Making it Work- A personal post

    I am incredibly blessed to be married to the most amazing husband in the world. I know a lot of women would say the same thing, but I mean it. Since day 1, we have always had the kind of relationship that we cherish every moment we have together and try to spend the most possible time together. I have never put gas by myself, gone to run an errand by myself, nor have I done groceries alone since I have been with him. He is the kind of man that makes me promise I will never put gas alone scared that something will happen to me and if I happen to pass by publix when I leave work he will sneak up behind me in one of the aisles and surprise me so that  I do not have to carry the groceries to my car alone.
      Having a baby is one of the best things that can happen to any couple.  It is the product of love ( at least in my case) and she has made our marriage even stronger. Brianna is the happiest baby and I know that she is this way because she feels the love between her dad and I and the love from her entire family.
     BUT.. HAVING A BABY ALSO TESTS YOUR RELATIONSHIP! And if you aren't lovers and friends ( i had to) then its not going to be an easy road.. let me explain.
      Between my arrival at the hospital and my actual delivery, my husband had to switch totally to the best friend mode. He had to clean vomit, bathe me in a bed, and  hold my hand as i squeezed, pinched, and punched his arm between contractions ( im not violent, but any woman who has felt a contraction would understand). Once it was decided that I was having a c-section, the best friend mode kicked into high gear. He had to basically do everything for Brianna since I couldnt get out of bed because of the pain. She cried every 1.5 minutes to be carried, fed, or just cuddled as she was out in this big world after 9 months in my womb and was scared and confused. Hubby would have to bring her to me or carry her himself since I was on a ton of meds that didn't make me feel too well.

     Once you get home and there is no nurse red call button and your bed doesn't incline at the raise of a button, you begin to feel the pain of a c-section all over your body (I'm exaggerating... But it does suck)... Hubby had to do more than help... It was definelty a 70 30 situation where he has to put in 70% and I was only able to give 30%. Also, when you're taking turns waking up every 45 minutes because of the baby, you're not particularly wanting to tell each other I love you... Conversations go more like "hey it's your turn...come on get up she's crying"..

     So in writing this post, I asked hubby what he would say allowed our relationship to go from lovers to best friends and back to lovers without losing the "spark". Here's what we came up with:

1) Discuss before hand the kind of new parents you want to be... Sounds silly, but you need to know if hubby is scared of changing poop diapers, if he thinks pediatrician is always right versus old Cuban traditions, etc. Discussing these things will avoid many arguments once baby is here.

2) Understand that baby belongs to both EQUALLY... You don't want to end up being the parent always on diaper duty, etc. You may resent each other for this. If one parent feels strongly about diaper changing for example, than decide that that parent will be in charge of bottle sterilizing. 

3) Understand that you will BOTH be emotional disasters... Because you are not sleeping and are frustrated that baby cries and you don't know why or what to do that makes her stop crying. THIS IS NORMAL AND TOTALLY OK.

4)Don't lose yourself. Shower, shave, perfume, and don't spend your days switching from pajama to pajama. This goes for both parents. You need to feel good about yourselves. 

5) Talk talk talk talk talk... Tell each other how you feel... Feelings are not facts so the other person doesn't need to agree with them but does need to understand that this is how you feel... I would lay in bed and tell hubby every day how I has felt with how the day had gone. It ranged from "Brianna is such a good baby" to "Brianna doesn't let me do anything around the house"

6) Don't pretend to be super parents... Our parents have been the biggest blessing in helping us with Brianna. I'll never forget Brianna's first week home. She got a diaper rash that almost sent me to the hospital ( im a first time mom and think my childs butt needs to be perfect. lol). That same weekend I had family over from Naples to see the baby and I couldnt even spend time with them. I took Brianna upstairs and sat in bed with her so that she could get air and be diaperless and when I saw myself in that room all alone with a baby who cried everytime she peed because the burn hurt so much I nearly lost it. I called my mom crying, which I didnt want to do because I didnt want to look like a failure in anyones eyes or a mom that couldnt handle her child, and she came over immediately. She even slept over so that  I could sleep the night. I CAN NEVER REPAY HER FOR THAT. THERE WAS NO JUDGING, ONLY HELP, AND IT MEANT THE WORLD TO ME.

