The final episode in my bump series!!
Bump is gone.
And a little lump is in its place in the big wide world!
These photos were taken when Maze was 4 days old. I’ve been shocked at how fast my body has gone back to normal.
Within minutes of giving birth, my stomach was a complete mush of skin, but it was mostly flat.
Within an hour the numb spot under my ribs had feeling again. I could roll over in bed.
Within a few days I felt like my old self again.
Within a week I could button my pre-pregnancy jeans. [Although – disclaimer – they looked terrible!!]
My pregnancy weight gain is a bit fuzzy because I wasn’t weighing myself before and there is a huge discrepancy between an October weight on one scale and the doctor’s office in January, but from my 8 week appointment to 40 weeks, I gained 21 pounds on the official medical record. I’d say total I gained about 23-25 pounds total. On delivery day I was only up 18 (thanks to loss of amniotic fluid). As of this week, I was 2-5 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight. I’d definitely like to lose a little beyond that and get my body back to a shape that I feel great in, but I’m not even going to think about doing anything specific other than healthy eating and lots of walking for at least a few months. My body is being pushed to the limits already with sleeping and nursing, so I don’t want to add anything that would make it harder to enjoy being a mom.
How else am I feeling physically?
Well healing down there has been slow, but it gets better everyday. I haven’t been brave enough to look with a mirror, but I can feel my stitches and at 10 days postpartum the swelling is almost done. LOVED the numbing spray they gave me in the hospital as well as the Tucks pads. Must haves for new moms! Also thought it was funny when Matt asked me about a week out: “Why is there a plastic bottle on the toilet?” Ha. My bleeding has slowed a lot, but it’s not totally gone yet. Very manageable though. And now that I feel well enough to go out on walks, I’m feeling very much like my old self. After a week of hobbling around, I can walk normally again. No running until at least 6 weeks, but I’m already SO curious to remember how running without a baby inside of me feels!
Breastfeeding hurt way worse than I ever thought it would. I think my nipples just had to totally toughen up. And even though Mazen is so tiny, I’ve been amazed (heh) that he has learned new things already – like opening his mouth wider like a baby bird! That has helped our latch a lot, and it’s something he evidently learned on his own. I was wearing the Soothies pads in my bras 24/7 and a friend told me they actually prevent healing because they are moist. I can’t walk around topless because that hurts too much, but I have found that SLEEPING topless is a great way to air dry for a bit. I think doing that for the first time was a turning point in our breastfeeding success. Although I was surprised to wake up leaking in the bed : ) I have a set of cotton washable breast pads, but I’ll leak through those in minutes, so I have been wearing the disposable ones full time. The leaking and let down is an annoying part of breastfeeding that I wasn’t all the way prepared for. I also desperately need some good bras. I’m SO GLAD I bought a few nursing bras before he was born or I would be in panic mode right now. A lot of you told me to wait, but I even wish I had bought 1-2 real bras and took a chance on sizing because these sleep bras are just not cutting it with the support. On a mission this week to find some.
I barely remember what it felt like to be pregnant. I remember how hard it was to roll over and my rib pain and the feeling of little knees poking out of my side. But I’m shocked at how quickly my memory of how it felt overall has faded. I do miss it and feel sad when I think the journey is over, but at the same time, I’m glad to feel normal again. I am still in awe that the baby I am holding right now is the same one that grew inside of me all that time.
I’m glad he’s here : )