Post Baby Dworianyn Bump Watch: 42 Weeks

One of the things I was most worried about with having a baby was the recovery and aftermath of delivery. I think overall I have been extremely lucky and I bounced back really quickly. I have been in very little pain post - surgery. I was up and moving 8 hours after having my c-section. I'm not sure if I had an easier time because I didn't gain any weight during my pregnancy or just because I was so motivated to get the heck out of the hospital! Even though I lost a good amount of weight during my pregnancy, 34 pounds, my belly certainly expanded as you can see from my first and last bump pictures seen above. 

I expected to still look pregnant after delivery but I have been pleasantly surprised how quickly my body has snapped back. Since getting home from the hospital the weight has continued dropping off and I am now down 57 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight. Even though I am thinner than when I got pregnant, there is still much work to be done. I wasn't allowed to workout during my pregnancy because of early complications, so I've definitely lost some muscle mass. Certain parts of my body have gotten a little more jiggly, especially my arms. My stomach is obviously pretty squishy too after only 2 weeks. I will be happy when I can get back to working out regularly. I've been walking daily but won't be able to do any serious cardio or weights until 6 weeks. 

So my goal is to firm and tone things up and I would really like to lose an additional 50 pounds. So here is my current body and a comparison of just pregnant, end of pregnancy and 2 weeks post pregnancy. I look forward to seeing my next progress picture after a few months!

This week I'm...

Loving: The beautiful weather we are having, its the best maternity leave gift I could ask for!

Disliking: Anytime my little man cries, it hurts my heart.

Craving: A good workout; I can't wait until I get released to do so, Mama needs to tone up.

Hoping: I have a good post delivery check up tomorrow at the doctor's.

Reading: Catching up on some of my magazines during little man's nap time.
Watching: So sad most of our shows are now over until Fall.

Looking forward to: A fun weekend with lots of celebrations!

Hearing buzz about: So glad the NATO summit is over and out of Chicago. I've never been so happy to live in the suburbs, those protesters were crazy!

Product Review: Citrus Lane Subscription

Citrus Lane is a relatively new monthly subscription company that sends you a box filled with cute and practical products for children up to age 3 that are recommended by real parents. When you sign up you tell them your child's age and gender so that they can cater your monthly products to your child's development stage and interests.

Each month all of the products are chosen around a specific theme. There is always a special product or treat for Mommy each month as well. It's $25 a month and you receive $30 - $45 worth of products. I subscribed for an entire year and had a discount code so I am only paying about $16 a month. They also have month by month subscriptions as well as 3 and 6 month terms if you don't want to commit to a full year. 

I had been waiting for months during my pregnancy to subscribe until Ethan's birth month. I finally subscribed in April to have my first box come in May. My first box arrived last week and I was so excited! The theme this month was "Fun in the Sun." This month's products totaled almost $58.

Who doesn't love a yellow box arriving on their doorstep? 

My first view of our goodies! 

So this is what was inside: a brochure detailing all of this month's products, Dapple dish liquid, In My Ocean finger puppet book, Green Toys Twist Teether, iPlay Sun Protection Hat, Episencial Protective Face Balm and a $15 gift card to joyus.com for me. 

Just the sun hat alone has a retail value of $15 so I think for my $16 it is totally worth it. I was really impressed with the products. They also sometimes include discount codes for the companies featured that month if you want to order additional products from that company. 

I am looking forward to getting a new box every month. I love that it's a surprise every month as to what the theme is and what is going to be inside. So if you have a little one between the ages of 0 - 3 years old, I would definitely recommend Citrus Lane. 

* I was not compensated in any way by Citrus Lane. I paid for my subscription with my own money.

Ethan's Birth Story

Our little prince Ethan made his grand arrival on Friday, May 11 after 30 hours of labor, over an hour of pushing and then ultimately a c-section. Things didn't go according to the original plan as they rarely do, but he is here and perfectly healthy which is all that matters. Here's the story of how he made his way into the world.

