Two Weeks On The Job

We did it! We have survived the first two weeks of parenthood! It's everything we did and didn't expect. It's mostly easier than we thought but with a thick layer of exhausted icing. Here's fourteen thingsI've  learned while earning the new title of Mom.

1. Breastfeeding is really hard. I couldn't understand how it could be until I had to do it. 

2. Humor is key. Laugh a lot. Laugh at every blast that comes out of your little blast ended screwt. Don't groan about another diaper change in less than five minutes.

3. Be prepared. Slide a new diaper right under her butt before you slide off the old one. 

4. Baby clothes. Adorable, but what a joke. The cuter the outfit the more swear words that are required to put them on! 

5. Postpartum hormones are more insane than all nine months of pregnant hormones combined. I cried today driving Peggy to her check up because right after the new Missy Elliott song came The White Stripes, Seven Army Nation. Insert crying, driving through Brookside at 8am me, "Peggy these songs make me so h-h-happy"! 

6. The 30-second rule. Peggy likes to sleep talk, or so I like to think that's what she's doing. I've learned to wait just a little bit before I decide to get up and start the process of feeding and changing her when she makes one of her many varied noises. 

7. I certainly will miss nine months without a period. I also remember why I hate pads so much. 

8. People love babies. People do great things when you have a baby. Like surprise you and babe with gifts and amazing food or find people who have leads for jobs for your husband to keep us in Kansas City. 

9. Driving is scary. Okay maybe it's a little more scary that I drive a Mini Cooper but suddenly i feel really tiny and surrounded by gigantic tank like cars ready to run us off the road now that I have this tiny human with me.

10. It takes a lot of work to not strangle, kill, scream at, laugh insanely, or cry when Rick tells me he's tired. I gotta count to ten, fight every urge to snap at him and ask him how badly do his boobs hurt. I pumped and gave him a night shift and he learned quickly, his tired isn't like my tired. I am cutting him some slack now that he's decided to move out of the guest room and back with us. I take it as a sign my pregnancy snoring is getting better. AMEN!

11. Taking a shower feels better than any "need to shower" moment ever before in my life.

12. Sleeping on my stomach again.... Weird. 

13. Leaving the house takes serious planning and coordination. So long are the days of jumping out of bed last minute.

24. Being a mom feels so good and so right. No matter how tired I get, how sore my body is, how creeped out I am when Peggy goes all poltergeist and roller her eyes around learning how to use them, or how sore my boobs are, she's worth every bit of it! 

Oh! Also! Tomorrow, December 22ns is Peggy's official due date! I can't believe she's two weeks old. I'm so thankful I'm not still waiting for her! Clocking in at almost 8 pounds two weeks early, she would have been quite the Christmas ham. 

We had another doctors appointment today, mostly a weight check because we had a rough time starting off breastfeeding and things are going well! Peggy is back to her birth weight! Yay! 

A Few Of My Favorite Postpartum Things

 Fair warning, there's no rhyme or reason to the order of my blog posts!

1. A long robe.

Www.walmart.com

A long robe is a must. It was a huge benefit when I was allowed once to wander the halls of the hospital with my darling Doula, Ali pushing my IV around with me. It covered my ass while I was rocking one of those horrible hospital gowns, which, do suck on all kinds of levels, but trust me, I'm glad they exist. I went through a few of them during my stay. Postpartum wise, a major blessing.  A must for hormone cold and hot flashes, covering up when company visits and wearing a bra or shirt is the worst sounding idea ever, and getting used to breast feeding, this is perfect, because like a just said wearing a shirt or bra, even nursing tops just seems horrible and impossible at the beginning. 

2. Pain killers

Don't say no to the pain killers they bring you in recovery. The first week, was horrible for crotch pain. Everyone would ask me, " how's mom?" I always said, "not to bad, but my ass is killing me". It was the truth. I have second degree tears down there, which aren't as horrible as the horror stories you hear about like ripping to your rectum, thank god, but I have stitches in the front, back and side of my lady parts.   I could tell every four hours it was time for the major pain killers because they would begin to wear off and I would be finding myself in a serious struggle to get up out of bed or even readjust in bed.

3. A Doughnut

Www.amazon.com

What a life savior. I ordered this on Amazon prime within hours of being moved to my recovery room so it would be home for my arrival. Like I said before my butt hurt SO much! A lot of ladies I've heard use their Boppy pillows for bottom pain relief. I don't have one, so this was worth every penny. I could take it around with me in the house easily and deflate it to travel with it easily. This is my number one must have thing for after birth needs. 

