What Week?

Postpartum Week 4 and 5

How big is baby?

13 pounds

Whats something new this week?

In week 4 I think we had our first leap. She was nursing all night long up every hour, and then during the day she was only taking 20 min naps.. She was fussy and uncomfortable. After these two days she became more aware, more smily, and very interested in her hands. She chews on her fist non stop. This also brought on better sleep as we entered week 5. She is still sleeping on my chest but she slept one night from midnight to 5 A.M. without a stir. Getting that extra long stretch of sleep was SO amazing.

Most challenging moment?

Wow We had our first week of preschool. We have learned some pretty beautiful lessons this week. Wyatt had a hard time at first with this transition. Now he LOVES it and there is no turning back and I’m the one who is wanting to peek through the fence to see how he is doing. Allowing him this time to be at school five days a week four hours a day is hard. Im gonna miss my little buddy in the mornings. It was an emotional couple of days, and just so happened to be my first week back to work. There was a challenging “Mom Moment” that happened on the first day of preschool, after we left school I was driving to an audition with both kids. I had our nanny with us, Wyatt didn’t want to sleep and Esme was uncomfortable. He started to cry, and she started to cry and I had about 15 mins until I needed to be in my meeting. I had to FaceTime Eric for some help, while feeding Esme and settling her down. Once they were both good, I ran into my audition. The craziness was laughable. I was surprised I didn’t leak all over my shirt to top it off. I felt like this was my initiation into the world of being a mom with two kids. Patience and slowing it all down is something I have had to learn during motherhood, and am still trying to reflect on.

Something you loved this week?

I LOVE our weekends. My two girlfriends and their kids came over on the weekend and Eric made breakfast for everyone, Then later we spent the afternoon at a spot by the beach with some friends, and it was incredible. I laid a blanket on the couch for Esme and she just relaxed and stared at everyone. Wyatt played with his cars on the table with his friend who is close in age as we ate lunch and just hung out. It was a dream day.

I also had a work session with my fellow Zen Mama Teresa and her son Bodhi. Wyatt and Bodhi had the best play date together. So much imaginative play and we kept hearing them laughing, they even peed in the garden at the same time. HAHAHA At some point they came inside and told us they were shopping at the Farmers Market. I think Tez and I could sit and watch them play all day. It’s a joy to watch my little bear connect and interact with other children.

Mama time?

This week I found it hard to pencil in Mama time. Hence why I didn’t post week 4. Between school and starting work and taking care of my newborn we had a full plate. My mama time came on the weekends just hanging with Eric and my family and friends. Week 6 I start Birthfit so I will have more time for me.

What am I eating ?

Lesson 1: Don’t forget to eat when you are breastfeeding. This happened to me last week, the day was busy and I hadn’t eaten in a while. I got a terrible headache and started feeling like I was getting sick. I ate drank water and didn’t feel better until I slept and started all over again the next day. Your body is burning so many calories while breastfeeding, you need to eat more small meals and drink lots of water throughout the day to stay nourished and hydrated to keep making that amazing milk.

Lesson 2: Take my own advice.

My favorite dish of the week: Chicken Teriyaki with rice, cabbage, tofu, and Bok choy.

Comfort snack: Bone broth

Evening drink when feeling sick: Rooibos tea with fresh grated ginger.

My body.

hmmmmm… its pretty frustrating not fitting into anything. You start feeling more normal but yet your body is in this in-between place. My maternity clothes look weird on me and then my regular clothes won’t fit for a very long time. Some stuff I put on thinking, “Oh this will be fine,” and it won’t even pull up or on. ALSO there is a new dilemma .. What can I wear to breastfeed? A lot of my stuff I wore during pregnancy wont work for breastfeeding. Thank goodness for shirt dresses and button down shirts and stretchy pants. This is what I am leaning on right now. I also bought a pair of Levis two sizes bigger and they fit great. If anyone has any god tips for postpartum attire please send them my way.

My most reliable sources have been: Nursing dresses from Fillyboo Maternity. Boob is a brand that has nursing tops and bras that are amazing. Madewell and Levis for Shirts and jeans.

Checking in.

This was an interesting two weeks for me. It was emotional to watch my baby walking into preschool everyday. It was exciting of course and at times amazing watching him connect with other kids, but seeing him walk through the doors saying hello to his teachers made me think how fast this is all going.

To finish a thought I started in the video and missed cause Wyatt pulled my shirt down: My birthday is coming up soon, and one night as I was breastfeeding and trying to stay awake, I remembered that my birthday was around the corner. The thought of my birthday made me think of my parents, and the thought of my parents jolted my emotions that my dad isn’t here anymore. He wont be here for my birthday, or any of my kids birthdays. Im 32 years old. I got 32 years with my dad and I am grateful for that, but its hard not to wish I had more. It brought out a lot of emotions for me, probably some that I didn’t fully embrace when my dad was sick and I was pregnant. This feeling carried over into the next day and I felt like a grey cloud was following me everywhere I went. I felt vulnerable and on the brink of tears. This is one of those moments where a puppy commercial would cause a complete meltdown water works catastrophe.

The next night I spoke to Eric about it, I told him about my feelings and how I was feeling very sad about my dad being gone. Just talking with him about it made me feel better. “I needed a good cry.” I heard that phrase growing up as a kid and always wondered why people thought that but as a teenager and an adult it made so much sense to me. Sometimes just the release of emotions can help heal the hurt inside.

Love, Sarah

Postpartum Vlog Week 4 & 5 by Sarah Olsen