On Wednesday, May 9 we were supposed to report to the hospital at 5:45 pm however, I got a call around 2 pm that they didn't have any labor and delivery beds available and that they were delaying my induction by a few hours. I was kind of bummed because we were both so anxious, we just wanted to get there and get started. We ended up not getting checked in until 9:30 that night. I checked in, changed into my hospital gown and got settled in and waited for them to start the induction.

They started my induction a little after 10 pm by inserting cervidil into my cervix to get things moving. I was only 1 cm dilated and 60% effaced when I was admitted. The cervidil needed to be in for 12 hours before starting on pitocin. Some people go into full labor with cervidil so they just had to wait and see how my body responded. I was definitely having contractions but the next morning when they removed the cervidil I was only dilated to 2 cm. They started the pitocin around 11 am and then broke my water around 1 pm. 

They started the pitocin at the lowest level and quickly kept upping the dosage to get my body to respond. Finally late in the afternoon my body started to respond. I was dilated to a 4 and my contractions were getting stronger and stronger and hitting every 60 seconds. They had to break my water again and once they did that things really started getting intense. My contractions were extremely strong and while I could handle them I was quickly getting exhausted from dealing with the pain every 60 seconds. I needed to rest so I would have the energy to push so I decided it was time for my epidural. I got my epidural around 7 pm and it was absolute bliss. I was able to relax and nod off in between checks from the nursers. At 8 pm I was 6 cm dilated and things were moving faster. Around 10 pm I was 8 cm dilated and my pain had returned. They gave me a booster in my epidural and I was pain free once again. Unfortunately Ethan was getting pretty tired as well and his heart rate was dropping. They put me on oxygen to help him out and he responded well and his heart rate increased.

Around 11 pm my doctor came in, woke me up and told me it was time to push. Before I knew it, my legs were up and I was pushing. Thanks to the epidural I wasn't in any pain and was pushing as hard as I could. I was making progress and they could see Ethan starting to come down. I pushed and pushed for about an hour but he wasn't coming down any further. My doctor wanted to try to use the vacuum to help get him out, but it wouldn't work. My doctor finally saw what the problem was, the opening of my pelvis was way too small for Ethan to make it through. I never thought I would have that issue since I have such a large frame. I looked at my doctor and said, "so what does that mean, c-section?" He said, "yes, and we need to get this baby out now because his heart rate is dropping." I looked at Michael, started to cry and then before we knew it, Michael was being thrown scrubs, they were shoving medicine down my throat and I was being wheeled into the Operating Room.

I was pretty freaked out and my body was in shock. It was super cold in the OR and I was shaking pretty badly. They got me up on the table, prepped and gave me more medicine in my epidural. They tested to make sure I couldn't feel anything and they started opening me up to get Ethan out. Michael hadn't even gotten in the room yet and they were already working on getting Ethan out.

  I'm smiling, but I was scared to death

About 7 minutes later at 1:13 am, I heard the most wonderful noise I've ever heard, the sound of our baby boy's cry. I was so overwhelmed with emotion to know that my little boy was finally here. They quickly put him over the curtain so we could see him and then got him cleaned up. I was shocked to see how much hair he had and how little he looked.

Kissing my sweet boy

Our first picture together

After they got Ethan cleaned up, they took Michael out of the operating room to go with Ethan and the nurse to get him evaluated. They worked on closing me up which took about 25 minutes. After I was closed up I was off to recovery. They worked on me for what seemed like hours and I was still shaking pretty badly so they wouldn't let me hold Ethan yet. That was by far the worst part of the whole thing. I had to wait almost 2 hours to hold my little boy. Finally after they were done cleaning me up and checking all my vitals for the 100th time, I got my hands on my little Ethan.

 He loved doing skin to skin contact with his Mama

I got to hold my little boy for a few minutes and then he went back to Dada and we were off to our room. It was around 4 am when we were wheeled into our room. I held my little boy for another hour or so and then they took him to the nursery for the night. I hadn't slept in almost 40 hours and I was completely exhausted. We slept for a few hours and then everyone in the family started making their way to the hospital to meet little Ethan.

