Today I am 35 weeks pregnant with supposedly 35 days to go...now that I know it's less than 35 days I'm freaking out! 35 days doesn't sound like very much time. I have so much to prepare for at school, so the next few weeks I really need to focus and get things done at work. I've been working on the nursery here and there and we just need to set up the PNP and bassinet. All of this preparation has me remembering the first few days after bringing Audrey home...
Holding her for the first time after they had measured and cleaned her and wrapped her up. I was so in awe that a) it was a girl and b) she was so big!
I did not think she was cute- at all...I immediately was in love with her but I was just so taken back by how swollen she was. I feel bad about saying that, but it's totally true.
So glad my mom was there to get this picture!
This is when I started to think, "Oh, she really is cute!" lol
I love Chris's expression here
I really enjoyed the hospital stay, even on Christmas it wasn't a bad place to be! Nursing wasn't going well and so I learned how to use a pump (and since my milk hadn't come in it was a whole lot of work for nothing!) I remember trying to feed Audrey breastmilk with a small cup and then a syringe. When we learned she had jaundice and needed the bili blanket I was ok, but when they told us we had to take it home I was crushed.
Getting her dressed to take her home for the first time took forever! I was so worried about being gentle and avoiding the belly button cord. She looked so adorable though, all bundled up. It was cold and dark and I was so sad to be leaving...nervous about being on our own!
So, we get home and we obviouly had no idea what the HELL we were doing! Her being on the bili blanket changed everything. The thick cord wouldn't reach down into the bassinet. She couldn't sleep in the bouncer and we didn't have a PNP yet. I had Chris bring in the glider from her nursery since we had to be stationed near the machine. I figured the best place for her was on her changing pad. I remember thinking how ridiculous the whole set up was, which is why I took this picture.
It was much easier once we got the PNP. I slept on the couch right next to her. When she was off the bili blanket I would sometimes hold her and we'd sleep together (I know, bad momma!)
She would latch on every once in awhile and I have a few pictures :) But I had already decided to EP and it worked out for the best.
Those first few days were a blur, I'm glad I have pictures to remember. I can only imagine the kind of chaos we can expect with a 2 year old thrown in the mix. While I feel prepared in many ways, I know there are more, different challenges to face with bringing home baby #2.
I keep telling myself that I can only prepare so much...the rest is to be determined. Here's to positive thinking!!
4 comments:
Good luck with everything! You have expressed so many thoughts and emotions that I'm going through right now, too! I'm down to 28 days and I'm flipping out a little! You look great, too!
It's going to be great! No worries, everything will fall into place. You're so much more relaxed with the second one, and it's nice to not have that "What the hell do we do now?" panic that comes along with the first. :-)
Oh, and don't feel bad about the whole baby sleeping on you thing. You were in survival mode! And aren't you glad that you had those moments now that she's so grown up? Philip's so not a snuggler so I definitely cherish the memories I have of him as a tiny baby curled up on my chest, even though at the time I was so freaked out that he would never sleep apart from me!
Its a whirlwind, I can tell u that. Its wonderful though and that's a promise. i keep looking at them both saying "we have 2 babies..."
Good luck! I know that you are going to be perfect in every way. You have done an amazing job with Aubrey so far and I know that you will do even better with #2. It will be hectic, but in 2 years, you are going to look back and think of what a blur it was with this child too :)
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