I wanted to wait to write my birth story until I was nearing the end of the initial 6 week postpartum period to share a little bit about that side of my experience as well. Timothy’s birth and first couple weeks of life were so full of peace and grace, my heart is flooded with gratitude as I reflect on this time! Now several weeks in, reality has set in a bit and things have gotten tougher, not unmanageable but I’m still daily adjusting to meeting the needs of two kids while trying to have more relaxed expectations on myself. ;) I am not a super tidy person by nature (my modus operandi is somewhat haphazard) but over the last few years I've grown a lot in that area, in this season though I'm trying to relax my newfound appreciation for an organized space, time with these sweet little gems is so much more valuable than stressing over trying to maintain a spotless house or an ambitious to do list.
So anyways first a little bit about Timothy's birth!
I was becoming anxious the week before he was born (he was six days past his due date) as Keenan’s paternity leave was dwindling. His time off began on Timothy's due date, as Coralee was only three days past her due date we thought that meant baby would arrive “on time” or even early, whoops! However those six days prior to his arrival were filled with priceless quality family time and plenty of labor inducing techniques like walking, spicy food, you get the picture ;)
^40.5 weeks pregnant hoping dearly this was my last "maternity" picture, it was!
I had a checkup the day before little man arrived and I asked the midwife to check my cervix to see if I was dilated at all (I was in desperate need of some hope!) Effaced to a 2 I thought that was better than nothing and she casually offered to do a “membrane sweep” “Sure!” I replied willing to try just about anything to get things going (I was about two days away from making myself a Castor oil cocktail, I am thankful I didn’t have to go that route!) Almost immediately after the sweep I began having contractions that became increasingly regular and more intense (unlike the random Braxton Hicks I was experiencing all week) The sweep (which I half laughed through because of how awkward and uncomfortable it was) occurred around 3:30pm, by about 10pm I was pretty sure this was finally the real deal so I called the midwife to give her a heads up. Labor slowly progressed through the night, I downloaded a contraction counting app to time how close together they were and watched the contractions steadily become closer and closer, trying to rest as much as I could in between! There was some back labor (ouch!) And around 2am I thought to myself, ok this is why some mamas get the epidural, duh! But because I had chosen to give birth at home that was not an option and onward my labor went! Keenan was a great support during this time which was basically me alternating between standing holding onto his shoulders or crouching in the fetal position on the couch as I got through the contractions. I definitely appreciated being able to labor in my own space and was so thankful that my daughter was spending the night with my mother in law because there was no way she would have slept through all that noise! At 3am we gave our midwife another ring (well Keenan did, I couldn’t even talk at this point!) and she arrived by about 4am. We had yet to set up the birth pool (I honestly wasn’t sure at what point we were supposed to haha) and after checking me she was quite surprised we hadn’t filled it up yet, it was already almost push time! The midwife and her assistant with the help of Keenan quickly filled it up with warm water (and kept it warm by boiling water on the stove) and getting in felt so nice, like a pleasant hot bath! I wish I would have filled it up sooner! I looove baths which is part of the reason I opted to try a water birth, I had heard it could help with natural pain management and could make things more comfortable which it did! After a bit more laboring in the tub, I began to push with the coaching of the midwife. Both kid’s push times were about 20 minutes but this time around having her coach me and tell me when to slow down drastically reduced my tearing, last time it was a second degree tear with stitches (so painful) but this go I only had a minor first degree tear that did not require stitches which I thought was pretty decent considering his size! (9.11 pounds) Anyhow 4:59am he arrived and with the help of the midwife Keenan “caught” him and placed him on my chest! The sense of peace and relief when you cross that finish line is unreal! I knew I still needed to birth the placenta so that was in the back of my mind but enjoying those first cuddles was pure bliss.
^ Timothy at about 12 hours old. (Thanks Adj for the pictures!)