7) Remember that you were lovers before parents and although your both emotional disasters you cannot stop being lovers. LET ME EXPLAIN BEFORE YOUR MINDS RUN TO INAPPROPRIATE THINGS. I noticed that anytime Brianna was sleeping I would take those 2 hours to clean, cook, shower, etc. About a week into Brianna's life, I saw my husband sitting on the couch alone as I was washing dishes. I turned off the water and went to sit with him. I needed his cuddle and he needed mine. I quickly realized that Brianna nor my husband cared very much at that point wether or not there were dirty dishes in the sink.

8) Dont stop your life because you have a baby. Brianna was with us up and down. We had a stroller and a car seat and were not afraid to use it. Make the baby part of your lives. Just cause you have a baby doesnt mean you cant enjoy time with the husband. Plus, baby sleeps most of the time so she wont really be a bother.

9) SPEND TIME TOGETHER. Even if its a car ride to McDonalds to buy frappes or a trip to Walgreens to buy pampers. DO IT TOGETHER. When hubby went back to work two weeks later, I would wait for him everyday to get home in gym clothes ready to go walking with him and the stroller built so that she can go with us. DO THINGS TOGETHER.

10) Enjoy this season. Its a different season. Its not the lets go out at midnight and get an ice cream or lets go to a midnight movie kind of season. Its a lets enjoy our baby season. Brianna is 9 weeks old. SHE IS HUGE. She learns and does something different everyday. Shes already growing out of 0-3 month clothes and it breaks my heart. She laughs at everything and recognizes voices. Shes heavy now instead of the little paperweight she was born as. Dont run through this season. Forget the super clean house. Buy a swiffer, use the dishwasher, do what you have to do to enjoy your baby. TIME FLIES.

P.S. When hubby and I were discussing this post, he said something that is as honest as ive ever heard. He told me " Melissa, the most important thing is to have been in and be in LOVE. None of these things would work if you weren't in love". HE'S right.

Til next time!!

ROUTINE-ing

Momma's Routine

     I never took any maternity classes... although I always dreamt I would.. but I would always hear all these mommies say that their child was on a routine. They would tell me how their baby since day one was on a routine and that because of this their child was so well-behaved. The first night I came home with Brianna, I remember bouncing around my room at 4:30am with Brianna in my arms singing the ants go marching 1 by 1 and thinking to myself  " HOW THE HECK DO THESE MOMS HAVE SUCH PERFECT BABIES?!!! BABIES ON A ROUTINE?!!!.. BRIANNA WILL NEVER BE ON A ROUTINE!! SHE WAKES UP EVERY 45 MINUTES AND I CANT TELL IF SHES HUNGRY, DIRTY, WANTS TO BE IN ARMS, ETC!!". Seriously, I would think of all these moms that would tell me that their routined trained child slept the night at 2 weeks and that before putting baby to sleep they would read to them, sing two songs, and lay baby down until the next morning. These moms would act like if their 2 week old was already changing their own diaper and burping themselves to sleep.  

     The fact that Brianna would never be a routine baby scared me since I had to go back to work so soon! I didn't know how  I was going to be able to get her semi-routined in time for me to go back to work. But as the weeks went by, I had one of those Einstein aha moments!!!!

BRIANNA DOES NOT NEED TO BE ON A ROUTINE.. I NEED TO BE ON A ROUTINE! BRIANNA WILL FOLLOW

So, here is our daily routine!!

1) When im about 10 minutes from home, I call hubby to see how far he is. This determines in what order my routine goes.

2) I get home and barely turn off the car; I run in and grab baby and give her 2 million kisses and hug her and squeeze her. It doesnt matter if shes sleeping because that 1 hour that she is sleeping is 1 hour less she sleeps at night, which is 1 less hour I sleep at night..SO THE CHILD MUST WAKE!!

3) I lay her back down and finish bringing stuff down from the car.

4) If she has 1 hour left to her next feeding, I quickly season the meat and prepare the salad for dinner.

