after baby

Things I didn't remember until they happened again.

1. Aches & pains. I figured  there bring she's  pains but I was a little surprised  a few. After Lil was born it hurt to sit or try to stand for  last 2 or 3 weeks. Thankfully recovery after Josie was pretty easy and I had some slight discomfort that only lasted a few days. The one thing I really wasn't prepared for  was that it hurts to cough and sneeze. You never think about the muscles that are used during those 2 actions. ... That was a big surprise.

2. Losing hair. It starts coming out in handfuls when washing or brushing hair. I am constantly having dangling pieces of hair to pick off of my clothes all day long.

3. Checking to see if she's breathing ... granted I still do this sometimes with Lillie.  Often when they are asleep I'll lay a hand on them just to make sure. There's the moment of "is she breathing?" Followed by "of course she is" and a sigh of relief immediately followed by the panic of "oh crap don't wake up."

4. Tired. You will be more tired than you've ever been. The days are survivable because the  sun is out. The nights... oh the nights. Waking up for feedings and diaper changes, waking up with every sound, but unable to actually open your eyes. Hopefully this stage is short and you have someone you can  tag team with so each of you get chances for sleep.

5. Clogged tear ducts. When Lil was  one week old she woke up with cakey goop sealing both of her eyes shut. It was a Sunday and the 4th  July. We panicked, called our Dr office and rushed her to the emergency care even though we had guests arriving  from out of state in less than an hour. Turns out it was totally normal, a good percentage of babies get it. It's just a clogged  duct because they can't really cry yet. You just need to wipe out away from the inside corner of the eye with a wet paper towel. When Josie got it the first time we just headed for the kitchen and all was good.