Back to work

It was a busy week for us! On Wednesday I had my 6-week postpartum check up with Sally Avenson. It was actually a 8.5-week check up since my appointment was cancelled a couple of times due to Sally's patients going into labor. She is a very busy midwife & in great demand since she has a good reputation and is highly respected in our community. She held Gerritt in her lap while she talked to me & I snapped a few pictures. I want Gerritt to know who helped to bring him into the world! I've asked Sally about her plans for retirement since I am hoping to have her as my midwife again some day. She reassured me that she will be around for a while since she absolutely loves what she does for a living & has 3 college-age children.
On Thursday Gerritt had his 2-month check-up with pediatrician. He has sure grown! He was 24 inches in length (90th percentile) & weighed 14 lbs 14 oz (95th percentile). His head circumference was 41 1/2 cm (90th percentile). The pediatrician said Gerritt looked healthy & reassured us that we should not be concerned about his weight at this point. Gerritt's head is starting to flatten out on his left side so our homework was to turn his head to the right when sleeping. Another assignment was to encourage Gerritt reaching and grasping large soft objects.
On Friday I had what I thought was my last dental appointment for a while. However, the two crowns that made for me by the dental lab were about half a millimeter too short, so my dentist sent them back to be redone. So I need to return for another crown fitting session & receive another shot of local anesthesia. :-( During my last session a small amount of epinephrine from local anesthesia got into my blood stream (which apparently rarely happens) and I've experienced a racing heart, anxiety, shortness of breath, dizziness & sensation of almost passing out. The symptoms were gone in about 2 minutes, however, they were so terrifying! I can't wait to be done for good. I vowed to be religious about flossing since I don't want to repeat this experience again.
On Friday night we all went for our prenatal education class reunion. Four out of the six original couples showed up with their babies. What fun! Gerritt was the biggest baby by far, no surprise there. While driving to the reunion I was thinking how surprised everyone would be when they find out I had a C-section, the one who was so committed to natural childbirth. I did not need to worry... 3 out of 4 women present ended up having a C-section. We went around & shared out birth stories as well as struggles we went through during early postpartum. It was great to see everyone's beautiful babies. In a matter of a few weeks the women & their partners were transformed from frightened & unsure expectant parents to confident & content parents. Or at least they looked that way...
On Saturday, December 8th, I worked my first shift as a nurse since Gerritt's birth. I've contacted my manager last week asking her if I could return from my maternity leave earlier than the previously set date of January 7th. I was so tired of sitting at home & not being mentally stimulated. My husband & I figured I could work every Saturday & Sunday (while he watched Gerritt) as well as every other Friday (with my hubby's Mom watching Gerritt). I have also worked last Sunday. I ended up being on 8 North (the Rehabilitation floor) on both days. The shift were light & quiet for the most part. Being at work actually felt like a nice get-away, a much-needed break from home. I was nervous about finding time to get away as well as a private place to pump breastmilk while working, but lucked out on both days. It helps that weekends at the hospital are usually quiet. There were several empty rooms I could use.
The artificial Christmas tree we recently bought from Costco had to be returned to the store. When unpacking the box we found a paper with a warning "Wash hands after handling, lead exposure." I did a search on line & found out that pretty much every artifical tree made in China contains lead, a powerful neurotoxin. The older the tree, the greater the amount of lead dust falling of it. A child could get a significant lead exposure by inhaling the lead dust or by touching or crawling under the tree. It is speculated by some scientists that such exposure can potentially reduce a child's IQ by up to 2 points. No, thank you! We will be using only fresh Christmas trees from now on. I even hated the smell of the artifical tree, so toxic! Couldn't get it out of the house fast enough.
This week I have also applied for a part-time job as a Nurse Practitioner at Planned Parenthood (PP). As comfortable as I am in my nursing role, I feel a strong need to transition to the next step of my professional development. I plan to work at PP one to two days a week so that I can spend most of my time with little Gerritt. So December may be my last month of working as a nurse. I have a PP interview scheduled for December 21st!
Today was my husband's first day back to work after a 2-month paternity leave. I was dreading this day for a while but managed alone with Gerritt just fine. I even showered & had breakfast before noon! This afternoon I have visited a friend I have met at a Thanksgiving party. She has a 7-month-old daughter & kindly offered to donate her breastmilk to Gerritt. I have picked up a 3.5-month supply of frozen breastmilk today. What a kind & loving gesture! I am so grateful.
Our Korean grandmother has not visited us last week. When my husband called her she said her arms were still aching from lifting Gerritt last week & she needs more time to recover. :-) I am curious to see how Gerritt's Russian grandmother will measure up.