5) I then take her upstairs to bath. Her bath lasts about 45 minutes. She LOVES the bath. I fill it for her like if it was a jacuzzi and I play with finger bath puppets and sing every song I know. She kicks and splashes in the water and doesnt cry not even when I wash her hair.

6) After bath, she gets a message on her legs and arms, baby oil on her head, and pajamas.

7) She comes downstairs and is usually asleep by the time she comes down. The bath knocks her out. I then go running/walking with hubby while my mother in law watches her ( IM BEYOND LUCKY TO HAVE MY SUEGRA)

8) Since I am out of shape (FAT)  my run/walk takes about 20 minutes.

9) After I make it through the front door and catch my breath,  I begin to cook while hubby does weights in the garage.

10) By the time we sit for dinner, Brianna is usually waking up. We put her on her little bouncer on top of the table and eat dinner while talking to her and making silly faces.

11) Hubby then takes baby and sits on couch with her while I wash dishes and make lunches and prepare bottles to take upstairs.

12) We go upstairs and shower while suegra watches Brianna ( AGAIN I AM SUPER LUCKY) 

13) Brianna usually gets another bottle and then falls asleep

Disclaimer: I am not a perfect mommy with a perfect routine baby. About once a week the routine goes out the window either because I get home too late or I have an event after work, etc.

HOSPITAL BAG-ING

GETTING READY FOR THE BIG DAY!!!

When I turned 36 weeks, I decided to pack my hospital bag. It was something I had wanted to do since the moment I found out I was pregnant but didnt want anyone to realize how crazy i was ( seriously, I was made fun of at 36 weeks). Every mom I knew, especially those who had multiple children, would tell me: "DONT PACK ANYTHING.. THE HOSPITAL GIVES YOU EVERYTHING". But being a totally ridiculous first time mom I ignored everyone's advice and packed a Oscar nomination-worthy hospital bag.. AND I'M SURE GLAD I DID. One of the best things I did in my opinion was take all travel size toiletries. You see, packing for delivery is not like packing for a trip. For a trip, you create a small list with the things you need to pack day of ( like toothbrush, toothpaste, camera, etc). When packing for delivery, you never know when baby will say its time and you need to be ready. I went to the travel section at Walmart and bought all my and my husbands toiletries travel size. I even bought a towel and chancs to take a shower at the hospital.

 Below are the essentials I packed. I, in my humble opinion, packed everything. AND NO, THE HOSPITAL DOES NOT GIVE YOU EVERYTHING..THEY COUNT WHAT THE GIVE YOU AND WONT BRING YOU A REFILL ON ANYTHING UNTIL YOU COMPLETELY RUN OUT... LA COSA ESTA MALA!!

BABY

 - A small pack of pampers size N: The hospital only had size 1 and since  Brianna was born so skinny the first time she did #2 the pamper was too big on her and it was quite the disaster.

-Wipees: The hospital would give me these like small travel packs but since the ones the hospital gives you cant purchase at the store, I didnt want to switch wipees on her when she got home.

- 6 changes of clothes: You plan on being there for 3 days, so two a day. She spits up, you spill milk on her, and she can have accidents that dirty her clothes. MAKE SURE THE CLOTHES HAS BOOTIES AND SLEEVES WITH GLOVES IF NOT YOU NEED TO PACK THOSE TOO. ALSO, HATS BECAUSE THEIR HEAD NEEDS TO BE PROTECTED.

-A going home outfit: Dont go crazy. I had this beautiful linen lace outfit to put on her and in the end she ended up coming home in a cotton gown because I felt so bad for her having to put her in uncomfortable clothes.

-Blankets and burp clothes: For visitors 

-Bibs: Especially if you formula feed

- A breastfeeding pillow:  Your back will thank you. 

-Bows and newborn picture props: Baptist has a company called mom365 that comes into your room and takes newborn pictures of your baby. We have a canon rebel and my husband I both agreed that we did not need to spend the exagerrated amount of money on the mom365 pictures because we could take our own. HOWEVER, when they show you the pictures, they show them to you in a beautiful slideshow with different quotes about being a parent and with the song "beautiful baby" playing in the background.. THEY SUCKER YOU IN.0
 

MOMMY

-5 Pajamas: You're only there for three days.. BUT.. a lot can happen/get stained in those days ( sorry if its graphic). Try to get maternity pajamas that either come with snap on and off straps or button down pajamas.

