New Weight-loss Blog

Well, I am on to my next project!  Baby Weight Shred  is a new blog I started to track my weight loss and share my story.

Dealing with Challanges

Wow! Mason is 4 months already! Time is going by quite fast.  I have been trying to do a post for a few months but just haven't found the time.  Mason is napping right now so I thought I would take advantage of this time and post about some of the stuff we have been dealing with and learning.

First thing first, here are 3 pictures of Mason when he was 2,3, and 4 months old.  Can you see the changes?

Okay, so now onto some of the problems that we have been dealing with.  I wanted to post about these in case any other moms have dealt with these or are dealing with these problems.  Tremors, colic, tongue-tied, and slow weight gain.

Since birth Mason has very noticeable tremors in his legs and arms.  People always thought he was cold because he was always shaking.  His paediatrician ran lots of tests to see why he had tremors.  We were told that for some babies it is normal to tremor after birth for a few days.  Hoping that it would go away after a few days.  It did not, so he had more tests done, blood drawn for tests every 2 weeks pretty much.   As well as a head ultrasound around 4 weeks old.  Of course I googled it and stuff like CP and autism came up as a result of infant tremors which scared me. But all of his scans all came back good and the tremors have disappeared around 2.5 months old.  So if anyone is dealing with a baby with tremors after birth, they can go away on their own and be nothing to worry about.  I wish someone had mentioned that online earlier as it would have saved me 2.5 months of stress.

For those who have not heard of a tongue tie it is when the tongue is tied down near the tip with extra skin, meaning baby can not stick his tongue out and in our case can not breastfreed properly without the use of his tongue.  Many tongue tied babies go unnoticed until they are older.  We knew that Mason was tongue-tied from the day he was born, and since then I have been doing lots of research and have been wanting to get it snipped for a few months.  My doctor kept telling me that he did not need to be snipped as it MIGHT correct itself.  So we continued breast feeding and  started to notice that Mason was quite colic.  Trying to put him to bed at night was a 2 hour long nightmare.  During the day if he was awake and not feeding he was fussy, and crying.  It made for long days and long nights.

So at 3 months I decided to try him on baby cereal, even though it is recommended to wait until 6 months. I should add that Mason first rolled over from tummy to back at 3 weeks old.  Around 3 months he was rolling over from back to tummy.   He has had great head control from birth and sits well in the high-chair.  Mason took the spoon very quickly.  He knew what to do and hardly made a mess right away.  Later on that day I had noticed that he seemed happier, and it was easy to get him to bed.  So I continued giving him cereal once a day for the next month and, and yes his colic was gone.

Well, 4 months later, his tongue tie did not correct itself.  Me being shy, and uncomfortable with breastfeeding around people, finally went and saw a lactation consultant. I thought that breastfeeding was going alright, ahh... Wrong!  She had advised me that Mason did not have a proper latch and he was getting alot of air when he feeds because of the tongue tie.  Which could have been the cause of the colic in the first place.  She then refereed us to a specialist out of town and they booked us in for the next week to have his tongue to snipped.  Our appointment was last Wednesday (Mason 17 weeks old).  At the appointment we were told that Mason also had a lip tie! So with no pain meds and a very sad mommy, Mason had both his tongue tie and lip tie removed by laser in 5 minutes.  I nursed him right after the procedure and noticed right away a huge difference.  No more pain while feeding him and no clicking sound.  He was getting so much more milk as well.  It has been 3 days now and we have stopped giving Mason cereal and he is exclusively breastfeed.  He seems fuller and happy most of the time.  You may notice that in his 4 month pictures, taken yesterday, his top lips is still a little swollen from the procedure.  I only wish that I would have pushed harder to have his tongue tie corrected a few months ago.

Last but not least, slow weight gain.  Looking back now, it all makes sense.  At Masons 2 week old check up he was still under his birth weight so we were sent back to the hospital for him to be checked out.  With his tremors he was always moving and obviously burning lots of calories that breastfeeding just could not keep up with.  And now knowing that his tongue tie was affecting brestfeeding, it all makes sense.  At 4 months, Mason now weighs 13 pounds 7 ounces.

As a new mom you cant help but worry and stress so I wanted to post about some of the problems that I have dealt with in hopes that it might help someone else out.

