This past month as a new Mom has been an absolute blur., you can read all about that here.   I’ve cried, I’ve laughed, and I’ve been able to function with minimal sleep.  At times I have never been more happy in my entire life, and at other times I have never been more frustrated.  I think the best advice I’ve read lately from Austin Moms Blog is, “You need to lower your expectations…..then probably lower them again.” It’s taken me 24 days to write this post, and that’s OK, I have managed to get dressed almost every day 😉

I definitely plan to continue talking about my fitness goals and progress  and am excited to share my postpartum physical recovery. I don’t have any expectations of how long it will take to lose the baby weight. That being said I’m excited to get back into the healthy lifestyle I love and continue to be a good example to my step-kids and son.

Breastfeeding

I wasn’t sure if I’d like breastfeeding. I’ve never been overly passionate about doing it, but I knew I wanted to at least try and see how it goes.  Between the numerous pregnancy books I read, and stories I heard, I anticipated that breastfeeding would be challenge.   After the first few weeks my breast were cracked and VERY sore.  He seemed to need to be feed every hour, slept very little, and cried all the time, leaving us both feeling frustrated and helpless.

At 27 days postpartum we discovered that my little boy only put on 1lb since birth.  He was averaging 13g a day when they would like to see him gaining an average of 30g a day.  My doctor reassured me that he was getting enough to remain healthy and develop but not enough to be satisfied.  Her initial suspicion was that I wasn’t producing enough milk.  It turned out my little babe had a extra piece of skin under his tongue (Tongue-Tie), which was thicker than any that she had normally seen.

This limited his his tongue mobility, preventing him from obtaining a proper latch.  After this discovery we started supplementing daily with one pumped bottle. After 8 days he gained 1.1lbs averaging 50g a day. Since then we had 2 specialists appointments with pediatric dentists.  He has had his tongue-tie and a lip-tie corrected with laser. In addition to this we have seen a lactation specialist  to help correct the bad habits that developed over the last 6 weeks.  I am happy to report that things are getting much easier for both of us, he is gaining an average of 40g a day.

Physical Recovery

Every day I wake up and I’m not sure how I will feel.  Some days I wake up and feel horrible, others I feel amazing.  I was fortunate to have a quick and uncomplicated labour.  I have seen both my GP and a pelvic floor specialist to help me get back on track.  The majority of my discomfort comes from the fall I experienced at 37 weeks and the Symphysis pubis dysfunction.  The Physiotherapist confirmed that the issue isn’t  mobility within the joint, but a compensation issue involving the surrounding muscles .  This news has been encouraging  and a week into my physio exercise I have already noticed a difference.

During the first 2 weeks I was dealing with extreme fatigue, I averaged 3 hours a night, usually in 30-60 minute spurts. Since then things have improved and I am up to 6 hours a night in 60-120 minute spurts.  Sleep deprivation makes everything else I’m going through feel 100x more difficult.

Emotional Recovery

Given my history of anxiety I was pretty paranoid I’d have a hard time with postpartum hormones. I still may have some issues, but so far I’ve felt pretty good. I have my moments of breaking down and crying.  Usually after I’ve been up all night with a baby who refuses to sleep  and has to be held/fed non-stop for hours on end. He’s just a normal baby doing normal baby thing.  But its emotionally exhausting, especially when your alone all day and you can’t get the simplest of tasks done.

First Month Fun

1. March 11th was His first car ride we drove 20 minutes home from the hospital.  This was also the first time he met Our cat, Star.  Shes more interested in his burp cloths.
2. 16th March we had our  first doctors appointment.
3. March 17th was our first walk into Steveston.
4.  21st March the first time he was held by his big brother.
5. March 22nd we visited Southarm Community Center to pick up our big brother and meet this friends at after school care.
6. March 25th & 27th we celebrated Easter at each grandparents. Meeting his uncle and cousins for the first time.
7. March 29th he met his big sister who was on vacation in Australia when he was born.
8. April 5th we visited our friends from Spin class at Southarm Community Center.
9. &th of April we had our first play date with our friend Jack.
10. April 8th we visited our friends at The Great Little Box Company.

How was your first week as a  new mom?