I’m 8 weeks postpartum and well into my 4th trimester. I wrote this post about how I planned to handle my mental health this time around and I’ve been able to follow through on a lot of my postpartum goals. Postpartum can be messy, scary, isolating at times, and just plain hard. My postpartum experience with Quinn was rough and to be honest I was not expecting it to go much better this time.
I’m so happy to be able to say that this experience (so far) has been SO much better. Who knows if it is because this is my second time doing it, I have the best friends checking in on me and helping me through, the anxiety medication and supplements, the fact that it’s summer and the weather is great in Seattle, or that we aren’t preparing to moving out of state with a newborn like last time- ugh! I’m sure it’s a combination of all of the above and the fact that Kinsley is pretty darn chill!
She’s not a great sleeper at night (we only get 3-4 hour stretched right now), but during the day she goes with the flow. If she’s fussy she’s typically easy to calm down. I’m so thankful for this because I’m not sure how I would be feeling if I had a NO chill baby (aka Quinn 2.0).
Don’t get me wrong I’ve had my hard moments/days, I’ve cried, I’ve lost my shi*t on my husband, or have been short with Quinn. However; overall, I’m feeling pretty darn good even with severe lack of sleep. I also think I’m handling lack of sleep better the second time around. My body was used to inadequate sleep leading up to Kinsley between being pregnant and uncomfortable at night and sleep training Daisy earlier this year.
I had my 6 week postpartum check-up and everything looked good, so I was cleared to ease back into exercise. Exercise is a huge mood booster for me, so I’ve been making daily movement a priority. Some days it is just a stroller walk, but I’ll take it! I’ve been back on the bike a few times doing rides and bootcamps and I’m also loving Barre3 online postnatal classes.
I’ve been a lot kinder on myself this time with my postpartum expectations. It’s OK that I can’t jump back into my old workout routine, look like I did pre pregnancy, or fit into all my clothes yet. I’m giving myself grace this time. By taking this pressure off of myself I’ve been able to relax so much and enjoy my time with Kinsley.
This time around I’ve accepted and asked for help. My support system has been amazing…my friends, family, and husband have been so supportive. It’s important to keep checking in on your postpartum friends even after that first week or month…just the simple text check-ins are so helpful.
I’m continuing to take all my same medications and supplements (listed in this post). I had a 6 week postpartum check-in with my naturopath and she is checking my thyroid and running a basic CBC pannle. Once I’m done breastfeeding and am getting regular periods again we will dive back into my hormones and make sure they are all normal.
Overall, I’m relieved and grateful I’m feeling so good this time and really able to enjoy this newborn period with Kinsley. I think I really missed out on this due to anxiety and PPD with Quinn which makes me sad. I know there is an end to the sleepless nights and marathon parenting required by a new baby, so I’m just letting myself be IN IT right now and riding it out.
Thanks for following along and for all your support along the way!
xx, A
