Pork knuckles and ginger stew

Motherhood 120 weeks: 

• Jan 3:  We finally visited the hospital for the last time last Thursday and the doctors cleared the newborn of any jaundice. Yay!!! We were the first appointment at 9am.  The nurse let us in at 8:50 ish, weighed her (this time we didn’t have to wait for the scale; it was already prepared in our room). The nurse this time was friendly and nice.  Newborn gained and was over her birth weight (as expected) since it’s her 11th day already. Yay!
• The doctor came in shortly too (an Asian lady who was straight to the point and didn’t sugar coat but what I appreciated most wasthat she read up on the baby’s fact sheet already and didn’t have to ask us any unnecessary questions).  She looked at the newborn and said it’s 11 days now so the jaundice typically should be gone now but that since we were there to do one last bloodwork to confirm the numbers. Either that or to return again 3 days later. The doctor opted to do the bloodwork instead of having us return and we agreed.
• Bloodwork came back from the lab really quickly too and the results were good.  Bb was low risk now and we could go home and continue feeding her and then follow up with the pediatrician next week. Yay!!! Finally all cleared of jaundice and no need to return. ^_^
• Parking was only $8.50 too because we were in and out so quickly for once (DH paid $12 most days. The most was $16 on a particularly longer visit).
• The 2 yo has been acting up slightly.. less attention given to her by me and grandma.  And while DH primarily is the one looking after her and giving her attention, it’s still not the same.
• I still have been sleeping in the rocking chair.  I can walk freely now and don’t even have to hold onto the railing when going up and down the stairs, but I haven’t attempted another go on the bed.  I’m afraid my pelvis would still hurt.  But I do feel some improvement when I’m twisting/changing positions in a chair or sofa.  I can lift my left leg independently higher too.
• Looking forward to a shower with ginger water soon.  I’ve held out for more than 2 weeks already — not sure how long I waited last time.
• Been nursing every 2 to 3 hours.  The nb sleeps like a champ!  Some days she can sleep for up to 4 hours even, but then we’ll wake her to feed.
• Jan 4:  Yesterday was a day of firsts.  First shower after postpartum! Used hot ginger boiled water like last time to finish off.  So refreshing to finally get a shower.  The toddler had called me “suen” and then “smelly” when she walked near the washroom and also when I was in her room lol.  Oops and sorry!  Interesting that she associated “suen” with smelly which is kind of accurate.
• First visit to the pediatrician for the newborn!  He had been receiving all of the hospital visit summaries last week so he was well aware of what was going on.  I really like our pediatrician.  He’s so patient and kind and nonchalant about things and doesn’t make us worry and keeps things light.  He also gives an overview at the beginning of the appointment so we know what to expect. I like that he knew who the older sibling was too.  He actually asked how the toddler was coping too, which I appreciated.
• Newborn is now 3300 grams.  She was quite good with the physical examination and didn’t scream or cry either.
• Pediatrician reminded us to always let her sleep on her back with nothing else in the crib or bassinet.  No toys or blankets.  He reminded us to give daily doses of Vitamin D since she’s basically exclusively breastfed.  (Mainly breastfed with forumla on occasion — on nights where I’m too tired to get up and DH fills in with the formula).  He reminded us that colds and runny noses are fine and that there’s no medicine for them.  The only real issue would be if she has a REAL fever which is 38 degrees that we would then need to take her to a hospital since she’s under 3 months old.
• He said she still looks yellowy but that it could be due to the “breastmilk jaundice” where breastfed babies take longer to clear from the jaundice still.  He said it’s not harmful, exactly what the doctor at the hospital told us too.  He said it might take up to two months for the yellowiness to actually go away but that he wasn’t concerned because she looks well otherwise.
• We answered she has 10 to 12 diaper changes a day which he was more than okay with the answer — probably more than he needed to hear for an answer.  The next visit would be at the one-month mark to check her weight and growth again.
• I asked if we needed to feed her on demand or on a schedule and he said every 2 to 3 hours until she’s a month old is still good since she’s young still.
• He said a flu shot isn’t necessary yet until she’s 6 months old, so next winter.
• The little white spot at the bottom of her gums is not a tooth.
• Been eating so nutritiously thanks to the postpartum meals that I feel like I’m still pregnant and nourishing my body for a baby.  Been really enjoying the ginger vinegar stew this time too as well as the chicken wine.  For some reason, I barely ate the vinegar stew and chicken wine last postpartum.  This time, I’m enjoying it so, so much.
• Still having lochia and it’s more than two weeks postpartum.  I also remember last time that the lochia stopped earlier.. perhaps by the week and a half point.
• It’s good to get these blood clots out though.  Some are the size of a small thumb still.
• My belly seems to be shrinking faster than last time too.  Perhaps it’s the breastfeeding that is helping it.
• It is so, so fulfilling to see the nipple in the correct shape after the newborn releases it.  It’s in the proper round shape as opposed to the slanted triangle which means the latch was correct.  Been noticing that it hurts so much when the newborn first latches on it for the first few seconds but then it is fine afterwards.  The initial pain feels like a thousand needles.  Really glad the latching is going well so far.
• The 2 yo visited her cousins’ house and had such a good time playing in the cardboard box with her two cousins. Now that the younger cousin can walk around, it’s more interesting to see the three of them play alongside each other.  She isn’t showing signs of shyness anymore and actually was smiling and having fun there.