Week 2 Postpartum

postpartum newborn

Well, my glorious 4 hours stretchs of sleep came to a halt this week.

I am fairly certain that Jolee is going through a growth spurt.

I was aware that growth spurts happen between weeks 2 and 3, so I was ultimately prepared for it. They can last anywhere from a couple of days to a week. I would say hers was definitely a week long. This entire week, she woke up every 2 hours to eat and has been pretty restless in general throughout the night which has led to a less than desirable amount of sleep for the both of us.

Her newborn sleepiness is definitely starting to wear off.

She is getting harder to put to sleep for naps and at night.

We have a Fisher Price swing that was my crutch for Raelynn and Briar. They slept in it like a champ for naps. This week, Jolee has been really hit or miss with it. I have had to hold her for the majority of her naps.

Scott said, “Just because the other girls used the swing, doesn’t mean she has to.”

And that really hit me hard.

Like, not in a bad way, but it just made me realize that I need to keep trying different things because they are all different.

This probably sounds bad, but it’s the truth, I have a really hard time just sitting there, holding her, while she naps.

postpartum newborn

I’ve been trying to be okay with it, but I just get really restless. I don’t mind it every once in a while, but when it’s all day, it really starts to wear on me.

One thing that is going well is breastfeeding. She is nursing like a champ. Through this growth spurt, she is nursing about every 1 1/2 – 2 hours. She nurses for about 20-30 minutes total.

I am pleasantly surprised with how well I’m handling the nonstop nursing.

I remember with the other girls I used to feel very inconvenienced about having to nurse so much.

I would get really frustrated that I had literally just finished nursing 30 minutes ago, and now they wanted to nurse again. Especially at night when they tend to cluster feed.

I did start pumping this week 🙁

I really hate pumping.

I am only pumping after her morning feed to start building up a small stash for when I go back to work. As of right now, I am getting anywhere from 3 ounces – 5 ounces after I feed her.

I am trying to stay on top of my milk supply this time so I am not so stressed out like I was with Briar. I drink a Body Armor drink every day and I make this smoothie everyday. I would like to think this is helping, but who really knows?

Memorial Day Weekend also fell during week 2. I found it to be a very overwhelming and frustrating week.

3 full days…Saturday, Sunday, Monday…of Scott, Raelynn, Briar, and Jolee, was a lot to deal with.

Nothing bad happened, but I was ready for Tuesday when Scott went back to work and Raelynn and Briar went back to daycare.

I think more than anything, I am still adjusting to my new life.

screen time

I really appreciate my quiet days with just myself and Jolee.

Then, when you add 3 more people to the mix who are all loud, and excited, and basically all kids; it just becomes a lot. I get overstimulated really quick. Not only myself, but Jolee, too.

My overall mood and emotions have been okay. I find myself getting a little frustrated when Jolee won’t go right to sleep. But, it’s nothing overwhelming.

I find that I am getting more agitated with Raelynn and Briar.

With Raelynn she is just SO excited all the time. And I don’t want to dull that at all because she is 4 year old kid. She is overly excited about everything. She gets just as excited about Jolee as she does about a new coloring book. There really isn’t any in between with her. BUT, when she gets so excited about these things, she runs, and jumps, and wants to scream and yell at the top of her lungs…all while Jolee is trying to sleep. It’s hard to tell her to stop when she is literally just being a 4 year old kid. And I don’t want her emotions to feel like they don’t matter. Or Jolee’s well being is superior to hers.

Briar is just spit and fire all rolled into one. Briar gets as equally as excited as Raelynn, but there is also a drama factor that Briar has that Raelynn does not. You tell Briar to go to the potty…MELT DOWN. You tell Briar to go to time out…MELT DOWN. You tell Briar to go find her cup…MELT DOWN. I swear y’all if she isn’t an actress, she missed her calling.

toddlers

It is really hard to manage everyone’s emotions on top of your own.

Some days I feel like I’m on autopilot. Some days feel like the happiest days of my life. Some days feel like the worst days of my life.

With that said, I have been trying really hard to savor each moment and not wish the days away. Jolee is my last baby. I want to really be in the moment and enjoy this phase with her, even if that means no sleep.