I look forward to seeing Mason grow and learn new stuff over the new few months.  :)

Baby Mason is here! :)

I had typed this while at the hospital and thought it posted but didnt it just saved so im posted it now as it was.

I'm still at the hospital recovering but I thought I would do a quick announcement post.
Mason was born February 28, 2013 at 9:59 am. He weighed 8 pounds 5 ounces and is 21.5 inches long. He is so cute. Long and lean. The csection went well didn't feel a thing but sure made me emotional. Overall the surgery was quick relaxing the doctors and nurses were great. Kept me updated and answered my questions. Today is day 2 and the pain mess are wearing off so I am a little uncomfortable.
Last night was hard. Mason would only sleep for about 30 mins then want to be fed or held or something else ( we couldn't figure out what he wanted). We had skin to skin right away after his birth. The nurses said he needed to eat right away. So while I was being stitched up mason was laying on my chest and latched on to my nipple right away. He doesn't like to feed for long periods of time either. However his first long feed at 4am till 5am went quite well then he slept until 7am ( it is currently 7 am and he is still sleeping) I want to wake him up because he is just so cute but I will let him and daddy sleep.

39 Weeks

1 week from today baby Mason will be here!! I am so freaking excited.  This is just a quite update on how this week has gone so far.  We had a midwife appointment on Tuesday and the midwife suggested that we go in for a non stress test this weekend or early next week just to check on things.  I mentioned that I am starting to panic a little so I think she wants to do the test to calm my nerves.  Since baby is still breech and has been for so long now, I am getting worried that he will have hip problems.  Yes, I have been googling, once again, and it scared me.  So she suggested the NST just to be safe.  As well since it will be during the day, maybe we could have a c-section early if the OB was there and it was a slow day.

On Wednesday, my mom and I decided to go for a nice walk outside.  We went over the the ski hill and started walking down the hiking trail.  Keep in mind that it is winter here and lots of snow.  We assumed that the trail would go to the bottom of the hill and we would call my husband to pick us up near the road.  Well, after 45 minutes of walking down the hiking trail, we realized that the trail didn`t actually go all the way to the road, it turns and heads back up the hill.  Well... holy crap was the walk up the hill ever hard on a 9 month pregnant women.  I had to stop quite a bit and breathe through the braxton hicks contractions.  Also, we ended up laughing about the whole thing and... yup... I peed my pants while on the trail! lol  Luckily I was wearing black pants and my bladder wasn`t too full.  I was in so much pain when we finally made it back home, I could barely move the rest of the day and night.  Then again last night we went for a walk, and I was feeling lots of pressure down below again, I kept having to stop, bend over and take a deep breathe. This morning when I woke up, I was helping my husband get ready to go out of town for the day and all of a sudden I puked in the driveway, and just couldn`t stop.  Its been a bit since I got that sick, so I am thinking that maybe this baby will be coming sooner than next Thursday.

Hopefully my next post is about the birth of our son. :)

38 Weeks

Today we are 38 weeks 2 days, and still no sign of baby Mason making an appearance.  We had another ultrasound last week and he is still breech with little chance of flipping.  We are scheduled for a c-section on February 28, which would be 40 weeks exactly.  The OB that we met for the surgery is away on holidays this week so we had to get moved to next week.  The hospital here will not deliver a breech baby naturally here, which is fine by me.  I have read about the risks and am totally fine with having a c-section now.  Yes, I am still quite nervous and scared about the whole procedure, but I know it`s best for our son.

