Let me start off by saying that some days it has been hard to stay home all day. We are a one car family as of right now and that probably won't change anytime soon. So Haig usually takes the car for the day if he is going to school or work. Sometimes when we can get ready, Haig Arthur and I can drop him off or have him come to pick us up later in the day and drop him back off wherever he needs to be. For the most part though, we stay home all day. I have been feeling a little lonely but I have also been more motivated to get things done around the house when I don't have my hands full with the little one. SO many women have told me to "sleep when the baby sleeps" but I don't really buy it. If I slept when he slept, for as long as he does sometimes, my house would be a disaster, I would never eat, I wouldn't be able to cook a meal for my husband and I also wouldn't be able to take a few minutes for myself. Sometimes I do catch a quick nap when he is down, but then I usually end having to open my eyes every few minutes to check on him anyways. Every little noise or squirm that he makes I open my eyes and make sure that he's okay, so really I don't get much sleep when he is sleeping.
We do keep ourselves pretty busy though, at least I do. Since we brought the baby home I continued to keep our house as organized and tidy as possible. I took a lot of time to organize our pantry and bathroom linen closets and also some organizing in the kitchen. I also have been trying to keep up with my cooking and baking. Some days I am able to get more done than other days but I do try really hard to put some supper on the table for Haig when he gets home from long days at school or work. Some days I wait until he gets home to help, but also because I enjoy cooking with him and it is a nice way to spend time together. Today, the baby and I finally went out for a walk around our neighborhood. I enjoyed it, and Haig Arthur slept the whole time. I hope we will find some nicer places to walk in the spring-time because our neighborhood is pretty loud and there is lots of traffic. This new stage of my life is very interesting. I like that I am off for a whole year and it already seems like it is flying by. If any of you mommy friends of mine have suggestions of fun things to do with baby please let me know.
Monday, January 30, 2017
Tuesday, January 24, 2017
JANUARY: 1 Month
January 23rd 2017
Book of the Month: Snow Rabbit, Spring Rabbit
Haig is one month old.
A very busy boy
Not sleeping very well at night
Looking for food most of the time
Smiles at his mommy, and sometimes daddy too
Loves visiting Grandma
Looking forward to spring so we can get outside more often
Usually falls asleep in the car
Likes to cuddle in a snugly blanket
Friday, January 20, 2017
Haig Arthur, a birth story
I did not think that I would be going into labor on December 22nd 2016. We had a nice morning laying around in bed and then around 9:00, I got up to take a shower. After, I started to blow dry my hair and then I realized how exhausted I was. I crawled back into bed around 10:00. I was having some back pain along with Braxton Hicks contractions, which I had already experienced in my pregnancy. Haig was on his way out the door at 11:00. He was heading to Summerside (45 minutes away) to write a test for a job that he is currently in the application process for. Once he left, I got up and ate something for the first time all morning, I styled my hair and got dressed. The pain started to get worse and I started to get worried that I could be in labor. I went to the bathroom and after having a pee I noticed a big puddle of water on the floor. Haig had arrived in Summerside and was about to start writing his test at 12:30. He was texting me to find some of our income tax numbers so he could register to write the test. I was trying to get back and forth from the bathroom to the computer to help him with the information while I soaked through a couple of maxi pads. I didn't tell him what was going on because I really wasn't sure how long it was going to be before I realized that I was in fact in labor. As soon as I couldn't talk to him anymore (because his phone would be turned off), I realized I needed to do something about what was happening.
I texted my mom and told her how I was feeling and I asked her if she could leave work to take me to Labor and Delivery (L&D) to be assessed. She asked me to call L&D and tell them what was going on before having to ask her supervisor to leave. She also asked me if I could ask my father to take me to which I replied "No". I called L&D and told them that I was having painful Braxton Hicks contractions all morning and that I had started to leak fluid, possibly my water broke. Dr. Cassell told me it would be best to come in and be assessed. I texted my mom and she was at my apartment in nine minutes, arriving around 1:00. When my mom arrived she waited in the parking lot at first but then I told her I needed her to come up to the apartment (mostly because I still didn't even have pants on). Once she was in the apartment with me I started to feel a little awkward. I didn't really know what to take with me, I felt a little embarrassed that my mom was taking me to the hospital and I didn't even know how to get in touch with my husband. I was more and more uncomfortable with the pain but we finally got ready to go.
