Reporting on week two of this journey… has it only been two weeks?! If you missed Week One, catch it right here.

HOW I AM FEELING PHYSICALLY:

Things are getting better and better. While I still try and be cautious, physically I feel like I am able to hang in there and do quite a bit. I have found myself wanting venture out more and more just for the sake of getting out of the house and this past week we have begun walking the kids to school instead of driving. It seriously was amazing at how much I enjoyed such a mundane activity.

My incision area itches like crazy, but luckily I am seeing my OB this week for my follow-up where he will remove the tape and stitches so I am hoping it will be less of a nuisance.

I stopped taking the pain medication they subscribed to me just a few days ago and have only been relying on Ibuprofen for when I need it. Mostly for the cramping that is still occurring due to the bleeding which I am hoping ends very soon.

When we were in the hospital waiting for Brooks to make his debut, I told my husband that I was giving myself two weeks after being home. Two weeks of eating anything and everything I wanted to and when I wanted to only to get my fill after having to diet so religiously after being diagnosed with gestational diabetes in the third trimester. So, yes. I did find myself enjoying a cookie or two for breakfast here or there only for the sake of putting something in my mouth while holding and rocking a newborn. However, I reached my deadline and I will now be buckling down and getting back on track with eating appropriately. Even though my blood levels were on point after delivery in the hospital, I want to ensure that I am not dealing with health issues later with it now that I am 50% more likely to develop it. And not to mention my family history with it. My number one priority is to make sure my health comes first and that I am around for a long time to come!

MY CURRENT WEIGHT:

I am still weighing in at 158 LBS so the number hasn’t moved for the past week. I’m sure it will start to tick down again once my eating habits get back on track as well as what I hear from my OB about when I have the green light to dive into regular physical activity.

And I want to make sure and say that my goal is not in a number. I am simply sharing that for the sake of tracking changes for those of you who are interested or about to experience the postpartum part of the baby journey. I actually only step on the scale right before sitting down to write the update here. Everyone is different and every body handles birth differently. I strongly believe, however, that weight loss or physical/health improvement should be based off of how you feel and not based on what size clothes you can fit into or what the scale reads.

Before documenting this journey I never weighed myself outside of medical appointments when they came up. I didn’t even look at the scale at my OB appointments – I actually stepped on backwards! 

My one piece of advice is to not get wrapped up in the numbers. Our bodies change so much after birthing a baby so comparing your body to what it was before child bearing years will never get you to where you want to be.

HOW I AM FEELING MENTALLY:

This week has been a little more rough than the last and I think it has to do with easing back into real life. The first week home we were so grateful and blessed to have meals delivered from friends and family and my mother was also very involved with helping due to Jarett’s unique work schedule.

However, you have to move forward and now we are getting back to the regular every day. And I’m not going to lie, it’s a lot. Like, a hell of a lot. Kids are in school and every afternoon and evening is filled with homework, studying, picking up, dinner, baths, bedtime routines… I’m out of breath. And with Jarett being gone in the evenings and a newborn needing a lot of attention, I barely make it through some days. And when I do there is absolutely a time or two where I lost my temper and then you are dealing with mom guilt.

So I am still working hard to zero in on if it is just regular stress and paying close attention to how I am handling it. Is it healthy and normal? Or is it possibly my anxiety or potential baby blues/postpartum? Again, I will be discussing this with my OB to see what he thinks and suggests, but I am not taking anything lightly or brushing it off easily. Only because of what I went through last year just before getting pregnant.

HOW THE FAMILY IS ADJUSTING:

Things are still going amazingly well in this area. Everyone has gotten used to Brooks being here and while they still ask daily to help or hold, it isn’t as overwhelming as when we first got home with him.

And to tell you the truth, I am not the first one to say how lucky I am to be surrounded by so many mini parents. I have several sets of hands available to hold and feed if I need to get to something else and it has truly been a blessing.

FEEDING:

I’m actually going to remove this piece from my updates only because there is not much to report on the process since I don’t breastfeed. Brooks is drinking between 3 and 4 fluid ounces every 3 to 5 hours.

SLEEPING:

Sleeping is a bit rough right now only because I have gotten back to being able to stay up later and enjoying the fact that I can. All through my pregnancy I couldn’t keep my eyes open past 8:00 PM it felt like. So I have been a little careless in this area and have stayed up past midnight on more than one occasion when I should have probably been sleeping since Brooks sleeps from 8:00 PM most nights until his first middle of the nigh feeding at around 12:00 PM.

After that midnight feeding, he is usually up again around 4:00 AM, but it is not entirely consistent. So some nights he is earlier and waking at 10:00 PM to feed which then puts us at 2:00 AM for the next time.

However, it comes out to him being up only about twice each night when we are actually asleep which I still say is pretty darn good for two weeks. And we have noticed he sleeps heavier and longer when sleeping with me only because I think Dad has to shift and move Baby a few times because of his back during the night.

BABY’S GROWTH:

Brooks had his second checkup he is still doing wonderful. He is now up to 8 lbs, 3 ounces up from 7 lbs, 6 ounces from last week’s check up. He is also practically 22 inches long now which is not surprising with how snug his newborn clothing is getting. Definitely bittersweet and hard to come to terms with!

ADVICE FOR FELLOW MOTHERS ABOUT TO EMBARK ON WEEK TWO:

Be patient with yourself. Yes, I’m repeating this from last week. Even though you are slowly settling back into every day life, be sure and still ask for help when you need it. Don’t try to be strong because you are worried about looking weak – you are going through so much and asking for help is not weakness. It’s better for you and Baby when you can keep the stress at bay as much as possible.

And while your to-do list may be nagging at you at times and the laundry may be piling up, remember to take time to soak in the smallest of moments. It really does go fast and they are only in this stage for a short time. You will blink and it’s over. Be selfish and revel in it. Stay in bed a little longer. Say no to a little more.

Cheers!