I cannot begin to describe just how different the first week post partum has been compared to the last time around. Partly it has to do with being a second time mom, partly with recovering from a natural birth, and partly with this kiddo who is bigger and stronger and feeding well.
This time we had a game plan for visitors: baby, mommy and big brother come first, and everyone else can accommodate to us. This has meant that if I want to nurse on the couch in the living room without flailing for a cover I do. I decide when to let others hold the baby (not that often), and if you’re in the my kitchen things need to go back to where they were. I also much more easily brush off unsolicited advice since I did just do the newborn thing less than two years ago.
The experience also means that I’ve been a lot calmer about everything from fussiness to sleepiness.
Speaking of sleep: it hasn’t been too bad and I get one stretch of 3-4 hours which definitely helps the meltdowns. Actually, other than a few snappy comments on my part, there haven’t really been any issues. I credit a huge part of it to a baby that has been feeding well. It is such a blessing and I couldn’t be happier about it.
Physically recovery has been so much easier. Of course I was sore from stitches and otherwise, but by the third day I could sit relatively comfortably, and with the help of every laxative food around even going to the bathroom wasn’t too too bad.
By the one week mark I was off the painkillers and feeling significantly better. The best part though, is that from the moment I came home I was able to pick up my toddler, go up and down stairs without a second thought and generally I just felt like back to myself!
