Ten days have passed since K’s birth. Ten days since my body went through the most traumatizing thing it’s been through ever! (Or at least since I was the baby in that same scenario…)
Here’s an update…
Recovery:
I’m feeling surprisingly well. I’ve had only two naps in the last ten days, but am pulling some sort of strange energy from somewhere. I say strange because I’m normally the type who struggles if I don’t get 8 hours of sleep. The pain has not been super bad. More sore and uncomfortable than anything. Although I occasionally realize I’ve over done it.
My bigger discomfort has been my belly. At first it was so saggy and floppy (how’s that for a visual) that it hurt when I walked. I ended up wearing jeans because they had the firmest belly panel. When I shrank down enough to wear my bella band I used that for a couple of days. But it’s gone down a LOT in the last few days. I still have a bit of a belly, but it’s not bad at all. And no soreness there remains.
The other belly pain has been the cramps and contractions I had during the early breastfeeding days. Literally as bad as some of my early labor contractions. Thankfully that seems to be subsiding.
Breastfeeding:
Breastfeeding has gone pretty well. K has always latched well. It was a trying time to go through the colostrum days waiting on milk to come in. We ended up supplementing with formula a bit during days 2 and 3 because he just seemed so hungry. Even with that, he dropped from 7 lb 7 oz to 6 lb 12 oz. (Still within the acceptable range and he has since rebounded and gained even beyond his birth weight.)
On day 3, we were “cleared” to go home…as soon as he had a wet diaper. We waited 14 hours for that pee. And as if I wasn’t physically and emotionally stressed enough, one dear soul chimed in with “just think, if you weren’t breastfeeding you could have him at home right now.” Luckily my mom is a huge supporter of breastfeeding and was a great cheerleader. J has also been very supportive, and for that I am grateful.
I’ve weighed him before and after feedings a few times the last couple of days and he’s getting between 2 and 3 ounces per feeding. On track for this stage! More importantly, I can gain comfort that he is eating enough by paying attention to him. He has enough wet and dirty diapers, and is content for 2.5 or more hours after a feeding. In fact it’s rare for him to go less than 3 in between, and at night we’ve had stretches as long as 4.5 hours.
Weight loss:
I have lost 17 of the 33 pounds so far. And with minimal effort. I’m drinking water like a champ, and breastfeeding is obviously helping. I look forward to being able to be a bit more active in the near future to get rid of the remaining pounds and tone up a LOT.
So that’s how I’M doing! And since you probably stopped by to hear about K instead…I’ll attach a pic of our beautiful baby boy. I know I’m biased…but is he perfect or what?
Mama Laughs 