovarian cyst. There's also pressure on my rectum sometimes depending on how he's positioned.
April 6 I walked in the morning before work. Work was a little calmer. I had a wax scheduled for the evening. I overspent on this day and got myself a Dutch Bros, a Firehouse sandwich (but I think this was free), and Presotea. I reviewed my slides from our lactation class. I watched This is Us in the evening.
Thursday, April 7 I did squat day at the gym. Work was low key, but I stayed busy. I got Costa Vida for lunch. We had a birth center appointment. We got dinner at J Dawgs and got dessert at the Yogurt shop. I taught myself how to do the baby wrap.
April 8 we cleaned the house and got Thai food for dinner.
Saturday, April 9 we finished the cleaning. I went to the gym, did laundry, and did client check-ins. I watched This is Us, and Moon Knight with Matthew.
April 10 was my baby's due date, which I knew would pass me by. I got myself a Dutch Bros, went on two walks, and hung out with Matthew. We got a "due date feast" at Slackwater Pizza. We went to Pirate O's, and I took a bath.
Monday, April 11 was leg press day at the gym. We got Nori Sushi for lunch at work for my boss's birthday. We had a birth center appointment. My fundal height measured behind, but the midwives weren't worried. We ate leftovers and watched Dr. Who.
April 12 I had a therapy appointment. I was very uncomfortable at work. I came home early. Shivani came over, and the three of us got dinner at Red Robin.
Wednesday, April 13 I walked in the morning. I had bloody show and a lot of practice labor. I left work early because of it. I cleaned the blinds from the baby's room and the kitchen. I went on walks. Matthew and I got lunch at Corner Bakery and napped. I watched This is Us, and we watched Jumanji (the new one).
April 14 I did deadlift day at the gym. I didn't go to work because I didn't know if labor was close. It was doing a lot to me mentally. I wanted to be at work to stay busy. Shivani and I walked around the mall and got lunch at Melty Way. I went on walks, and we watched Dexter: New Blood.
Friday, April 15 I walked and didn't go to work again. Shivani and I went to get donuts from Donut Star; they were out of a lot already. We got Dutch Bros. I showed her my work. My midwife Eve called me to talk me through my mental struggle of being overdue. Shivani and I saw Fantastic Beasts at the theater, got boba tea, and watched Oblivion.
April 16 I did squat day at the gym. I did client check ins. I got groceries, and was feeling really run down. I felt like I probably shouldn't be out and about. I cried to Matthew about being tired and done being pregnant. My water broke at 4:24pm while we watched Moon Knight. We got a non-stress test done on the baby after I hadn't felt him move in a while. I wrote the rest of my birth story here.
See my blog post for an April 17 recap.
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| Getting castor oil at Walgreens |
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| Early labor |
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| Active labor |
April 18 was our boy's first day of life. He was born at 1:28am. We were home by 6am, and asleep by 7. We were told he would sleep for about six hours, and that we should feed him at that point. I woke him up to feed him three different times, and he wouldn't eat. He kept on sleeping. So we were back at the Birth Center in the afternoon to talk to them about it. They gave me nipple shields to use. That evening, my neighbor Ashley offered to bring us dinner--chicken, potatoes, and salad. It was so nice.
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| Skin to skin with dad at the birth center |
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| Cleaned up for the day |
Tuesday, April 19 I got shivers and could not get warm. I was shaking violently. I found that I had a fever. I asked Libby if I should still come in for our appointment, and she said yes. They prescribed me antibiotics, and gave us instructions to syringe feed AJ, and find donor milk. We got a smoothie after our appointment. Matthew reached out to Brionna for some breast milk. She brought us some that same afternoon, along with donuts, flowers, and formula. Libby also wanted us to reach out to an IBCLC and a craniosacral therapist. Dianne came over to meet the baby. Matthew reached out to a craniosacral specialist, Cynthia, who said she could get us in that evening, so we went to Bountiful for that appointment. It was really hard to learn what she showed us, especially with a fever and cough.
April 20 my milk came in early in the morning. I was excited it came faster than expected. Both of our moms came over that day. Shivani and Matthew both started to get my cough.
Thursday, April 21 we had the boy's lip and tongue ties revised using sterile scissors at the Birth Center. It was more traumatic for me than I expected. His tie was deep and thick, so they had to get after it three times. My boy crying made me cry, but we made it through. I shopped at Smith's after our appointment. The struggles to latch continued, as I could tell my baby was having immense gas pain that made him unwilling to latch. I talked with our midwife Eve who suggested probiotics and a belly massage. The bishop and his wife brought us dinner--chicken parmesan and pasta, with bread and salad. Matthew's sister Jacque came over to bring us soup, teach us the Q tip trick for the baby's gas, and she let us sleep for an hour while she held our baby. It was super nice.