4. A Peri Bottle

The hospital will give you one for recovery. It's great for cleaning down there, but it's also amazing when you need to pee. You sort of torture yourself as you wait for the water to warm up a bit to refill the bottle, but sqirt yourself while you pee to delute your urine and it significantly combats any stinging or pain you have while you pee. I like to put a little which hazel in mine too. 

5. Aloe Vera and Witch Hazel

I mixed the two into a spray bottle, and sprayed it onto a maxi pad for my first few days home. I had premade maxi pads with this and froze them, but it was way to cold for me! The room tempature gel aloe Vera did the trick for cooling and relieving the pain. You can find all kinds of tricks and tips for postpartum padicles online. 

6. Sleep

"Sleep when the baby sleeps"

It's much easier said than done, especially the first few days you're home and all wound up, no matter how exhausted you are. But once your excitement calms down, SLEEP! I have had a few crying fits myself from being totally exhausted and burnt out while trying to figure out breast feeding. 

7. The Swaddel

Www.bertiesblankets.com

Learn the art form of swaddeling! Seriously! It's magic. There's tons of videos and info online, you'll be so happy you learned this trick! It knocks Peggy out every time! 

I'm sure I'll have more favorite things posts coming! 

Happy weekend before Christmas everyone!

12-19-2015

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Peggy, 12/15/15

https://www.instagram.com/rickandallie/

Welcome Home Peggy

,

     Margaret "Peggy" Madeline Suminski

     Born December 7th 2015

     At 6:38pm

     Weighing 7 pounds 12.75 ounces

     Stretching out to 21 inches long

I'm quickly realizing I'm going to have a lot of spare time on my hands, well, sort of. My days are now going to be filled with waddling to the bathroom, crying out "my ass! My ass it hurts so much!", feedings and laying around with Peggy snoozing on me!

I'm switching back over to this blog, on blogspot because I can't post to my other blog from my iPad so keep coming back here! Rickandallie.blogspot.com

As I type this, I immediately think my dad telling me like he has so many times, "you know a lot of people follow you on Facebook, a lot, more than you think." I know it's his way to constantly remind me to not write things that could make me or anyone look bad or regret, which I get, and thanks dad! But fair warning dad, I'm going to be super candid about my pregnancy, labor and being a first time mom. There's a lot I went through I had no idea could or would happen, I also learned a lot from asking other moms and especially from the moms who told me exactly how it is and I've had numerous folks, well, ladies, who have thanked me for being so opened and honest about my experiences. Truly that's what my goal is, to say something here to inspire or prepare any future mom for what is or could be in store for them.

I also have to stress, that I am not a professional I am just a regular lady who had a baby. All babies and moms are different only your doctor or midwife knows what truely is best for you and you need to know you can and must always maintain an open and honest conversation with them about how you feel with all the changes your body is going through. They have seen and heard it all!

I'm planning on writing a bunch of blogs to break up my experiences... labor, life at the hospital, hiring a doula, breast feeding, epidurals, pre-eclampsia, and what not!

So keep checking back! I'll also post pictures here that I won't post anywhere else!

With Love,

Allie and Peggy!

Ps. Rick and I were so excited to see how our pets, fur-babies, react to Peggy. Our doula suggested we bring home the orginal receiving blanket Peggy was "caught in" before we came home to have them all become familiar with her smell. Which we did!

We got home, our 8-9 year old lab, Cosmo 2.0 gave her lots of wet noses kisses, Henry our about to turn 5 year old corgi, wasn't very interested he was more stoked for me to be home after being away, he did give her kisses, licks. Once we were settled in he decided he was scared of her! He wanted to be curious but when we would get near her he would be so scared and nervous around her. It's really adorable, it's really like he knows she's fragile and he's a little wild child that needs to be careful!

Suzy, my 8 year old cat, who was super In love with my baby bump just isn't sure about her. She has warmed up and rubbed her face all over Peggy, but she's also in the boat, of being stoked moms home more than anything. Then there's Helga. Helga my about to turn 8 years old cat who is also known as Helga The Hell Cat, is the most interested in her! She, as soon as we came in wanted to see her, sniff her and stare at her! It's adorable! She's been our shadow and when she's not she finds her way to us as soon as Peggy starts crying. Melts my heart!