After finding out we were pregnant and we chose our doctor and decided on a hospital, we knew we wanted to go on a tour of the hospital so I began making a list of questions I wanted to ask while on our tour of the maternity ward and I also created a list of requests (crazy new mom much?). All jokes aside I do believe it is important to be prepared and to ask questions to know what to expect during your stay especially if your a new momma or your going to a new hospital than your previous births and to make a list of requests so your birthing experience is catered to you and your family, as it should be.

Side Note: These requests will be apart of your birth plan but I wanted to bring some up during the tour to make sure the hospital I chose would be accommodating.


So what were the questions I asked?

Side Note: I also make a list of questions in my phone for our doctors before appointments and it sometimes helps to remember what to bring up to your doctor. As a new parent, we freak out about every little thing but we are also sleep deprived and may be too busy calming our little baby during an appointment, these questions or concerns may slip our mind but if they are written down, you are more likely to remember to ask.

What is the estimated cost of  a natural vaginal birth?

It's good to know in advance how much you are going to have to fork out especially if you need more time to save up to make the payment. Also, ask about a payment plan!

Coral Button Up Blouse

The detailing on this shirt called me, I love the sheerness near the collar bone area, it makes a typically button up look different. I picked out a medium in this shirt but as I still have extra fluff from the pregnancy, it is a little tight when I button it but it has nice stretch to it so I plan to keep the medium until it fits better.

Yellow Button Front Cutout Accent Sleeveless Blouse

This shirt is not my usual style but I decided to give it a try since it has buttons (shirts with buttons provide that easy access to nurse) however the buttons are just for details, the shirt doesn't actually button up. I was willing to let that slide since the shirt is very flowy and see-through therefore I could easily wear a nursing cami underneath. I picked a medium and even though the shirt is meant to be big and flowly, it was also big in the arm pit area so I am exchanging it for a small as well.

The next two items were purchases I actually made because I wanted something more casual to wear at home. I made both of these purchases from H&M and pre-pregnancy I always had to size up because their clothing seemed to run small and/or they would shrink after being washed and dried.

Nursing Camis

These shirts are a God-send! I love them and wear them pretty much every day, no joke. I need to purchase more. I bought these in a large and they fit perfectly in the chest region and a little loose around my tummy area but not too much just enough for comfort.

Nursing Tops

I was really excited about these but was a little disappointed. I purchased a large because like I said the items I have purchased from H&M run small and/or shrink when washed. When I tried them on they did fit loose and especially loose in the chest region but I thought they would shrink when washed (as that has been my previous experience) and they did not. Since they are washed I can no longer return or exchange them so I'm stuck with these very loose nursing shirts. If I would have gotten them in a medium, I think they would be amazing though so just a heads up to get your actual size in these!

Well that's it for today's fashion finds and stay tuned for an awesome collaboration coming in the next few weeks!!

So what have I learned now that I have one month of motherhood under my belt? Um, selflessness. If I am being honest I am (was?) a selfish person, it is (was?) one of my biggest faults. At times when Sophia is just crying and screaming and I am exhausted beyond measure and can't figure out why this little person cries, I want to give up and just let her cry (and sometimes I do but I only last for maybe a minute) and I look at her in her eyes and take a deep breath and I just hug her and love on her. I may not be able to always know why she cries (I don't think she even knows) but I do what I would want my mom to do if I was crying; I hug on her and I love on her and I nurse her even if I just nursed her ten minutes ago and I'm sore but I know that it is a soothing mechanism for her. Sometimes this works and sometimes it doesn't and we just circle around until I can get my sweet little baby to calm down. So saying all that, I learn selflessness. I put my exhaustion, my soreness, my laziness aside for this sweet little girl of mine.

One Month Stats

Weight: 9 pounds 3 ounces

Height: 21 inches

Head Circumference: 14.02 inches

Firsts
Smile

Loves

Nursing

Daddy singing Rock-a-bye Baby

Being held

Co-sleeping

Going on walks

Hates

Bathtime

Diaper changes (most of the time)

Waiting to eat

Being cold

Once the nurse called my name, we did the usual urine test, weight, blood pressure, etc. My blood pressure was high apparently; I'm not sure how high exactly but high enough that my doctor said she was sending me to the hospital to run more test and for me to get emotionally prepared that I may be induced. 

Hearing that I was possibly gonna have to be induced brought on emotions and I was not prepared. Being induced, forcing my little girl to make an appearance before she was ready was not in my birth plan and was far from what I wanted. Apparently, my urine test and blood pressure showed signs of Pre-eclampsia, something I heard of but never knew what it was exactly. We were still able to do the ultrasound and saw Little Love sucking on her wrist, it was the cutest thing and our doctor estimated that she was about 6-7 lbs in weight. Once we finished our appointment, I was sent to the hospital to run more test and I was told that even if my test were cleared that day, to come to my next appointment with my bags packed because Pre-eclampsia is something that worsens over time.

