Oh those first two weeks. They truly are the hardest. I stand here almost a year later though and I can assure you, it does get better.

2 weeks old!

Excuse me while I sob as I plan his first birthday.

The first two weeks are actually a blur. I think if I didn’t have such a hard labor, maybe the first two weeks wouldn’t have been as hard? That’s the thing, I can only tell you my account of MY first two weeks. Your birth, your baby and your first two weeks can be the total opposite. So don’t let my account totally freak you out (all you first time moms). Or hey, if you’re a seasoned mom and you can agree that the first two weeks are the hardest, here is a digital fist bump and hashtag #wesurvived.

Ok, went into Labor 4:30 on Wednesday the 24th, He arrived on Thursday at 9:17 am on the 25th, We spent all day Thursday at the hospital, Thursday night and checked out Friday evening. I had to really think about all that because in all seriousness, it all is a blur. You lose track of days and times in the hospital.

I was on some serious pain killers after B was born so that doesn’t help. Now that I’m thinking back on it… I’m wondering how safe they were for B? Good thing to look into for baby #2.  I didn’t even second guess what they handed me… Hmmmm. I don’t think I could have done it though without whatever I was on. I did have to wean myself off of it after 2 weeks.

So you get home. Now what? Here are a few tips. 

1. Put a dark colored towel down on the couch where you will sit. That post postpartum bleeding is no joke. Thankfully nothing crazy ever happened, but it was nice to have it there. Same for your bed.
2. Take your pads… the largest heaviest overnight pads the store offers and put them in every bathroom. The last thing you want to do is go to one bathroom and not have what you need in there. I had a bathroom bin I carried from bathroom to bathroom that had my essentials… I’ll list those further down.
3. Have a water bottle. If you’re nursing, you’re going to get thirsty. DRINK A TON OF WATER!
4. Accept help. I’m really really really bad at this. BUT I’m so thankful for everyone who brought us food, gift cards, etc. Also my mom and Patrick’s mom were rockstars.

My postpartum bathroom essentials:

1. The peri bottle (it’s a squirt bottle) that they give you at the hospital is so essential. You’re not going to want to wipe with toilet paper. Things are going to be a little sore for a few weeks (again, maybe it was just me). Use the peri bottle and baby wipes. I found that the harris teeter brand feminine wipes most resembled the ones from the hospital which by far exceeded any that I bought once I got home. MAKE SURE THE WIPES DON’T HAVE ALCOHOL!!! That is the most important part.
2. Always overnight heaviest protection pads with wings! Ok, I was dumb and only bought one pack of these before B arrived…. which resulted in me sending P to CVS with a picture text, trying to find the right ones. Buy at least 2 packs. I promise you’ll go through them.
3.  Tucks Pads – These are the bomb.com. If you have stitches, these really really help and soothe.
4.  The numbing spray they give you at the hospital. Who even knew that this stuff existed?!?! Numbing spray for what, Ann?! Oh you know… use your imagination. You can spray it on directly or on the pad. #twothumbsup #thethingsnoonetalksabout
5. I had bought stuff for the frozen pads with witch hazel that you see on Pinterest…. never used them. The tucks wipes were virtually the same things.

Your body.

I wore pregnancy clothes into the hospital and pregnancy clothes out. Your body might bounce back quicker but just in case it takes a little longer, bring some comfy clothes to go home in

.

About 10 hours before I went into labor vs. 2.5 weeks postpartum. I think that was the hardest part to accept. Everything takes time. Your uterus was STRETCHED and now it has to shrink. Give your body grace, it just did something amazing.

OR you could fit back immediately into your prepregnancy clothes. There is no way to know. Everyone is different.

Funny story, when we brought B over to meet our neighbors, they were telling their son, “Look! Baby Bennett is on the outside now” and he looks at me, looks at my stomach and says, “Well… kind of… you still have one in there”. HA.

Everyone says, Sleep when they sleep.

 I’m not good at napping. Even when B was brand new and I was deliriously exhausted, I just couldn’t shut my mind off during the day to take a nap. One thing that really helped me though was I would nurse B around 7 pm, I would go to bed, Patrick would stay up until 11 pm downstairs with B and I would get 4 hours of uninterrupted sleep. I then would get up every 3-4 hours to feed him throughout the night. We did this for the first 2 weeks before B started getting on a schedule and we started an actual bedtime routine with him.  You just gotta do what works for you and your family! If napping works, GREAT! Do it! 🙂

Those hormones though…

There is so much preparation for the actual birth that once they arrive, you’re left not knowing what to expect. My postpartum hormones were intense. More intense than anything I have ever experienced. One thing that kind of blind sided me was I dealt with a lot of anxiety after B was born. All this stuff is normal and is your body regulating. After the first two weeks, everything starts to level out! (If it doesn’t, consider talking to your OB). Hang in there mama, it all gets better

It’s all a learning curve.

No matter which baby you’re on, it’s all a learning curve. It’s about having no expectations and taking it day by day. The first two weeks, you’ll start to figure out what your baby likes vs doesn’t like. Swaddled or not swaddled. Paci or no paci. Rocked, bounced or swung. Once you think you’ve got it figured out… it will change. The thing is, is It will never get “easier”, just different. A year later, B sleeps through the night but isn’t sleeping NEARLY as long during the day (newborns sleep a lot…. even if they don’t… they do). Now my days are starting at 4:45 am not because B is awake…. but because it’s the only time I have to do…. well anything…. without him. A year later and it’s still a learning curve. I’m sure whenever we have baby #2 I’ll have to write another “Those first two weeks (with 2 kids)” post.

The first two weeks = survival mode. Rest as much as possible. Take it day by day. Love on that little bundle of joy. Try not to get overwhelmed by them screaming/crying at you. Visit a lactation consultant if you’re having trouble with nursing. Try to verbalize your feelings with your spouse. The first two weeks are exhausting but you’ll get through them.

It’s all so worth it.