Showing posts with label pregnancy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pregnancy. Show all posts
Wow. It’s been 8 months and I’m finally sitting down to write a bit more about my second pregnancy. I wrote Nico’s birth story within a few weeks, it’s definitely so different with the second kid- whenever, I have a moment, I just try to spend them with either of them!
Here is the pregnancy announcement, from a year ago (oops! I am so sorry). I really miss writing in this blog!
But before I write about Leo’s delivery…let’s start from the beginning.
Leo wasn’t 100% planned as Nico. We have always wanted two kids, but the pandemic started when Nico was about 1.5 years old, and our planned shifted a little bit. *You can also read here "are we ready for baby #2?" from May 2020*
By August-September 2020, we stopped being as careful- like if it happens, it happens! A three year old difference felt good. Nico would be *hopefully* in school, and a bit more independent.
I found out I was pregnant right around Halloween 2020, and oh boy I was surprised! There is a funny story actually. In October 2020, I was hired to create content for a pregnancy test company. It was purely for their usage, I didn’t have to be in the pictures or post them in my social media. The company sent me several pregnancy tests + ovulation kits. I thought “oh well, whenever we really want to try for Baby #2, I already have these ovulation kits”.
After Halloween, I had a feeling I was pregnant. I just KNEW it! (with my previous pregnancies, Nico and the miscarriage, I also KNEW!) So I went ahead and took one of those tests I had in my vanity..and it was POSITIVE! I started freaking out and I texted my manager asking if the tests actually worked or they were made to say positive (as they had to show positive in the pictures). They 100% were real tests, and we started joking saying that gig brought “fertility vibes” into my life.
This time, it was different. I told all my friends as soon as I found out. And I told my parents as soon as the pregnancy was confirmed by an ultra-sound. I had a miscarriage in 2017, before Nico and I was so scared throughout Nico’s pregnancy that I did not enjoy it. I learned that I really wanted to tell the people I would also share bad news with, people that have been there for me unconditionally.
Long story short, I had a lot of issues with my health insurance (“the American dream”, sarcasm included). So it took a while for my OB to see me.
By the time I was 17 weeks, I started bleeding after working out. I was working out a lot before getting pregnant, so I wanted to stay active (with little modifications, of course). We were shooting a reel and I noticed the bleeding and I started to freak out- because that's exactly how my miscarriage started in 2017...and this time, I had SEEN the baby, I knew he was a boy, and he had a name.
I cried uncontrollably the whole trip to the emergency room- and because of Covid, I had to enter alone. I started crying even more thinking of all the women that had received bad news in those rooms ALONE- without their partners, without a hand to hold. That made me even more upset with the Covid situation, as I kept scrolling on my phone and everyone seemed to be partying out and about.
Thankfully, the baby was perfect. It was my placenta that was very low (placenta previa) and that's why I was bleeding. So I had to be in bed-rest for two weeks: I couldn't carry my 2 year old, workout, do any lifting, etc. I was told to reach out to a high-risk doctor.
The next day I saw my doctor, the midwife that also delivered Nico. He was horrible, he scared me saying what you SHOULDN'T tell a pregnant woman. He told me I would need a c-section, that I might need blood transfusions, that there were a lot complications, that they might need to remove my uterus.
It was really scared, I would hold Nico so close thinking I was just told I could die in birth. Obviously I changed doctors immediately, and my new doctor (Lorena Tinoco and her partner) were absolutely amazing, they explained everything to me and they would just check the placenta every time. It slowly started migrated towards the top of the uterus.
Around 25-26 weeks, I was out of the danger zone. I started doing pre-natal yoga and walking. and I could carry my toddler, it broke my heart every time we wanted me to hold him and I just couldn't.
Spoiler alert: I did have a great delivery (more on that later), vaginal delivery with no complications.
So if you have been diagnosed with placenta previa in early pregnancy- stay hopeful! Everything will be okay!!
Almost a year ago, I wrote an article about "Are We Ready For Baby #2?".
We definitely have been ready for another baby for a while, but the pandemic changed our plans and we were just going with the flow. Since I haven't shared the news here on the blog, let me just share it here too!
A few days after my birthday in October, I found out I was pregnant. It was a bit of a shock because we weren't necessarily TRYING (not being too careful either). You can see Gabe's reaction in the video on IG. It was such a sweet reaction!
We waited a lot to share it, I was over 20 weeks- but I decided to wait because we had a scare at 17 weeks and just wanted to hold this baby tighter.
At the moment of this post, I am almost 29 weeks pregnant. We have both been feeling great!
