Sunday marked one week since bringing Harper home and getting into the new normal for our family. We are a family of FIVE. How amazing is that?!?!
I am feeling much more human. I had a super easy labor and delivery (don’t be jealous.. my first two were pure torture, I think I deserved one that went well!). The issue was that they left the epidural in my spine after I had Harper.. until like 10 the next morning. That was 14 hours of having that giant catheter in my spine WITHOUT anything being numbed. You don’t notice the discomfort because you are typically numb. Let me tell you, I had just pushed a watermelon out of a golf ball if ya know what I mean, and I was almost in tears from the dumb epidural. They left it in because I did end up getting the tubal ligation. They were going to try to “re-use” it, but it ended up being so long that they took it out and did a spinal block. The surgery wasn’t bad. The first day was extremely painful and difficult as I was trying to figure out how to move without feeling like my abdominal muscles were going to explode.. plus my back was in a lot of pain still. It is occasionally really tender, but overall it was not bad.
Anyway, our first week has gone really well. Harper didn’t sleep AT ALL at night the first couple of nights, but now she sleeps really well. She only wakes when she is hungry, and usually goes right back to sleep after eating. On Thursday of last week, she vomited and there was something dark in it. I started freaking out wondering if one of the older girls had given her anything to eat. I’ve been watching them like a hawk though, so I was certain that was not the issue. Then, her dirty diapers started becoming really dark. A call to the doctor, and a visit with him later, and we find out that she has blood in her stool. They said most of the time that this is a sign of a milk protein allergy. I am cutting dairy and eggs out of my diet completely. It is so hard. I never realized that milk is in EVERYTHING!! The good news is that I am losing weight like crazy.. mostly because I am starving and breastfeeding double time. She still gets sick (more than just spitting up..) at least once a day and I have to feed her all over again. I have lost 24 pounds already, and she is only 12 days old.
Just part of a little treat she showered me with one day..
I am hoping to figure out more of what I can eat because I am tired of being hungry and in tears because I have no idea what I can actually eat. Any advice is appreciated. I love almond milk, and have been drinking that in the morning and eating plain oatmeal with a little bit of brown sugar. For lunch I end up eating some tortilla chips and crying when Scott goes back to work because I am so frustrated. Last night we had tacos for dinner. Tacos really stink when you can’t put any cheese or sour cream on them.. just meat and a tortilla with some salsa. Yum.. except it’s not.
Harper was back above her birth weight on Friday, so she is at least growing and getting plenty to eat despite her vom fests. It is 100% worth the sacrifice that I am making to be able to give her the best food possible. It is just a difficult transition. I know it will eventually get easier. If anyone has any dairy-free coupons, feel free to send them my way!! A tiny loaf of dairy free bread costs almost $6!!
