Coming clean.

Wow- just realized the last two posts have been late/far apart....but I have some pretty good reasons! The move down here was more stressful than I anticipated. The drive itself wasn't bad- Brett, Lucy, and I were in the big truck, plus it took two more trucks hauling trailers to move everything.

The big issue was unpacking. Our new house is smaller than the old one, although very nice. The closets are the main issue- I have no idea where I'm going to fit everything. I also went back to work immediately- we arrived on Saturday night, spent the day Sunday unpacking, and I started back pretty much full-time on Monday. Luckily I am blessed with an amazing family to help with everything, but as clutter stresses me out, having a house full of boxes drives me especially crazy. We are getting closer to being "done," but still need to invest in more storage pieces (armoires, etc.) to fit everything. I will definitely post pictures when I get the chance.

Also, right before we moved, we found out that I am pregnant. BIG surprise. HUGE. Although we are very excited about our new addition, the idea of adding a new baby to the mix is hugely intimidating, as we were planning on waiting until Lucy was about two years old to start "trying." And yes, I got pregnant on my first cycle post-partum. Dang fertile genes from my mama! I was going to wait until later to "tell", but since work has to know, many people already do, and besides, the clinic won't even see me until 11 weeks, and I am horrible at keeping secrets.

With the pregnancy comes a whole slew of emotions for me- I'm worried about being able to continue to nurse Lucy (yes, I know all about tandem nursing, and am going to try my hardest, but some women just lose their milk during pregnancy due to the effects of estrogen on prolactin levels. Same reason why the birth control pill kills milk supply for some). Already I have noticed that my supply is going down- because I pump twice a day at work, it's easy to see. Also, pregnancy soreness is setting in, and pumping is becoming very painful. Throw in a seven-month-old who just started teething, is getting all four teeth at once, and is starting to bite, and you get the picture of what I'm experiencing. I also have some crazy guilt- in the realm of "how irresponsible of me to get pregnant while she was still nursing." I only have a small store of milk left, as I just donated my stash through MilkShare, so I'm contemplating my options. I'd really like to avoid formula, and I know that Dr. Newman, breastfeeding expert, says that whole milk is fine as a supplement at this age. I'll be doing a lot more research this weekend.

Probably my next biggest concern is this new baby's birthplace. Florida has AWESOME homebirth laws, but because I am active duty, I have been informed that I am required to give birth on base. If I was an active-duty spouse, I could give birth at home, and insurance would pay. Highly discriminatory, I say. I am still exploring my options, but as of right now, it appears that my only other option is applying for a "elective operation" and paying 100% out of pocket. I'm going for an orientation next week at the hospital, but I'm not too optimistic. Here's a quote I pulled from an article written by one of the doctors who worked there. The article is called "Current Trends in Cervical Ripening and Labor Induction," and also advocated the use of misoprostol- go figure.

“In an ideal world, all pregnancies would go to term, and labor would begin spontaneously. In reality, it is often best to deliver the infant before the onset of natural labor.”

Fabulous.