-Maternity bras: You think you wont need them and that it's a waste of money, BUT ITS NOT. Especially when that baby is waking up every 2 hours and you're having to take your shirt on and off.

-Your own Maxi Pads: The hospital gives you a pack of pads as long and as thick as your pillow and it is the most uncomfortable thing. Also, they don't stick to your panty so it can get messy ( again, sorry for the graphics)

-Slippers: Every time baby cries you will need to get up from your bed and you dont want to walk on that dirty floor. I personally bought pink cheap slippers at walmart that I left at the hospital as to not bring all that bacteria home ( so typical of a cuban.. los hospitales estan llenos de bacteria)

-Your own big comfy undies: I also went out and bought a pair of HUGE undies. Remember you'll be wearing a pad and you'll be swollen so you need undies that are covering and comfy. Try to buy some that almost hit your belly button ( I know I know) because if you have a c-section, that small panty elastic on your incision will feel like a dull knife. Plus, if you dont bring any, the hospital gives you this grosse top of a panty hose kind of thing to use as an undy.. its not good.
 
-Going home outfit: Do not take a red-carpet worthy outfit. When it comes time to go home, you will still be very swollen and with a big underwear and pad on. Take something loose and comfy. I woke a maternity dress out of the hospital since you still look preggers.

-A robe: I walked around the hospital a lot after my c-section and was thankful I brought a robe to cover my pajamas.

 

DADDY
-Two changes of clothes: Daddy does not need to be in pajamas since he did not give birth and can go home to pick up clothes whenever he wants. However, he may have to go straight from work/dinner/cutting the grass to the hospital and you want him to be able to change out of his clothes when he arrives. Make it comfy because if your pushing takes as long as mine, daddy will have to lay around waiting for baby for quite some time.

-Slippers: Daddy will have to help you get the baby, walk the hospital, bring you meals, etc and you dont want him walking on that floor either.

-Underwear: DUH

-Decent Pajamas:  About ten million nurses walk into your room every 3 hours and dad needs to be decent as well.

 

  TOILETRIES

-Body Soap
-Shampoo and conditioner: I had to wash my hair after 26 hours of pushing.
-Listerine
-Toothbrush
-Toothpaste
-Floss
-Spare Towel
-Slippers to take a bath
-Deodarant
-Brush
-Facial soap
-Lotion
-Hair iron, blowdryer, make-up: I needed to feel like a normal human being so I asked my mom to blowdry and iron my hair like when I was 12.

*Disclaimer: Remember that all of the above toiletries should be travel size ( I didnt bring any of them home except for the blowdryer and hair iron because im not rich) and that your husband needs a set of all the above toiletries as well.

DONT FORGET CHARGERS ( I BOUGHT THE $5.00 FROM WALGREENS AND HAD THEM PACKED AT 36 WEEKS) AND CAMERA!

HAPPY 1 MONTH BRIANNA!!!!!!!!!!!!

     Today, 1 month and 4 minutes ago ( it is 7:52pm) I gave birth to Brianna Elizabeth Soto! It is beyond difficult to believe its already been a month!!! This month has flown by!! Its amazing how much you learn in such little time and how much your life changes!! Brianna is already growing out of hew newborn clothes and it breaks my heart!! In honor of her 28 days of birth, I decided to write the top 28 things I have learned being a new mommy. HOPE IT HELPS!!!

1) You will never ever ever sleep the same again!! I spend 2 hours sometimes trying to sleep Brianna. Once I am finally able to lay her down, i spend about another 45 minutes listening to her breathing, seeing if she vomits, googling different things like why babys get baby acne, etc.

2) Don't open all the bottles of Desitin. Some babies, like mine, are actually allergic.

3) No matter how organized you try to have your diaper bag, it will always be a mess. I have everything in separate little baggies, one bag for pampers, one for bottles, one for extra clothes, etc, and when I get home the bag is always a mess.

4) You can never have too many bibs. Brianna goes through two a day.