I'll continue to share more updates here, as I can write more and express myself! This has been like an open to the public diary for 10 years!
We were, and are, SO excited and happy. Nico is really excited to be a big brother and we can't wait to see them together! Leave any questions below! But you can see a few Q+A on my Instagram!
*Sponsored by QVC and ShopStyle Collective. This post includes affiliate links. All opinions are my own.*
Last month, I told you all about how we started a little gym corner after getting an amazing deal on this compact treadmill from QVC.
We still have so much to do around the house and my bedroom is definitely nowhere done. However, I’ve been eyeing some pieces to spice up my vanity and there was this mirror with multi magnification and storage, it also comes in silver but rose gold is more of the vibe I’m going for. I also really liked that the base has a storage perfect enough to keep my daily makeup organized.
Talking about daily makeup; if you have been following for a while, you KNOW how much of a fan I am of IT Cosmetics. If you are looking to try the brand, this 5 pc Collection is a great way to get a few new every day favorites. Also this Lip Serum Treatment Trio is absolutely amazing for hydrating your lips- and the pigments are great for that natural youthful looking look.
I also saw this amazing deal for a Micro-Dermabrasion Device that I couldn’t pass- it is from a brand called 7LS and exfoliates outer layers of the skin to improve the appearance of lines and pores. The bad news, I forgot I cannot use it yet (the skin is just extra sensitive during pregnancy). So I might either gift it to my mom on Mother’s Day that’s coming pretty soon…OR wait until July and make sure the baby glow stays!
Since this little desk also works as an office for zoom meetings, I also got this cute and versatile black blazer! You can also find more colors and sizes HERE.
What are your vanity essentials?
Remember you can check out some of the amazing deals at QVC (from home to beauty and fashion, and everything in between), and use the following codes: OFFER ($10 off purchase of $25+ for first time customers) and HELLO10 ($10 off purchase of $25+ orders for second time customers).
Now that I have baby Nico in my hands, it is absolutely incredible to look back at these photos and realized he was in there. It is surreal. So to share these gorgeous pictures my dear friend Karla García took for our maternity photos, I want to share 10 things I learned while I was pregnant.
1) We are WONDER WOMEN
You will definitely see the miracle of life different. Our bodies are simply AMAZING. I cannot believe bones, organs...a perfect little baby grew inside of me. This changed the way I see myself. Women are incredible.
2) Listen to your body (and your doctor).
All pregnancies and all bodies are absolutely different. You might experience severe nausea, you might not experience anything at all. You might want to continue your life as normal, you might want to nest and watch netflix all day. Do what feels right and trust your instinct.
3)Take in all the advice but do what works for YOU.
Everyone will have some sort of advice. That's why when I share tips or tricks about any baby topic I try to emphasize that I'm sharing what worked for US. Listen to the crazy great grandma sharing her tips on how things were done in her days, listen to the hippie friend that goes with the flow, listen to your conservative cousin that's super strict with her kids. You will find what works for you, there is no wrong or right. All mamas will do what's best for their little ones.
4) Don't be afraid to ask for help
I know we are multi-taskers and we want to be wonder women; but don't be afraid to ask for help. Don't feel bad if you want to take your time, if you want to sleep, if you want to be pampered.
The last few weeks of pregnancy
5) Try to be as productive as you can.
I don't know why but people LOVE to tell you "get some sleep while you can". Yes, it's true. You won't sleep as much as you want when baby is here... but sleeping ALL the time is not going to help during sleepless nights. It's not like sleep is accumulative.
What will help? Do as much as you can. I wish I would have done meal preps, left several articles ready to be published, etc.
6) Ignore all the body comments.
I remember as soon as I announced I was pregnant, I got a few "oh that's why you looked heavier". I would roll my eyes and think "no, I gained a few pounds because I went through a miscarriage a few months before and it included a lot of emotional healing and wine".
But I also heard it all, from "it must be a boy/girl because of the shape of your bump", "you are SO huge", "you are TINY".
And honestly, it was annoying and unnecessary. Ignore all the comments and enjoy your pregnancy. Be healthy, indulge from time to time, listen to your body, and just nod and let all the body comments travel from one ear to another.
7) Share the news to your loved ones before 12 weeks.
After my miscarriage, I was a little hesitant about who to tell. I didn't tell my parents until we heard the heartbeat just to be on the safe side. I guess I didn't want to give them hope just in case anything happened again.
And part of me regrets that decision because I needed their support, and either way, I would have shared the "bad news" because we need to talk more about the hard moments too.
