https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sat, 11 Apr 2026 23:27:18 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tell-me-about-your-first-8-weeks-postpartum#post-750998 Mon, 29 Apr 2013 15:41:17 +0000 Mrs. High Heels 750998@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@yourekindapretty: i chose a window seat because 1) the plane ride was really short (1 hour) so i knew i probably wouldn't have to get up to use the restroom, and 2) it offers more privacy. i also used that time to take a nap by leaning my head against the window.</p> <p>you can still be in the wedding, just try to nurse or pump about 30 min before you walk down the aisle! ceremonies usually don't take more than an hour... it would be highly unusual if it did!</p> <p>i would raise these concerns to the bride just so she's aware and not completely taken aback on her wedding day. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tell-me-about-your-first-8-weeks-postpartum#post-750982 Mon, 29 Apr 2013 15:32:04 +0000 Mrsbells 750982@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>For me the first 8 weeks were pretty tough and I preffered to limit my social outings during that time. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tell-me-about-your-first-8-weeks-postpartum#post-750978 Mon, 29 Apr 2013 15:29:52 +0000 shopaholic 750978@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I am just going to hit 8 wks pp this week. I think the first 4 weeks were a blur, and I've started to finally get into a groove around 6 weeks</p> <p>1. No, at least not in the first couple of months, I wouldn't trade any me or baby time for volunteering.</p> <p>2. I think this is doable. My SIL traveled to Hawaii for our wedding with a 4 week old. We took K on a road trip and first weekend away at 6 weeks. By 8 wks you should have your first round of shots. </p> <p>Only thing is I would request going first for hair and makeup so I could be with baby to nurse, etc. until right up to the wedding. And be flexible with the possibility you might not be able to do pictures. </p> <p>Actually it's so crazy, but I do think what everyone says is coming true for me... 8 weeks seems like a light at the end of a fuzzy tunnel! Good luck! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tell-me-about-your-first-8-weeks-postpartum#post-750932 Mon, 29 Apr 2013 15:07:51 +0000 blackbird 750932@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm 3 weeks PP and feel like I could definitely get on a plane and be in a wedding as long as I could pump during the day. Especially in a month. I wouldn't have an issue leaving the baby with DH all day, though. BUT I had an easy recovery and LO is a mellow, low key baby who sleeps well </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tell-me-about-your-first-8-weeks-postpartum#post-750910 Mon, 29 Apr 2013 14:59:01 +0000 yourekindapretty 750910@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MRS. HIGH HEELS - ahhh, what's the best seat on the flight to be with a new born? just curious - where did you sit on the plane?</p> <p>if i have to leave every 2-3 hrs to breast feed, i think i'll interrupt the ceremony - maybe it'll be best that i'm NOT in the wedding.... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tell-me-about-your-first-8-weeks-postpartum#post-750901 Mon, 29 Apr 2013 14:56:31 +0000 Mrs. High Heels 750901@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@yourekindapretty: i should mention that even though the wedding was doable, it was hard because i was breastfeeding, and LO wasn't taking the bottle. i had to rush back and forth to my hotel room every 2-3 hours to nurse her. and even if your baby takes the bottle, you'll have to pump every couple hours to keep your supply up. if my baby had been formula fed, being in the wedding wouldn't have been a problem at all. </p> <p>luckily, the bride was easily the most low-maintenance bride ever and didn't mind all my back and forth (i felt really bad though).</p> <p>traveling was fine and is actually quite easy with an infant that small (just make sure to nurse or bottle feed them during takeoff and landing). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tell-me-about-your-first-8-weeks-postpartum#post-750883 Mon, 29 Apr 2013 14:48:56 +0000 Mrs. High Heels 750883@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@yourekindapretty: </p> <p>1. i would also say no... the first 8 weeks are the hardest, and then it starts getting better, but you're still tired all the time!<br /> 2. yes, i think this is manageable. i was also a bridesmaid for my friend around 8-wks pp and i had to fly to SF for it (i live in socal). i didn't feel very pretty in my bm dress, but it was doable.</p> <p>my baby is now 9-weeks old and i would say the turning point for us this time around was when he hit 7-weeks. breastfeeding became easier, he sleeps longer stretches, and he seems to have fallen into his own little schedule! i would plan for the worst at least for the first 6-weeks even if you have an "easy" baby... that way you can prepare for anything! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tell-me-about-your-first-8-weeks-postpartum#post-750814 Mon, 29 Apr 2013 14:23:14 +0000 immabeetoo 750814@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@yourekindapretty: Yikes, I know those are long! That is a really tough decision, especially since you have to decide so far ahead. Good luck deciding, I'm sure your friend will understand either way (or if she doesn't now, she will once/if she has a baby of her own). 