My little one has arrived

My daughter Emily was born on December 5th at 4:51 in the evening, weighing 9 pounds, 6 ounces and 21″ long. She was a big baby and yes, I did it naturally.

It’s taken a little while to get adjusted to having a baby in the house, between figuring out feedings, changings, sleepings, and all the little noises she makes. The first few days at home were pretty rough. I felt like I had gotten hit by a bus, it backed up and then the bus ran me over again. Emily was still traumatized and trying desperately to breast feed.

Around 1 week old, I realized I wasn’t producing enough milk, which made me feel quite inadequate as her mother. I had to stop breast feeding and start pumping. After a day or two of that, I realized I needed to supplement her food intake with formula. I really didn’t want to do that, but I had to think of the well-being of my daughter, and not my own inadequacies.

Besides handling a newborn as a new parent, I also have been struggling with a crazy pregnancy rash called PUPPS. I had never heard of it, but I have been in misery for nearly 3 weeks now. It appeared a week before she was born on my stomach. I thought it was nothing, just the result of my belly getting big fast and my stretch marks itching. The day after Em was born, this so called rash, started spreading to my arms, legs, chest, back and everywhere else you can think of.

I called the doctor regarding this rash and they just said take Benadryl and use itch cream. I didn’t like that answer, so I went looking for natural herbal supplements to help it along its way. PUPPS is basically a skin irritation caused by the liver detoxing my body of excess hormones and toxins. I decided to try Milk Thistle and Dandelion Root Supplements. I also decided to try taking a hot ginger bath to help with detoxing the skin. I’ve been on the supplements for 2.5 days now and took the bath once and the rash is about half of what it used to be.

I just hope in another day or two it will be completely gone. I also found out that the Benadryl I’ve been taking may be the culprit for me not producing enough milk for my baby, since antihistamines dry you out. Ah, I’m just glad to have my baby out of my belly and in my arms. She is the sweetest little mellow girl ever. She barely cries and just hangs out with us all day long. I’m slightly dreading going back to work.

I guess I really need to get things squared away for finishing my online classes and get back to the planning for the store and workshop classes. I really would love for that to be my sole working situation. Cross your fingers for me.