I’m so in love. With my little PAC man. With Kyle. With our family. With our semi-insane-but-totally-awesome-routine. I probably kiss my baby 600 times a day. His squishy cheeks are just so adorable. And his little nose. And lips. Gah. I’m freakin’ crazy head over heels in love with him; and I can hardly believe Kyle and I created him.
My body has healed pretty nicely. I’m very lucky. I know this has to do with good (great!) genes, an active pregnancy, and eating well. I think raspberry leaf tea helped too. And as much as I want to get out and run right now (I’m exactly 3 weeks post-partum as I type this), I know I shouldn’t because then I’ll run the risk of messing up everything that’s healing so well.
It’s kinda crazy how fast certain parts of my body have changed. Immediately following delivery I had a squishy belly with a sizable pooch. It was so weird – definitely foreign to me. Before pregnancy I had a toned abdomen and throughout pregnancy my belly grew, but was still tight and firm. So having a pudgy middle section was quite bizarre. Don’t get me wrong, I fully expected it (I know the uterus doesn’t just disappear once a baby is born). I had heard you look ~5-6 months pregnant after birth, which was pretty accurate, and yet it was SOOO awesome to finally be able to do basic things like touch my toes, shave and put lotion on my legs, and other silly things. Fortunately I’ve been really lucky in how quickly I’ve healed. It’s amazed me.
By post-partum day 3, my uterus had shrunken noticeably. It was still there, but it was definitely not the bump it was those first few days. It didn’t stick out and my shirts easily concealed it (not that I wore skin tight stuff to begin with).
By the end of week 1, I was back in jeans and other real clothes again (not my skinny jeans, but still). I felt like a human. I could leave the house in noon-sweatpants and look decent. Huge step for my self esteem.
By the end of week 2, I not only looked like my old self (at least on the outside), but I also started to FEEL normal too. The rest of me (read: unmentionable areas) was finally approaching the point of being 100% healed and it felt awesome. And my abs were actually visible. Hurray! Physically, I still lacked the tone I once had (obviously), but my body was nearly normal (not like I’d given birth 14 days prior). FYI, I’m excessively hard on myself so everything I’m writing out here I’d probably never admit in person (or I’d just find a way to deflect and give credit to some other source), but that’s why it’s good that I have Kyle to give me a reality check.
Today as I’m writing this (3 weeks post-partum on the dot) I look and feel fantastic. We got batteries for our scale yesterday because we wanted to see how much weight P had gained. I was nervous about how the number would affect me since I haven’t done the whole scale thing for a few years, but I was kinda blown away by the result. In spite of my massive boobs, I’m well below my pre-pregnancy weight (which was a guestimate anyway). I’m sure this is largely due to lost muscle, but it’s a good place to start. I really really realllllly want to lace up my running shoes and hit the pavement, but I will continue to follow the doctor’s orders. For now.
I was going to post progress photos (because I have been taking them periodically), but that seems a bit to narcissistic self indulgent. So instead, I’ll share this text convo I had (at 2 weeks post-partum) with my sister.
We go on family walks every day, which is nice. P falls asleep in the stroller immediately and no amount of noise or motion (that we’ve found yet) wakes him.
Other random post-partum things:
Night sweats. This is the most crazy thing I’ve ever experienced. Kyle is equally amazed and grossed out by it. Every night I wake up DRENCHED in sweat. Like I took a shower in my clothes. The sheets are completely soaked through as well. It’s disgusting. I pick up P to try to nurse him and he’s like "WTF are you all wet for?" I change shirts every time I wake up and now I’ve started putting a towel down on the bed when I go back to sleep (because it’s freezing once it’s all wet). I’m so surprised I’d never heard of this before, but after it happened the first night I googled it. I had figured it was my body trying to get rid of the extra fluid I’d been carrying for the past 10 months, but figured I should at least make sure it wasn’t something more serious, like an infection. I guess it’s pretty common, especially among breast feeding moms. Still very bizarre. I wonder how long it lasts? Anyone?
Edema. I had legit elephant legs the first few days after giving birth. My ankles were non-existant. Once again, I’m thinking this has to do with the insane amount of fluid my body had on board after giving birth. I wore compression socks to bed the first few days and by day 4 or 5 I had normal feet and calf definition again. I have to say, it was super odd to see something on myself that I’d only previously seen on my cardiac patients.
