4th day home. Annie is still breaking me into her routine. She's super unpredictable. Happy & content one day - fussy & inconsolable the next (today is fussy & inconsolable for sure).
Her collarbone/clavicle was broken during labor - so I've been worried that her fussiness may be because she is in pain. Seems like a lot of contradictions from the doctors - some say that it is painful, some say otherwise. In my mind, I can't see how a broken bone couldn't be painful. The only recommended treatment has been to keep it as immobile as possible for 2 weeks (which means pinning her sleeve to her sleeper so that she can't move it - really ticks her off) and that it will heal on its own. They recommended that we get an x-ray of it, but that regardless of what the x-ray shows, their treatment recommendations will be the same. So we decided against the x-ray since there doesn't seem to be any benefits to it. Keep second guessing myself though. Would love to hear from anyone who has been through this and what the outcome was.
Had a meltdown yesterday before heading out to the doctors office because I have NOTHING to wear other than pajamas. None of my maternity clothes fit...none of my regular clothes fit. I came home from the hospital weighing just 4lbs. less than when I left for the hospital. Not sure how in the hell that is even mathematically possible since I gave birth to a 8lb. 7 oz. baby.
Really want to thank my friends out in St. Helens (Tanya, Kristin and Pat who owns Small Town Memories) for the huge box of fun baby stuff that we came home to (that was a heck of a welcome home gift)! Love you gals!
Also wanted to say thanks to all the gals on Two Peas who made the coolest cards for Annie & I. Love stuff like that - love how scrapbooking has connected me with so many fantastic people. Thanks again for taking the time - it meant a ton to me.
I feel like I'm giving a speech at the Oscars or something, but while I'm at it, thanks again for all of the comments when I had Annie - has been fun to read all of them and to know that so many people were thinking of us.
Ok, Miss cranky is calling - gotta run.
She is just SO SO beautiful!! Don't you just stare at her all the time??!! :-) I don't know anything about a broken collarbone (sorry) but I know that an infant's bones are very soft per se and I am sure she will be JUST fine. (HUG) because I know that probably doesn't help because all mom's have the "guilt" and second guessing. It's a curse isn't it??!! Take care of that little angel!
ps. My clothes don't fit and I didn't just have a baby. Feel better?!! :-) Hang in there - you just delivered a MIRACLE!!!
Posted by: cindy | February 17, 2006 at 01:25 PM
awwwwwwwwww, look at annie! she's so precious! thanks for sharing so much of her new beginnings with us! huge hugs to you and the family!
Posted by: rachel | February 17, 2006 at 01:43 PM
Karen~
Having a bigger baby can make you bloat after delivery (my baby girl was 8lbs 1 oz). My face was so swollen I could hardly see after birth. I think it was from all the hours of labor and then the pushing, etc. I am happy to say it eventually did go down, but I too struggled with clothes for a few weeks and then I shed pounds fast. I hope the same goes for you. Annie sure is sweet and I'm sure the collar bone will heal nice and fast. Babies are amazingly fast healers in cases like this. My cousin had a baby born with dislocated hip joints and they healed just fine.
Congrats again and enjoy these precious first days togather.
Posted by: KristyZ | February 17, 2006 at 02:07 PM
Although my son did not break his collarbone at birth (c-section) at six months old her rolled off the sofa and broke it. I was terrified and he did have an x-ray to show it was broken. Hang in there though cause what you are doing is all you can do and I promise it will heal. My son Weston had to wear a figure 8 brace and was most comfortable in his car seat which gave it support. The doctor told us the same thing...it will heal itself and it did. He is now 6 years old and he has never had a problem or even knows that it happened.
p.s. her was fussy on and off but each day it got better
Kim Bolyard
Posted by: Kim Bolyard | February 17, 2006 at 02:28 PM
Typo....at six months old HE rolled off the sofa
Kim Bolyard
Posted by: Kim Bolyard | February 17, 2006 at 02:29 PM
Karen!!! You made me laugh and cry with your email....your clothes WILL fit soon...it is water retention and it will get better i PROMISE!!
broken collar bone...you were right in not getting the x-ray because all it will do is confirm that the bone is broken...nothing else...it will heal really super fast though..another thing that might help her is swaddling her up SUPER tight and safety pinning the swaddle so it wont come undone...does that make sense??? my friend's little boy had ALOT of broken bones from a really horrible delivery...both collar bones and four ribs....she swears by the swaddle technique and said it helped keep the baby still and if you have one of those bouncy seats that vibrates and looks like a papasan chair that is a good place for her...
hang in there girl....you are the best mommy and Annie is lucky to have you!! dont second guess yourself at all because you really DO know what is best for your little girl!! Lots of Love!!