I cried on the way to the hospital and in the parking lot of the hospital. My day was spiraling down. What I thought would be a great appointment seeing my baby and than enjoying a lunch with my husband at our favorite place didn't happen. I was distraught not because my lunch plans were ruined but because there was a possibility that I would be induced and I read enough research to know what happens once the first intervention happens. Once I semi got myself together, we walked into the hospital and I finished signing off on my documents and went straight up to the delivery room for them to run test on me. I had hope way back in me that the test would come back fine and we would continue on our day, go to lunch and talk about our sweet little girl covering her face and sucking on her chunky looking wrist.

However, all my test came back and they were borderline so my doctor decided it was best that I be induced that day. I was a mess but I tried to keep it together and asked if I could eat before we got started as I hadn't ate since breakfast (8:30 am) and here we were in the late afternoon (3:30 pm) but I was told no. Anthony still needed to finish our hospital bag and pick up his work laptop so he headed out and I asked to take a shower before they started hooking up the IVs (another intervention I did not want but because I was being induced it was now needed). As I showered, I cried and cried and hoped and prayed that Little Love would be okay and these interventions won't cause more stress on her than my body was already doing.

Around 5pm that afternoon, I was induced vaginally. I do not remember the medication they gave me but I do not recommend it whatsoever. Before being induced, I was told that I was already having minor contractions which I was unaware of (and now I wonder why did they not allow me to have natural contractions and see where those went before continuing with the induction). The medicine didn't increase the pain but it overstimulated my uterus to the point I was having contractions about every 45 seconds so they decided to no longer use the initial induction medication and switched to Pitocin. Which honestly this part didn't make sense to me. If my uterus was overstimulated why keep inducing me? Wouldn't that mean my uterus needs a break, I don't see how continuing to induce me solved anything because it did not. I continued to have contractions every 45 seconds for 15 hours straight and at this point I did not have an epidural so I felt everything. I could handle the contractions fine and would have been able to do better had I had more down time between contractions as normal labor is but because they overstimulated my uterus, I wasn't having any real down time. So there I am 18 hours into my medically induced labor with an empty stomach and no sleep. Dilation was still only at 2cm (they checked in the middle of the night and I was a 2) and effaced 80%.

The nurse mentioned that my doctor may decide to come in to break my water, another intervention I did not want but often follows when you are induced due to lack of progress. Anthony was asleep and I was contemplating whether I should allow my doctor to do yet another intervention. My doctor came in checked my cervix (3cm and 80%) and broke my water. I didn't have time to react or ask questions or even object, it happened so quickly and Anthony was asleep so he wasn't even aware what happened. Breaking the bag of waters did intensify the contractions greatly and at this point I really started considering getting some type of pain medication but I wanted to hold off for as long as I could.

Side Note: Once I was told I was gonna be induced, I knew the possibility of me getting an epidural was now gonna be in play but I wanted to wait until I was at least 5 cm and re-evaluate to see if I could get through this without medicating my baby.

The contractions were so horrible and were still 45 seconds apart so my down time wasn't much of anything. As soon as the contractions were decreasing, the next one was increasing. I started crying and almost had a panic attack. I threw up and cried more. Anthony wanted me to get something for the pain but he understood my reasonings so he did everything he could to comfort me and help relax me as we learned in our Bradley Method classes. We eventually decided to call the nurse in to discuss pain medication options (after my doctor broke my water, she did highly recommend I get an epidural due to my blood pressure being elevated and once contractions got worse my blood pressure would rise, etc. etc.) and the nurse mentioned the doctors recommendation and said from her experiences as a nurse and my situation, she would recommend an epidural as well but she understands my position and didn't want to push it on me. After she left the room, Anthony and I decided I would go ahead with the epidural.

Compared to the pain I was feeling with my contractions, the epidural didn't feel like anything I expected. I am very terrified of needles, I do not do well with my blood being drawn or getting IVs or even checking my sugar levels; I start sweating just thinking about needles and hearing how big and long an epidural needle was, I was always scared to get an epidural way before we were even pregnant. I heard horror stories of having to be completely still, etc. so I was nervous. BUT compared to the contractions I was having (remember they were about every 45 seconds for over 18+ hours), I didn't even feel the needle and felt instant relief.

Since I had the epidural, I was now restricted to the bed laboring on my back which is not ideal and can put the baby in the wrong position. Luckily my nurse was very knowledgeable about being in different positions to move the baby for proper positioning so after awhile she would help me lay on my sides. We also decided to allow my sisters and mom (my godmother who raised me), to visit before pushing was gonna get started. Initially, we were not gonna allow visitors until after delivery because I wanted peace and quiet during my labor so I can focus on my relaxation techniques but that was when I was planning on an all natural labor & delivery.


It was a whirlwind adventure and the first 48 hours flew by faster than we realized and it continues to fly therefore I will start sharing monthly updates on my little girl's growth and everything else in between. I hope you enjoy following us along as we figure out this parenting thing.

My oh my were we surprised by how many people made it out to celebrate with us. We ran out of seating quickly but were overwhelmed with the love and support. 

The opposite side is our dining room and we had the table set up as the gift table.

 

Work Babyshowers

Sophia Manuela

Maternity Shirt (similar) | Maternity Jeans |

Open Front Cardigan (similar) | Sandals (similar)

More of my Maternity Style Posts:

Dressing the Bump: Second Trimester Style

More Bump Date Posts:

First Trimester