My boobs. They are crazy huge. I look like a porn star. I’m probably going to get inappropriate search engine results now that I’ve written that, but it’s true. I hardly recognize my body.
Laundry. Holy crap we go through clothes fast. I swear P changes onesies no less than 4 times per day. And swaddle blankets. And sheets. He is a peeing, pooping, spitting up machine. I couldn’t imagine having a kid and not having your own laundry machine. We do at least one load daily (sometimes more!!). My night time sweating doesn’t help this average either since we have to wash our sheets almost as often. 😛
Water. I guzzle fluids (mostly water) at such an alarming rate that I swear I must be peeing every 15 minutes. For breastfeeding they say drink water and eat protein and then drink more water. So I’ve been doing exactly that. It’s harder at night, but I still force chug. As a result I feel like I live in the bathroom.
My gut. This area of healing has not been so great. It took a LONG while for my GI tract to decide to start moving again after birth. Even though I was taking stool softeners, it was an uncomfortable first week. Since then it’s been a slow (pun intended) process. It’s no longer painful now that I’ve healed, but having IBS-C doesn’t help matters. I seem to be even more sensitive to food as compared to pre-pregnancy, although I’m also paying extra close attention to everything I eat because I’m monitoring how P reacts to my diet as well.
Mood. You’d think after the traumatic start we had I’d be going through some emotional stuff but writing everything out was all the therapy I needed. I feel like we can conquer anything now. Plus, I have a WONDERFUL husband, and amazingly supportive family and friends. Yes, I’ve felt overwhelmed and nervous, but what first time mom doesn’t have self doubt, right? [Is he getting enough milk? Is he happy? Why is he spitting up? What’s with his psycho arm movements? Etc.] The main reason I’m still sane is because Kyle works from home now and can therefore help out sporadically throughout the day. Having an extra pair of hands is HUGE, but even more than that, having your best friend (and the father of your child) around to bounce ideas off of, talk things over with, and share in these moments, just makes life in general much better. It’s undoubtably been the greatest perk of Kyle starting his own business. Another cool thing is that 3 of my really close friends have had baby boys in the last 5 months too, so I have an awesome new mom network. I’d also be remiss not to mention how important it’s been to have this blog and all the advice from readers.
Food. I still haven’t had a drop of alcohol. I want to! There’s a bottle of champagne in the fridge that’s been there since before we left to go to the hospital. And my parents bought me a case of Bud Light (my fave) as a welcome home present. The fact of the matter is, I literally cannot find the time between nursing/napping/diaper change cycles (I can hardly find the time to make/eat real food that’s not shelf stable). I’m sure my tolerance is crazy low. And speaking of tolerances – caffeine is another thing I’m still adjusting to. Just once cup makes me jittery and light headed. Not a fan. I’m trying to be cautious in the amount I consume because I’m breast feeding, but long nights make me wake up wanting 8 cups instead of 1/2 of one. Balance. Anyone know how long it takes food/drink to get into breast milk? Food-wise I apologize for how lame HHH has gotten in the recipe area. I’m itching to get back in the kitchen. Reading blogs on my iPhone with my free hand while nursing is making me crave things that are not from the pantry or freezer. Next week I’m planning on getting back to meal planning and coordinated grocery shopping. We’ve done a pretty good job of making ends meet with cheap basics – pasta, soup, sandwiches, potatoes, & grains – but I’m ready to add some sophistication to our meals.
The entire tone of your post shines through – happy happy happy.
You are inspiring others Elise :). But still, find time for a mimosa 😉
Cheers
Lori
I’m so glad you and your new family are doing wonderfully.
When my wife and I had our little guy back in September, we were told by our midwife that she could drink (in moderation, obviously) without it affecting the baby so long as she waited at least two hours before she breastfed again. So long as she waited two hours, she wouldn’t need to pump and dump, either. She was a little too nervous to try it right away, and it was at least a month, but when she finally did drink, she said that half of a Guinness about took her off her feet. (She chose to drink that for the iron, which is, don’t quote me, supposed to help with supply?)
