What’s We’re Up To

in Claire

Claire is four days old, and the entire family is adjusting to this new and awesome (and exhausting!) version of life.

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We spent two nights in the hospital (I can’t wait to share our birth story sometime early next week – spoiler alert: it’s a super short story!) and came home on Thursday afternoon.  Henry and Claire met in the hospital, and I have to say that THAT aspect of having another child has gone so much better than I thought it would.

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He’s woken up every morning and after every nap and immediately asked to see her.  He’s fascinated by her poop (“My poop is brown and Claire’s is YELLO!!!”) and likes to hold his feet up to hers to see whose is bigger (he always wins!).  I think we’re still riding a wave of “I’m so happy Mommy and Daddy are back from the hospital!” so we’ll see what happens when we all settle into a more normal routine.  But so far – things are pretty awesome, and I’ll take it while I can!

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Claire is still SUPER sleepy.  She’s happy to sleep for long stretches, but most of that has been happening in broad daylight when I’m awake anyway.  Her eyes POP open in the middle of the night, and then it’s harder to settle her.  We’re riding out that classic newborn day-night reversal, which I truly hope stops soon.  The nice (and bittersweet) thing about babies is all phases (whether good or bad!) are so short, so I just keep telling myself that it will be over before I know it. 

 

Breastfeeding is going pretty well.  We’re facing some of the struggles that I encountered with Henry, but half of the battle has been knowing what the issues will be.  It’s a lot less anxiety-producing the second time around, and dare say that I’m actually enjoying it.  Like the day-night reversal thing, I’m just telling myself to try to get over the initial challenging hump of breastfeeding (short feeds, cracked nipples, falling asleep in the middle, cluster feeding, engorgement <— pretty much got it all!) and that it will eventually get easier.  Fingers crossed!

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And last, but not least, I’m recovering well from childbirth.  I’m going to write about this in my birth story, but the difference between 14-odd hours of active labor with an extended pushing period and a very short, fast labor is huuuuuge.  I walked out of the hospital feeling pretty much like my normal self, while after Henry’s birth, I felt (and looked) like I had gotten hit by a truck.  I keep comparing it to completing a Half Ironman v. a casual 5K.  It’s not even on the same field in terms of how your body feels after.  It’s pretty nice to know (and share) that even drug-free childbirth doesn’t have to be this horrible, excruciating process – even though I plan on NEVER doing it again.  Hah!

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What else?  Well, my biggest challenge with recovery this time has been forcing myself to rest.  With a toddler in the house, it’s tempting to get back to “normal life” and do Henry’s care, despite having the Husband and my mom here to help.  I ended up pushing myself way too hard yesterday and largely confined myself to the bed today – I don’t want to accidentally make my healing time twice as long. 

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Last, but not least, I’ve got my placenta pills!  Both with Henry and Claire, I had my placenta dried and encapsulated by a local company called Wombmart (I can’t recommend them enough). It’s a Traditional Chinese Medicine philosophy to ingest your placenta to ward off PPD, support breastfeeding, and sped recovery, and although the Western science on it is inconclusive, I’ve always thought “Why not?”  It’s kind of strange, but it can’t hurt to try it.  I got a grand total of 129 pills out of my placenta – pretty cool!

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So – that’s what we’re up to.  It’s a crazy, but special, time in our household.  <3 <3 <3

 

Hope all is well with you, too!

{ 40 comments }

 

  • Breanne December 6, 2014, 5:54 pm

    Great to hear the update and glad that things are going well! LOVE hearing that Henry is excited about Claire too 🙂

  • Amanda December 6, 2014, 5:57 pm

    So so so happy for you! Cherish this amazing time and make sure you rest – hard as it is with a toddler and newborn. You must be thrilled especially that you feel so much better after delivery. I have a 2 year old boy and 3 month old girl and watching their relationship blossom chokes me up, sure you’ll love it too 🙂

  • Lindsay December 6, 2014, 6:02 pm

    Congratulations! So excited that you have a little girl now! I am sure that Claire already has your husband wrapped around her little finger! 🙂

  • Amanda December 6, 2014, 6:22 pm

    So pleased to see your update! (Somehow I missed the last one). Thrilled for you and your family. We just had our 2nd baby 4 months ago and its such a wild ride! The love between siblings has been the thing that has warmed my heart the most. Again, so happy for your family.