8 weeks was the peak of my LO's fussiness/worst sleep so if I had been in a wedding I probably would've ended up knocking a candle over and lighting something on fire.. haha!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tell-me-about-your-first-8-weeks-postpartum#post-750799 Mon, 29 Apr 2013 14:19:17 +0000 yourekindapretty 750799@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@SCG00387 - your candid feedback is very much appreciated! The wedding is also going to be a traditional catholic service - so I'm already skeptical about who long I can handle standing up there....<br /> This is my best friends wedding so im so nervous &amp; heartbroken to have to back out of the commitment. =( </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tell-me-about-your-first-8-weeks-postpartum#post-750789 Mon, 29 Apr 2013 14:13:57 +0000 immabeetoo 750789@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@yourekindapretty: I hate to be a negative voice but there is no way I would've enjoyed being in a wedding at 8 weeks PP. Especially if you're planning to EBF. I can only speak to my experience but LO was still nursing very on demand, without a real set schedule at that point... Since you have to pump for every missed feeding, especially in the beginning, that would have been super stressful for me while being a bridesmaid (and of course, to have enough pumped milk to leave behind for baby while I was gone). I also had postpartum complications that made sitting uncomfortable until a third procedure fixed it. Thinking about taking my baby at that time is equally painful - he refused to sleep in the carseat and was pretty fussy. Not the super portable sleep anywhere typical newborn.</p> <p>Hopefully you'll have a way easier time of it, but thought I should chip my two (dreary) cents in! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tell-me-about-your-first-8-weeks-postpartum#post-750778 Mon, 29 Apr 2013 14:10:13 +0000 rattles 750778@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I had an easy delivery, but I still felt like it was 6-8 weeks before I came up for air. I didn't realize just how much time I'd spend nursing during those early days. For the first 2-3 weeks, it was a great day if I'd showered, never mind done those kind of volunteer hours! You may be more awesome than me, but I'd cut yourself a break at least for a couple weeks. For the wedding, I think you'll be fine to travel, but it would be tough to be away for that long from your LO if ebf, so if you're not comfortable bringing her and don't have sufficient support while there, I'd pass. </p> <p>ETA: I skipped traveling at Christmas when she was 3 weeks for the same fears you have, but we traveled from IL to VA for my BIL's wedding at 14 weeks with no problems at all. Go with your gut! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tell-me-about-your-first-8-weeks-postpartum#post-750750 Mon, 29 Apr 2013 13:57:08 +0000 yourekindapretty 750750@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>i love reading everyone's different experiences. really helps me think through what I may come across. thank you everyone for your advice!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tell-me-about-your-first-8-weeks-postpartum#post-750710 Mon, 29 Apr 2013 13:38:38 +0000 meredithNYC 750710@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>The first six weeks were rough for me, but I did travel from NYC to Indianapolis to visit my family when LO was 8 weeks old and it wasn't bad at all. So I would say yes to number 2, though as others have pointed out, I would try and limit my involvement. However, one of my friends traveled from Chicago to NYC for a wedding when her LO was roughly 8 weeks old and she was a bridesmaid and she did a great job with it. It definitely wasn't an ideal situation for her, but she made it work. I think the thing that helped in her case is that her parents were guests at the wedding, too, so their hotel rooms were close by and her parents were able to babysit when she had to do wedding-related stuff. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tell-me-about-your-first-8-weeks-postpartum#post-750696 Mon, 29 Apr 2013 13:32:27 +0000 looch 750696@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@yourekindapretty: oh I didn't realize you were in the wedding. Gah, given what you wrote, I think you have your answer, I'd be staying at home. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tell-me-about-your-first-8-weeks-postpartum#post-750690 Mon, 29 Apr 2013 13:28:08 +0000 yourekindapretty 750690@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@looch - i'm IN the wedding. I asked my dr. months ago what she thought about the situation and she thought i'll be ok. But, like @kml636 pointed out, this is my first, and if she's late, i'm looking at a tight recovery window!<br /> Also - i'll only be taking the baby if she's vaccinated and her pediatrician gives us the green light - even if he did, i'm leaning towards leaving her at home and going alone (7-8 week old in a closed plane for 3+ hrs just makes me nervous. have you seen those news clips about how dirty a plane really is?!) - which is another big concern, because i plan to exclusively breast feed, so i'm not even sure how to handle that... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tell-me-about-your-first-8-weeks-postpartum#post-750653 Mon, 29 Apr 2013 13:08:16 +0000 2PeasinaPod 750653@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>LO was really bad for the first 12 weeks. He was incredibly colicky, and when he was awake, he was screaming. I'm not kidding...so I couldn't imagine doing either of these things 8 weeks pp. I'm finding more and more though that I had the odd baby and that most are ok after a few weeks. LO was just really colicky, and there wasn't much that we could do to soothe him except ride it out. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tell-me-about-your-first-8-weeks-postpartum#post-750643 Mon, 29 Apr 2013 13:05:13 +0000 Bao 750643@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I had 3rd degree tears so the first 3 weeks were pure hell. Then, it was just a really dull ache like I got kicked down there for another few weeks, (I had to take pain relievers every day). Then around 11 weeks the soreness was completely gone. However, I think my situation is pretty extreme, since I tore so badly. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tell-me-about-your-first-8-weeks-postpartum#post-750639 Mon, 29 Apr 2013 13:03:41 +0000 looch 750639@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Are you in the wedding, or attending as a guest only? Looking back I would have been okay to travel, but I wouldn't have been able to be in the wedding with all the other committments associated with it. Also, if you've got to get on a plane to go and your LO is coming with, do you want them onboard before they're vaxed (if you're following a schedule)?</p> <p>As for the board, I wouldn't have been able to do it. There was just no time in the first 3 months, 6 really, if I am honest, to do other stuff uninterupted. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tell-me-about-your-first-8-weeks-postpartum#post-750633 Mon, 29 Apr 2013 13:02:40 +0000 kml636 750633@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I had a fairly easy delivery and I would have been ready to travel probably by 4 weeks after delivery. I think you'll be fine by 8 weeks... just keep in mind first babies are often late so it might be more like 7 weeks :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tell-me-about-your-first-8-weeks-postpartum#post-750619 Mon, 29 Apr 2013 13:00:25 +0000 yourekindapretty 750619@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@weagle - thank you. just from yours and @hellobeeboston's comments, i'm 90% sure the board thing won't be happening! everyone keeps telling me that i can take a 2 month leave in the beginning, but i'm sure that wont be enough and long term, the board isnt rewarding enough for me to rationalize sacrificing baby time for it! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tell-me-about-your-first-8-weeks-postpartum#post-750608 Mon, 29 Apr 2013 12:57:57 +0000 yourekindapretty 750608@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@hellobeeboston<br /> thanks for the advice! I've been mentally preparing for a recovery just like yours. i just hope my labor doesnt come late.... that would throw me off and most likely wont be able to attend the wedding =( </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tell-me-about-your-first-8-weeks-postpartum#post-750587 Mon, 29 Apr 2013 12:52:00 +0000 Weagle 750587@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>The first two weeks were the toughest. I would have felt pretty comfortable going anywhere after that. I did shy away from lots of time-consuming commitments though. I wanted time with LO to be flexible. So, in your situation, I would have skipped the board but said yes to the wedding. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tell-me-about-your-first-8-weeks-postpartum#post-750582 Mon, 29 Apr 2013 12:50:57 +0000 hellobeeboston 750582@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>1 - i would say no to this - especially if it's going to be that many hours - but it's totally your call. maybe after the first 4 weeks, but for me, personally, i needed every hour in the day to figure out breastfeeding, and sleep, and naps, etc....</p> <p>2 - by 8 weeks you will probably be up for this! when LO was 8 weeks we traveled 3.5 hours in the car to my family's house for the holidays - it went really well! i felt good, had lost the baby weight and LO was easier to travel around with! the flight might be tricky but I feel like i've read about lots of new parents on planes on this board.... </p> <p>for me, weeks 1-6 were just a total blur. The days flew by, it was such a strange/wonderful new time that we had to figure out as a family. I felt like a lot of it was just keeping the baby alive, ha. Around 6/8 weeks things started to feel a little more normal for me. Then by 10/12 weeks I felt a lot more confident, and life seemed to be falling into a new normal... I also went back to work when LO was 15 weeks old. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tell-me-about-your-first-8-weeks-postpartum#post-750537 Mon, 29 Apr 2013 12:40:22 +0000 yourekindapretty 750537@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Hi, as my due date approaches (June 19) I have some decisions to make:<br /> 1. should i continue to volunteer (commitment hrs are like a full time job! - but that's ok because i don't "work) on this board - but as president starting june?<br /> 2. I'm a bridesmaid for my best friend, who's wedding is August 24th.... in NYC (i live in dallas). Is it realistic of me to assume that I'll be all up and ready to be in the wedding and travel 8 weeks after delivery?</p> <p>I was hoping some of you wouldnt mind sharing your postpartum experience with me so I can have a better grasp of what to expect, especially in those first 8 - 12 weeks.</p> <p>thank you! </p>