I had a checkup the day before little man arrived and I asked the midwife to check my cervix to see if I was dilated at all (I was in desperate need of some hope!) Effaced to a 2 I thought that was better than nothing and she casually offered to do a “membrane sweep” “Sure!” I replied willing to try just about anything to get things going (I was about two days away from making myself a Castor oil cocktail, I am thankful I didn’t have to go that route!) Almost immediately after the sweep I began having contractions that became increasingly regular and more intense (unlike the random Braxton Hicks I was experiencing all week) The sweep (which I half laughed through because of how awkward and uncomfortable it was) occurred around 3:30pm, by about 10pm I was pretty sure this was finally the real deal so I called the midwife to give her a heads up. Labor slowly progressed through the night, I downloaded a contraction counting app to time how close together they were and watched the contractions steadily become closer and closer, trying to rest as much as I could in between! There was some back labor (ouch!) And around 2am I thought to myself, ok this is why some mamas get the epidural, duh! But because I had chosen to give birth at home that was not an option and onward my labor went! Keenan was a great support during this time which was basically me alternating between standing holding onto his shoulders or crouching in the fetal position on the couch as I got through the contractions. I definitely appreciated being able to labor in my own space and was so thankful that my daughter was spending the night with my mother in law because there was no way she would have slept through all that noise! At 3am we gave our midwife another ring (well Keenan did, I couldn’t even talk at this point!) and she arrived by about 4am. We had yet to set up the birth pool (I honestly wasn’t sure at what point we were supposed to haha) and after checking me she was quite surprised we hadn’t filled it up yet, it was already almost push time! The midwife and her assistant with the help of Keenan quickly filled it up with warm water (and kept it warm by boiling water on the stove) and getting in felt so nice, like a pleasant hot bath! I wish I would have filled it up sooner! I looove baths which is part of the reason I opted to try a water birth, I had heard it could help with natural pain management and could make things more comfortable which it did! After a bit more laboring in the tub, I began to push with the coaching of the midwife. Both kid’s push times were about 20 minutes but this time around having her coach me and tell me when to slow down drastically reduced my tearing, last time it was a second degree tear with stitches (so painful) but this go I only had a minor first degree tear that did not require stitches which I thought was pretty decent considering his size! (9.11 pounds) Anyhow 4:59am he arrived and with the help of the midwife Keenan “caught” him and placed him on my chest! The sense of peace and relief when you cross that finish line is unreal! I knew I still needed to birth the placenta so that was in the back of my mind but enjoying those first cuddles was pure bliss.
^ Timothy at about 12 hours old. (Thanks Adj for the pictures!)
Thankfully he took well to nursing and has been such a sweetie since day one. The baby carrier is a life saver for keeping him close and content and thanks to the help of my dear friend Katie coming to stay with me and sweet friends from church dropping off meals I was able to stay off my feet and rest a TON that first week. I’ve slowly been increasing my activity and feeling more and more like myself while getting to know this sweet little guy and trying to help my darling Coralee, who is 2 1/2 adjust as well.
Here are a few basic items that have helped me greatly during the postpartum period:
I have been super happy with the nursing bras and tanks I bought from H&M! They are pretty much all I wear these days and they were a great price too. http://www.hm.com/us/
MAMA brand from H&M both were a 2 pack for $29.99
As I had some minor abdominal separation with both of my pregnancies I knew I was going to want to wear a postpartum girdle this time! My sweet friend Vanessa had given me hers to use after I had Coralee and I was really inconsistent in using it. This time I've worn it almost 24-7 except for when hand washing/drying it and I feel like it has helped a ton with providing support for my weak core and shrinking my body back to size. There are many great varieties on the market, this is the one that I have been using!
This is their Original Belly Bandit design (the one I wore) $49.95
This is a great carrier to put on quickly for shorter periods! Sakura Bloom Ring Sling, classic $98 https://sakurabloom.com/collections/classic
We've been using our Tula with our toddler for over 2 years now, it has definitely more than paid for itself! This exact design is no longer in stock but they are always coming out with adorable new patterns that you can check out here! https://babytula.com Mine is the Standard Ergonomic Carrier and we are using the infant insert until little man is 15 lbs and has more head control!
Lastly my dear friend Kayla just sent me one of her Solly Baby Wraps in the mail last week and oh my gosh I'm in love! I want one in every color, it's amazing! I've always veered away from this style of carrier because I was afraid it would be too complicated to use but it's not at all, I got the hang of it after watching their YouTube tutorial and practicing putting him in a couple times. It's so soft and not too stretchy (which was a problem I had with a similar wrap I owned in the past) Definitely recommend. http://sollybaby.com (This is a photo from their site, this color Tigerlily is now on my wish list!)
After having my first child one detail I was blindsided by was what to wear after delivery! I had spent so much time figuring out what to wear while still pregnant and getting everything ready for sweet baby (rightly so) but it didn't dawn on me that my pre-pregnancy clothes weren't going to fit once I waltzed (or waddled lol) out of the hospital. This time thankfully with some experience I sorted through my closet and drawers a couple weeks before to try and make postpartum dressing as easy as I could!
I am a denim addict and am one of those sick weirdos that likes to wear jeans even when I am relaxing at home. My pre-preggo jeans are still not fitting comfortably so I am thankful that I still have 2-3 pairs of non-maternity jeans (I really don't care for the elastic waistlines of maternity pants) that fit me in the last month of pregnancy and fit comfortably for the time being.
V-neck shirts for nursing! This was the biggest adjustment for me clothing wise after my first baby, I had to considering nursing accessibility with each outfit! Part of me mourned that I wouldn't be wearing anything crewneck for a while (so dramatic I know) but these days if I rock a crew tee I just wear an undershirt so I don't feel like I'm stripping if I lift my shirt up to nurse, haha. I also appreciate having button up tops on hand for nursing as well. Anything I wear I just accept that it will be tagged in spit up within a few hours because it will be, ha.
Self care in little ways here and there have gone a long way for me. Getting dressed and going out solo occasionally helps me to feel like a "normal person" in this rewarding but demanding time. My favorite weekend outings include coffee and the park with the fam and hitting the secondhand stores by myself for an hour or two.
What postpartum tips would you recommend? Please share in the comments!
Happy Styling :)
Happy Styling :)
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