Hellobee Boards

It was ok but I definitely forgot about super frequent diaper changes, feedings and waking up at night....we were really tired the 2 weeks before we adjusted to the new routine. DH was around so he did a lot while I recovered from my C-section.

LO 2 threw up a lot the first month so that was a pain! She also had days and nights mixed up for the first 5 weeks...zzz.

The first few weeks with 2 wasn't that bad. It was the 2nd month that was killer - adrenaline rush gone, and it was hard to plow through the sleep deprivation.

Some factors that played into my experience:
- No tearing the 2nd time around, so recovery was way easier.
- MIL was around to help and provide meals.
- DH was off work for one week paternity leave.
- N was in daycare 5x a week.
- I had a natural confidence that I didn't have the first time around. That part felt pretty amazing.

The first three weeks actually felt pretty good because I was still operating on adrenaline, J was one of those mythical sleepy babies that liked to be put down that I had only heard about but never experienced, and recovery was easy. On the weekends, when both kids were around, we had to divide and conquer. DH took N to the park, had 1:1 meals with her, and did stuff with her while I stayed home with the baby round the clock, slept, and nursed. I didn't mind because this really helped DH and Noelle bond.

The hardest part for me was breastfeeding J. I had a smooth experience with N so this was new for me. He had a weaker latch, and would scream bloody murder at the boob, and do this continuous latch on/latch off/latch on thing. It was frustrating, and I cried a lot over it. But we finally managed to make that work and found a good groove eventually.

Seriously, recovery the 2nd time around... so.much.easier, and that made a huge difference.

@Mrs. High Heels: Haha! It was reinforced for me recently as well with two different newborn visits. One with a 6 day old who just slept, ate and let visitors cuddle while sleeping peacefully. The second was a 6 week old who was fussy, didn't want to be held by anyone but mom, spit up a ton and would sleep 15 minutes at a time and wake up screaming. I think our kids are similarly aged, and this summer has been so amazing and heartwarming to see them play together. I think our contentment with life and our family has a lot to do with the fact that they are both napping and sleep 8pm-6:30am!

Uhh... I don't remember!!!

But my mom was around so she helped a ton. We didn't have to cook or clean or do laundry for months. It was amazing.