[Resi]

After bringing your baby home from the hospital how did the first two weeks go? Was it how you imagined? Was the lack of sleep very hard on you? Did you have the baby blues? Was it hard for you to relax?

[~*Bethy*~]

For both kids hubby couldnt take time off to help me out at home - it was tiring, but he worked night shifts so he could come home and let me sleep while he stayed up with the baby - it was very nice getting sleep Ian was a champ although Morgan had colic like no other - that was stressful in itself!!!

~Beth

[~Jess~]

I had c-sections so my first 2 weeks were spent in bed most of the time. With Zack, it was a shock. Nothing prepared me for the sheer exhaustion of having a newborn. I barely even remember those weeks. I had an emergency c-section after over 48 hours of labor and then had an allergic reaction to the spray adhesive they used and was covered head to toe in hives. I was so drugged up and in pain, I don't even remember it.

With Ethan and Alyssa, I was prepared for the c-section and the newborn stuff & it was cake. I just cuddled in bed with them for the first 3 weeks, even had all my meals brought to me. I have very fond memories of those first weeks with both Eth & Lyssa.

[ScottishBrit]

Im still Traumatized, LOL.....Cambria was and in some cases is a very demanding baby who doesn't like to sleep! She would nurse for an hour then fall asleep for 30 mins and want to nurse again. I was OVERLY exhausted and cryed non stop EVERYDAY for 6 weeks. At 6 weeks It got better cause would sleep 3 hours at a time but I was still VERY tired. Thats the only thing that makes me not wanna have another. I LOVE my sleep and I understand that babies dont "know" about sleep when there NB's but I Definitly wasn't expecting it to be like it was! As of now she has rarely slept through the night and sometimes when she does wake she's wide awake and up for a couple hours...I have become Immune to it though...

[Angelaosaurus-rex]

It was crazy because I also had to move in the first two weeks. But it was not too bad Chris helped alot and made sure I got some sleep. It was the next two weeks that blew!!! Chris had to go back to work so I was alone with him from 5am to really late some times 9-10pm (he was getting ready to deploy). I was so sleepy I hallucinated that I had 20 babys and I had too feed and change them all LOL!

[Resi]

I think the first two weeks were the roughest for sleep. It felt like the days never ended because everything was on a cycle. Night time felt the same as day time because he didn't sleep any longer at night. I was recovering from my c/s which made it hard to get around. I stayed on my sofa or bed upstairs. I remember thinking that I never understood why new Moms said it's hard to find time to brush your teeth, shower, etc. It would be past Noon and I would still not be showered. I always tell people that you just don't know what it's like until you are in it. The sleep thing was hard but not as bad as I thought. Some how I still managed to have the energy to do what needed to be done to take care of him. I was always wanting to make sure everything around me was in order or it would drive me crazy.

[HopeWishWait]

I don't really remember the first two weeks Conner was eating every 3 hours from the day he came home so sleep wasnt TOO bad, especially since Nic got paternity leave (thank god) for the first 10 days so we traded shifts. The worst part was the pain in my side from the c section...it hurt worse than the contractions!

[Adriana's Mommy]

My first 2 weeks was vary stressful to me.. I think I even went through a little post partum depression.. I think what affected me the most was the change in my lifestyle.. I've been so independent for so long it was hard for me to adjust to mommyhood.. Also, Adriana had jaundice so we were in and out of the clinic and lab the first few weeks. Also, Adriana wasn't eating as much as the Pediatrician wanted, so that was stressful on me too. I learned after the first few months that Adriana was not eat big eater, so I just let her eat as much as she wanted.. But now, life is easy and I wouldn't change it for the world..

[Mars]

The first two weeks were not bad despite having the section. DH was off so he handled most things around the house while I just moped around extremely slowly. Amara was feeding every 3 hours and sleeping all the rest. She wasn't fussy and hardly cried apart from a little whimper to let you know when she was up and ready for food. She was sleeping well at nights too, between 3 - 5 hours, so I was able to rest during the day and at night. I was actually concerned that she wasn't staying awake and seemed to be sleeping all day but then found out that some babies did this and it was completely normal.

