Post Partum Momma's check in

[CarrieCo]

How are you doing?! How are you feeling? How are you handling motherhood? What's the best thing about not being pregnant anymore? Are you thinking of another baby yet?


My baby moon lasted for 5 nights ... then the sixth night I had my emotional crash/overwhelming feeling. Then it went away....thank goodness!

We're doing good here...except one of my boys bites while nursing! OUCH!!!

The best thing about not being prego anymore -- being able to pee!!! The first couple of days when I had pee'd large amounts...I thought it was a strange feeling. Also, being able to breathe is nice!!!

I definitely wouldn't be upset if we got pregnant again. Of course, I would prefer to be back to my pre-pregnancy weight ... which wasn't that light! Ten pounds to go!!!

[by-the-lake]

Hello. My babe is now 4.5 weeks old. I love to pee too!!!! And no more backache.
But I miss being pregnant and sort of feel shorted out of the last 5 weeks of pregnancy.
Nursing is going well. I did just get over a bit of mastitis, but its resolved with warm packs and massage.
Not sure if we are done. DH says we are, but.....
Glad you are feeling well CarrieCo.

[minsca]

Seth is just over 3 weeks now.
I had a bladder infection soon after he was born and couldn't clear it up naturally... so I went on antibiotics! Ugh, I would say never again!! I could stand the pain with peeing, now I have a terrible yeast infection in my breasts, poor Seth had thrush and has a yeast diaper rash. I am taking tons of probiotics and it has cleared up Seth's thrush. But my poor nipples are now ripped to shreds and bleeding due to the yeast (not poor latch). It hurst sooo much I feel like crying. The one nipple was so bad that I pumped out of that breast for one day and he nursed out one breast. It healed enough to stop bleeding, but now (today) it started bleeding again. I think I've tried every remedy known to mankind to help stop it and it does seem to be slowly going away. But not fast enough.

Other than that, things are going pretty good. He sleeps great (all the time). He's growing like crazy. The girls love him (though dd2 has started acting a bit jealous the last couple of days). I do wish I could catch a nap during the day, but that's about it.
My mood has been good, despite the fact that the days have become really short and we still have 6 inches of snow on the ground.
My best friend is coming up next week for 4 days, and I'm very excited to have her here as I'll be able to catch up on some sleep.
I'm jealous of your 10 lbs to go!! I have 25 lbs more to go. And I sooooo badly want to start working out. But because I'm still bleeding the dr has told me "no excercise" until the bleeding stops. Hopefully next week I can start doing some light excercise.
hope everyone else is doing really well!

[ExuberantDaffodil]

4 days postpartum, here. I'm feeling remarkably well. I keep waiting for the crash that I had with my son, but it hasn't hit yet.

I am so in love with my baby it hurts. She is seriously perfection, mamas. She is really quiet and peaceful during the day, but she sure can scream at night. Nursing has gotten off to a rough start, which totally surprised me considering I nursed my son until he was 3. I thought it would be all smooth sailing the second time around, but we're working on it.

Physically I feel great, which is another surprise. I have to keep telling myself to take it easy because I just have energy to spare. I know I need to be resting, though.

My husband is wonderful and is a great daddy. We fought throughout the entire pregnancy, so I was pretty nervous about how he was going to deal with the stress of having a newborn in the house, but he is very attentive to both me and the babe, and even my son, too. I am glad to see this side of him again.

I am thrilled not to be pregnant anymore. I can lay on my back, I can move and breathe... it is just such a relief. The pregnancy was hard on me, both physically and emotionally, and I feel much more like my former self. *whew*

[Cellist]

I'm only on day two after Birth Day, but so far so good, it seems.

I'm glad my family practitioner, who has come to the hospital each day, warned me about the possible crash at 5-6 days...I see it has happened to some of you, too! So far, everything feels pretty peachy.

My nipples are very sore, but the lactation consultant came to me today and taught me how to prevent making it worse. NOW I understand how to get him to latch on right!

Going home tomorrow after 3 nights in the hospital post partum...wish us luck!

CarrieCo - you're already talking about another pregnancy! WOw!!!!

