Last week I shared Amelia’s birth story with everyone! Today I wanted to share some of the postpartum story with you.
At 3.5 weeks postpartum, I feel like it has been FOREVER since she was born, but at the same time, it has gone by so fast….
I know that everyone has a totally different experience postpartum. Some are worse than others, but it is definitely an experience that (to me) was even harder than the birth itself!
Amelia’s Birth Story Postpartum
The first week after Amelia was born was one of the most challenging weeks I have experienced before. I didn’t realize how hard it would be to recover from surgery while taking care of a newborn. Trying to pick her up to nurse or put her into her cradle was almost impossible at times without the use of my core muscles.
Not only was the surgery painful, but breastfeeding was really rough for us. Amelia immediately latched right away and fed well just a few moments after birth.
Breastfeeding
The problem was how strong of a sucker she was which made breastfeeding really painful by day two. Without going into too much detail, I will say I had red, inflamed, bleeding, and super sore nipples by the end of the week.
I worked with a lactation nurse to figure out something to do while everything healed. We did breast pumps, nipple shields, hydrogels, and creams. She checked Amelia’s latch too, and it was really good.
Amelia was not doing well with the nipple shields , and I wasn’t having any luck with pumping. Her weight dropped too much, so we have to supplement with formula to get her back up to her birth weight.
I gave up on the nipple shields and just kept breastfeeding. At 3.5 weeks out, it is still painful, but getting better!
Between the trauma of surgery, arthritis, lack of sleep, and being a new mom, my milk production was pretty low. It is increasing and doing better now, so I know things will keep getting better in that area.
Surgery Recovery
After about a week, my c-section incision was less tender, and I could start bending over and moving more.
The problem I have is I ALWAYS overdo it! I am a busybody and start doing things around the house. I had a little setback at week two with bleeding from doing too much, so I had to take it easier for awhile.
I am able to use all my core muscles again which is such a blessing! It is tough trying to care for a baby when you can’t use your abs.
I sure do miss walking and exercising, so I look forward to my six week follow up to be released for that.
Weight Loss
During pregnancy, I gained about 24 lbs. I lost 14 lbs pretty quick after the first few weeks. Breastfeeding definitely helps get your body back into shape. I know the rest will come off when I can be more active again. I will share more on this later.
Rheumatoid Arthritis
I know this is a question I get asked the most. During pregnancy, I didn’t go into remission with RA. You can read more about that here.
After the baby came, I started having some elbow pain which can make breastfeeding and caring for a baby pretty tough. Also, my right knee has been bothering me these last few weeks again since she was born. I just pray everyday that I won’t deal with arthritic pain, then take it one day at a time!
Raw honey is really helpful for arthritic inflammation, so I have it in my morning collagen tea everyday. It really helps!
I also follow many of my arthritic flare tips which also helps!
I will be sharing more things with you as the month’s go on!
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Aw, she’s gorgeous – congratulations. I haven’t had kids yet, so I really appreciate this post and your honesty. It’s not always easy adjusting to being a mom, and your body doing crazy things, but it’s good to talk about it!!
-Lauren
Thank you Lauren! It really helps to talk and share all the details, and I hope it can help others when they go through this journey too 🙂
Cannot believe how you cope with doing all that you now have to do! guess that’s what being a mom means, but you’re doing an outstanding job, without having done this before.
a question you may have answered long ago but i missed it —- is ra hereditary? it doesn’t seem like the type of thing that would be be, but then i’m not up on all the parts to this disease. thanks and continued good luck! MMR
Thanks Margaret! I really appreciate that! They say that RA is hereditary, but no one in my family has it….It can also be triggered by an illness as a child. I was born with a rheumatoid factor, so it is something I have had all my life, but it didn’t surface until I was 10 years old. I would be curious to see if someone had it in my family a long time ago!
You are both precious
Thank you, Love you 🙂
You’re doing great, mama! My nipples cracked and were bleeding even with a baby who had a poor latch at first–thank goodness that passed, and so did her aversion to latching! now she’s a breastfeeding pro!
That’s so great to hear! I’m glad it passed and breastfeeding has gotten better for you!
Hi Alexis! Thank you for sharing your stories of Amelia’s birth. So
Sorry that you had endured such discomfort but glad to Read that you are Doing better, what a blessing a baby is! Please keep us updated on Amelia and how your RA is doing as you go through different stages.
Thanks Laurie! I am so happy to be feeling better finally, each day is definitely a little better 🙂 I look forward to sharing more soon!
She is so gorgeous! Sounds like you’ve had a little struggle adjusting but I’m sure all mother’s do especially with the c-section. It’s hard to do the things you want like caring for your newborn when your body is still recovering. I hope each day brings you closer to feeling stronger and better to enjoy the new life of amelia! Emily @ Martinis & Bikinis
Thank you! It has definitely been a long journey, but so worth it 🙂