Later in the day on Friday I got up and ate lunch in a chair. I was actually feeling pretty good considering everything I had been through. I finally got to eat for the first time since Wednesday as well. It was the best turkey sandwich ever! Friday night we sent Ethan to the nursery again so that we could get some sleep. We literally had about 6 hours of sleep since Tuesday night and we were just exhausted. We both slept about 9 hours and I woke up feeling like a new woman. I finally felt rested and I was in very minimal pain surprisingly. I got to take a shower and put on regular clothes. I felt like a million bucks. Michael and I took a walk around the hospital floor. They say the more you are up and moving around after the c-section, the quicker you heal. I was all about healing and getting out of the hospital so I was doing everything in my power to get moving and prove to everyone that I was healing well.

My parents came to the hospital to see Ethan again in the afternoon and we just relaxed and enjoyed our little boy.

Saturday night we kept him in our room with us so we could see what it would be like to get up at night. He did really well. He was waking up every 2-3 hours, which is not bad at all, he was so content as long as his belly was full and his diaper was empty. 

On Sunday, I was determined to get released from the hospital. They wanted me to stay until Monday but I really wanted to get out of there for Mother's Day. I woke up early and got myself all dressed and ready. I packed all my bags and had them stacked up. When my doctor came in around 9 she said, "You're ready to go home aren't you?" I said, "Yes, I really, really want to go home." She checked my incision and said that everything looked great and that I was bouncing back beautifully. She said all the nurses were stunned with how quickly I was up and getting around. I didn't feel like I had just had surgery a day and a half ago and so she said that as long as I took it easy she would release me. 

I was so happy. We just had to wait for the pediatrician to come see Ethan and release him and we would be homeward bound! The pediatrician came and saw Ethan around 10 am and said he was doing beautifully and we were free to go home. We just needed to bring him in for a weight check on Monday and Wednesday. We thought we would be stuck waiting for all of the release papers until the afternoon but surprisingly enough we had everything signed and ready at 10:30 am. We loaded Ethan in his car seat, took our first picture as a family of three and we were on our way. It was the best Mother's Day present ever!

We were home by 11:30 and it was the best feeling ever. We finally got to bring our little boy home. 

Both mine and Michael's family came over to celebrate Mother's Day and to spend time with Ethan. It was the best day and the most wonderful first Mother's Day I could have asked for. 

Weekend Recap

We had a great first weekend as a family of three! On Friday after Michael was done with work we headed out to dinner at Lou Malnati's to get some pizza. We also tried their bruschetta for an appetizer which we've never had there before. We usually get the salad, but the bruschetta was amazing; definitely try it next time you go.

After dinner we stopped by Michael's parents house to see Michael's Uncle Dave who was in town from Michigan. We haven't seen him for a couple of years so it was nice to catch up and he got to meet Ethan as well. After our visit, we headed home and just relaxed the rest of the night. 

Saturday morning we woke up and headed out to the Wheaton French Market to get some fresh goodies for the week. It was Ethan's first trip there and even though he slept through it, he looked pretty darn cute! 

I must say, it was nice having his stroller at the farmers market. It made for great storage for all of our fresh goodies! We got strawberries, grape tomatoes, sugar snap peas, golden potatoes, asparagus, foccacia bread and some cheddar popcorn, yum!

After the farmer's market we headed home to feed and change Ethan and then we headed out to do some more shopping. I wanted to go to Carter's since I had a coupon which was expiring and I needed a couple of birthday presents for a family party coming up. I also picked up a few things for Mr. Ethan of course too! I hadn't bought anything in newborn since we expected to have a pretty large baby. But all of his 0-3 clothes are just ridiculously big. Luckily they had some ridiculous sales going on. I picked up 5 new outfits for $12, a total deal!

After shopping we wanted to grab some lunch and head home. There was a new sandwich place called Which Wich right by Carters. We googled some reviews and they were all high ratings so we thought we'd try it out. It's a sandwich place where you customize everything you want by grabbing a bag and mark on the bag the type of sandwich you want, then you choose the size, bread, toasted or not, extras, cheeses (11 types!), mustards, mayos, spreads/sauces, dressings, onions, veggies, and oils/spices. It was really good, we will definitely be back!

The rest of the day Saturday was spent relaxing and enjoying our little man. 

