Belly After Baby #2

So it's time for my usual after-baby belly update! I did this after I had Heidi and I still believe that it is important for me to share this part of post-partum recovery. Here we go!

BEFORE the before pictures:

4 weeks pregnant

(So I am seriously not a fan of the above picture but since it's the best side angle picture I have I'm posting it anyway...but to make myself feel better I'm posting another one....)

Aaaahh that's better (probably because my face isn't in it haha) but not 
the best angle for comparison. Okay I feel better now.

Fast forward 35/36 weeks...

2 days before delivering and feeling great!

15 minutes before my water broke...and less than 4 hours before that baby flew on out of there.
Here I am roughly 33ish lbs up from my pre-pregnancy weight.  

Now for the after pictures...

24 hours after giving birth. Down roughly 10 lbs. (8lb 6oz baby + placenta + fluid)
and about 23ish lbs. up from pre-pregnancy weight. (Plus sexy sexy mesh underwear
which seriously are actually the most comfortable things in the world!)

Side view. 

Front view - yikes!

6 Days After Delivery

Down 12 lbs. from the day I delivered, up about 31ish lbs. from pre pregnancy weight.  It's SO hilarious how absolutely tiny you feel after you deliver am I right ladies?? I guess you are compared to the day that an entire human being comes out from inside your body...Here is me thinking "oh damn I'm looking GOOD!!" with my 6 month pregnant looking belly haha.

10 Days After Delivery

Down 15 lbs. from delivery date weight and still up about 18ish lbs. from pre pregnancy weight...and still dealing with a weirdo husband  on a daily basis (although time is not gonna change THAT one...)

4 Weeks After Delivery

Down 20 lbs. from the day I delivered and up 13ish lbs. from pre-pregnancy weight.

Front view. One area that I notice has changed (really it changed after my first pregnancy) was the area right below my bra strap. I have always been able to feel my ribcage expanding and skin stretching right in that spot during pregnancies (whether it's numb and tingly like the first time or just painful like the second). This has resulted in some tiny rolls of extra fat and skin. I think it went away after my first pregnancy but now I'm not actually sure on that. When I bend over it looks like CRAZY old lady front saddlebags haha. When standing the downwards pressure from my bra makes it fold up a bit. I'll have to make a note to see how/if this changes over time. You can also see this effect some in the previous picture as well.

Front view closeup. Linea Nigra still hangin on too! 

6 Weeks After Delivery

Down 20 lbs. from delivery date weight and up 13 - so not much has changed
on the scale between 4 weeks pp and 6 weeks pp...

Front view.

8 Weeks After Delivery

2 weeks later, still down 20 lbs. and up 13 lbs...so literally nothing has
changed on the scale in the last 4 weeks...but it does seem that things look slightly tighter.

Also not quite sure why I decided to not wear a shirt at all for this round of pictures... meh oh
well. You guys have already seen pretty much all of me at my worst anyway!

Front view. I feel like by 8 weeks pp I am starting to look much more like "myself", although not entirely yet.
For my body personally, this is still looking a little fluffy in the middle (and backside ;) - not pictured hehe). 

4 Months + 1 Week After Delivery

Down 29 lbs. from delivery date weight and up about 4 lbs. from pre-pregnancy weight. Not CRAZY different from the initial "we're pregnant" picture, but still a little work to do (once I decide to stop being so lazy and eating so much garbage). 

(Ignore the creases from my shorts!)

At this point (4 months and 1 week post partum) I feel like I am looking pretty similar to my pre-Wells self but I still have a little bit of work to do. The scale says I only have a few pounds left, but I can tell that the composition of weight IS different (more fat than muscle than I was prior to baby #2.) I know this because things are not quite as tight muscle-wise and my thighs/butt are still fitting very snugly into pre-pregnancy pants/jeans/shorts... "fitting" is probably a generous word ;). (With both pregnancies, that seems to be where the most poundage packs on - thighs and the backside.) It is so very important to me to honor and respect my body for what it has just done - constructing, growing, birthing and sustaining another life! Going crazy with the working out, dieting, cutting calories etc. is not something I do (or will ever do) immediately after giving birth and I have promised to give myself some grace and let by body recover naturally for a while. Breastfeeding is such a priority for me as well that I would never do anything to risk my supply. 