On our quick trip over to the hospital I managed to get in touch with a friend who works at the center where Haig was writing this test. She was able to send someone down to the testing and pull him out and tell him what was going on. They asked him to take a few more minutes to complete the test before leaving. Mom and I arrived at the hospital around 1:30 and I checked in at admitting. I didn't even want to sit down at the admitting desk at the risk that I leak all over the floor when I stood up again. My mom and I started to walk down to L&D and she remarked that maybe I should have taken a wheelchair to which I replied I was okay to walk, until we came around the last hallway going into the unit, I thought for sure I wouldn't make it. We rang the intercom and I told them I was there to be assessed. They let us in but then told us it would be a few minutes until a labor room was ready. Once we were in, I got changed into a hospital gown and I wore my nursing sports bra underneath. At this point Haig was driving back from Summerside, and we were lucky he didn't get a speeding ticket on the way. A young nurse came in and assessed me. I was 3 centimeters dilated. SAY WHAT. I was in labor. This was really happening.
Haig arrived around 3:00 and just before he arrived, the nurse had attempted to get an IV into my left hand twice. She was doing such a bad job. I was not happy with her at all and she could tell. I told her that I wanted to wait until my husband got there before she made her next attempt. At this point, I had told my mother in law that I was in labor. I told her the exact same thing I told my own mother, "Mom I need you here now", She asked a few questions and got a couple things ready to come over from Nova Scotia. Haig seemed somewhat surprised when he arrived and I was so happy to see him. My father also showed up sometime around 3:30 thinking he would be able to come in and chat with us about what was going on, but my mom sent him on his way back home to wait. The nurse was unsuccessful with another attempt at getting an IV in. I was still bruised from her attempts almost two weeks after the delivery. She asked a more senior nurse to come in and she had no problem getting the IV in on my right hand.
I wasn't assessed again until 5:00 or so and I was only dilated to 4 centimeters. At this point I thought I would be in labor for hours. They asked about pain medications at this point and I was offered two options. Dilautin would be an injection into my hip to help with some of the labor pains and to help me get some rest. An epidural was my other option. I was unsure about what to do and I seemed to be doing alright with my husband and mother by my side to help as each contraction became more unbearable than the last one. My mother offered really great support for breathing techniques. Haig was really good for paying attention to the monitors and knowing when the contraction was wearing down. Around 7:30 I was assessed again and they moved me into the birthing room. I wanted all of the drugs now. I had the dilautin injection to start because the anesthesiologist who would give the epidural was finishing up in a surgery. I was told that he would come after he was finished. The dilautin was nice. I was able to sleep on and off for close to an hour although I threw up during a couple contractions. I asked for the epidural when I woke up and they told me the anesthesiologist had been pulled into trauma and that he would come when he was finished. I was not impressed and made that very clear to some of the nurses.
My mother-in-law arrived and switched places with my mother for a little while. I was still hopeful that I would get an epidural in time to start pushing whenever that would be. When I was assessed at 10:00 they told me it was time to start pushing. I was shocked that I had progressed that quickly. My mom had come back into the room. Haig and my Mom were by my side through every contraction. There were a couple of times when the nurses were not even in the room when I started to have a contraction. Each contraction I pushed three times. Most of my labor I was on my back, but I did try on my side a few times but it just wasn't going to work. My lower back was in so much pain. The next few days I thought for sure I had sprained or bruised my tailbone, but it was unlikely because I was still able to sit upright and also bend over. When I was pushing, Haig and my mom held my knees up and I pulled on a sheet that was wrapped around a bar across the bed. Midnight passed and I was still pushing. Dr. Cassell kept saying I needed to push the baby around a corner, it sounded so weird but it worked. It seemed like there was so many people in the room as he got closer. We were so close and then Dr. Cassell told me that the baby was in distress and that I needed to get the baby out NOW. I pushed with all I had. Once the head was out, the rest of the body practically slipped out. Baby Pinsent was born at 12:44 a.m on December 23rd 2016.
The nurses and doctors whisked baby away very quickly because baby was not breathing very well on their own. Looking back on it now, I am very sad that they were not able to place the baby in my arms right away, but our baby needed serious help and attention. Haig was so close to me and had his arms wrapped around me. I felt pretty smothered to be honest and I could hear my mom saying "Haig aren't you going to tell her what it is". Towards the end of my labor, I didn't say anything to my mom or Haig, but I knew it was a boy. My body was telling me that I needed to push this baby boy out. Haig finally whispered in my ear "we have a son". Our little boy was being taken care of just a couple feet away and my doctors started to take care of me. His pediatric doctor (who was my doctor as a teenager), brought him back over before they went to the nursery. I held him in my arms for only a minute (tearing up again now), and I was amazed by every feature I could see. He was inside of me for so long and now he was here. Once I was taken care of, I went to the nursery by wheelchair and I was able to see him again. He was under a big light with a breathing mask on his face, but he was still perfect. I was so worried about him but I was comforted knowing he was in good hands. Haig and I got to our room around 3:00 a.m and settled to sleep.
