Jane from L.A.: I was sitting on the patio of the newly opened "The Counter" on Sunset (yum) with my family (baby Alex in his bassinet) the other day when my mother-in-law asked, "Do you feel like a prisoner on parole?" And for a second, I thought, "What does she mean?" Then it dawned on me that she was referring to the 16 weeks of bedrest that was behind me. Over 100 days spent lying down in my bed. Dreadlocked and uncomfortable. Frightened every day and guilty that I depended on so many for so much.
Weird that for a second I had forgotten, right?
I had about a week of,
"Poor-me-I'm-pregnant-and-uncomfortable-but-I-can-leave-the house" at 36
weeks. I ate one meal out the day my stitch was removed ... and then
promptly went into labor. But I got to experience that week and I'm so, so grateful.
Alex was born at 36 weeks, 6 days -- ONE day shy of full-term! He is healthy and cute and was rather large for his gestational
age. Taking him home from the hospital when I was discharged was such a
celebration.
The only blip in an otherwise-normal birth experience occurred the second night in the hospital when I had some excessive bleeding, and I swear,
two of the most attractive OB residents came to my bedside to check
things out. Three AM. Handsome docs in scrubs. I'm a mess. White teeth and
good hair. Total embarrassment. You get the picture. Even Joe was
impressed. Whatev -- I thought it was funny.
We had a Bris for Alex and I cried about so many things. I
cried because my baby was in pain (for a minute) and because Willa was
crying because Daddy was holding the crying baby and because MY Dad was
crying because Willa was crying. And I cried because I was so proud of
what we had accomplished.
I'm still pretty beat up. Bedrest + labor = horror, but my village of
support is still here. And I'm thrilled that nursing is going so well -- Willa couldn't nurse because she was so premature. I'm thrilled the
little guy looks enormous to me compared to a preemie baby, and that
he's very handsome and has a great sense of humor.
So again, thank you for all the support and e-mails and visits and love.
I went through something pretty dark and scary 20 weeks ago. And now I have
something pretty awesome. I have Alex.
Love,
Me
"Notes from Bedrest" is a column that features e-mails from a mom who recently experienced bedrest. We posted her e-mails chronologically in the order she wrote them. This is the final installment.
Aries
Taurus
Gemini
Cancer
Leo
Virgo
Libra
Scorpio
Sagittarius
Capricorn
Aquarius
Pisces
Yay! I’m so happy Momma and Baby are healthy and doing great. That is one adorable baby…