The After Birth Story

Few weeks shy of giving birth, i busied myself reading the “during” and “after” birth expectations. I thought i was ready but i guess i was not. I was caught by surprise with EVERYTHING. I mean everything.

Let me list down some random lessons and realizations i had post partum to give us more idea what really happens when you give birth.

disclaimer: some intimate (TMI for some) details ahead

• After you push out your baby, you are not yet done. Your placenta is next to be pulled out. And you still have to be stitched up because obviously you tore your vajayjay. In my experience, it hurt when they did the stitches. Ugh.
• I have never expected to have hemorrhoids but i did. Hassle.
• I should have brought a brush/comb with me near my bed so i could at least fixed myself (maybe while they were stitching me up) for a more proper first selfie with my baby. Also, we didn’t have the first family pic after giving birth because i looked like shit plus we actually forgot.
• I never feared of giving birth because in my mind, one way or another the baby will come out from me. What i was afraid was how long it will take for the entire process and I was paranoid of complications during and after birth.
• They didn’t shave me down there. I didn’t wax during my pregnancy. I just trimmed the bush when my tummy was not yet totally blocking the view.
• I didn’t poop while giving birth which i think because i only had fluids from the IV for the past 20 hours of labor.
• I regret of not doing prenatal yoga. I had been doing yoga for almost 4 years before moving permanently to the US and i realized it would tremendously helped me in all aspects of pregnancy, labor and birth if I could have at least enrolled in prenatal yoga. truth.
• I wanted to consume my placenta via placenta encapsulation but i decided not to. Sometimes i wonder if there’s really a benefit from it.
• i wondered if having a doula would have been worth it. #budget haha!
• They say recovery from vaginal delivery is faster from C section. But still, physical recovery was not easy. Actually, this is one of the things i had never anticipated. I wore  disposable mesh panties for 2 weeks because i kept on changing every time I go to the bathroom. Ice packs were heaven sent. peri bottles, maxi pads and dermoplast were must haves. It felt like the bleeding will never end. My entire body was in pain and uncomfortable. I took ibuprofen for the pain, stool softener and hemorrhoid cream
• I took a shower the day after i gave birth. The Mister helped me from the moment i got off from the bed until i was all dressed in my sleep shirt and back to bed. Best decision to have a comfy button down sleep shirt because it’s easy access to breastfeeding and no extra effort when you need to go to the bathroom.
• Before being a mother, i was terrified to hold babies, especially newborns and infants because they are so small and fragile looking. But when you become a mother, i think instincts automatically kick in. It felt like I knew what i was doing when i carry my newborn in my arms. Maybe it helped that i pushed out a 7.5 lbs baby so she wasn’t that tiny. ahaha!
• The Mister was my labor coach. He was annoying but extremely supportive the almost entire time and i wouldn’t trade the experience with anyone else.
• It was a good idea (for us) to have a newborn photoshoot in the hospital because honestly, i didn’t have the energy to deal with the idea after going home from the hospital
• Besides having a checklist of what should be inside the hospital bag, I also had the “after birth” checklist such as calling the cord blood bank for pick up, birth clerk, scheduling the newborn photoshoot etc. I designated this list to the Mister so he can tick off each item while we were still in the hospital.
• When i was asked by a relative if i have any request before they visit us, I asked for a poke bowl! Request granted. YAAASSS.
• I was grateful to have Filipino nurses to my almost entire stay in the hospital. I took the opportunity to ask everything from post partum recovery, taking care of the baby to just any random hospital questions.
• Prior to our discharge, they gave us hospital freebies like diapers, blanket etc but the most important stuff i requested were ice packs, mesh diapers and maxi pads. I asked for a lot. Believe me, you’ll need it.
• Seeing my parents, relatives and especially the Mister carry our newborn was one of the most memorable scenes i have ever witnessed.
• I thought to myself since i left the hospital, I don’t want to get through with giving birth again. hahaha!

So there you go. I don’t know. Probably i don’t make sense with what i have shared but it is what it is. haha!

Also, If you’re wondering where my breastfeeding thoughts are, i’ll be sharing my breastfeeding journey next time.

My Birth Story

6 months post partum and i can still recall one of the most memorable moments of my entire life, giving birth.

I was never hospitalized nor confined in a hospital so i never knew the feeling of being in one so everything was foreign to me. Moving on, here is the timeline of what happened:

May 26 (Saturday): my parents, the mister and I went out to tour my parents around LA. We went to Rodeo drive, beverly hills and even dropped by hollywood and griffith park. Our last stop was harbor freight in Sepulveda to check out some tools which my dad was trying to find. When i went to the bathroom to pee, i saw small spotting. And according to my mom that was a sign that i’m going to give birth pretty soon.

