WEEK 3 // postpartum update // Mommy must haves

Sooo far so good! Gavin is fitting in just great with our little family. I'm pretty sure we're gonna keep him...

Current weight: not counting...I remember my highest weight at one of my last doctors appointments at 210. I did weigh myself recently and saw I was at 190... but that was last week sometime, so I guess to date, I'm down about 20lbs.

Diet and health:  I'm not really sticking to a diet since i'm stillllllll pumping (more on that later). I FEEL like Im mostly eating lactation cookies, oatmeal and drinking tea. I know I need to start drinking more water...

How I'm feeling: Physically- I feel great I really do feel like I'm ready to start walking, working out and getting back into my routine. RELAX. I'm not going to- I know I had major surgery and need to recover. I just FEEL good. I can honestly say that one of the main reasons why I feel so great is because of the bellefit girdle I've been wearing. I really do feel like it's cutting my recovery time in half. I'll be doing a 30 day review on this soon! (stay tuned). Emotionally- I feel fine- I dont think i'm getting any of the post baby blues. I definitely do not feel like my hormones are back to normal- I mean can we talk about the late night sweatsesh that happens?! (eww)

Breastfeeding/pumping update: After week two-I had all but given up. I was taking all the teas and all the cookies, and all the pills. Nothing seemed to help- just like my first pregnancy, so instead of trying to make my body produce more, I told myself to stop- my husband is super supportive, so he was also on board. After Gavin's appointment, his doctor (who i absolutely love) talked to me like one of my best girlfriends and simply said "just keep going- a little longer." So, here i am heading in to Gavins 4th week of life- still pumping, not getting much, but at least he's getting something.

How's Baby G:  He's one amazing little baby! last appointment he clocked the scales at 10 lbs 1 oz. Baby boys are much bigger eaters I hear, and this little man is seriously living up to it. I swear i feed him 4 oz, and then 20 minutes later, he'll want another 2 oz. I'm actually kind of thankful my nipples are being saved by my pump. He's starting to coo and smile, and focus on my face....I can see him changing already and my heart breaks a little.

How T's handling the new baby: Man! This little girl loves her baby brother. "Can I hold him?" " I wanna give him a kiss, an eskimo kiss and a hug." always in that order...kiss on the forehead, rubs her little nose back and forth on his head, then she lowers her head onto his belly ever so gently. I have caught her singing "you are my sunshine" to him, which makes me tear up...damn hormones.

Favorite postpartum items:  Okay, so some of these items are repeats of what I posted the first time around, but I've also added some new ones that I used during and after Gavin's birth.

I'm going to start with the ones I used during pregnancy. I was so afraid of getting more stretch marks. I only got a few with my daughter, and I was determined to reduce the new ones with my son. After reading a ton of reviews, I found Burt's Bees 100% Natural Mama Bee Nourishing Body Oil. I used this after every shower, and sometimes just before bed if I hadn't showered in the evening. I also started taking Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides . I heard that collagen helps with skin elasticity, so i started to take it as a preventative measure to reduce the chance of stretch marks. I can honestly say my skin, hair and nails look great- and not to mention- I can happily say I did NOT get any new stretch marks! (i'm happy dancing).

Now- since I decided not to breastfeed, and exclusively pump, I want to recommend this pump. I got the Hygeia EnJoye Breast Pump from my insurance, and I love it. It can go cordless, which is great when you are trying to pump, tend to your toddler, and sooth your newborn. It seems like everything always hits the fan the second I turn on this thing! the other thing I love about it is you can adjust the speed and the strength of the suction, so when my nipples were super tender- this option was my favorite. start out sloooooooow, then build up once the pain went away. After pumping, I would use the bamboobies Washable Reusable Nursing Pads. I loved these at first, but then I started to loathe these because i felt like i was constantly washing them, but only because I had to drench my breasts in nipple cream. I have since then switched to Lansinoh Stay Dry Disposable Nursing Pads. 

For my C-section recovery- If you follow me on instagram, you know already that i'm in love with my Bellefit corset. I wear it almost daily, and I really do think it has cut my recovery time. I do not remember feeling this good, or having my postpartum belly go down this fast. I feel almost incomplete without it. I know it's helping because when I'm not wearing it, I do feel random pains that I don't feel when I do wear my corset. When I am not wearing the bellefit corset, I wear my Rosie Pope Women's Nursing Tummy Control Cami. This cami holds me in, not as tight as the corset, but it does help with support. I wear it when I'm sleeping mostly, and bonus- it's nursing friendly!

If you are interested in the corset and have questions- please feel free to email me! 

you can use code WTG720 and get 20$ off your order!

below are my results from the first two weeks of wearing it.

For Baby - I L.O.V.E. baby wearing- and if you can learn to use it- the Moby Wrap Baby Carrier  is my absolute favorite. I feel like he's secure, and both my kids loved being all snuggled so close to my chest.

At night and during naps I use the Fisher-Price Premium Auto Rock 'n Play Sleeper with Smart Connect and Hatch Baby Rest Night Light and Sound Machine. Both these items connect to your phone. I thought this was a little silly at first, but now I LOVE that I can turn on or off these items from bed, from the couch, from the kitchen. you could call it lazy- I call it genius.
The hatch is pretty amazing- it also can be used as an "okay to wake" for toddlers- I plan on getting one for T as well. It has different settings and noises. My favorite feature is a timer I can set. After feeding, I place Gavin in the rock and play, and then I set the light on the dimmest setting and the timer so he's not just staring into the dark while he tried to fall asleep. It also is dim enough to have on and not wake everyone up.

We also swaddle baby Gavin in the aden + anais Muslin Swaddle Plus blankets. I love these because they are light weight, and I also bundle them around him to feel like I have something substantial to grip on to. 

When Taylor was born I had a friend suggest Dr. browns bottles. I loved them at the time- but i think it was mostly because I didn't know any better. By the time Taylor was one, and almost done with bottles, I absolutely DESPISED Dr. browns bottles. so many pieces! We switched to the 

Comotomo Baby Bottle and I'll never look back. They are super easy to clean, and so far, are not causing any gassy side effects for our little guy!

Thanks for reading!!
xoxo
B

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