Postpartum Must Haves

A Few Postpartum Must Haves

Here are a very FEW of my postpartum must haves. I will do a more extensive post for what mom needs postpartum soon, I am still experimenting with things and finding my favorites that I want to share with you all. For starters, here are a few items that will save both mom and babe!

Bibs: I use Aden & Anais bibs and Tommee Tippee bibs. I have a very spit-up prone babe and by spit up I mean projectile vomit...If you have a baby that easily gets an upset stomach, I suggest using bibs even before the solid food stage. It has saved me numerous outfit changes, you can only change a onesie so many times within 15 minutes before loosing your mind.

Bottles: I use the Tommee Tippee bottles for my little one. I researched bottles before giving birth to her and found these ones work really well for babies with sensitive tummies. I did not know if my baby was going to have a sensitive tummy or not, but I would have hated to experiment and have to make the switch so I just started her off with these ones and for now they do the trick!

Pacifiers: More specifically, Wubbanub pacifiers...these things will save you from spending hours looking under the couch and under the bed for your baby's pacifier. When my brother was born the hospital would give you the blue pacifier and I can't tell you how many of those things my mom had to stock up on. The little stuffed animal attached to the pacifier on the Wubbanub pacifiers prevents the need for stocking up. However, I did stock up anyway because the different animals are just too cute. They stay put on baby too and allow them to hold onto them and even put the pacifier back in their mouth.

Diaper Rash Cream: Those diaper rashes sneak up on you! You don't want your babe to suffer when they have one so it is best to always have it on hand. I use Bourdeaux's Butt Paste and The Honest Company diaper rash cream.

Burp rags:  I have an assortment of burp rags...and a lot of them, yet I still feel like I never have enough. My favorite ones to use are the muslin plain white burp rags, the Aden & Anais burp rags that convert into a bib and the cloth diaper squares, not the inserts. I use all of these and love all of them. Use these things like crazy.

Ergobaby: If you are going to get any kind of "wrap" I think I suggest getting the ergobaby. It is the most versatile and your baby can grow with it. Dad also doesn't feel girly using the ergo. The ergo has pockets and zippers and a head cover and can be worn multiple ways. Don't get me wrong, I use the cloth wraps every day also, but if you are only looking to get one baby carrier I would get the ergo. Unless you're like me and have 3 or more wraps and use them all....then get them all!

Lanolin: I use the Medela lanolin, but I have heard good things about the Lansinoh lanolin also! During the first month of breast feeding lather your poor nips in this stuff. I was a changed person after using it and purchased it way too late down the road. I could've saved my bleeding nipples way in advance!

Swaddle Blankets: I have the swaddle wrap things that are basically made ready like an easy pre-swaddle, but I prefer the old fashioned way...the way my mom always did it with my brothers and the way they do it in the hospital. I like to use 'receiving blankets' with a little bit of stretch in them and swaddle her super tight. They startle easily when they are so young and like to feel secure. My little girly loves to be swaddled and the tighter I swaddle her the longer she sleeps! I have the Aden & Anais swaddle blankets, but they are almost too thin and don't keep her warm. We use those for other things instead, but a lot of people love them so that is another option if you like the muslin material.

Baby Gas Relief: Just get it in advance because you are going to need it at some point. My girl was gassy immediately after coming home from the hospital and it took about a week for me to figure that out. She would get angry and fussy after eating. A lot of that is due to the fact that she would suck in a bunch of air when she was having trouble sucking because of clogged ducts and infections. She still gets gassy and I use the drops multiple times a day. Imagine how painful it is for us as adults to have bad gas pains and then imagine how difficult and painful it must be for such a little human...I try to give her them before eating sometimes too as well as after feeding...especially if she is having an upset tummy day.

Breast Milk Storage Bags: Once you start pumping these things will save you room in your freezer. They are also easy to grab and take on the go. They are not too big of bags that they take forever to defrost either. They are worth the money and it is easy to number and date the bags to know which ones to use and when. I love having bags of breast milk stored away for baby girl. Some weeks she has a growth spurt and is especially hungry and it may take a day for my supply to catch up with her so having breast milk on back up is always a plus for her and I!

These are just a very few items among a very long list of what mom and baby need postpartum, but if I was going to start a mom off I would say this is a good place to start!

Feel free to let me know some of your favorite baby items. I always love hearing about other products!