I also wish I would have told my close friends earlier. It was silly of me to hide it and make my poor husband drink double the mimosas and double the wine in our get-togethers. I wouldn't post it on Facebook but I think it is important to get that support from the people we live our day to day lives.
8) Fashion-wise, don't buy a whole maternity wardrobe
Invest in just a few key pieces (like great maternity jeans/bottoms). Most of the maternity clothes are made for the last weeks of pregnancy; I feel like my belly never filled some of the dresses I got correctly. So just take advantage of oversized pieces, be comfortable, and try to be creative with things you already got.
OMG! I should have shared this post ages ago. But let me tell you a funny story, my dear friends (and bloggers) Kelly Saks and Erika Thomas planned this baby shower with some amazing blogger friends.
At the time, I wasn't 100% sure of the name "NICO". I mean, it was our first and favorite option but we were still thinking of other names, just in case. But when friends asked me, I would tell them we love Nico. Something happened along the way that Kelly thought that was the official name and it was so cute, she put his name all over the decor. However, since I had not shared the name publicly, I kept these images to myself...but hey, the shower was too cute not to share with you.
This was my second shower. I had one with family where I planned it all (you can see EVERYTHING about it here). Kelly also texted my husband asking him about the theme of our nursery (you can also see the nursery HERE); since it was all about animals, they went with that theme. It was all a surprise and I absolutely love how different my showers were.
The shower was at the EAST Hotel at Quinto la Huella. We had such a delicious lunch, played games, and I felt extremely blessed because Nico has the most fashionable aunts ever.
FUN THINGS I ABSOLUTELY LOVED:
- The Diaper Cake: so cute and so useful! I took them home and we are still using them.
- "It's a BOY" gold balloons that made the perfect backdrop for pictures.
- Animal Crackers were perfectly on theme!
- Newborn clothes hanging over the diaper cake. This was also a cute detail that I got to take home, Nico is still wearing these cute outfits.
- Baby's First Library: Kelly and Erika asked the guest to bring a book so Nico could start his own little library. I've started reading to him as part of the night-time routine so these came so handy.
- The Sign book: all the guest got to write the sweetest messages for Nico. I can't wait to show him all of this when he is older.
- Charm "labor" bracelet: each guest picked a charm for a bracelet and they gave it the best energy. I took this bracelet with me in my hospital bag and I know it came with the most amazing wishes from the sweetest girls ever.
Check out all the pictures. Wasn't it BEAUTIFUL?
This is probably one of my favorite posts ever! Doing the nursery was challenging due to space but so much fun.
We live in a one-bedroom apartment with a den. When I found out I was pregnant, we decided not to move to a bigger place for a little bit. And I don't regret this decision; this helped us downsize, organize our apartment, and invest in smart storage for our things. Also with all the added costs of a baby, adding a bigger mortgage wasn't ideal.
Originally we were going to turn the den into a nursery (This small den has been an office, an extra closet, a "guest" room, and more). Later on, everything changed. The corner where my vanity was turned into a nursery corner- and then his nursery corner took over half of our room. We even changed the layout of my bedroom...but I have to say I am in LOVE.
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Creo que este ha sido uno de los post más divertidos que he hecho. Decorar "el cuartito" del bebé fue un reto pero increíblemente divertido.
Como les he dicho, vivimos en un apartamento con un cuarto y un pequeño estudio sin puerta ni paredes. Cuando nos enteramos que íbamos a ser papás, pensamos en mudarnos a una casa pero después de pensarlo bien decidimos quedarnos en este apartamento por un tiempo más. No me arrepiento de esta decisión: esto nos ayudo a organizarnos, deshacernos de cosas que no usábamos y aprovechar el espacio al máximo. Aparte con todos los gastos de un bebé, añadir un alquiler más costoso no era lo ideal.
Originalmente íbamos a convertir ese estudio en el cuarto del bebé (ese espacio ha sido una oficina, un closet extra, un cuarto de visita y más). Pero como pueden ver, cambiamos de opinión mil veces y el cuartito de bebé se terminó apoderando de la mitad de nuestra habitación. Por eso quisimos que el tema fuese bastante neutral y moderno. Yo estoy encantada de como quedó y espero que a ustedes también les guste y las inspire si viven en un espacio pequeño.
Like you can imagine, the inspiration started by pinning and pinning on my Pinterest Board.
My first purchase was the 4 little animal prints you see above the bassinet. I got them on ETSY. I'm going to link to the exact one I got HERE. But you can find absolutely any size and any animal you want on Etsy; with flowers for a girly girl vibe, forest animals, and more. It comes without the frames, I found these white ones on Walmart.
