Post Pregnancy Update

I saw this on another blog I read, and liked the idea of doing a one month postpartum update.

How far long?
We made it to 39 weeks and 4 days. Even though he was induced, I like to think that I guessed his arrival correctly. Our original due date was December 9, and whenever anyone asked me when I thought he would arrive I always said, “Sometime between his original due date and his revised due date.”

Size of baby?
8 pounds, 3 ounces. He was much bigger than anyone anticipated!

Maternity clothes?
Just maternity jeans. I can get my pre-pregnancy pants/jeans on, but can’t zip or button them yet. Maternity tops were too big on me within a week. My uniform these days is a pair of black lounge pants and a t-shirt – so haven’t had much opportunity to put on real clothes (or any desire to, if I’m being honest).

Weight Loss?
I gained a total of 26 pounds while pregnant and have lost all but about 2 pounds. I look almost like I did pre-pregnant, but my belly is still showing a little bit (and it’s still soft and squishy).

Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding didn’t work out. (And I can finally say/write that without feeling guilty/mad/sad.) The last time I pumped was the morning of Jan. 2. I didn’t have much discomfort when I stopped pumping and my boobs returned to their pre-pregnancy size within a couple days. Thanks for that consolation prize…

Sleep
I’m sleeping more that I thought and you do get used to the sleep deprivation. L.J. typically wakes up twice in the middle of the night to eat. Some days I manage a nap and other days not…and on days it doesn’t happen the middle of the night feeds are much more difficult.

(Raise your hand if you’ve ever dropped the bottle because you nodded off mid-way through a 2 a.m. feeding…)

Overall – yes, I’m usually quite tired. A 6-hour stretch of sleep would be the equivalent of an Oscar prize right now.

Food Cravings
Thankfully, most of my food aversions have gone away. Anything buffalo-style still makes me cringe and I can’t stomach bacon, but most of the other aversions are gone. I remember getting broccoli on my plate in the hospital and devouring it. It was delicious and a nice break from peas. All throughout my pregnancy broccoli tasted awful – very bitter.

I’ve not attempted barbecue yet. I will probably give that some time because I want to be able to enjoy it again.

My number one craving while pregnant was a Publix sub, and that was indeed the first meal I had when we came home from the hospital. It was amazing.

What I Miss
I miss feeling him moving around and the wonderment that came with it – what is he doing? what will his personality be like? who will he look like? I also miss all the attention my belly got – and the nice comments people would say. (I hope that doesn’t sound vain.)

Overall, I don’t really miss being pregnant. I’m sure not having the easiest pregnancy contributes to that sentiment. I don’t think I realized just how uncomfortable I was until after the fact. Towards the end I was just looking forward to meeting L.J. – and of course my mantra the whole third trimester was, “It’s ok to be uncomfortable…it’s so much better than second trimester was.”

One thing I don’t miss one single bit – support hose!

Symptoms
I think I am recovering well. I’ve gotten some of my energy and color back, so I think the anemia is resolving. I am still healing “down there” – but that’s to be expected.

Emotionally I am doing well. I’ve had some mood swings thanks to the hormones, but haven’t had crying spells or things like that.

There has definitely been some exhaustion-induced frustration, especially on nights when L.J. doesn’t sleep well. There is no way to reason with a newborn that it’s 3 a.m. and for the love of all that’s holy please go to sleep!

Surprises
I felt very prepared for a baby because I gained a lot of infant experience babysitting (including nannying for a newborn in college). I feel that made transitioning to being a parent much easier – I was confident that I knew all the basics. Still, it’s different when it’s your own child!

I was expecting though still surprised by the sleep deprivation. I didn’t realize how hard it is to get anything done when you are caring for a newborn around the clock. Babysitting infants was always enjoyable. Having my own infant is definitely enjoyable – and also a whole lot of work. And finally, I was a bit surprised of just how fiercely protective I am of L.J.

Favorite thing?
Finally being able to say, “I’m a mom.”

Being a mom is hard but it’s also just about the most rewarding thing I can possibly think of. It’s something I’ve wanted my entire life. I love my son to pieces and am so excited to have embarked on the journey of motherhood.