Life has been different for us lately. Slower, less scheduled, more stressful. I’m doing a lot of couch-sitting and baby holding. My poor daughter is doing a lot of iPad surfing and TV watching. I wish I could say that I’m the kind of mom that has managed to jump back into the swing of her regular routine, but I’m not. And, let’s be honest, most moms aren’t.
The truth is, transitioning from being a mom of one to being a mom of two is hard. Caring for a newborn is hard. Caring for a newborn with reflux AND colic is ridiculously hard (yeah, that’s right, I hit the jackpot on that one didn’t I?). I don’t get much sleep and I’m constantly covered in loads of spit-up. My son cries/screams any time he’s awake and he will only sleep for longer than 10 minutes if he’s on me. This is my life now and it’s hard.
Despite all that, I have not had any symptoms of PPD this time around. I attribute this blessing to placenta encapsulation (more on that in a separate post) and the simple fact that I know what to expect this time. When my daughter was a newborn she also had severe colic and reflux. I knew NOTHING about these conditions and those first 3-ish months were a nightmare. During that time I could not see a light at the end of the tunnel. My daughter also had a severe lip tie that we didn’t catch until she was 16 months old which made breastfeeding an epic battle. All of these things combined and it’s no wonder I was so depressed.
This time, though, we knew what to watch out for and were prepared. Of course, I prayed our son wouldn’t have the same issues as his sister but he does. So we had his lip and tongue ties clipped when he was 5 days old and it made a world of difference in the way he nurses. When he started showing signs of reflux we had the pediatrician call in medication and we scheduled a chiropractic appointment for him. So far, the meds don’t seem to be helping but we are hoping the chiropractic care will do the trick. Now if only we could find a cure for colic (said every mom everywhere…can I get an amen?).
So, yeah, life is kinda hard right now. But I am so thankful that I am mentally well. I am more present for my kids and husband and I feel strong enough to face these challenges instead of wanting to run away from them. I am enjoying watching my daughter love on her new brother. I am able to enjoy those brief moments with my son when he’s not screaming (poor kid). I am able to laugh and joke with my husband despite the fact that we’re both sleep-deprived zombies. These are things that I couldn’t fathom the last time I had a newborn, so while things are hard for us right now, I can’t really complain.
Oh girl, I remember exactly where you are and you are doing exactly what you are supposed to be doing right now. My little girl was just shy of three when Landon (my also very reflux/colicky boy) was born. Em watched more cartoons for that first bit than ever before. And she survived. lol. My kids are the best of buds now almost two years later and there are days where keeping up with the two of them is still difficult and exhausting but it’s amazing too. I used to look back and wonder when my last shower was…it’s not so bad now and we definitely have found our groove. I will say getting Landon on reflux meds was life changing for us. Keep your chin up…just a day at a time!