1 Month!

  My baby boy has already turned 1 month old! Time really does fly by. He's gotten so big already and looking back at pictures from when he was born show such a big change!

Jacet and I both had our 1 month checkups this week. He now measures 53 cm (about 21 in) and weighs 4.5kg (about 9 lb 12oz). He's gained about 3.5 lbs in a month, which is very good and it puts me at ease to know that he's getting enough milk from me.  He is getting better at holding up his head and is starting to make noises besides grunts and squeaks. Soon he'll be making "ooh's" and "ah's!" 

  He's been more active and awake during the day, which is both nice and exhausting. During the night he sleeps for 3 hour stretches, which is surprisingly refreshing for me. I'm not as tired as I thought I would be.  He also recently went through a growth spurt where he would fuss and be cranky and eat often. That, thankfully, has passed for now! 

As for me, I'm still trying to breastfeed and we are slowly getting better at it. We have good days and bad days. I haven't lost all the pregnancy weight but now that I'm cleared for exercise maybe it'll come off quicker! I can't wait to start taking Jacet out for quick walks through the town and parks. We've been cooped up inside for far too long!

Overall I am healthy, and he is a healthy, chubby, adorable 1 month old. And he's all mine!

Next up: passport application and vaccines!

   

Life with Baby

I meant to post this a week ago but I got caught up in things and didn't get a chance. So rather than a 1 week birthday update, here's a 2 week birthday update!
Continuing from my birth story:

A WEEK AT THE HOSPITAL:
I mentioned way back in the beginning of my pregnancy that in Japan it's custom to stay in the hospital for a week after giving birth. It was actually a very beneficial stay and I'm glad they have that custom.

After birthing Jacet and cleaning him up and letting me hold him, they took him straight to the nursery. I would have preferred having him stay with me in my room so I could breastfeed and bond but apparently they don't do that the first night. The first night is meant for the rest and recovery of the mother. I was fine with that because I knew he was in good hands, I was just disappointed.

I believe I was the only one who gave birth that night and I was fortunate to get a very good private room. It was located right next to the bathroom and showers so it felt like they were my own, though they were shared. There were only about 4 or 5 others staying at the same time so it was very quiet and relaxing.

The first night was a little rough for me. I was in pain and bleeding of course. I couldn't sleep because I couldn't get comfortable AND because I was wondering how my baby was doing, not to mention the fact that the nurses came to check on me every hour...

The first day was very long. Tomo had told me that they were going to bring Jacet to me in the morning to spend the day, but he never came. I waited and wondered but thought maybe Tomo had gotten things mixed up. Nurses came and gave me a schedule of the week and checked up on my recovery, but no Jacet. Finally Tomo was able to visit after work and asked the nurses why they hadn't brought the baby. Apparently they thought they were supposed to wait for Tomo to come or something. I'm still not sure about what happened there, but they finally brought me my baby. I was only able to spend an hour with him and feel like I missed a lot of bonding time :(

The next day was a busy day on my schedule. I was to have an aroma therapy massage and a nice fancy lunch from the expensive hotel nearby. Plus this was the day Jacet would come to my room to stay for the rest of the week. So to make things short, Jacet arrived, the nice nurse explained to me how to make a bottle, how to clean and sterilize it, how to change his diaper, etc. I also got a lesson on breastfeeding, which I could start trying to do, but they wanted me to supplement with formula the first day or so until my milk started to come in. I then got my nice aroma therapy massage (only the legs) and the fancy lunch (which was very good).

The next few days were simply spent learning Jacet's behavior and habits and spending quality time together. Tomo's mom and sister came to visit and I was checked out of the hospital on Friday morning.

HOME WITH BABY:
Tomo's mother has been staying with us to help out with the cooking and cleaning around the house. She has been a great help and I really appreciate her being here. I'm learning new dinner menus, I'm able to sleep in and take naps (depending on Jacet), and she even helped me with breastfeeding when I was having trouble in the beginning. I don't know how ladies in the U.S. and other countries do all this only a day or two after giving birth!

It's been 2 weeks now and Jacet has been the perfect baby. He sleeps, eats, poops, and sleeps again. He only cries when I don't feed him quick enough, and only fusses a little occasionally. Tomo gives him a bath every night after work when he can and he (Jacet) actually likes it! He started off eating about every 3 hours but has recently been eating every 2 hrs during the day. At night he sleeps for 4 or 5 hours at a time so I get some decent sleep. We've both been working on our breastfeeding and are slowly getting the hang of it. Jacet eats like a champ and is definitely growing!

We both have a one month check up in May that I'm sure we'll both pass.

Both Tomo and I are extremely proud and happy to be blessed with this little angel. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect family.

Next update: One Month!

Now for pictures!

April 7, 2013: Birth Story

Well, my baby finally arrived!

