6 Weeks

Abigail is already 6 weeks old. Time is just slipping through my fingers. I have a feeling I need to cherish every single moment with my children because they will be all grown up before I know it. Abigail is doing well, growing healthy and gaining some chub. She had gained about a pound at her 2 week appointment, she weighted in at 7 lbs 14 oz. She is all cheeks right now. She is breastfeeding well, which is a huge blessing. Spencer didn’t breastfeed well because he was born early, so this is a whole new experience for me. I believe a lot of it had to do with the fact that I was able to feed Abigail just minutes after she was born, with Spencer I had to wait awhile because he was in the NICU. So, It looks like I will actually be able to breastfeed her for a whole year.

Breastfeeding was very painful for the first few weeks, I had blisters, cracked nipples, a yeast infection, and I just got over mastitis. There were so many times when I wanted to give up, times when I didn’t want to push through the pain. I’m so glad that I did and that I was given strength during those times. I prayed a lot in the beginning and relied on the Lord for strength. I was very sleep deprived, still am. You don’t get much sleep when you have a toddler and a newborn. Brady has a very busy schedule with school and work. Most days he is gone from 7:30 am until 8:30 pm. Some days he does have a break in between school and work so he comes home to relieve me and I usually take a nap. Other days I try to schedule Abigail’s afternoon sleep to coincide with Spencer’s afternoon nap. That way I can get a little nap too. Most days this works, which has been a huge blessing. Abigail sleeps about 2-3 hours at a time. She still sleeps more during the day then at night, but that is expected.

I’m not going to lie, being sleep deprived sure is difficult. The transition we have made to being parents of two is a lot more exhausting than I thought it would be (although very worth it). Things have been difficult lately because Spencer is now having difficulty sleeping. I knew going into this transition that with the birth of a child other children usually regress, but I didn’t know it would be this difficult. Spencer’s sleep issues will be a whole post in itself because it is quite detailed.

I have been much more emotionally stable this time around. When Spencer was born I experienced postpartum depression for awhile. This time I had the normal baby blues for a couple of weeks, but I am better now. I’m not sure why this time is different? Perhaps it’s the experience, perhaps it’s the confidence I have in myself that I can get through this, perhaps it’s the knowledge I have that I am and can be a good mother, perhaps my faith is stronger. Whatever the reason(s), I feel so blessed that I’m emotionally healthy right now. Brady has been so sweet and helpful. He knows my sensitive soul and understands how difficult this transition can be emotionally. He experienced the postpartum depression along with me when we had Spencer and now knows what to expect. He has been so in tune with my feelings (always has) and will check up on me regularly to see how I am doing. I am truly blessed that I have a loving husband who knows me and knows how to help me during difficult times. I am also truly blessed that I have been given emotional strength. I am on my way to making this weakness of mine a strength through the Lord. I hope that my experiences can help others who have or will experience depression.