Posted by: Tanya Webster | February 17, 2006 at 02:52 PM
karen, she's beautiful girl! congratulations
Posted by: steph | February 17, 2006 at 03:13 PM
what an adorable little gift !!! she is absolutely gorgeous !!! congrats !!
Posted by: beth | February 17, 2006 at 03:37 PM
My son had a broken collar bone that wasn't even discovered at birth. Then he ended up in the hospital with rsv and when they did the chest x-ray they noticed that it had been broken. So it had healed on it own with out me ever knowing there was something wrong with it. Congratulations on your Beautiful baby girl:)
Posted by: sarah murphy | February 17, 2006 at 03:46 PM
Karen, she is absolutely GORGEOUS! Thanks for sharing photos! Big hugs!
Posted by: Heather Moll | February 17, 2006 at 04:29 PM
Karen - she is so beautiful! I'm so sorry to hear about the broken bone, but I'm sure she will heal quickly. Hang in there...times goes so quickly...
Posted by: Mary L. | February 17, 2006 at 08:35 PM
Karen,
I always loved the 2 days in the hospital after my children were born because I was just so happy and I had my baby all to myself. The first week I was home was always horrible - so much so that I dreaded it. My hormones were crazy. I didn't feel well and this new person has entered my life. I had to make it work because I had no other choice. What had I done???? Yes it was post partum depression, but it only lasted a few days (some very awful days). Things fell into routine pretty quickly and I felt much better.
I also found that 20-25lbs fell off after about 4 weeks. The rest took about 8 years!
Your doing great! You will be enjoying your beautiful baby girl again very soon.
Lori
P.S. My weight coming home from the hospital after the birth of first son was EXACTLY the same as before I left for the hospital. This caused many tears, too. Not to mention people asking when I was due AFTER I have given birth.
Posted by: Lori Hudson | February 17, 2006 at 08:54 PM
Congratulations Karen! She is absolutely beautiful!
Posted by: Candi | February 17, 2006 at 08:58 PM
Hit send instead of eneter...grrr...anyway pardon the second post...sorry about that clavicle. Hopefully it will heal soon!
About the meltown...I had the same one. I remember it well (even if it was 3 years ago). My sister was in town and she rushed to Target to buy me "jogging suits". Those work well for the in between period. I feel your pain, though!
Posted by: Candi | February 17, 2006 at 09:00 PM
Hi Karen,
She is beautiful! Just wanted to share with you the website for the happiest baby on the block - http://www.thehappiestbaby.com. This was a Godsend for us. Caleb was a SUPER fusser and since he was my fourth and I thought I knew what to do with babies, I was beside myself. Dr. Karp's swaddling blanket is the BEST and could really help keeping Annie still for her collarbone. We used it, his white noise CD and kept Caleb sleeping in his papassan swing. It worked wonders. I hope it helps but also remember to "just breathe". Lots of love and best wishes to all of you!
Posted by: Laura Carter | February 18, 2006 at 04:40 AM
Hi Karen,
What a beauty! You were induced with Annie, right? If so, that may explain the lack of initial weight loss. I was induced with my son and they pumped me full of so many fluids I barely had lost anything when I left the hospital - and he was 8' 11 oz! Give it a week or two and I bet a lot of that weight will melt right off. You're probably still swollen and carrying lots of fluid. I remember being so impatient and just wanting the weight gone! It really impacted my day to day life and adjusting to the new baby. Just take care of yourself and communicate all of your concerns with your doctor. Annie needs a happy and healthy mommy :-)
Take care,
Kelly
Posted by: Kelly Bryan | February 18, 2006 at 06:26 AM
Hugs to you and her!
