Log In | Sign Up Now | Help & Support

Message Me | Follow Me
Joined Dec. 17, 2013 5:19am

stephc2010's Pregnancy

My Due Date: May 9, 2016
I have given birth!
Age: 31 years old
Location: Maryland, United States

View All My Journal Entries

My Journal


One week old as of yesterday!
By stephc2010 » Posted May. 17, 2016 2:09pm - 673 views - 2 comments

Time is already going by so quick and I wish I could make it stop and keep both my girls little forever! Madelyn is now 8 days old already and I'm slowly starting to feel back to normal. I'm not sure if it's just me, but it takes me a while to feel "normal" again after delivery. With Allison, I didn't have an appetite for weeks, but other than that felt normal pretty early on. This time, I'm slowly gaining my appetite back already. My stomach and "insides" feel very weird to not have to share space with a baby anymore! The cramps have eased up for the most part, I only get them every now and then but definitely not bad enough to need medicine now. I had a 2nd degree tear again, so that's the only thing that's still bothering me. I'm assuming it's healing okay, because the stitches sort of itch (I remember that from my first recovery, too) lol. TMI the postpartum bleeding has slowed down a lot. I did have a day or two where it picked back up and the cramps were pretty bad, but I think it was because I was overdoing it and ended up spending all day yesterday on the couch, only getting up to use the bathroom or get food/water and I think it helped!

Nursing is going okay as well! I chose to use a nipple shield again this time because Madelyn's constant urge to nurse in the hospital had my nipples sore and blistered! To the point where I would bleed on each side when she first latched on! Even though everyone said her latch was great, she had a really strong suck! I'll work on getting her weaned from it when my nipples are fully healed. We still haven't had to give her any bottles or formula, but we're not opposed to the idea. It's bound to happen, since I am not comfortable nursing in public and pumping hasn't always been something I enjoy... lol.

Allison has been really acting up lately and I know it's because she has had to share the attention. My husband does his best to make sure Allison gets most of his attention when he's awake, but I know she wants the attention from me too. The hardest thing as a mother of two is that neither of them understands when the other needs me. Last night my husband was out running errands and I put Allison in the bath thinking I had enough time before Madelyn woke up to nurse. Well, Madelyn woke up angry and hungry. Our apartment is small and I can see the bathtub with the door wide open if I sit on the couch, so I figured I could watch Allison from the couch and nurse Madelyn very quickly just to get her enough to hold her over until I can fully nurse her. Allison didn't like that idea and insisted I get her out. So I had a newborn screaming at me from the living room and a toddler upset with me while I was trying to finish up her bath. I was nearly in tears by the end of it all, but I know this is only the beginning. I hope Allison will continue to adjust and get used to the new normal. I still feel guilty about it all, but I know that once Madelyn gets a bit older, it will be easier on all of us. She's really a good baby, she'll let me sleep for 4 hour stretches at night! Every time Allison sees Madelyn, she always says "baby" but she won't get close enough to take a picture with her yet. If Madelyn so much as touches her, she immediately says "ow!" She's so over dramatic :) She also loves to steal her blanket from her, and she loves to bring me her binky, but won't try to give it to her herself. And just yesterday, she kept insisting I get up and follow her. Normally its because she wants a snack or milk, this time, she led me to her baby sister and said "baby". When I agreed with her, I turned to walk back to the couch and she started crying. She actually wanted me to pick up Madelyn! When I picked her up, she then went to the couch and patted the seat, like she wanted us all to sit together. It was so sweet. It didn't last long, but I will always remember that!

Sorry for rambling! I'm loving my new "normal" :)

Comments for this Journal Entry

Comment from Libelula264 » Posted May. 20, 2016 3:48pm
Oh wow, she is too precious for words. And that sounds like quite the latch! I thought Cadence was a natural (esp. compared to my first), but she does still have a weak suck at times and I have to "remind" her what she's doing. Sounds like Allison is warming up to baby and just needs to adjust. My son is at daycare during the day so I don't know how you do it!
P.S. I am jealous at your slow-to-return appetite. I've had the same hunger I did while pregnant, which doesn't help the weight situation...

Comment from Starmama14 » Posted May. 17, 2016 7:58pm
Aww! Sounds like you are doing good! Can't believe baby is letting you sleep 4 hour stretches all ready! I remember that feeling like heaven when that finally happened. Lol! Allison will come around soon I am sure and then all of you will fall into a nice routine. Keep us updated on how you're doing :)


You must be logged in to post a comment. Log In or Sign Up