What week?
3

How big is baby?
4.6kg/10.1 lbs

My body?
My bleeding is almost completely done with. Everything feels back to normal including energy levels. Im still about 10lbs over my pre-pregnancy weight but I haven’t been actively trying to get back to my old size, I’ve been taking this postpartum a lot slower as I’m not straight back to filming again like other postpartum experiences I’ve had.

What’s something new?
Something new is that Lotus really lets people know she prefers mama! If she’s wanting a feed or she’s over tired I’m the only one who can really soothe her and it just takes me saying “mama here” and scooping her up and kissing her or putting our cheeks together and she calms down instantly. I find she really likes confidence and if anyone gets timid with her she’ll cry.

Most challenging moment?
Mark has been away this week and it means there’s one less very competent person here who has the tools to soothe Lotey. I try to put Poet and Prairie to sleep every night as usual and Mark generally has Lotus during that time for the 30-40 mins I’m with them. Sometimes I’ll come out and he’s got her in the carrier or she’s bouncing away in the bouncer, or just in his arms connecting but he’s problem solving if she’s wanting me. She loves to cluster feed at night so she’d prefer me during that time and will let him know but he handles it so well and can calm her. With him away, I don’t have that option at night (or during the day) so the juggle is so real trying to do things like take a shower or cook dinner for the other kids. I find I get about 5-10 minutes max with her in my mums arms or the rocker up on the kitchen counter with me bouncing her in between food prep, so it’s been feeling very very busy and she’s been a Velcro baby! But of course there’s nothing I love more than having her on me, but my back is sore at the moment and a carrier only feels good for about 30 mins before I need a break! Juggle juggle!

Favourite moments
Oh the mornings are my favorite, she is so so so so smiley. She’s been giving us very locked in, purposeful smiles for weeks now and the hours in the morning she is just non stop with dishing those out! Also my all time favourite moments are seeing the kids with her. I cannot believe how much that melts all of our hearts. When I get moments in the day when I’m not with the others and it’s just me and her and we talk to each other, she coos back at me and smiles beyond belief when I sing my “hello Lotus- I’m glad to see you today” song.

Mama time
What’s that!? I have no idea what that even means since Marks been away… Um the 15 minutes I had this evening picking up take out for the kids and I listened to a ghost story?! Haha

What’s working
Sleep is working great! She’s in her bundle swaddle quilt, fan on, little “pjs” on and then lays in her Bubba Bump bed next to me. As long as she’s totally tanked up and has had a really nice burp before bed then I can lay her down, sound machine on and she’ll go to sleep on her own around 8:30/9pm. If she’s grizzling and not really wanting the boob I know she needs a burp and that’ll settle her tummy and off to sleep she’ll go. We get about a 4-5 hour stretch before booby time again and then another 4-5 hour stretch. I mean it feels amazing and co-sleeping means we are getting so much sleep because I’m barely awake when I’m nursing her, I just roll over half asleep give her some milk and then I’m back in a deep sleep again.

Teresa and Lotus: Week 3 Postpartum Reflections