Thanks you guys SO SO much for all the sweet & wonderful comments & emails you sent me regarding the big Samster announcement. I feel so loved!
I noticed a few questions that kept coming up so I figured if a couple of people asked them then there are probably more who are wondering the same thing. I thought I’d do a quick Saturday post to answer them…
Oh, & throw in a token belly shot. I just love when people do pics throughout their pregnancy in the same pose & tshirt. (I don’t think this tshirt has the endurance to stretch another month but I’ll find something similar)
Two side notes about this picture…
1- I have no shame & will not hide my dirty bathroom from you. This is actually a good day.
2- Is Samster wanting to be held in this picture a little peek into my life to come??
Oh & one more, I wasn’t even showing at this point with Sam, with this kid I swear my gut, I mean bump, expanded the minute of implantation.
So here’s a few of your q’s…
Why was Samster 3 weeks early? I had a bit of a bumpy pregnancy with Sam, a lot of pre-term labor & then in the last trimester I started showing signs of pre-ecclamsia which is a condition where the baby causes your blood pressure to go up. The only symptoms (besides the blood pressure number itself) are headaches & blurry vision. Both of which I started getting around 35 weeks. I was in & out of the hospital 3 times before I hit 37 weeks & since 37 is considered “full-term” my doctor decided they should go ahead and take the baby out.
In hindsight I wish I would’ve done a few things differently rather than just go along with this decision. I wish I would’ve been better about my bedrest, I never took it serious enough. I wish I would’ve pushed for my dr. to induce me instead of just go right for a c-section. And I wish I would’ve gotten a 2nd opinion. I say all of this because even though 37 weeks is “full-term” that does NOT, I repeat, NOT mean that baby is cooked all the way. Poor little Sam was so tiny & we’re lucky that she didn’t develop jaundice or hypoglycemia which late pre-termers (hospital term for 37 weekers) are very susceptible to. Also one of the reflexes babies master those last couple of weeks in the womb is their suck-swallow reflex. She had a very tough time breastfeeding because she hadn’t developed this skill yet. Because of that we had to supplement with bottles which ended up being the beginning of the end of breastfeeding for me. Unfortunately I didn’t learn all of this until it was too late but that’s also what lead me to work on my lactation consultant certification…but that’s another story. All that to say the only regret in my life, the only one, is not doing everything I could to let Sam stay in until she was ready or I had no choice. With this one I will not let the excitement getting to meet the baby & anxiety of wanting the pregnancy to be over cloud what’s really important, letting my body & the baby do what they need to do. The baby will come when he/she is ready. (like I said, unless there’s a medical reason & no other options, I’m by no means saying if the baby needs to come out I won’t do it, I just want it to be a last resort)
So that was a long answer but a story I really wanted to tell…maybe it will help someone else…
What about the name of the blog? Will it still be Samter Mommy? I dunno. I’ve been wondering about this myself. I’m just too darn lazy to rebrand the whole blog, I used the blog fairy to design my blog & that means I’d have to get her to do everything all over again. I’m thinking perhaps I’ll just redo the header…Samster Mommy featuring Chum Chum…lol, yeah, maybe not. I’ll cross that bridge later!
I think I answered a few of the q’s in that first rant of mine & this post is getting long so I’m gonna end it here. Thanks again to everyone for the sweet words. This week I’m excited to share with you some maternity refashions I’m working on, recipes for what I’ve been stuffing my face with, as well as this great tulip stencil I made yesterday.
Have a great weekend!
Thanks for sharing! I had a C-section with my first because she was breach and really didn't want to go that route again. My doctors were so supportive of me having a VBAC with my second and I am so glad I did. It would have been easy for me just to say okay lets have another C-section but I stuck it out (he was a week late!) and loved going through my labor and delivery!I to wanted it to be a last resort. There was no medical reason for me to have the C-section so I just waited it out. Good luck to you!
Somehow I missed the big announcement! Congrats! When are you due? It's funny how much earlier you can show with your second. This time around, I was looking like I was at 20 weeks with my first by the time I was 14 weeks! Good luck with the rest of your pregnancy – can't wait to hear more about it!
You look great! I totally relate to your not so good at bedrest; sorry you ended in a C though! Are you going to try for a VBAC? Not that its my business really 🙂 Congrats again and thanks for sharing!
Congrats Natasha! Welcome to pregnancy again. With every kid I have shown sooner. I think your stomach gets used to sticking out two feet and just decides to go there right away. 🙂 I'm almost 5 months along now and I found out the baby is going to be a girl. Very excited for our youngest little princess to have a baby sister. Good luck and I hope the sickness is going away. Can't wait to see what projects you cook up with this news as your inspiration.
You should consider yourself very lucky to have delievered Sam early and alive , even with the problems she faced, my brothers wife's pre-eclampsia was diagnosed when the baby had already died at 34 weeks , she could have had a fighting chance if she had been delivered early , pre-eclampsia does end badly sometimes and is nothing to be taken lightly you had good doctors who realized this, no one really talks about it , my sister in law still {over a year later}has high blood preasure and kidney damage due to it , most likely you won't have it again , you don't have an increased chance with subsequent pregnancies to have pre-eclampsia.
I hope all goes well and easily and hope you are blessed with another beautiful healthy baby and uncomplicated pregnancy.
