So much to tell!
*Ava has been a fantastic nurser since birth. Things got a bit irritated on Tuesday, but picked up again that night and have been going strong again ever since. She likes to go a good four hours between feedings, so that's been a fantastic reprieve for my very sore girls. I'm starting to feel like my milk may be on it's way in, which is both exciting (because at that point she'll start gaining weight again and, also worth mentioning, I'll have a fantastic rack) and terrifying (engorgement = major pain initially). So far, though, so good.
*Maybe one of the most surprising things about parenthood so far is the fact that I really like breastfeeding. I mean, yeah, it's painful and all, but I love feeling that connection with her. Knowing that my body is fully capable of feeding my beautiful daughter makes up for the fact that it gave a disappointing labor performance.
*D is an amazing father, completely head over heels for his little girl. He snuggles her and kisses her and has gone from never holding a baby or changing a diaper to being a total pro! Part of that I'm sure is that he has had to do it all while I was confined to my bed initially, but I attribute it more to his inherent dad skills coming out. Either way, I've never loved him more.
*As far as sleep goes, it's few and far between. Ava is a fantastic sleeper and nurser, so what exactly is keeping me up? Pain from my c-section is the biggest culprit, combined with the new mom dear that something might happen to Ava while I'm sleeping. The first night, I slept about 45 minutes. Last night - maybe slightly under 3 hours? I think we're at a whopping total of 12 hours since Sunday morning. Ouch.
*While I was expecting the recovery to be long and painful, I am indeed surprised by how many different places it is painful. I feel like I have been in a major car accident. Part of this I'm sure was the insane shaking that I did due to shock and anesthesia, and also from relying solely on my arms to pull me up and help me move around, but wow. It's been hard.
*Ava is a really, really calm and content baby. I'm talking the kind of tranquility I still couldn't reach, even post-morphine. She's just the most pleasant person in the entire world.
*Just now am I finally starting to lose some of the swell from everything they had to give me pre- and post-op. My tummy immediately went WAY down, but my legs and calves and feet looked positively huge! I went from looking 9 (10) months pregnant to just having a really fat ass and thunderthighs, much to my chagrin. Luckily, I'm peeing it out now that I'm up and out of bed. Whew. Also, I can happily report that I have zero stretch marks. Thanks, little A :) You're the bestest!
Ok, barely keeping eyes open. More later.
Haha, so glad to see you so happy! I remember J telling me he got over his fear of breaking Marianne a few minutes after she was born, when he saw nurses manhandling her and was like, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MY KID?????"
ReplyDelete"Oh don't worry Daddy, she's not breakable!"
Poor J. I'm sort of glad I wasn't awake to see it.
Marianne was also a very calm baby...though she picked up on a lot more of MY anxiety...more than I thought capable. After a month or two, once I calmed down, the change in her was night and day.
I spent the first two months terrified of my own child. You're so lucky you've got some experience to temper the fear.
You must take video soon! :)
She is beautiful!!
ReplyDeleteI'm totally with you on the love-of-breastfeeding thing. The soreness is nothing compared to the reward of connecting with your baby.