Hope today is a happy content day :)
Posted by: Maureen | February 18, 2006 at 07:28 AM
My son had a broken collar bone at birth. We didn't know it at first. When we picked him up he would cry. I wondered if he did have a broken collar bone but I didn't say anything because I thought the Dr. would have found it, which he didn't. It wasn't until later when the nurse was checking on him that she discovered the broken collar bone. We did have him X-rayed because the Dr. didn't believe the nurse. (long story) Sure enough the bone was snapped in two. You could also feel it with your fingers. All we could do was swaddle him tightly in a blanket and I tried to not handle him on that side to cause him pain. But after a few days it seemed to stop bothering him. So, I do think there is pain for the poor little babies! Thankfully, they recover quickly.
Congratulations on your sweetie! She's absolutely beautiful!
Posted by: Katrine | February 18, 2006 at 07:53 AM
Hey Karen!
Just wanted to say Congratulations!!! There is a card for Annie on my blog...I am sure you will eventually get all the 2peas cards in person...She is so beautiful!
jessilane.typepad.com
Posted by: Jessi | February 18, 2006 at 08:31 AM
She is just amazing! Congrats!
Posted by: Kim in Camas | February 18, 2006 at 11:45 AM
she looks sooooooooooo cute! Don;t you worry sweetie the weight will go away, at least half of it! I liked the jogging suite idea, so you are dressed but it isn;t to tight!, go run get some!
Hang in there and she will heal very soon and be the content happy baby that she is!
corinnexxx
Posted by: corinne5 | February 18, 2006 at 12:12 PM
I just keep looking at the pictures of your beautiful baby girl and know that all of this will pass for you and she will be happy and you will forget how bad these times could be...just like forgetting labor! This has to be a hard time for you because you have lots of little ones to care for, but I'm sure there's just that much more love to go around, too. The older kids must be gaga over Annie.
I hope her collarbone heals quickly. Luckily, their little bones aren't that solid yet anyway, so maybe the Drs. are right in saying that she's not hurting from it. At least when you immobilize it you know she gets relief even if it does hurt, just like when we hurt ourselves.
The weight thing...I gave birth to a five lb. baby and lost a total of two lbs. I was in the hospital for four days and I still only lost two lbs.!!! 16 years later, I have finally lost it all! Oh, by the way, if you ever decide to run a marathon to lose weight, that might not happen either. I gained two lbs. training for and running my first marathon! Hope you have better luck or self control than I do!
Posted by: Laura | February 18, 2006 at 06:26 PM
Hi Karen! Sorry to hear about Annie's broken collar bone, but it seems like you've gotten great advice here...
Regarding the lb's...I'll never forget walking the halls of the hospital two days after giving birth to my son...a very excited new dad was on the phone in the hall..when he hung up, I said something like, "exciting, huh?" and he replied..."yeah, you'll know the feeling when you have yours"...CRAP!...I'd had mine two days ago! (c-section)...did I still look pregnant?...anyway..dropped the weight soon...you will too...chasing after that brood of yours! Love ya!
Posted by: Patti | February 18, 2006 at 06:44 PM
Oh poor little Annie, and poor you!!! I am sorry that she is hurt. And send your man out to get you some clothes!!! Hang in there. Not like you dont already know but man those first 2 weeks at home are INSANE! And I will agree with Patti and say that there is noo way that you wont lose the weight trying to keep up with your modified Brady Bunch!!
Hang in there, enjoy that beautiful girl and I am glad that you liked the cards. The excitement that you had for your baby was just contagious...wanted to do something special for ya!
get some rest and send someone to get you pants!! I had to send my mom to get me Milk of Magnesia...so it could be worse LOL!!
Dena
Posted by: Dena Coe (MomtoZoe) | February 18, 2006 at 08:49 PM
Congratulations! This photo is incredible! Such a precious little girl! So sweet!
Posted by: makita | February 21, 2006 at 10:38 PM
Just lovin' Miss Cranky! How gorgeous is she in that pink hat. I hope her collar bone mends quick, and I am sure it will. My Pa broke his collar bone playing rugby, and it didn't hurt at all, he wouldn't have known it was broken except he was standing lop sided!!
Posted by: Jennie | February 26, 2006 at 04:40 PM
poor little Annie!! She's a trooper!!!
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