I had my two week postpartum visit this past Friday, and I met with the nurse practitioner, as my doctor was out of town. I was actually a little sad to not see my doctor... Despite my incessant complaining about the woman, she proved to be an amazing doctor, and we're even talking about staying with her practice for future Shelton babies! The nurse checked my incision, she said everything looked great, and she cleared me to drive.
Recovery has been smooth sailing for the most part. I'm down 24 pounds as of this morning, and I've still got 10 pounds to go. Unfortunately, I think the remaining 10 pounds are all in my ass. I still cannot button my regular pants, so for now, I live in yoga pants. Here's hoping my kangaroo pouch disappears fairly soon!
Heading to the hospital...
Two weeks later...
Most people complain about loose skin after they give birth, but that hasn't really been a problem for me. I guess that's one plus side to getting pregnant when you're 19... Don't hate me too much though, because what I lack in loose skin, I more than make up for in stretch marks. I can't even count all the stretch marks on my belly! I smother my midsection in Vitamin E oil twice daily, and they seem to have faded somewhat, but they are still verrry noticeable and verrry ugly.
My incision is still a little sore; it mostly bothers me when I go from sitting to standing position. Finally, though, I can laugh without any pain!!! You have no idea how hard it is to live with someone as funny as Casey, when you're not supposed to laugh! There were many occasions when he or someone else unintentionally made me laugh and left me writhing in pain. I stopped taking my pain medication much sooner than I was supposed to, because it was affecting Lucy. Those first few days sans medication hurt, but it was worth it. The pain meds were making Lucy extremely sleepy, so sleepy that she couldn't stay awake through feedings; which, ultimately affected her weight, and scared the living hell out of her daddy and I. Within hours of stopping the medication, Lucy was so much more alert and feeding much better.
Breastfeeding has been really great (since my milk came in - the Colostrum only days SUCKED)! There was some pain and cracking in the beginning, but things really improved around the two week mark! Lucy is a great breastfeeder; she has a great latch, and she eats like a champ! At first, our routine involved waking Lucy every two hours (during the day) to feed, and letting her wake up on her own at night. Now, due to Lucy's awesome weight gain, we're free to let her wake up on her own throughout the day. I prayed almost nightly, while I was pregnant, to be able to breastfeed, and I am so grateful to be able to; I love the bonding, I love the health benefits for Lucy, and of course, I love the calorie burner!
I think our little family of three has adjusted quite well over the past two weeks. We've developed a couple of routines that work for us, including cloth diapering (more on that in a separate post), and we couldn't be happier. We are sooo excited for Lucy's first Easter, her first trip to Connecticut, and every other "first" coming our way.
In Lucy news, she officially has a normal belly button! It still hasn't sucked in to form an "innie" belly button, but it is still totally adorable and such a relief to have that gross cord gone! At her two week check up she had surpassed her birth weight, weighing in at 7 pounds, 9 ounces; this was quite impressive, as she was a mere 6 pounds, 8 ounces the week before. The pediatrician has scheduled an ultrasound of Lucy's hips for her 6 week birthday; due to her prolonged breech presentation in the womb, there is a chance of hip dysplasia. Although, during every physical exam the pediatrician has said that Lucy's hips feel great, and she doesn't believe there will be any problems.
I'll end my long-winded post with some adorable pictures of Lucy Lou:
Taylor she is so adorable!! I can't wait to hear how the cloth diapering is going!
ReplyDeleteyou look fanastic taylor!!
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