Postpartum Recovery-2 weeks
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At the time I’m writing this, Hollis is 2 weeks old. I may not publish the blog post for a few more days, so I just wanted to put that out there.
I’ve been sharing very openly about my postpartum recovery over on instagram @theaubreyfam but I also wanted to summarize how things are going, how I’m feeling, and how I’m taking care of myself here on the blog. I hope to do posts similar to this with updates in the future.
Physical
Physically I feel mostly back to normal. I was still experiencing soreness in my abdomen up until about 4 days ago, but that thankfully that has finally passed! I am still having some bleeding, but most of the time it’s minimal.
Emotional
Emotionally I feel much more level headed with this postpartum experience than I did with Kenley. I’ve only had one day that stands out in my mind where I feel like I’ve been more stressed/handled a stressful situation differently that I normally would have. It was the day of our newborn photoshoot and my older kids, Kenley especially, acted like hooligans. It got the best of me and my husband, and I felt like crying on my way home…..both because it had gone so poorly/been such a stressful couple of hours trying to get them to cooperate and because of the way I reacted as a parent.
Sleep
Knock on wood, Hollis has been giving me good stretches of sleep at night since our 3rd night home. I feel as well-rested as one can, getting interrupted sleep every night. I am worried that as Hollis goes through growth spurts and impending leaps (the freaking worst, am I right?) that this will not continue to go as smoothly, but one can hope, right?
Nutrition
I had the word “diet” titling this section, but decided to change it because I never want anyone to be under the impression that I am on a DIET at this point postpartum…..I meant diet in terms of ‘the food I am consuming’.
Back to the point—-I’m aiming to consume at least 1800 calories per day, more if needed. Am I tracking this daily? Heck no, who has time for that….not a new mom I can bet you that. BUT I have on random days used MyFitnessPal to track what I consumed to ensure I’m getting enough calories and to check in on how much protein and fiber I’m getting.
With each meal I try to have protein, fiber, fat, & a carb on my plate. For snacks I try to always get protein & fat as I’ve found this helps keep me feeling energized and full.
Supplements
Okay, this is a big one I’ve been sharing about on instagram…..but I’ll break it down again for those that may have missed it because I’ve gotten a lot of questions about it.
First, just as a reminder, this is not me recommending you to take this supplement regimen…it’s simply what I’ve chosen to do and I recommend talking with your provider before you implement any new supplements/vitamins especially if you’re breastfeeding.
FullWell prenatal vitamin I take 4 capsules in the morning with breakfast and 4 at night before bed
Code: VANDA10
Perfect Supplements Desiccated Liver I take 2 capsules in the morning with breakfast and 2 at lunch
Code: AUBREYFAM
Perfect Supplements Vitamin D drops I do 5 drops directly onto my tongue each morning
Code: AUBREYFAM
Just Thrive Probiotic I take 1 capsule each morning
Code: THEAUBREYFAM
Electrolyte Supreme (fruit punch flavor), LMNT (orange is my favorite flavor, its very similar to orange gatorade), or Re-Lyte (lemon-lime and strawberry lemonade flavors are my favorite, I definitely recommend trying the variety pack first) I do 1-2 packets per day to help with my hydration and breastmilk supply. The LMNT brand has the most salt taste to it, FYI
Code for Electrolyte Supreme: AUBREYFAM
MagSoothe I intend to do one of these each night before bed, but sometimes I forget. When you’re stressed (physically or emotionally) your body burns through magnesium & your levels become depleted pretty quickly. Lack of sleep, general life with a newborn, & breastfeeding causes stress on the body, so I know I need to boost up my magnesium. Plus it helps you sleep at night!
Code: AUBREYFAM
Perfect Supplements Unflavored Collagen I use 1-2 scoops of this in smoothies or hot chocolate…I’m not a coffee drinker, but I also use it in hot tea sometimes. Its truly unflavored and dissolves SO well in hot or cold beverages!
Code: AUBREYFAM
Daily Goals
When I was “planning” for my postpartum period there were a few goals I set for myself/things I planned to do every day that I feel like are helping keep me #1 sane and #2 feel productive.
Keep in mind that these are goals and they do not happen every single day
- Make our bed and make A’s bed
Making the beds makes me automatically feel like the house is cleaner. I do this first thing in the mornings when I go around and open all the blinds in the house. - Shower Daily
Okay, first of all…hygiene. It’s obviously best for your healing body (& certain parts that sustained trauma during birth) that they get washed every day. But, this is also key for me mentally. I feel so refreshed after a nice hot shower and it forces me to change into clothes for the day instead of staying in pajamas. I do not wash my hair every day because I don’t always have that kind of time. Livingproof dry shampoo really comes in clutch here. - Put on Makeup
Some of you are rolling your eyes right now, and I get it…….but hear me out. I do this on days when I’m home alone with the kids, but I’ve found it’s especially helpful when we have visitors coming over. Now, I’m not one to get hung up on what people think of me, or what they say about me. BUT, I’ve noticed that I feel better when people are commenting “Vanda you look good” or “you don’t look tired” as opposed to someone saying “you don’t look like you feel good today” or “honey you look really tired”. People are a lot less likely to comment on how tired I look, if I put on a little makeup. So if taking 5mins (or less) to swipe on a little makeup makes me feel better…I’m going to take the time to do it, even if it means just swiping on some mascara (like today) - 10 min power clean
In the mornings as I’m opening blinds and making beds (after blake & the big kids have left) I take 10 mins to straighten up the house. I put away any random things that aren’t in their place, clean up toys that the kids have left in the living room, or fold a load of laundry & start another. - Get 6,000 steps
Its’s really easy to just sit on the couch and snuggle your newborn all day, especially when you have a winter-time delivery like I have both times. There are definitely days where I take advantage of all the snuggles, because I know they wont last, and I encourage you to do the same. But most days I still prioritize getting in as much NEAT movement as I can here in the house (since it’s cold outside and sick season, we don’t go many places). I fall short of this 6,000 step goal quite often, but being conscious of it keeps me from having super low step days (like less than 2,000).
That got way lengthier then I anticipated it would, I hope some of that information is helpful/encouraging to some of you!! Helping plan and prepare for postpartum is one topic I work with people on in my 1:1 sessions, if that interests you or you could use some help/guidance, get on the e-mail list here to get more information.
Hopefully my next pp recovery update will be a little shorter!