Today I did my first workout (real workout) since Martin came. I guess it was the total unfamiliarity I feel with my body after childbirth that made me hesitate when it came to working out. I couldn't really bring myself to do anything besides walking, which I don't think was a bad idea considering that I just gave birth a month ago. But nonetheless, I eased back into my old workouts today.
I didn't do much, just a little ab work, some push-ups, and fifteen minutes on the stationary bike. I'm going to wait to see what I feel like in the morning (soreness-wise), and decide how to proceed from there. I am so ready to be rid of these lingering few pounds. I am down 32lbs, and I just have a few left, but I know I won't get back to my pre-pregnancy body and fitness level without a lot of hard work. Don't be concerned, however, I am not rushing anything.
Well, my baby is crying so now it is time to go get him and shed a few ounces of weight.
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Friday, April 8, 2011
Back to the Land of the Living
I'm back... well, I'm off the couch.
Today is Martin's one month birthday and I finally got moving. I kept getting motivated to start moving again, even just to clean up the kitchen or fold laundry, but thing after thing came up every week that would set my recovery time or sleep time back.
I was getting really frustrated about how long it was taking me to get back to my former energy level, and suddenly... today I was back.
I cleaned my kitchen (per Flylady instructions I shined my sink and swept/mopped the kitchen floor), I did two loads of laundry all the way to completion, had a devotion, and I took a walk with Marty in tow.
Martin loves to be awake. I'm attempting to do the Baby Wise program (which calls for a routine of Feeding time-Wake time-sleep time), but when I put him in his crib to take his nap this morning he just lay there looking at the ceiling and making noises. I love that boy so much I can't stand it. Needless to say, when I took him on a walk he fell sound asleep almost as soon as we set foot on pavement. It's okay, I'm nothing if not flexible.
Now he is sleeping soundly in his crib and I'm needing a cup of coffee... annnd I need to go to the grocery store so that we finally have some food in the house.
I guess that's all for today...
JW
Today is Martin's one month birthday and I finally got moving. I kept getting motivated to start moving again, even just to clean up the kitchen or fold laundry, but thing after thing came up every week that would set my recovery time or sleep time back.
I was getting really frustrated about how long it was taking me to get back to my former energy level, and suddenly... today I was back.
I cleaned my kitchen (per Flylady instructions I shined my sink and swept/mopped the kitchen floor), I did two loads of laundry all the way to completion, had a devotion, and I took a walk with Marty in tow.
Martin loves to be awake. I'm attempting to do the Baby Wise program (which calls for a routine of Feeding time-Wake time-sleep time), but when I put him in his crib to take his nap this morning he just lay there looking at the ceiling and making noises. I love that boy so much I can't stand it. Needless to say, when I took him on a walk he fell sound asleep almost as soon as we set foot on pavement. It's okay, I'm nothing if not flexible.
Now he is sleeping soundly in his crib and I'm needing a cup of coffee... annnd I need to go to the grocery store so that we finally have some food in the house.
I guess that's all for today...
JW
Thursday, April 7, 2011
The Heart of a Man Plans His Way (Part ll)
After the Pitocin began the contractions got increasingly more intense until I could barely stand it anymore. I knew labor was going to be difficult, but this was more mentally draining than anything else. I can handle pain, but this was wearing me down. I felt like little Martin would never come and my body wasn't making any progress which was the most frustrating part of the whole ordeal.
Finally, at 9:45pm, I was at 2cm and they could administer the epidural. At 11:00pm I was given the epidural and almost immediately I felt the effects.
I thought the epidural would mean a solid night's sleep, but complications arose despite my body being numb from the waist down.
Martin's heart rate began dropping with every contraction (still every minute), so they put me on oxygen to help control it, and I was flipped side to side every five minutes. After all of this my blood pressure started dropping to a dangerous 80/50, so I was put on more fluids to elevate it. I thought for sure this meant that I was going to be forced to have an emergency C-section.
It was in the wee hours of the morning and my mom had gone home earlier to get some rest. I texted her to let her know what was going on and she headed back to the hospital. In the time it took for her to drive down to the hospital, I progressed from 5cm-9cm. It was time to push!