I’m sure this is the same response you’re getting from many, but 1. That’s AWESOME. Glad everything is going so well and you’re feeling great! and 2. I HATE YOU. You’re like the celebrities that just oops! lose the baby weight!! Such a lucky duck with good genes:)
I’m glad you’re doing so well!! That’s awesome that you’re healing up so quickly and feeling back to normal, I’m sure that’s got to be great to feel like a “human” again after carrying around a baby for so long.
My baby is 5.5 months and I’ve only had a sip a wine at a Christmas. I know they say its ok when breastfeeding to have a little alcohol but I get nervous that I won’t get a good night sleep. 95% of the time now he sleeps through the night or gets up once for feeding. I think the one time I’d have a drink he’ll be up all night. I’m starting to crave wine or a nice cool beer since its been warming up.
I just wanted to say that your pregnancy and post-pregnancy posts have been so very informative and helpful. I know you’ve gotten quite personal about the process and I appreciate that! I’ve bookmarked all these posts so that when we start this process and get pregnant I can refer to your experience for info. Thank you for sharing!
I smiled the whole time reading this. I am so glad to hear you are all doing so well. And your stomach…damn! That’s amazing!
After I had my first I had a bath and a beer after she went to bed every night. It was great! Added bonus: beer Is proven to help with milk supply so drink up! Glad things are going so well for you guys, P is adorable!
Yay!!! Great post. I was smiling and nodding along the whole time.
1) night sweats – UGH!!! Awful, right?? I think they go away around 2-3 months ish.
2) ~3 hours for food/drink to get into your milk. I used to nurse while drinking a beer 🙂 since i knew it wasn’t in my system yet & I wanted to hedge my bets.
3) I was also back in my old jeans 5 days after birth. And a flat tummy at 2 weeks. It’s a great feeling, huh?
Elise, I’m so happy for you! Goodness, I sure hope I get the same luck you have with postpartum stuff. 😉 That’s one of the many things I’m a little anxious about. I’m so glad your little family is doing so well!
Your post makes me want to have babies!!!! It’s dangerous. I should stop reading until I am old enough / married. But seriously girl, these are the happiest preggo/baby posts ever. You rock. Thank you for being honest and open!!
You’re so smart to keep chugging the fluids. After I had my first, I had terrible headaches. They ran all sorts of tests on me and even an MRI to rule out a tumor. In the end, the doc diagnosed me with migraines and because I was breast feeding there wasn’t much he could give me to help alleviate the pain. I was so young & naive then (barely 21) that it never crossed my mind to question him. As I look back on the experience, I’d bet the farm that it was dehydration. I had an insane, crazy milk supply (had to wears diapers on my boobs to contain the constant drip). Add the night sweats to that plus the heat of the summer with upstate NY humidity and you’ve got dehydration. I have to shake my head and laugh now but I could have saved myself hours of pain had I just drank more water. Keep it up!! It sounds like you’re all adjusting beautifully!
You sound wonderful, belly lookin’ good and little P … what can you say other than … so beautifully handsome. Happiness and contentment at its best.
LOVE this post! You look amazing and it gave me so much motivation to continue to eat healthy and exercise up until my due date 🙂 Hopefully won’t have to wait much longer! I will be making sure I take my compression socks to the hospital as well. I was just wondering what you meant by the raspberry leaf tea helping…Before or after labor you felt it worked? I have done some research on it but still need to get some. I love all the advice and openness…helping me prepare to be a mom too!
That text conversation made me lol! You look amazing! I really enjoyed all your baby posts. Congrats!
It’s nice to see that you’re doing so well, Elise! I think it’s great that all the work you put in during your pregnancy to eat mindfully and move is paying off! Definitely inspiring for anyone.