5) Buy a lot of receiving blankies, gloves, and socks. If not, you'll be washing 6 out of 7 days a week.

6) It is difficult to go out with a newborn to run errands, but believe me that while youre going through the aisles at publix all you are doing is thinking about your child and how much you miss her.

7) Waking up every 3 hours kicks your butt. But your happiest moments in life will be when you have that baby in your arms and she is asleep on you with a full tummy.

8) You will go through over 200 diapers in 1 month without even having to try. But believe me, change baby constantly because diaper rash will break your heart.

9) You are dying to leave the hospital and bring baby home. But walking into your house and realizing there is no red call nurse button is SCARY!!!!

10) Take comfy outfits for baby to hospital. I bought her the most gorgeous linen take me home outfit and it broke my heart to put it on her. She ended up coming home in a pink cotton gown since it was comfortable for her.

11) Take everything the hospital gives you and dont feel bad about it. You'll feel bad when the hospital statement comes in and you see that every piece of toilet paper you used the hospital charged the insurance for.

12) Bathing a baby is more mentally freaky than what it really is. BUT ASK THE HOSPITAL TO TEACH YOU!! Especially since they teach you how to bathe her face and hair without getting water into the ear.

13) You will spend the first week at home thinking that you are going to break this child. You cant imagine that you would be entrusted with something so fragile.

14) Read and sing to baby since day 1. You think they dont notice, but Brianna with 1 month already calms down from crying if I start singing to her.

15) Dont feel bad saying no. If a visitor is sick, ask them to stay home. If people want to carry her, they need to wash hands and wear a receiving blanket, even if they have 15 kids and consider themselves the baby whisperer.

16) Dont over-google. A simple baby acne can become a liver disease if you keep reading.

17) No matter what, babies need to sleep on their backs!! Doesnt matter if baby is more comfortable on their tummies, abuela says her 7 kids all slept on their tummies and are fine, etc. Its not safe. At least not in the beginning.

18) There are 2 million opinions. Listen to your pediatricians before your cousins's mother's dog walker's brother. YOU'LL GO CRAZY!!

19) Read instructions. Don't think you can build anything just because your husband is a manly man. There is no need to risk babys health over machoness.

20) Find out what formula and pampers hospital use. It sounds crazy, but you cant change them to a different one just because its the one you have at home. WARNING: Hospitals do not have soy organic chai lactose free imported from Paris formula, so ask how to go about changing baby to that kind of formula if you feel so strongly about it.

21) You will never use your changing pad. You may use it during week 1 when everyone comes over to see how cute it is that you change the babys diaper. Eventually, it'll become a stage for pictures and your changing pad will be your pack and play, couch, husbands legs, and your bed.

22) Babies like noise. It calms them. Dont have the whole house whispering as to " no asustar la nina". 

23) Tummy time is important, but it doesnt have to be on a super cute pink tummy time mat. Tummy time can be on top of you as you lay down on the couch or bed. Actually, its better because baby will lift neck to be able to look at your face.

24) C-Section pain seems like the end of the world, but it goes away. I remember telling my OB that I ask for my pain beds 30 minutes before their due and she told me pain would go away in like 4-5 days. I thought to myself " YOU CRAZY" but its true.

25) C-section is STILL major surgery. Dont go crazy around the house trying to keep house clean, etc. It will hurt!! I remember my first publix trip because I thought I could do it and those walks through those aisles killed me.

26) Prepare meals for delivery and stick them in freezer. I didnt do that because honestly I dont like to cook and I spent 2 weeks saying " pasa por pollo tropical on your way home".

27) Appreciate peoples advice. It may seem overwhelming when someone tells you how they did it differently than you, but appreciate that however they did it, they too did it well

28) BELIEVE THAT GOD GAVE YOU THAT BABY BECAUSE YOU COULD HANDLE IT! YOU ARE THAT CHILDS MOTHER! YOU!! NOT TIA, ABUELA, ABUELO... YOU!!!!!! Be confident in yourself!!!!

29) ( 1 for good luck): No matter what you have, c-section or natural, GET UP AND MOVE. Dont let the "estoy recien parida" excuse get you lazy!!! You'll feel better if you move!!! Remember you need to help your body get back to normal!