The second purchase, and definitely the big investment in the room, was the basinet. It's called the SNOO by Happiest Baby. I kept seeing their ads everywhere- yes, it's pricey but they have big sales frequently. I got mine during President's Day and it was 40% off + I ended up getting a partial refund because it took a while to ship. Let me know if you guys want a full review of it but so far we love it (and Nico loves it too)! It boosts the baby's sleep with white noise and gentle movement. Plus, it's adorable!
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Como se pueden imaginar, y como todo, mi proceso de inspiración empezó en Pinterest donde escogí que la temática del cuarto fuese de animalitos, pero como les digo: moderna y minimalista.
Mi primera compra fue hace muchos meses y fueron los 4 animalejos que ves encima del moisés. Los conseguí en ETSY y les dejo el enlace exacto acá. Pero en el buscador pueden encontrar de todo, el animal que quieras, del tamaño que quieras, y como lo quieras. Estos me encantaron porque son animales bebés. Dependiendo de los que pidan, vienen o no con los marcos. Yo conseguí estos marcos blancos en Walmart mientras hacía compras para el Baby Shower.
La segunda compra, y definitivamente la mayor inversión del cuarto, fue el moisés. Se llama SNOO de la marca Hippies Baby. Me salía y salía la publicidad de ellos en todos lados y terminé averiguando mucho al respecto. Sí, es costosa pero tienen rebajas frecuentemente. Por ejemplo, yo la conseguí por el Día del Presidente a 40% de descuento y luego me devolvieron parte del cost porque se tardaron mucho en enviármela. Si quieren después les puedo dar una reseña más completa pero por ahora nos encanta *y a Nico también*. Ayuda a que los bebés duerman más con un movimiento suave que detecta si el bebé se está despertando y ayuda a que vuelva a dormirse. Aparte el diseño me encantó y me inspiró a añadir un poco más de madera al cuarto.
The corner came together with the ladder, the neutral blankets, and the plush animals (the giraffe and the elephant). Then I thought it needed some greens/plants. I started researching about nursery-safe plants but I ended up getting these two artificial plants from Ikea and the macrame plant hangers from Amazon. The original idea was to hang them from the ceiling, which was a total fail because of the cement ceiling. We found this corner shelf at Target that was perfect to put one of the plants and hang the other one from below without making holes in the ceiling. Final touch, the white round fur rug. I love the texture it added to the corner.
Originally, I wanted to get a changing table with little wheels on it so we could move it from the den to the room easily. However, it made more sense to get a dresser that we could use as he grows older (we just added the changing cover). The dresser we had was too tall (especially for my petite self) so we got this one from Target ( I love the white drawers and the wood accent that matched the basinet perfectly). Even though it is beautiful, it was a nightmare to put together. My husband was very patient and it took him a full day to built. The first two drawers are filled with baby things while the other four are half Gabe's (my husband) and half mine. It's working great, so far!
* a random parenthesis: the den ended up as an office/storage and our original dresser is there and became the perfect storage for all the baby things that will be used later on*
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La esquina agarró forma con la escalerita, las sábanas neutrales de animalitos, y los peluches (la jirafa y el elefante). Luego sentí que le hacía falta un poco de verde (es decir matitas). Empecé a buscar como loca en Internet sobre que plantas son seguras para bebés pero preferí comprar unas artificiales. Estas que guindan son de Ikea y la idea era guindarlas en el techo con estos tejidos de macrame. Nos dimos cuenta que iba a ser imposible en el techo y la solución fue comprar una repisa de esquina. Así no tuvimos que abrir huecos en el cemento del techo y pudimos ajustar la altura fácilmente. El toque final fue la alfombra redonda peluda, me gusta mucho la textura que le dió.
Originalmente también quería que el cambiador de pañales fuese móvil- vi varios con rueditas para poder pasarlo del estudio al cuarto fácilmente. Pero preferí comprar un mueble y añadir el colchón para cambiarlo- así la compra era más versátil y se puede usar cuando Nico crezca. El gavetero que teníamos era muy alto, especialmente para mi tamaño. Este de Target me encantó. Es una belleza e iba perfecto con el moisés. Lo único malo es que viene en 2000 partes y se necesita todo un día para armarlo. Las dos primeras gavetas tienen cosas de Nico y las otras 4 son de nosotros. Por ahora este sistema esta funcionando bastante bien- ya iremos viendo.