Oh lovely night sweats…so glad it’s just a short phase. Mine lasted a few weeks
i drank it back when i was trying to get pregnant, and then i started drinking it again around week 39. from what i understand its good at helping the uterus contract (i think it increases blood flow to the uterus). so that can contribute to labor advancing during those final weeks of pregnancy. and then post-partum it can help your uterus return to its pre-pregnancy size.
hindsight is 20/20 eh?!
anything else that you shouldve/wouldve/couldve that you want to send me way, feel free…
dont stress about it ashley. youve had an active pregnancy too so youll be fine. plus, the LAST thing on your mind after giving birth to your little man will be getting back in shape. seriously, he will blow your mind and youll be so in love nothing else will matter 🙂
its the maternal instincts kicking in already. 🙂
when the time comes, youll be ready!
thanks so much jessie.
but oh man thats a long time to deal with the night sweats, haha.
ive heard that! excellent reason for me to crack a beer soon.
thanks allison 🙂
yay! thats one of the main reasons im sharing bethany, so im really glad youre finding it informative 🙂
arent the holidays such a booze friendly time? i never cared about alcohol until december. and at that point i was still preggo so i was SOL.
i definitely crave a frosty beer and mimosa though, so im going to have to make it work into the breast feeding schedule soon.
ill let you know if it affects P’s sleep. although its hard to know what affects what at this point since his schedule varies already without alcohol.
i totally get it. im practically rolling my own eyes. at myself. but theres definitely something to be said for taking a non-jessica-simpson approach to pregnancy.
however, my mom has been telling me about her pregnancy(ies) all throughout mine and ive basically been the exact same so im also just a lucky girl in terms of my genetics.
in truth, none of the physical recovery even matters right now. i only posted about it because its a part of the process that i figured i should document. but im so in love with P that the LAST thing on my mind is focusing on getting back in shape.
ill take it!
iron via beer for the win 🙂
its happening. soon.
fingers crossed then!!
Totally get it. Especially with the blog I’m sure the physical part is what a lot of people are interested in. But yes – three cheers for staying healthy during pregnancy! Inspiring others to do the same. 🙂
Great update! I gave birth 6 months ago and had a pregnancy just like you…being active and eating healthy. I took the first week off, by the 2nd week I was walking up to 45 minutes and for the 3rd week I began riding my bike and running. I know you’re not supposed to do anything for at least 6 weeks but I knew that I was up to it and my body could handle it. I felt great and my body was basically back to my old self by 6 weeks. If you want to go running, I say….just do what feels ok to you, everyone is different.
It’s already been 3 weeks? I feel like you just had him! And I totally agree with your sister’s text. Your abs look great!
Bud Light is your favorite beer?!
well thats good to hear because 3 days after i wrote this i went for a run. and it was GREAT! 🙂
actually its nearly a month now. on tuesday. crazy huh?
oh and yeah, im pathetic w my beer taste, but its def my fave. aside from the seasonal punkin ale by dogfish head. i missed it big time this past october.
This post makes me so much happier than the past two 🙂 You sound happy, not scared and it sounds like P and you are both doing really well! And the photo of your stomach, girl thats crazy! Try not to be to hard on yourself, your doing awesome!
1) That picture of P is freaking adorable!
2) Your stomach looks better than mine too–how are you that tiny after giving birth 3 weeks prior!?
3) I am SO happy for you and your family! Your happiness shines through this post and I am thrilled that things are going so well for you 🙂
4) I almost forgot–you weigh less than you did pre-pregnancy?!? You amaze me!
Courtney
Holy moly you look amazing!!!! I can’t believe how fast your body has bounced back. Shows how awesome healthy eating, and regular exercise truly is for you! (well and genes). So happy for your family! It’s great to see you doing so well now Elise!
It made me laugh about the night sweats, gut stuff, and edema (okay, that sounds rude – I didn’t actually laugh) but when I first started recovery from an ED, I experienced ALL those things. They gave me the worst panic attacks (since I thought I was dying at the time – yah, I’m super neurotic), aren’t night sweats the worst. I still get them occasionally still, and boy are they not fun to wake up from.
OMG I had terrible night sweats too. Just wait for your hair to fall out in clumps. Good times.
You don’t need to drink a crazy amount of water while nursing 🙂 Just drink to thirst (which probably still means extra water). Here’s a great article about mom’s diet and breastfeeding (http://kellymom.com/nutrition/mothers-diet/mom-diet), including coffee and wine consumption (which are totally fine in small amounts). I recommend Kellymom in general. It’s written by an IBCLC, very up-to-date and accurate, and user-friendly.
The baby looks so incredibly sweet!
i love kellymom – such a great resource. thanks so much for the advice wendy.
oh goody…i cant wait for the hair loss 🙁
Oh man I had the edema too! I had to wear my hubbies slippers home from hospital cause I had tree trunk legs and feet! I think breast feeding is to thank for weight and body returning to normal. You magically turn into a calorie burning, milk making machine!
