Happy Thursday, sweet friends!
1 month.
It’s been 1 month since my sweet boy entered the world. I’ve been meaning to share baby and postpartum updates on here for a few weeks, but monthly updates it is…
XO
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Raise your hand if you’ve pooped your pants today!
BABY GRAY UPDATE | 1 MONTH
WEIGHT: When he was born, he was 7lbs 3oz. At his first check up a few days after he was born, he was down to 7 pounds. (This is expected for breastfed babies since they feed on demand.) By his two week appointment, he was up to 8lbs 4oz. Safe to say this boy likes his milk. I don’t know how much he weighs now because we don’t go back to the Ped until 2 months. (Normally it’s 1 month, but since he was gaining weight and all looked good and this is my third baby, we feel comfortable extending it to 2 months.)
BREASTFEEDING: The first week of breastfeeding is always brutal for me. With all 3 babies, I’ve gotten blood blisters on my nipples and the pain when they latch is excruciating. Then, when my milk fully comes in a few days after we get home (normally it comes in on day 4 or 5 for me), I get SO painfully engorged. Since this isn’t my first rodeo, I know that I just have to power through it and that it really does get SO much better. As happened the last 2 times, seemingly overnight my nipples heal. And thanks to a powerful nurser and a lot of expressing milk, my breastmilk levels out and the engorgement goes away. I’m working on a post with tips for getting through the first week, but for now, here are some products that I love…
STRUGGLES: He’s been quite gassy lately, which has affected his sleep. I’m trying to figure out if it’s something I’m eating, or if it’s just that his little digestive system has to get the kinks worked out. I also shared on my IG Stories that he’s a grunter, just like Harper was. I’m not talking like normal baby sounds. I’m talking like there’s an elephant in the room sounds. It’s SO crazy that such a little human could make such a big noise. A quick Google search reveals that it’s called Grunting Baby Syndrome (GBS), and that he’s gotta learn how to poop and that it’s not an easy thing to poop while lying down. I’ll take their word for it.
HOW ARE THE GIRLS ADJUSTING? Well, as you can see, they don’t love him at all and this poor boy doesn’t get any attention. 🙂 Thankfully, the excitement and obsession has worn off a little bit. When we brought him home from the hospital, they were ALL over him, ALL the time. Like while I was trying to get him to latch, they would be kissing his head and wanting to hold him. I tried my best to include them and give them both one-on-one time with him, so that when it was time to nurse, they would skedaddle. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t. I just had to continually remind myself that it’s a phase, and soon the novelty would wear off. It did, and now their obsession is at a reasonable level. Ha.
Evy (2.5 years old) is definitely going through something, which is totally understandable. She is much more clingy and whiny than normal. I’m trying to make sure to give her extra attention and snuggles, which isn’t easy when Gray wants to nurse all day long. But, I’m trying and that, I think, is the most important.
Harper (5) is at such a great age. When Evy was born, she didn’t understand and frankly wasn’t any help. (That was a joke.) This time, she can actually help. She loves to hold him and burp him. She’ll sing to him and she’s a pro at getting him to take the pacifier, which is especially useful in the car. I’m so proud of my big girl.
FAVORITE PRODUCTS: You don’t need much in these first few months, but there are a few products that we’ve been loving and using over and over. This $20 bathtub has made bathing this little guy SO easy. (I shared it in this post when I was pregnant, along with tips for baby’s first bath at home.)
I’ve been loving these sleepers because they zip from the bottom, making diaper changes so much easier. Also, this diaper pail is a must have and works better than other ones I’ve tried.
This Tula carrier was a favorite when Evy was a baby, and it’s getting a lot of use again. A definite must have if you have more than 1 kiddo and need two hands. I love that it works for both newborns and older babes. And it’s easy to use and you can put it on yourself without having to contort your body.
OK, if you have more than 1 kid, you NEED to check out the Doona car seat/stroller. This thing has made my life SO much easier and it’s been worth every single penny, especially for quick drop offs and pick ups.
POSTPARTUM UPDATE | 1 MONTH
PHYSICAL UPDATE: This recovery has been by far the smoothest one. Maybe my body just gets the hang of this whole postpartum thing, but I feel pretty great. Or maybe it’s in comparison to how I felt during pregnancy, which was shitty. Even just a few days postpartum, I felt like myself again. Well, until I looked in the mirror and saw the 30 extra pounds that are hanging on.
WEIGHT LOSS: I know this shouldn’t be a focus, but for real – it’s a part of the whole thing, and I know I won’t fully feel like myself until I’m back to my “normal” weight. I was 123-ish when I got pregnant and I’m now at 149. I ended pregnancy at 179, so I gained about 56 pounds and have lost 30 so far. (Yes, I just used a calculator.) I still have a ways to go, but I’m hoping that once I get cleared to workout I will feel even better. I’m trying not to focus on it too much, but it’s a challenge.
EMOTIONAL UPDATE: Overall, I’m feeling great. I was starting to feel those all too familiar postpartum anxiety feelings about 2 weeks postpartum, and I immediately went through my metal health checklist:
– Am I getting enough sleep? No. I hadn’t napped the day before, so I made sure to make that a priority.
– Am I eating well? No. I was skipping lunch and snacking a lot, which isn’t good in those early days of breastfeeding. I needed more nutrients and a whole lot of water.
– Do I need to increase my Zoloft? Yes. I called my Dr. immediately to ask for an increase in my dosage. I am making it a point NOT to get hung up on a number and instead listen to myself and continually check in on how I’m feeling. I know that this is just a season.