**un paréntesis para las curiosas: el estudio es ahora mitad oficina, mitad depósito (con ropa grande de Nico y cosas que va a utilizar dentro de unos meses. Los gaveteros que teníamos antes quedaron perfectos ahí**
For the changing table/dresser, I got this round mirror (it's very well mounted, don't freak out super moms). I wasn't sure if I should add more wall art beside the mirror or to add a shelf. The shelf is still an option but, at the moment, we are fine with the diaper caddy and a basket for all the things Nico needs when changing his diaper and/or grooming needs. The N is made of cardboard and I painted it gold.
This little plush dog you see on the changing table is called "Noah the dog" and it's from Cuddle and Kind; all their hand-knit dolls are made in Perú and for every doll, the company provides 10 meals to children in need. It's such an amazing cause, and the dolls are adorable. Check all of them out by clicking HERE.
Let me know what you thought of Nico's Nursery
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Para el cambiador/mueble, conseguí este espejo redondo (Super mamás preocupadas, les prometo que no se cae por nada del mundo). Del otro lado no estaba segura si agregar una repisa con decoración o más marcos. La "N" que ven es de cartón y yo la pinté de dorado, fue un mini proyecto tonto pero también divertido. Por el momento estamos bien con estos marcos y frases lindas. En el caddy tenemos todo lo que necesitamos: los pañales, las cremitas, peine, cortaúñas, todo lo que el necesita.
También quería mencionarles del peluche de perrito que ven en el cambiador; se llama "Noah the dog" y es de una compañía que se llama Cuddle and Kind; son todas hechas a mano en Perú y por cada muñeca que venden les dan 10 comidas a niños que lo necesitan. Es una causa muy linda y todos los peluches de animales son una ternura..
¡Espero que les haya gustado el "cuarto" de Nico! ¡Les mandamos muchos besos!
Woah I cannot believe I'm writing this post. I cannot believe I'm writing it while little Nico sleeps right beside my bed.
**You can see our pregnancy announcement HERE, some frequently asked questions HERE, the story on how I told my parents HERE, and a personal article on body image during pregnancy**
I've noticed I always go back to the beginning. So let's do this: I found out I was pregnant almost instantly. It's like my body knew even before I missed my period.
After telling Gabe, my first decision was to change from an OB-GYN to a midwife. I wanted a different approach to this pregnancy. When I miscarried in 2017, my ob-gyn lacked touch- his words were " you passed it all" while I was still processing everything that had just happened.
I started reading how midwifes and doulas are more personable and I don't regret my decision. I found a midwife (or a mid husband as I called him for the past 40 weeks) and Gabe and I really liked him. We liked how he would still delivered babies at a hospital, but the approach was more holistic and modern technology was only used when necessary. I barely had ultrasounds, and a c-section would be the last resource.
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¡Wow! No puedo creer que estoy escribiendo este post mientras Nico duerme a mi lado. Quería compartir con ustedes la historia del día que nació Nico. Prepárense para un post extra largo- especialmente porque siempre les cuento todo desde el principio. Empecemos:
Después de decirle a Gabe que estaba embarazada, mi primera decisión fue cambiar de un ginecólogo a un midwife (como una matrona, pero como era hombre de cariño le decíamos el patrón). Después de mi pérdida el año pasado, quería un trato más personal y me recomendaron mucho las doulas y los midwifes. Conocimos a Richard, el midwife, y nos encantó su manera de trabajar; seguía teniendo un enfoque más natural pero sus pacientes dan a luz en los hospitales. Casi no tuve ecosonogramas y una cesárea hubiese sido la última opción en dado caso que alguno de los dos estuviese en peligro.
I feel very lucky that my whole pregnancy went by-the-book. The midwife kept joking that the baby read the manual because everything happened at the exact week it was supposed to happen. For example: I had a little bit of nausea during the first trimester and it instantly stopped as soon as I reached my 13th week.
Around week 32, the baby was already head down. When I went to my Week 37 appointment, I was 1cm dilated and 25% effaced (effacement is the thinning of the cervix). That day, the Dr. said "Maybe I'll see you tonight or maybe next week" and I got so nervous. My parents started changing their flights to Miami "just in case"and you could feel some sort of tension in the air (a good type of tension, of course). We started prepping the hospital bag, finishing washing the baby clothes and blankets, painting the apartment , and more.
Later that week I lost the mucus plug (don't google it, there are graphic images in the www world- now you are definitely googling it right haha, all my friends did). It's exactly that, a plug made out of mucus that protects the uterus from bacteria. This was another sign that labor was approaching- but again, it could have been that night or a few weeks later!
So week 38 came by, I was now 3cm dilated and 60% effaced. My midwife told me how I definitely have been having contractions but I had not felt a single thing. I was hoping I would be a crazy exception that goes into labor without pain (spoiler alert, this did not happen!!). He said goodbye with the same words "See you tonight or maybe on the week 39 appointment!".
