When I was recovering from childbirth in the hospital, I ate a lot of the snacks they had in the snack room. I was so hungry all the time, and the meals just didn’t come often enough. I had lots of cheese and crackers, cereal with whole milk, chocolate pudding, and juice. I needed calories, and lots of them! When I came home, I craved the same things. I had my mom pick up cheese, crackers, pudding, and juice to keep at the house to grab and eat. She also picked up yogurt and pre-made smoothies. In the early days, she or Joanna or Matt would literally have to feed me the food or hold the drinks with a straw while I ate. It took both hands (and then some) to feed the babies. (And it seems like that’s all I did.)
I want to write these things down while I remember them, even though they’re starting to fade. It has been seven weeks since they were born and those first couple of weeks still seem so raw. The memories aren’t smooth and pretty. The edges are rough and there is pain there.
We have come so far since then!
These days I can grab a snack (or a whole meal) and put it on the couch beside me before I grab the boys for a feeding. They usually have a bit of a better latch when I cradle one or both little heads while they’re nursing, but I can also prop them very well on either side of me and nurse them hands-free. I can eat (or read, or browse Facebook, or teach Joanna, or…) while nursing!
The boys’ routine is to wake up (if one wakes up first, I wake the other as well), then I change both diapers and take off their swaddle blankets. I nurse them on the couch with the big pillow and burp them. Then we snuggle or the big kids will hold them for the bit or I will lay them down on a blanket to wiggle. This awake time is literally only minutes these days; they’re pretty ready to go back to sleep after they eat still. I swaddle them back up and either lay them in the crib or in their swings for a nap. Basically if they seem pretty tired but not super grouchy, I can lay them in the crib and they may fall asleep. If they’re already pretty grouchy (and there’s a fair amount of laziness on my part here as well), I will put them in the swings to nap. They typically settle better in the swings. I do let them fuss. I will go in and cuddle and rock if they’re really crying and can’t settle, but they do better putting themselves to sleep than they do if I try to settle them in my arms. At night it’s similar but Matt changes their diapers, re-swaddles them, and brings them to me in the bed. I still sit up to nurse them because it is logistically easier. Matt snoozes while I do this, then we each burp a baby and lay them back in the crib. They have done very well with going right back to sleep, though sometimes they need extra snuggles, rocking, or a snooze in the swing. I think one reason they usually sleep so well at night is because they have a buddy with them.
I think it was between four and five weeks that things started to feel do-able. Every week I feel better and more able to do things from my “previous life.” :)
Last week I had my six week postpartum check-up and everything looks fine. I got to show off the boys to my doctor and nurse. I asked Dr. Torres to order lab work to check my thyroid and iron levels. I don’t feel like they’re off, but these are both things that my body struggles with, and they get low before I realize it. Because my insurance changed, I just had to go downstairs to the lab instead of down the street. It still took a long time though. It’s amazing how hard that would have been several weeks ago, but it just didn’t phase me last week. I did feel bad for my mother for taking up so much of her day. She loves me though. :) I haven’t heard back, so I’m assuming my levels are fine.
I think that’s probably enough rambling for now. I have a whole Thanksgiving post as well as some miscellaneous fun pictures to share. Another day. The boys are sleeping, and I’m going to eat lunch and sit on the couch with my big girl.
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