7 Months Postpartum

I keep pulling a disappearing act from this blog, but the important thing is …I always return.

This whole 2 kids and working a crap ton of hours means life is on fast forward sometimes. I’m starting to see there is no such thing as real BALANCE in life. Sure, some days it feels “balanced” when I do a little of this and a little of that and everything works out great. Other days, things don’t go as planned and many days I feel like I should be with my kids when I’m at work and vice versa. It’s life, and part of being a working mom. (Not complaining…I actually love being a working mom most of the time!)

Anyway…on to the point of this post…

This little man is SEVEN MONTHS OLD. By the way, I totally started this post when he was 6 months old. Still looking for a way to slow down time. Let me know if you have one. 🙂

Quick little catch up. The holidays were nuts. We had an amazing first Christmas with two kids. Lots of family time and very spoiled children.

Today, I’ll share a recap of how baby and mama are doing at 7 months postpartum.

The first 3 months truly were a blur. At around 6 months, once I had been back at work for a bit and we were finally settled in our new house, I feel like we started to get the hang of things a bit more.

I’ve settled into a weekly routine despite the fact that each day of the week is so very different! I’m soaking in every single second of my schedule this year because I really love it and I know it’s the only year for awhile the boys will be at the same place!

Our family of four makes me ridiculously happy, even when it means I’m dealing with constant farts, burping and potty talk. 🙂

I have heard that seeing your kids interact with each other is amazing, but it’s beyond anything I could have imagined. One of my favorite things is when Connor goes into Drew’s crib and plays with him while I get dressed in the morning.

We’ve started calling Drew brother bear and my heart melts when Connor says “I love you brother bear.” I mean, he also calls him baby butthead, but whatever. I’m impressed with how Connor adapted to having a baby brother and how much he genuinely loves him and loves having him around.

Drew’s feeding/sleeping schedule was really tough for the first 6 months. It’s only in the last month or so that we are getting him in some type of real nap routine. He is finally taking a fairly consistent morning nap, but the afternoon seems to be cat napping here and there. We’ve had a pretty good bedtime routine, which is key and has always been a number one priority in Connor’s routine (and happiness) too.

I heard horror stories from moms about having to do the whole night and bedtime routine with two kids alone. Since my kids are further apart in age than a lot of siblings, I think it’s a bit easier, but it definitely took some getting used to.

Usually I try to give my kiddos a bath as early as possible. That means it’s usually before dinner if we are home that day or if I pick the boys up and will be home alone for the night. Early baths for the win. Seriously.

I’m no momming expert, but my other big scheduling tip is to plan ahead!

I get as much done as possible at night to set up for the next day. I lay out clothes for the next morning for both boys and for myself. I make sure lunches are put together and bags are mostly packed. The next morning I have Connor get dressed before we go downstairs (unless we are home for the morning) and I make beds before I get Drew out of his crib. I also immediately unload the dishwasher and usually make bottles for the day too. It helps the day go so much more smoothly when things are prepped ahead of time.

How’s Baby at 7 Months?

When we went in for his 6-month check-up the doctor made a comment about he used to be such a little thing and how you’d never know now. It’s funny because the doctors were worried about his size and slow growth in the beginning, but mother’s instinct told me not to worry, especially since he was following a really similar pattern to Connor.

At 6 months Drew was almost 15 pounds. I will have to weigh him again soon. He’s sitting up and rolling all over the place. Plus he’s a big fan of scooting around the house by lying on his back and using his heels. This one started a few months ago. He smiles and laughs and loves playing with toys. He laughs constantly at his big brother.

He’s doing great at daycare despite not really sleeping there. I think he’s just easily distracted and overstimulated. Why sleep when there are things to do, right?

Breastfeeding Update for Curious Moms…

I wish breastfeeding worked longer, but I am thankful I was able to give him five months of breastmilk. We did half breastmilk and half formula for the last few months and I finally pulled the plug when it felt like all I was doing was pumping and feeding. I hit a wall about the same time I did with Connor and honestly, it’s okay with me.

I got really tired of feeling rushed all of the time. Every time we were out I felt like we were rushing home so I could pump again. I also hated that being tied to the pump left little time for me to actually enjoy the baby snuggles…and very little time to play with my four year old who was desperately in need of mommy time. CJ and I did lots of activity books and read a million books during those crazy times!

For those moms who are afraid you won’t bond with your baby if you aren’t breastfeeding, you may find comfort in knowing that I started feeling closer to Drew after I was done because I was able to slow down and enjoy him a bit more. Physically, I felt much better once I was done too.

How’s Mama Doing?

Mentally at 7 Months Postpartum

I’m happy and very thankful. Sure, it’s challenging having two kids and I have days where I feel anxious and frustrated, but overall I feel so blessed. I have two beautiful kids, an awesome husband and a job I love.

Sleep

Sleep is good most of the time! In the early stages, Drew had a lot of trouble sleeping and I often pulled him in bed with me since it was the only way either of us would get rest. There was awhile there I barely slept with my husband and kind of lived in our guest room with Drew.

These days, we have a few nights here and there with crappy sleep, but I seriously can’t complain. I think my kids learned early on that we are all just better humans when we sleep in our house. I love sleep.

Physically at 7 Months Postpartum

I feel really good overall. My weight is a few pounds lower than before I got pregnant although it’s still distributed a bit different than pre-pregnancy. At 3 months postpartum I was craving a flat chest (rejoice – it’s flat again! haha) and the constant bloat I tend to experience during breastfeeding has subsided for the most part.

I didn’t want to stress as much about losing weight after baby number two and I think my more relaxed attitude helped quite a bit. In fact, I took my Fitbit off when I had Drew because I was afraid that I would be too much of a crazy step addict if I left it on.

I recently put it back on since it’s been colder and I want to stay steppin’, but over the summer I walked a ton (once I was feeling up to it) and definitely didn’t need the added pressure to walk when I was exhausted.

Walking and nutrition were the keys to weight coming off easily and steadily. More on my current nutrition below.

Fitness

My husband has been writing my programs for the past 3+ months. I have been focused on strength and I’ve done very little conditioning beyond walking 3-4 times a week and running a mile here and there.

I’ve had a nagging forearm injury for the last few months so that’s been holding me back a bit and gets frustrating, but it finally seems to be getting slightly better. To be honest, I think it’s from holding Drew and bouncing him up and down to get him to sleep!

I’m strength training three days a week right now, twice at the gym and once at home. I just started a new program this week and looking forward to some new stuff. My body feels much more normal and it’s been awesome getting some of my strength back over the last few months.

I remained really fit and active during my pregnancy, but it’s not the same and that core strength was SHOT. It’s fun now to see what things feel easier than even a few months ago.

Nutrition

After stopping breastfeeding, my hunger slowly decreased and went back to normal. I’m not eating all that different than I was when I was nursing, but the constant hunger feeling is gone…most days. I still love food.