The First Week

I'd be lying if I said this past week was easy. Giving birth is never easy on anyone, whether physically, mentally, or emotionally. The normal healing from childbirth has gone well for me. That feeling of terror when I brought home my first child has thankfully not returned since then. Though the newborn stage is unpredictable, I find it enjoyable for the most part. After a week, I feel well enough to not need naps or any medication for pain.

I had something new to deal with this time around that made the first week almost unbearable for a few days. I feel I must write it all down to make sure it doesn't happen to anyone else! I felt pretty good when I got home from the hospital, but things changed by the next day. I started feeling pain in my stomach, as if I'd been punched in the gut, and I completely lost my appetite for food and drink. I couldn't sleep because of the pain, so I was exhausted during the day, hardly able to get off the couch. I was baffled and completely devastated that something like that could happen to me when recovery had otherwise been going so well.

I received several blessings that gave me comfort and promised healing. It was still a hard wait. On Monday afternoon, I visited my doctor and he was able to prescribe medication for reflux. It still makes no sense to me why I wasn't feeling heartburn at all. I sure did throughout my pregnancies, but I managed it with Zantac. The reflux always went away right after delivery, but I guess it was different this time. I should be able to stop the medicine once my hormones settle (haha) and my insides get a little more normal. I still can't believe how much pain that it caused and yet how effective the medicine has been. I was worried that I was never going to want to eat again, which caused me a ton of grief. I love food! I'm so glad to feel hungry again.

Katie is as mellow as a newborn can be. She's almost always sleeping, unless she's eating or looking around contentedly. With all my eating issues, I was afraid she wouldn't gain weight as quickly. However, she was back at her birth weight by 6 days. The boys got back to theirs at 4 days, so not too bad!

The boys seem to love their sister and are usually gentle with her. Kenny loves to say, "Hey, KK!"It's adorable. They've both been fighting with each other a little more this week, but it's nothing I can't handle. Boys will be boys!

Joseph has decided to give up naps, even though I know he could use a little sleep. I can tell he really wants to be a big boy, so I let him do quiet time while Kenny naps. Kenny naps better without Joseph goofing off and keeping him awake, so the days are much more peaceful now. Thankfully, I don't need naps anymore since the quality of my sleep has greatly improved! :)

I'm so grateful for my new daughter. Though she isn't the first child, she is still such a miracle. I'm so glad she came to our family. I'm already seeing miracles happen that will let us pay for all the medical bills.

And speaking of miracles, our ward has been incredible. We received meals starting the day Mom left (Saturday) and up through this week. My RS president, who isn't young, came and did all the housework for me on Monday when I wasn't feeling too great. Katie has received many gifts and well wishes. I've run out of thank you cards twice already!

I couldn't be more grateful to be well and past the first week. Transitioning from 2 to 3 isn't so bad. I think each addition gets a little easier and harder at the same time. God is certainly watching out for us, and I am grateful. Now that I am feeling normal (and in regular clothes - boo yeah!), I hope to take a lot more pictures of this sweet girl, starting with Halloween today. And that is all for now. Next week will definitely be a lot more calm; I'm sure of it!