FAQ’s for our first Two Weeks

It’s hard to believe that our baby boy has been in our family for just over two weeks now. I have lots to share with you but adjusting to being a family of four has been keeping me very busy for the time being. I’m sure you have noticed that most of my recent posts were scheduled before his arrival.

I did want to pop in and share a little about how we are all doing. Putting together a coherent post seemed a little daunting so I decided to share some of the questions we have been asked the most since baby boy’s arrival. I tried to cover everything that has been asked on Instagram and then the most common questions from our family and friends, too, but if there’s something else you are curious about, you can let me know in the comments and I will share it next time.

Where did his name come from?

When I was pregnant with Madeline we decided on the name Connor Robert if she was a boy. We thought about a couple different things this time around but still loved that name the most so we kept coming back to it. We just really liked the name Connor. I loved the idea of him having a “C” name so his monogram would be the same as Corey’s. Robert is Corey’s middle name and also my father-in-law’s name.

For those of you who are new readers and don’t already know, we lost my father-in-law to a glioblastoma just a few weeks before I found out I was pregnant with Madeline so we really wanted to honor him by using his name. He loved babies and really desperately wanted grandchildren so I know it is making him teary-eyed and happy up in heaven that our baby boy carries on his name. 

Did baby ever flip?

Nope. I so appreciate all the people who were rooting for him to right alongside us. I feel like I tried everything I could given the circumstances and that he flipped TO breech so late in my pregnancy. I had a really hard time coming to terms with having to have a c-section but finally I just had to let go and let God and trust that this was the way this baby was meant to enter the world. 

How are you feeling?

People have been just so thoughtful since my c-section and have checked in on me constantly. I am feeling ok. I felt a million times better at this point after Madeline’s birth than I do now and that was even considering I had a hemorrhage at home when she was ten days old! I do think I am doing pretty well considering it is a major surgery. I was able to move around sooner and do more than I expected which was a pleasant surprise. Even though I knew that a c-section was surgery and knew the limitations I think I felt it was more hypothetical. I don’t think I really understood what it would feel like for me to come home and not be able to lift Madeline or carry the laundry basket up and down the stairs or drive. Thankfully I can at least drive now. For me, it’s been as much mental and physical in terms of the recovery being challenging because I’m used to going and doing all the time. It’s really hard for me to watch my husband unload the dishwasher wrong (even though I’m very grateful that he’s doing it at all!) or just walk past a messy playroom at night and not stop to clean everything up.

How is breastfeeding going?

I have shared a couple times that breastfeeding was such a struggle with Madeline. We persevered and made it a long time but it was kind of traumatic for me. I’ll definitely share more about this in a different post but it is going SO much better than it did with Madeline. I don’t know if it’s because Connor was born a week older and more “ready”, because I know what I’m doing and am more confident this time, or just because he’s his own person with his own personality and definitely a more laid back baby than Madeline so far, but we are off to a good start and it’s just so much easier this time. I still am not sure I am one of those mamas who just loves it but we are off to a good start and we will see how it goes! It’s definitely kind of a redeeming feeling for it to be going better this time.

How is Madeline adjusting? 

She is doing a lot better than I expected. She has been so sweet and loving to Connor. She has given him lots of kisses and has been such a big helper. She loves getting diapers and wipes out for us and helping pick out his clothes. She also really likes to hold him – with very close supervision of course! But she is also struggling a bit, too. She is extra whiny, stubborn, and defiant. We have heard more “no’s” than in her whole life. She is a little jealous, too. She hates when I’m nursing and is super protective of me and I just can’t get her to understand it isn’t hurting me despite reading a few books, talking about it, and assuring her she was fed that way too! Overall she is doing really well considering her whole world was just turned upside down but also having her moments, too. We were eating dinner the other night and she just looked over at me and said “Mommy, it makes me sad having Connor here.” And cue me crying all over my dinner plate. 

Who does he look like?

We really aren’t sure yet but I do think he favors Madeline a lot and she is the perfect combination of Corey and me. I think his mouth is different – she has the lower lip pout. But I think he definitely favors her. We can’t wait to see who he looks most like as his features continue to grow and develop. 

How is he sleeping?

This was another area we struggled big time with Madeline. To the point we even worked with a sleep consultant to help when she was a couple months old. Connor is a much better sleeper than she was as a newborn. We haven’t really done anything different yet so I guess it’s just the way he is “wired.” I mean he is certainly not sleeping through the night but he is doing much longer stretches than Madeline was in the beginning so I’ll take it! 

I’ve also been asked a lot how a planned c-section compares to a vaginal birth, which one is “easier” (not that either is easy by any means), and if I had a third and was given the choice what would I prefer for the birth. Well, I am definitely not planning for a third baby, but I am going to chat a little more about my experience soon. 

I think that covers everything for now. I’ll be sharing lots more soon – including his birth story and a nursery tour in January.