I really feel as though my body typically hits a pretty serious plateau at about 4 weeks after I deliver. After that it comes off much slower, although it DOES still come off on it's own naturally. I haven't done anything crazy other than been on a handful of runs. (Houston in the summer = only a few runs per month if that!) No diets or crazy exercise regimens. Once my body gets to this point, I think "okay I can work with this". As long as I can be patient enough to actually get to that point, I am totally okay with the pace of how things happen and change.

I have said this before but I will say it again - recovery this time around has been such a dream. While things might look about the same to an outsider when comparing this recovery to my previous one, it FEELS so different. The prayer, preparation and faith in our Lord has absolutely carried over from our birth experience into the post-partum/recovery experience. He is truly amazing in the way that He hears our hearts, answers prayers and reveals to us HIS goodness. This is the God that I love and serve. If you don't have a relationship with Him yet, I highly encourage you to seek Him out and challenge Him to change your life in drastic and radical ways - because without a doubt He will! For us, He has done things and worked in ways that man has declared impossible.

Month 4 - Wells

Month 4: Baby!

Age: 4 months

Weight: 16.5 lbs-ish

Major calendar events: Chris and Carrie's wedding, 4th of July, first trip to the pool, weeklong trip to New Jersey without Daddy (future post on this trip coming soon)

Milestones: Smiling and giggling more, using his hands to (kind of) reach out and grab things, rolled over three times (different days - when no one was looking! I think he secretly waits until no one is looking though because I have yet to capture a picture or video of this actually happening!)

Sleep: Sleeping through the night woo woo!!!! He is still swaddled and on his back and can usually go from roughly 8:00 p.m. - 7:00 a.m. (give or take)

Likes: Seeing his mommy, 

Dislikes: None

Best moment: Winning the "chillest baby award" while in New Jersey (he was later promoted to "baby of the year")

Worst moment: While in NJ, Wells spent a good amount of time riding in a double stroller. One day we were on a walk and I heard him crying. I was quite a ways up, pushing Heidi in a single stroller and decided to go back and check on him to see why he was crying. I'm SO glad I did that right when I first started to hear him cry (instead of brushing it off and just assuming he was tired or hot or hungry or something) because I had apparently forgotten to buckle him in and he had slid down off of the back seat and into the basket below the front seat of the stroller!! I was panicking! Luckily, one of the other adults on the walk was able to pull him out because I could not figure out how to get him out fast enough. Once I was holding him he was fine and luckily not hurt in any way. Poor guy!!

Eating: 100% breastfed, every 3 hours

Things I want to remember: He is such a good and sweet little baby!

Here are some pictures from this month:

Happy 4th of July!

Playing with Papu.

Poor Wells, doesn't have a hat of his own yet.

Pool time with my Aunt and Cousin!

Nursing at the pool!

Smiley man!

Sometimes Wells gets stuck "holding Heidi's things for her" in the car...

Love these two together.

Lately, Heidi has been REALLY into "holding" and snuggling Wells. Poor guy...

On the plane to New Jersey!! (More pictures later!)

So tired.

Month 3 - Wells

Month 3: Baby!

Age: 3 months

Weight: 16ish lbs. (haven't weighed him in a while so this is an estimate)

Major calendar events: My good friend and college roommate Jenny came to town with her hubby and stayed with us for a few days; Ryan was also gone for a few days this month so I was by myself overnight with both kids for the first time; Galveston overnight for Ryan's Sister's graduation from Residency

Milestones: I can tell that he's starting to try to use his hands, although his arms still wave around wildly when he attempts to use them. He has also started blowing bubbles, and making little noises in the back of his throat saying "kkkkkkkkk"!

