Four weeks postpartum


Just over four weeks postpartum and I'm starting to feel more "alive" as Nolan is sleeping 3-4 hour stretches at a time over night and it's getting a little easier to plan the day around his day time naps (though those are still really inconsistent).

I'm not leaving home with both kids by myself except for on Wednesdays when I drive Emily to her School Skills class at 3:30pm and all I do is drop her off and drive back home, less than an hour round-trip. David picks her up so I can avoid nursing Nolan in such an overwhelmingly loud and uncomfortable place (the class has eight kids, all nearly five years old, and there are always ten or twelve adults in the room not to mention there's no where to sit other than the floor and the bathroom is the only real private spot). This last week, I had to wake Nolan from his long afternoon nap in order to give myself an hour to feed him, burp him, change him, and rock him nearly to sleep before putting him in his car seat and felt rushed and a little anxious as I watched the time tick by. We did make it on-time and Nolan slept the entire trip, which I was thankful for. I know getting out with both kids will be easier eventually; I have to say that I am honestly going a teeny bit stir-crazy feeling sort of like I'm "stuck" at home because of my own hesitation to leave home alone. I curb that my wearing Nolan in my ergo for at least one of his naps so Emily and I can take a long walk, even if just around the neighborhood.

On the physical front, I'm still shrinking and am needing smaller clothes, yea! The realization of how thin I am getting is most clear when looking at the portraits we had made recently in comparison to those we had made in December 2010. I'm really looking forward to my six week postpartum check-up and the weeks following as I start working out, mainly because if my weight loss continues, I can go shopping for new clothes. :)

I started pumping breast milk this past week, just once a day for five minutes, first thing in the morning after nursing Nolan and putting him back to bed (he normally sleeps 2-3 hours). In those five minutes, I have been able to express five to six ounces total of breast milk and am not draining either breast. You just never know when newborns will wake up and want to eat so, I have been playing it safe, especially because he has yet to accept a bottle. Starting today, I am going to pump at 9:00am, 12:00pm, and 3:00pm for the same three to five minutes. Why those times? Because Nolan has been napping the longest around those times for the past few days and because my Lactation Consultant mentioned that it's best to pump when your supply is at it's highest, which is before 6:00pm. Pumping isn't painful for me at all and my letdown is just about three to five seconds so, I don't have to pump for long. I know, I'm incredibly lucky, breast pumps aren't normally anyone's friend. I hope to have a good frozen stash of breast milk so that once Nolan does start taking a bottle, David can get him first thing in the morning so I can get to the gym (and avoid paying for childcare all together!). I really like the Lasinoh pump 'n save bags best and am so thankful I received so many as gifts. While the Medela pump 'n save bags have a nice bottom on them that allow the bag to set up on it's own, it can only hold five ounces of breast milk and when it's that full, there's only about two inches of room left at the top of the bag, making it really easy to accidentally squeeze out and spill breast milk when closing the bag.  The Lasinoh bags can hold six ounces and have about five inches of room left at the top of the bag; I have yet to spill a drop! Emily is obsessed with helping me assemble and disassemble my breast pump each time I use it and always comments on what a great job I'm doing making milk for "bebeh". :) What a helper!

The days fly by as I barely have a moment where I'm not nursing, burping, changing, rocking Nolan; playing with, making meals for, cleaning up after, disciplining, bathing, reading to, teaching Emily; or paying bills, pumping breast milk, refilling diapers & wipes, eating a meal, packing and unpacking the diaper bag, cooking, making lists of errands that need to be ran, returning phone calls, and taking photos to document this crazy, busy life! It's truly blissful!

Comments

  1. Yes, you are SO lucky pumping goes well for you! I could never get much and had to supplement with formula for Celia's daycare bottles. It's cute that Emily is interested and helps you. I know Celia's going to be fascinated by the whole nursing and pumping thing :). Glad you're happy and well!

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  2. The two of you look so beautiful together!

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