My Postpartum Diary - The First Week

Sophia counting fruit from Jacob's gift basket

Day 0 (Tuesday, November 29th - the day of Jacob's birth)

I was surprised I could sit right after birth comfortably (I couldn't sit after Sophia's birth, my first hospital VBAC, for at least 5 days). Jacob was alert for about 3 hours right after being born. We spent most of the morning trying to latch him onto my breast without much success. He just did a couple of licks, but that was it.
My husband called my pre-arranged lactation specialist & she came to our house that same afternoon. We reviewed correct latching technique, breastfeeding positions, frequency of breastfeeding, etc. She taught me how to hand express colostrum & feed it to Jacob with a spoon. We also spent much of the visit time trying to latch on Jacob. The consultant was nice, but Jacob cried every time she touched him with her cold hands with plastic gloves on. He spent much of the 2.5-hour lactation visit undressed & I was concerned about him getting cold. My rocking chair wasn't a good fit & I couldn't find a comfortable position for breastfeeding no matter how many times I rearranged the pillows.


It probably wasn't a good idea to have a lactation consultation on the day of Jacob's birth. The adrenalin rush & excitement of the morning got the best of me & I had a hard time absorbing the instructions halfway through the visit. I was sleepy, hungry, thirsty & desperately wanted to lie down. I finally told the consultant I needed to rest for the remainder of the session & had my husband fix me a snack. I don't think I heard anything she said in the last hour of her visit. Thankfully, the consultant left me many handouts & even 2 pages of handwritten instructions.
By the night time I was exhausted & wanted to get a good night sleep. My first warm post-birth shower felt great. I couldn't imagine hand expressing colostrum every 2-3 hours & doing the time-consuming spoon feeding, so I ended up giving Jacob some formula from the bottle during the night.
My husband put Gerritt to bed with him & Sophia, however, once he was asleep Gerritt snuck out of my husband's bedroom quietly & announced he wanted to sleep with me. I told Gerritt he had to sleep by himself in our king size bed. As a result, I spent my first night post-partum sleeping with Jacob on the couch in our living room. Needless to say, I had an achy back the next morning.


Home post-partum visit with Kat


Sophia checking in on us


My midwife Charlene & Jacob

Day 1 (Wednesday, November 30th)

I felt good enough to do light housekeeping while my nanny took the kids to the park. Not because I had to, but because I just couldn't spend most of the day in bed. I just wanted to feel normal & doing my usual daily activities helped me feel that way.
I am elated not to experience any post-partum urinary incontinence this time. With the exception of slight soreness, everything feels OK in my perineum. I didn't even need to apply ice packs.
My midwife Charlene & her apprentice Kat came over for day 1 post-partum visit. They checked my uterine fundus & blood pressure. I was expriencing pretty uncomfortable "afterpains" (especially when pumping), so Charlene gave me a tincture of cramp bark. Kat checked Jacob & pocked his heel to get blood for metabolic screen. Charlene noticed that the house was very clean & reminded me I should be in "horizontal position" for most of the day.


She spent much time helping me to latch Jacob on. Charlene recommended we get a different rocking chair with cushy supportive arms & a wider seat to have more room for all the pillows. She remembered how important breastfeeding was to me & advised I stop bottle-feeding Jacob if I had any hope of breastfeeding him to avoid the nipple confusion. Charlene sensed my low confidence & even a desire to give up & gave me lots of positive affirmations about my ability to breastfeed. I've decided to finger feed Jacob using a syringe with a tube until he learns to latch on better.


Part of Jacob's umbilical cord preserved by Kat

Kat brought my encapsulated placenta & I took 2 capsules that same evening. She advised I take 4 capsules/day for the next 6 weeks, but to avoid taking all 4 capsules in the evening time since they may give me a burst of energy & make it harder to go to sleep.


My wonderful neighbor Rinku took Gerritt for a play date at her house for a few hours. With my most needy child out of the house, things became very manageable.
I did not want to spend another night on the couch so I've decided to give cosleeping with both Gerritt & Jacob a try. Jacob was surpisingly quiet at night & I was able to feed & change him without waking up Gerritt. Jacob slept next to me & I was able to sense his movements & hear his little squeaks before he fully woke up.

Day 2 (Thursday, December 1st)

