Family Friday (vol. 32): Family of 4 Update

I’m going to break this down into section and try to keep bullet points.

• Day-to-Day
  • We have somewhat of a routine thanks to Shea continuing daycare (and contractors starting around 8am every day). Shea usually rises before Piper, so Shea and I can get the dog breakfast and make breakfast for ourselves. Lately, we’ve been doing lots of smoothies. On a good day, I’ll have Shea fed and her diaper and clothes changed before the baby gets up (or I get her up) to nurse before leaving the house around 8/8:15am.
  • Drop off Shea around 8:30am and Piper and I either have errands/appointments, or we go walk for about an hour. This week, it has mostly been walking and getting us back home around 10am. She’s usually sleeping in the car seat so I’ll shower quickly with the car seat in the bathroom and plan the rest of the day – to-do’s, laundry, errands, dishes, work, blogging – whatever. There hasn’t been a day that has dragged on yet – probably with thanks to beautiful weather and several visitors.
  • I pick-up Shea around 4:30/5pm and return home for some outdoor time before dinner, bath, books, and bed. Repeat.
  • Keeping Shea in daycare has been the best option for us. In fact, I added Fridays to her daycare week. As much as I’d love to spend Fridays with both of my girls, I wasn’t up for that challenge right off the bat and with our kitchen being torn apart and contractors everywhere, it’s the right move for us for now. Her daycare was very understanding and accommodating and we can drop that 5th day at any time – awesome. Lately, I’ve had to coax Shea to leave. She LOVES her friends and teachers.
• Emotionally
  • The beginning was a struggle. The first 7-10 days were really, really hard after leaving the hospital – it was the same after Shea’s birth, too. It was just this week Monday I finally started to feel emotionally well again. Hormones, life changes – adding a baby to the family unit is a lot!
  • My anxiety has drastically improved and the second my head hits the pillow, I’m out. Goodbye, sleepless nights. While I never struggled with anxiety in the past, it was very real these past several weeks. Now that we have a few weeks under our belt as a family of 4 (and have lived to tell of it!), I know we can do this! And maybe even do it well
• Big Sister Shea (and Lily)
  • Shea is doing WONDERFUL. I mean, there was the time she pinched the baby’s head and I think Piper has gotten a foot to the face once or twice, but overall, Shea has done exceptionally well. And Piper has tolerated Shea well
  • Shea is very curious about nursing or “eating” and has kissed my breasts and mimicked the baby on several occasions, especially the first few days. She’s become accustomed to me nursing, however, and we usually spend that time together on the couch with 90% of my attention focused on her, not the baby (…when Shea is around).
  • Shea LOVES diaper changes. We call them “stinkies” in our house and her job is to get the diaper, wipes (1 to start and more if I request them – she has gotten good about this!), and then to throw the stinky in the stinky bin in the bathroom. One morning I threw a diaper in the pail and she FLIPPED. I had to retrieve the diaper and hand it to her to dispose of…and all was right in the world again. Phew.
  • Lily was very interested in the baby at first. Now she pouts in the evening some. Despite me being home much more than usual, Lily thinks all attention should be directed towards her at all times. Bulldogs, man! Needy, needy, needy.
• Breastfeeding
  • Going great and far better than expected after supply issues and LOTS of pain with Shea. Piper gained 11 ounces in a week and is certainly thriving!
  • I’ve been attending the Breastfeeding Support Group through the local hospital. It’s great to meet other women with newborns and chat about all this baby stuff without boring others to tears!
  • Piper is a fan of cluster feeding in the evening – sometimes as early as 6pm onward. It can make dinner/bath/bed very challenging, especially if hubby is working late.
• Sleep
  • Piper sleeps in her nursery, in a rock-and-play (for now)
  • I plan to start naps in the crib just as soon as her nap times become more regular.
  • We transitioned Shea to the crib between 3 and 4 months and will likely do the same with Piper. We’ll see, but for now, the RNP has been great.
  • With the exception of 2 nights, Piper gets up 1x/night. I feel your dagger eyes! I know, we’ve been very blessed with a sleeper – and yes, I realize that can all change in an instant. So, I’m enjoying it for now! The trend seems to be a 3-4am wake-up and I’ve been going downstairs to watch TV during this time, mostly because I don’t want any cries to wake-up Shea (or hubby). Piper still isn’t a huge fan of diaper changes and can fuss if my milk isn’t letting down as quickly as she’d like
  • Nighttime nursing/diapering/burping is generally a 60-90 minute event (but last night was a quick 30 minutes!), so my one wake-up is a long one. Hence, the TV time. Reading puts me to sleep too easily.
  • I am yet to nap. Yes, there has been a handful of times it would’ve been nice…but alas, the pounding and drilling and banging in my kitchen would keep me from that more often than not. I never napped when on maternity leave with Shea, either. I’m not a good napper and the advice of “sleep when the baby sleeps” never suited me well.
  • Piper travels well and takes several 2-4 hour naps throughout the day. They aren’t really consistent, but seem to be normalizing some – 8:30am-11, 12-3pm, 4:30-6/7pm.
• Recovery/Post-Partum
  • A breeze. I feel 100% back to normal and honestly, felt this good within a few days post-partum. My recovery with Shea was good…my recovery with Piper was wonderful.
  • Similar to after having Shea, my “baby” weight was gone in about a week. Of course my body is still adjusting and just like with Shea, the 20 lbs I gained (40 lbs with Shea), melted off and then the scale came to a complete halt at my pre-pregnancy weight. WHAT THE HECK!? For now, just feeling fortunate to be down the 20 lbs and feeling wonderful.
  • I added walking (several miles) into my daily routine after about 10 days. I went for my first “jog” (slow, pushing a stroller, 1 mile) at 2 weeks post-partum, and will play tennis this weekend. I’ll hold off on hockey until Piper is sleeping a bit more consistently and the cluster feeding has ended.

That’s our little family update. We’re officially 2 weeks into our kitchen remodel, are yet to order take-out, and we’re on track with the project – woo! Life is good – a little crazier than it was 15 days ago, but we are most definitely blessed with two beautiful girls!

Be well,

from Prevention RD http://preventionrd.com/2016/09/family-friday-vol-32-family-of-4-update/
via Heart Based Marketing