Wait til P gets chubby rolls, you r going to love the cuteness!
Glad you guys have triumphed over the rough start and r enjoying parenthood.
I’ve been following your whole journey and glad to hear you’re doing so well. I’m 27 and not even married yet, and a little scared of pregnancy. You actually give me hope that it won’t ruin my body and life as I am afraid of. Haha. You’re looking great!
Oh YES the sweats! They last a few weeks – it’s due to the hormones, evil things.
Hooray for raspberry leaf – seriously it helped my uterus go down remarkably quickly….. I have had a similar experience to you – I am lighter NOW than before pregnancy, and although my body has changed, it’s actually a nice shape now 🙂 Score! Plus my boobs are a better shape, so it’s a win all around 😉 Ha.
You sound like you are just transitioning SO beautifully into your new role and I love that I can hear your happiness and LOVE for your family through your words. Great stuff.
This is one of my favorite posts of yours 🙂 I love reading your happy update and seeing how you are loving motherhood. Ditto kellymom for the best and latest information on breastfeeding.
How are the cloth diapers working out? I swear I miss it some days!
My Daughter told me about your Web page Basicly bc I’m a (recently retired) RN, & IBCLC. All of what you are writing is AWESOME!!!! and yes foods can get into the milk, some rather quickly like Alcohol, (ETOH) so BF first, then have your beer, wine etc. EXPECT engorement from the ETOH for about 6 hrs afterwards. I never had a problem w my kids reacting to the foods I ate. BUT I was a milk goddess (lots more milk that is needed) and the gas it can cause. BC I was taught to BF on both sides… Don’t do that if oyu have a lot of milk. Spitting up and expolsive BM’s care signs of too much milk supply. The tx is to BF on one breast (pump the other if uncomfortable JUST to relieve engorgement!!!!) the next feeding switch breasts.
The HUGE boob syndrome lasts about 3 months and then disappears… many women think that they don’t have enough milk bc that swelling and fullness has disappeared, AND many babies about this time are going through a growth spurt and will want to eat ALL of the time… it too shall pass.
TRUST your body and your baby.
BTW you look AMAZING! Enjoy your BB! it is a love that is outstanding.
I’m so happy for you, your family, and baby boy! I cant wait for you to get back in the kitchen. Take it easy dear!
Even though there was a gap of 11 years, I’m sooooooo glad to ear you say you gut wasn’t moving after the birth. It took me almost a week to go & I thought something really bad was going to happen to me!!
All that fun stuff that goes along with a newborn. Drink it in, they grow so fast!!
Hi! Congratulations on your new baby, its super amazing isn’t it?! I have a 5 1/2 month old and I never knew I could love anyone so much, its insane. So, I am breastfeeding as well and I talked to my pediatrician about alcohol and breastfeeding early on…She said that according to the APA it is ok to have one beer or one glass of wine a day. It takes 2 hours for the alcohol to process through your system and be gone, I told the doctor that I felt bad because one day after feeding Ani (my little one) I had a beer and she wanted to eat like 45 minutes later ( she did not follow the whole babies eat every 2 hours thing) and I was worried that she’d get alcohol in her system. They told me not to worry, that it wouldn’t really affect her as long as it was only one beer, the only thing is that it may make her a little bit tired. So you can have a beer right after you feed him and by the time you feed him again, if he’s an every 2 hour eater it would be out of your system. I’ve also heard an old wives tale that 1 beer a day helps to boost milk production!!
My little one also ended up in the nicu, it wasn’t quite as bad as what you had to go through, but still It was hard to read your story, brought back a lot of emotions for me. I’m so glad that you and your family are doing well and are healthy! Again, congrats, its so amazing! 🙂
What a cutie!!! Congratulations! I hear ya on the GI issues – I’m SURE things will only start to improve as your life settles into a routine 🙂
You’re incredible! You can be on a magazine for how fast you got your shape back post-baby 😉
Thanks for sharing!
This is such a funny and cute post! That’s so awesome that everything is getting back to normal so quickly. Can’t wait to hear more about that beautiful baby boy!