Sleep: Swaddled, on his back; still waking up once per night to eat (I keep trying to compare his sleeping patterns to heidi - which I have got to stop doing! She was sleeping through the night by this point and it's driving me nuts that he isn't yet!) He did give us a couple of little teasers... sleeping through the night once or twice randomly. Those occasional nights are so necessary because they give you enough hope to make it through the next day... knowing and hoping that interrupted sleep will soon be a thing of the past!

Likes: Smiling, balloons, blowing bubbles and making little cooing noises, sleeping on his tummy, snuggling with mommy

Dislikes: There really isn't a lot out there that upsets Wells. He's such a happy baby! He still truly hates having a dirty/wet diaper though...

Best moment: Hanging out with his great grandma, just smiling and chatting away

Worst moment: Getting shots at the doctor :(

Eating: I think we've finally transitioned this guy to a solid every-three-hours feeding schedule...for the most part ;). He also is now big enough to handle the flow, so he's no longer choking, gagging and drowning while he nurses. This makes feeding him much more enjoyable and he isn't constantly breaking his latch anymore!

Things I want to remember: Morning stretches and smiles; I love that both of my kids enjoy being in the car. Houston summers are note conducive to going on walks, so we go on car rides! Heidi gets a snack and listens to her favorite songs, Wells takes a nap and mommy gets a mocha from the Starbucks drive-thru!

Here are some pictures from this past month:

I found them like this...

Still having a hard time grasping that we are a family of FOUR!

Hanging out with Mrs. Laurie while mommy gets her teeth cleaned!

Visiting great grandma!

Wells LOVES balloons!! They make him so happy.

My sleeping guys.

These two!!

I will never be able to take enough pictures of my babies sleeping.
They both just look so precious when they are asleep!

Happy man!

Month 2 - Wells

Month 2: Baby!

Age: 2 months

Weight: 15 lbs.

Major calendar events: First wedding, big sister's birthday party, first trip to the grocery store, Mother's Day, first ride in the double stroller, Memorial Day

Milestones: Definitely smiling in response to seeing familiar faces now!

Sleep: Still waking up twice a night typically... He's a good sleeper otherwise. At night time, he is swaddled and on his back, but sometimes during the day I will allow him to sleep on his tummy (unswaddled of course) as long as I am able to check on him frequently. 

Likes: He's finally liking bathtime! He also loves to look up at the trees and watch them blow in the wind when we go on walks

Dislikes: Having a wet/dirty diaper

Best moment: Love those baby smiles! And watching Heidi take care of him is so incredible

Worst moment: We had a pretty terrible spit-up incident at the grocery store... which was probably worse for me than it was for him but it was still pretty awful. 

Eating: Nursing like a champ, can't hardly go 3 hours still, still choking and gagging a bit but seems to have gotten a little better. He does spit up SO much though... Heidi spit up most of the time as well but he definitely spits up way more - more often and more volume. It's rough!!

Things I want to remember: His baby faux hawk is so perfect! I assume his hair will fall out though...I'll miss it! When he sneezes, he usually has a pretty good windup: "AAAK-CHOO!" I also want to always remember how sweet Heidi is with him. 

Other: The hematoma that was on the side of Wells' head has disappeared completely! We weren't sure how long it would take (anywhere from a few weeks to a few YEARS) and it practically disappeared overnight! 

Month 2: Mama

So far, my hormones have continued to be extremely manageable. However, true crazy-person exhaustion has started to set in. With Wells still waking up 1-2 times between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., we never get sleep that isn't interrupted and the toll that this begins to take is so intense that it is hardly explainable. Just imagine the most tired you have ever been in your whole life and multiply that by about 3-4 times. 

Here are a few pictures from our second month:

Maiden voyage!

First grocery store trip with both kids!

Watching the trees.

Mothers Day.

Wells' first wedding!

She loves to hold him!

Holding hands watching TV together.

Good morning!