My poor boobs. As expected, breastfeeding is easily the most challenging part of having a newborn. I’ve shared before that my body, for reasons unknown, produces WAY too much milk. Within two weeks of having Lily I was producing enough to feed her every two hours PLUS 32 extra ounces of pumped milk. For those of you who haven’t breastfed before: that is absolutely insane. Some people can pump all day and be lucky to get 12oz. My milk supply with Lily dropped significantly after I had my retained placenta removed so I figured I wouldn’t really have it this time. Wrong. Even before I had Maverick I could express an insane amount of colostrum. My milk came in less than 24 hours after he was born and by day 2 he was already started to choke while feeding. I told you in my last diary about my engorgement. I’m lucky that the engorgement has went away but in its place is clogged milk ducts. I’ve had three already this week and a couple of nights ago I had to take an Epsom salt bath at 4am to try to get it out. I was in so much pain I couldn’t even sleep. It took me over 2 days to get the plug out and I finally found it with the help of my LaVie massager and a Haakaa pump filled with hot water and Epsom salt. My supply has definitely been more manageable than it was with Lily and I owe that to using silicone pumps instead of my electric pump. So much less work and less things to wash. I’m still getting about 24 extra ounces a day but really my only concern are the plugged ducts. I’m taking sunflower lecithin every day preventatively but so far it hasn’t been working. Maverick is still sleeping great at night but that means feeding every hour (sometimes even every half hour!) all day long. Me AND my boobs are exhausted.
I can tell this week that I’m healing much faster. I don’t feel nearly as sore or fragile. It’s still hard to lift heavy things (like my toddler!) but I feel much better than last week. I’m so surprised and glad that my abdominal definition has come back so quickly. It’s great to know that all of my hard work pre-pregnancy was worth it! I’m still about 15 pounds heavier than where I started but I swear half of that is in my boobs! Ha. I have been wearing my Ab System from Bellies Inc. most days. I think I’m going to switch to just wearing the wrap because the tanks cut off right where I’m getting my plugged ducts on the side of my breasts. I really think their products are helping me heal! I’ve also been continuing to use stretch mark cream and oil to help my skin as it shrinks back. I expect to always have a little bit of loose skin but luckily when I stand you can’t really tell. I’m still bleeding but it comes and goes in waves.
Emotionally I feel pretty good. Our nanny had to leave so its man to man coverage at our house. I’ve been doing alright with it but Andy is getting overwhelmed which, in turn, makes me feel overwhelmed. I’m very in tune with how my husband feels and I never want him to get overly stressed. He’s so used to having a lot of structure from football and getting time away from the house that being here all day and caring for an attitude-filled toddler is out of his wheelhouse. He’s a wonderful dad and I know when we find another person to help us he’ll feel much better. I am SO lucky to have such a hands-on husband. I think the big majority of why I’m feeling alright is because I’m getting a lot more sleep than I was with Lily. I am taking my rest seriously and it’s making all the difference. We are so, so lucky that Maverick is sleeping so well. Three times a week we have a night nurse that comes from 10-5 which really helps. Maverick sleeps downstairs with her so I’m not hearing all of his little squeaks that wake me up all night. I used a night nurse for a couple nights with Lily but I felt so guilty that I wasn’t with her that I didn’t continue with it. It was a huge mistake because it’s really amazing how much more you wake up when they’re sleeping next to you.
We had Maverick’s two-week pediatrician appointment and he is doing great! He’s already gained almost a pound which is INSANE due to all of the milk he’s getting. He had a little rash on his neck but it’s since gone away. His cord fell off last week but his belly button is still bleeding a bit. She reassured us it was normal. Other than that, he is just a poop and burb machine that, so far, is SO much easier than his sister!
Thanks for tuning in this week!