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¡Me siento muy afortunada que tuve un embarazo muy saludable! El doctor decía que el bebé se había leído el manual porque cada semana hacía lo que le tocaba hacer. En la semana 32 ya estaba volteado. En la cita de la semana #37 me enteré que ya había comenzado a dilatar y tenía 25% de borramiento del cuello uterino. Ese día el doctor me dijo que tal vez nos veíamos en el hospital esa noche, que ya era decisión del bebé. Mis papás cambiaron hasta sus vuelos a Miami por temor a que se adelantara el parto- y no les miento, me puse bastante nerviosa. Arreglé el bolso de la clínica, nos pusimos a lavar la ropa de bebé, ordenar el apartamento, pintar y más.
Esa misma semana boté el tapón mucoso (no se pongan a buscarlo en google que hay fotos muy gráficas y no es muy agradable); pero es otra señal de que el trabajo de parto esta comenzando. ¡Más nerviosa me puse!
Pero nada, llegó la semana 38 y ahora tenía 3cm de dilatación y 60% del borramiento del cuello uterino. ¿Pueden creer que yo todavía no había sentido nada? Mi doctor me dijo que definitivamente había tenido contracciones. Parte de mí quería ser una excepción loca de esas que entran a la sala de parto sin dolor (¡de una les digo que no fue así).
Mother's Day came by, and a big part of me was hoping for an early Mother's Day gift- but nothing. He was cozy in there and I was glad he was making it to week 39. So basically the same thing happened on my Week 39 appointment: still 3cm and this time he did not mention effacement. He told me how at Week 40 we would have an assessment to see his size and consider induction or wait another week.
Hearing those words made me go into work-mode, I said to myself "no more waiting at home, I have so much to do and the doctor is talking about 2 more weeks". Right after the appointment, I headed to the mall to get some outfits to shoot. Then I started listing things on Poshmark with the help of my cousin, we shot a look...and I even got a 1000piece puzzle to keep myself entertained.
Later that night, Gabe and I were watching Netflix and I started feeling some period-like cramps. Since I had not felt ONE THING, I thought it was my imagination. I thought that pain was Braxton Hicks. Halfway to the episode, I noticed they were not going away so I started timing whatever I thought I was feeling ( I wouldn't even dare to call them contractions). To go to the hospital, the general rule is 5-1-1 (every 5 minutes, lasting 1 minute, for 1 hour). When the episode finished, I was having them every 15 minutes, so I knew I had a long way to 5 minutes and I tried sleeping. The pain was getting stronger so I got in the tub (Cellphone in hand to time them. Many of the baby apps I downloaded have a contraction tracker, SO helpful). At this time, they were around 8 minutes apart. I couldn't believe they were getting closer together!
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¡Parte de mí quería que naciese el día de la madre!- pero él estaba muy cómodo y yo feliz que llegara a la semana 39. En la siguiente cita me dijeron exactamente lo mismo, seguía 3 cm dilatada. Así que hablamos de venir en la semana #40 y considerar las opciones en dado caso que el estuviese muy grande o si esperar tranquilamente a la semana 41.
Escucharlo hablar de 2 semanas más fue como un " ¡Daniela, no puedes seguir esperando en la casa...hay que trabajar!" Así que me fui al centro comercial a buscar una ropa para el blog. Luego me puse a vender cositas en Poshmark con la ayuda de mi prima, tomamos fotos, y hasta compré un rompecabezas de mil piezas para entretenerme en plena espera.
Como todas las noches, antes de acostarnos estábamos viendo un show en Netflix y ahí fue que empecé a sentir un dolor parecido al de vientre durante el periodo. Pero como no había sentido ningún tipo de dolor, pensé que era mi imaginación. A la mitad del episodio me dí cuenta que no se me iba el dolor, fuese lo que fuese (porque ni me atrevía a decir que eran contracciones). Para ir al hospital dicen que esperes a que sean 5-1-1 (cada 5 minutos, que duren 1 minuto, por una hora). Muchas de las aplicaciones de embarazada tienen herramientas para monitorear las contracciones- intenté dormir pero cada vez me daban más y más frecuentemente.
By 2am, I woke Gabe up and told him to get his bag ready with toiletries and a change of clothes- plus we needed to add things like chargers and the camera. I'll talk more about the hospital bag later, I want to share what I took and what I actually used/needed. Our parents were in Miami but I didn't want to call anybody until we knew it was for sure! We headed to the hospital at around 3am, there wasn't a soul in the streets so we arrived quickly to the hospital. It was so empty that the main entrance was closed and I had to stop a few times just to breathe during the contractions.