My midwife told us that as soon as my water breaks or contractions start we are to call her and go straight to the hospital for a last minute c-section.  The problem with that is I am scared that I will miss the beginning signs of true labour contractions since I have been having so many braxton hicks contractions that last few months.  I am constantly reading chats online and googling to see what the difference is, but everyone is different.  I want to be able to notice a true contraction as soon as it happens to eliminate going into active labour and having to have an emergency c-section.  We had our first, oh crap I think my water broke moment last Sunday (37 weeks, 3 days).  On Saturday morning, we were planning on going out of town for the day to get the last of the baby stuff, well when I woke up I was so uncomfortable.  It kind of felt like period cramps, but only on the sides of my belly.  I was quite uncomfortable for the next few hours.  I had a hot bath then went to bed for a nap.  Felt better later that day.  The next morning, I woke up middle of the night (3am) to a large gush of water.  I went to the bathroom thinking that I peed the bed.  Which is not normal for me as I am such a light sleeper, and don`t really sleep at night any more.  When I went back to the bedroom, I woke my husband up and I noticed that there was quite a lot of fluid on the bed.  Our sheets are white and the water puddle (about the size of 2 big hand prints) was clear, not yellow.  Since this is our first, we both have no idea what to expect.  Midwife did tell us that with breech babies, your water is likely to break before you get contractions.  I was too embarrassed to call the midwife as it was the middle of the night and it really could be pee but I started to doubt myself and started to get a little scared.  We called Labour and Delivery at the hospital, and because he is breech and we are having a c-section the nurse told me to come right in and they can check me to make sure what it was.  So we went in, and was hooked up the the Non stress test for about an hour, heartrates were good.  The on call OB came in and checked to see if my water had broke.  Which by the way, was the most painful thing ever!  He confirmed water did not break.  But he did reassure us that it is totally fine to come in and get checked out.  As well if it happens again or any contractions to come right back.  That made me feel a little better and a little less embarrassed.

At my midwife appointment this week (after the false water break) I mentioned the whole thing to her and she was upset that we did not call her, nor did the nurses at the hospital.  She then said that if she was there, she would have suggested having the c-section that day due to the pressure that I had been having.  In my head I was thinking:  What! you mean he could be here now if I called you ??? lol  I am at the point now that I am over being pregnant, I am so uncomfortable all the time, I cant sleep at night, I just want my son here.  My mom is coming to stay with us for a few weeks and will be here tomorrow, so she wants me to wait until at least tomorrow.

Yesterday, I did some shovelling thinking that maybe that would get things going.  I know, I know, risky to do it, but I am ready for him to come out now.  Well, it didn`t work.  Just made my back sore.  So starting Monday morning, I am going to start taking long walks throughout the day.  Living in northern Ontario, the weather here is cold and lots of snow.  It never stops.  It makes walking difficult sometimes, so I have been a couch potato for a month now.  But that will change starting Monday, and hopefully that will help things move along.

So I have been off work now for a week, and boy am I bored!  I just sit on the couch eat, and try to take naps.  I need to find a hobby.  It is nice to be home and spend some time with my husband before the baby comes but the days go by so slowly.

So I guess that`s all my updates for the past few weeks.  I can`t wait to do a post about the birth of our son.

35 Week Ultrasound

35 weeks YAY!!  Had my midwife appointment on tuesday this week and she wasn't sure if he was still breech or not so she sent me for an ultrasound to confirm baby's position.  If he is breech she would need to schedule a c-section.  At my midwife appointments I pee on a stick everytime to test for a bunch of stuff, usually the lins turn pink/light red, well this time it was bright purple.  I knew something was up right away.  So of course I was freaking out as I had to stare at this stick for 15 minutes until she was ready for my appointment.

So when she was ready for me, I asked right away about the colour of the stick.  Yup something in my urine.  The tests are used to tell if there is "something" in the urine that should not be there.  So I had to go to the hospital for one of their urine tests as they are more accurate and can tell exactly what it is.  Should know more next week.

Then, I had my ultrasound tonight.  Baby Mason is for sure breech.  Moving alot just not into the right position.  The ultrasound tech said I was measuring 35 weeks 5 days, so a week ahead and the baby is around 5 pounds 15 ounches.  He is going to be huge!

So about C-sections, I have read that they are scheduled to be before your due date, which means Mason could be here in like 3 weeks! Crazy!  I am nervous about the surgery part.  Although I am aware that he can turn, I am trying to prepare myself for the fear of the c-section.

Baby Purchases

I thought I would make a list of what we have so far for Mason.  I am pretty sure we have everything we need but this is our first baby so I could have no clue and be missing a lot of stuff.

highchair
stroller
car seat, car seat cover and a fitted think blanket (it will be quite cold here in February/March around -15 C)
mirror for car seat to be attached on the seat so we can see Mason from the front seats
crib, dresser, lamp
change table
baby monitor (the ibaby monitor which is pretty neat if anyone is an iphone user)
diapers (newborns and size 1)
wipes
baby bag (travel size wipes, baby powder, change pad to go)
baby medical kit (clippers, etc)
thermometer
little tub for baths with a sling to go in the tub
baby oil, shampoo
bouncer
receiving blankets (15ish)
lots of clothes (newborns, 0-3, 3-6, 6-9)

Am I missing anything?