  • Rachel December 6, 2014, 6:30 pm

    She’s absolutely beautiful, Caitlin! Congratulations!

  • Samantha December 6, 2014, 6:48 pm

    OH MY WORD!!! SHe is soooo adorable!! You are killing me over here. 😉 My kids asked for a baby sister in the car this morning…. can I borrow yours for the day? haha 🙂 So glad you guys are adjusting well!!

  • Shel@PeachyPalate December 6, 2014, 7:03 pm

    Eeeek!!! She’s gorgeous and I love the name Claire!!! Have never heard of the placenta pill thing, great idea! Did you take them after Henry?

    • Caitlin December 6, 2014, 7:08 pm

      Yup!

  • mic December 6, 2014, 7:09 pm

    So happy for you and your beautiful family!

  • Elisabeth December 6, 2014, 7:14 pm

    Glad everything’s going smoothly! Congratulations on your Christmas present baby 😉 She looks just like Henry in the last picture of her.

  • Carly December 6, 2014, 7:18 pm

    Yay! Great post, love the adorable photos of Claire, she’s a doll! And glad to hear you are healing up nicely and everyone is adjusting well. Congrats again to you and your family!

  • Trisha December 6, 2014, 7:28 pm

    That family pic is SO precious! I’m sure Henry will continue to love on her and be a good big bro. And you look absolutely amazing, congrats, mama!

  • Tricia December 6, 2014, 8:38 pm

    This post fascinates me, terrifies me, and eases my mind. Hahaha! I’m almost 30 weeks with baby #2. I had a super easy labor/delivery the first time around, so I am not too scared about the second… but what if it’s worse?! Oh man, the not knowing. You look and sound so happy. So glad to hear it’s all going well!

    • Caitlin December 6, 2014, 9:59 pm

      I think you’ll find the second birth to be a piece of cake if the first was easy! good luck 🙂 have fun!

  • Kate December 6, 2014, 9:05 pm

    Congratulations! This is so awesome. Babies are awesome. I pray everything continues to go smoothly and that feeding becomes more comfortable.

  • Christina December 6, 2014, 9:08 pm

    Congratulations mama! You’re amazing 🙂 definitely take advantage of the help and rest up. Good luck with breastfeeding, you can do it! My engorgement was bad at first too, but here we are 17 months later and still going!

  • Abby December 6, 2014, 9:29 pm

    Awesome! Awesome! Awesome! She is so alert and you all are beautiful. Knowing a little about your family and Henry I would bet Henry is going to be sweet even a few weeks from now, a few months from now and years to come. Enjoy!

  • jen December 6, 2014, 9:45 pm

    Thanks for taking the time to update the blog! I know firsthand that this is a crazy time for you guys. She is seriously a beautiful baby. Congratulations to you guys!

  • Lorie December 6, 2014, 11:00 pm

    Gah! She is absolutely beautiful Caitlin 🙂 enjoy these precious first days-like you said, they really do fly by!

  • Aimee @ Aim for Healthy Bites December 7, 2014, 12:29 am

    Congratulations! She is adorable and just love her name. So great to hear that Henry is taking to his new role as big brother. Enjoy this special time!

  • Maria December 7, 2014, 2:03 am

    Thanks so much for the update, it’s great to hear how you are doing. Claire is absolutely adorable and the pic of Henry with her is so sweet. I’ve been a reader since before you were pregnant with Henry, and I love following your journey. All the best to all 4 of you 🙂

  • Janelle @ Wholly Healthy December 7, 2014, 3:02 am

    She’s so cute – and has so much hair! Glad to hear Henry is doing well with her and you’re feeling good!

  • Lisa December 7, 2014, 3:19 am

    Oh congratulations to you all!
    Long time lurker so decided to delurk and say hi!
    “Hi!”

    Well done you on the drug free and super short labour. Looking forward to reading the full story when you feel ready to share it. Enjoy this special time xo

  • Erin M. December 7, 2014, 5:37 am

    Congratulations! So glad to hear you and Claire are doing well! She’s adorable!! I’ve been reading your blog since it was “See Bride Run” and it’s so nice to see that you’re doing so well! Take care!