XOXO Sydney 

6 Weeks Postpartum Update

6 Weeks Postpartum

I have yet to go to the doctor for my formal 6 week postpartum check-up. I will be going soon just to make sure everything is okay! So...here we go...As I mentioned a few posts back, I had a breast infection a few days after giving birth to baby Elba. I was given one round of antibiotics and they did not work. I was given a second round of a different antibiotic and it still did not work. Finally, 1 month postpartum I was given another new antibiotic, prescribed to be taken for ten days and finally at around 5-6 weeks my breast infection cleared up! FINALLY. That is a pain I don't wish upon any new mom. If anyone is going through that or had gone through that long of an infection, I feel for you. 

Another pain in the ass thing that has happened is I am pretty sure I started my period at almost exactly 6 weeks. I can't be sure that it is my period but I had stopped bleeding from birth at around 4 weeks and then I started bleeding again around 6...so I guess I will see next month if that for sure was my period. It really sucks because that is one thing you should almost be able to guarantee not happening for months down the road after birth. That is supposed to be your gift for pushing a baby out of your body, but no...my body has taken it upon itself to re-start that charming process all over again and I am exclusively breast feeding, so I am just extremely unlucky there...haha.

I have no idea how much weight I lost yet because I do not have a scale. I need to get my hands on one. I lost about 15 I think immediately after birth so I don't think I have too much to go before I get back to my pre-pregnancy weight. However, as frustrating as it is to have to still be in "fat" clothes I am trying to do my best to not be so hard on myself and let nature take its course. I am breastfeeding so I have to think of baby girl and make sure I am getting all of my nutrients. The weight loss will happen.

I have given myself the okay to start working out slowly. I do not think the bleeding is a bad sign or any sign that anything is wrong. I know most doctors clear you to workout at 6 weeks so I have just been going on hour long walks again with Elba and the pup. I will be starting a more intense workout schedule in about a week (I think). I just wanted to ease into working out first to make sure nothing hurts and nothing goes wrong.

So, hopefully next postpartum update will be a little bit more detailed and I can include information the doctor gave me and blah blah blah all that fun stuff. I think this will just be a good reminder to have for any of my future pregnancies. 

XOXO Sydney 

Elba's 1 Month Update

1 Month Old

Elba turned one month old on Christmas day. They are right when they say it goes by quickly. This past month has been both the longest and quickest month of my life. Sleep deprivation made the days drag on yet every time I put her in her car seat she fits just a little bit better. The breast infection makes it feel like each day has no end yet I put her in her jammies and I have to shove her little fat thigh in the leg hole. I love watching her grow, but at the same time this miniature human that I grew for 9 months is now getting bigger and more aware. She has become so fun these last two weeks that it makes me sad to see her newborn clothes get more and more snug. I am starting to cherish the newborn cries and the 1AM wake-up calls where it is just the both of us. It is crazy to think that she is my first born and these moments are already going by in the blink of an eye. That being said, she is aware of my presence more than ever. When I speak she looks around for me. When I look at her she looks back at me. She has come to know me as her momma this past month and it is the most rewarding feeling in the world. I love every bit of my baby girl and I can't believe we are already 1 month down. 

Here are some quirks Elba has developed over the past month:

When I kiss her mouth really quickly she opens it really wide with a shocked face

When she needs to poop she makes the cutest little kissy face

Her stretches crack me up

She makes goat sounds in her sleep

She often makes sounds like the minions in 'Despicable Me'

She smiles at Zack and I

She must have the best dreams ever because she is always smiling in her sleep

She hates when I sit down with her, she wants me to be moving 24/7

Even though she hates when I sit, she loves to sleep on my chest

She loves sleeping on Zack's chest

She REFUSES to poop when she is swaddled...but the second I unswaddle her she gets really unclassy with her poops  

She loves her Wubbanub pacifiers and holds on to them tightly and can put them back in her mouth

She loves to projectile spit-up down my cleavage so I have a nice vomit smell to my chest all day

Some nights she wakes every 2 hours and other nights she will sleep between 4-6 hours 

She gets really aggressive when I breast feed her

She had her first bottle at 3 weeks 

She LOVES bath time

She sucks her thumb and index finger when she is in the bath, I think she feels like she is back in the womb

She loves loud noises when she sleeps and cannot sleep in silence 

She is most relaxed when we are having a busy day hopping in and out of the car 

She falls asleep when I am walking around with her in my arms doing things, she knows the difference between swaying back and forth and actually applying myself to my household duties...she likes to see me struggle with household chores and putting her to sleep at the same time

She is extremely strong 

She is either smiling during diaper changes or trying to kick the crap out of me

She is still in newborn diapers and newborn clothes

She hates the cold 

She is happiest when being in physical contact with someone else (she likes when my hand is on her face holding her pacifier in her mouth)

