Day 6 - Night sweats and warmer weather

EC is off to a great start with little M!

First night of night sweats - I remember these vividly in my first postpartum. Night sweats are very common postpartum due to the hormonal drop (literally all those hormones being super high in pregnancy and then dropping, and some changing in PP) and then I read somewhere that it is also a way for the body to get out some of the fluids stored during pregnancy (you know how you may feel puffy / bit swollen in pregnancy from all that fluid retention).

Admittedly when I woke up cold and drenched I initially panicked thinking I got a fever with an infection from my engorgement. Thankfully when my brain was less hazy I realized it was just good old fashioned PP night sweats.

Weight: For interest's sake I weighed myself Day 5 & 6. Just before giving birth, I was 87kgs (that over 20kgs heavier than my usual weight). Day 5 I was 80.6g (I wish I had weighed before my boobs swelled up because I think they're super heavy and it would have been interesting to see the weight change simply from giving birth). Day 6 I am 79.4kgs (thanks I assume to a little bit of breast deflation). *I have no weight goals - I just took it for random interest's sake.

I also woke up with a pounding headache (thinking urge... another symptom to add to my ever-increasing list - just being grumpy for a moment). And as I blissfully opened the window because we have warmer weather such that the window is no longer frozen shut I realized... a Chinook. Of course...

Calgary weather is wild - the week leading to little M's birth we were in the positives due to a Chinook (warm winds that blow over the Rockies), then as the Old Wive's Tails go - Baby M was born the first day the weather dropped back to -20C. And now only 6 days later were back up to positives. I had a terrible Migraine just a few days before M was born from the winds. Since I am prone to migraines they are often triggered by the winds. So of course, today I woke up with a headache letting me know I can welcome some warmer weather.

Thankfully just a headache. No Migraine. So, I just let it pass. Drink lots of fluids. Rest. Take a bath and let it pass.

I also let Ian know in the morning that I am consuming a lot more liquids than we've planned for at night and for Day 7 we need to increase the available liquids (especially with the night sweats).

Waking up a night

We're kind of in a bit of a rhythm now - Baby M wakes up every 1.5 - 2 hours in the night for nursing (and diaper change + potty offer). I don't mind the frequent night wake ups - even as someone who typically sleeps a lot and doesn't like waking up. Something happens for me hormonally postpartum that means I am just not as affected but waking up every so often (for months). I wondered if that was just my first PP experience, but so far so good.

My discomfort at night is still my huge boobs. Honestly this is very impractical for me. I've spent so much time scrolling shopping websites at this point trying to see if there is a bra or a shirt or something that will be a bit more comfortable, because I don't see them deflating that much in the coming weeks. *p.s. send recommendations.

Book recommendation - my favourite book on sleep is Safe Infant Sleep by James Mckenna. I highly recommend all mothers to be read this in pregnancy. It gave me a real appreciation for babies waking and nursing frequently in the night.

Morning beverages & supplement box brought by Ian

This morning

We all woke around 09:30 and started the morning by refreshing the bed and room a bit.

Changed the sheet & pillowcases. Opened the blind a bit.

I brushed my teeth, put on fresh clothing, some natural unscented deodorant and some face cream.

Ian brought up some warm broth and milky cacao with our supplement box.

Elba is loving passing me my supplements one at a time

We're still having all or most meals together as a family, which is very nice. Even if it's a bit impractical for Ian and Elba to come up and eat with me.

I will sometime in the first 40 days start gradually making my way downstairs - but not yet.

Food, Beverages, Snacks & Supplements

Same supplements today:

1. Desiccated thyroid - From the Life Giving Store

2. Vit D drops (it is winter in Canada)

3. Organ Blend

4. K2 - Lifebud (I have the capsules & the drops)

5. B Vitamins - Lifebud

6. Probiotic

7. Lactoferrin

Drinks

1. Adrenal cocktail - apple juice diluted 50:50 with water and a pinch of salt

2. Added in a 2nd adrenal cocktail: Orange juice (without pulp) diluted with 50% water with cream of tar tar (potassium) and a pinch of salt.

3. Warm cacao milk with oyster powder, kelp extract, colostrum and syrup (I have two of these a day).

4. Herbal tea - dried berries (for Vit C & taste), nettle, red raspberry leaf and oat straw with some honey.

5. Broth - at least twice a day. A mug of homemade broth (recipe coming soon).

6. Water - filtered and remineralized.

Food:

Crackers, cheese, butter, sausage and blood sausage

1. Date collagen balls  (these are my overnight and during the day snacks currently)

2. Breakfast: Oats (sprouted, organic and soaked over night) cooked slow and low in milk with whey and wild blue berries.

3. Lunch: For the first time I ate crackers. With some blood sausage, butter, cheese & a raw carrot salad.

4. Dinner: Pies made by a friend. With ancestral mince inside (organ blend ground beef) & squash.

Elba cutting the pie

Some final things for Day 6

Elimination Communication & Diaper Free time

We started EC (Elimination communication) with baby M from birth. Super gently. No rush. No being prescriptive about it. Simply offering potty here and there during transitions or as it appears he wants to go. So far so good! A few poops and pees in the potty. We are learning his timing with poop and pee, as well as what he does when he is going to go poop. This mornings poop catch was thanks to some grunting sounds.

Pooping in the potty

Elimination Communication Resources Here.

Newborn EC video on Youtube (I will make an updated one for this time around + our learning as we EC a boy).

Diaper free time

We're also doing some diaper free time where M's skin just gets to breath and not be in a diaper. We lie him on organic terry cotton flats on a wool diaper free mat (that I made from felted wool sweaters and lanolized).

Funny story: I also made some felted wool diaper covers and lanolized them. They worked great and then suddenly one leaked through entirely... I realized I forgot to tell Ian they aren't to be washed... and he washed them. So it removed all the lanolin :) We'll be lanolizing them again and using them again soon. Pattern for them coming soon.

Concluding remarks

I really appreciate our bedroom set up in this time. I can sit on the bed nursing M while watching Elba play in the bath (she loves this). Until birthing M - Elba always bathed with me (or showered with Ian). She never bathed alone. Now she is enjoying playing by herself in the bath for as long as she wants. When she is done she comes to me with her hair brush, tooth brush, moisturizer and other after bath things for me to do it from the bed.

I have definitely not figured out how to give to both kiddos in the way I want to - but it's getting better day by day.

And with that I conclude day 6. See you for Day 7.

A reminder that I will unpack many of the things I mention in more detail in future days, but for now - let's do the major adjustment of the first week.

Thanks for being here. Your comments below are so welcomed.

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