MY CHILD SLEPT IN A BOUNCER ALL NIGHT... DONT JUDGE!!!!

      MY CHILD HATES HER CRIB!

     When people would tell me that their 5-10 year old child still sleeps with them because when they were a baby the baby hated his/her crib and the parents would put baby in their bed so that the parents could sleep, I was the first to judge. I never understood how a baby who is born not knowing anything could hate something. In my head, a baby was like a sponge and you taught baby which bottle, pacifier, baby lotion, and sleeping place to like. No hubo lengua que hablo que Dios no castigo. BRIANNA HATES HER CRIB!! You can rock her to sleep until you think she cant possibly wake up because you have been rocking her and singing for an hour and she has been asleep the whole time. The second you put her in the crib, she becomes hysterical! Then when you pick her up, she falls asleep again.

     Two nights ago, I became desperate. I had spent between 11:00am and 2:30am bouncing Brianna around the room, singing every song I knew in both english and spanish, and giving her gripe water thinking it was a gas and changing her pamper constantly in the case what was bothering her was feeling dirty. I became so desperate that I woke up my sleeping husband who wakes up for work at 4:00 am and told him I was going to the car to get the stroller and planned on pushing her all through the house until she fell asleep and was going to let her sleep in it. 

     As I was walking down the stairs, I saw her Fisher Price Calming Vibrations bouncer. Brianna loves that thing and always falls asleep in it. It goes with me to whatever room I go, from my room, to the living room, to the dining room, to the kitchen table if I have to. It helps her with her colics and hiccups and the little attachments amaze her. I took it upstairs and laid her in it. Within 5 seconds she was asleep!!! I was in awe!!!!! I literally started crying with joy!! I couldnt believe all she needed was to be put in that seat to fall asleep!! 

      However, its not made for sleeping and although I shouldve fallen asleep the second she fell asleep, I spent all night googling wether or not its safe for a baby to sleep in a bouncer, etc. I read how many moms who had become desperate had done the same thing but obviously its not safe for them, especially if theyre strong enough to roll out of it. 

      Brianna slept the whole night ( a total of about 5 hours with feedings in between) in the bouncer. Her neck was totally like squashed to one side and it broke my heart. So the next morning, I went straight to Babys R Us to see if I could find some kind of vibrating swing where she could sleep in without it harming her.  

      I found the Ingenuity Rocking Sleeper! It has music, vibrates, rocks, has a star and moon projector, and is made for sleeping. I was skeptical because obviously she was not going to be as inclined as she is on the Fisher Price bouncer but I decided to buy it and give it a shot. 

      PRAISE JESUS FOR THE INGENUITY ROCKING SLEEPER!!! I slept 4.5 hours straight last night, which is the equivalent of 48 hours for a non-mom. I put her in it and she complained for about 15 seconds and right when she sounded that she was getting ready to cry, she all of the sudden became silent. My husband and I jumped from the bed thinking that something had happened to her and when we look she was totally asleep. She slept until the 5:00am feeding.

     As I always say, different things work for different people. What I think happens to Brianna in the crib versus the bouncer or the sleeper is that in the crib she doesnt feel cuddled/safe. She feels safe in my arms and in anything that kind of snuggles her. She is impossible to swaddle as she sticks her arms out no matter if the Hulk swaddles her and tends to cover her face with the blanket, so sleeping without anything I think scares her. You see her arms swinging everywhere and it usually makes her wake up.

Ingenuity Rocking Sleeper

Fisher Price Calming Vibrations Bouncer

 Until next time!!!

