PostPartum-ness

And I'm back!

I'm going to try to do an overall update on everything that has gone on in the past couple of weeks.

The Birth

If you read my husbands Birth Story, you know that we ended up having a very quick natural birth. Some people have asked me which birth I preferred...and it's a really hard question to answer since they were so different. I wouldn't change a thing about either of my kids' births. I thoroughly enjoyed Grayson's birth - the epidural allowed me to relax and really experience everything. I begged for the mirror to be brought down so I could see him and was really "present" during the whole process.

Bridget's birth was so fast that I really couldn't think. A big part of me was in shock having gotten to the hospital complete and ready to push. In my head I thought they would tell me I was 4cm or something. So I resisted actually needing to push. I kept telling everyone that I couldn't do it...but as most books tell you, once the urge to push arrives, your body naturally pushes! Although I didn't necessarily ENJOY Bree's brith,  I felt really great afterward and  proud of what I had just accomplished.

So my answer is... If I had to do it over again, I would just go with the flow...and know that whatever happens, having a healthy baby is obviously the most important.

Postpartum Quiz

• How far along were you when you had your baby? 41 weeks exactly
• How long was labor? 3.5 hours
  
• Total weight gain: 23lbs (same exact as Grayson)
• Total weight loss since: I'm back down to my pre-preg weight. I attribute it to the breastfeeding
  
• Back into your own clothes yet? Yes and no. Even though my weight is off, a lot of my shirts don't fit right and I have a little bit extra fluff around my middle. I'm not complaining one bit..I'll probably just buy some more clothes :)

• Did you get stretch marks? NONE!
• Did you deliver vaginally or by c-section? Vaginally.
• Best moment this week: Getting Bri (Bree?) all dressed up for the annual "Fancy Dinner" our friend Elizabeth hosts
• What I miss about being pregnant: Not much
• How big is baby: Honestly not sure..she is probably around 8lbs.
  
• Baby's temperament? Pretty content, although she is starting to show us some more personality.
  
• What I am looking forward to: when she can interact with us a little more!
• Working out: I have NOT started to workout yet. This time around, I will be waiting until I'm 6 weeks PP to start back up. My midwife was very adamant that I not overdo it  - I've already had Mastitis and am finally feeling pretty good. She said if I over do it, I have a higher chance of getting it again.

Family Dynamics

Obviously our family dynamic has changed drastically. Dan and Grayson spend a lot of time one on one, while I spend a lot of time with Bridget one on one. This past week has been a bit tiring...Bridget tricked us into thinking she was the perfect baby, and while she's definitely still pretty easy, she displayed some of the typical newborn behavior of "fussing" from 5pm-11pm for a couple nights. I altered my diet to make sure I had NO caffiene which seems to be helping a lot. Obviously, with two there isn't a "break"...Saturday Dan took G to the zoo, while I shopped a bit with Bridget. We didn't think B was ready to take an all day trip outside yet, but don't want to deprive Grayson of the nice weather (and fun!) to be had at the zoo.

I get to spend some time with Grayson on my own Wednesdays and Fridays when he's home from daycare, although it's proving to be a tad difficult with timing my pumping and keeping him active. I feel a bit guilty because before Bridget was born, Grayson and I RARELY stayed home all day. I made sure we went to the park, museum, or had some sort of activity OUTSIDE of the house. One of my worries with having Bridget in the winter was that I'd be tied to the house. Luckily, we have a playdate this friday with Christina, Vincent and Zach...and then my sister Rachael will be coming into town the following Monday/Tuesday for about a week.

Dan will be taking his first business trip back at his new office in the next two weeks...so it'll be just me with both kids for about a week. He'll be averaging about a trip a month with his new position, which isn't terrible...it'll just take some getting used to with TWO little ones under my belt.

On another note, Grayson seems to be doing really well with having a new baby in the house. He's pretty affectionate with her, although at times, does tell one or the other parent to "put it down" or "give it to mommy". He doesn't do this in a mean way, just wants us to play with him and put her down!

Bri or Bree??

When we picked Bridget's name, the agreement was that I could call her Bri (or Bree). I really love the nickname, but Dan wanted her to have a longer first name. That being said...we cannot agree on the spelling of her nickname. I say Bri and Dan says Bree. Since I can't decide, I'll probably go back and forth for a little while writing her name different ways..so if you're confused or want to voice your own input, feel free:)

Feedings

Since Dan has gone back to work, I don't feel right asking him to help me out with feedings unless I'm super exahusted. Luckily, Bree goes 2 hours (at least) between feedings. So on a typical night Bree will get up, I'll feed her, put her down and then pump. This whole process takes about an hour when all is said and done. It's been a pretty easy process and on the weekends Dan will feed while I pump..that way he gets his nightly bonding experience in with her :) When I go back to work, I hopefully won't need to pump at night and Dan and I will alternate feedings. Maybe she'll be super awesome and be sleeping through the night by then..(Grayson didn't STTN until he was 8 months old!)

Bree's Temperament

Unlike her brother, Bree is much more calm. She LOVES being held and cuddled...to the point that I've resorted to Co-Sleeping on occasion. I remember while being pregnant with Grayson thinking I would NEVER co-sleep...but this time around, I'm really enjoying the extra cuddles.
Grayson used to need us to be moving around quite a bit to calm down, while with Bree, we can sit with her on the couch and she'd be perfectly happy. Not sure if it's still too early, but I'm hoping she stays like this!

And for a couple pictures: