Yay for more sleep!

Last night, our little girl slept from about 1am to almost 6am in the morning! Rob put her to bed so I had some extra minutes of snooze time. I almost couldn't go back to bed after 6am because I had such good long sleep! After 5 weeks, we finally can enjoy the much eluded 'sleep'. This little one definitely loves her sleep =) Yay from the parents.

I also had a nice morning for some 'me' time with Amy as we spent some time without of babes and went to the Sweet Peanut clothing sale. I got a few pieces for Sofia but it turns out the sizing is way larger and not quite suitable for smaller babies so she'll have to grow into them. It was the first time I made a trip without the baby (purpose of trip still baby-related). Soon I'll try to book a massage session so I get to do something for me! The sale was alright. It was cramped with people in a small studio area. For these prices, I think the children clothes at Superstore are comparable if not better in price and style. I can see how moms can end up buying so much for their kids especially those who have girls. I think Sofia has amble amount of clothes to wear and since she's a petite, little one, the clothes should last a little longer (I hope).

Did I mention that Sofia is the Spit Up princess? She is one gassy (which makes her fussy) baby; always grunting, dribbling or streaming milk from her mouth and wow does she have loud farts and burps. I never knew babies could fart/burp so loud. A few times, she actually startled herself from one of her farts (haha) The result is more laundry and having to put receiving blankets and burp cloths all over the house to prevent spit up from getting on the furniture.

I have learned a lot about breastfeeding. It is an artform. There is a science to breastfeeding that mom and baby have to figure out in order to ensure balance of the body producing enough milk to feed a growing baby. It is a delicate balance that on either side of the scale results in either discomfort/frustration from mom or baby. I am still figuring it out and hope to enjoy my full time job as milk provider.

It's so nice and relaxing to be blogging away while little Sofia is happily sleeping in the sling. Just a few months ago, I remember blogging and Sofia was inside my tummy :) Tonight is her one month celebration dinner. We are going to Kingsford Chinese Restaurant in Richmond and it's going to be a version of a mini wedding with nine tables of family and family friends (if I had my choice, it would just be family).

Have a great weekend!

Baby steps

Happy 4 weeks Sofia! Time is flying by and our little girl is growing up so fast. Such a whirlwind experience being parents and my gut tells me that it will continue to be that way. I still don't feel like I know what I'm doing; still doing a lot of trial and error to test out what sooths her, knowing her feeding cues, how to put her to bed and just being quick at doing things things (babies have a timer on how long they will be calm and tolerate when you change their diaper for example; once you've used up your time, the crying begins). Each day is a new challenge and could be a very good or bad day. Even Sofia's temperament changes daily which is expected as anyone could have good or crappy days.

I have finally started getting used to breastfeeding and it's not as unpleasant of a task as it was in the first few weeks. I often wondered during those weeks how breastfeeding was ever a pleasant experience. I did not quite feel the bond with Sofia during our frequent feeding sessions but really I just felt like a feeding machine. They say breastfeeding is like a dance; both you and the baby must learn a new skill and work out the kinks so the breastfeeding experience is good for the both of you. I have to say we have struggled as a 'couple' but it seems to be getting better. There were times where I would be trying to get her to latch and she would resist and her hands would get in the way and scratch me (I now use mitts to prevent this).

Here's a Sofia 4-1-1:

-as of Wednesday, she's over 8lbs (yay) so I'm not as worried about how much I give her. If she asks for it, I'll feed her.

-more awake time now so less of the feed-sleep-feed-sleep routine; she is alertly staring at the world around her and we can't believe how quickly she's growing up

-she is a fairly good baby; she loves her sleep so as parents, I think we are getting a few more hours here and there which the both of us need (esp. Rob). As long as we feed her well, she's pretty content so there hasn't been many moments where she would be crying nonstop due to no reason.

-We have been able to find ways (so far) to sooth/calm her such as carrying her in a sling, white noise ( hood fan, hair dryer)

-although she is a pretty good baby, I have noticed that she definitely has a define personality already. She kind of has a bit of 'Rachel's wrath' in her as she will let you know if she is unsatisfied with something and if she wants it now, she wants it now! :) I think she will have quite a passionate personality too because I see how she clenches her little fists while she feeds or grabbing onto my skin as she feeds.

Sofia at 4 weeks:

As for me, I am just a dozen pounds shy of my pre-preggo weight which is great but unfortunately, I still can't get into my favorite pair of Dish jeans and I miss wearing my jeans. Hopefully in a few more weeks...

Welcome Sofia Wing Yin Chin

Sofia is two weeks old and I can't believe how quickly time has passed (not to mention I finally have a few minutes to blog!)