True enough, that night i started having inconsistent contractions. The feeling was kind of having moderate PMS pains. uncomfortable. These pains continued the next day.

May 27 (Sunday): I was still having inconsistent contractions then later when i went to the bathroom to pee, i saw a huge thick blood discharge. I assumed it was the mucous plug. And then the real contractions began. I started with having 30 seconds of contraction every 30 – 45 minutes. The pain back then was still moderate but starting to be very uncomfortable.

May 28 (Monday): My contractions had progressed to 15 – 20 min interval with 45 seconds to 1 minute contractions every hour then afternoon came to 10/12 – 1 – 1 contractions. I took a hot shower then dinner time came to 8 – 1 – 1 contractions. I remembered i stood up and concentrated every contraction i had while i was having dinner. I vividly remember it was 10 pm when it became 7 – 1 – 1 contractions and i told the mister that we should head to the hospital because clearly i can not take the uncomfortable feeling anymore. At those times, the contractions felt like someone was literally squeezing your insides non stop.

Anyhoo, since i just had shower and in my PJs, i decided not to change and just wore a jacket in case we were asked to go home. Upon arrival to the maternity department, i was brought to Triage to be checked. The on call midwife checked how dilated i was. It turned out i was 3 cm dilated and recommended for me to be admitted. Finally.

I was informed about getting an epidural but i told the nurse that i’ll try to keep off until i can no longer take the pain. I was hooked on an IV so just incase i wanted to have the epidural, i don’t have to wait a long time.

May 29 (Tuesday) *40th week*: It was around 2 am when i finally told the Mister that i’m going to have the epidural. So the nurse came to prep me. Honestly, i was so scared to have epidural because i don’t like needles. But surprisingly, the entire process was not that painful nor uncomfortable. I was advised to rest because i need all the energy when i have to push later on. I did.

Anyway, every hour or so, the on call midwife checked on me to see how dilated i was. Moreover, my water hasn’t broken yet until the midwife checked me and bursted my water bag. The feeling was like an endless pee. haha! The dilation was slow, only increasing 1/2 – 1 cm per hour or sometimes no change every hour. I was counting the hours and it has been 20 hours already. Also, the pain has started to come back despite having the epidural.

At around 8 pm, i told the nurse that check on me if maybe i was ready to start active labor because i was starting to feel the wave of contractions and it was not a pleasant feeling anymore. And then we were told it was time to start pushing in every contraction.

The first hour of active pushing was bearable. I thought it was easy to just breathe in then push out when there was contraction but boy, after 2 hours of pushing and still no way the baby was ready to pop out, i got tired. Literally tired. I want to cry but i was too tired and distracted from every contraction. I tried different positions, half crying to my doctor ( who came in even if she was not on call) and the mister of tiredness. 3rd hour and the doctors and nurses were discussing if the baby can get through normally because it has been too long. I even asked if there was a possibility to just cut me up. In all fairness to my doctor and the mister, they encouraged me to continue pushing because i was almost there. They gave me 15 minute (i think) break from pushing.

May 30 (Wednesday): And then on the 4th hour, i suggested a new position for pushing, on all fours position, which i never tried since my active labor started. After few times of pushing, the baby’s head had been more visible so i went back to my original position then a few more push when i heard the nurse called the station saying “baby on the way”. Nurses, doctors and people on scrubs came in just in time when i finally pushed my baby out.

it was 1:11 am. I heard the baby cried. The mister and I were told that the baby digested her poo because of the long labor. so they thoroughly checked her out. The mister being the amazed new daddy, watched her getting cleaned then cut her umbilical cord. I on the other hand felt a rush of mixed emotions. Relief, happiness, worry, contentment, paranoia. More of that later. Anyway, after i gave birth, i was not done. Placenta was pulled out from me and they began to stitch me out. It hurt. After which, the baby was finally given to me and she started nursing (photo above). I was officially a mother.

So there goes my  birth story. One for the books. For life. haha!

But of course there’s the after birth story which sometimes people don’t normally share for whatever reason but that after birth story made me realize the nitty gritty of embarking this journey called motherhood. So watch out for it very soon.

Update from The Vain Mama

I have a 6 month old baby. Yup, i can not believe it either. Time flies when you’re busy being a mother, a first time mother. haha!

Anyway, i badly wanted to update this blog since i was still in my 3rd trimester pregnancy but i was at the peak of laziest, slowest, heaviest moment in the last months prior to giving birth. Hence, you can notice the missing 3rd trimester update because of that. And then wham, motherhood came and i was caught in surprise in all aspects. More of that later.

