Baby Beatrix is 1 Month Old!: Some Thoughts On Labor, Delivery, and Postpartum Experiences So Far

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This is the first blog post I’ve actually written since having a baby, as the ones that were released over the last few weeks were pre-scheduled. And, as seems fitting, I’m writing this blog post right now with Baby Girl sleeping on my chest! Proof:

Since I periodically shared my journey through pregnancy, I thought it only makes sense to share some of my postpartum thoughts and experiences! Here goes:

Beatrix Francesca Davis was born on March 29 at 6:43pm! That’s right, precisely on her due date… and thank goodness, Mama was ready to be done being pregnant! My water broke at 5am that day. We called the doctor and they said to eat breakfast, shower, and take our time coming into the hospital. So, I showered, ate breakfast, and we watched the newest episode of Ted Lasso while timing contractions!

We got to the hospital around 8:30-9am, they confirmed that my water broke, and I was 2cm dilated. They said they wanted to start me on Pitocin because after my water broke, they wanted her to be delivered within 18 hours. By that point contractions were becoming more intense, and the Pitocin increased that intensity quite a bit! I went into the whole delivery process with a birth plan and openness to pain relief options as needed, but also with the idea that I would go with the flow and do what was best for me and baby depending on what came up.

I tried nitrous oxide for pain relief, but it wasn’t enough and made me feel a little nauseous anyway. At 12:30-1ish they checked me again and found I was 6cm. I decided it was time for an epidural! I’m so thankful I got one! It was the right decision… I was able to rest and close my eyes a bit. By 5:30pm I was 10cm and ready to push! We waited a few minutes for Jarrod to get back from getting some dinner before starting, and after 45ish minutes of pushing, baby was here! I watched the whole process in a mirror, which was crazy, but also really motivating and the human body is amazing! Seeing the progress I was making, seeing her head and that she had a whole bunch of hair was so cool and made me cry happy tears, and watching her getting closer and closer to her being out was very cool. Watching the doctor put a few stitches in after was less cool, but a part of the process nonetheless ; )

I feel very lucky to have had a relatively seamless and smooth delivery experience. There weren’t really any complications, and while it was HARD, I felt really accomplished after she was born! And I’m also SO GLAD not to be pregnant anymore!

I will say, however, that I was surprised but how much I could still FEEL even with the epidural! Like, not contractions so much, but so much pressure and stretching… I think I expected to not be able to move or feel anything from the waist down and that was definitely not the case!

One more cool note was that my OB was able to deliver her! At our hospital, they have 9 OBs who rotate through the schedule so you get whoever is on duty when you come in. That was totally fine with me, but we had also jokingly asked our OB at a previous appointment when she’d be at the hospital and said we’d time our delivery to be with her! She actually told us her whole schedule around our due date, including the fact that she’d be there after 7pm on 3/29! However, our doctor actually checked to see what our status was and came in early for her shift so she could be the one to deliver Baby Bea! It was so nice and totally above and beyond what was necessary but I basically cried when she walked in and was so thankful she was there!

The turkey sandwich I had after delivery was just about the best food I’ve ever eaten in my life… I really missed deli meat and that plain ol’ white bread, mayo, and turkey really hit the spot!

We arrived at the hospital on Wednesday morning and were heading home by midday Friday… again, super thankful for a lack of complications and the ability to go home when we did!

Since we’ve been home, it’s definitely been an adjustment but a great experience overall. Day by day we’re figuring out what she needs, and how often, and when to sleep and all of that. Figuring out breastfeeding, the amount of time that takes, and waking up at night to feed her is definitely an adjustment, but Bea is thriving! She was born at 7 pounds 5 oz, and as of her 1 month appointment yesterday is almost 10! Go baby and mama!

For the first few weeks I did pretty much nothing but sit on the couch, which was awesome. Moving lots didn’t feel great anyway, but I was glad that I didn’t feel like I was having to “make myself” rest either. I enjoyed it! After a few weeks I went on gradual walks and sometimes pushed the stroller. Not until 4 weeks postpartum did I do any semblance of a workout… all easy and appropriate stuff, but I’m now slowlyyyy getting back into movement. It feels good!

I’m also learning how to function on less/more segmented sleep. Being awake for hours at night and not getting full sleep cycles is DIFFERENT for me. But Bea is already sleeping longer stretches and it’s getting better so I’ll take it.

What else?

We’ve had a bunch of visitors and family around, which has been nice and super helpful! Bea is very well loved and cared for by her people! And many people brought or sent us food, which was really amazing. In my opinion, f you want to help new parents, send them food… frozen meals, gift cards, bring a lunch or snack, any of it! Or, offer to sweep their floor or do their laundry… in addition to seeing the babe, of course!!

To that point, it’s been interesting to let go of control of my food a bit, but it’s been awesome not having to cook every meal from scratch. And, I was saying to Jarrod yesterday, that I imagine this will be somewhat of a staple moving forward… having one or two meals per week that are lower-maintenance… something frozen, something ordered, etc. Just to allow us more time for other tasks, or just to let the baby sleep on you for an extra few minutes!

I think that’s what I’ve got for now, but I’ll leave you with a few ADORABLE pictures! I’m definitely biased, but girlfriend is CUTE!

If you have any questions about my experience with labor, deliver, or motherhood so far, I’d love to answer them and talk further! Put them in the comments or send me an email at sara@nutritionforlifeproject.com!

As always, thank you for reading,
xoxo,
Sara + Beatrix