Almost 3 weeks in

We're doing really well. At his 2 week pediatrician appointment he weighed 8 lbs 4 oz (vs birth weight of 8 lbs 5 oz) so we were given the all clear to no longer wake him up every 3 hours at night to feed. Of course he's only taken advantage of that once so far, but it's still nice not to set an alarm. It's pretty amazing - in a week he went from 7 lbs 8 oz to 8 lbs 4 oz! He's now in some 0-3 clothes, and some newborn clothes no longer fit. He's still gorgeous. :)

We're co-sleeping, which wasn't the original plan. I have the Arms Reach Co-sleeper bassinet, which attaches to the side of the bed, but he sleeps much better (meaning, he sleeps) when he's snuggled next to one of us. I'm hoping to start using the bassinet for naps so he gets used to it - he often snoozes on his boppy newborn pillow which isn't so different.

He's often really fussy in the mornings - from 7am to 11am or so, which can be very frustrating. Usually it's DH who's dealing with it because I sleep another hour or two after I hand off the baby in the morning (DH is getting 5-7 hours of uninterrupted sleep now that we're cosleeping and the baby more or less goes straight to sleep after a nighttime feeding).

Breastfeeding is going well (and he's clearly eating plenty, given his weight gain). Recently he's been doing more snacking during the day - one side for maybe 15 minutes and then back to sleep, which means he's feeding more frequently and my nippl.es are feeling it. But overall things are smooth and easy, which I'm really thankful for as I have many online and offline friends who have struggled or are struggling with breastfeeding.

I'm still bleeding, but not all that much, and I'm still sore, but less than before. I think my stitches are still there (they're the kind that dissolve) but I'm afraid to look with a mirror. Sitting too long is definitely still uncomfortable. My legs aren't swollen anymore (though my right knee is still very painful), but my ankles and feet aren't quite back to normal though I (mostly) fit in regular shoes. My hands are still a problem - I'm taking ibuprofen regularly which helps with the pain and hopefully is helping them recover by reducing the inflammation.

I didn't mention in my birth story post that we had the placenta encapsulated. I'd heard about it (and was grossed out), but it was my ob who suggested we seriously consider it. He'd had a patient who had a really rough time after her first child was born, but did placenta encapsulation for her second and things went extremely smoothly. (Basically the placenta gets dehydrated according to traditional Chinese medicine practices and then ground up and put in little pill capsules, and for the first two weeks you swallow 2 pills three times a day, and then after 2 weeks use as needed.) We got the pills back the Sunday after he was born - and the before/after was stunning. The first few days home I had major emotional meltdowns, was in tears frequently, and every time I slept I had nightmares. Once I started on the pills, that all went away.  So definitely something I would recommend investigating. (After the birth we had the placenta put in a double-bagged Ziploc, and then in a cooler on ice - the next morning the preparer came to pick it up. It cost $325 including pickup/delivery.)

10 days after he was born I was down to only 3 pounds above my pre-pregnancy weight, and 8 pounds above my pre-IVF weight. (I'd gained about 30 pounds by the end of my pregnancy, but a bunch of it was water weight from all the swelling in the last 3 weeks.) That's where I've stayed since, which I don't mind since I'm not allowed to do any meaningful exercise due to my recovery. DH and I went for a short, mostly flat hike last week, but that's the extent of my activity.

We've had visitors probably every other day, which has been good. My family has been awesome - cooking/cleaning/leaving leftovers.

DH goes back to work tomorrow, which we both find intimidating. I have friends coming each day for a short visit so I can hopefully nap, and my mom will come all day on Wednesday. Right now we're not hiring any help, but we'll see how this week goes. I'm hoping to get out and about a little this week using one of the baby wraps or carriers we have (I'm not supposed to lift anything heavier than him, so moving the car seat into the stroller is probably not a good idea.) I have 4 friends who've all had their first babies in the past 6 weeks and we're hoping to get together in person soon.

Overall it's great. He's perfect and we feel like we're doing a pretty good job of taking care of him and keeping ourselves going.