Beck’s pregnancy felt like it lasted 10 years and then the first 3.5 weeks of his life have gone by so quickly I cannot even believe it. Although, the day I had mastitis may have actually been the longest day of my entire life ha.
*Breastfeeding is going better than I could have imagined and I really think that is simply because Beck just came here ready to latch and EAT. Before Beck arrived I decided I was just going to try out breastfeeding with zero pressure on myself and stop if it wasn’t working. I struggled a lot with breastfeeding the girls (between bad latches, pumping nonstop and feeling emotionally unstable from hormones) but with Beck, it has just clicked.
It’s so nice to slow down throughout the day and just feed him and stare at his sweet face.
*The majority of Beck’s clothing is from my sis-in-law (she has two boys just a bit older than Beck) but I’ve had questions about some of his other items so I thought I would link them—> Here, here, here and here are some of my favorite things that we have bought for him.
*So far the adjustment from 3 to 4 kids has gone pretty smoothly BUT Andrew has also been home 99% of the time since Beck was born. It will be interesting to see how things go once Andrew is working full time again. While Andrew has been home he has done so much for the older 3 kids and I feel lucky to have had that time to get to know Beck and how to take care of him during this time. When Andrew is back to work/school I just have to remind myself to let go of the things that don’t matter (laundry/cooking/cleaning often) because things are about to get really busy…
*Every now and then we get little smiles from Beck!
*Andrew has really loved having this paternity leave too. When Skye was born he was still going to school so he has loved having this time with the kids and nothing else going on. PS BECK LOOKS SO TINY HERE.
*Let’s chat about sleep! He has woken up very consistently every 2.5-3 hours to eat. Every now and then he will go a tiny bit longer than 3 hours at night but that’s where we are at right now. He falls asleep pretty quickly after he eats and I am very grateful for my magic talent of being able to fall asleep within 30 seconds of laying down. I am definitely feeling a good amount of brain fog from the lack of sleep but that’s just part of the gig and being tired feels a million times easier than constantly feeling sick during pregnancy for me.
*It already feels like he has grown so much since pictures like the one below from his first few days with us!
Before I let you go I thought I would share some of the postpartum things that have happened because while the newborn stage is magical and filled with all of the snuggles, the hormone changes etc are REAL.
*The cramping after Beck has been nuts. They lasted for about two weeks and pretty much every time I fed him the cramping was happening and so painful. I’ve heard that the cramping postpartum just gets worse with each baby and I have to agree with that.
*I wake up drenched in sweat most nights when usually I am so cold at night… those hormones are crazy.
*I’ve had some pretty crazy hormonal headaches the last few weeks which I don’t remember happening after having Skye and Brooke.
*I would never wish mastitis on any human ever… I could not believe how quickly that knocked me out. Besides the breast pain, I was shivering non-stop and my entire body ached. I felt like I had the worst flu. Luckily, the antibiotics kicked in the same day and I started feeling a bit better each hour but that was crazy. I did a lot of massage on the area with the blocked milk duct, I used warm towels to put on my breast and fed Beck as much as possible (along with some pumping too) in addition to the antibiotics. I am praying that I never experience mastitis again.
*I am SO happy to say that my postpartum anxiety that I had with the girls has not showed up with Beck. I’m not sure why but it’s been so nice to not deal with that this time around.
*Overall I haven’t felt emotional but there have been two days where I woke up crying and fell asleep that night crying. NOTHING was wrong and I knew it was completely hormonal but I just could not stop crying that day.
*Postpartum I lost so much hair after having both Brooke and Skye but I haven’t at all with Beck. I remember losing clumps of hair after having Skye and maybe that will start soon but so far it hasn’t happened.
*With both girls I was really excited to get running again ASAP postpartum but with Beck I haven’t felt that same drive at all. I’m just enjoying walks and I’m really not sure when I’ll get back to running again but I’ll just keep listening closely to my body about when to start.
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What were some postpartum things that happened to you that really surprised you?
When did you start running postpartum?
Where are some of your favorite places to get baby clothes?
21 comments
Natalie Friedman
I also have three kids (21, 19, and 17 now) and I still VIVIDLY remember the cramping when I fed the third. It was 10,000x more intense than with the other two. I also had mastitis with my 3rd and it was the most sick I have ever been in my entire life. It was horrible and you are right, I would not wish that on anyone. But if you have antibiotics on board you should be a-ok. I only had it once, there was no repeat performance. Best of luck to you during the first few months of 4 kids, it is CRAZY but so worth with.