The rest of the story won't be documented in great detail, but we spent the next 10 days at the hospital so that he could be monitored and gain weight. It was some of the hardest days of my life but I am so proud of our little family and what we accomplished. I am so proud of myself for all that I did to bring this sweet little boy into the world. I am still in shock that my labor and delivery went significantly well. I am so proud of my husband who stayed by my side the whole time and was such a great support. My mom was an amazing support too. I really wasn't sure what it would be like to have her there but know I can't imagine how I would have been able to do it without her there. I am so thankful my mother-in-law also came over to help and show her support. We are all so impressed with the wonderful staff of unit 4 at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. We were well taken care of and I am glad I was able to spend my first few days as a mother with some wonderful women who offered lots of great advice and support for caring for our newborn son. Most of all, I am proud of our little boy. We are so blessed with his sweet spirit and that he was sent to us. I love being his parents and I look forward to what the next few days, weeks, months and years bring to our family because he is with us.
I texted my mom and told her how I was feeling and I asked her if she could leave work to take me to Labor and Delivery (L&D) to be assessed. She asked me to call L&D and tell them what was going on before having to ask her supervisor to leave. She also asked me if I could ask my father to take me to which I replied "No". I called L&D and told them that I was having painful Braxton Hicks contractions all morning and that I had started to leak fluid, possibly my water broke. Dr. Cassell told me it would be best to come in and be assessed. I texted my mom and she was at my apartment in nine minutes, arriving around 1:00. When my mom arrived she waited in the parking lot at first but then I told her I needed her to come up to the apartment (mostly because I still didn't even have pants on). Once she was in the apartment with me I started to feel a little awkward. I didn't really know what to take with me, I felt a little embarrassed that my mom was taking me to the hospital and I didn't even know how to get in touch with my husband. I was more and more uncomfortable with the pain but we finally got ready to go.
On our quick trip over to the hospital I managed to get in touch with a friend who works at the center where Haig was writing this test. She was able to send someone down to the testing and pull him out and tell him what was going on. They asked him to take a few more minutes to complete the test before leaving. Mom and I arrived at the hospital around 1:30 and I checked in at admitting. I didn't even want to sit down at the admitting desk at the risk that I leak all over the floor when I stood up again. My mom and I started to walk down to L&D and she remarked that maybe I should have taken a wheelchair to which I replied I was okay to walk, until we came around the last hallway going into the unit, I thought for sure I wouldn't make it. We rang the intercom and I told them I was there to be assessed. They let us in but then told us it would be a few minutes until a labor room was ready. Once we were in, I got changed into a hospital gown and I wore my nursing sports bra underneath. At this point Haig was driving back from Summerside, and we were lucky he didn't get a speeding ticket on the way. A young nurse came in and assessed me. I was 3 centimeters dilated. SAY WHAT. I was in labor. This was really happening.
Haig arrived around 3:00 and just before he arrived, the nurse had attempted to get an IV into my left hand twice. She was doing such a bad job. I was not happy with her at all and she could tell. I told her that I wanted to wait until my husband got there before she made her next attempt. At this point, I had told my mother in law that I was in labor. I told her the exact same thing I told my own mother, "Mom I need you here now", She asked a few questions and got a couple things ready to come over from Nova Scotia. Haig seemed somewhat surprised when he arrived and I was so happy to see him. My father also showed up sometime around 3:30 thinking he would be able to come in and chat with us about what was going on, but my mom sent him on his way back home to wait. The nurse was unsuccessful with another attempt at getting an IV in. I was still bruised from her attempts almost two weeks after the delivery. She asked a more senior nurse to come in and she had no problem getting the IV in on my right hand.
I wasn't assessed again until 5:00 or so and I was only dilated to 4 centimeters. At this point I thought I would be in labor for hours. They asked about pain medications at this point and I was offered two options. Dilautin would be an injection into my hip to help with some of the labor pains and to help me get some rest. An epidural was my other option. I was unsure about what to do and I seemed to be doing alright with my husband and mother by my side to help as each contraction became more unbearable than the last one. My mother offered really great support for breathing techniques. Haig was really good for paying attention to the monitors and knowing when the contraction was wearing down. Around 7:30 I was assessed again and they moved me into the birthing room. I wanted all of the drugs now. I had the dilautin injection to start because the anesthesiologist who would give the epidural was finishing up in a surgery. I was told that he would come after he was finished. The dilautin was nice. I was able to sleep on and off for close to an hour although I threw up during a couple contractions. I asked for the epidural when I woke up and they told me the anesthesiologist had been pulled into trauma and that he would come when he was finished. I was not impressed and made that very clear to some of the nurses.
