Life with 2

Brooks is now officially 3 weeks old and time is flying. Things have been going well and the transition to 2 kids has actually been easier than I thought but I attribute this to a few reasons:


1. My mom was here for over a week after Brooks was born, she was a huge help, especially with keeping Hunter occupied.


2. Kristian has been amazing and helps out so much and fortunately is able to get home from work early most days.


3. Brooks is a GREAT sleeper (hopefully I'm not jinxing this). When we first brought him home I actually had to wake him at night to eat. At his 2 week checkup he had gained back all the weight he had lost and then some so the doctor said we no longer had to wake him at night since he was gaining weight just fine. He typically wakes once a night around 3am to eat than goes back to sleep until around 6:30-7am. So that has been a huge help. Unfortunately I'm still not sleeping great because Brooks is a loud sleeper, he's always grunting or sighing or making kind of noise that keeps me awake, but I will take that over crying anyday!


He's been doing well with breastfeeding and has been exclusively breastfed this whole time which is new for us. With Hunter I breastfed but also supplemented with formula from the beginning. Brooks still hasn't even had a bottle though I have pumped a couple of times just to try to build my supply up. He will occasionally fight the latch, which can be frustrating especially at night when I know he's hungry.


I think the biggest reason the transition has gone smoothly is because Hunter is awesome. The fact that he's older and can do so much on his own and understands a lot has been a big help. He just adores his brother and anytime the baby is crying he runs to try to soothe him by giving him his paci or just saying "shhh shhh" and rubbing his head. He loves to give him kisses and hugs and so far hasn't shown much jealousy. It's actually been a big help having him around because he's able to grab a diaper or burp cloth for me or run and get paper towels from the closet if we need them. He loves to help. And Brooks seems to calm down whenever Hunter is around, he is fascinated by his big brother already.


The recovery process from the VBAC overall has been much easier than the C-section with the exception of one complication that I encountered. After I gave birth I wasn't able to pee on my own and had to keep getting a catheter in order to empty my bladder. We tried everything in the hospital and nothing worked. It wasn't that I didn't have the urge to go, I did, I just couldn't and it was the most frustrating thing. I had many breakdowns in the hospital room over it and what would be in store if I couldn't go on my own. I ended up being sent home with a catheter and had to have a bag attached to me that had to be emptied. I also had to meet with a Urologist to discuss what was going on. As it turns out this issue is not THAT uncommon especially given the circumstances...pushing for a long time, him being sunny side up...it can cause trauma in that area. I never knew this was a potential complication but it does make sense. Fortunately after having a catheter in for a week I was able to go again on my own once it was removed. However, it took a while for me to be able to go fully and it was quite painful but everyday it got a little better and now I'm mostly back to normal when it comes to that situation. Other than the peeing issue though my recovery has been pretty easy, I was able to get up and walk as soon as my epidural wore off, I didn't have pain everytime I bent over, I wasn't totally out of it from all the medication that was used for my C-section and I seem to be losing weight faster. There are definite pros and cons to both the VBAC and C-section but overall I would choose a VBAC again.


It's hard to believe that Brooks has already been here for 3 weeks and will be a month old soon. The last month has been such a whirlwind and I'm doing my best to soak up every minute with him.