BIRTH STORY:

We thought I would have to be induced due to high blood pressure and scheduled the induction for Tuesday, April 9 (my original due date). However, Jacet had other plans!

The day started out fairly normal. I woke up Tomo for work, went back to sleep, and woke up later to pass away a day of boring bed rest. When I went to the bathroom I noticed a little blood but thought nothing of it...maybe I should have! I had been feeling cramps for a few days but figured they were just part of the pregnancy discomforts. Well, the day passed with nothing out of the ordinary. I did laundry, I washed dishes, I cleaned the floor etc. I guess I was "nesting" a little, but mostly I just lied on the couch. The only slightly odd thing was that I wasn't hungry all day.

The day went on, Tomo called around lunch to check up on me, I took a nap, I put the laundry away. Tomo called again around 6:45 to ask if I was okay and I told him I was perfectly fine, just uncomfortable as usual. Well only about 15 minutes after that phone call I began feeling stronger "cramps" all around my abdomen. I thought maybe they were Braxton Hicks contractions but since I hadn't felt any of those throughout the pregnancy I really had no idea. They kept coming so I decide I better start timing them. I timed them for about 40 monites and Lo and behold, each contraction was about 10 minutes apart and lasting about 7-10 minutes. I called Tomo back (he was at work) and told him he better call the hospital because I thought these were real contractions.

After that everything happened so fast! He called the hospital and came to get me and my things by 8:00pm. We headed to the hospital but I decided I better eat something small since I knew first time labor could take a long time, but i also thought that it was probably a false alarm since it wasn't even past my due date! We stopped at the supermarket and bought some drinks and onigiri (rice balls). I called my mom and dad and told them the news on the way.

We arrived at the hospital around 9pm. I got checked at 9:30 and was 4cm dilated. The doctor (who spoke English thankfully) told me I would probably deliver the baby in the early morning of the next day. They hooked me up to the heart rate monitor and started trying to hook me up to the IV the GBS antivirus. My veins are very thin and they always have a hard time with the big IV needles. The head nurse came to check me again and whatever she did down there REALLY hurt. It actually made me get sick. So I threw up my little snack from before and started feeling really awful. The baby's heartbeat dropped then and I got hooked up to oxygen. Luckily by turning on my side they were able to get his heart rate back up.

The doctor came back to check on me around 10:15-10:30pm and I was 7cm! He was very surprised by how quick I was dilating. After that everything happened even faster. They quickly rolled me on the stretcher to the delivery room an propped me up in the delivery chair thing. The doctor broke my water around 10:45pm and after that the pain became so intense! I guess that's what they call the "ring of fire" lol. It hurt so bad that I actually told Tomo I wanted a C-section. Thank goodness that didn't happen lol. I was pretty tired out and delirious I suppose...the doctor then told me that the baby would be born around 11:30. Again, Jacet had other plans. By 11:00pm I was pushing! And after 4 hours of labor and 17 minutes of pushing my perfect little boy arrived, screaming his lungs out! They cut his cord and let me hold him a little while they stitched me up and before cleaning him up. I couldn't have asked for a better birthing experience.

Tomo was the best husband during this whole thing. He held my hand and encouraged me. I wasn't at all prepared for the pain, it was different from what I expected, but Tomo helped me try to breathe deeply and get through it all.

It was the best experience and I'm glad that I didn't have the option to take anything for the pain. It's such a rewarding feeling to get through the pain and seeing the beautiful end result.

The nurses recorded his first cry and took his footprints and took some pictures. They put it together in a little book roght then and there for me to take back to my room.

Since this post has become quite long, I'll split it up and write about the 5 day hospital stay later. Stay tuned!

(Picture explanations: 1- book cover, 2- footprints, 3- recorded cry and picture of Jacet inside the book, 4- family picture after birth, 5+6- Jacet right after birth)

Spring is here!

This is a life post rather than baby post.

Spring has come! Flowers are blooming and birds are singing! I've been taking walks to get some exercise, enjoy the weather, and see the beautiful cherry blossoms that are so popular and famous in Japan. I've shared my pictures on Facebook so most, if not all, of you have probably seen them. But I'm going to share them here as well :)

They really are more beautiful in person, but I did my best with the phone camera to capture the beauty.

Finally Time??

Time to share some updates!

I'm now 39 weeks! My due date is this coming Tuesday! But of course we all know that due dates don't really matter. On that note, I had my weekly appointment the other day and received some information. I took my 3rd non-stress test and discovered that I've been having contractions! They aren't regular and I barely notice them...I thought I was just feeling Jacet's movements. They checked my cervix and I went from completely closed last week to 2cm this week! I've been taking a lot of walks and cleaning the house this week so maybe that had something to do with it :)

But apparently my blood pressure has been fluctuating the past few weeks and at this last appointment was slightly high (145/83). I took it again and it lowered to 134/78 but the doctor was still a little concerned. (I blame the high blood pressure on my mother!) The doctor is worried about the possibility of developing hypertension leading up to pre-eclampsia, which is of course dangerous. He decided to have me go back in Friday or Saturday to re-check my blood pressure after a day of bed rest. If it's still the same, then he would like to induce me Sunday or Monday (eek!). The doctor I saw this time around explained everything to me in English. I'm hoping that if we do have to induce we can schedule it for when he is available. He's the one I'm most comfortable with, because of the English.