Here's a quickie on Sofia's arrival:

My actual contractions started on Thursday, Oct. 23 at 3am. It was all concentrated on my lower back which was a bit odd for me but the contractions were approx. 5 mins apart and about a min. long. We were pretty excited that finally it was going to happen. I wasn't in too much pain so decided to head to White Spot for our last breakfast before the delivery. However, after breakfast, the contractions went away! We were confused and a bit letdown from all the anticipation but went home and just waited. Late afternoon, the contractions came back but were 10 mins apart but much more painful to endure through than the morning ones. Our doula assessed that I could be having back labor due to the baby being posterior as opposed to anterior so the early labor could take awhile. (YIKES!) I labored at home, watched movies to distract myself and took a warm bath to take some of the pain away but it didn't really work. So at midnight, we headed to the hospital.

The doctor assessed me and I was 5 cm dilated and cervix was fully effaced and thinned out so we weren't going home! I spent the next hour in pain and in the tub with the shower head pointed at my lower back. It helped a bit but man the contractions were coming and going like waves. There was a point where I started noticing urges to push which was new. My water broke in the tub during one of my contractions (actually it exploded in the water which was totally not what I expected).

Finally, the doctor checked me again and what do you know...I was ready to go into active labor. For 15 mins, I was told to hold back my urges to push which is so hard and I had to use laughing gas and breathing techniques to keep from pushing the baby out when I wasn't ready. Finally, I was told to 'push' and five mins after, Sofia was born into this world at 4am. Yes it was a pretty quick delivery and she was the quickest baby to be born that night =)


Here are two photos: Sofia at 1 day old and the other is Sofia at 1.5 weeks old













Notice any changes? Rob thinks she looks different everyday.

Two weeks has passed and Rob is back at work today. I was a bit worried that I would be overwhelmed being alone with Sofia for the whole day but so far it's been ok. I have so much more I want to blog about but this is all the 'my' time I have to use for now. Back to servicing our little princess.

Could it be?!?

It's 11:25pm on Oct. 21st and I'm noticing initial signs of early labor! (I think)...

Let me retrace back to this morning...

We met with our doctor today for another cervix check. I'm 2 cm dilated and cervix is soft and ready but not effaced yet (has not thinned out and still long). She did a membrane sweep to help it along which wasn't as uncomfortable as I thought. The doctor noted that the baby is lying head-down but on my right side so there's a chance she could either turn posterior or anterior, which means I have to try to be on my hands and knees more to encourage an anterior lie (I thought we were done with the wrong positioning!)

Since the doctor's visit, I've noticed increased pressure down there and it's making me waddle!! haha I was wondering when that would happen. My mucus plug is coming out too which is a good sign. I won't describe what that is but if you are curious, google it... And finally, I getting some intense BHs combined with what feels like period cramps and man does my lower back ache! That's it for now...stay tuned :)

The war with PUPPPS

Due date is looming and I am definitely ready to meet little Chin (little sick of being asked if it's happened yet or not =P). Most women pray for the day they go into labor to get rid of the pregnancy annoyances such as late night bathroom breaks, waddling, insomnia etc. For me, it's the battle with PUPPPS which has put me at a tilt with this whole final stage of being preggo. My body shows the battle scars on my arms, legs and of course my tummy. My whole body is officially a victim of this terrible condition. I have struggled mentally to resist the urge to scratch and have succumbed to a satisfying but guilty (followed by soreness and more scars) few minutes scratch which on a ST basis feels so good but leaves me feeling terrible that I couldn't control myself yet again. It is the worse feeling and has left me a few nights in tears of anguish that this is not going away until the baby comes. I'm pretty sick of dealing with it and after failing every few nights with a scratch fest followed by anguish, it leaves my spirit feeling drained and despaired. I have gotten to the point where I am constantly itchy somewhere on my body but I can ignore it as long as my hands don't find its way to it. My Acupuncturist suggested to watch my diet in the next while even though much of this condition is caused by hormone changes but what you eat can also be a factor and I think I'll pick up some calamine lotion today and just be a splotchy preggo. I really don't care too much about how I look right now anyways.

On the bright side, the baby is still very active inside and we are getting this time to get some more things organized around the house and enjoy our last moments before parenthood. Rob was hoping the baby would come before his team meeting tonight hehe but looks like baby wants to take her sweet time =) At least October has seen some decent autumn weather lately so it's a lovely time to go on walks. I love autumn; brisk cold, colored leaves, and it reminds me of being a child again going trick-or-treating on halloween. Now it will be even better because the baby is coming soon!