[elisheva]

I'm happy for the freedom of movement and being able to bend over to pick up toys from the floor. I do really miss being pregnant at times, though. I've felt this way after each birth and I can't remember when the feeling goes away... I've been finding it hard to deal around 4-5 each day when it gets dark. It seems that I have a good cry at dinner or while making dinner nearly every day for the past 4 days (I'm 9 days postpartum now). I think I'm more tired now than I was after my previous births. I've really had to get back up and at it with three little ones. Two sunny days back-to-back is helping DH isn't sure if we should have another but I'd like one more in a few years.

[First-Time-Mommy]

How are you doing?! How are you feeling? How are you handling motherhood? What's the best thing about not being pregnant anymore? Are you thinking of another baby yet?

i'm doing alright and feeling okay. i know my tear wasn't very big but it is still very frustrating... i have a heating pad and some witch hazel pads, i use the peri-bottle but grr... i hate this part. i wakeup kind of sore down there every morning and then my arms hurt 'cause i'm not use to carrying around a baby... but nonetheless i'm enjoying every second with him . - handling motherhood nicely i think. i've had a lot of time to observe my newborn and reflect on the whole experience as it happened. i'm so thankful my little guy came out healthy. he is handsome and perfect, i love him!.

the best thing about not being pregnant anymore... definitely that i am not as irritable. i hated my dh's kisses and when he breathed on me when i was pregnant. when i was pregnant i didn't care much for his affection and it made me feel a bit distant from him, but he understood and never got upset about it(thank goodness). now we're back to normal and i want to cuddle and give affection. of course with our new addition to give hugs and kisses too now .

another baby? .......no. maybe, just MAYBE someday when i have long forgotten about the pains, and i say, "oh i was just being a wimp" or something to myself, do it all over again and say, "now i really don't want anymore... ever, i mean it", and probably do it all over again anyway... lol.

[deny_zoo29]

Yeah also to peeing like normal again, not small amounts every 20 minutes. Also I have not had heartburn since delivery and that is awesome! Yeah the crash happened the night after we left the hosiptal, so about day 5. I was a wreck...my nipples were sore and cracking (they've always been ultra sensitive and teh nursing made it worse!), I was exhausted, I felt like I couldn't get our LO satisfied, my incision was sore so I could barely walk and couldn't get in/out of bed or out of a chair w/o help...just everything at once. It lasted only a short time and by the next morning things were good again.
Nursing has been going well since and I've been able to pump and freeze about 20 oz so far, Yeah! As well as keeping our LO gaining weight and keeping her happy and satified!
We've always said we want 3, but the next one we won't start on till this one is about 2 yo!

Did have a slight scare today. I have had a small spot (about the size of a nickel) on the one side of my c/s incision that for the past few days has been Very tender and sore and red and puffy. I was going to call the doc and see about having it looked at, then when I was washing my hand at the bathroom sink I felt a liquidy feeling down my leg. I pulled of my pants and saw my underwear and pants were soaked with a browish/yellowish slimy pus-y yuck! I called the doc right away and they had me come in to have it checked. They said it was a fluid filled pocket (that is I guess common to c/s) that "popped" when I leaned on the counter. Good News...not infected! Bad News...they had to open the incision up a bit more (about 1 1/2 inches total) and I have to pack it with medicated packing material 3 times a day till Tuesday! And i have to be on Antibiotics for 10 days! Uggg!
I love just looking at our LO and realizing she's here and really ours (sometimes that's just as scary as it is exciting...kinda of like oh my gosh she's here and she's ours!)

[Mommy2Haley]

Day 3 here and SORE. Perineal tear from the fast birth. I tried stretching things while she was coming down but when you're doing it all yourself it's hard to concentrate

Babymoon is going well. My breasts are huge and in use 24/7. Big sister is doing pretty well despite the ruckus this week (she was home alone with me while i unexpectedly birthed alone in my tub).

I LOVE peeing more than a teaspoon at a time!!

[Shell_Ell]

I rarely have two hands! All I'm doing is nursing. Oliver's latch is a little rough due to a recessed chin, but we're doing okay. My milk was in the next day. I've literally been in bed a week because I was sick the weekend before labor. It's been nice to do nothing except nurse my baby, but I'll admit I'm bored and a little tired of not being able to do anythign else. I was finally downstairs today and it did feel pretty good. My husband goes back to work on Monday so I'm slowly going to be joining back into the land of the living, and reality.