By the time I was pushing my epidural had almost completely worn off. I started getting nervous about the pain I was about to experience, but at the same time I was excited to have control to push.
Pushing did hurt, let me tell you! But I have never felt anything so wonderful in all my life! I laughed as I pushed my baby into the world and I enjoyed every moment of it. It took 55 minutes for him to be delivered. I loved him the moment I laid eyes on him. There is nothing more beautiful in the whole world.
Nothing in this process went according to "plan," but it was all under the wings of my Maker, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Finally, at 9:45pm, I was at 2cm and they could administer the epidural. At 11:00pm I was given the epidural and almost immediately I felt the effects.
I thought the epidural would mean a solid night's sleep, but complications arose despite my body being numb from the waist down.
Martin's heart rate began dropping with every contraction (still every minute), so they put me on oxygen to help control it, and I was flipped side to side every five minutes. After all of this my blood pressure started dropping to a dangerous 80/50, so I was put on more fluids to elevate it. I thought for sure this meant that I was going to be forced to have an emergency C-section.
It was in the wee hours of the morning and my mom had gone home earlier to get some rest. I texted her to let her know what was going on and she headed back to the hospital. In the time it took for her to drive down to the hospital, I progressed from 5cm-9cm. It was time to push!
By the time I was pushing my epidural had almost completely worn off. I started getting nervous about the pain I was about to experience, but at the same time I was excited to have control to push.
Pushing did hurt, let me tell you! But I have never felt anything so wonderful in all my life! I laughed as I pushed my baby into the world and I enjoyed every moment of it. It took 55 minutes for him to be delivered. I loved him the moment I laid eyes on him. There is nothing more beautiful in the whole world.
Nothing in this process went according to "plan," but it was all under the wings of my Maker, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Monday, March 14, 2011
The Heart of a Man Plans His Way, but the Lord Directs His Steps
My beautiful baby boy is finally here! I cannot get enough of him.
Labor was an interesting process. I was induced at 41 weeks because there was some possible complications that could arise if we waiting another week before inducing. My body was not progressing enough on it's own, and my little baby boy was getting too big to wait.
I have always had a plan about how I wanted to do things. So, naturally, I had a birthplan written up almost as soon as I got that positive strip on the pregnancy test. The plan was to give birth naturally, no inductions, no pain meds, and no prolonged stay at the hospital. I wanted to be at home and "walk" the baby out on my own (this defined as waiting until the last possible moment before leaving for the hospital). But after my doctor told me that there was a good chance I would need a C-section if I waited to go into labor on my own, and after learning that my little Marty boy was posterior (face up, aka:an extremely painful labor), I knew my plans would have to be put aside.
We went in for the induction expecting that I would be induced at 6:30 A.M. which would help me efface, and at some point that day I would have a baby.
Well, the induction process started at 10:00 am, at 11:00 am I began to have intense contractions every minute, and at 2:30 I will still not effaced enough to do anything besides wait. I dreaded the Pitocin part of the induction because I had heard that those Pitocin-induced contractions were much more painful than normal contractions, and because I had not dilated to 2 cm I couldn't get an epidural...
To Be Continued...
Labor was an interesting process. I was induced at 41 weeks because there was some possible complications that could arise if we waiting another week before inducing. My body was not progressing enough on it's own, and my little baby boy was getting too big to wait.
I have always had a plan about how I wanted to do things. So, naturally, I had a birthplan written up almost as soon as I got that positive strip on the pregnancy test. The plan was to give birth naturally, no inductions, no pain meds, and no prolonged stay at the hospital. I wanted to be at home and "walk" the baby out on my own (this defined as waiting until the last possible moment before leaving for the hospital). But after my doctor told me that there was a good chance I would need a C-section if I waited to go into labor on my own, and after learning that my little Marty boy was posterior (face up, aka:an extremely painful labor), I knew my plans would have to be put aside.
We went in for the induction expecting that I would be induced at 6:30 A.M. which would help me efface, and at some point that day I would have a baby.
