.Candid

It's been a bit of whirlwind week! Last Sunday at this time I was feeling a little funny, in pain, and wondering if something was happening. Fast forward to 5:26AM on Monday, March 9 and our beautiful baby boy was born! Welcome to the world, Kendrick Peter Gene!

Many people have asked where we came up with the name Kendrick, and honestly after looking through hundreds of baby names it kind of just came to me. I asked Brian what he thought and he's says "I don't mind that". That was the very first name that we both didn't veto right away as we were having trouble agreeing on names, and then it started to grow on us as the months went by. We did have a couple others and didn't make the final decision until about an hour after he was born when we both had the chance to take a good look at him. The middle names are after his grandpas which unfortunately passed away before he was born.

I'll be candid for a moment and tell you that actual labour was terrifying. Pregnancy itself was very scary for me (mostly due to me being paranoid), and I was thankful that after the first trimester things evened out a bit and I felt a lot better.  

We'll start off from a week ago. I woke up in the morning feeling not so great. I was feeling pain and it was getting really hard to walk from all the pressure on my pelvis. I was fairly confident that the baby had "dropped" completely, which means that labour could start any time. Being only three days away from my due date I hadn't had any other signs of labour so I was starting to wonder if I was going to be overdue. Despite this, the last few weeks I had a feeling that the baby would be coming around the due date so I wasn't really sure what to think. We made a quick trip to Costco that morning and then a stop at Buy Buy Baby to pick up some last minute things for the baby. After that we had a visit with friends, and Brian installed the car seat in his car. I started to notice that my pain was getting worse and seemed to be coming and going. For some reason I thought contractions would be a lot higher in the belly than they were, so I didn't actually start timing them until about 5:30. I used an app called "CTX Timer" (honestly, what would we do without technology these days) to try and track them and find out a pattern. They started out being 7-8 minutes apart and then got farther apart but more intense. This is when we decided to slowly start preparing in case we needed to go to the hospital. We both took showers, made sure the hospital bags were ready to go, and did some last minute de-cluttering. By the time we started to get ready for bed the contractions were around 5-6 minutes apart and I knew that I wouldn't be able to sleep. Brian called the Labour and Delivery at the hospital and explained what was going on, and they said we were welcome to come in for an assessment so we decided to go and check it out. Just as we were leaving the house the contractions started to get 2-3 minutes apart - and at that point I was very grateful we only lived three minutes away from the hospital!  Upon arrival they did some initial checks and let us know that I was 3CM dilated and they were going to keep me. If reality hadn't set in initially it sure set in then! We then got wheeled to a private room where I pretty much had to be monitored constantly and wait for labour to progress. 

We had prepared to be in labour for awhile since the average for first time moms is usually pretty long (I believe they told us in prenatal classes it was around 20 hours), however mine was progressing really fast. An hour and a half later I was at 6CM and the contraction pain was pretty tough. I finally gave in and asked for an epidural. I really wanted to try to have a natural birth, however I am well aware of my pain tolerance and actually a little impressed with how far I made it. After reading me all the things that can go wrong (similar to the end of drug commercials on American channels), they proceeded and it was a huge relief. When I couldn't feel the contractions anymore I was able to nap on and off. All of a sudden I was at 9.5CM and that's when things stalled. They topped up my epidural and I feel like gave me too much because after that point I couldn't feel anything from the stomach down, nor could I move. Every time I had a contraction the baby's heart rate was going down, so the doctors were getting concerned. Although he was head down, he was facing upward instead of downward so they constantly tried to move him around. It took awhile and they finally got him turned, but at that point he wasn't moving when I tried to push. It came to the point where the doctor finally said that for the safety of both of us, they'd need to perform an emergency c-section. Although I knew this always could have been an option, I wasn't really prepared and I was scared. Again, the doctor went through the pros and cons and then got me to sign a waiver saying it was ok. As I got wheeled into the operating room they made Brian wait outside until they were ready to start, and that was the worst because he'd been holding my hand the whole time. I could tell he was just as terrified as I was but he was trying to stay strong for me. They finally let him in after he put on scrubs and again had to top up my epidural so I wouldn't feel anything. Thankfully they put up a curtain so I couldn't actually see what was going on (which I'm very thankful for as I think I would have passed out if they didn't). I swear less than two minutes passed and the baby was being rushed over to a table near by with three doctors hovering around him. We both didn't understand why he wasn't crying. That's what happens in the movies right? The baby is born and immediately starts crying? His eyes were wide open and his chest was moving but he wasn't making a sound and we were both terrified. They had a tube down his throat and we found out later that when babies are born by c-section they are usually in shock, so they have to pump out some mucus that was in his lungs. He finally started to make noise and the nurses turned to us and said that everything was ok and he's happy and healthy and that he was one of the most adorable babies they had ever seen. *Insert sigh of relief here*

Although my experience was scary, it certainly isn't the same for everyone; if anything I've learned that every pregnancy and labour experience is different. Me personally, I hope that I never have to go through a C-Section again! I was very lucky that there was only six hours between arriving at the hospital and giving birth, and I am also extremely lucky that I have one incredible husband who slept on a bench for four days, stayed by my side in the hospital and has been so hands on and supportive through this experience! And when they say that you'll forget all the pain once you get to hold your baby for the very first time, that is 100% true. We couldn't be more thankful for our bundle of joy. :)