When we got to the Maternity ER, the nurses didn't believe me when I said I was having them every 5 minutes. I have a HIGH tolerance to pain and while most women need to kneel, I was filing my forms in the middle of pain. The nurses connected me to monitor the baby and track the contractions- instantly I was told I was 5cm, that the contractions were coming strong, and I was going to be admitted. I was in shock, I really thought I would be sent home. There I found out my water never "broke"- well it did, but my Nico was so low that he acted as a plug. A nurse moved him and there it was! Oh and she instantly told me "he has SO much hair", she was right haha!
They took my blood for lab tests and I was admitted into one of the labor rooms. Many moms told me that there was absolutely no shame in taking the epidural, to not be a hero and take it. I don't know why my blood work took so long, but they wouldn't give me the epidural until then. I waited for 2 hours; and of course, the contractions kept getting stronger and stronger. Every time someone opened the door I thought it was the anesthesiologist, but nothing! When she arrived at 6:30am, I was 7 cm. From what I understood, there wouldn't give me the epidural after 8 cm- so I was right on the line for it! To put the epidural in, Gabe had to leave the room. Many friends asked me if the epidural hurts. Honestly, I just felt a big relief BUT I went so numb I was a little comfortable.
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A eso de las 2am desperté a Gabe para decirle que empezara a preparar su bolso y que añadiéramos lo que faltaba al mío (que si el cargador de tlf). Después les cuento más de lo que llevé y lo que realmente utilicé. No quisimos avisarle a nuestras familias en dado caso que fuese una falsa alarma. Salimos a la clínica a las 3am- lo mejor de que haya sido a esa hora es que no nos tocó nada de tráfico. Las que viven en Miami saben lo terrible que puede ser la US1 a cualquier hora del día. No había nadie en la entrada de la clínica y las contracciones eran tan fuertes que tenía que pararme a respirar en cada una.
Cuando llegamos a la parte de emergencia de maternidad, las enfermeras no creían que estuviese en tanto dolor. Yo considero que aguanto bastante dolor y mientras la mayoría de las mujeres se arrodillan, gritan, o lloran, yo estaba llenando los formularios para ingresar. Me conectaron a un monitor para chequear al bebé y ver como iban contracciones. Yo seguía pensando que me iban a devolver a la casa porque nunca rompí fuente (bueno sí, lo que pasa es que Nico estaba tan abajo que no dejó que el agua saliese).
En la sala de emergencia me sacaron la sangre para poder ponerme la epidural. Muchas de las mamás con las que hablé me decían que sin pena aceptara la anestesia, que no me las diera de mujer maravilla- y eso fue lo que hice. El problema fue que no me daban los resultados del examen de sangre, estuve más de dos horas esperándolo y por supuesto, las contracciones cada vez se ponían más fuertes. Cuando finalmente entró al anestesióloga, ya tenía 7cm de dilatación- y según lo que tengo entendido, a los 8cm ya no ponen la epidural. Todas mis amigas me preguntan si la epidural duele: yo siento que era tanto el desespero entre cada contracción que yo sentí alivio (y un poco de desespero porque no esperaba que se me adormeciera TANTO el cuerpo).
At 7am there was shift change and my nurse forgot to tell Gabe he could come back to the room. The new nurse helped me change positions and finally let Gabe back in the room. She started checking the monitor and she noticed the contractions were coming stronger than ever. I told her I was 7cm 30 minutes ago, but she wanted to check again. Guess what? I was 10!! She called my midwife in and as soon as he arrived, everything turns into a little bit of a blur for me. Within seconds, they took some part of the bed out, legs up, and READY TO PUSH!
**The funniest part was seeing my mom calling my dad. My dad gets very nervous in situations like this one. He thought he had at least 5 hours so he left the hospital to paint my bathroom. So you can imagine my mom leaving several voicemails telling him to come back asap!**
My first question to my midwife was "how am I supposed to push when everything is so numb"; he told me just to go for it! And that's exactly what I did when the contractions came in. He kept joking saying that I have done this before because I was pushing like a pro (whatever being a pro at pushing means haha). Then I noticed Gabe was crying, and I just looked at him like ARE YOU OKAY!? And within a second, they put Nico in my chest- I couldn't believe it! We had a few minutes skin-to skin before they took him to a little table behind my bed where the nurses weighted him, measured him and let Gabe cut the umbilical cord. There he was, Nico was born on May 17th, 2018 at 6lbs 3 oz and 20.25 inches!
