We did it! We survived two weeks with a new baby and as a family of four!
I’m not going to lie – there were times when I wasn’t sure what we had let ourselves in for. Most notably the first few nights when Kit literally DID NOT SLEEP! I mean, not at all. He was genuinely on my boobs for about eight hours straight – every time I tried to take him off as he appeared to be asleep he would cry within about two minutes of being put down. My nipples were hanging off (sorry if TMI) and we were honestly at our wits end. I just don’t remember Flynn ever being THAT bad! Either he wasn’t and we were blessed with a dreamy newborn or he was and we’ve forgotten / managed to block it out. Either way, it was certainly a shock to the system!
In desperation, I bought a bedside crib to replace the moses basket and with a Sleepyhead inside, (touch wood) we appear to have found something that works. Kit tends to go down about 11pm, wakes four or so hours later for a feed, and then goes back down for another three or so hours – waking at around 7am. For a two week old that seems pretty good so we’re fairly happy with that – to be honest, I’m probably getting more sleep now than I did in the few months leading up to his birth due to needing a wee every twenty minutes and pregnancy insomnia.
The days are filled with feeding, changing and napping but I’m trying to savour every moment as I know how quickly this newborn bliss stage will pass. I love it when he’s awake (in the day) as I could spend hours looking into his knowing little eyes and sucking up every little facial expression. Whilst in the first few days I would put him down in his moses to sleep during the day so I could have a break, now I find myself picking him up to give him a cuddle because I miss him. Crazy I know, but I just don’t want to miss a second.
Kit now weighs 8lb 10oz – a giant leap from his 7lb 14oz birth weight. He only lost about 10% in the first week and is sufficiently piling on the pounds – unsurprising really considering how much he eats! I had an absolute nightmare breastfeeding Flynn! I managed seven months but was plagued with multiple bouts of mastitis, thrush and plugged ducts! I’d be lying if I said wasn’t terrified about doing it again this time round but again touch wood, things appear to be going much better. The first week was pretty painful – the constant feeding during those first few nights before my milk was established definitely didn’t help – but once the milk started to flow and I felt confident in Kit’s latch, we turned a corner on the feeding front and fingers crossed it will continue that way.
Whilst breastfeeding has most definitely improved since last time, one thing which has been way worse and which I wasn’t prepared for was the pain of uterus contraction. The midwife in the hospital told me it gets worse the more children you have but as I don’t recall having any pain after Flynn’s birth, I wasn’t too concerned about it this time round! That was a monumental error on my part! Exactly a week postpartum I was hit with what I can only describe as crippling period pains. I was at a friend’s house and all of a sudden I was unable to move. It felt like being in labour again. I had to call my husband to come and drive us home – I could barely stand! My blood loss increased dramatically too which was a little scary but after calling the hospital and speaking to friends with multiple children, I was assured it’s all normal. The bleeding lasted a good few days and whilst the majority of the pain subsided over night, I had to take it easy for at least 48 hours and was dosing up on ibuprofen to keep the discomfort at bay.
Aside from the above, these past two weeks have been fairly drama-free. Flynn has taken to being a big brother so well – I couldn’t be prouder of him – and like last time, my husband Jonny has been incredibly hands on and sympathetic to my postpartum needs. Obviously now is when the real fun begins as he is back at work and twice a week I will be on my own with the boys – wish me luck for those!
But I’m hoping with at least a few hours sleep behind me and soft play around the corner, we should be just fine. Oh, and cake. Lots of cake!