In the early part of the 3rd trimester of pregnancy, I developed hemorrhoids. They were no fun at all, but the nurse told me that they should go away after the birth. Well, immediately after the birth, the were horrible. They finally healed up a couple of months after that, but they've been recurring ever since. I thought I had finally gotten rid of them, but they came back with more bleeding than ever last Sunday night.
I went to the doctor's office about them yesterday, but it sounds like this may just be a problem that I might have forever. She kept emphasizing prevention techniques that I've tried in the past but that don't really seem to work. It was quite discouraging. I did get 2 new prescriptions, and I'm supposed to take Citracel every day for 2 weeks. It's Tuesday now, and they're still not good.
A vaginal birth is supposed to be so much easier for recovery than a c-section. I really wonder in my particular case if this is true. Between the tearing/episiotomy, extra catheter because I couldn't pee soon enough after the birth, and the hemorrhoids, I didn't really feel relatively decent until 5 1/2 weeks after the birth. I wonder if the hemorrhoids would have simply healed up if I hadn't had all the pushing from the vaginal birth. I suppose it doesn't matter now, though.
This is making me really wonder whether my body could even really handle another pregnancy. My grandmother (on my mom's side) had wanted more than 1 child but for whatever reason, she was unable to have another child. And, of course I can't ever know the details of that now, since everyone who would have known is no longer living. I also wonder if my mom ever had issues with hemorrhoids. But, again, I'll never know that either.
I really want Ariella to have a sibling. With my family history (father died at 61, mother died at 59 - both of different types of cancers), I haven't been crazy optimistic about my life expectancy. And, Tyree has family history of heart issues and diabetes. It's very possible that Ariella might have the very same thing happen to her (both parents dying relatively young). If it weren't for my brother, it would essentially be just me - granted, I have 2 cousins and 1 aunt and uncle, but that's pretty much it. So, I would really like Ariella to have a sibling. Hopefully Tyree and I can both live to be 100, but that's probably not the case. If they can come up with a cure for cancer, I'll probably be good. So, maybe I will live to be really old.
I just don't know how much my body can take. It seems like while I've been in excellent health regarding weight, fitness, and eating habits, I've just had a myriad of health issues in the past 10 years - kidney infection, appendix bursting and left waiting in the hospital for a day and a half (long story, very difficult recovery), 2 ear surgeries, tonsils out. It's just been a LOT. Everything with the pregnancy was perfect until the start of the 3rd trimester. Then, I developed the hemorhoids, had a pre-term labor scare, had to be put on meds and no exercise from week 19 to 35.
I'm sure this could all be a lot worse, but I guess my hormones are all over the place, and I seem to find myself having tunnel vision (but at least I recognize that). I just don't know. I really want a 2nd child, though. I would never want Ariella to be alone...
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Avocado!
I introduced avocado last night after I got home from work. I rolled the avocado on the counter (read that makes it easy to get the skin off), then I quartered it. The skin peeled right off, as did the stem. And, then I kind of mushed the avocado off of the pit and into a mixing bowl. I added a little water and just mashed it up with a spoon. It took quite a while to mash up, and it was still a little chunky, but I figured that I could mash it up more if needed as I was feeding her.
I portioned out a little bit for her to eat, and then I put the rest into my little freezer cups that I had bought (which as it turns out, they aren't very good - very difficult to close the lids, and one of the lids had a whole in it, so I had to throw that one away. I guess that's what I get for buying the $9.99 set.) The 1 avocado made like 8 portions of 1oz each.
I set Ariella up in her high chair, and spoon fed a little bit of the avocado. It was one of the chunks. It went in and right out. (I guess she still has a bit of the tongue thrust reflex.) Oops. So, too thick. I mashed up the avocado in the little bowl better and tried again. She liked it! I fed her maybe 1/2 of the portion (so, maybe 1/2 oz), and she did quite well with it.
I ate the rest of it, so there was no waste. It was possibly my first experience eating avocado (at least it's the first I can remember). It was quite flavorful - tangy and salty (even though I didn't add any salt of anything). And, it was very rich and buttery. I don't think I could eat too much of it at once. But, I enjoyed it. So, now I can't say that I don't like avocado.
Next up: Pears! (Friday or Saturday)
I portioned out a little bit for her to eat, and then I put the rest into my little freezer cups that I had bought (which as it turns out, they aren't very good - very difficult to close the lids, and one of the lids had a whole in it, so I had to throw that one away. I guess that's what I get for buying the $9.99 set.) The 1 avocado made like 8 portions of 1oz each.
I set Ariella up in her high chair, and spoon fed a little bit of the avocado. It was one of the chunks. It went in and right out. (I guess she still has a bit of the tongue thrust reflex.) Oops. So, too thick. I mashed up the avocado in the little bowl better and tried again. She liked it! I fed her maybe 1/2 of the portion (so, maybe 1/2 oz), and she did quite well with it.
I ate the rest of it, so there was no waste. It was possibly my first experience eating avocado (at least it's the first I can remember). It was quite flavorful - tangy and salty (even though I didn't add any salt of anything). And, it was very rich and buttery. I don't think I could eat too much of it at once. But, I enjoyed it. So, now I can't say that I don't like avocado.
Next up: Pears! (Friday or Saturday)
Milk Issues Are Better
I'm feeling a lot better about the milk issues today. I think my hormones were a little out of whack (they still might be actually). I reviewed my logs, and I did cut out 1 daytime pumping session back on 8/2. So, it's been a couple of weeks with that. My daytime pumps are still really good, though. I think her changing early morning schedule is what has me a little off with my numbers. But, my numbers aren't really much lower than what they used to. It's just the combination of the slightly lower numbers with having to leave even more milk that is the problem.
I think she's getting VERY filled up during the day. Yesterday after I got home, I gave her the avocado (which went very well! I'll have to do a post about that next). And, then she nursed around 6:30pm (only one side and not for very long). Then, she fell asleep and was essentially out for the night! Normally, she nurses two good sessions after I get home from work, rather than the 1 short session. I pumped a little on both sides at 9:30pm since she hadn't woken up to eat, and I got 3oz from that (didn't want to pump too much in case she woke up and needed to eat). And, then this morning around 3:45am, I was able to pump 7.5oz total (again, didn't fully pump both sides because I knew she would need to eat soon).
Of course, this morning, she had 2 huge poopie diapers and nursed 3 times! Go figure... I guess I just have to get used to constant change with her eating. I think I will reduce the amount of her first bottle with the amount of milk that she has in the cereal. That makes sense. That way she'll still have a total of 20oz. I'll start with that and see how it goes, and then I can always reduce her last bottle a little (since she'll get a veggie/fruit after that one). But, with 10.5oz pumped today already, I'm sure I'll have pumped plenty enough today! :-)
I just don't want her getting so full during the day that she doesn't want to nurse much after I get home from work. I'd rather she get more of the milk from me than from the bottles. She can get the solids during the day.
I think she's getting VERY filled up during the day. Yesterday after I got home, I gave her the avocado (which went very well! I'll have to do a post about that next). And, then she nursed around 6:30pm (only one side and not for very long). Then, she fell asleep and was essentially out for the night! Normally, she nurses two good sessions after I get home from work, rather than the 1 short session. I pumped a little on both sides at 9:30pm since she hadn't woken up to eat, and I got 3oz from that (didn't want to pump too much in case she woke up and needed to eat). And, then this morning around 3:45am, I was able to pump 7.5oz total (again, didn't fully pump both sides because I knew she would need to eat soon).
Of course, this morning, she had 2 huge poopie diapers and nursed 3 times! Go figure... I guess I just have to get used to constant change with her eating. I think I will reduce the amount of her first bottle with the amount of milk that she has in the cereal. That makes sense. That way she'll still have a total of 20oz. I'll start with that and see how it goes, and then I can always reduce her last bottle a little (since she'll get a veggie/fruit after that one). But, with 10.5oz pumped today already, I'm sure I'll have pumped plenty enough today! :-)
I just don't want her getting so full during the day that she doesn't want to nurse much after I get home from work. I'd rather she get more of the milk from me than from the bottles. She can get the solids during the day.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Baby Food Galore!
I've been thinking that I'm going to make some of Ariella's baby food. I'm starting her with avocado tonight (since it's a baby super food), so it will be interesting to see how that goes. I'm going to peel it and stick it in the blender with some water to thin it a bit. Then, I bought these freezer tray/container things. So, I'm going to portion it out into that. I'll keep one out for use right then. I'll put a 2nd container in the refrigerator, and I'll put the rest in the freezer.
Speaking of the container things, I went to Babies R Us yesterday to stock up on some feeding supplies (plus I had coupons to use). I wound up getting the freezer container set, an extra pack of baby spoons, new 6 month sized pacifiers, a teether that brushes her teeth while she chews on it, and quite a bit of baby food. I was thinking that I had bought all organic, but as it turns out, some of it wasn't. Oh well. The avocado I bought wasn't organic. I guess I'll buy organic where I can and won't worry about it if I feed her some non-organic things.
In terms of baby food, I got this 16 pack of organic Earth's Best Pears for 20% off of an already cheap $3.99! The caveat is that they expire Oct 20th. So, Ariella will start pears as her next food on Friday or Saturday. I'm thinking that maybe I'll mix her oatmeal with the pears (once she's tried it on its own and likes it). I figure she'll only eat maybe 1/4 of a jar per serving at first, so she'll have to eat pears almost every day for me to use them up in the 2 months. (Ok, so maybe I didn't think that through very well.)
In addition to the pears, I bought Gerber foods, too - organic carrots, organic sweet potatoes, organic green beans. And, then I got mangos and something else (both non-organic - boo). With all this, Ariella has enough food to last her a loooong time. Plus, I want to do yogurt soon, so I'll have to get that (Ooh! I'll bet she might like the pears with the yogurt). All of the food was "2nd stage" food. Granted, she's just starting with solids, but she's 6 months old, so I figure that the 2nd stage food will work. It's just that the 2nd stage food has so much more quantity than the 1st stage foods, so it's less expensive. Hopefully this logic won't backfire on me. I guess if it's too thick, I can always just add some water.
So, I'm very excited! I hope the avocado turns out good. I have essentially no experience with preparing avocado, so wish me luck tonight!
Speaking of the container things, I went to Babies R Us yesterday to stock up on some feeding supplies (plus I had coupons to use). I wound up getting the freezer container set, an extra pack of baby spoons, new 6 month sized pacifiers, a teether that brushes her teeth while she chews on it, and quite a bit of baby food. I was thinking that I had bought all organic, but as it turns out, some of it wasn't. Oh well. The avocado I bought wasn't organic. I guess I'll buy organic where I can and won't worry about it if I feed her some non-organic things.
In terms of baby food, I got this 16 pack of organic Earth's Best Pears for 20% off of an already cheap $3.99! The caveat is that they expire Oct 20th. So, Ariella will start pears as her next food on Friday or Saturday. I'm thinking that maybe I'll mix her oatmeal with the pears (once she's tried it on its own and likes it). I figure she'll only eat maybe 1/4 of a jar per serving at first, so she'll have to eat pears almost every day for me to use them up in the 2 months. (Ok, so maybe I didn't think that through very well.)
In addition to the pears, I bought Gerber foods, too - organic carrots, organic sweet potatoes, organic green beans. And, then I got mangos and something else (both non-organic - boo). With all this, Ariella has enough food to last her a loooong time. Plus, I want to do yogurt soon, so I'll have to get that (Ooh! I'll bet she might like the pears with the yogurt). All of the food was "2nd stage" food. Granted, she's just starting with solids, but she's 6 months old, so I figure that the 2nd stage food will work. It's just that the 2nd stage food has so much more quantity than the 1st stage foods, so it's less expensive. Hopefully this logic won't backfire on me. I guess if it's too thick, I can always just add some water.
So, I'm very excited! I hope the avocado turns out good. I have essentially no experience with preparing avocado, so wish me luck tonight!
Monday, August 16, 2010
Schedule Keeps Changing... Discouraged...
Ariella keeps changing up her sleeping schedule, and it is starting to affect my pumping. Previously, she had been going to sleep by 8:30pm or so, stirring around 4am (signaling me to get up and pump), and then she would wake up to eat around 5 - 5:30am, then go back to sleep and wake between 7:30-8am to eat again.
But, her schedule is been weird lately. One day she slept all the way until 5:30am (no stirring at 4am, so I totally missed pumping and had to do so after she ate, which meant much less milk pumped. This morning, she woke up at 4pm, so I stuck the pacifier in her mouth and started to pump. But, she didn't go back to sleep! So, I was trying to hurry my pumping session before she got too upset, but she started crying. :-( Hubby picked her up and changed her diaper, while I ended my pumping session early. It made me feel so horrible that I couldn't just feed her, that I had to be tied to this goofy pump contraption for an extra 5-10 minutes (and should have stayed pumping longer). But, she drinks so much milk during the day 20+ oz, that I need that early morning pump to be able to have enough!
We co-sleep every night now. She was sleeping in the bassinet in our room, but she got too big for it, and she was waking herself up. I moved the pack n play in its place, but she didn't go for that. I guess it wasn't comfy enough, even after I put a big comforter in it, folder up, for extra padding. And, we can't do the transition to her crib quite yet, because it's too hot in her room upstairs. Next year we're probably going to have to replace the air conditioner. Sigh...
My first pump at work didn't go all that well, either. I'm not going to get anywhere near the 20oz that I need (oh wait, I need 21.25oz, since I need 1.25oz for her oatmeal cereal!). Granted, I have a HUGE freezer stash, and I have milk from the weekend, but I need to get back to the point where I make as much as she takes in any given day. I'm still getting over being sick, so maybe that's partially the problem. And, I don't think I ate enough yesterday. I had to work over the weekend, so that was no fun. Work is fairly stressful right now - two difficult projects. Guess I just needed to vent a bit. I'm sure it will all work out. Maybe I can take a vacation day soon - just to vegge...
But, her schedule is been weird lately. One day she slept all the way until 5:30am (no stirring at 4am, so I totally missed pumping and had to do so after she ate, which meant much less milk pumped. This morning, she woke up at 4pm, so I stuck the pacifier in her mouth and started to pump. But, she didn't go back to sleep! So, I was trying to hurry my pumping session before she got too upset, but she started crying. :-( Hubby picked her up and changed her diaper, while I ended my pumping session early. It made me feel so horrible that I couldn't just feed her, that I had to be tied to this goofy pump contraption for an extra 5-10 minutes (and should have stayed pumping longer). But, she drinks so much milk during the day 20+ oz, that I need that early morning pump to be able to have enough!
We co-sleep every night now. She was sleeping in the bassinet in our room, but she got too big for it, and she was waking herself up. I moved the pack n play in its place, but she didn't go for that. I guess it wasn't comfy enough, even after I put a big comforter in it, folder up, for extra padding. And, we can't do the transition to her crib quite yet, because it's too hot in her room upstairs. Next year we're probably going to have to replace the air conditioner. Sigh...
My first pump at work didn't go all that well, either. I'm not going to get anywhere near the 20oz that I need (oh wait, I need 21.25oz, since I need 1.25oz for her oatmeal cereal!). Granted, I have a HUGE freezer stash, and I have milk from the weekend, but I need to get back to the point where I make as much as she takes in any given day. I'm still getting over being sick, so maybe that's partially the problem. And, I don't think I ate enough yesterday. I had to work over the weekend, so that was no fun. Work is fairly stressful right now - two difficult projects. Guess I just needed to vent a bit. I'm sure it will all work out. Maybe I can take a vacation day soon - just to vegge...
Eye Doctor Appointment Saturday
In my area, we have a program called Parents as Teachers with the school system. While the lady was visiting, she mentioned that they were recommending vision screening for all babies at 6 months. There's a program called InfantSee, which she said offers free screening for babies nationwide. The website is infantsee.com. I had scheduled Ariella's appointment for this past weekend. Apparently vision problems that could be corrected early if caught early are getting missed (even with the pediatrician base eye screening), so our school district is encouraging all babies to get tested by an eye doctor.
We had a good appointment on Saturday. The eye doctor did a lot of different vision checks. We had been concerned about her right eye still turning in a little, but the doctor said that everything looked good. We talked about Ariella's clogged tear duct, and she recommended massaging it while doing the cleaning with the warm washcloth. So, I'm making a point to do that. But, she said that they normally don't do anything about it, especially at this age. Ariella's prescription was +3, which is apparently perfectly normal at her age. She recommended that we come in again at 3 years old, so no more eye doctors for us for a while. We learned quite a lot about infant eye development. The only thing I should have done is that the timing of the appointment wasn't the best. Ariella got tired towards the end of it, so she got a little fussy. I'm very glad we went, though. And, it was completely free! Very cool program.
We had a good appointment on Saturday. The eye doctor did a lot of different vision checks. We had been concerned about her right eye still turning in a little, but the doctor said that everything looked good. We talked about Ariella's clogged tear duct, and she recommended massaging it while doing the cleaning with the warm washcloth. So, I'm making a point to do that. But, she said that they normally don't do anything about it, especially at this age. Ariella's prescription was +3, which is apparently perfectly normal at her age. She recommended that we come in again at 3 years old, so no more eye doctors for us for a while. We learned quite a lot about infant eye development. The only thing I should have done is that the timing of the appointment wasn't the best. Ariella got tired towards the end of it, so she got a little fussy. I'm very glad we went, though. And, it was completely free! Very cool program.
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