Recovery wise- easy peasy. No tears, no issues with pooping, no sore bottom, very minimal bleeding. The after pains were really bad but today seem to have gotten better. I'm the type that gets nauseated from them, and unfortunately there really isn't any effective way to escape them except time.

I had some crying bouts today, totally expected that though. How else are we supposed to get all of these extra hormones out?

[ShwarmaQueen]

Originally Posted by CarrieCo

How are you doing?! How are you feeling? How are you handling motherhood? What's the best thing about not being pregnant anymore? Are you thinking of another baby yet?

Doing excellent! Recovering quickly from the blood loss thanks to double dosing Floradix and eating/drinking/sleeping a ton.

Feeling emotional at times, intensly loving baby and getting upset at DD easily but I'm so thankful DH has been home this week to ease the transition!

Loving being a momma to a tiny (well, relatively tiny, lol) baby again! It is a bit stressful going to 2 kids, but I think it will ease over time.

I'm loving being able to bend over, not having to squat to pick things up...and yesterday I shaved my legs! lol!

Definitely not thinking about another baby seriously, but the fact that I had a successful VBAC does make it tempting to dream...

[kirstenb]

I am doing well! Recovery has been much quicker the second time around. I am almost 7 days since delivery and pretty much feel back to normal, physically. I am so excited to sleep on my back again! Emotionally I had a little crash tonight but nothing too big. DH has been home all week which was really nice. He wasn't home when DS1 was born so this is all new for him.

DS1 has been a little challenging this week... he did go to daycare all week which helped us all out a ton. I know the transition is hard for him so we are trying to give him lots of TLC. He seems so BIG now that I have a tiny newborn again! I am loving all the baby snuggles that I am getting. My milk came in a few days after birth and I have been pretty much on the couch all week nursing- he loves to eat! I had a lot of problems with nursing DS1 and luckily this seems to be going better.

[maisiedotes]

I am 12 days postpartum and feel great physically... but crappy emotionally. DS is awesome, DD is doing better with her jealousy.. but I have cabin fever. And having DH back at work is making me miserable. I am so lonely! And my milk leaks CONSTANTLY. The smell of breastmilk is making me queasy! So I am trying to keep busy and scheduling some therapy for PPD...

Sorry to be a downer. My kids are so awesome and we are lucky to have family around. The ped. told us to keep Kieran away from crowds for the first 2 months so I am going nuts being stuck in the house- plus it has been raining for days so I am not about to take them out in the stroller!

[CarrieCo]

Originally Posted by maisiedotes

I am 12 days postpartum and feel great physically... but crappy emotionally. DS is awesome, DD is doing better with her jealousy.. but I have cabin fever. And having DH back at work is making me miserable. I am so lonely! And my milk leaks CONSTANTLY. The smell of breastmilk is making me queasy! So I am trying to keep busy and scheduling some therapy for PPD...

Sorry to be a downer. My kids are so awesome and we are lucky to have family around. The ped. told us to keep Kieran away from crowds for the first 2 months so I am going nuts being stuck in the house- plus it has been raining for days so I am not about to take them out in the stroller!

I know what you mean about cabin feaver! The pediatrician told us the same thing. Although, yesterday I took the boys to the gym and pushed them around the track for a half hour. No one came near them, and I was still a little worried ... but I needed to get out!! My DH goes to work Monday and I'm worried about being lonely also. What are we to do?!

[ExuberantDaffodil]

yeah, I have a jealous sibling on my hands, too. And the hubby goes back to work Monday. And suddenly it feels like I am sprouting a hemorrhoid. Wth. I go the entire pregnancy without a single one, and NOW 5 days later I get one? The universe's idea of a joke simply isn't funny.

[ldsmom06]

How are you doing?! How are you feeling? How are you handling motherhood? What's the best thing about not being pregnant anymore? Are you thinking of another baby yet?