 

 

NoseFrida- The booger sucker

      NOSE BOOGER SUCKER

      When I would go to buy buy baby with my mom to shop for different peoples baby showers, I would always see the NoseFrida and would comment on how grosse it is. It is literally a hose where you stick one end into babys nose and the other in your mouth and you suck out the boogers. OBVIOUSLY the boogers dont reach your mouth, it has a filter that acts like a plug to not let the boogers reach your mouth. My mom used to tell me "when you have a baby and that baby has a stuffy nose, you'll literally suck the boogers out of your babys nose to make him/her happy... you never find anything you do for your baby grosse".
      Brianna is still getting rid of the amniotic fluid and other hormones in her system from being in my belly for 9 months. This has caused her nose to be stuffy and if you've ever seen the size of a babys nostril, you cant imagine her keeping a booger in there. Its so small that the smallest booger can plug her nose. About the time I gave birth, I read an article on the traditional nose aspirator, the "blue bombita" and how many bacteria it contained. Here's a picture of one of those nose bulbs cut in half:

 

THATS MOLD!!!!!!!!!! THATS GOING IN A BABYS NOSE

     So today at Buy Buy Baby I bought the NoseFrida.. and I must say... its amazing!!!!! Obviously a moms suck is much stronger than the suck of a blue little bulb and with one suck in each nostril, boogers were out ( sounds disgusting I know)!!

     I would post pictures of what I took out, but I dont think Brianna would appreciate me putting booger pictures on this blog when she reads it when she gets older.

     I used saline drops in each little nostril and then waited about 20 minutes so that the boogers were softer. Then I used the NoseFrida.

    

Here is what it looks like:

THE BELOW PICTURE IS OBVIOUSLY A LIE. NO BABY IS HAPPY TO HAVE A TUBE PUT IN THEIR NOSE, BUT THEY ARE HAPPY TO BE ABLE TO BREATH BETTER.

 

"Me" Time

     Two days after my c-section, when my OB came to visit me, I mentioned to her that I went against the nurses recommendation and showered because I needed to feel like myself; I needed to be in my own undies, pajama, having used my own soap and my toothbrush from home instead of the one the hospital gave me.She told me something that I never thought would have so much weight on me post-partum.

     She explained to me that when her husband would get home, she would give him her son and ask him to take care of the baby because she needed to go shower and feel like a human again and not a milk machine.

     On the first few days of the baby's life, showering, teeth brushing, etc became items on the back burner. My only concern was to make sure she is fed, changed, without diaper rash, clean, and in the 2-3 hours she sleeps in between, I was cleaning the house, organizing clothes, re-filling bottles and wipee warmers, etc. I was on pain meds every 4 hours without failure and was basically not eating.   In fact, in the last 2 weeks I have lost 27 pounds and no thanks to a diet, but more of a fast. My mother-in-law and mom would tell me " sigue asi que te vas a morir" (exaggeration.. because I have enough fat stored for winter lol). My husband and I were not eating and if anyone would tell us to eat, we would make a pollo tropical run.

     About a week ago though, I woke up one morning feeling totally grosse. Brianna had had a rough night and I must have slept two hours between 1:00am and 9:00am. Hubby does an amazing job of waking up with me everytime Brianna cries and he will heat up milk or get her diaper ready, etc. But all moms know that the one who wakes up 30 minutes before baby is getting ready to wake up to get the bottle warmed, the diaper and butt paste ready, and even taste test the milk to make sure it wont burn baby ( grosse i know) so that the baby does not have to wake up and start crying to be fed is mommy.

     I asked hubby to please watch baby so that I could shower! IT WAS THE BEST SHOWER OF MY LIFE!! I was able to wash my hair and face and must have scrubbed 4 times. I was then able to finally put on regular clothes and not go from pajama to pajama. The shower lasted 30 minutes as opposed to the 5 minute shower I take with the monitor inside the bathroom and peeking through the curtain every 30 seconds to see if Brianna is moving.

     This has become a daily routine. Hubby watches Brianna and I have an hour to shower, shave, pluck my eyebrows, iron my hair, or do whatever I want. I can put on regular clothes and even, MAKE-UP, believe it or not. I can paint my nails or remove nail polish, try on clothes to see what fits or doesnt fit, and then take a 30 minute nap.


     As moms I think we get so lost and entangled with our babies that we lose ourselves. As part of recovery, I think feeling good is as important as rest. After having a baby, you have a totally different body than you did before baby and its important to be able to look in the mirror and feel decent/pretty. Before I was a mom, I was a wife, and its not fair to me, baby, or husband to be a total rag and not take care of myself in trying to take care of everyone and everything else.