ONE MONTH POSTPARTUM

It has been a month since I gave birth to baby Rosie. You may wonder how am I now. How’s the new life with a newborn baby. How I handle things now that I have two children. Here are our one-month postpartum updates.

My labor and delivery were not as I expected it to be. However, I am very happy that I had a normal delivery, otherwise, it would have been a different story. It was a traumatic experience I would say but so happy that the baby and I are fine and healthy. Right now it was past and though it was hard, it was one of the happiest moments in my life. Bringing a human being into this world. Seeing my baby for the first time was like magic. It was the most wonderful feeling and such a relief knowing that she is healthy. She was inside me for nine months and holding her for the first time was a dream. It makes all the pains worth it.

ONE MONTH HAVING A NEW BABY

Our little baby was crying nonstop on her first days of life. The first night at home was so bad. We did not have any sleep and the baby was crying nonstop. We did not know what else to do to comfort her. I breastfeed her as much as I can and during that time my milk supply was very low. We supplemented with formula and we didn’t know she wasn’t getting enough milk until our first midwife appointment. She did not gain any weight. And we did not know the reason why she was crying was that she was hungry. I feel guilty just thinking about it now. Since supplementing more formula, the baby does not cry as much before. We are relieved. She still cries of course but it is because of gas.

We continue breastfeeding and is getting good at it. I think I have enough milk now. The midwife said we can start giving less formula now and if only needed. The baby is gaining weight. She sleeps better at night now. She sleeps on her crib and later sleeps with me. No more crying nights. During the day she naps often as well and sometimes stays quiet in her bouncer. Still have gas and I can see the pain in her trying her best to pass gas. Trying to help her by massaging her belly and do bicycles with her legs. She often wakes up around 1-2 am and goes back to sleep 4-5… That’s when her belly hurts and is kicking her legs trying to pass gas. In between those hours, she’s sleeping really well.

ONE MONTH AS A NEW MOM (second time around after 8 years)

As you know, my eldest daughter was born eight years ago. Being pregnant again after such a long time makes me a new mama again. I forgot everything about pregnancy and being a mom to a little newborn baby. It was like going back to grade one. But I was eager to learn and experience it again.  Most things came naturally. It is when you have a baby in you. You just know what to do all of a sudden. It is definitely not easy but learning along the way.

At one month postpartum, I don’t have any pains any more thanks, God. I have a little pain in my tailbone other than that I am completely pain-free. So nice to say this after having pains for so long. This pregnancy was not easy and I am happy it is over. I’m waiting for my PP check-up which is on my 8th week postpartum then I know everything’s healed. I still have half of the weight I gained during pregnancy and have a bouncy belly 😂. But I’m happy with it. It will be gone soon. Also, breastfeeding makes me hungry all the time so there’s no way to diet and lose weight for now. I change my diet a little by not drinking cacao anymore and eating fewer chocolate desserts. It can be one reason for a baby to be gassy and fussy. We are not sure but I try anyway. Sacrificing a little for the little one

DAILY ROUTINE AND SLEEPING AT NIGHT

I start walking with baby at two weeks PP. Part of our morning routine is to bring Rianna to school every morning. We have a good thirty minutes of walking which I and my baby both have benefits. It is nice to walk and have fresh air outside. As to sleeping, the first few days and weeks were very hard. I didn’t have any sleep at all. But now that baby is one month, I learned a lesson. And that is to get some sleep whenever I can. Since the baby is not crying that much anymore, things got easier for us. Now the baby sleeps three hours straight at night. During that time I sleep also. So I would say I have 3-6 hours of sleep a day now. Still not that much but I am happy. I am trying to sleep from 9 pm-12, it is when the baby is asleep too. She wakes up at midnight and awake for 1-3 hours. Then as soon as she finally back to sleep, I sleep too until morning. I cannot wait for that time when she finally sleeps through the night.

PHYSICALLY, EMOTIONALLY AND PSYCHOLOGICALLY

It may take a while to lose my bouncy belly now. I don’t have the energy for any workout or exercise other than walking with a stroller in the mornings. No diet as well because I am breastfeeding. I need to eat often and healthy to produce milk. Emotionally, I am happy and contented with my life right now. Psychologically, being sleep deprived can make you crazy sometimes. But I am fine. I can say I am happier now actually. Sometimes I lose my patience when I cannot stop the baby from crying but always trying my best to be calm So far, I haven’t cried because I am sad. I know once the baby starts sleeping stretch life will get better for sure.

That’s for now for my one month postpartum.