It’s been 11 weeks since Darcy was born and time is passing more quickly than ever before. Everyone says it, but it has still caught me by surprise.
An even bigger surprise has been the contrast in my experience the second time around. On paper, my birth was very similar. I was induced at 40 + 1, my labour was 7-8 hours, I had an epidural and both girls were delivered vaginally with no complications. Despite the similarities, my experience has been completely different from the get go. Labour felt a lot less intense this time, the whole birth felt very calm and I actually kind of enjoyed it. The pushing phase was much quicker, so I didn’t feel exhausted when Darcy arrived and I was able to soak up and enjoy those first moments a lot more.
From day one I knew something was different this time. Harper had been incredibly unsettled from the very beginning, so when Darcy was sleepy and calm, I just had a feeling she was going to have a different temperament to Harper. I didn’t want to get my hopes up and every evening I wondered whether this would be the night she ‘woke up’, but she is still a very settled and happy little girl.
I also felt my body recover more quickly this time. The swelling settled within days, I wasn’t anxious about the heavy feeling and I wasn’t afraid every time I needed the toilet. It’s amazing how these little things add up to make it all a much easier and less stressful experience.
I feel guilt every time I refer to this experience as ‘easier’ than the last because I would hate for Harper to ever sense that she was ‘difficult’. It’s hard to explain, but I am sure there are plenty of parents feeling the same way for many different reasons. It has simply been a pleasant surprise when I was expecting to be hit with sleepless nights, projectile vomiting and endless hours of crying all over again.
Since Darcy’s birth, I have been gently returning to exercise, starting with short walks and our postnatal Pilates classes. I felt ready to exercise sooner this time, so from around 2 weeks I started to do a few pelvic floor and abdominal exercises and then I started the postnatal program at 4 weeks. I pre-booked my pelvic floor review with my women’s health physio before Darcy was born to make sure that happened at 6 weeks. Bec was happy with my ability to contract and relax and gave me some exercises to focus on building the strength and endurance of my pelvic floor muscles.
I’m now at the point where I am going to go for my first run. I’ve been building my strength up, had my pelvic floor checked, bought some new runners and I’m feeling ready. I am so excited, I really love running and would like to think about a goal this year. Time is the greatest restriction, but if I could do a half marathon later this year, I’d be very happy with that.
I am also starting to do a bit more work with Our Pilates. Brooke has been incredible and has taken over everything at the busiest time of year for us. I have felt so supported by her and our team of instructors, I am so grateful to have been able to really focus on Darcy for a while. I feel very excited to start filming classes again, but need to work on my strength and fitness a bit more before I can talk my way through a class!
So far the transition from one to two children has been busy but wonderful. I have fears of Harper running off while I’m stuck feeding Darcy, or running onto the road while I’m getting Darcy out of the car. I over think everything I do, to the point where I sometimes don’t end up doing anything. But I am gradually becoming more confident and every time I do manage something new with both of them, I realise I can do more than I think. I’m finding my systems and learning ways to keep Harper entertained or distracted when I need to.
All in all, life is great and I’m feeling excited about what’s to come.
Han x