Chris.
You look so cute! I also showed a lot earlier with my second (but ended up being smaller in the end). We had two c-sections and the second one was so much easier.
I also had a c-section with my first and went on to have a VBAC. it really was one of the best things I've ever done, and one of my most proud times. My two girls are so different, I really wonder sometimes if their births played a role in their personalities, but I'm not sure if I really believe all that.
Great luck on this pregnancy! I wish you the best~!
There's always so much guilt that comes with being a parent. You did what you thought was best at the time with the information that you had. Great photo!
You are looking cute with the small baby bump! I am almost 17 weeks and I look like I am about 6-7 months.
Do not stress about Sam's birth anymore. It was a learning process for you and you came away with some valuable information. I can understand not wanting to be in bed. I have been homebound for the last 2 months because of how sick I am and I am dying to be outside and moving!
Take care Natasha and enjoy your second time around!
I am so glad you posted about the need to wait until the baby is ready! So many people I know are so stressed about the baby not coming early or on time so they opt for inducement or other things. I realize there is sometimes a medical reason to have the baby come early, but most of the time it is really important to just let your body and baby do what they do best! There is no better incubator than a mommy's belly!
With that said, I do understand that sometimes to save the baby it is better to induce or have a c-section, both of my babies were ceserean due to extreme fetal distress, it's sometimes sad I couldn't have it "naturally" but the important outcome is a healthy baby, in the end how it comes out is not as important.
Also I understand supplementing being the end of breastfeeding. My first one had SO much trouble breastfeeding, but this one is so far doing a lot better (still sucks though!)
Good luck and I hope everything works out for you 🙂
Thanks for posting this. I'm due… today actually, and I've been so impatient the last few weeks wishing she would just come early. This post made me happy that she hasn't come yet and has made me feel a lot more patient that she'll come when she's ready. I posted about it in my blog and linked this post too.
I feel your pain about the C-section. I had to have an emergency C-section for my daughter and I was not a happy camper. I too wanted to birth my child and do it without pain meds. Instead, due to some freak occurence, I had to have a C-section and then I was asleep for 8 hours after she was born. Yea, you read that correctly, due to the meds I received during surgery, I was "Asleep" for 8 hours immediately following her arrival. Not a pleasant experience. Good luck Samster Mommy. I love your video
there's something in the water! just love your blog and can't wait to see what you come up with for your new little one. best of luck with this pregnancy!
and, although i've never been pregnant myself, i've heard that the first pregnancies tend to be less show-off-y than subsequent ones. i've also heard that girls carry different than boys do. dunno if there's truth to either of those.
but congratulations!
Please, please stay pregnant for as long as possible. I had my 2nd baby this summer on June 16th. I went into early labor 4 weeks to be exact and my Dr. decided to due a C-Section because I was 3 minutes a part and not dialating. He never tried to stop the labor and the end result was my precious Isabella spent 2 weeks in the NICU and was in critical condition 2 days after she was born. Find a good Dr. and always beg to let them cook!
I missed your preggo announcement! Congrats on numero dos! I too had battles with severe hypertension while pregnant with my daughter- my protein levels remained normal so it was never diagnosed as preE but my BP was sky high. There was a lot of talk of inducing and the high possibility of a CSection around 35 weeks but my little one had plans of her own and I went into early labor the morning of my doctor's appointment when they were going to check me and make the decision. 🙂
I also struggled with a sleepy preterm baby that just didn't want to bf…it is just so hard for you and them to get in the groove. Luckily after about a week of bf'ing one feeding and supplementing the next we were both champs and bf'ed for 6 months. Good luck with this pregancy and remember to rest as much as possible to avoid hypertensiont his time around…Tough to do with a toddler, I know. lol
I've read your blog for a while now and it amazes me how much we have in common ….. except that I don't have nearly as much creativity or energy as you do! Anyway, I wanted to comment on the "name of the blog" issue. I helped my husband open his own dental practice about 2 1/2 years ago. When we opened, we had 2 children. We knew eventually we'd have a 3rd, but didn't have a timeline. We created our logo to be a family since we are a family dental practice — the logo has a mom, dad, boy and girl. About 1 1/2 years after opening, we had our delightful #3 baby and everyone asked us if we were going to change our logo.
We've decided not to, because the logo represents who we were at the time. I think Samster Mommy came about because of what your life was like at the time and just because you have another baby doesn't mean you have to "re-brand." I would create a separate button at the top when you have #2 and direct that section of your blog toward that child. Or, if it's a boy you could always name him Samuel and then it would still be "Samster!" LOL
As for your pregnancy, best wishes. I hope it's a healthy one and that you can enjoy it with Samster. There's a special sibling bond that is fun to see even in utero!
Take care,
Lisa A.
my little one was a day late, big (8lb11oz and 22in) and still hypoglycemic. sometimes it just happens because of stress around the birth. (she came in less than 4 hours start to finish, and it was just too much for her little body.) all those heel pricks and treats of nicu if her sugars didnt rise were a little scary but also not the end of the world.
good luck this time around. im due again in june (they will be 18 months apart) and hope to skip all those extra heel pricks this time around, and i hope you get to enjoy your delivery no matter how it ends up happening.