Thanks for sticking with me all week, guys! 
WOW, it feels good to no longer be pregnant. My reflux is gone, the food allergies are gone, and I (most importantly, of course) now have a beautiful baby boy! Toby is just wonderful - good natured, rarely cries, has definite and obvious cues for wet diapers and being hungry. He's the perfect first-born!
Keith said he posted a brief summary of my labor and once I get acclimated I'll write it all out. Needless to say, it was 53 hours of laboring that only got me to 6cm, and totally wiped me out. My MW transferred us to the hospital, where I delivered him by c-section. One thing I can say - if I had to choose 53 hours of labor or a c-section, I'd totally choose the labor. WOW, that is one SUCKY surgery. I am totally at peace with it, though, which is really good, and we were SO impressed with the hospital staff, who gave us ZERO trouble over all our crunchy requests.
Nursing is going ok. Toby is a biter
:, so our first few sessions were miserable, but the LCs at the hospital were amazing and gave us lots of time every day, and things are getting better. He's still a pirhana at the breast, but I'm getting used to how to handle his issues and my milk is coming in, so we're getting more comfortable every session.
The only thing that's been plaguing me so far is the way my body looks. Holy cow. My belly is great, my incision looks fantastic, but everything below it is filled with retained water. Because of the length of my labor, the first thing they had to do at the hospital was give me IV fluids, and they're all currently pooling in my feet, legs, and labia. You know it's bad when your L&D nurse tells you that when you came back from recovery, you had the most swollen labia she has ever seen in her career.
I know I need to give it time, and the only thing I really want is to be able to walk again. When your knees and ankles and the bottoms of your feet are filled with fluid, it's very difficult to walk, and excruciatingly painful. That's the worst of it, and what I want gone right now. The rest I can wait for.
Ok, now for the fun part. Pictures!
Keith showing me Tobias right after his birth. Keith was such a trooper, and despite being exhausted, watched the whole c-section just so he could say he saw his son born.
http://picasaweb.google.com/smola04/...34205372121362
The first time I held Toby. Forgive the hair.
http://picasaweb.google.com/smola04/...34213808126594
My beautiful little man on his birthday.
http://picasaweb.google.com/smola04/...34223629557410
Our new family!
http://picasaweb.google.com/smola04/...34238245175922
How my beautiful little boy spends most of his time.
http://picasaweb.google.com/smola04/...34251760035490
WOW, it feels good to no longer be pregnant. My reflux is gone, the food allergies are gone, and I (most importantly, of course) now have a beautiful baby boy! Toby is just wonderful - good natured, rarely cries, has definite and obvious cues for wet diapers and being hungry. He's the perfect first-born!
Keith said he posted a brief summary of my labor and once I get acclimated I'll write it all out. Needless to say, it was 53 hours of laboring that only got me to 6cm, and totally wiped me out. My MW transferred us to the hospital, where I delivered him by c-section. One thing I can say - if I had to choose 53 hours of labor or a c-section, I'd totally choose the labor. WOW, that is one SUCKY surgery. I am totally at peace with it, though, which is really good, and we were SO impressed with the hospital staff, who gave us ZERO trouble over all our crunchy requests.
Nursing is going ok. Toby is a biter
:, so our first few sessions were miserable, but the LCs at the hospital were amazing and gave us lots of time every day, and things are getting better. He's still a pirhana at the breast, but I'm getting used to how to handle his issues and my milk is coming in, so we're getting more comfortable every session.The only thing that's been plaguing me so far is the way my body looks. Holy cow. My belly is great, my incision looks fantastic, but everything below it is filled with retained water. Because of the length of my labor, the first thing they had to do at the hospital was give me IV fluids, and they're all currently pooling in my feet, legs, and labia. You know it's bad when your L&D nurse tells you that when you came back from recovery, you had the most swollen labia she has ever seen in her career.
I know I need to give it time, and the only thing I really want is to be able to walk again. When your knees and ankles and the bottoms of your feet are filled with fluid, it's very difficult to walk, and excruciatingly painful. That's the worst of it, and what I want gone right now. The rest I can wait for.Ok, now for the fun part. Pictures!
Keith showing me Tobias right after his birth. Keith was such a trooper, and despite being exhausted, watched the whole c-section just so he could say he saw his son born.
http://picasaweb.google.com/smola04/...34205372121362
The first time I held Toby. Forgive the hair.
http://picasaweb.google.com/smola04/...34213808126594
My beautiful little man on his birthday.
http://picasaweb.google.com/smola04/...34223629557410
Our new family!
http://picasaweb.google.com/smola04/...34238245175922
How my beautiful little boy spends most of his time.
http://picasaweb.google.com/smola04/...34251760035490
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