The Hungry Runner Girl
Hey Natalie! What a fun stage you are in with your kids now! Thank you for sharing about your experience with your third… Glad I’m not alone in those things and not dramatic about mastitis. Also, so good to hear that you didn’t get mastitis again! Thank you so much friend and I hope you are having a great night.
Heidi
Yes, soooo true about the cramps being worse with each kid! I had four in 4.5 years and I remember it being so bad when I would nurse my youngest. And the night sweats, soooo bad. My biggest tip for four kids is letting the older three watch a show while you make dinner. It’s pure survival. Gym child care was a saving grace too, but that probably has to wait until post-Covid. Congrats on that little cutie. My youngest is almost three now, and we are firmly (and happily) leaving the baby stage behind, but it’s so fun to see pics of other people’s babies.
The Hungry Runner Girl
FOUR KIDS IN 4.5 YEARS! How did you survive this?! Oh I bet those cramps with your fourth were unreal. That is such a great tip… thank you so much! Enjoy life without diapers!! Keep in touch and thanks Heidi.
Danielle Bates
My hair always starts to fall out once I stop nursing…. perhaps if he’s latching well and such you won’t lose it until later. Who knows?!? Either way pregnancy hair is a dream, I hope you get to keep it.
The Hungry Runner Girl
NOOOOOOOOOO! I was thinking I must have skipped it this time ha. I totally agree, pregnancy hair is just the best. Have a great day and thanks Danielle!
Crickett
I struggled breastfeeding my first child. She just wouldn’t latch (and I got horrible mastitis with her). My second baby was a latcher and that time with her was the sweetest! I cried when she stopped breastfeeding (9 months). Your experiences that you share remind me of that sweetness.
The Hungry Runner Girl
feel like I can already relate… it is just going so much better with Beck and I know I’ll be so sad when it is over! I’m so glad you got that experience with your second! Have a great day!
Jenny
I hate to say it but I think everyone goes through that phase of losing a lot of hair- it’s just a hormonal thing. But your hair got thicker during the pregnancy so you actually end up with the same amount of hair you started with. It’s just annoying when it starts falling out!
I”ll bet in a few weeks or so you’ll suddenly have a burning desire to run again, and then you’ll be back at it! Enjoy this time- sounds like everything is going really great.
The Hungry Runner Girl
NOOOOOOOO for some reason I was hoping I skipped it ha but you are right, it’s bound to happen! Thank you so much Jenny and I hope your morning is off to a beautiful start.
Alyssa
Love reading these updates! Takes me back as my youngest will turn 2 in February.. I never had mastitis, but I had blocked ducts twice and thought that was absolutely awful, so I can’t imagine…
I get my baby clothes at the Gap. I have a Gap credit card from the days when I worked there, and so I get reward certificates and get most of the items for a couple bucks a piece. And I find they hold up so well. I’ve used them for both my girls and am now passing them on to my best friend.
I didn’t start losing my hair until I stopped pumping. So keep nursing to keep that thick thick hair :) Glad that is going so well for you. Neither of my kids latched well and I spent hours pumping. Throwing that thing out was the best feeling in the world.
The Hungry Runner Girl
Oh those blocked ducts are MISERABLE too! The Gap credit card is the absolute best… and that is so nice that you are able to pass down your girls’ clothes to their friend. Another motivation to keep nursing ha! PUMPING IS THE WORST. You are amazing for doing that for both of your girls. I bet that felt so good to say goodbye to that! Have a fabulous day Alyssa!
Bailey
Mastitis is brutal- I had it three times with my first and then used Newman’s Ointment religiously with my second baby and never got it… I’m not sure if that’s why, but either way the Newman’s ointment is my favorite for relieving nipple pain. It’s a prescription but I recommend it to everyone!
We are expecting our third in a couple of weeks and all your newborn snuggle pictures make me so excited!
Hailey
How do you get beck to wake up enough at night to eat enough to tide him over for 2.5-3 hours? I have a 1.5 week old and can’t get her to wake up enough to eat more than a few minutes at a time so she’s waking up hungry every 1-2 hours. It’s exhausting!
