1 Month Postpartum Update - Baby #2

I seriously can't believe it's been a whole month since Samantha was born! It has all flown by so quickly. I thought it flew by quickly with Vincent, but holy moly; even more so this time. I find the day being ripped out from underneath my feet like a rug sometimes! I get up in the morning, feed Samantha while drinking a cup of coffee and interacting with Vince, spend the day tending to the kids, getting little chores done and checking facebook here and there, sometimes out running errands and all of a sudden, it's 6 PM and I haven't even put two thoughts towards dinner! xD 
But it's been fun!! And I have been a LOT more zen this time around that I was the first. I am less stressed out about chores not getting done on time and am not as paranoid, spending all night staring my child in the face, making sure she is still breathing! Although Vincent and Samantha are very different, I have a lot more experience than I did the first time and things are a lot more familiar and easier to know how to handle. (for the most part lol!)

So! To the actual update:  
Weight loss: The weight isn't dropping off quite as quickly as it did with Vincent, but I also gained 38 lbs this time around, compared to the 16 lbs (29 if you count the 13 lbs I lost in the 1st trimester and gained back). At 40 weeks, I weighed 178.4 lbs and today, I weigh 155 lbs. My pre-pregnancy weight was 139.8 lbs, so I've got 15.2 lbs to go! And at 40 weeks, my belly was 46.5 in around and now it is 40 in. At 3 weeks postpartum, I was FINALLY allowed to resume normal activity, which means lifting Vincent, vacuuming and mopping and working out! :D So that will definitely help. Also, just like last time, I've been craving healthier foods since giving birth! I swear, it's like my body is craving what it needs to properly produce milk. So that will also help a lot! I ate SO much junk during my pregnancy, because honestly, I was so happy to not feel so damn sick, that I let myself go haha! But, I admit to still having a big sweet tooth, which I know I need to knock off in order to lose the rest of the weight! ;P
Now that I can actually properly examine my belly, I realize that instead of getting more stretch marks, the old ones sort of just expanded upward! So TECHNICALLY, I didn't really get any new ones! ;D I am not near as bothered by them this time than I was last time. They represent something truly incredible to me and symbolize the lives of my children. I was telling Mike it's like getting a unique and free tattoo. :D

Physically: As I mentioned in my birth story, unfortunately, I had to have another D&C about a week postpartum. I had a rather large clot the night before and actually took a photo of it to show the doctor just in case. Sure enough, the next morning I woke up with severe abdominal pain, just like the first time. It was like one long contraction and it was really difficult to walk. I called my doctor this time instead of going to the ER (because f*** that $400 co-payment!!). They had me come straight in. My doctor was out of town, so the nurse practitioner saw me. She checked me and confirmed I had a bunch of clots left. She pushed on my stomach and tried to pull out as many as possible. It was SO painful - almost worse than labor. I screamed! (As a matter of fact when I went in for my follow up appointment post surgery, the nurse said "Hey! You're not in pain!" xD I almost added "Or screaming!" haha)
She wasn't able to get everything out, so she sent me straight over to the hospital for the procedure. It was an almost all day wait, since both doctors were out of town, but the procedure itself was quick, I didn't have to be on IV antibiotics this time and I was able to go home about an hour later! :)

I have been feeling loads better since, especially since finishing my antibiotics. My recovery time was extended by a week again and I'm glad it's over now and I can pick up Vincent again! I have no more cramping and the doctor said that my uterus has gone back to it's normal size. I am still a bit sore where I tore, but otherwise, I am in no pain! I am still bleeding, but it's normal and not very bothersome. 
Emotionally: I'm actually doing pretty well! I am much more used to sleep deprivation that I was the first time and am able to handle it a LOT better. Having my mom here has REALLY helped a lot and made it easier for me to slowly transition from the responsibility of just a toddler to a toddler and a newborn. The first couple days postpartum, I had several sobbing meltdowns. I'd have a quick flashback about the birth and just lose it. Because everything was so hectic and fast and I was planning on getting the epidural and couldn't, I was a bit traumatized for a few days! That was a freaking intense labor and I was not at all expecting it to go the way it did! I feel loads better about it now and SUPER proud of myself for getting through a natural birth! It helped to let all of those emotions out. I still occasionally get the weepies over little things (hellooooo hormones!), like Vincent saying something new or being cute, Samantha smiling in her sleep or some super cheesy commercial, but they're generally happy tears and absolutely due to postpartum hormones. It's really only on the days when I'm particularly sleep deprived and dealt with a colicky baby all night, that I have very little patience and tend to snap easily the next day. 

That's about it! I made a separate post with Samantha's one month update, which you can read here!