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A las 7am hubo un cambio de turno para las enfermeras y nunca le dijeron a Gabe que podía volver a entrar al cuarto. La nueva enfermera, al chequear al monitor se dió cuenta que las contracciones estaban MUY seguidas y quiso chequearme otra vez. Yo le dije que hace media hora antes estaba en 7cm, pero a sorpresa de todos: YA ESTABA EN 10! ¡¡Inmediatamente llamó a mi doctor y apenas el llegó ya me estaba pidiendo que pujara!!
*un pequeño paréntesis. Mi papá se pone muy nervioso en situaciones como esta. Como todos esperábamos que todo iba a ser más lento, él se fue al apartamento a pintar mi baño. Se podrán imaginar a mi mamá llamándolo 100 veces y dejándole mensajes de voz que regresara YA!*
La primera pregunta que le hice al midwife fue "como se supone que sé cuando pujar si estoy tan adormecida"; su respuesta fue que me lo imaginara. Todavía no sé como lo hice, pero me dí cuenta que Nico nació cuando veo a Gabe llorando y yo estaba super confundida. En cuestión de microsegundos tenía a Nico en mi pecho (piel con piel como lo llaman aquí). Estuvimos un ratito juntos antes que se lo llevaran a una mesita al lado de mi cama donde las enfermeras lo pesaron, midieron, y dejaron que Gabe cortara el cordón umbilical por segunda vez.
Nico nació el 17 de mayo del 2018, pesando 2.800 kg y 51cm.
Then I noticed my midwife was very focused on me and I kept seeing towels and towels full of blood. Not going to lie, I got scared and asked him if everything was okay. There was some tearing and I was being stitched up. I don't know how long it took for the stitches but it felt like an eternity, especially because I wanted to be with my baby. Gabe even left with the baby and the nurses to have him cleaned up. They also did some tests and his blood sugar was low- nothing a bit of formula milk wouldn't fix.
As you can see, my labor was definitely short. Between been admitted and Nico being born, only 4.5 hours passed. What I wasn't expecting was how painful the recovery would be. After recovering the feeling in my body, everything started to hurt: the stitches, the tailbone, my lower back where they put the epidural. I would take 3 minutes to get out of the bed, it would hurt to sit, stand, walk, go to the bathroom, everything. I wanted to be there for Nico and I felt frustrated I couldn't get him out of the crib when he cried or stand to change his diapers. I'm so thankful I had my mom, my mother in law, and Gabe there to help.
We stayed at the hospital two nights. The nurses at the South Miami Hospital were absolutely amazing. I feel like each one taught us something different; each one had their own way of doing things and we were just absorbing every bit of knowledge they were sharing.
I still can't believe he is all ours! When I got home, I started crying of happiness while holding him because I just couldn't believe it. The two days in the hospital felt like a dream and it felt real when we got home. Every bit of pain is all worth it for him. What can I say? We LOVE YOU NICO!
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Yo estaba tan pendiente de oír si Nico estaba bien que no me dí cuenta que el midwife seguía pendiente de mí. Luego vi toallas y toallas llenas de sangre y me preocupé. Me desgarré y estaban agarrando varios puntos. No se cuanto tiempo estuve ahí pero se sintió como una eternidad ya que yo solo quería estar con Nico y saber que todo estuviese bien. Yo le dije a Gabe que cuando se lo llevaran, fuera con las enfermeras- y así hizo. Lo bañaron, le hicieron varios exámenes, y por un momento causó pánico porque "se perdió"- hubo un malentendido por 2 minutos que hacen que Gabe casi se desmaye jaja.
Como pueden ver, todo fue realmente rápido. Pasaron solo 4-5 horas desde que llegué al hospital hasta que Nico nació. Pero algo que no me esperaba es lo doloroso que puede ser la recuperación. Cuando se fue el efecto de la anestesia, todo comenzó a doler: los puntos, el coxis, donde ponen la epidural, etc. Me tardaba 3 minutos en pararme de la cama y me dolía todo: sentarme, pararme,e ir al baño. No les miento, lo que más me dolía era sentir que no podía estar ahí para él cuando lloraba o para cambiarle su pañal. Realmente agradezco mucho la ayuda de mi mamá, de Gabe, y de mi suegra.
¡Todavía no puedo creer que es NUESTRO! Después de 2 noches en la clínica, al llegar a la casa me guindé a llorar (de felicidad). Era como si todo lo del hospital hubiese sido un sueño . Y aunque todavía me estoy recuperando, todo vale la pena al verle la carita. ¿Qué más puedo decir? TE AMAMOS NICO!
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