I had my first after-birth outing to a chiropractor's office for a much needed adjustment & a massage. The chiropractor was running behind & I almost feel asleep in a chair while waiting for my turn. The adjustment was surprisingly uncomfortable, especially in my pelvis. I could feel it was misaligned. Massage helped to relieve my achy neck & shoulders due to my hunched over posture while attempting to breastfeed. Thankully, Jacob stayed asleep the whole time I was gone, so my nanny didn't have to do any finger feeding.
My flow would increase & cramps came on mostly when I was pumping. I passed 2 large blood clots & then experienced significant relief of my afterpains. I found the maxipads & a peri-bottle to be very useful.
My milk came in by Thursday evening & my breasts became severely engorged. They were swollen, hard & acutely tender. I found a large tender lymph node in my right armpit. My nipples were so flat that I abandoned any idea of trying to latch on Jacob until engorgement resolved. I tried to pump, but no milk came out due to significant edema blocking the milk ejection ducts. My nanny encouraged me to hand express, but I wasn't successful. I was feeling pretty discouraged, but then turned to Google.
Thankfully, I was able to put together a successful breast engorgement treatment plan. It involved 20" cold application right before pumping to decrease edema (I used ice, bags of frozen berries & Earth Mama Angel Baby Booby Tubes); pumping only one breast at a time while massaging it using firm motions from the outer breast quadrants toward the nipple to release the milk; & pumping for short (5-10") & frequent sessions (every 1-3 hours). I also used Ibuprofen to decrease the inflammation & pain. Leaving my warm bed in order to put ice packs on my breasts in the middle of the night is my least pleasant post-partum experience, however, it had to be done because the alternative was worse.
My pubic ache is still present so, just like in pregnancy, I have to get out of bed by turning to my side first & then slowly lowering my legs. Surprisingly, my right ribs continue to be sore as well from all of Jacob kicks while in my belly.
I strongly insisted that Gerritt sleep with my husband & Sophia today. Between my frequent pumping & finger feeding sessions another quiet night was highly unlikely. Gerritt resisted at first, but was able to be bribed by my husband with video games. Jacob slept next to me surprisingly well again with 3.5 to 4-hour stretches between awakenings allowing me plenty of rest.

Day 3 (Friday, December 2nd)


It was my most exhausting & labor intensive day since birth. I spent most of the day applying ice to my breasts, pumping every 2 hours during the day (and about every 4 hours at night), finger feeding Jacob & washing all the pump parts. It was hard to focus on anything but pain & swelling in my breasts. I couldn't hug anyone or even sleep on my side.
I talked to my midwife who suggested I try the application of raw cabbage leaves to relieve engorgement. My husband made a trip to the store to get the cabbage. He also found & picked up a free (!) recliner chair via the Craig's List ad. The recliner turned out to be everything Charlene requested to be used as a comfortable place to nurse. It was large & wide with lots of room for pillows; it had cushy armrests; & it could also rock & recline. Perfect!
I found out today that I may be laid off my Nurse Practitioner clinic job. There is staff reduction process going on due to bad economy with preference for people working full time. The staff have to re-bid for job openings all over again based on seniority. I am only willing to work 2 days a week at the most & close to home, which probably means I'll be let go. Strangely, I don't really care. Nothing is more important than our new baby Jacob & my family. Of course, it helps that I have my hospital nursing job to fall back on (which only requires working 1 day a week).
My neighbor Rinku invited Gerritt for another playdate at her house. My husband & I enjoyed a quiet evening with Sophia & Jacob. As the day went on, the pumping produced more milk with each session & I finally started to get some relief of my breast engorgement.
Gerritt made another attempt to return to cosleeping with me by walking out of my husband's bedroom at midnight. After hugs & kisses I sent him back crossing my fingers that our cosleeping separation would get easier with time. I went to bed with the cabbage leaves on.

Day 4 (Saturday, December 3rd)


I spent another day pumping every 2-3 hours & finger feeding Jacob. I took a short nap in the new recliner chair with him on my chest. Thankfully, breast engorgement almost resolved by the evening time & I was able to return to pumping both breasts simultaneously.


The Supplemental Nursing System (SNS) I use to finger feed Jacob

My husband took the kids to his Mom's house in Tacoma to give me a day of rest. All of them returned in the evening & my husband's Mom got to meet Jacob at last. Both kids refused to nap while at grandma's house & so there were many tears & temper tantrums upon their return home. We spent much of the evening trying to put the kids to bed. After being allowed some play time, Gerritt went to bed with my husband & Sophia without any resistance (thank you, Lord!).

Day 5 (Sunday, December 4th)


The liquid gold

I spent more time pumping & finger feeding Jacob. I tried to latch him on a couple of times. He stayed at the breast longer today - 4-5 sucks instead of 1-2 at a time, however, he didn't want to stay for longer than that & I didn't persist to avoid making breastfeeding an unpleasant experience for him. I am dreaming of the day when all I have to do is to breastfeed with no more pumping & finger feeding. Instead of cold from the freezer, I am now using warm Booby Tubes to encourage milk letdown. Every day Jacob gets breastmilk feels like a small victory.
I took another shower & was able to shave my legs for the 1st time since birth. What a relief not to have a large abdomen anymore!


My placenta capsules


I am happy about not having any postpartum blues yet (I've been taking my placenta pills faithfully every day). Supposedly, the baby blues peak between days 3-5 after delivery. I think my husband is surprised I haven't yelled at him, cried, or acted depressed. I feel nothing but love & gratitude for him & all-consuming desire to protect Jacob. Of course, I am so much in love with him too! I am able to keep up with the exhausting schedule of pumping & then finger feeding Jacob around the clock. I even have enough energy to do light housework.
My midwife's apprentice Kat came over for 2nd post-partum visit. She checked my fundus, temperature & blood pressure. Jacob also got a thorough check-up too. He had some physiologic jaundice, but nothing too serious. He's pooping frequently, so his jaundice should resolve soon. I had more afterpains today, but they've resolved once I passed a couple of small clots.

