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Postpartum Update // Two

July 16, 2018 by Rachel 16 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links

I can’t believe this little lady has been with us for three whole weeks already! Honestly, the last few weeks have felt like months — but I look down at my still-soft belly and feel my organs still shifting back into place and I remember that, oh yes, it’s only been three weeks.

Sleep  //

We’re riding the roller coaster of sleep over here. Some nights are great while other nights are completely overwhelming. That being said, this child is still a much better sleeper than her siblings ever were as infants. The other night she slept for 6 hours straight, which to this day is still hit or miss with Ari and Remy.

I know, I know… I’m lucky. Very lucky. But there have been nights with constant screaming and zero sleep as well. And those nights are really, really, difficult. I truly think I have PTSD from Remy and on these nights I get incredible anxiety and flashbacks of her infancy.

One thing that has helped is consistency. If I keep her actively keep her awake in the afternoon (which means she’s screaming and angry) and put her down around 7:30 – 8:00 PM, she’ll sleep for a few hours straight. So we’re sticking to this schedule as much as possible.

Breastfeeding  //

Nursing Mila is still going well. My supply seems to have stabilized a bit and I’m no longer engorged. But, gosh, there are days where I wish I wasn’t her only way of nourishment! I know that all nursing mamas have felt this way at some point or another, but there are some days where I wish I could just sleep and hand her off to my husband.

Maternity Leave + Paternity Leave  //

Speaking of my husband, he’s still on paternity leave. Actually, he went back to work for two days before I begged him to take two additional weeks off. I was overwhelmed from having a sick toddler and a newborn (Remy contracted Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease the morning of the 4th of July and has been super contagious ever since). So he has been home with us — Thank GOD.

I decided, however, to get Ari and Mila out of the house by returning to work at the end of last week. It was a gentle transition back for all of us. Ari got to see all of his friends from the YMCA and play all morning, meanwhile I handed Mila off to my coworker and snuggled other babies in childcare. It was great!

The Big Kids  //

HFM Disease really threw our world upside down. I mean, it was awful. She woke up on the 4th with a fever and threw up. I thought “Oh no — another stomach bug!” But the next morning she woke up without the fever, but with bumps around her mouth and booty. And then all over her legs, feet, and hands.

We did a digital appointment with a pediatrician so I didn’t have to take everyone out of the house and she confirmed that, yes, it was HFM. When she found out I also had a newborn at home she cringed. I had to do my best to keep her away from her new baby sister — you know, the one she’s been obsessed over since the day she was born.

That’s the point at which I begged Chad to take another 2 weeks off of work.

Luckily, at 10 days after the fever, all of her symptoms seemed to be completely gone. Which meant she could finally get out of the house for a bit. So I took her to our favorite place — Target!

This cart hammock from Binxy Baby makes our frequent trips to the store a million times easier. Not only do people seem to compliment it nonstop, but I have the entire cart free for groceries (which certainly wouldn’t happen with her giant car seat in the cart).

Ari, however, has been able to get out and enjoy himself quite a bit lately. I took him and Mila on an adventure to the LEGO Store for their monthly mini build followed by lunch and he was in HEAVEN.

I had zero distractions from him since his baby sister slept the whole time, so he loved having my undivided attention.

He’s also been going to Tot Time in the park still and he participated in our community Goldfish Catch (which is basically filling up the community wading pool with goldfish and sending the kids in to catch them — ha!)!

So he’s been living the good life while Remy has been miserable. But here’s hoping we’re on the upswing for everyone!

Mental + Physical Health  //

Mentally, I feel mostly okay. I’m still surprised that I seem to have avoided any signs of PPD/PPA thus far. And my most difficult times certainly seem to be the moments where all of the children are screaming and demanding, which is to be expected.

And physically I’m feeling pretty good. My immediate postpartum weight loss seems to have leveled off a bit. I’ve not ever been one of those nursing moms who drops weight quickly. In fact, my body seems to think it needs to go into hibernation mode while I’m breastfeeding.

