I'm sitting here typing with Joshua in my new Storchenwiege wrap. It is AWESOME. I love it. Thank you Mom & Dad! We just came back from a short walk which felt good but also pooped me out. The house is in Quiet Time mode now and afterward Andrew and Mom are going to take the big kids to Peter Piper Pizza. Josh and I will chill and rest here at home.
The last couple of days have been really great. Joshua is now a contented, sleepy, clear-skinned baby. I'm so happy! I am sad that his first days of life had to be so uncomfortable.
The nights have been really good. I bring him to bed with me so nursing is minimally disruptive... Josh and I have been sleeping quite well. Praying for that to continue!
Cloth diapering has been kind of fun! I like learning new things. I am particularly loving the cloth wipes. The only downfall is that they are cold when I wet them with the wipe solution. I quickly realized that in the early days a cover isn't necessary. It's nice to know right away when he's wet so we can change him up. Now that he's peeing more I put a cover on for bedtime and when we go to bed. He isn't a big fan of the diaper change! Especially now while we're still slow and clumsy with them. When we do put a cover on, I understand what people mean about cloth diapers being bulky!! I think it will get a bit better as he grows a little, but I guess this is the reality of cloth diapering. One thing I love about cloth is knowing I never have to go to the store to restock on diapers and wipes. I just have to run a load of laundry every couple of days. I'm home enough that is no big deal to me.
I dabbled a little with EC in the first few days, but he was so fussy and he didn't seem to like being held over the potty. I'm also not quite sure how to do it in a way that's comfortable for both of us. He generally poops while he's nursing and it just seems awkward. For now I'll continue to change him frequently and observe for his elimination timing and cues. We'll figure out the EC thing as we go along.
Joshua likes to be swaddled. This is good to know.
I feel pretty good. I'm not really sore from the birth or otherwise anymore. Still have a poochy jelly belly but it's going down steadily. The belly wrapping is nice- more for back support than anything actually. I haven't been keeping consistently wrapped because it takes two people and I am nursing so frequently it's not too often someone is available and Josh isn't with me and I remember.
I have felt so well supported!! I get fed, my house and laundry stay magically clean, the big kids' needs are taken care of, there is always a pair of arms available to hold Joshua so I can take care of myself.... THANK YOU SO MUCH Mom and Andrew. I really really really REALLY appreciate it.
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With all the detailed text info, great pictures and video it feels like I am in Torreon.
ReplyDeleteThanks.......from one very Proud Papa!
You look fantastic! I'm so glad you are feeling good and that you and Joshua are sleeping relatively well. Kudos to your Mom and Andrew for taking such great care of you. What a blessing. Say hi to Bobbi for us.
ReplyDeleteHi! I just read your birth story, and wow! Awesome! I just love to hear this kind of birth story!
ReplyDeleteHere's a few things I thought of while reading this blog post:
Cloth diapering: if you have access to warm water, you can just wet a cloth with that. No fancy wipe solution necessary. I've done this with all 3 of my babies. I learned after my first was born that you actually shouldn't use anything except water on babies less than 6 mths old (no soap, no lotion, no oils, no diaper cream etc.) as the skin is the largest organ and anything absorbed by the skin the liver has to process, and their livers are still maturing. Cloth diapering, especially the way you are doing it with changing him everytime he pees and not using a cover, will make diaper creams unnecessary as you will find he probably has no diaper rash. So glad you are enjoying cloth diapering!
EC: I think you have a baby potty? (I seem to recall shipping you one). You could try holding him on the potty while you nurse him if he poos while he is nursing. It's a little more tricky with boys and peeing on the potty while nursing (their little penises can really get the pee everywhere!), but especially once he's a little less floppy in the head and trunk you may find this works. In any case, in these early days just noticing when he pees and poos is a major step in communication! You'll probably start to notice the signals that he makes too. Amadeus (now 8 weeks), purses his lips when he has to pee, and sometimes cries.
So glad that you are feeling great! I've had a much slower recovery. Remember not to push yourself too hard. The pelvic floor and uterus take a minimum of 6-8 weeks to start to regain tone and return to normal size. If you overdo it in this time, you can damage yourself so you have trouble later in life, with things such as incontinence. I don't know if you are already aware of this, but most women from North America aren't, so I like to mention it!