As for Jacet himself, he's been perfect. He weighs about 6.2 lbs now, which is small for America but smack dab average for Japan. During the non-stress tests his heartbeat has been steady and he moves around quite a bit. I can't wait to meet him!

So to sum it all up, even though I'm nervous and would prefer Jacet to come naturally and when he's ready, I'm also excited that I might be having my little boy in just a few days!

Full Term!

Today I'm 37 weeks which means I'm considered full term! So little Jacet can pop out any day now and be perfectly fine. I don't think that will happen though. I believe he's quite happy in there and will be late. Just a feeling. I wouldn't mind if he came a little early of course. I'm anxious to meet my little boy!

I've had quite a few doctor appointments since the last baby update, so let me fill everyone in. Starting from March I've been having appointments every week, and starting from last week I've been hooked up to a machine to monitor Jacet's heartbeat. In America (and other countries I'm sure) they check the heartbeat at every visit I believe. Here they do not. They check the heart but I never actually heard it until last week. Such a sweet sound! It's relaxing to hear that it's nice and steady and within the average range. They'll be monitoring his heartbeat for 20 minutes every week until I give birth, as well checking my cervix for dilation etc. plus normal appointment stuff.

Last week Jacet's size was a little small for how far along he is, but luckily he gained almost a pound between that appointment and yesterday's! I think most of that depends on how thedoctor measures from the ultrasound though. He now weighs about 6lbs which is average for Japan, though I'm not too sure about America. I hope he won't get too much bigger!

Following the post is an ultrasound picture of his face. I tried to label it so hopefully you all can tell what you're looking at! His nose seems big to me...maybe that means he's going to have a Canosa Italian nose? :) There's also an ultrasound picture of his face with his hand in his mouth <3 and some belly pictures of course.

That's about it for an update. I probably won't update much between now and the birth because there's not too much that can change.

As for life, we're all settled in at the new apartment. I've been trying my best to keep it extra clean and more permanent home, less temporary feeling. We still have to set up the crib (thanks Andrea) and organize the "nursery" area, as well as buy more baby things!

The weather has been very nice lately. Spring is in the air! The sunshine and warmth has been giving me the energy to take walks and get some exercise thankfully. The cherry blossoms are just about in full bloom and very pretty. I have yet to find a park or something that's good for pictures though. I'll have to explore more.

We still have no Internet so yet again I'm not sure how organized the pictures will look....

The Move

First off, I'd like to thank everyone who has purchased and sent baby items recently, we really appreciate it!

I guess it's about time I updated everybody on how our move to the new town and apartment went! Please keep in mind that we still currently have no Internet and this is being done from my phone, so I'm not sure how organized everything will turn out.

PACKING

First of all, the moving company didn't drop off the boxes until just a week before the move! With Tomo working and me being pregnant and working, plus errands to run, things to cancel, and even a trip to Tokyo to get the keys, we really didn't have a lot of time to pack everything up. The moving van was scheduled to come in the afternoon but decided to come mid-morning instead! Needless to say, we were packing while they were packing and it was a busy busy morning. We finally managed to get everything packed up and labeled and were on our way to our new home!

MOVING IN

The apartment is very nice...a lot nicer than our previous ones. We picked a larger 3 bedroom because of the little man coming soon. It's pretty spacious, the kitchen has SO much counter space and cabinets which I love, the floors are wood and tile, it has huge doors/windows for the balcony, and it feels more like a permanent place to live than the others. (Even though we won't be here that long). The building entrance is very nice and really makes me feel like we're living in a high end place.

Unpacking only took a few days. One of Tomo's previous workers came and helped us get started and I took a day off work to spend the day emptying boxes. One more day was spent organizing everything and making the place feel lived in and somewhat homey.

I'm sorry for the lack of baby update in this post, but don't worry, that update will be coming soon!

Now for the apartment pictures. I tried to take some before and after pictures but the moving people were too fast in bringing everything in and I couldn't really get good shots of the empty place.

Since I can't caption the pictures from the phone, here's a brief description in the order they're posted (I hope):
1. View when you first walk in the door
2. Our bedroom
3. Tomo's "work room"
4. Toilet with all the fixings
5. Bath/laundry room
6. Bath/shower
7. Soon to be baby's area
8. Kitchen 1
9. Kitchen 2
10. Living room
11. View from the balcony