Torrie
Hi Hailey! I don’t know you but my daughter was born early (not preemie early, just 3 weeks) and she was such a sleepy baby. She would fall asleep after eating for just a few minutes. We would rub her feet with ice cubes, turn the lights on bright and talk in normal (non hushed) voices. I know those are not great suggestions if you have other kids at home! I feel for you – feeding my daughter was such a struggle those first few weeks and I was a wreck. I hope it gets better really soon!!
Abbey
Hi Janae! We are on a similar baby schedule! I just had my fourth (a boy) 8 weeks ago. You are doing so great. I took so much time whenever I could to rest and recover, and it has made such a big difference this time around.
A hot water bottle helps SO much with clogged ducts. I have has major issues with clogs in the past but this time around barely any. If I feel like I may be getting one I take the hot water bottle to bed with me and rest it on my chest. For anyone reading, a hot water bottle is also a miracle worker for post partum cramps!
Keep the baby posts coming! Xo
Kathy
I have super thick hair naturally… I get compliments all the time, but I also have struggles like keeping a ponytail all day hurts my head bc my hair is so heavy and I need thick ponytail holders and even then two in order for my hair to stay while running! haha I really only get my hair cut 3 times a year sometimes 4 and I always get it thinned, so when I was pregnant, my hair was crazy thick. luckily my hair is naturally straight and I live in a dry climate, otherwise, I’d imagine it would become a crazy lion’s mane in the humidity haha I didn’t lose my hair right away with my daughter, like Beck, she latched pretty easily and we actually went for 20 months, i was both VERY excited and a little sad to see that end. However, I did eventually start losing my hair a few months after my daughter was born. I can’t remember the timing, but it was SO much! I normally have a lot of hair come out during my shower (especially since i go days between washings), but I felt like I could make a wig with the amount of hair I lost after pregnancy!
I never had mastitis luckily, but I did have something weird called a galactocele which is a cyst filled with milk in my ducts. It was painful, but only when I put pressure, so anytime I laid on my stomach or if I got hit hard in the chest. It was pretty frustrating bc the doctors kept saying that it would eventually go away, but it was so bothersome. Eventually I got an ultrasound and they had to use a syringe to aspirate the milk and luckily that’s all it was and it never came back again. Although I feel like it might’ve caused my left side to stop producing as much bc that particular milk duct stopped producing since it wasn’t being used. Anyways, just a reminder to be your own advocate!!
I also had breast tissue grow in my arm pits initially(it was small but very noticeable to me both in looks and physically), luckily that also went away quickly, but when my milk came in that 5 day, it was painful! I pretty much felt like Chandler from Friends with his third nipple.
I started running soon after my 6 week appt, but found that it was painful. I eventually went to a PT and she really helped me with it. I had a few issues overall with a weak PF and very tight muscles both with PF and hips so there was a lot of work that we did together and while I still have a lot of endurance work to get back to where I was, which will be delayed again since I’m now 14 weeks pregnant, but I know I’ll eventually get back there if I want.
Enjoy all the newborn snuggles!! Everyone looks quite smitten with Beck!
Alina Leonardo
He is so cute! and looks just like you!!!
Kristina
I love your Beck updates! I had several blocked milk ducts when I was nursing my baby but fortunately never experienced mastitis. You may have already been advised of this, but I took Lecithin while I was breastfeeding, and I think it helped. It’s supposed to help prevent the milk ducts from getting plugged by essentially “thinning” out the milk a bit. I also used a lot of hot washcloths and massages to keep the milk moving.
Fiona
Beck is such a lovely baby. I read that someone thought he looks like you. But I think he looks like Knox. Will you tell Knox that – because I think that would make Knox feel good. I loved reading about his excitement at having a brother. I bet he is a great big brother.
Cassy
almost 9 month postpartum momma here and literally in the thick of dealing with the hair loss aftermath! It started about 3-4 months for me and it was AWFUL!! Now I have a halo of regrowth hair around my face that I cant hide or figure out how to style.
But that baby is so dang cute, so I would do it all over again just for her!
I feel like PP hair loss isn’t talked about enough. I knew it was a thing but I never in my life imagined losing SO MUCH.
Also, I thought I was coming down with mastitis and did everything I could to relieve the pain. The only thing was that I could not find a clogged duct/lump. I even called the lactation department through my hospital and they thought it was mastitis too. I just couldn’t get fully on board (and wanted to avoid antibiotics if possible!) because of the lack of clogged duct… the next day, BAM! started my period at 10 weeks PP! 100% breastfeeding momma too! I thought I was going to be period free for months!!