Day 6 (Monday, December 5th)


Jacob's first FuzziBunz cloth diaper

The remnants of Jacob's umbilical cord fell off today! I noticed a slight redness in his diaper area so I put on his first FuzziBunz cloth diaper. The FuzziBunz diapers are so soft & comfortable - I am in love with them!
Now that my breast engorgement has resolved I have started to drink the Oasis Organic Power Booster & Prolactation Tea to produce more milk. The enlarged lymph node in my right armpit has resolved - what a relief! I've been able to feed Jacob breast milk for most of the day except 1-2 times a day when he is super hungry & I run out of it. The goal now is to get him off the finger feeding, so I will try the syringe with a tube at my breast tomorrow to encourage him to take my nipple. There is a long road ahead. I hope I'll see the light at the end of the tunnel soon - Jacob exclusively at my breast!
My pubis is still sore & I also have achy back & shoulders. It's like I can't straighten myself up. I am constantly hunched over pumping or finger feeding Jacob. Looking forward to another massage later this week.

Day 7 (Tuesday, December 6th)


Maxi practices cosleeping with Jacob

Today I learned how to wash my FuzziBunz cloth diapers. They must be taken care of properly to ensure their longevity. I've decided to wait a few weeks to use the cloth diapers again since they look so bulky & big on Jacob.
My pelvic area still achy, especially when I cough. I have to splint my abdomen with my hands (abdominal binder would have been helpful). I surprised myself by laying on my back today & it felt wonderful. I haven't done it for so many months, I forgot I can do it again. Also when I hug my kids or put them on my lap, I automatically extend my arms longer forgetting that I don't have a large belly anymore. My body definitely has a memory of its own.


Jacob meets grandma Chris

Grandpa Gerry & grandma Chris visited us today. They brought presents for baby Jacob as well as for Gerritt & Sophia. We received another bouquet of flowers. The best gift of all were several containers of frozen homemade meals. Our mini-freezer in the garage is full to the max - a comforting feeling for me. I am not in a rush to start cooking again!


Sophia tries on singing & dancing Santa's elf hat - present from grandma Chris & grandpa Gerry


I love her cheeks!

Today I did more pumping (about every 2 hours). With grandma & gradpa visiting there was no time to attempt latching at the breast. I had a good phone conversation with my friend who is a lactation specialist about trying the nipple shield & SNS system at the breast. Perhaps tomorrow..
I weighed 145 lbs today. I've already lost 18 lbs since the delivery. Only 15 lbs to go to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight. I am so satisfied with my post-pregnancy body, I am not too concerned about the weight. I am totally comfortable with it happening gradually, just like after my last 2 pregnancies.

Things that I found to be really helpful:

- Peri bottle
- Large absorbent maxi pads
- Earth Mama Angel Baby Booby Tubes (which can be used warm or cold, depending on one's nursing needs)
- Earth Mama Angel Baby Mama Bottom Balm (which can be used for hemorrhoids, perineal swelling/bruising & stitches)
- Frozen in advance meals & a pantry well stocked with snacks
- A large comfortable rocking recliner chair & multiple small pillows for resting & nursing
- Electric hospital-grade breast pump (if you anticipate breastfeeding problems)
- A microwavable neck/shoulder heating pad (to help with achy shoulders & to encourage milk letdown)
- Wool socks (to keep feet warm) & warm shirt with easy access in front (for pumping/breastfeeding)
- Delaying most of the visitors until the 2nd post-partum week
- Netflix :-)

Final afterthoughts:

This post-partum recovery has been the easiest & the fastest out of all 3. It's definitely a night & day difference compared to my post-C-section recovery & even my hospital VBAC. Thankfully, the worst part, painful breast engorgement, is a distant memory now.
The bonding process has been effortless. The post-birth afterglow lasted about a week. I haven't experienced any post partum blues. Instead I feel empowered & in control of my life & my family. I was up doing "light duty" things on the day I gave birth. As I mentioned before I was able to sit immediately after delivering Jacob & haven't experience any urinary incontinence (I am pretty sure it has a lot to do with me giving birth on all fours instead of laying in a semi-reclined position).
Someone recently asked me what I did 2 days ago & I couldn't remember, as hard as I tried. I learned that during post-partum recovery it's helpful not to look forward or back (e.g., "I still have so many months of sleepless nights ahead of me"). The best survival strategy is taking it one day at a time. I am relieved the difficult first week is behind us. It has only been a week since Jacob's birth, but I feel our family has already made great strides in welcoming him into our arms & hearts!

Helpful Resources:

1) What to Expect After Your Baby is Born by Rixa Freeze from Stand & Deliver

2) The Fourth Trimester by Robyn via the Gift of Giving Life