Nowadays i have more free time, thanks to the opportunity of spending extended maternity vacay (if there’s such a thing. haha!) here in Philippines. So i have been considering going back to blogging. Hopefully i can be more consistent and be more proactive in posting. *cross fingers*

Baby Shower: Adventure Awaits

Originally, the mister and I didn’t plan to have any baby shower. His relatives planned one when they found out we are not going to have one. My friends thought of planning one as well. Everything changed when the mister decided to throw me a baby shower. I was hesistant at first because i don’t want to be stressed out if I’m co-planning this baby shower. In all fairness to the Mister, he organized the entire event with the help of relatives and friends. This was the first time he really organized a mini party. I just helped out in some details.

The theme was about travel because the mister knows how i love to travel. We made it specific in line with the arrival of our baby girl. We made it “Adventure Awaits” theme. Anyway, the mister wanted a Filipino Merienda party so we chose food that we love and what we think the guests will like as well.

We didn’t hire any photographers and we were so busy entertaining our friends and family that we hardly had photos of the event. haha! Good thing some were able to take photos especially the food. So let me share some photos of our baby shower 🙂

Ube cake from Red Ribbon

Pancit Malabon from Manila Sunset; Lumpiang Shanghai c/o Relative; Arroz Caldo from Don; Dinuguan c/o relative; Filipino Spaghetti from Lilian’s Bread and Sweets

Gifted fruit platter; gifted Leche Flan; Cassava Cake from Lilian’s Bread Sweets; Puto from Lilian’s Bread and Sweets; gifted cake pops

Adventure Awaits Themed giveaways 

“Impressed with the Mister for pulling off a baby shower for me. Deeply grateful for friends and family who helped out and celebrated this memorable occasion with us. Special shout out to our friends and family who were not able to attend yet sent their loves and wishes. Daddy-to-be, Mama-to-be and #babygirlmatias are truly thankful.”

Pregnancy Essentials

Being pregnant is no easy feat. You will always need something to get through the days, weeks and months of achieving a more comfortable journey towards mamahood. I am listing down below the items i found helpful for me since i found out i was pregnant. Some came mid-pregnancy and most still being used as of this entry.

• Pregnancy Pillow

On my mid-1st trimester, sleeping had not been easy. I’ve read online about sleeping with pregnancy pillows which help you sleep better. So i ordered one at amazon. Thus, sleeping since then was comfortable. Imagine being surrounded with something soft. aaahhh, bliss!

photo via Amazon

This past christmas, my cousin-in-law gifted me another pregnancy pillow. I didn’t use it until i reached my 3rd trimester. And for my old pregnancy pillow, i gave it to my husband. SO we now have 2 pregnancy pillows on our bed. hahaha!

• Bellybuds

My mother-in-law insisted to have something for the baby to listen to like music or any soothing sounds from my womb. I have researched then which has the best reviews and told the mister about it. I bought the Bellybuds Baby Bump Sound System in Amazon. The mister then made a playlist in spotify for what to play in it. Since i got it, I try to use it max of 1 hour per day, daily. Music from the playlist consisted of mostly classical genre.

photo via Amazon

• Body Cream

I have read different types of anti stretch mark oils/lotions/creams that help prevents appearance of stretch marks and/or lightens if you have. I did buy one but I asked my brother to buy it for me back in the Philippines and it won’t arrive until May. I realized i would just use my supply of bath and body works ultra shea body cream for now. In all fairness, i have been using it religiously and no stretch marks on sight. I honestly don’t know if it helped but i ain’t complaining! haha!

my favorite scent!!! via bath & body works

• Belly Band

Inspite of having scoliosis, i didn’t have back complaints when i started my pregnancy. It was only on the start of my 3rd trimester when i started having back strains. One factor would be because i’m getting heavier by the day. So i looked online what can help with my back issues. I’m kinda stingy with this so i only bought the cheapest with good reviews in amazon. So far, it kinda helped with my posture and back strain. Though i only use it for a couple of hours a day.

photo via Amazon

• Non-wire Bra

Ever since my belly has been getting bigger and bigger by the day, it has been painful to use underwire bras. Thus, i decided to use non-wire bras for most days. I bought mine at walmart. I bought the ones that provide good coverage and comfortable.

photo via walmart

‘Til my next preggy tips!