My mother-in-law arrived and switched places with my mother for a little while. I was still hopeful that I would get an epidural in time to start pushing whenever that would be. When I was assessed at 10:00 they told me it was time to start pushing. I was shocked that I had progressed that quickly. My mom had come back into the room. Haig and my Mom were by my side through every contraction. There were a couple of times when the nurses were not even in the room when I started to have a contraction. Each contraction I pushed three times. Most of my labor I was on my back, but I did try on my side a few times but it just wasn't going to work. My lower back was in so much pain. The next few days I thought for sure I had sprained or bruised my tailbone, but it was unlikely because I was still able to sit upright and also bend over. When I was pushing, Haig and my mom held my knees up and I pulled on a sheet that was wrapped around a bar across the bed. Midnight passed and I was still pushing. Dr. Cassell kept saying I needed to push the baby around a corner, it sounded so weird but it worked. It seemed like there was so many people in the room as he got closer. We were so close and then Dr. Cassell told me that the baby was in distress and that I needed to get the baby out NOW. I pushed with all I had. Once the head was out, the rest of the body practically slipped out. Baby Pinsent was born at 12:44 a.m on December 23rd 2016.
The nurses and doctors whisked baby away very quickly because baby was not breathing very well on their own. Looking back on it now, I am very sad that they were not able to place the baby in my arms right away, but our baby needed serious help and attention. Haig was so close to me and had his arms wrapped around me. I felt pretty smothered to be honest and I could hear my mom saying "Haig aren't you going to tell her what it is". Towards the end of my labor, I didn't say anything to my mom or Haig, but I knew it was a boy. My body was telling me that I needed to push this baby boy out. Haig finally whispered in my ear "we have a son". Our little boy was being taken care of just a couple feet away and my doctors started to take care of me. His pediatric doctor (who was my doctor as a teenager), brought him back over before they went to the nursery. I held him in my arms for only a minute (tearing up again now), and I was amazed by every feature I could see. He was inside of me for so long and now he was here. Once I was taken care of, I went to the nursery by wheelchair and I was able to see him again. He was under a big light with a breathing mask on his face, but he was still perfect. I was so worried about him but I was comforted knowing he was in good hands. Haig and I got to our room around 3:00 a.m and settled to sleep.
The rest of the story won't be documented in great detail, but we spent the next 10 days at the hospital so that he could be monitored and gain weight. It was some of the hardest days of my life but I am so proud of our little family and what we accomplished. I am so proud of myself for all that I did to bring this sweet little boy into the world. I am still in shock that my labor and delivery went significantly well. I am so proud of my husband who stayed by my side the whole time and was such a great support. My mom was an amazing support too. I really wasn't sure what it would be like to have her there but know I can't imagine how I would have been able to do it without her there. I am so thankful my mother-in-law also came over to help and show her support. We are all so impressed with the wonderful staff of unit 4 at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. We were well taken care of and I am glad I was able to spend my first few days as a mother with some wonderful women who offered lots of great advice and support for caring for our newborn son. Most of all, I am proud of our little boy. We are so blessed with his sweet spirit and that he was sent to us. I love being his parents and I look forward to what the next few days, weeks, months and years bring to our family because he is with us.
Tuesday, January 17, 2017
Growing Baby Pinsent
DID I REALLY GET THAT CHUBBY??? ;)
I miss being pregnant a lot. Not that I don't love having our little boy here with us, but I am really amazed by my little body and what it did to grow a person. Towards the end of my pregnancy I was feeling really big. My feet were so swollen I only had two pairs of shoes that fit me. When my mom came to pick me up when I was in labor, she had to bend down to tie my shoes for me. I can see so much of my pregnancy in my face too. A couple days after Haig's delivery, I noticed my face was starting to look smaller again. I had soo much fluid in my body towards the end of the pregnancy. I was lucky that most of my looser tops still fit me, but thank goodness for my three pairs of maternity pants and two pairs of maternity leggings. My wedding rings came off in October and they still won't fit over my knuckle but I think I am going to have them resized anyways because I really miss wearing them and who knows how long it might be before the last little bit of swelling goes down (possibly not for awhile because breastfeeding...) When I found out I was pregnant, I was really excited to take weekly photos but I wasn't sure what I was going to do. I wanted them to be simple. I was going to take a picture in the same shirt every week (hence, the two white t-shirt pictures in a row), but then I decided to go the easy route and take a picture in whatever I was wearing at the time that I wanted to take a picture. We took most of the pictures outside, but some inside too. Thanks to my wonderful husband (and mom, and Laura!) for being wonderful photographers for my bump pictures.