Well, the induction process started at 10:00 am, at 11:00 am I began to have intense contractions every minute, and at 2:30 I will still not effaced enough to do anything besides wait. I dreaded the Pitocin part of the induction because I had heard that those Pitocin-induced contractions were much more painful than normal contractions, and because I had not dilated to 2 cm I couldn't get an epidural...
To Be Continued...
Thursday, February 24, 2011
I Have Completed Something!
Dear Readers,
You should know that I have never completed anything creative in my life. I may have painted many pictures, but I have not framed them nor hung them on the wall. I've written dozens of stories, but have not finished editing them nor have I sent them anywhere. Well, I hadn't completely anything creative until today! I have finished the novel I've been working on for two years! It is the best feeling in the world. It was one of the goals I wanted to accomplish before the baby came, and I did it! I thought I would never finish that novel.
The novel is titled, "Mother of Believers," and hopefully in the next couple of years you will see it on the shelves of Davis Kidd.
JW
You should know that I have never completed anything creative in my life. I may have painted many pictures, but I have not framed them nor hung them on the wall. I've written dozens of stories, but have not finished editing them nor have I sent them anywhere. Well, I hadn't completely anything creative until today! I have finished the novel I've been working on for two years! It is the best feeling in the world. It was one of the goals I wanted to accomplish before the baby came, and I did it! I thought I would never finish that novel.
The novel is titled, "Mother of Believers," and hopefully in the next couple of years you will see it on the shelves of Davis Kidd.
JW
A Blog about Life
I have tried to be the avid blogger in the recent past only to be disappointed. This time I will try to come at it a little differently. I will simply post about my life.
I am in my last week of pregnancy. As the time draws near, all I can think about is the fact that I'm about to be a mother, and about how I will be able to sleep on my stomach again. I've gained a lot of weight with this pregnancy, I've been tired, and I've seen my relationship with my husband (of a little less than two years) strengthen instead of weaken.
This past nine months has been difficult. We do not make much money, we are both young (25 and 23), but yet we have made it almost to the end without losing the bond we had when we first fell in love. My husband is my best friend, and by the Lord's grace he will remain so.
Now, I want to be honest. It is not that my husband and I have lived without disagreements these past two years. Quite the contrary. I do not think that successful marriages are necessarily the result of constant agreement. I believe that the most successful marriages are built around spouses who both know that they are imperfect people. I know that my marriage could have ended as soon as it began if I did not realize that when I mess up I could confess it and come back to being the best friend/wife/confidant/etc. It is only when we let those disagreements fester and multiply that we come to a place of resentment for our spouse.
Now I am blessed. I have a God who is on my side, and I have an amazing family to lead me in the way I should go. I don't take those things for granted. This blog will be about my life as I manage a newborn, marriage, friendships, and this wonderful relationship with God that makes all of those things possible.
It may also follow me as I shed the pregnancy weight, train for various sporting endeavors, and learn to hang out with tiny children the majority of the day. But we shall see...
JW
I am in my last week of pregnancy. As the time draws near, all I can think about is the fact that I'm about to be a mother, and about how I will be able to sleep on my stomach again. I've gained a lot of weight with this pregnancy, I've been tired, and I've seen my relationship with my husband (of a little less than two years) strengthen instead of weaken.
This past nine months has been difficult. We do not make much money, we are both young (25 and 23), but yet we have made it almost to the end without losing the bond we had when we first fell in love. My husband is my best friend, and by the Lord's grace he will remain so.
Now, I want to be honest. It is not that my husband and I have lived without disagreements these past two years. Quite the contrary. I do not think that successful marriages are necessarily the result of constant agreement. I believe that the most successful marriages are built around spouses who both know that they are imperfect people. I know that my marriage could have ended as soon as it began if I did not realize that when I mess up I could confess it and come back to being the best friend/wife/confidant/etc. It is only when we let those disagreements fester and multiply that we come to a place of resentment for our spouse.
Now I am blessed. I have a God who is on my side, and I have an amazing family to lead me in the way I should go. I don't take those things for granted. This blog will be about my life as I manage a newborn, marriage, friendships, and this wonderful relationship with God that makes all of those things possible.
It may also follow me as I shed the pregnancy weight, train for various sporting endeavors, and learn to hang out with tiny children the majority of the day. But we shall see...
JW
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