[~Jess~]

Originally Posted by ScottishBrit

Im still Traumatized, LOL.....Cambria was and in some cases is a very demanding baby who doesn't like to sleep! She would nurse for an hour then fall asleep for 30 mins and want to nurse again. I was OVERLY exhausted and cryed non stop EVERYDAY for 6 weeks. At 6 weeks It got better cause would sleep 3 hours at a time but I was still VERY tired. Thats the only thing that makes me not wanna have another. I LOVE my sleep and I understand that babies dont "know" about sleep when there NB's but I Definitly wasn't expecting it to be like it was! As of now she has rarely slept through the night and sometimes when she does wake she's wide awake and up for a couple hours...I have become Immune to it though...

I think you'll be surprised at how your body just falls right back into "newborn mode" and handles the exhaustion MUCH better with subsequent children. New babies are no big deal after your first. It's the older child who's difficult. That poor first kid has the job of training you for all subsequent children. I remember being TERRIFIED of having a newborn again and it was cake! It was my 2-year-old that was rough because I'd never parented that age before.

[ShannonMVT]

The first is your "practice child', eh Jess?
I'm in the middle of this all right now and the first week was gruesome. One night he literally nursined ALL night maybe 1 hr sleep and the rest was nursing/diaper changes/fussing. Plus I had/have baby blues(better now some). It is getting a little better the last two nights hes had a 3 hr sleep stretch. BFing is also easier now than right at 1st.
Getting on here to nak helps me feel more "normal" to have an outlet and dh being home is a LIFESAVER.

[LaLaRose3]

Since I am in the middle of this as well, I can only give the view of the past week. For us, it has been really wonderful. Yeah, we had some stressful things pop up, like the pedi thinking she wasn't gaining enough weight quickly enough, and the slight jaundice... but all in all, the transition to parenthood for us has been fairly seamless. I had a very easy delivery and don't even feel like I am in "recovery" from anything (thank gods!) and Alice is such an easy-going baby. She lets us sleep for several hours at a time, lets us know what she needs pretty easily, doesn't cry much at all... makes me want another one already!

(BTW, shannon, LOVE your NCB blinkie!!!)

[~Jess~]

Originally Posted by LaLaRose3

Since I am in the middle of this as well, I can only give the view of the past week. For us, it has been really wonderful. Yeah, we had some stressful things pop up, like the pedi thinking she wasn't gaining enough weight quickly enough, and the slight jaundice... but all in all, the transition to parenthood for us has been fairly seamless. I had a very easy delivery and don't even feel like I am in "recovery" from anything (thank gods!) and Alice is such an easy-going baby. She lets us sleep for several hours at a time, lets us know what she needs pretty easily, doesn't cry much at all... makes me want another one already!

(BTW, shannon, LOVE your NCB blinkie!!!)

Shhh...you'll jinx yourself. Don't say things like that until you're past it all. I stopped telling ppl when Lyssa sleeps well because as soon as I tell someone "she's napping for 2 hours everyday" or "omg, she slept thru the night all last week!" she stops sleeping well. lol.

It was really rough.

Much harder than expected.

I was extremely tired, had no appetite and couldn't eat, I was feeling regretful for having a baby at times, I had cabin fever because I wasn't getting out of the house enough.

.....it passed though, and now I am 99% better (I say 99 because there are still days that can be tough! But nothing compared to how it was the first month or so)

bump

I didn't realize that this was an old thread until I saw my post that I made in May

How are your first two weeks going, Michelle?

Hey Breanna

Things have mostly been pretty good these past two weeks. I do wish Jack slept for longer stretches at night and wasn't such a noisy sleeper. But with all the burping and diaper changes it seems impossible right now (I get around 2-3 hours average b/c he makes so much noise or wakes up. I do sometimes get a good 4 hour stretch. Well, it happened once lol). He is such a happy and sweet baby though He hardly cries and for the past week now we usually hear him laughing in his sleep And we have had a bunch of smiles when he is awake too.

But yeah, those first two weeks are exhausting. And I wish I wasn't still "recovering" from my section. Between that, the pp hormones, and my gut being a wreck due to high iron supplements, each day is hit or miss. But everyday I find myself laughing my butt off, or kissing Jack's cute chubby cheeks, so things can't be that bad. Plus, I have hope for getting more sleep and feeling less like a milk factory as he ages.

[Resi]

Michelle - We need to see new pictures of Jack!