Postpartum Diary: Meagan & Adelyn @ 4 Months

I'm going to be completely honest: I'm ready to have my body back. I know I talked about this in my last post, but we're four months out now and I'm ready for all of this weight and softness to be forever gone. A few weeks ago, we had a family picture taken at my niece's birthday party. I was horrified when I saw it. I still look four to five months pregnant. Mind you, I had a stomach for a few months after having my first two kiddos, but this time around it seems to be more stubborn, lingering longer than before&or longer than I remember. The good news is that I have started watching what I eat more and I've started the TurboFire workout series, plus I've been targeting my abs with extra crunches and leg lifts. I know with time and hard work, I will see results. I just hope those results come quickly because I'd like to head to the beach soon&or at least have clothes that fit me again.It is hard to believe that Adelyn is now four months old.

This girl has amazed me in several ways. Her sleep is still pretty good overall. I'd say she is sleeping roughly 16 hours a day. This astonishes me since my first child seemed to be awake for 16 hours a day. She has been generous with her smiles and giggles, and she rolled over for the first time just a few days ago. I was surprised not only by how soon she rolled over, but by the fact that she chose to go from her back to her stomach before she mastered rolling over from stomach to back first. From the time she was in utero, she seemed strong and she continues to be that way.

Breastfeeding has continued to be an up and down battle, but I am happy to report that we are falling into a more positive rhythm as of recent. A few weeks ago, I was frustrated and fed up with how difficult she was to feed. I finally packed her up and went to a breastfeeding clinic. By the time I got there, she was extremely hungry, so much so that she was more interested in crying than she was in latching on. Unfortunately the clinic was a bit busy and no consultant could help me until Adelyn had already finished eating (well, first she screamed for a few minutes, disturbing everyone else's babies, but with some coaxing she finally settled down). When I explained to the consultant that she was fussing and I was having to walk around with her at every feeding, she had no advice for me other than what I had already tried for myself. I went home discouraged. I started reading Bringing Up Bebe: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting by Pamela Druckerman and I was inspired when I learned that French babies feed only four times a day by four months of age. I had been trying to get her to eat six or seven times each day. I thought that was what she needed. Her siblings still fed every two to three hours at her age. So, I resolved to back off and watch her cues better.

She has started feeding generally five times a day and it has been going much better. She might fuss some, while she impatiently awaits letdown (especially in the middle of the night), but that fussing is nothing compared to the screaming she did before. We are making progress and I've even been able to sit down during a few feedings. I guess my doctor was right; I just needed to back off and let her tell me when she was hungry. My comparing her to her siblings made me think that surely, she had to be hungry more often than she was. Again, she has shown me that just because she is my third child, it doesn't mean I have everything figured out.

Published: May 31, 2012

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