mummaandmax-blog

[mummaandmax-blog]

My pregnancy, and excessive weight gain.

So here goes.. PART 1. I’m going to be 100% real with all my posts ALWAYS, I won’t be sugar coating my life in anyway. 😘

I found out I was pregnant in September of 2015, we’d just moved from our home town leaving behind our families and all of our friends. One of the hardest decisions of my life, but something that urgently needed to be done. (won’t be getting into that one sorry guys)

The move and finding our feet was one of the hardest things we’ve ever had to do. We both had no jobs, and were literally just hoping for the best. We had a home, a roof over our head but we had to start from absolute scratch.

I found out I was pregnant 6 weeks after we’d moved, and was gob smacked as we had been using no contraception for 3 years! But, knowing due to cysts on my ovaries that had burst a couple of years before and poisoned my system I had a very low chance of falling pregnant if not, not at all. We thought if I did, it would be amazing and it was a miracle anyway! We couldn’t have asked for worst timing of my pregnancy, just moved, no jobs and struggling. And I mean STRUGGLING! But, it was a blessing. THE best thing that has ever happened to us is our son! Through all the stress, of finding work while pregnant and my fiancé looking for work also. It slowly started, the eating to deal with everything going on in my life as well as this baby. It was like the only thing I could control was what I ate, but I had no control all at the same time. I had such an easy pregnancy, I wasn’t sick. I had a few head aches here and there but other than that I was fine! Finally finding work, at 12 weeks pregnant and my partner also. I felt a weight lift off my shoulders we were going to be okay! At around 16/18 weeks pregnant I’d already gained 12 kilos. And it didn’t stop, I ate everything and anything. I worked as a waitress, which didn’t help the unhealthy eating! By my third trimester I’d gone from 55 kilos to 77, and was stupid enough to think (this will just fall off once baby comes out) what a joke right!? How stupid! I was 34 weeks pregnant when I was told I was just far to big to be working behind the bar anymore, it was getting dangerous for me and baby which was a fair call. I got home that night, feeling fine knowing Josh was able to support us just fine! And with only a few weeks left of my pregnancy, i was ready to relax! I was exhausted, heavy and swollen. But, disaster hit again! Josh came home to tell me he’d been laid off due to his work not being able to pay his wages (WHAT A JOKE) I could not believe it, it’s like life just fell apart right before my eyes for a second time. I cried, and cried and cried. (I was SO hormonal) So here we are, both jobless. A baby only weeks from being due, and once again still pregnant under huge amounts of stress and not dealing, but trying to keep my baby safe inside. I just wanted to go home to our families and friends and make it all go away. But, being heavily pregnant at that stage we just couldn’t do that. Those weeks were the hardest, I can’t put into words the stress and anxiety I was feeling about labour, no income and the future of our family. I was so lucky to have the support of our families, and my best friend through SO many phone calls. They kept me sane, and getting through each day. My second to last visit to the midwife, before my due date. She told me my weight gain was excessive, and extremely unhealthy for both me and the baby. I was swollen, aching short of breath and overweight. And it was starting to put stress on our baby, She told me I had to keep these last few weeks to a minimum. I tried so hard, I cried, sobbed, screamed and broke down almost everyday. The greatest gift in our lives was this baby, and this wasn’t the pregnancy I’d imagined having. I WILL never take for granted being pregnant, as I understand some women may never have that chance. But I’d wished for a pregnancy so far different than the one I had. We are so lucky, that we didn’t lose our baby.

By 39w and 3 days I weighed in at 93kilos, luckily enough I went into labour that day. And I still think, Max came early because he could feel the stress I was feeling he knew I couldn’t take it much longer.

I will never make excuses for the amount of weight I gained, and yes everyone goes through stress and I could have handled it in much better ways. I comfort ate, to handle as many curb balls life kept throwing. But I kept my baby safe, ( in all that fat ) 😂lol.

No but seriously, it was my biggest lesson learned. 😘

Stay tuned for Part 2, how I dropped 31 kilos in 11 months 💪

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My labour, not like the usual I PROMISE!

So this is my labour story the pain, the difficulty and all the in between. Max was due on the 1st of June 2016, actually my mothers birthday! He was born three days early, and did I have a whirlwind of a labour to tell all about.

