Postpartum Week 5 by Teresa Palmer
What week
5
How big is baby
11 lbs 9oz
What’s something new this week
Laughing! It’s been the absolute sweetest. His smiles turn in to laughter coos. We can’t handle how cute it is and we are all always having competitions to see who can make him laugh the most!
Most challenging moment
I’m still sick believe it or not! I just can’t shake this cold and now I have a cough and Bodhi just started coughing last night too. He has been climbing in to bed with us in the middle of the night. Last night, after I had just rolled back over at 2:30am after changing and feeding Forest, Bodhi climbed in to bed and coughed for about 10 mins. I felt so bad for him and also so tired. Being sick and having two little ones is no joke. We don’t have any help and I think because we have had all 3 boys the last 2 weeks it has meant that there is just no time to rest or catch up on sleep to get better. Someone said to me today- just hire someone to help so you can take a nap, take a shower, recharge the batteries! So I took my friends advice and we hired someone to help around the house, holding Forest while I shower and blog, helping me sort through Bodhi’s old toys to give to charity, play with Bodhi after preschool while I breastfeed Forest and put him down for his nap etc. Mark hasn’t been home a lot because of work commitments, the gym (which is his meditation) plus taking Isaac to and from school (an hour away) so just having those 4 hours with this “Mothers Helper” to get stuff done that had been piling up was a godsend. Props to the single mothers out there who do it on their own ALL THE TIME!
Something you loved this week
My Mummy and Me group for second time moms at The Pump Station was great. It’s a group of mums and their new babies and we discuss transitions from one child to two, sleeping, forming attachments with baby whilst also having another child, self-care and more. It’s so nice to form a community of Mamas in the same boat. I look forward to it every Monday. I quarantined myself to the corner and definitely didn’t engage as much as I would like, simply because I had lost my voice but I loved feeling the energy of all the other woman in there and hearing everyones different stories. It’s something I will look forward to each week.
Mama time?
Bath every other day and also when Bodhi was at preschool and Forest was sleeping I binge watched 3 episodes of The Affair (SOOO good) and at night time after the kids are asleep Mark and I have been watching The OA. It’s seriously a highlight of my day snuggling with my man and watching a brilliant and thought provoking show in bed together.
What am I eating?
Vegan muffins, cacao banana bread, eggplant parmigiana sandwiches, vegan pizza (yuuup carbing it up!) green juices, vegan burgers and fries (eeeek) I’ve been SOOOO hungry. I wish I was craving salads and veggies but I’m not, I’m really craving carbs!
What’s working?
Mark and my communication. We talk about everything; all feelings that arise, triumphs and challenges, sensitivities and just constant checking in with each other and sharing things we have learned about our new dynamic (I was all excited after I learnt a pattern in Forests day- sleep, change, feed, awake and want-to-connect time, sleep). He is my teammate in this and we are really using the ways in which we compliment each other to parent these two little guys (and Isaac when he is with us). It makes me appreciate my husband so much.
Forests sleep has been great, two 6 hours stretches this week, followed by 15 mins of boob/changing and another 4 hour stretch so that’s been wonderful!
My Body
I can tell my body is really trying hard to get better, it’s run down and without the proper rest it’s really been a struggle to get better. It’s kind of a crappy cycle because for me when I’m sick I just want to order take out and chill instead of cook, but then my nutrition suffers which in turn keeps me sick haha. Right now we are in Utah at the Sundance Film Festival (I’m here promoting Berlin Syndrome). Once we are home on Sunday I am going to start cooking this week! Folks who follow me on Instagram, remind me in your comments section to cook!! Haha
Checking in
I definitely learnt a good lesson this week about accepting help and not trying to do everything myself. I think because I grew up in Australia without babysitters and with a stay at home Mum I am inspired to do it all on my own, I want to be the one to be there for my kids at all times of the day, not to miss a minute of their interactions, I want to be the one to teach them, show boundaries and communicate with them in the way that I feel works best for them, but what I learnt this week is that I can still do all of those things AND get to do some work, clean up the house, take a bath and then be even more present and less tired with my kids if I allow someone to support me, even just for 4 hours a week! I felt completely recharged and I actually think it’s the reason my cold didn’t continue to get worse. The reality is that whilst parenting is my number one priority, desire, dream, source of enjoyment etc. I’m also a working actor, a mom blogger, a lifestyle blogger, a wife, a friend and someone who desires having time to continue to go deeper spiritually in life and in relationship with others. I’m someone who has a big full life that does center around my kids but I also celebrate all the other joys in my life too and that’s something to be nurtured and encouraged, so yes, accepting that I’m just one woman, with only two arms, 24 hours in a day to work with and a bunch of little people who need me, means that I will take the help (Mum I’m looking at you!)