Honest Survey. Woo hoo!

Okay, it's time to wo-man up and talk some truth about pregnancy, delivery, afterbirth. I'm making up some questions and then answering them. Partly so that I can remember everything I went though and partly so you can know a little of what to expect when YOU'RE expecting. And for all of you other Moms out there, well, you already know everything about the whole she-bang so just bear with me.

Alright. Here we go!

How long were you pregnant? : I was pregnant for 37 weeks and a few days. Today is Levi's ACTUAL DUE DATE! Can you believe that? Yikes. I can't imagine how big he would have been since he was 8 lb 7 oz and almost 3 weeks early. Oh, and 21 inches long.

Did you get the dreaded black line on your tummy? : NO! I couldn't believe it. Someone commented on my blog months ago and said she was a Labor and Delivery nurse and that in all of her years, she had never seen a fair skinned person get the line. Looks like she was right! Horray for vampire skin!

Did you get stretch marks? : Miraculously, I didn't get one stretch mark on my stomach (How? I will never know - my tummy was huge). I did, however, get a few on my lower hip, but none on my tummy. Thanks Mom, for the good elasticity genes.

Did your belly button pop out? : Nope. I had a very deep innie, so it just became flush with the rest of my stomach. It was so strange.

How much weight did you gain? : 37 pounds. The Doc recommended 25-35, and thought I'd break the rules and go over by a few pounds. Ya know, for good measure. ;)

How much weight do you have to lose now that Levi is here? : I have to lose 10 pounds to be back to my pre-pregnancy weight. Pretty sure I had a ton of water weight because no one loses 27 pounds in two weeks! Ha! I totally feel like the Biggest Loser. ;)

What was the worst thing about labor? : Contractions with a failed epidural. Worst pain of my life. I cried. And almost broke Husby's hand.

What was the best thing about labor? : An epidural that worked. Finally. And having Husby and my Mom with me to calm my nerves and make me laugh. Oh, and Mom even helped apply makeup a few minutes before pushing time! :)

What was the worst thing about delivery? : When they suctioned Levi's head FOUR TIMES and made a horrible horrible wound on my beautiful baby's head. It looked like it hurt him SO bad. Thankfully, it's healed now. Made me sad.

What was the best thing about delivery? : Hands down, watching Husby pull little Levi out and them throwing him on me. Indescribable and absolutely incredible.

How long did you push? : Two and a half hours. They said I was a grrrrreat pusher! Woo hoo! It totally didn't feel like I pushed for that long. I was focused on my prize!

Were you embarrassed being all "out there"? : Not at all. I am one of the most modest people you may ever know and in those moments, you lose all inhibitions and you just want that baby out. I had my Mom pushing one leg, the nurse pushing the other leg and Husby pushing my back forward. All four of us were pushing! HAHA! Oh, and it's totally not like the movies where you are sitting up with your legs in stirrups! I was flat on my back and had to hold my own legs. I'm telling you, it's WORK!

Did anything funny happen in L&D? : Actually, yes. Once, they had me sit out a contraction (and not push) because they had to do something. Well, it wasn't pleasant. When the contractions come, it feels SO MUCH BETTER to push. So, I sat it out and tried to catch my breath. Well, about an hour later, when the Doc came in to scrub up, she was over instructing Husby on what to do and when to do it. A contraction was coming and it was intense. No one was paying attention to me, because they were busy putting on gowns and talking 90-to-nothing about delivering this baby. I looked at Mom and said, "Uh oh - I'm having another one. I need to push!" She said, "go ahead and push"! She grabbed my leg and was pulling it toward me, and I was trying to push. We were doing this one all on our own. She was trying to count like the nurse had been doing and mid-contraction and mid-push, I looked at her and BURST into laughter. It was hilarious. She was trying to keep from laughing the whole time we were doing it and finally we both lost it. The nurse looked over at us as we were laughing and I said "I had a contraction and didn't know if I could push without you knowing", and she told me of course I could. Oh man, it was absolutely hilarious.

How was recovery? : Um. Well, for me, it was pretty bad. My body isn't exactly made to push out babies as big as my little lovie, so it did some pretty good damage. I could barely get out of bed the next day and I am just now starting to heal completely. And please, let's not even discuss bowel movements. Yet another thing I wasn't warned about!! Y-I-K-E-S.

Did Levi look like what you were expecting? : Yes and No. I can't believe how CUTE he is, and I was shocked that he has dimples (ahhhh, amazing!). He definitely looks like his 4D Ultrasound pictures, though.

How was your hospital stay? : Great! I got the room that I wanted and the nurses were fantastic. Husby and I even got a four course steak dinner the last night that we were there, complete with candle light and a table with white linens. So sweet. :)

How did you do with anxiety, emotions, etc. after you came home? : Well, the first week was pretty rough because my emotions were a roller coaster. I was literally laughing one minute and crying the next! I never knew why I was crying and there was truly nothing wrong - I just cried a lot! (Thankfully, my hormones are back to normal and I haven't cried in a long time!) Also, Levi had to spend two nights in the big bad jaundice light thing and I hated it. It was so hard. We had to take him to the Doctor three days in a row, so they could check his jaundice, and so we never had time to just sit and BE. We were constantly on the go. I never was anxious or freaked out, though about being a new Mom. I was just tired and emotional and stressed (Husby had to reschedule one set of boards that he was supposed to take the day we came home from the hospital and then take the other set a week after he was born! AH!). I don't know how I would have survived it without my Mom. Seriously. The second week was a cake walk compared to the first!! But I did roam around the house telling Husby "I miss mom! I miss mom!" He did, too.

Now that Levi is 2.5 weeks old, are you caught up on your sleep? : YES! Levi is a great baby (and I'm not just saying that because he's mine!) He only wakes up twice through the night now to eat, and is eating bigger portions fewer times. It's wonderful.

What is the most unexpected thing about being a Mom? : The immense love. For both my baby and my husband. I can't explain either, but having a baby creates a whole new love within your marriage. It's pretty amazing.

We weren't expecting Levi until today, June 18. The Lord had totally different plans in mind for this baby and I am so glad because it has given me three extra weeks with him. :) Remember the Christmas present Husby bought for me? The gold bracelet with the pearl (June's birthstone) dangling from it? Well, it looks like we will have to add a little Emerald to it. We have a precious May baby! I will keep the pearl on because it represents when he was supposed to be here...the little fella just couldn't wait to meet us.

It has also been amazing because instead of the 2 weeks that Husby would have had with Levi had he been born today, now he is getting a FULL MONTH! Rotations start July 1, Levi was born May 30, and by the grace of God, we get a full month together as a family - spending our days as we wish and loving around on our baby. It's Heaven.

I hope you enjoyed my little survey!