Pregnancy & Postpartum Update Weeks 36 & Beyond

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So, I’m a little late for this update but better late than never, right? The reason being is that my water broke earlier than anticipated (although it’s totally normal week 39) and postpartum life has been a whirl wind ever since. Luckily, I’ve created some free time to update you via the blog and through my YouTube channel. Here’s how it’s going…

Pregnancy Weeks 36-39

The last weeks of my pregnancy were when things started to get a bit uncomfortable. Shortly after I started maternity leave, it started getting harder to walk. The extra weight made my feet start to swell more than before and I couldn’t walk or sit for long periods of time. In total, I gained 40 pounds with the last 10 happening during the last couple of weeks. The majority of my maternity leave was spent at the beach since flying to a destination was no longer an option. Also, my appetite was insane! You know those giant plates of food you get at Cheesecake Factory? Well, this girl was clearing them and made room for more.

Pregnant Fun In The Sun!

Notice the heading ends at week 39? As I said before, week 40 never happened because my water broke. Fortunately, at 39 weeks it’s still considered the safe zone for delivery. At about 1:30 a.m. while in bed sleeping, I felt what I thought was a giant baby kick. It woke me up but didn’t concern me. My husband arrived shortly after from work and that’s when I noticed the slow leak was happening. Although still doubtful, my instincts told me to go to the bathroom and that’s when I noticed a little bit of blood. My internal alarm went off and soon enough, we were off to the hospital.

Finally, around 8 pm my little man arrived (It’s a Boy!!!). He didn’t have a name for a couple days but we settled on Matteo and he’s literally a dream come true.

Want to read my previous pregnancy updates? Click here.

Postpartum Life

Postpartum life has flown by, except for the first month…that first month felt like it went really slow. We had a full crew awaiting our arrival that included my mother, sister, and in-laws over a span of three weeks. With all hands on deck, my husband and I were able to have meals prepared for us, take a shower, and get a nap in here and there.

Our days consisted of feeding, soothing and staring down our newborn with breaks in between to ice between my legs and spray myself down with Dermoplast. The nights were obviously sleepless but we were prepared for that. Although we were blessed with the extra help, it wasn’t a reality until they left and my husband went back to work full time, leaving me home alone with our son.

Dermoplast & Diapers & Pads, Oh My!

Postpartum Difficulties

The most difficult part of the first 6 weeks was breastfeeding. My expectations of breastfeeding with ease and saving money on formula quickly diminished after I left the hospital. While in the hospital, Matteo wouldn’t latch so it was advised to use nipple shields which helped tremendously. We took home a breast pump to help stimulate milk production but discovered I had a low milk supply.

Even with the pumping, every nursing tea, fenugreek, mother’s milk supplement, and oatmeal bars, it was still low. Supplementing with formula was a must so I continued to pump while adding whatever I could to the formula. After 6 weeks, only drops were being added to the formula bottle and it was getting to be too stressful.  My favorite thing about breastfeeding him was the bonding but we manage to still bond over a bottle.

I only dream of producing this much now!

Our recent challenges now focus on sleep. When you’re sleep deprived you want so badly for your child to rest, not only for their benefit but for yours! Sleep training will eventually be on the agenda but for now, sleep research is the focus. The book, “Healthy Sleep Habits, Healthy Child“, has been helpful although I am still unsure if I will use the methods. At a minimum, it has given me perspective on why babies do or don’t sleep and how that affects them in the future.

Overall, being a mother has given me purpose and fulfilled a gap that has been missing in my life. Sure, my personal life has come to a halt but the trade off is so worth it! That balance will eventually return so in the mean time I plan to enjoy this thing called motherhood!

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Watch my Pregnancy & Postpartum Vlog below!