Post-Pregnancy Update

My friend Jenni did this and I thought it was a fun idea.  I've been trying to think of a way to write an update without completely repeating myself on Jude and Sloane's one month post.  This works!

 

How Far Along? We made it to 38 weeks!  Today they are three weeks and three days (my mom made the mistake of saying 3.5 weeks yesterday and she received the evil eye from me.  Time needs to slow down.)  I'm not sure I'll ever write a complete post about the hospital but I have to say it was a wonderful experience for us.  We were there for five days (Tuesday - Saturday) and between the kids and myself we had 745 different nurses (slight exaggeration--it was closer to 600).  There were a few that rubbed one or both of us the wrong way but overall... huge success.  We were excited to come home but a bit sad/terrified to leave.

 

Size of Baby?  At birth Jude weighed 7 lbs 5 oz and Sloane weighed 6 pounds 10 oz.  Both lost weight at the hospital--Sloane more than Jude.  At their two week appointment both were over their birth weight (Jude was 7 lbs 7.5 oz, Sloane was 6 pounds 11 oz) so our pediatrician was pleased. 

Maternity Clothes?  As of last week I am DONE with maternity clothes!  Well, almost.  My non-maternity shirts and pants fit but some of the jeans irritate my lovely c-section scar so I still wear a few pairs of maternity jeans with the oh-so-comfortable elastic bands. Hoping this will be my last week to do so.

Weight Loss?   I gained 40 pounds while I was pregnant and at my two-week appointment I'd lost 43 pounds.  I'll be honest, I was initially thrilled but then remembered my body is solely responsible for the well-being of two babies and I clearly wasn't eating enough (though it wasn't intentional).  Since that appointment I've been eating and eating (and eating).  I lost a TON of muscle mass while I was pregnant and even though I've lost quite a bit of weight I still have a lovely gut that will be with me for awhile.  I now understand the whole "Even if you lose the weight your body doesn't look the same."  Amen.  I tend to avoid mirrors at the moment though I know this belly I'm sporting is the result of two amazing kiddos.  Absolutely worth it.  

Breastfeeding?  I added this one because it is essentially my life right now and clearly wasn't while I was pregnant.  I've been extremely fortunate in this department.  My milk came in while we were in the hospital and I had a wonderful lactation consultant who showed me the ropes.  She'd told me the first day we would not work on tandem nursing (feeding both babies at once) but by day three the kids were doing so well that she decided it was time.  This was great news because it meant I left the hospital with the ability to feed both babies at the same time (and have been doing so ever since).  Otherwise, I would literally be feeding babies all day.  I've also been blessed with a large milk supply so we haven't had to use formula. Since I am no longer working we are always looking for ways to save money and not having to purchase formula is pretty fantastic.  They will (obviously) eat more as they grow so things could change tomorrow but for now their food is free.  :)

Sleep?  I'm sure I'll talk more about this on their one month post, but let's just say it was (very) rough at first.  They had their days and nights confused so they were WIDE awake and wanted to play from 11 pm - 4 am each night.  We now have them on a fairly strict schedule and (as of very recently) are only getting up twice at night to feed.  The beautiful part is how fast they fall back asleep once they're done eating.  GLORY.      

Food Cravings? EVERYTHING.  Heartburn is gone, thank you Lord.  I really don't have any specific cravings but it has been nice to consume blue cheese again.  Mmmmm... blue cheese.  And carbs--oh the carbs.  Goodbye gestational diabetes!

What I Miss?  I really thought I'd miss being pregnant but it hasn't been as hard as I thought.  I didn't realize how uncomfortable (and swollen!!) I'd gotten in the last few weeks until I was no longer pregnant.  Two days after surgery I was able to move around more than I could at 38 weeks pregnant.  And while I absolutely loved feeling their kicks on the inside, seeing their little legs kick on the outside is just as awesome.  

Symptoms?  I'm still an emotional basketcase.  The first night we were home I cried for five hours straight.  I thought we were going to kill the babies due to improper swaddling or them choking on spit-up.  It was, by far, the hardest night of my life.  Emotions have improved since then but it does not take much for me to cry (almost always tears of happiness but there have been tears of frustration too).  

Belly Button?  It's not really either at the moment but if I had to say one it's more out than in.  :(  I'm not sure it will ever look the same again.  As far as the kids go, they both lost their belly buttons when they were two weeks old.  Michael and I cheered--those things were scary.

Best Moment of the Week?  Thanksgiving was pretty fantastic this year.  I know they don't understand the holiday but we sure do and I've never been more thankful.  

I'll save pictures for their one month post.  Michael and I both joined Instagram and post pictures quite often so feel free to follow us there if you're on it as well.  I'm @merdstheword and he's @mike1622.  I've been terrible at taking pictures with our fancy camera but we both have our phones on us at all times so we have about one billion phone pictures.  I already regret the laziness.

Speaking of laziness, I've done a pretty good job of keeping up with your blogs (thank you 3 am feedings!) but a terrible job at commenting.  I'm slowly but surely getting used to this whole mom thing!