So I’m starting back on Weight Watchers to keep myself accountable — plus, they take into account all of the extra food I’m supposed to be eating as an exclusively breastfeeding mom! And I’m definitely looking forward to getting back into my workout routine soon!

We’re still very much in survival mode and I’m certain we have some major changes coming next week when Chad officially goes back to work. So keep sending all of your positive vibes our way!

 

 

Disclosure: I received the Binxy Baby in exchange for my honest review. As always, all opinions herein are my own.

Filed Under: #MomLife, babies, breastfeeding, busy mom, children, family, health, maternity leave, mental health, mommyhood, Oh baby!, parenthood, postpartum, review, tips + tricks Tagged With: #MomLife, babies, being a mom, busy mom, children, family, health, maternity leave, mental health, oh baby, parenthood, postpartum, review, tips + tricks

Previous Post: « Prenatal Self-Care with Make-Ahead Scrambled Egg Muffins
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Marina

    July 16, 2018 at 4:26 pm

    Your kids are just beautiful <3

    Reply
  2. Rachelle

    July 16, 2018 at 6:51 pm

    So nice that your husband has been home to help, I remember how overwhelmed I was those first few weeks!

    Reply
  3. Lori Geurin

    July 16, 2018 at 7:12 pm

    It sounds like you’re keeping busy! 😉 I’m glad you made it through HFM disease without the baby (or anyone else) catching it. Your children are precious.

    Reply
  4. Jessica Wagner

    July 16, 2018 at 7:52 pm

    Wishing you lots of rest in between! It’s funny how quickly you forget those long nights! We have two and I keep thinking about having another one, but mine were never good sleepers! Thanks for sharing mama!! XO

    https://www.theweekenderafashionfieldguide.com

    Reply
  5. eryka

    July 16, 2018 at 8:16 pm

    That hammock is awesome!!! We haven’t hand HFM yet… I’m hoping we never do. It sounds so terrible.

    Reply
  6. Courtney N Spena

    July 16, 2018 at 9:16 pm

    Isn’t it crazy how the days all just meld together when you’re up around the clock?! It passes so quickly and so slowly all at the same time.

    Reply
  7. Angela Amores

    July 16, 2018 at 11:29 pm

    Congrats on week three. The new baby is so cute. I love all her cute outfits. Yes to help. My son was 16 months when my daughter was born and I was all about as much help as I could get. Love all the cute photos.

    Reply
  8. Patricia

    July 17, 2018 at 10:47 am

    I’m glad that you’re feeling ok!! What a busy few weeks!!

    Reply
  9. Marta Rivera Diaz

    July 17, 2018 at 11:38 am

    You seem to be plugging along pretty well, Mama! Keep it up!

    Reply
  10. Julie A

    July 17, 2018 at 11:57 am

    Congrats on the 6 hours of sleep! And on the absences of PPD. Both are wonderful accomplishments!

    Reply
  11. Jen Oliak

    July 17, 2018 at 3:51 pm

    Thank you for being so open on this subject. So many moms who relate to you and I’m sure this helps them a lot!

    Reply
  12. Jazz

    July 17, 2018 at 10:32 pm

    Glad things are stabilizing for you. And I love the girls’ matching outfits!

    Reply
  13. Maegan

    July 17, 2018 at 10:40 pm

    Your children are beautiful! You’re doing so well with adjusting to three! Keep up the amazing Momming! (And that hammock looks amazing)

    Reply
    • Rachel

      July 17, 2018 at 10:41 pm

      Thank you!!

      Reply
  14. TMS

    July 18, 2018 at 1:31 am

    You are killing it, mama!

    Reply
  15. adriana

    July 18, 2018 at 9:15 am

    Your little ones are the cutest! Congrats and it sounds like you’re doing great!

    Reply

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