I didn't even make it to my 38 week update, nevermind 39 or my final picture update of 40 weeks! So here's a whopping huge post-partum so far update for you!
We are 11 days in today and things are going great. I have to say with 100% certainty going from 1 child to 2 children has been
tons easier than going from 0 children to 1! There's ups and downs to both, but I cannot believe how at ease I am with Ethan. It's like I knew him already and know exactly what he needs from me. I've taken care of a newborn before, so it was very easy that way.
I expected and anticipated broken up sleep and sleep deprived nights. When I would put Ethan down in his cradle and he would fuss within 5 minutes...3 times in a row...it was just like "yeah...whatever! No problem, little man...we'll figure this out!" Whereas with Braden I was so confused and wanted to pull my hair out trying to "figure him out" which we know is about darn near impossible!
Sleep The first few nights Ethan was very spitty. Mostly it was really thick mucous from birth, but every time I would lay him down he would spit and wake up. Luckily this resolved itself and he's rarely a spitty baby now ::fingers crossed:: which is awesome because Braden was a SUPER spitty baby!
Ethan's been giving me really good stretches of sleep. I get at least one 3 hour stretch out of him, usually in the really late morning around 5 or so. In the beginning he would eat, sleep for an hour, eat, sleep for an hour and repeat.
Now he seems to have his days/nights straightened out and we haven't had a late night party for a few days! He's been sleeping 2-4 hours, eating and repeating at night which is AWESOME and has made me feel so much more human! Longest stretch thus far has been 4.75 hours!
Breastfeeding Ethan is a champ, just like his brother was and I am so so so blessed and thankful for this precious gift I can give my sons. Ethan latched on instantly after he was born and has happily nursed away ever since. I was starting to get a tiny crack on one side, but it quickly resolved and I'm just dealing with the getting used to breastfeeding soreness again. The first 30 seconds are toe-curlingly painful....and then it's all good.
He's eating every 1-4 hours, just depending on his sleep cycles but he's nursing very very well and he's SO efficient, which surprises me! For being a tiny guy (5 lbs 15 oz on discharge from the hospital) I have only had to rouse him once to eat, whereas with Braden I often had to strip him and tickle his toes to get him to eat quite often. Braden also used to nurse for 40+ minutes PER SIDE, but Ethan does it in 20 minutes maximum and often way less.
I am proud of myself and I am so much more confident with nursing without a cover. I do not use a cover in my own home, but will cover up in other people's homes or when I'm in public (for my choice, not other's). But if I'm in a nursing room, such as at the mall, I don't cover up and it feels so good to have that freedom!
My Mood I had been coping really well with the usual sleep deprivation...until day 8. I ran out of my New Mommy High, and I cried the ugly tears on day 8. With the combination of Braden having some poop regression, having 3 small poop accidents that day...a really poopy (no pun intended) night of sleep for me the night before...I hit my wall and I cried. Braden cried for having poop accidents, I cried because of all the above, and also he started calling me "Mom" which made me feel really old and like he had suddenly become a teenager. Today? I think it's kinda cute that he calls me Mom...though I do encourage him to call me Mommy!
But luckily for me I have an amazing support system with my sisters-in-law Laura & Jess. Laura is 10 weeks ahead of me and Jess is 6 months in their post-partum glory...so it's amazing to count on these two lovelies to help me through these rough times. Love you both so much!
My Recovery In all honesty? If I didn't have Ethan in my arms, I would never be able to tell I had a baby! No tearing, average blood loss...I have felt GREAT! I was sore "down there" last time but not at all with this one. I can't explain it, but I'm not complaining! TMI for the fellas, but I thought my post-partum bleeding has stopped as of 3 days ago and that was a heck of a lot faster than last time...but then whoosh. And that's all I'll say about that!
I tweeted a lot about my after-pains. YOWZAH! They hurt like a sunnuvahbitch this time and I've heard they get worse with every baby you have. It felt like I was in labor all over again, and this lasted for a good 3-4 days.
Right now I'm getting some headaches, but this could be partially due to the change in the weather system (hello, snow!) so hopefully they will go away soon!
I'm going to post an update on Braden very soon, so I'm not going to touch on that here! I also wanted to give a big shout out and congratulations to
Carey & her baby Ethan,
Censie & baby Teagan, and
Chelsey & baby Evie! Our babies were all born I believe within 5 days of each other! So if you're looking for more newborn goodness...go and give these ladies a follow and say hi!
Also! One more thing! I'm in an agriculture photo contest! I submitted 3 photos in 3 different categories. I can win $300 if all my photos win in their categories! Please please vote for each photo every 24 hours until November 15. You do have to like the Facebook page in order to vote, but keep in mind you can "hide" them from your news feed if you don't like to like pages and after the contest you could unlike them too!a
Here are the direct links to each picture - please and thanks so much!
