Belly Day | 41 Weeks

I didn’t make it to 40 weeks after all! I decided I wanted to take a photo with Finn that fit with my weekly belly update theme. I tried to make him look like a “belly” the way the cool people on Pinterest do it, but… FAIL!

I won’t say too much up here because I have already shared Finn’s “intro” blog entry as well as his birth story, so please check those out if you’re interested. I just thought it would be fun to update these categories to reflect the postpartum period!

The biggest thing for me has been the hormonal/personality shift that took place almost immediately after labor. I’m once again terrified of social interaction, have limp hair and prefer the flavor of butter over sugar. It’s so bizarre! While the shift was gradual during pregnancy, the old Brittany came crashing into me like a wave the moment Finn was born. I feel a little bit like Cinderella at midnight after the ball. Pregnancy almost seems like a dream, a blur. Being back to “myself” is both unfamiliar and yet totally comfortable. My pregnant self feels almost like some strange alter-ego, me in another dimension.

Ok, I think it’s time to back up out of that wormhole and get on with the “fun” stuff.

Baby’s Size| He was 9.0 lb at birth!

How far along | 1 week PP

Sleep | This baby has been sleeping surprisingly well!!! From the very start he has been waking up a few times at night to eat, but goes right back to sleep! Miles didn’t do that until at least 4 months old.

Clothes | I expect I’ll be wearing maternity clothes for awhile still, but it sure is nice to have shirts cover my belly again.

Cravings | One of the strangest things is returning to “myself” and remember how things really taste to me. Chick-fil-a tastes even better now and I officially hate mushrooms again.

Food Aversions |  Back to the usual! All of a sudden I am barely hungry. I could care less if you’re holding a donut or cupcake in your hand. However, I’m pretty sure my appetite is something that isn’t gone for good.

Symptoms | The usual soreness, but I’m recovering much quicker than I did with Miles and that’s a nice blessing. The biggest symptom for me has been hormonal. So many ups and downs!!! The worst is the paranoia. Being a mom brought back some of terror I used to feel as a “fraidy-cat” kid and during my pregnancy it would peek out now and again, but ever since labor I have been paranoid of everything! Each and every thing about Finn that seems different than Miles makes me wonder and worry. One little twinge of pain or weirdness and I worry I’m about to perish. I know it’s just hormones and it will fade. I keep thinking about that 6 week post-partum appointment because I am yearning to feel “normal” again and I’ve got it set in my head that I should be normal by then. Well, as normal as I ever was (not saying much).

Doctor’s Appointment | We’ll see after my postpartum appointment at the beginning of June! UPDATE: Doc gave me the all-clear at my appointment. As for feeling normal again… who knows! Haha

Movement | It’s funny to see Finn on the outside and notice that he kicks a lot still.

Belly Button | Postpartum deflated balloon button?!?! We seriously do not want to go there.

Gender | He’s officially a boy. No surprise there.

Best moment of the week | This one is pretty obvious, I should think. The best moment was welcoming Finn into the world, our home and our lives!

What I’m looking forward to | The six-week mark and feeling normal again. Once again getting comfortable in my skin, now that I’m the only one in my skin. That’s weird.

What I miss | I miss being more bubbly and I miss my big, healthy hair and I miss the routine that Miles and I had settled into. We had our “Monday” thing where we would take progress pictures and go to my prenatal appointment and get Chickfila. But now I’m excited to make a new routine and start a new life with two!!! :)

Just for fun I wanted to share all my progress photos from the pregnancy until now, starting at 17 weeks.

And finally, when I would set up to take my progress pictures each week, I would ask Miles to stand near my spot so I could get the focus right on my camera. After awhile I started to see the change in him and these photos often turned out pretty cute, so I decided to grab my favorites of just Miles and compile them for you. Some weeks are missing because he was either asleep or not cooperative, but it’s still really cute to see.