March 2018 – Cozy in Love

To My Labor Partners

March 29, 2018 No Comments

This post is dedicated to my two incredible labor partners: my husband and my mom. I decided to have a natural birth and to deliver Eden unmedicated after learning about the effects that induction and pain meds have on both mom and baby during labor and thereafter. It was a personal choice that I had the privilege to make, having been blessed with a complication-free pregnancy and healthy baby. So Conoon and I carefully devised our birth plan and I prepared to surrender both body and mind to the natural birth process.

Night and day of, Conoon coached me through nearly every single contraction. We were in labor for 24 hrs, from Tuesday 1:00am to Wednesday 1:15am. At the time, we didn’t have a definite end time to work toward. The only finish line we could see was after each declining contraction; as one passed, it became time to focus on the next. “Just one more.” Without Conoon’s encouragement, help with breathing through waves of pain, and literally his body to hang onto, I probably would have asked for an epidural or pitocin eventually. But the mantras he spoke kept me focused; his confidence and spirit gave me strength, and we welcomed Eden home by our original plan.

With ultimate patience and true “mom intuition”, my mom provided me and Conoon relief and comfort in areas that we had control over. She abided with my requests (or at times, demands) for water, counter-pressure for back pain, and fanning when it got too hot. She cushioned my knees with a pillow when I labored in positions that had me kneeling on the hard ground. She brought me new towels and dried my hair after each hot shower. She made sure Conoon stayed hydrated and ate to sustain his energy. What was feeding her in those 24 hrs, I have no idea. But her presence and humble help allowed Conoon and me the additional room and focus to do the purposeful work we needed to do.

Definitely a team effort. Definitely #teamcozykim in play here. To Conoon and Ma: from the deepest part of my heart, thank you. Thank you for the gift of a work-heavy, unmedicated, beautiful labor. Thank you for trusting and believing in me. And most of all, thank you for the gift of the healthiest, happiest, strongest Eden possible 🌹💪

Motherhood, Postpartum

Welcome to Life, Eden

March 26, 2018 No Comments

Eden Rose Kim was born on March 21, 2018 at 1:15am after 24 long hours of labor. She weighed 6 pounds and 11 ounces and was 18 inches long.

I’ll never forget the moment I first took her into my arms and brought her in for a hug against my chest. That particular moment happened in a flurry: her head had nearly made its whole way out, and then finally, once her head squeeeezed through, the rest of her body literally SLIPPED out and seconds later, my husband was handing her slippery little body over to me!

Here she is, after an hour of skin-to-skin time, all swaddled up and ready to sleep:

And at Day 2 of LIFE!:

Conoon and I are working on writing her birth story, though honestly, it’s taking us a while… More updates on Eden and mommyhood coming soon =)

Pregnancy

Bumpdate | 39 Weeks

March 19, 2018 No Comments

We’ve reached full term at 39 weeks! On Saturday night and into Sunday’s afternoon, I felt my strongest Braxton Hicks contractions yet. I thought I was entering into early labor(!), but the strength and frequency of the contractions lowered as the hours passed and afternoon turned to night. This Monday morning, my mucus plug came out (sorry if that’s TMI) which means my body is REALLY preparing to bring Baby Eden into this world. Any day now… She could come in a few days or in a few weeks!

This past week, Conoon worked from home and we got a lot of things DONE (Does perusing the aisles of Target count as getting things done?):

finished packing my hospital bag with clothes and things for me, Conoon and Eden,
ordered some last minute baby needs on Amazon,
did loads and loads of baby laundry,
printed out copies of our birth plan,
finally visited Conoon at work to attend 12 o’clock mass at the Archdiocese,
and most importantly, installed Eden’s carseat with the help of a car seat technician.

Marc, the technician, came to our apartment to teach us the importance of car seat safety and how to properly install and use our carseat. At first, I thought “What’s the big deal and why do we need to call a specialist? It’s just a car seat.” But I’m so glad we did. There were many little details about car seat safety that I would have overlooked without Marc’s teaching and guidance.

If you need help installing your carseat or want someone to double check your setup, I HIGHLY recommend that you contact Marc. He travels to your location, spends an hour with you (he kindly spent two with us), thoroughly goes over all the features of your specific car seat, and teaches you how to install it into your car. He doesn’t charge a fee, but accepts donations. Marc is awesome and a big jokester, but the best thing about him is that he is passionate about what he does. Years ago, he lost his daughter and grandson in a car accident, and since then, has been teaching families all over LA about the important of car safety. One big takeaway I learned from him? He asked, “Where’s the safest place to keep a baby?” In my head, I was thinking, rear-faced in the middle seat. My husband answered, “At home.” To which Marc replied, “That’s right. At home.”

—

Baby Fruit/Veggie: Baby is as big as a pumpkin! This week, my OB estimated that Eden weighs around 6.5 lbs and will continue to gain 0.5 lbs each week.

Cravings: Avocado smoothies for breakfast! If you thought avocados were only meant to eat in savory dishes, think again! I’ve been putting avocado, banana, kale, milk and a liiittle bit of honey. Also try avocado sprinkled with sugar (if you dare). It’s a great snack!

Mom update: I’ve been feeling a lot of conflicting emotions lately. Is it possible to feel anticipation, joy, sadness, worry, apprehension, and peace all in one day? Let me tell you– when you’re pregnant and your hormones are all over the place, yes, you most certainly can.

Just patiently waiting for Eden’s arrival.