One question that I've gotten since I delivered Gianluca, is will I be a carrier again. I must say that having the complications that I did have made me think a little bit harder about it. It really is a big risk to take, no matter what my personal history is. At my postpartum follow up visit I asked my doctor what his thoughts were, because I certainly would never do it if he didn't think I should. He thought it would be fine with one stipulation. He said he'd rather me just have a scheduled c-section instead of labor and have another VBAC. He said that way the situation is more controlled and he'd for sure be there. Which is exactly what Joe and I had agreed on when we had talked about it.
Of course, I'm not jumping the gun on this. I'm not even going to begin pursuing it (if I do at all) for at least a year. I need to give my body a break (and my family too!) Right now I'm enjoying not being pregnant. I really thought that I would miss it, but I think the weight that I have lost has helped that. From pumping breastmilk, I'm down 20 pounds from when I got pregnant. Woo-hoo! Now, I just have to keep it off.
There is one way that I would be carrier again for sure. If Sarah and Brian would ask me to. I still would like to wait awhile (and I think they would too, lol), but I would definitely agree to do it again in a heartbeat. I would love to help give Gianluca a sibling. As for doing it for a different couple, well, Sarah and Brian have set the bar pretty high when it comes to intended parents. ; )
All the while I was pregnant, people told me what an amazing thing I was doing. I always thought, "Eh, anyone could do this, I'm not anything special." It didn't really hit me until I saw him in Sarah and Brian's arms. Not to toot my own horn or anything, but I really realized that if I hadn't carried him he wouldn't be here. I mean yes, I know it didn't necessarily have to be me. If not me, they would have had someone else as their carrier, but you know what I mean. Don't get me wrong though, I give all the glory to God. It really would not have happened if He weren't in charge. I thank Him for giving me the ability to do what I did.
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Just call me the Milk Maid
Back when I was still pregnant I had talked about how I was going to pump breastmilk for Gianluca. I wasn't sure if it would go that well because it can be difficult to establish a full milk supply by pumping alone. Well, apparently I'm not one of the difficult ones. I didn't get to start pumping until the day after he was born because of my complications, but that didn't set me back at all. The lactation consultants at the hospital are super helpful. The one that I saw the most told me to get at least 8 pumping sessions in in a 24 hour period and that it didn't even matter if they were evenly timed out. I went by that advice and I've had nothing but success. By about 2 weeks after the birth I was up to over 40 ounces a day. I couldn't believe how much milk I was making!
It does take up quite a bit of time (about 30 minutes/session to get the full amount out), but I've gradually gotten down to fewer sessions a day. And surprisingly, I haven't seen a major decrease in my supply. I'm down to 4 sessions a day and still making between 35-45 ounces a day. The curve ball was thrown in last week, though. I went back to work. So far, I haven't seen a huge change, but I've only worked 2 nights.
I told Sarah I would pump as long as I can, so we'll see if I can work full time and still keep a full supply. I've told myself not stress about it because at least he's gotten as much as he has already. Wouldn't it be awesome if we could make it a full year though?
Brian's parents have been coming to pick the milk up every few weeks and the first time they came down they brought a small cooler. It was kinda comical. I ended up getting our big cooler out of the garage because there was no way it was all fitting in the little one!
I must say, an essential item to have is a hands-free pumping bra. It's let me do things while I pump instead of just sitting their idly. Because of it, I've also done a few things that I've never done before...like pump while in the car...as a passenger aaaand a driver. LOL Yeah, I'm sure it's quite a sight if anyone notices and I'd have some explaining to do if I got pulled over or in an accident, but hey when you're busting at the seams and still an hour away from home you do what ya gotta do, right? : ) The other day, actually, Joe was driving, I was pumping and talking away to him and not paying attention. Well, we drove by a group of junior high age girls who apparently saw me. Joe starts laughing and says, "You just totally grossed those girls out. You should've seen their faces!" Eh, whatev. Someday, they may be in a similar situation. If not, then they at least had a funny story to tell their other friends. : )
It does take up quite a bit of time (about 30 minutes/session to get the full amount out), but I've gradually gotten down to fewer sessions a day. And surprisingly, I haven't seen a major decrease in my supply. I'm down to 4 sessions a day and still making between 35-45 ounces a day. The curve ball was thrown in last week, though. I went back to work. So far, I haven't seen a huge change, but I've only worked 2 nights.
I told Sarah I would pump as long as I can, so we'll see if I can work full time and still keep a full supply. I've told myself not stress about it because at least he's gotten as much as he has already. Wouldn't it be awesome if we could make it a full year though?
Brian's parents have been coming to pick the milk up every few weeks and the first time they came down they brought a small cooler. It was kinda comical. I ended up getting our big cooler out of the garage because there was no way it was all fitting in the little one!
