1.26.2011

And Then There Were Four

Violet and I have now been home from the hospital for a full day, so it's high time for an update. As Dave mentioned in his post about the delivery, I went with the epidural this time. As someone who has now given birth both ways, I can safely say that the epidural is the only way to go and I would never go back. That said, there are some adverse side effects that came from having the epidural that I didn't have to deal with last time. The biggest one is a back ache that is the result of laying on my back during pushing. I'm hoping that with the help of a heat pad and some rest, that will soon go away.

Besides the back ache, I am actually feeling really good. Of course, I'm running on very little sleep (I estimate 12 hours of sleep since I got up on Sunday morning). Mostly this lack of sleep stems from what I think is Violet's current defining characteristic: hungry. Not only is she ravenous, but she is also easily frustrated. This has led to some difficulties with feeding, since she decides to be hungry, then is so frantic for sustenance that she can't latch on, which fills her with inconsolable rage. We are hoping that this problem will solve itself as my milk comes in.

Violet isn't the only one who is ravenous. After Eddie was born, I remember being hungry for the next couple of days, but I don't remember it being anything like this. I've been so hungry that I horked down two days worth of mediocre hospital food with the comments "this is so good" and "I wish I had more of that." Hopefully this newfound appetite calms down so that I don't regain all the weight I just lost.

We are all adjusting to Violet's arrival in our own ways. Eddie has been very good with her (with the exception of one incident that I don't care to remember) and always wants to hold her and give her kisses. Everyone seems to think that she looks just like her big brother, though I'm not sure I entirely agree. They definitely have the same frowny face when they're about to burst into tears, though.

3 comments:

Hali said...

The backache sucks but totally worth not feeling anything during labor. Glad to know that you are all adjusting so well and that food sounds wonderful, keep eating and enjoy!

The Cranney's said...

Oh my goodness. How I hunger for a baby girl. :) So exciting. She is just adorable. I am so happy your experience was so great with the epidural. I hope your back ache goes away ASAP! Thanks for sharing the beautiful pictures.

Cheryl said...

So I think I broke Sarah of her binky, I told her she should give her binkies to baby Violet. She is fine with that unless it is bed time or nap time, but she has gone 2 days now binky free. Thanks Violet!