It was 8am Saturday morning May the 28th that I had googled EVERYTHING and I mean everything to get this labour started. Which resulted in a gym ball purchase from Kmart, then watching Rocky Balboa for the ENTIRE afternoon. I cooked dinner, showered and then felt the urgent need to clean and I mean clean everything. Tiles, walls, toilets, skirting boards it was endless I couldn’t stop! I finally went to bed, but woke at 4:30am Sunday morning the 29th of May with what I knew instantly was labour pains. I paced around till 9:30am and decided to wake up my fiancé, his first words were ‘Honey, did you feed the dogs’ 😂 Like seriously!? I’ve just told him I was in labour and he’s asked me that!? ( clearly he was half asleep ) I showered, shaved you know all that fun stuff when you can’t even see your toes? I rang my mum to start packing and get on her way for the four hour drive ahead of her! I laboured at home till 2:30pm in the afternoon pacing, thinking trying to keep busy but the pain by then was crazy I literally couldn’t take it anymore. It was the worst back pain (I had all my labour pains in my back not my stomach) I’ve ever experienced in my life, it came and went but every time it came back it got worse and worse. I knew it was time to go.. But then we had a problem, a big problem. I clearly couldn’t drive and how embarrassing to tell all but neither could Josh. (Thankgod he can now for the next one) Here I am, in labour and no way to the hospital. 😂After hours of labour, knowing I had no way to the hospital I was really starting to realise what the hell am I going to do!? Josh was freaking, I was overwhelmed, anxious, scared and terrified this baby was coming into the world at home! I finally decided I need to ring Taylor, a friend I’d met and I’d worked with while pregnant, her and her partner had to drive 45 minutes into Geelong to drive both me and Josh to the hospital. (Waiting 45 minutes was the longest wait of my life) Finally at the hospital, admitted, and looked over I was told they were going to send me home. I knew something wasn’t right and I had to tell them to please check me I can’t go home! After they finally agreed to check my cervix, LUCKILY THEY DID! I was already 7cm dilated! 😱💪

I was immediately told I would not be going home, and let’s get the ball rolling. I had no waters break, as I had already leaked for weeks! I was sucking on the gas like I was dying, and feeling urges to push. It was 5:30pm and I was waiting for the arrival of mum, I knew I couldn’t do this without her! After just gas, and Josh making the most ridiculous jokes but in seeing that he was incredible so supportive and I couldn’t have honestly asked for anything more from him he was amazing! But, I felt this need for mum she had been through it, she knew what I was feeling and finally after hours she arrived! It was 6:30pm when I seen her face and felt an instant sigh of relief! I started pushing the moment I seen her face, and instantly wish I hadn’t! The burn, the ring of fire, every tear of my skin I felt. I can’t even comprehend the pain you feel during labour, or explain it in words. It’s pain Ive never felt before, but a pain you can handle for your baby. It’s the craziest, best experience of my life. It got to much at one point, and I remember asking ‘I need the epidural now! I can’t do this! Nurses response was ‘His head is coming love, it’s far to late for that’ Funny enough that was the only time I spoke, my entire ‘active’ part of my labour was in silence. I couldn’t speak, scream nothing. I was in my zone and i think it was also to do with not continuing to breathe fresh air inbetween sucking in the gas so to be honest I was very delirious, I could feel everything but I was silent. Josh asked numerous times if I was still conscious! I remember the incredible feeling at that last push, when I felt him come out. I remember Joshs’ face, mums face pure happiness at that very moment. Instantly all the pain disappeared, it was the craziest thing. To feel all that pain, and then nothing but happiness. At 7:29pm Sunday night the 29th of May our little man arrived safe and healthy! I held him so tightly, his tiny little body on my chest and cried, I was so happy. A happiness I'd never felt before, i felt whole. And my heart was so full, the most powerful feeling I have ever felt. I had suffered third degree perineal tearing, but I had a healthy baby and that was all that mattered to me.

I was a mum, who delivered my baby safely and it is the proudest moment of my life.

😘

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Let me tell you a little bit about myself 😘

I’m Courtney, Maxs mummy. I’m 23 living in Geelong, Australia with my fiancé and our one year old.

We are currently living away from all our families and friends, and to get me through some tough and lonely days I thought I’d start blogging as I love sharing my stories.

I’m a bakers fiancé and if you know what hours a baker works it’s night shift 😩 Work all night, sleep all day pretty much sums it up. To all the single Mummas out there I praise you, because minus two days of the week I am pretty much a single mummy!

To fill in my days I will be blogging seeing as the only verbal communication I have most days is with a one year old!

I will be telling all about my labour story in my next post! 😘