Pregnancy Tips: Roadtrips

As what i have blogged before, we did some road tripping when i was on my first trimester. Road trips ranged from 1 1/2 hours to 4 hours one way. It was definitely not a smooth ride but in all fairness, the mister and I managed just fine. I realized i had to make some adjustments to make our road trips a pleasant one. I’m sharing some ideas and tips for anyone thinking of taking land travels while pregnant.

• Restroom Breaks

This is very important! I have to take a pee break from every 30 minutes to 1 hour to 2 hours. So make sure you have a handy map (google map, waze) for the nearest gas station or fast food chain while driving so you can navigate and adjust when you feel like you have to take a restroom break soon. More so, this pit stops are also good to do some stretching of legs and feet.

• Bring Snacks

Ever since i got pregnant, i bring snacks wherever i go. I always have this snack bag where i keep a stash of healthy and not healthy (hehe!) snacks. There were instances i was craving for something to munch on and i would reach to my snack bag and choose whatever i felt like snacking. Examples of my snack were trail mix, crackers, popcorns, chips, chocolates and dried fruits.

• Keep Hydrated

Besides snacks, i always bring a water with me. And since i got UTI on my first trimester, i made sure to always drink or even a sip of water. Though the increased trip to the restroom was part of it.

• Seatbelt at all times

It is completely safe to wear seatbelt. If i felt like the seatbelt was too tight, i used my travel neck pillow, which i always take with me during travels and wrapped it around my belly under the seatbelt. This made me comfortable especially for those bumpy road trips.

• Carry Barf Bags

I always carry in my purse some airplane barf bags. I got some from our previous trips and kept it at all times. This was helpful if i ever felt like throwing up especially on my first trimester. Luckily, i never used one since i got pregnant but even so, i still keep some for just in case instances.

I’ll be sharing some mama tips for air traveling next time 🙂

Pregnancy Tips: Packing and Moving

We moved from south California to north California at the beginning of 2017. And when we found out we were pregnant around September, we have decided to move back to south California. So which means in the span of 1 year time, we moved twice.

It’s true when they say moving is stressful and given that i’m pregnant, it’s double whammy. Yikes. Anyhow, we somehow managed to move without causing too much stress to the baby and to us. So i thought to make a list what helped us managed to pack and move which could help anyone who’ll read this (haha!). Here goes:

• pack one bag/box a day

Less than 2 months prior to our last day in our apartment, i have started packing one bag or box a day. I started with our bedroom, in our closet, old clothes. Then after which, i moved to another room of the apartment. This helped me not to get too tired from packing and it was a way for me to have a system in packing. I did pack only the things i know would be easy to handle and pack.

• take breaks in between

packing is really physically straining so to prevent any fatigue or risk any problems, i took breaks as often as i thought was appropriate. While the mister and I packed and felt i needed to take break, i let him know i’ll be taking a quick rest so either he’ll complete the packing i have started or kept tabs on what else to pack.

• ask for help

There were instances i needed help to get things from a high shelf or cabinet and i asked the mister every time as to prevent risk of falls. For heavy boxes that needed to be moved, i always asked the mister. it’s always better to ask for help than risk any accidents.

• hire movers

The mister originally planned to pack and move by ourselves but the stuff that we have, we finally agreed to hire movers to pack, load and unload heavy furnitures. We also availed the services of loading and unloading of packed boxes. It turned cheaper if we were the ones who packed the small stuff into boxes and left the heavy ones to the movers. This option helped reduce the stress of the whole ordeal of moving. Besides, moving expenses are tax deductible. so that’s that. hehe.

I hope this short list will give an idea how to manage packing and moving while pregnant. “Til my next preggy tips!

Second Trimester

Honestly i’ve been waiting for second trimester to arrive as i was looking forward for my morning sickness to go away. Moreover, i have read that when you reach 2nd trimester, your energy comes back. Aaaand i needed that.

Anyway, my morning sickness was almost gone a week before i reached the start of my 2nd trimester. I may not have gone back to my original self (of course, duh?!) but it was better. No more cravings and nausea. More so, i can finally plan trips which my doctor approved as i didn’t have high risk pregnancy.

This trimester had its ups and downs. Luckily, i was well enough to help out with the packing and moving as we were moving back to South California (i’ll blog about that next time) plus i was able to go back to my old groove at work. However, when i reached my 18th week, my asthma came back and worsen every day. I went to my doctor and was prescribed my usual inhaler and was scheduled to return after 2 weeks for follow up. After 2 weeks, my asthma didn’t subside and was prescribed with a different inhaler, which i was initially scared to take as i was paranoid of what it might affect the baby. Anyway, come December 25, i started taking my new medication and it helped. My asthma got better but it didn’t do away. It was just during the almost end of my second trimester when we relocated back to south california that my asthma medication was once again updated. This time it finally relieved the symptoms and although i still have it, now it’s more manageable.

