Surviving Week ONE

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Where do I begin, this past week has been a whirlwind. Three, three and under is no joke people! If you didn’t know, I went to my 40 week appointment last Friday which lead to me being induced just a few short hours after I left the clinic! I left my appointment feeling so anxious, excited, and giddy we were about to have a baby.. called all our loved ones, went home to get our bags and left with Jay to the hospital! (I’m currently working on his birth story, so I went get into too much detail now!) Anyways, I had him Saturday morning at 1204, we spent the night in the hospital Saturday night and went home Sunday afternoon.

Thankfully I delivered on the weekend so that Jay was able to be there for me the entire time. Sunday night dinner consisted of the glamorous Lee Ann Chin, and we all ate out of the same bowl of food on the floor in the sunroom. It was super romantic. Monday, Jay took work off.. thank god and I had the ingredients to make stuffed shells for dinner while Jay watched all 3 kids so I could cook lol The boys screamed and cried for no reason most of the time, and I had to hold Attikus while stuffing the shells (which is super easy to do… not!) but dinner was made, we all ate, and we survived another day.

Tuesday was my first day BY MYSELF with all three littles. I woke up at 5am to yet another wake up call to nurse and I just bawled. I think Sonny ate every hour that night so I maybe got 30 minute stretches in between feed times.. I felt like my life was ending, like how in the world was I gonna take care of three kids on a total of 3 hours of sleep! Jay took Sonny out of the room for a couple hours while I got uninterrupted sleep for 2 hours and I literally woke up feeling like a new woman. Isn’t it funny how that works?

If I’m being honest the rest of the week has been a blur. My mom came down Thursday to help out which was a huge life saver and we’ve had so many great visitors come and bring meals or stop and say hi which has been such a blessing and I feel so grateful for everyones well wishes and encouragement.

How I really FEEL

I decided to encapsulate my placenta this time around and I can honestly say I believe it has been working. I have a blog written up already on everything you could want to know about placental encapsulation, but I’m waiting to share my experience before I go ahead and post it! Other than my bleeding vagina and nipples, things have been great. lol I think the hardest part of having multiples is caring for your older children. Everyone will tell you get some rest, let yourself heal, yadayadayada.. but I mean c’mon. When do you actually have time to heal! In between nursing the newborn 24 hours a day because he’s a little piraña, getting meals ready for your older ones, trying to be a “good” mom and playing with them while the newborn sleeps, getting them to take a nap so you can at least just sit on the couch for a few minutes to “heal”, changing Attikus’s diapers, wiping Oliver’s butt… the list could go on and on! A mom’s job just doesn’t end.

There are times I feel soooo grateful for everything that we have, for our three healthy boys and this family we’ve created. Other times I feel like we may never have a life again lol And other times I question if I’m doing an okay job? Am I holding our newborn baby enough, am I really soaking in all the newborn goodness? Do my older boys know that I love them, know that I am really trying my best. All of these questions are normal.. and I believe the placenta pills have helped me to see the good in it all and not succumb to the postpartum blues.

I like to keep things real and as honest as I can.. I’m extremely exhausted, but that’s a given. Postpartum is not glamorous in any way shape or form. My tits are the size of watermelons and my nipples are sloughing off skin from a poor latch.. but we’re working on it and it’s getting better. I’ve got a nice fupa, rocking large undies up past my belly button. I eat when I can, whatever I can which mostly ends up being bread, granola bars, or cereal.. super healthy. I’ve been trying to drink a lot of water which helps with weight loss and hydration. Most days I wear my greasy hair in a bun, with jay’s oversized shirt and sweatpants on. Milk stains are a given.. I probably smell like a mix of sour milk, a dirty pad, and B.O. Yumm… don’t get too close. lol I will say that when I get the chance to it’s nice to shower and at least dry my hair. Getting ready and clean makes you feel like much more of a human and that’s okay to want to feel pretty and somewhat normal in a state where you are so vulnerable.

Like I always say, this is just a phase.. this time will pass and there will be new challenges to overcome and new joys to embrace so for now I am trying to just focus on the present. Focus on our family, our well-being and being the best parents that we can be. This may look differently for everyone.. and that’s okay. I know that we will get in a new groove one of these days lol and things will eventually get easier, but for now this is where we are. We are surviving, my kids are healthy, happy for the most part lol and I’m slowly healing and feeling more normal each day.

Moments from this past Week

  • Oliver started saying “shit” yea I probably say that a little too much, but #momlife

  • Attikus thinks he’s big enough to pick Sonny up and often times I catch him trying to lift him out of his mama-roo

  • Most nights consisted of a frozen meal, or left overs that we all just shared from one bowl..

  • Oliver is the sweetest big brother and tells Sonny he loves him all the time

  • Attikus shush’s the baby when he’s crying

  • My first real outing was when he was one week old… getting the kids in and out of the car is a freaking nightmare

  • Postpartum sweats are real and I’m sweating like a wild hog.. and my Native deodorant ain’t doing me shit

  • The day I can stop wearing pads I’ll be forever thankful.. I feel like I’ve been wearing a diaper for a week

  • I’m not getting too concerned (or at least trying not to) about my weight and what I’m eating. Right now, food is food and I’ll whatever I can get my hands on.

Three little boys are crazy right now but I can already tell that this will be so fun once they start to grow and build their relationships together. Anyone going through this exact stage in motherhood, or about to have your first baby, or fifth baby.. know that you are not alone. We will get through this tough time and you are SUPER WOMAN. You are doing your best, you will have moments of weakness, and moments of strength, and this time will pass so soak it all in, live in the present and love those babies with all your heart.

Coming soon to the blog……

  • Dealing with a difficult latch

  • Placental encapsulation

  • Sonny’s Birth story

  • Screen time for tots

  • What I packed in my hospital bag

Hope you enjoyed today’s post, found some laughter in our crazy and were encouraged to help get you through the day!

XOXO Mari