Postpartum Week 4 by Teresa Palmer

What week

4

How big is baby

11lbs 1oz

What’s something new this week

Los Angeles! It was the first time we brought Forest home to LA. It’s been lovely seeing him in this environment. Forest is also so much more aware and awake now and has gotten really big, his face has filled out so beautifully and he just looks a lot older now!

Forest has also not been loving his car seat if he is awake, so this week he finally took my finger to suck on! We don’t use dummy’s or pacifiers so when he was crying I tried to see if he would suck on my finger to calm down and he did! Bodhi LOVED sucking on my finger when he was a baby, it was definitely a go-to as I wanted to avoid using a dummy. Forest now loves it in the car and he will fall asleep within a couple of mins which is great!

Most challenging moment

This week has been the most challenging so far! From the disastrous travel experience (we missed our flight due to a miscommunication at the airport with Visa’s) we were literally sprinting through the airport at 6:15am after having 2 hours sleep trying to catch our flight which we watched fly off in front of us (Mark looked like he was going to cry! I decided I needed to laugh otherwise I’d be a crying heap) and then we had to very quickly book another flight for that day so that I wouldn’t miss the Golden Globes, the flights were so tight that the whole day was spent running from plane to plane and we didn’t even get a chance to eat so we ended up getting Hungry Jacks veggie burgers which made us all sick haha. I’ve also been really unwell this week, coughing and migraines and fevers on and off. No one else in the family has got it thank god but I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck. I have zero energy and have had such a full on week with Cass’s wedding (which was amaaaazing) international travel and then my first Golden Globes. It’s been exciting and wonderful but seriously non stop that I feel like I need to just sleep for 5 days straight!

Something you loved this week

Isaac meeting Forest for the first time was really special. He was so gentle and protective of him. He loves his little brother so much and was carrying him around. Seeing Bodhi and Isaac play has been lovely too and it’s great because someone entertains B while I can take care of Forest. Bodhi was also very proud to introduce his little brother to his friends at school, everyone was very excited to meet the baby.

I also LOVED Cass’s wedding which went down perfectly and LOVED the Golden Globes even though I was very nervous to jump back in to an event after being in Mama land for so long, also my husband didn’t get to go so I was nervous about attending without my comrade but I sat at a wonderful table and with one of my idols Amy Schumer so that was pretty special. It definitely all felt very dreamy and surreal. I had a hotel room upstairs at the Globes so I could go back and forth to breastfeed Forest.

Mama time?

Right now in the bath! This is my moment to chill. The house is CRAZY messy right now from all the suitcases. Saturday when we landed we basically all slept all day then had to check in to the hotel for the Globes as the security was so tight you had to check in the night before. This morning we woke up in the hotel, I took Bodhi to preschool and then went to my new Second-time-Moms Mommy and Me class at The Pump Station, grabbed B from preschool, we all slept again and now I’ve been trying to unpack! Wahhh non stop, hopefully his week I can rejuvenate, get some energy back and then have a lot more downtime. But man the juggle is real! 3 kids right now is no joke but I love it all craziness of it!

What am I eating?

Whatever I can grab on the go right now! Tons of vegan food as Forest seems to not tolerate dairy (I may be stabbing in the dark here) but I think his tummy seems better when I’m not consuming dairy. (Oh we all fell off the vegan wagon about 3 weeks after declaring ourselves vegan BUT now we are back on it again haha)

What’s working?

Our new sleep situation has been GREAT! I purchased the SNOO before we had Forest and Mark has geeked out over it. It’s a self rocking sleep bassinet with white noise and can detect which speed to rock the baby according to the babies noises it’s pretty amazing! We don’t use it to calm Forest down, as soon as he starts to fuss I take him out but in terms of keeping him asleep with the soft rocking it’s magnificent. First night Saturday we used it and he was sleeping about 4 hour stretches in there! It comes with a built in swaddle and it’s amazing! He napped for 2 hours in it today. Last night he had 3 three hour stretches of sleep in there. I’m in no way affiliated with this company I just happen to LOVE the bed, in fact they reached out to offer me one to try and I had already bought my own. Definitely worth the money in my opinion! Video of what it is below-

My Body

Is very very run down! All the breastfeeding and energy output is taking its toll, I know I need much more nutrition and even more calories. I’m dedicated to replenishing this week, starting tomorrow it’s operation get-back-on-healthy-track! I think it’s so easy to give everything to our kids and neglect our own wellbeing and that’s definitely been a theme this week, but sure enough it’s even worse for the kids when you are sick and have no energy so I’ll be working on feeling better ASAP!

Checking in

I’m learning to say no this week. I actually learnt the lesson just today. Sometimes I take on so much stuff that I’m not easy on myself, I need to say “that can wait” or yes to a catchup but not until the end of the week! I put all the self imposed pressure to make sure the house is cleaned, everything is unpacked, I’m cooking amazing meals plus looking after the kids, doing my own work and basically being SuperMum it’s just not realistic! Today I said NO! I’m not going to force myself to stay up after the 3 boys are in bed to unpack and wash everything I’m actually going to get a good sleep (if Forest let’s me!) and take my time to get everything back in shape. It’s integral. When we were having that travel disaster which was mainly not in any part due to a mistake we made, instead of being angry, upset or frustrated I really had to take a deep breath and say to myself “what does it matter?” I’m alive, the kids are healthy, Mark and I are in it together, it might not be perfect but it’s REAL, so I laughed and then it was like a weight was lifted off both of our shoulders and we just rolled with it. What a great gift to kick off the year, an important perspective to keep!