Monday, January 16, 2017
2017
This year I would like to keep some of these quotes and mantras in my head. 2016 was a pretty fantastic year but I did have my struggles. I think one of my biggest challenges in the past year was comparison. I am sure that I have talked about it before but I do find it hard to look at other people's lives, especially on social media and find things to compare. I really hope to do less comparing in 2017 because my life is pretty darn amazing and no "popular" feed Instagram photo should impact that. As I sit here right now typing this, with my little son in my lap, I know that this year will be wonderful, as long as I can embrace myself and this new purpose I have, as long as I can continue to be happy with what I have and who I have in my life and as long as I can continue to trust in my Heavenly Father and trust in my faith that things will work out how they are suppose to.
Happy 2017 (although I am a couple weeks late!!!)
Wednesday, January 11, 2017
Haig Arthur at Home
We brought Haig Arthur Pinsent home on January 3rd 2017. Like I said, the birth story and other memorable moments will be written about soon enough but Haig spent the first 10 days of his life at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. He was born prematurely and when he was born he had difficulty breathing. He was on oxygen for the first 24 hours and he was also hooked up to monitors and an IV for fluids. He stayed in the nursery at the hospital and he was well taken care of by wonderful neonatal nurses. Later in his first week, he had a feeding tube put in because he wasn't eating very much. Premature babies have the tendency to think they are still in the womb and so they don't have as much energy to obtain nourishment. I saw this everyday with our little guy. We struggled with breastfeeding because he would get tired very easily. I would breastfeed him and also use a breast pump so that he would be getting my milk at all times. On New Years Eve they asked if we wanted the feeding tube to be removed to see what would happen. I ended up staying at the hospital again that night so the nurses could come and get me whenever he was ready to be fed. When they finally saw two days of weight gain, we were able to go home.
Being in the hospital was really hard, but I felt some guilt in knowing that some parents and families have premature babies much earlier than Haig Arthur and spend a lot more time in hospitals receiving treatments. We only live about two minutes from the hospital. Some nights I was able to go home and sleep in my own bed. Those nights were some of the hardest. I knew that our baby was safe and that he was okay, but I wished he was with us in our own home. The day before we came home, the nurses and doctors hinted that we would be going home the following day and I was so thrilled but I still didn't want to get my hopes up. We did arrive the next morning and we received the good news that we would be going home. I worried about what his transition would be like after spending a week and a half in the nursery and what he might think of this new environment. I obviously didn't realize how adaptable babies are. Haig Arthur didn't seem to mind being home with us at all. He's been at home for a full week now and I can already say that I know without a doubt that he knows he belongs here with us. He especially seems to think he is the king of mommy and daddy's bed, he likes to spit up on everything, he gets to sleep whenever he wants and demands food whenever he wants too. As long as I get to kiss him whenever I want, I am okay with everything else.
Sunday, January 8, 2017
Haig Arthur Pinsent, you made me a mom.
Haig Arthur Pinsent
December 23rd 2016, 12:44am
6lbs 9oz, 19 inches long
Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Charlottetown PEI
It still seems so crazy to me that our baby is here with us. Baby Pinsent surprised us just a few days before Christmas with his sudden need to come into the world and be with us before the end of 2016. He was about 3 and a half weeks early. We stayed in the hospital for 10 days after he was born so he could be monitored for proper growth, development and weight gain. We were well taken care of by the staff of Unit 4, Maternity & Nursery. Haig (dad) and I are both learning so much about being parents to this little handsome dude who has totally changed our entire world. There will be more pictures and stories to come, but when I finally uploaded our pictures since little Haig's birth and I looked at this picture, I was completely moved. I am in awe of this new purpose that I have to be his mother and to love and cherish him for the rest of forever. Our family is so blessed.
I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas season with family and friends. Our Christmas was not what we expected but it turned out to be one of my favorites. We got ourselves a little Christmas baby. Happy New Year to one and all and may 2017 be one of adventure, new beginnings and full of love and laughter.
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