I am doing good now except for the sleep deprivation and messy house. The first week was very rough!!! Charlotte had to be hospilized 2x in her 1st week of life and dh and dd were really sick with high fevers and a very bad cold so I had to do everything myself with little help. Dh didn't have time off work but he had to take sick time since he was very sick. I was a wreck the 1st week!!!! My Mom was in town but NO HELP! She had the nerve to tell me my kids drive her nuts. She was supposed to take care of ds and dd but she did a horrible job. All she did was talk on the phone with my sis and smoke. I asked(begged) her to come to the hospital to help me since dh was too sick but she said no

Charlotte is doing great now. She sleeps all day and is awake most of the night. I am adjusting well I think to having 3 kids 3 and under. My ds and dd are still having a rough time especially my dd. THe best thing about not being pregnant anymore is I don't have to pee so mcuh and I don't have heartburn anymore! We are already talking about having another baby but wanting to wait a few years so we shall see since we don't use BC.

[ExuberantDaffodil]

we're at almost a week postpartum here, and I feel like a 24 hour breastaurant.

I can kind of understand discussing future babies. To me, it's kind of a reflection on the experience we just went through. Pregnancy now over and birth experienced, would we do it again? It's a valid question to ponder after the momentous experiences we just had. Personally, this pregnancy was really hard on me. I didn't feel like myself. The day after I gave birth, I felt like "me" for the first time in almost nine months. I didn't have that feeling with my first. I feel like now my patience is back, my sense of humor is back, my typical outlook on life has returned... it feels good not to feel "off" and a little psycho. My husband even remarked that I seemed "back." Very hard to explain, though. I think I would be afraid to lose myself again in another pregnancy. That, and childbirth is darn painful (and I only had a 2 hour labor!). I'm not sure that I would specifically put myself back into that situation, though to be honest in a few years when I have completely forgotten what transition feels like, I might get baby fever. Talk me out of it, though!


I forgot how nerve-wracking a newborn can be. I'm so worried about her eating enough. Every little cry, I wonder if something is "wrong." I'm completely confused by blood in her diaper caused by her newborn period and wonder how long that is supposed to last. My left nipple is beginning to resemble raw hamburger meat. My house is messy. I finally got a shower today, after an unknown amount of days between my last one. I thought momentarily that I had sasquatch in a head-lock under my arm, and then realized it had been way too long since I had shaved under there. My feet no longer resemble bloated sausages. I might be able to finally wear my wedding rings again, after 6 months of them gathering dust on my bedside table.

And yet through all the flurry of thoughts and emotions, I am completely taken in by this little baby. Her every facial expression. Her little mews. Her voracious cries. Her jerky hand movements. The flicker back and forth of her eyes. The way she fiercely glowers at my breast right before latching on. Her sudden little sleep smiles. Her astonishingly velvety soft head. I'm utterly captivated by her. I want to memorize every single aspect of her newborn self to remember forever.

[marie1080]

I'm at two weeks and doing better than I expected. Done bleeding and feeling good physically. Definitely feeling the cabin fever, but trying to stay home with all the sickness going around. I'm so thankful we are all healthy right now! I am really tired though- dd insists on being held all the time and is up a lot at night. So far the one child to two child transition is goingmuch more smoothly than the zero to one transition...

[elisheva]

We're doing better now at 11 days pp. I feel more level. Mia is nursing well and my older two are mostly playing well together. We get out to the park a lot since it's not too cold here yet - saves my sanity and the boys love being outdoors. My rose-coloured labour glasses have already returned - I'd do it again I'd like to wait 2 years, though. It was *hard* being preg and chasing toddlers.

I'm frustrated to still be bleeding but I'm up and chasing kids so it's to be expected, I guess. Waiting for my stitches to dissolve, too. I know I popped one or two so I hope all will heal well.

Now, if only I could get my 14 month old to stop climbing on me while I'm trying to nurse the babe...

[kirstenb]

Originally Posted by ExuberantDaffodil

we're at almost a week postpartum here, and I feel like a 24 hour breastaurant.

This is my new quote, I think, because I feel the exact same way! Today he slept for 2.5 hours straight and I almost didn't know what to do with all that free time. I don't even remember what it's like to wear a bra.