April 22 I was an emotional disaster feeling frustrated with everything a new mom is frustrated with--not being able to feed my baby, being sleep deprived, etc. We had a lactation consultant come. She had to do some gymnastics to get AJ to latch. I wasn't confident I could replicate any of it. She gave us a finger tube feeding system called an SNS. We were supposed to have him suck our pinky while putting the tube in and letting him drink slowly. She wanted me to pump four times a day as well. We got a link to lots of info for breastfeeding that felt super overwhelming for me. But he finally pooped that day, likely from getting enough to eat. I was struggling terribly with guilt that my baby was hungry and that I wasn't making enough for him. Our neighbor Emily brought us dinner--fajitas, chips, and guac. Also, I ordered a donut pillow and a haakaa.
Saturday, April 23 Matthew's cough had reached a really bad point. His back was hurting when he coughed. It was a rough night the night before with AJ's gas. It was a 35-40 minute process just to get him started with eating. Just a really emotional time for us. Our neighbor Mattie sent us Marco's pizza for dinner--but she went all out: cheese bread, salad, pizza, and brownies. My sister in law Whitney came over to hold the baby. She let us sleep for a little while, and when I came out she had cleaned up my house for me. It was so nice.
April 24 we met with Kayla at the birth center which was a good appointment for me; she told me to accept help being offered. My mom came over to help with the baby and let us sleep; she went to the store for us and picked up some supplements for me for breastfeeding. One super sad event this day was trying to feed my baby, using the haakaa to catch my run-off, which got a lot more than expected, and it spilled everywhere. I was so sad. That evening, April from our ward brought us dinner: chicken alfredo from Costco (I ate this every single day till it was gone--so good); she also included steamed veggies and some fruit.
Monday, April 25 I was stressed because my milk supply seemed to drop overnight. We went on our first family walk around the neighborhood. A whole quarter mile, but it was something! I also learned that baby feedings are from start to start, so if we feed him at 7, we have to feed again at 10 even if the process took over an hour (which is what it has been taking). That evening, our neighbor Savanna brought us steamed carrots, rice, and chicken curry.
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| The challenges of pumping |
April 26 was a lower key day. I struggled with my milk supply and reached out to Libby. She wanted me to reach out to an IBCLC again. We watched Dexter, and I posted my birth blog. That evening, Melinda from our ward brought us Sam's Club chicken enchiladas, croissants, and grapes.
Wednesday, April 27 I started taking fenugreek and blessed thistle supplements for my milk supply. I was struggling to keep my baby awake while nursing, which the IBCLC says is because of lack of milk flow. That was discouraging. I was happy to find that he had gained weight from Monday though. We also had a chiropractor appointment for me and the baby. He had his first blowout at the appointment BEFORE being adjusted. The last person from our ward forgot to bring us dinner, but she reached out the next day, and we arranged for Saturday instead. Super nice.
April 28 the baby had gas and was fussy all day. We also found out that he had yeast in his armpit, poor guy. We kept it dry, and later on we did a baking soda/vinegar mix, and Neosporin for him. My boss Scott and his wife Leslie brought us dinner from Zupas, along with an outfit, diapers, and wipes. It was so nice.
Friday, April 29 we hung out at home and gave baby his first bath. Matthew had a doctor appointment. We went to West Jordan to meet with another IBCLC named Lois. She was great and instructed me how to prevent thrush since I am on antibiotics. She wants me to pump after every feed. I had aspired to that, just haven't done it consistently because #mentalhealth. Matthew grilled a steak for him and chicken for me, which we ate along with a baked potato and some asparagus. He got me started on the Flight Attendant show, and we watched Dr. Who.
Saturday, April 30 Matthew had the baby all night, so I was up early with him. I woke up to a counter full of breakfast options, and three cups of mother's milk tea made for me, as well as a sweet note. I am so blessed to have this man as my partner in life. That afternoon, I picked up donor milk in West Jordan (basically Kearns) from a sweet and generous soul. She gave us a ton. I got myself some Starbucks while I was out. The last ward member, Charnae, brought us dinner from Costa Vida. And my midwife Eve stopped by to bring my placenta capsules. That evening I went to Millcreek to pick up a manual breast pump to see if I could make that work better than the electric one which wasn't getting much. I picked up Nielsen's frozen custard for us, and we watched Our Flag Means Death.
Overall an eventful month, and can't believe I've been a mom for almost two weeks. It's been a roller coaster so far, which I fully expected. But you never can prepare for it, can you?
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