Besides my butt being ridiculously sore from having to stay in a hospital bed in almost the same position for four days straight, the staples were removed off my incision yesterday and I'm feeling pretty mobile. The nurse says it's healing really well, so hopefully it stays that way! My belly is slowly shrinking and I've lost 13 lbs. Woo hoo! I'm still on painkillers for the time being, but the pain is starting to get less and less so hopefully by the end of the week I'll be lowering the dosage or off them completely. I'm very thankful that Brian was able to get a few extra days off so we can go through this learning curve together and spend time with the little man! I'm looking forward to leaving the house at some point this week - I've been pretty stir-crazy and I know I'm missing all the beautiful weather!

Life is busy but looking forward to blogging a little more often this year. Stay tuned! :)

xo
-Dianne

PS. Talked to the nurse and she said I could talk to the doctor at the six week mark and discuss when I could get back to running and being active again. YAY. I have April 20th circled on the calendar and hope I heal up nicely so I can slowly get back into things. For now, she said I can walk if I feel up to it, so if the weather stays nice Kendrick & I may go exploring in the neighbourhood.

.Honest

Oh, how things change on a weekly basis! I feel like these last few weeks I've really started to pop, which in a way is a relief because now it's fairly obvious that I'm pregnant and people aren't looking at me funny trying to figure it out one way or another.

For the last five years or so I've been trying hard to buy more things (particularly fruits and veggies) that are organic. I don't like the idea of pesticides all over my food, and you can really notice the difference between organic fruits and veggies and non-organic. I also try to shop locally when I can and support the local economy! A few months ago I noticed that I was getting a lot of ads from the Honest Company on Facebook and noticed that a lot of my Facebook friends liked them as well, so I decided to check it out. This company was founded by Jessica Alba and a gentleman named Christopher Gavigan who were looking for items that were organic, eco-friendly, free of chemicals, and just plain all-around good stuff. I admit, I was intrigued. I don't mind spending a little more on things like this - but the product has to be worth it. The Honest Company has a fabulous introductory offer of trial kits for $5.95 each, so you can see what their products are all about and try them first hand. If you like them, they will continue to send you items (based on the selections you choose) each month, or on a 5 week or 6 week time frame. You can cancel at any time, and you can change the dates as well if you don't need anything for a particular month. I figured I have nothing to lose, so I ordered the baby bundle (which included a trial pack of diapers and wipes) and the essentials bundle (which includes household items) in the trial forms. I was so intrigued by the essentials bundle that I actually ordered the full one right afterward. I tried to order things that we needed replacing for anyways such as dish soap and dishwasher detergent, so I could see if I really noticed a difference between that and store brand that I usually buy. Here is what I received:

So far in the essentials bundle trial package (on the left) I really like the face + body cream, the organic healing balm (perfect combined with bio oil for the growing tummy & trying to prevent stretch marks), and the multi-surface cleaner. I feel better using these products knowing they aren't loaded with the same amount of chemicals as the normal items I would buy in a store. The diapers are incredibly adorable - they all have cute little prints on them! I anticipate I will order one baby bundle closer to when the baby will be born and see how the diapers hold out. In speaking with my friends who are moms, you have to see what works for your baby as every one is different! In the baby bundle you get 320 diapers and 4 packs of 72 wipes for $79.95. For me that seems a little pricy, but I'd like to try them out and see how they are before I make any judgements. I haven't tried anything in the main essentials bundle yet, but I will definitely report back when I do! I ordered the dishwasher packs, dish soap, air freshener, dryer clothes, and the fruit and veggie wash (which I'm very intrigued by, so I'm looking forward to trying it out!) I will definitely report back with reviews as soon as I try everything out!

The essentials bundle is $39.95 and since I've tried some of the products I really think that I'll be keeping this subscription. The products are good quality, organic, and so far in the things I've tried they've been awesome so for me it's worth the price. The fact that I can adjust the date so I don't have to order every month is a huge bonus too, as I'm sure some of these things will take awhile to get through. I have to admit, it's pretty awesome getting this stuff delivered right to the door, especially when you look out the window on a day like today! (Not that I'm slighting winter, it IS my favourite season however when you are sick & in sweatpants going out in the snow is not that appealing). Have any of you tried the Honest Company? What do you think of their products?

Unfortunately I came down with a cold this week. Nothing major but I'm down and out today resting at home with some chicken soup simmering in the slow-cooker. Thankfully my sore throat is starting to subside and the cough is slowly starting to go away, so I think I'm on the mend! This is a good thing as I'm dragging the hubby along with me to West Edmonton Mall tomorrow morning to help me find a Christmas party dress that will make me feel perdy at both his & my Christmas parties coming up in the next month! I'm really hoping I can find something stretchy as the parties are a few weeks apart and my body seems to be changing on a daily basis!

xo
-Dianne

PS. According to the weekly baby emails I get, Baby Peanut is able to hear muffled noises now, so I read him a book today. Felt a little strange...but he kicked me a few times throughout so I assume he was listening! :)