We officially became a family of four last month. Writing that out is surreal, because if you asked me just a few years ago if I would have two kids before 30 I would’ve wondered how that would even be possible.
I wanted to share what the past month has been like, because time seriously flies when you’re raising kids and I never want to forget these sweet moments. If I’m being honest, before our son was born I thought that the transition to two children was going to be a lot harder than it has actually been. That’s not to say it’s all been smooth sailing, but by trusting in God, myself, my husband and a lot of prayer, we’ve been living in a very enjoyable season.
How our 2-year-old daughter reacted
My daughter has always loved babies, so we were really excited to see her reaction when we brought our son home. She was so excited and so happy, she wanted to hold him, kiss him and all those cute things. She even has a new tone in her voice that we never heard until we brought baby brother home. On day two of him being home, my husband took her to run a quick errand and she cried the whole way saying she wanted to go back home to see baby brother. Now that she realizes he’s a permanent part of our family, she’s not as emotional about not being with him, but she sure does want to be by his side and it’s the cutest bond. Last night while saying prayers, for the first time on her own she thanked Jesus for her baby brother and my husband and I pretty much melted.
Mom and new baby postpartum
This time around I set expectations on how I wanted to rest and connect with our baby after birth. For one week I relied heavily on my husband and mom for taking care of our daughter, house chores, and helping me stay well fed and hydrated. I tried to follow the advice of my midwife and doulas as much as possible which was staying 5 days in bed, 5 days on the bed, and 5 days around the bed. I slept as much as I could and now being 6 weeks postpartum I can say it made a big difference in my physical and emotional health. I focused all my energy on nursing and bonding with my baby which is something I think all women should advocate for if they have the means!
I hired doulas during my pregnancy and they came to my house a few days after the baby was born to help ensure the baby was latching well. I didn’t nurse my daughter because of some health issues I had immediately after her birth, so this time around I’ve been super happy to have their support. I do want to share that we supplemented some feeds with formula for about 4 days when my son was having a hard time latching when he was a few days old and I didn’t have any milk stored. I am super thankful my doulas talked me through this and also made me feel like this was normal. After that 4 day stint, he was back to exclusively breastfeeding. I write this to encourage anyone who might have to do something similar because it can feel like every decision is going to cause a drastic outcome. Just take it one feed at a time :) I know I may possibly encounter more challenges so I’m writing this down now almost as a personal encouragement as well :P
Newborn bliss
The first month of being a parent to two has come and gone so fast. I have relished in all the snuggles a little deeper and feel like the first month (even with its minimal sleep and challenges along the way) has been nothing short of a blessing. I’m looking forward to sharing more as time goes on. I also know this group of readers is primarily people who I actually know in real life (ha!)…but regardless of that, please know I’m also always open for questions if you have any.