She loves sleeping with a "rain sound" app I have on my phone

She melts our hearts

XOXO Sydney 

Postpartum Update + Things I Did and Didn't Expect

Postpartum Update

Okay, so I have been planning on doing a postpartum update for weeks now and I have gotten around to it slowly. Newborns are so distracting ;) 

I knew mommy-hood would be hard, I just didn't realize how hard it would really be. I know what late nights are...my major in college was a bachelor of science in Biology/Chemistry. I thought to myself,  I know late nights...I mean finals week was hell, how much worse can it be? MUCH WORSE. There is nothing like sleep deprivation from taking care of a newborn. It is mentally and physically exhausting. Nothing can prepare you for the exhaustion you feel. Nothing can prepare you for the pain you feel when your milk comes in. Nothing can prepare you for the pain you feel after a vaginal birth. Nothing can prepare you for the pain you feel when you get a breast infection and breast feed through it. Nothing can prepare you for the frustration and sadness you feel when you think you are doing something wrong. NOTHING.

But...nothing could prepare me for the immense amount of love I would feel for this tiny human. She hasn't even had a conversation with me yet and I feel like I know every part of her. I feel like I am the only one that can really give her what she needs at the end of the day. I am who she looks to in order to survive, and although I may only be her food source right now and her comforter I know she will grow to know me as her momma. I cannot wait for the day when she looks at me and says "momma." 

All of this pain is worth it. I know that once I am past the sleep deprivation, the breast infection, the pain that comes with breast feeding in the beginning and the frustrations with thinking I'm doing it all wrong, I know the struggle will all be worth it in the end.

Here are some things I jotted down throughout my recovery process:

Things I DID expect

I knew I would fall in love with her the moment I met her

I planned to breast feed and expected sometimes that comes with complications

I knew I would have at least some recovering to do after a vaginal delivery

I knew I would want at least SOME help the first few weeks

I knew I would be living in granny panties (hate the word panties) and sweat pants for at least a week

I figured I would have at least SOME sleep deprivation

I have been around infants before, I have younger siblings, I thought I knew exactly what to expect

Things I DID NOT expect

I did not expect the amount of pain I would feel in my vagina after a vaginal delivery...yeah

My tailbone felt like someone took a bat to it for a week straight

Showering during that first week hurts everywhere...

I had night sweats...wake up drenched, night sweats

My hormones are all over the place

I did not expect to ice my vagina even after coming home from the hospital

I did not expect to look down at my vag and see stitches from tearing naturally during birth

I was pleased to put heating pads on my engorged boobs, I did not expect to blister from leaving them on for too long...but I did

I didn't think I would need to take a stool softener for weeks after birth

I wasn't aware of the lack of sleep you actually get, not because baby doesn't sleep, but because I am so concerned by every little sound she makes and I am constantly checking to make sure she is still breathing

CONSTIPATION

When I first began breastfeeding I was so engorged she couldn't latch correctly, my nipples bled for a week straight

I didn't expect to need to use a "nipple shield" during my first week of breast feeding

Breast feeding feels like knives and needles in the beginning and I would bawl through every feeding

I did not think I would get a breast infection

I didn't expect the first round of breast infection antibiotics to not work, only for the infection to get worse...

I did not expect to run a fever for days on and off with my infection...increasing my night sweats

I did not realize the size pads you need to wear for the amount of bleeding after birth

I did not think it would hurt to stand, sit, and sleep

Weight loss did not cross my mind after birth and I thought it would

I didn't anticipate just how much I would need my own mom

There are countless more things I did not expect and there is something new every day. This is a crazy journey and nothing can prepare you for it. No advice can prepare you for what you are going to feel and experience.

She is now my primary concern and my needs come after her needs are met. I sit on the couch some days starving because she is on my boob all day, but her needs have to be met before my own and even though it is frustrating when some days I would really just like to eat my breakfast and shower it comes naturally to care for her first and take care of my needs second. For now, I am just trying to soak up her tiny-ness, appreciate her cuddles and try not to hang myself every time she has a huge poop blow-out in her diaper for the third time that day. I love when she sleeps on my chest and when she smiles in her sleep and when she escapes her swaddle. I just want to try my best every day to bask in the newborn stage because I understand it is fleeting. 

I love you my sweet Elba girl.

Momma will always be here for you.

I am going to be doing more detailed postpartum updates once I am closer to being 6 weeks postpartum and can talk about work outs and diet and my 6 week check up, but I will be doing her monthly updates!

XOXO Sydney