Michael made us some yummy burgers on the grill for dinner and we went for an after dinner walk since it was so nice out. 

On Sunday we got up and went out to breakfast. We didn't really have a whole lot planned for the day so we mostly just relaxed. We went to Costco to pick up a few things and we had a little family nap time.

For dinner we made ribs on the grill with some potatoes and asparagus. We pulled the meat off the ribs and made chopped pork sandwiches, itwas really yummy. 

I can't believe a week ago we were just getting home from the hospital, it's crazy. It feels like Ethan has been  a part of us forever. I'm looking forward to this week since the weather is going to be so nice. I can't ask for much better weather on my maternity leave. I hope all of you had a great weekend as well!

Ethan's World: 1 week

I can't believe it's already been a week since our little man's arrival. So far we have a little angel baby. He is so content. He is eating and sleeping in 3-4 hour stretches and only waking me up one time during the night. He's making the transition so easy for us, it's been amazing.

I'm amazed how quickly the days seem to go by. We were pretty busy this week too. We had 2 doctor's appointments and we also had Ethan's newborn photo shoot.

Here's what's been going on in Ethan's world this week:

On Friday our little man made his grand entrance to the world at 1:13 am

On Saturday we spent the day in the hospital just enjoying our little man.

On Sunday I got the best Mother's Day present and we were released from the hospital.

Monday we started the day at the pediatrician to check on Ethan's weight and then we spent the rest of the day just snuggling and settling into our new daily routine

Tuesday we had a photographer come to take Ethan's newborn photos. They are going to be amazing I can't wait to see them all! She did send us a sneak peek below!

Wednesday we had another pediatrician appointment to check on Ethan's weight, he gained 2.5 ounces! The three of us also went for our first family walk. I see many more in our future!

Thursday we had some morning playtime on his play mat.

Introducing: Ethan Michael Dworianyn!

Ethan Michael Dworianyn

Friday, May 11, 2012 at 1:13 am

8 pounds, 12 ounces

Sorry I have been MIA for the past 10 days but things have been really busy around here because our little man finally made his grand entrance into the world! It's quite the story and I'm still working on putting his full birth story together, but will hopefully get it posted next week. We're all home and settled so I'll be getting back into the swing of things with my blog. I have so many memories to capture and record now.

Baby Dworianyn Bump Watch: 40 Weeks

How far along? 40 weeks! My final day of pregnancy, tomorrow I'm a Mama!
Size of the baby? A pumpkin!, 22 inches, 8.7 pounds
Maternity clothes? Still in my regular clothes and I think I will be shopping for smaller sizes once Ethan makes his exit.
Weight gain? Holding steady at -34 pounds, I think I will be -50 when I get home from the hospital, thank you Ethan!
Gender? A little prince.
Movement? He is still really active, it will be interesting to see if he is that way on the outside.
Sleep? I've been sleeping well and I'm sure that's coming to an end now that Ethan will be here, HA!
Food Cravings? No real cravings, to be honest I can't eat very much these days.
What I miss? Absolutely nothing, just getting so excited to meet our little man.
Symptoms? His crazy kicks and my rapidly growing belly.
Best moments of the week? Our little boy making his grand entrance!
What is baby doing this week? This week our little boy is coming out to finally join us in the world!

Our week in pictures: 4/29 - 5/5

Sunday, April 29: We finally got to take our maternity pictures. I love how they came out! Not bad for taking them on a tripod with a remote, huh?

Monday, April 30: Daddy had to buy one last finishing touch for his little boy's nursery. Every baby needs an almost 5 foot tall giraffe, right? HA!

Tuesday, May 1: One last item of baby gear to put together!

Wednesday, May 2: My 39 week baby bump; only 1 week to go!

Thursday, May 3: We finally found a table to eat at that matches our new patio furniture.

Friday, May 4: I finished crafting a welcome home wreath for my little man's arrival next week!

Saturday, May 5: Michael torturing me with my Mother's Day/Baby Ethan presents. That's a lot of Tiffany boxes, one for each month I was pregnant and apparently there's one more surprise! Come on Ethan!