What they don’t teach.

Wow, Abigail will be 6 weeks on Wensday. It is very hard for me to belive. That being said we are still riding that huge learning curve that comes with being parents. And let me tell you there is alot the don’t teach when it comes to being parents. In no particular order a list of what I learned or was not told.

• Breastfeeding is hard. I am now pumping breastmilk full time. It was hard work, I did not recive the support in hospital and Abby had trouble too. No one tells you about things like flat nipples, fast let downs, or babies being toung tied.
• You may not instantly bond with your baby. For me I am still struggling with this. Motherhood is not what I had thought and this is causing me to struggle with my bonding.
• You will understand why parents can resort to shaking their child. When your baby cries non stop there is nothing you want more than for them to calm down. While holding your baby you get very frustrated. It is better to let them cry, put them down and walk away. You yourself will then probably cry.
• You will not be told how much you will cry. It’s not a walk in the park, infact even a walk to the park can make you cry. It is work to take Abby anywhere, we are either lugging the stroller/carseat or need to have her strapped on one of us.
• You are lucky to enjoy a whole sit down meal at once. Dean cooks, and it never fails that Abby will get upset or wake up as soon as we sit down to eat casuing one of us to need to get up and go to her.
• You will be anxious when your baby sleeps. Yep if she is quiet for too long I get stressed out and need to go see her and make sure she is breathing.

While I know there are probably more this is all I can think of for now. Baby is doing well and I go for my 6 week check-up Monday. Here is hoping for a clean bill of health and the ok to start working out. I only hope things get better from here and one day I will be able to pass the lessons I learned on to Abby.

Where I stand

From where I stand things are good right now. I have my hubby home with me, which has helped my mood and emotions so much! I must admit I have an amazing husband, he cooks, cleans, takes care of baby. Sure he has his things that bother me, but doesn't every husband?

I am getting ready to gear up to step on the scale and see where I am weight wise. I am waiting until I am 6 weeks post partum. I will have been to see my doctor and hope to get the ok for a good sweat session. I have gone for a few “longer” walks but even they have been a bit rough. My cardio is in definite need of improvement. Also I know I need to gain some strength back, but a lot of that will come from carrying a baby around who is 10 lbs plus her car seat.

I also am very keen on running again. It’s cheap and you can do it anywhere any time, hubby is going to start training for the marathon he’s always wanted to do so I want to train for the 5K I always wanted to run. Slow and steady, while I would love to be ready for the Valley Harvest run in October I am not sure if I will be, I will wait and see how it goes.

Does anyone have any recommendations for a jogging stroller? We plan to invest in one come August probably so we can “run” together. More like at the same time as Dean will have much farther distances to run almost right away. I have looked at a few but really am not sure what I want in one, but I don’t want to get the cheapest unless it is at least decent for me and my running/walking. I am by no means going to be speeding down the road. My motto for this is slow and steady.

Abby is doing great, we were at the doctors this week and she is in the 93 % for her height, we are going to have a tall girl if she keeps it up, her weight is also doing great! She is bright and alert alot, smiles sometimes and is holding her head up very well. She is a month old already! Where does the time go, it felt like she’s always been here, yet at the same time it’s only been 4 weeks.

Overall things seem to be going in the right direction for my little family.

At home Daddy

Well Happy Canada Day to everyone from Abby and the family.

Today was a day of change in our house. Today was Dean’s last day of work, from now on he will be a Stay at home Dad with me and Abby. For six months our family will be together! We don’t know exactly where we will be going from there, but it will be amazing to have the summer and fall together! I am beyond excited to have hubby home and find a routine.

With Dean home it may mean money is tight and it will be a huge adjustment, but overall it will be for the best for our family. I am hoping my mood will improve as well. There is a fine line between what could be considered “baby blues” and post partum depression, but I hope to do a whole post on that alone soon.

For now Happy Canada Day!