6 Weeks Postpartum + Harper Update

The past 6 weeks have flown by so quickly and I'm trying to cherish every long night, dirty diaper and snuggle session that we get with our little Harper. She is growing too fast! While it's bittersweet to see her change so quickly, we are also really looking forward to her getting more alert and expressive over the next few months. 

Lifestyle Changes:

Brett and I have gotten out and about more these past 3 weeks and Harper is learning to go with the flow from a very young age! We made the long drive down to Houston and since getting back we've started going on quite a few family "hikes" with Harper in Nashville. We also take her along whenever we go out to eat with Brett's parents on the weekends. I'm not a big fan of feeding her outside of the house or in public yet, so we often plan our outings around feeding times. If we need to be out for longer periods of time, I will often feed her in the car. 

As of the beginning of last week, Brett and I made a semi-last-minute decision to finish out our time in America with his sister and their kids in Houston, Texas. Since we were also about to start a month of traveling to Virginia and Arizona, we had to pack up all of our belongings as if we were moving back to China. Deciding which items we needed to take with us to VA and AZ, which things could go straight to Houston and which things could stay closed up in suitcases until China was a little tricky, but overall the packing went really smoothly!

This past Friday we made the drive to Covington, Virginia for a little family time...just the three of us. It's the first time we've really been together as a nuclear family and it's been wonderful to rest, snuggle with Harper and get a sense of how we operate as a family unit. 

Emotional Changes:

In my last postpartum update, I shared a little about how the first couple weeks after Harper's birth were pretty up and down for me emotionally. I was so sleep deprived that caring for Harper, especially at nighttime, felt more like a chore than something I wanted to do...and it killed me to feel that way! I definitely cried a lot more than I ever have due to the sleep deprivation and feelings of loneliness.

Well, thankfully since then I have felt (mostly) like my old self again. Better sleep, traveling to Houston at the beginning of February, and getting out of the house more during the day did wonders for my mood. While I could still use some more sleep, I don't dread the nights like I used to. I look forward to feeding and caring for Harper, even if it's at 3 in the morning. Getting to see her pack on the pounds (and rolls) and start to be more alert has been such a joy! I can't believe I get to be her Mom!

Physical Changes:

As I mentioned in my last postpartum update, my body went back to it's pre-pregnancy-self surprisingly quickly. What I'm more concerned about now is taming the hunger I'm experiencing from breastfeeding Harper! I'm honestly amazed at how big my appetite is these days and I'm loving it! I eat around the clock and often eat right before bed or even during the middle of the night to help me through nighttime feedings. 

Last Thursday I had my 6 week postpartum update and I was actually not cleared to workout as I had hoped. I still have a stitch that has yet to dissolve/heal, so I was told to wait 2 more weeks until I jump back into my normal physical activities. I'm honestly fine with that as I feel like what my body needs most right now is gentle exercise, lots of sleep and lots of calories...so that's what I'm giving it! 

For movement, I'm mainly going on lots of walks, some of which are 5-6 miles long. Daily movement makes me feel sane so I try to get in some form of gentle exercise in when I can. Brett, Harper and I have been going on "hikes" together as a family or sometimes I'll have Brett watch Harper while I go walk on the treadmill at the gym or get outside to walk in the neighborhood. I'm also still trying to include safe pelvic floor exercises when I can, but I've been slacking a bit due to all the packing and traveling we've been doing. 

One other thing I want to mention is that constipation is often something women struggle with after giving birth (TMI?) I don't know if it's my diet or genetics or luck, but I haven't struggled with that at all, not even on or since the day Harper was born! I'm definitely grateful for that, as we all know that's an uncomfortable situation. 

Overall, I feel great physically and am looking forward to being cleared to exercise in less than 2 weeks time. For now, I'm just trying to rest up!

Harper Update:

Harper seems to be growing by the day. The last time we weighed her (Feb. 12th) she was 8 pounds 3 ounces and was gaining on average 2 ounces a day. We haven't weighed her since, but we can tell she's still gaining weight by the intense rolls she's accumulating all over her body. She has also started growing out of some of her newborn pants!

Over the past couple of weeks we've noticed a huge increase in her ability to focus on us and pay attention to our voices and movements. AND as of last week, I think (I think!) she gave me her first smile. Since then we've seen little glimpses of smiles everyday and we can't wait to see more!

Harper may be dealing with a bit of acid reflux, but if so, it's not too bad. We've discovered what things cause her to feel uncomfortable (going too long in between feedings, eating too quickly, being lifted up and down to quickly, etc.) and have been trying to avoid those issues. She definitely has gas and when she's crying or fussy that's usually why. Moving her legs around and using her legs to push on her stomach helps to give her some relief. 

Like I said earlier, we've been getting out of the house more these past few weeks and Harper is doing great at going with the flow. She usually sleeps when she's in her carseat and even when we take her out at restaurants, etc. she continues to sleep through the noise. We've done quite a few family walks on paved paths and made sure to eat at our favorite restaurants in Nashville one last time before we left. One thing that's hard with being out of the house is that Harper doesn't eat as well. This causes her to be extra hungry by the time we get home and can cause her to eat too quickly, which then leads to more stomach pain. Hopefully as she gets older she can stay awake better and eat larger amounts when we're out of the house. 

Harper also LOVES bath time and never fusses when I put her in water. She just sits calmly in her tub while I clean her down and stares up at me contently. It's one of my favorite times with her!

Another fun thing that happened this past week is that Harper (and us too!) got to meet Ricky Skaggs. My Dad is obsessed with bluegrass and I grew up listening to his music, so it was quite a surprise to run into him on our last night in Nashville. While I hated to bug him, I couldn't resist trying to get a photo with him for my Dad. He was the kindest man and graciously took a photo with us and Harper, prayed for her and talked with us for a while. 

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I'm not sure how often I'll write these posts from here on out, but I so appreciate you all for following along on this journey! I'd love to know what things regarding pregnancy and motherhood you'd want to hear/see more of in future posts, so feel free to leave your thoughts and comments down below!