2 Weeks Post-Partum

Technically two weeks and two days. I wanted to document all of this at exactly two weeks, but the day got away from me on Saturday and I barely managed to take Tommy's weekly picture. Let's start with pictures.


My stomach is still going down and I think most of the fluid and pregnancy "stuff" is gone, so it's going to be all diet and exercise to get my pre-pregnancy body back. I rejoined Weight Watchers on Saturday and started tracking points yesterday. I weighed in at 173 pounds yesterday and set my first goal for 164 pounds. I think I need to lose about 15-20 pounds to get back into my size 8 pants, which is my goal for my return to work date. I have 10 weeks to lose the weight and tone up. I already packed away my maternity clothes, but can really only fit in to one or two pairs of my jeans, both a size 10. I'd love to just throw on a dress some days, but I kind of forgot how difficult it can be to breastfeed while wearing a dress, so I'm sticking to pants and nursing friendly shirts.

This past weekend my bleeding finally subsided and I haven't had any more painful contractions, thank the good Lord because those suckers KILLED. My heartburn has been gone since little Tommy came out. It always amazes me how quickly it just disappears. This time I got the worst heartburn during labor and ended up taking meds to get rid of it so I was thrilled when it was gone after birth.

Breastfeeding is going really well and I've been using coconut oil instead of lanolin and it's really helped heal my cracked skin. Tommy has a great latch and strong suck which took some getting used to - it's like having a snapping turtle latch on. I call him the snapdragon when he latches. But I'm thankful for another baby who nurses so easily because I wouldn't want to repeat Stasa's initial breastfeeding experience. He was cluster feeding in the evening and then giving me some good stretches of sleep, like three sometimes four hours at night, but now he's taken a leaf out of Lexi's baby book and seems to not want to miss a single meal. This past weekend he ate just about every hour and a half. Of course the two week growth spurt is probably also to blame for the increased demand, but I thought the same thing when Lexi was a baby and that girl never missed a feeding and didn't sleep through the night until she was about 10 months old. But I won't mind if the little man is that way. He's so relaxed and goes into a milk coma after eating and once I move him to his own room I'm sure I'll sleep better.

Yes, he's still in our room. Yes, I've eaten my words from four or five years ago. I said I wouldn't have the kids sleep in our room, but after having kids and then having a slight choking scare with Stasa while we were in the hospital I ate my words and Stas moved into our room for the first few weeks. Well, really we slept on the couch with her on us for the first two weeks, then moved her into our room for another week. Lexi stayed in our room for the first two weeks and then we moved her to the crib. I think I'll probably keep Tommy in the bassinet in our room for another couple of weeks. While he does go into a milk coma he also tends to spit up long after eating (even with lots of burping) and we're both a bit paranoid that he'll choke so I feel better having him right next to me. And because he's right next to me I wake up at the slightest noise and like all new babies he makes a ton of little noises and grunts "eh eh eh" in his sleep. At least I'm able to nap during the day and that helps me feel a little more human.

Oddly enough this pregnancy and recovery has been the easiest so far. I was definitely more tired this time around, but that's only to be expected when you're pregnant and running after two young kids. Tom and I agreed that having to keep the girls on their schedule after Tommy was born has really helped us keep a normal schedule. When Stasa was born we were sleeping during the day, up at night and it was really hard to transition back to our regular schedule. We were better when Lexi was born, but this time has been the best schedule-wise. Routine has been one of the keys to success for us with the girls. And it's probably also why I feel like my normal, although somewhat sleep-deprived, self.

One week later

Tommy is now a week old. Yesterday was his due date and I still can not believe that he's already been with us for a full week and yet it feels like he's been with us forever. I love having a boy in the house and ::knock on wood:: this kid is so chill. He cries when he's hungry or when he pees, but for the most part he's content to just hang out on us for a nap or lounge in his swing. He tolerates his big sisters mauling him and forcing him to take his pacifier, but that's a whole post on its own.

We took him to the pediatrician on Monday for his initial check up and he weighed in at 7 pounds 7 ounces, down from his discharge weight of 7 pounds 15 ounces. Of course my milk hadn't yet come in at that point so we weren't too concerned about the weight loss since he was nursing around the clock and was still having plenty of meconium poops. Tom was worried about Tommy's color and thought he was a bit yellow, but the doctor said he looked okay and just to keep feeding him and take him out in the sunlight when we could.

We went back in for a weight check on Friday and he gained 6 ounces! Back up to 7 pounds 13.5 ounces and his color was much better and she said there were no jaundice concerns. His circumcision is also healing nicely and as soon as that gross umbilical stump falls off we'll be able to give him a proper bath, which he desperately needs - the sponge bath isn't cutting it.

Maybe it's because this is our third time around or maybe it's just him, ::knock on wood:: but Tommy is a great nurser and sleeper. He eats anywhere from every hour and a half to every three hours and sleeps in between. I feel like I've come such a long way with breastfeeding when I look back on my initial experience with Stasa. I'm so happy that I stuck with it because I learned so much about proper latch and ways to increase my supply. Although even with his good latch my poor breasts are cracked and in pain and the round the clock feeding isn't giving them enough time to heal, BUT I replaced the lanolin I was using with coconut oil and OMG it's made a huge difference. Not only does it smell amazing, it soaks into my skin faster and is helping heal the cracks fast. I also got another new product to help catch the milk from the non-nursing side at each feeding. I have always needed to wear breast pads since my breasts never seem to get the message that both don't need to letdown when the baby is eating. And since I letdown on both sides at each feeding my pads were getting soaked with wasted milk. I happened across this new product, Milkies, and thought what the hell, let's try it. I'm so glad I bought it because I've been catching one to two ounces of milk at each feeding - just from letdown!

I definitely wasn't looking forward to the sleepless nights, but don't feel as exhausted as I thought I would. Of course having Tom take over during part of the night and naps in the middle of the day help me feel more rested. And we haven't yet faced the first growth spurt and I definitely remember how awful it was during the six week spurt. But for now I'll celebrate the sleep I do get.

I'm happy that we came home a little early from the hospital because it let me dive right back into our routine with the girls. I've been pretty active since coming home and have even managed a couple of short outings with the boy and Tom. My bleeding has gone down a lot, but I'm still having sporadic post-partum contractions during feedings and OMG those suckers are PAINFUL this time. The first few days I literally had to breathe through them all lamaze-like just to get through the pain. I finally stopped taking ibuprofen a few days after being home, but those first few days I was counting down the hours until I could get my next dose of meds, even though it seemed to do nothing.

I'm trying to remember my pre-pregnancy weight and I think it was around 155 or something, but I know I weighed in at 163 pounds at my first appointment for this pregnancy. I stepped on the scale today and was 172. Not too terrible for a week out. I've been eating relatively healthy foods, sticking to Greek yogurt and berries and spinach smoothies for breakfast, a lot of salads and fish for lunches and dinners. But I've also had my fair share of unhealthy foods- a couple of pints of Ben and Jerry's, pizza dinner, and Wendy's for lunch. Once my milk supply regulates I'll be rejoining Weight Watchers since I was successful last time using that to lose the baby weight. And after I get the all clear at my six week check up I'll start up with the elliptical and ab ripper again. For now I'm just trying to eat as healthy as I can, but still allowing myself treats and am going to start taking some longer walks with Tom and Tommy next week.

Here's me at one week post-partum. Not too bad, though I still look four or five months pregnant. I did pack away my maternity clothes yesterday because I don't want the temptation to wear oversized clothes and need some motivation to get back into my regular clothes. I'm still wearing yoga pants or leggings every day, but am back in my regular shirts. I'll eventually try squeezing myself into a pair of jeans, but for now I'll stick with my stretchy pants.

2 Weeks Post-Partum

Don't judge the exhausted look on my face. I know I look like I've been brought back from the dead. You can thank my daughters for keeping me up all night. Anyway, here's my belly 2 weeks post-partum. It's definitely still jiggly and squishy, but is going down a little bit more everyday. I have about 9 more pounds to lose before I'm back to my pre-pregnancy weight. As soon as I get the all clear from my OB I'll start working out to tone everything up. 

And here's my 2 week post-partum list:

1. Heartburn is gone! Although it was immediately gone the second Lexi was born. 

2. Breastfeeding this time around is much much easier. Lexi is a natural and I knew what to expect this time. 

3. Sleep is somewhat non-existent right now. Lexi's an around the clock eater once the evening hours hit, but I'm sure it'll get better soon.

4. I feel great. I felt like my normal self while I was still in the hospital and now that I've hit the 2 week mark I can start being a bit more active. 

5. We're still alive and happy.