*This
post is obviously quite late seeing as how little man is 3 weeks old
today! However, I feel like I needed to finish things up. This picture
was taken on 3/10 which was the end of my 37th week and Charlie's 1 week
birthday. I don't remember much of the information specific to weeks 36
& 37, but I'll do the best I can. Stay tuned for a full post on
Charlie's birth story :)*
How far along? Currently 3 weeks postpartum, but this picture is 1 week postpartum! Charlie was born on 37 weeks exactly!
Total weight gain/loss: Hmm...
On 3/3, which was 37 weeks exactly, I checked into the hospital
weighing 202lbs according to the hospital scale, which was 4lbs over my
starting weight. By the time I checked out of the hospital I was down to
194, and then one week later I was down to 185!! I lost 17lbs in 1 week
and am officially 14+lbs below my starting "pre-pregnancy" weight. My
weight has plateaued since then and in the following two weeks I haven't
gained or lost anymore. I've also been wearing a Belly Bandit Bamboo to
help shrink my tummy back down and give my back and abs some added
support post c-section. The pictures don't lie. This thing works :)
Symptoms: 36
Weeks brought on full bed rest. My blood pressure continued to rise and
I was continuing to spill protein into my urine. I completed another 24
hour sample and it showed extremely high protein levels. I was given
STRICT orders to rest and keep an eye out for symptoms. Everyone seemed
quite surprised that I wasn't feeling worse than I was.
At
36 weeks I was also dilated to 3cm, 80%, and -2 station. Charlie was
definitely likely to make his debut at any time. I had a fetal NST (non
stress test) and ultrasound on the Friday of that week and he seemed to
be perfectly fine! His heart rate, movement, breathing, and fluid levels
were all great! I had to come back on Monday to repeat all of the tests
and get checked again.
That
weekend was filled with lots of rest! Thank goodness for Netflix and
House of Cards Season 3! I also had report cards and assessments to keep
me busy since I was leaving school several weeks earlier than planned.
We knew at this point that I wouldn't be going back to school for the
rest of the year!
Monday's
doctor appointment showed no change. Charlie was still doing great on
his NST and ultrasound. I was still at 3cm, 80%, and -2. The plan was to
come back on Thursday to repeat everything again. However things all
changed very quickly when I went in on Tuesday for my final Level 2
ultrasound. You'll have to read our birth story for more :)
Wedding rings on or off? They were back on by the time I was out of the hospital :) I'm SO happy to have them back on!!
Belly Button in or out? It stayed flat all the way up until delivery, but it's now gone back in. I can't believe the difference!
Sleep: Aside
from the sleeplessness that comes with a newborn, I'm finally sleeping
so much better! The first week or so was challenging just because of
incision pain and all from the c-section. But, now that it's 3 weeks
later, I am now able to sleep on my side without the Great Wall of
Pillows!
Food cravings: I
don't remember if I had any cravings during my last week of pregnancy. I
take that back, the day he was born I texted JD saying I wanted crab
legs! HA! Since then I've been crazy thirsty due to breast feeding, and I
did have a mean hankering for some hotdogs! The church set up a meal
train for us and it has been incredibly helpful having dinner every
night and then leftovers for lunch!
Anything making you queasy or sick: Absolutely not!
Miss anything? As
crazy as it sounds, I miss my belly! I miss feeling him squirm around
in there! I'm so happy he's out and to hold him in my arms but I still
have these phantom kicks from time to time! Whenever I've seen my
pregnant friends or look at old pictures it just feels like something is
missing!
Happy, Moody, or Emotional most of the time: Oh
goodness. Happy and emotional around the clock. I'm over the moon in
love with Charlie, but I cry all. The. Time. Every little thing will get
me started! Hormones have been raging! Ugh and don't get me started on
the emotions of the day he was born!
Workouts: Obviously
I still wasn't working out. But once I was finally able to start moving
and get out of bed post c-section I was SO thankful to have worked out
as much as I did!! I know Billy kept saying he was preparing me for
labor, but even though it never quite got to that stage I can say for
sure the workouts were the key to my quick recovery! I couldn't have
gotten up and moving as quickly as I did without all of our hard work in
the gym! At least 3 more weeks until I can get back out there. I can't
wait!!!
The Bump: Wasn't
really getting any bigger during the last few weeks. More on that
later, like probably in another post. Now it's gone and thanks to my
Belly Bandit my belly is already flatter than it was pre-pregnancy!
Have you started to show yet?: HAHA!
Stretch marks? I'm very proud that I never got any on my tummy. However my chest is a whole different ballgame... :(
Maternity Clothes? Haha right now clothes consist of gym shorts, nursing tanks, and pajamas!
Gender: I
am so incredibly in love with my little man. He's absolutely perfect in
every way. Being a mommy to such a sweet little boy is the greatest
feeling in the whole entire world! I love him more than I thought was
physically possible :-)
Any Names Picked Out Yet: Mr. Charles David Dillard
Labor Signs: Up
until the day of 37 weeks there wasn't anything new from the last post.
As far as for week 37… Let's just say read the birth story.
Movement: Week
36 brought some pretty scary moments involving movement. Again, wait
and read the birth story. However, now that I have my little man out and
he's here he is such a good snuggler! He loves to lift his head (Yes!
Even at just a few days old!) and look around. He's very alert and tries
to take it all in!
Best moment this week: Let's just summarize the whole last four weeks by saying I got to meet my baby boy and finally become a family of three :)