  • Carol December 7, 2014, 9:20 am

    Darn ! Claire is so sweet !!! So great Henry is taking his “big bro” role with a smile ! Get some rest and love every minute of every day !

  • Katie December 7, 2014, 9:57 am

    That is so amazing! I’m glad breastfeeding is working out this time. My issues mirrored yours with my first – my second is almost 6 months old, and I breastfed her for a few weeks, but I’m back to exclusive pumping. It was just too much with the shield, etc, and we couldn’t get the hang of it 🙁 My labor was much shorter the second time around too – we arrived at the hospital at 12:38, and she was born at 12:52! Totally unreal – I was planning on an epidural, and that most definitely didn’t happen.

  • Alicia December 7, 2014, 10:21 am

    Congratulations! What a beautiful baby!
    Pure lanolin was a miraculous healer for my nipples! I hope you get more support for breastfeeding this time. As a working mom after 5.5 months, who pumped for the next 7, I think that was so miserable for me personally (I did not have oversupply and every drop was torture that way, but regular breastfeeding was amazing). You are a hero for pumping so long with Henry, and I’m also sure you will make the best decision for your family and personal circumstances!

  • Kaila @healthyhelperblog! December 7, 2014, 11:48 am

    Claire is absolutely beautiful and I am so happy for you! That is so interesting about the placenta pills! I would love to hear more about whether you notice any benefits. 🙂

  • Annie December 7, 2014, 2:22 pm

    So happy to hear you are adjusting to life with two. I forget those days! Get your rest when Henry sleeps for sure!! Take care.

  • Ashley @ My Food N Fitness Diaries December 7, 2014, 3:11 pm

    This makes me all SO happy to hear! So glad you all are settling in well so far. Little Claire is beautiful!

  • Stephanie @ Whole Health Dork December 7, 2014, 3:46 pm

    So glad you’re doing well and that L&D and recovery were much faster this time! I’m assuming part of that is because you had already had a child so things were able to move more easily? I’ve heard the second L&D are often much faster.
    What a beautiful girl! So sweet! Congrats again!

  • Christina @ The Beautiful Balance December 7, 2014, 10:25 pm

    Oh my goodness look at all of that hair! Such a sweetie and I can’t wait to read your experience 🙂

  • Jackie December 7, 2014, 10:44 pm

    Just a quick shout out on the use of nipple shields (from a fellow flat nippler): even though the lactation consultants tell you not to – or that you should fix the problem that deems the nipple shield necessary instead of just using one to cover it up – I disagree. I used one for 5 months with my 2nd son (I exclusively pumped for a year with my first), and then at 5 months, I tried to nurse without one and he latched on perfectly. He was old enough to know how to do it, flat nipples or not.

    So if you need it now – use it! You’ll eventually graduate from it.

  • Nicole December 7, 2014, 10:47 pm

    Congratulations on a beautiful baby girl!!

  • Lisa @ early morning run December 7, 2014, 11:23 pm

    Congratulations! Wonderful that you’re feeling so good and things are going well for you and Claire.

  • Heather December 8, 2014, 7:17 am

    Thank you for sharing. So glad things are working out for you.

  • Lauren J @ The Barn December 8, 2014, 9:02 am

    Cannot wait to hear your birth story! We just had our daughter naturally this past October, and while I am so thankful and proud that I made it through without the drugs, 18 hours of labor and over 3.5 hours of pushing pretty much scarred me for future births. I would def do it drug free again, but I really just don’t want to do it again period haha! The only way I could imagine it is if it was short! Congratulations!

  • stephanie December 8, 2014, 12:41 pm

    oh my god!!!!!!! she is too cute! My baby is 7 months old and this makes me want another newborn:). Glad everyone is adjusting well – enjoy this time, it’s so special and so short.

  • Lauren @ sassy molassy December 9, 2014, 12:33 am

    Ah, I just love this post and all the adorable squishy little newborn photos. She is adorable! I especially like seeing how small she is on your shoulder in that first one. 🙂 Congratulations to you and the fam. I hope you are all doing well!

  • Jolene (www.everydayfoodie.ca) December 10, 2014, 10:53 pm

    She is so precious!! Congratulations 🙂

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