Second trimester was also our milestone in determining the gender of our baby. We were  surprised and delighted when we found out the gender. I’ll share more of that later. But anyhow, the important thing for us is for the baby to be normal and healthy.

Moreover, it was also in my second trimester that i stopped from work as we relocated back to south california on my 22nd week, and decided to spend the rest of my pregnancy at home.

I’ll be sharing more of my second trimester journey via travels and moving/packing tips next time.

First Trimester Travels: Roadtrips

When i found out i was pregnant, we just came back from our trip in New Orleans, which i’ll be sharing in my travel blog soon. Anyway, since my morning sickness had taken its toll on me, i have been refusing to leave my apartment during the weekends and preferred to spend the weekends resting. For the duration of my first trimester i didn’t plan any travels but sometimes travel plans come to you. That said, The mister and I took some roadtrips within California for various reasons.

Sacramento, California (October 2017)

The mister attended a 4-day convention and decided to tag along on his last day. The drive from our place to Sacramento was 1 1/2 hours so it was not that bad. While the mister attended his convention, i went out to grab some brunch, walked around the capitol and went back to the hotel and waited for the convention to be over. I was still feeling sick-ish so i wasn’t able to tour that much in the city.

Los Angeles, California (October 2017)

My brother was visiting LA from Seattle and it was an opportunity for us to meet as the last time we saw each other was last April 2016. Oh how i missed my brother! Anyway, we traveled 4 hours from our place to LA and met at downtown Hollywood, toured him and his friends at Hollywood walk of fame and ended the day with a bbq dinner at koreatown.

San Francisco, California (November 2017)

Like what i have mentioned before, i have been cooped up for almost my entire first trimester, which was fine with me. But the mister has something else in mind. One weekend, he planned a weekend roadtrip to one of our favorite cities, San Francisco, just because. I originally refused to go but i said yes in the end. haha!

Anyhoo, i was surprised that i loved Ghirardelli’s hot fudge sundae and was kinda sad when the mister shared it me. hahaha! More over, the mister brought me to twin peaks, which was my first time and kinda nervous of climbing but the view was amazing.

The day ended tiring but memorable. San Francisco will always be a good idea.

First Trimester

“Pregnancy is the happiest reason ever for feeling crap.” – Unknown

I never knew what morning sickness was until i experienced it myself. i thought i won’t have morning sickness as my first 5 weeks were uneventful. then, BAM! 6th week arrived and there came my version of morning sickness. Nauseous, felt like throwing up any second of the day, food cravings & aversions and overall felt unproductive and useless. This morning sickness lasted till the end of my 1st trimester.

Luckily, the mister (a.k.a. work boss) was understanding of my situation and let me take power naps after lunch to somewhat recover from the never-ending nausea. Moreover, i was so unproductive especially with house works. Fortunately, my brother in law was visiting us and was able to cook most of our lunch.

As for food cravings and aversions, i was completely surprised. I refuse to eat anything sweet, which i was opposite pre-pregnancy, and i only want to eat rice meals. I read that it is advisable to eat small meals throughout the day, but i only want to eat 3 full meals a day. i didn’t like to eat snacks in between. Funnily, the type of rice meal i want to eat was only Filipino food. Being pregnant is truly surprising. haha!

Since i found out i was pregnant, i stopped drinking green tea and soda. I only drink water and occasional fruit juice. In all fairness, it wasn’t that hard during the first trimester. i was so disciplined in my liquid intake. *pats self on the back*

Anyway, besides the morning sickness and food aversions and cravings, sadly, i had UTI symptoms which prompted my primary provider to prescribed me with an antibiotic. i was hesitant at first because i feared it will affect the baby but i was told told it was safe for the baby. After a week of antibiotic, everything was fine.

Moreover, truthfully, when i was on my first trimester, i was emotionally chill. Like the excitement and all that jazz were on the “just fine” level. I was a bit paranoid why i was feeling that way but i thought maybe of back then issues like my morning sickness, work related issues and the big probability of us moving back to LA within the few months, which of course made me think all the time the packing and moving issues. Everything sank in when we heard the first heart beat of our baby. Like this is really it. *tears of joy*

I kept my pregnancy except to our family and closest friends as we wanted to wait for the second trimester (or perfect timing) to announce it. I, being a social media reserved and introvert in nature, had no plans to make a grand announcement at all. hahaha! Let me tell you soon how we managed to announce it. *wink*