the fourth trimester: vol. VI

six weeks postpartum! i feel like that’s the ‘phew, you made it through the postpartum period’ mark that society deems appropriate. you can *usually* get cleared to work out at six weeks. many women return to work after 6 weeks. to be honest, weeks five + six were more challenging for me than weeks three + four. i’m a little curious to see how 6+ goes, because i think we all know [“we” being us moms] that the whole postpartum rollercoaster lasts much longer than six weeks.

physically: physically i’ve been feeling great. my incision still has that weird burning/numb feeling to it if you touch it, but other than that, it’s a million times better than the first time around. i took my first yoga class earlier this week [see more on that here] and it felt great to move my body like that again. my goal is two a week [yoga or barre] while i’m on maternity leave and see how it goes from there.

nursing is still going well, but i definitely feel like i’m attached at the chest to a child or a pump at almost all times. nursing is exhausting. props to all you mommas that make it so long! i’m working on a post about all the items that are making this time go smoothly.

mentally/emotionally: while most of the time i feel great and ‘normal’ [there’s no normal with a new baby], i feel like i’ve been skirting the baby blues a little the past few weeks, and while i can tie some of it to nursing [more here], it seems to be exacerbated when i’m not busy or doing something [totally negating the whole “sleep when the baby sleeps!” and other “just rest” advice]. i talked to my doc, and it’s not postpartum depression; baby blues are a real thing.

i do really well with a schedule and pretty much no spontaneity, and a new baby is pretty much all spontaneous activity, no matter how great of a schedule you get them into. getting back to yoga was key for me to try and put myself into a better head space; yoga spills over into the rest of your life and effects it in a positive way. i’m also trying to prioritize getting outside. the thing i never understood is that the baby blues aren’t an ‘all the time’ thing; they’re often fleeting feelings and then i feel like myself again. i’m not crying/screaming/melancholy; i’m just less than my normal, pretty-happy, always-grateful self. to be honest, the whole thing is more bewildering than anything, but gives me a lot of empathy for those that struggle with anxiety and depression. i can’t imagine.

anyways, all this to say, i’m taking my mental health as seriously as i’ve been taking my physical health and prioritizing those needs as much as my physical ones.

what else is happening? logan is mothering all of her stuffed animals [SO adorable to watch her burp her puppy], cole is smiling now, and he slept one five hour stretch the other night. speaking of sleep, if anyone has any good tips, send them my way. i go back to work in less than a month, and i’d love to be getting a little more sleep 🙂

thanks for reading, friends!