I must say, an essential item to have is a hands-free pumping bra. It's let me do things while I pump instead of just sitting their idly. Because of it, I've also done a few things that I've never done before...like pump while in the car...as a passenger aaaand a driver. LOL Yeah, I'm sure it's quite a sight if anyone notices and I'd have some explaining to do if I got pulled over or in an accident, but hey when you're busting at the seams and still an hour away from home you do what ya gotta do, right? : ) The other day, actually, Joe was driving, I was pumping and talking away to him and not paying attention. Well, we drove by a group of junior high age girls who apparently saw me. Joe starts laughing and says, "You just totally grossed those girls out. You should've seen their faces!" Eh, whatev. Someday, they may be in a similar situation. If not, then they at least had a funny story to tell their other friends. : )
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
The Fourth Trimester
So, how am I feeling now, you may wonder? Well, I can break it down in two categories. The physical and the emotional.
Physically, my body bounced back pretty quickly. Which is what usually happens after I have a baby. I spent the first week and a half just hanging out on the couch as much as possible. The swelling in my legs and feet was pretty uncomfortable at times. The phlebitis in my leg was pretty ouchy until the swelling went away. My abdominal incision actually didn't feel too bad. The worst part of the whole thing was my left shoulder. What started out as a pinchy, annoying pain turned into sharp zingers anytime I moved my head or arm. What the heck? Why did my shoulder hurt so bad, when nothing had been done to it? Ah, but something had...
About 4 weeks after my surgery I recalled that one of the nurses told me she was trying to get my wedding ring off during surgery and I was fighting her. All pullin' my arm back like I didn't want that thing taken off my hand. Since I was still under general anesthesia, I'm sure I was pulling with all my might and pulled a muscle along my neck which then compressed a nerve in that area. The pain peaked around two weeks after surgery when it literally had me in tears anytime I tried to lay back in bed or reach my arms up. I ended up getting a massage and having a friend of mine that is a DO adjust my neck and back. That helped tremendously! Now, it barely bothers me at all.
Emotionally, everything with the delivery and going home without a baby went ex.act.ly like I hoped it would. While I was still in the hospital I got to visit with Sarah, Brian, and the baby. My kids got to meet him also. Everything felt like it was just how it was supposed to be. Sarah and Brian had their baby boy in their arms and couldn't have been happier. Now that I'm several weeks postpartum, I still feel great about the whole experience. Never once have I felt sad about not having a baby to care for. To be honest, and I don't mean for this to sound bad, at times I'm really kind of glad! Which, if you look back at the whole reason why I wanted to be a surrogate, I suppose that would be a good thing. : ) I've gotten to visit Gianluca a couple times in the last few weeks and that has been nice also. Plus, I am pumping breastmilk for him (that's a whole separate post to come), so I'm still serving a purpose in his life. I think the fact that I haven't just been cut off from them has helped with the emotional aspect. I really do feel like I've made new friends through this process.
Physically, my body bounced back pretty quickly. Which is what usually happens after I have a baby. I spent the first week and a half just hanging out on the couch as much as possible. The swelling in my legs and feet was pretty uncomfortable at times. The phlebitis in my leg was pretty ouchy until the swelling went away. My abdominal incision actually didn't feel too bad. The worst part of the whole thing was my left shoulder. What started out as a pinchy, annoying pain turned into sharp zingers anytime I moved my head or arm. What the heck? Why did my shoulder hurt so bad, when nothing had been done to it? Ah, but something had...
About 4 weeks after my surgery I recalled that one of the nurses told me she was trying to get my wedding ring off during surgery and I was fighting her. All pullin' my arm back like I didn't want that thing taken off my hand. Since I was still under general anesthesia, I'm sure I was pulling with all my might and pulled a muscle along my neck which then compressed a nerve in that area. The pain peaked around two weeks after surgery when it literally had me in tears anytime I tried to lay back in bed or reach my arms up. I ended up getting a massage and having a friend of mine that is a DO adjust my neck and back. That helped tremendously! Now, it barely bothers me at all.
Emotionally, everything with the delivery and going home without a baby went ex.act.ly like I hoped it would. While I was still in the hospital I got to visit with Sarah, Brian, and the baby. My kids got to meet him also. Everything felt like it was just how it was supposed to be. Sarah and Brian had their baby boy in their arms and couldn't have been happier. Now that I'm several weeks postpartum, I still feel great about the whole experience. Never once have I felt sad about not having a baby to care for. To be honest, and I don't mean for this to sound bad, at times I'm really kind of glad! Which, if you look back at the whole reason why I wanted to be a surrogate, I suppose that would be a good thing. : ) I've gotten to visit Gianluca a couple times in the last few weeks and that has been nice also. Plus, I am pumping breastmilk for him (that's a whole separate post to come), so I'm still serving a purpose in his life. I think the fact that I haven't just been cut off from them has helped with the emotional aspect. I really do feel like I've made new friends through this process.
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