Reporting on postpartum week four. If you missed previous updates, you can catch them here: Week One, Week Two, Week Three

HOW I AM FEELING PHYSICALLY:

Everything is pretty much the same, but I am still experiencing pain at the site of my epidural. It’s tender to the touch and I have noticed that it really flares up after I have been wearing Brooks in the sling and I have been on my feet. I am also struggling with bending over at a certain angle. So sometimes when I try and pick something up from the floor or I am putting dishes in the dishwasher, I will feel a shooting like pain where my epidural was. I have experienced this before following Blair’s birth, but I am hoping it doesn’t take months to go away like it did back then.

The more I am doing physically, the more I am noticing how much muscle I no longer have. So while I am feeling good, I look forward to feeling a bit stronger down the road.

I am truly lucky that Barre 3 is opening up near us so I will be attending classes there in the new year. And since my sister is the owner of the new Barre 3 location, I will be trying to attend the pop-up classes they hold from now until the end of the year. Hoping to actually get to my first one this week! The barre workout seems like the best fit for me with my dance background as well as being able to get in a full body workout with low impact movements – especially after just having a baby and spending the last several years working too much and not putting any focus on my body.

For those of you who are interested, I will be sharing more about the results I experience from Barre 3 as I work to attend my first class as well as over time.

MY CURRENT WEIGHT:

My next OB follow up is not for another two weeks, so I am unsure where my weight currently sits. However, the past week I have been saying no to carbs more and yes to the good stuff now that I am buckling back down on what I am consuming.

I don’t have it in me to live a life of measuring my food and counting numbers, but because of my increased chance of developing Type 2 Diabetes (both from Gestational Diabetes and family history), I need to make sure that I am adulting really well in this area to not only feel as good as I can physically, but to make sure that I can have the freedom to indulge here and there when I want to.

HOW I AM FEELING MENTALLY:

I have to say that despite the struggle we have had with Brooks this week (more on that below), I have been feeling pretty good in this department. That’s not to say that I have not had tough days or hard moments, but I have been trying to make sure I am getting sleep when I can as well as getting outside and enjoying the fresh air and cooler weather. I have only found the need my medication once when I was feeling a bit strung out and overwhelmed, but so far so good.

Despite the uphill turn I have taken, I am bracing myself for after the Thanksgiving holiday when I am officially back to work from maternity leave and experiencing my usual schedule, deadlines and keeping clients happy. I am truly hoping that I will handle it well, but like I said, I am preparing myself that it could take a little bit of a downturn between postpartum and it being the stressful holiday season.

HOW THE FAMILY IS ADJUSTING:

I think I need to stop adding this section into these updates because the kiddos have done amazingly well with the adjustment. Aside from the fact that we forgot necessary supplies the other day when we packed everyone up to walk to the park. Ten minutes into playing at the playground and Brooks decides it’s the perfect time for a bowel movement. Needless to say everyone was a bit frustrated with Dad and I. You win some you lose some and we reminded them that we are a bit rusty after three years of not having to pack additional supplies when leaving the house – even if it is just for a walk!

FEEDING:

Unfortunately, we are struggling a bit in this department. Brooks has been experiencing constipation for the past week. We noticed he was not having as many bowel movements and had become increasingly fussy – sometimes we weren’t able to calm him down for several minutes which is really unlike him.

So after two days of that, we decided to switch him from Enfamil Premium to Enfamil Gentlease. After 24 hours of that, he was able to get things moving, but still struggling. So we are currently on day three of the new formula and still working to get him back to normal.

We have given him 2 ounces of water here and there which seems to really help as well as warm baths, massaging his tummy and pumping his legs. Even with all that though, he is only having a bowel movement once a day. The fussiness and crying is still there and he isn’t sleeping AS well as he was, but I am hoping this week we take a turn for the better. He and I have spent a lot of time together between rocking him at night and wearing him during the day.

He is still drinking about 4 fluid ounces every 4 hours or so.

SLEEPING:

Just before we started dealing with the above, Brooks slept from midnight to 8:00 AM which was absolutely incredible. I’m hoping we can get back on that train soon and I am still working hard to make myself go to sleep at night when I should and when Brooks is alseep.

However, it’s hard because after getting the other four to go down for bed, it’s the perfect quiet alone time for me to do all the things!

BABY’S GROWTH:

Again, we don’t have an appointment with the pediatrician until Brooks’ 2 month mark, but he is looking so much bigger to me. Especially when I had to jump into size one diapers yesterday! I’ll be honest, I definitely teared up. It’s going by so fast and I am just trying to hold on as tight as I can.

ADVICE FOR FELLOW MOTHERS ABOUT TO EMBARK ON WEEK FOUR:

Continue to get out of the house when you can and try to even get some time to yourself – leave the guilt behind and know that it is only making you a better mom. I know it’s easy to think that you are doing fine without worrying about yourself – and maybe you are! However, it does sneak up on you sometimes so make sure you are staying ahead of it and finding those opportunities, even if it’s just a little bit, to enjoy some you time. I ran some errands with just my oldest last week and I felt like a new women – a little shopping, Target browsing and singing in the car will do anyone some good!

Now that it has been a month, I will continue to share in the postpartum journey, but will be doing it two weeks at a time. And for all of my fellow expectant and current mamas out there, always feel free to drop in questions below or even post some advice for anything I am going through and experiencing. We gotta stick together! Wink!