The Great Expectation

21.5 weeks of being pregnant (less than that in terms of days that I have had time to think about being pregnant) and I'm already looking forward to having another tiny person in the house I"YH. So many things that we get to go through again, most of which were really quite lovely.

I didn't have this blog the first time around although I did have a blog on MySpace (which I never use anymore). It is certainly helpful, writing about our experiences, because some things just go by in such a blur.

Memories of labor: the old sentiment was that women tend to forget about labor being so dreadful so that they'll think about having kids again. I didn't find it to be too dreadful, and yes, I do remember it. It was a well-managed induction without pain meds and a delivery that was so good that the doctor still complimented me on it the last time she saw me. You better believe I remember that. My husband and my sister-in-law can attest to the fact that I was in a perfectly fine state for most of the time, up until transition labor hit.

I recall around 12 noon, 3 hours before The Boy was born, being told that I needed to change positions. I was sitting up, or reclining somewhat, in the bed, and they wanted me to be on my side instead, and The Boy's heartbeat was dropping with contractions. Which I knew was crap, because The Boy kept kicking the monitors, so how in the world could they measure anything correctly? But I didn't WANT to be on my side. What I actually wanted was to still be allowed out of the bed, but once my water was broken, I had to stay there. Which also meant having to pee A LOT in a basin, around the same time. Being on IV fluids does that to you.

I remember insisting on being checked, during transition, or after I guess because I knew that this boy was coming out soon and felt the urge to push, and having the nurse tell me that no, I couldn't possibly be ready yet. I remember her name but will not mention it here. Nevertheless, if I get her again, I'll either tell her to frakking listen to me or just request a different nurse.

The induction of labor meant that there was not the surprise of "oh my goodness, the baby is coming soon!" or the possible mess of a rupture of membranes at an inconvenient time. It also meant that there was no laboring at home. Perhaps this time around, labor will actually start. Of course, with my luck I won't even be able to tell when it is time to head to the hospital and I'll end up having the baby in the house. My husband is probably freaking out reading that last sentence, although much less so than he would have had I not already capably delivered The Boy.

Memories of the first few weeks: That's where the amnesia really happens, I think. I was in such a fog from recovery and getting used to breastfeeding and diaper stuff, and the fact that babies can't tell time and have no interest in sleeping for longer than a few hours at a time. I had some frustration at first with the feeding thing, mostly because The Boy had a puking problem. I now feel pretty certain that it was a foremilk/hindmilk imbalance.

If you don't know what this is, it is pretty important that you become aware. Classic symptoms are frothy greenish poo that happens frequently (one of those types of poo happening occasionally isn't a big deal) and a baby that pukes a lot but doesn't seem sick. In order to combat this problem, it is very important that the baby be allowed to "finish" nursing on one side and gets to the hindmilk. After finishing, he may only want to nurse a bit more on the other side but it should be offered. Failing to get enough hindmilk into the baby means that he'll want more milk for more calories and just take in too much. I remember thinking, my boobies are still sore--why feed him now when he's just going to bring it back up again? Knowing that my mother's advice and the nurses' advice on breastfeeding was mostly good, but that some of it was a little off-base, I feel that much better going into the process with Baby Bear.

I don't expect to buy a lot of stuff for Baby Bear. We have a crib. We'll need a bassinet because I'd rather have Baby Bear in our room in the bassinet for as long as possible, in order to make nighttime stuff easier. We don't need much in the way of clothing or toys. We'll add to the diaper stash with a bunch of size small Bummis Super Whisper Wraps and prefolds, and cycle in some new bumGenius OneSize diapers, which will fit both babies. Supposedly they don't fit newborns right away depending on size, but with The Boy having been pretty big and Musical Daddy and I both being tall people, I'd imagine that it won't be long. We may use up the stash of Pampers from the hospital stay and then put Baby Bear in cloth. I can't imagine that he'll escape having a sensitive bum like the rest of us, and anyhow, having two children in cloth diapers saves a crapload of money. Pun intended.

Not sure where this little pregnant-lady ramble has gone, but if you've made it this far, thanks for humoring me.