The First 24 Hours After Birth (Raw Postpartum + Newborn Reality)

Added: 2026-05-06

[00:00:00]This is where we're at.

[00:00:01]6 [music] hours postpartum. There's nothing like the first shower after birthing a baby.

[00:00:09]So, they [music] are kicking us out. She has had a really difficult time latching.

[00:00:19]I thought I would show my little [music] newborn set up by my bedside. It is definitely very flabby still.

[00:00:30]I am 6 hours postpartum and I'm very tired. I'm finally like up and walking around much better though. They forgot to turn off my epidural. So, I had it in a lot longer than I needed to be and it made it very hard for me to like move around for a while. I've noticed cuz last time with Riggs, I only had the epidural in for not even an hour. So, I was up and walking around a lot faster after him, but this round it's taken me quite a bit to like gain all of my motor skills back. This is where we're at 6 hours postpartum.

[00:01:12]It's definitely gone down a lot.

[00:01:15]It's looking good. I'm feeling better, very very tired and weak still but I'm getting around now. So, I'm ready to get out of this and kind of just freshen up a little bit and feel like a human being.

[00:01:34]Nothing like the first shower So, there's nothing like the first shower after birthing a baby.

[00:01:50]Oh, man.

[00:01:52]It's so sweet looking at her hands and her toes and just like knowing that's what I was feeling, you know.

[00:01:59]She is.

[00:02:03]Yeah, my body is worn out.

[00:02:07]That's the only thing about getting an epidural is it takes it out of you way more than if you just don't get it.

[00:02:16]I'm still really proud of myself that I did it though cuz I was really nervous about it.

[00:02:24]The anesthesiologist was like, "The fact that you knew you had that changes everything. Changes my approach."

[00:02:34]He's like, "I can see why people are struggling."

[00:02:39]Like my heart keeps like fluttering.

[00:02:41]>> [sighs] >> My legs are finally not numb anymore though.

[00:02:54]Little Dotty Lou is doing so good. She wants to nurse pretty much nonstop and they did her hearing screening, newborn screening and she's passed everything.

[00:03:07]They're going to let us go home today which I'm really excited about. I am exhausted. Oh, they forgot to turn my um epidural off. I can't remember if I've said that already.

[00:03:18]But it isn't making it really hard for me to just like I think that's what's different and why I'm like not gaining my strength back, but also I did just give birth. So, I'm just having a hard time like really around.

[00:03:33]But I am walking which is good.

[00:03:35]TJ's out. He went to get me an iced coffee and get me another memory card for my camera because it's full from her birth.

[00:03:45]So, he's going to grab that and I meant to actually pick one up before I came, but I I looked at them I thought I had enough, but obviously it's okay.

[00:03:53]Good thing we have nice iPhones. So, honestly the quality is probably not even that much different. Things that I've been loving. I've been loving this baby blanket that I brought with me.

[00:04:04]This is such a good one. It just has such nice material. It's 100% cotton and it's like really nice and stretchy.

[00:04:10]So, it just wraps around her really good. I've been using my Boppy like crazy.

[00:04:14]Always love to bring this to the hospital with me and then also this big fuzzy blanket. This has been a must.

[00:04:22]These are like my three really main things that I've just been using. So, I love these PJs.

[00:04:30]They are so comfy, but since we're going home today, I'll probably go ahead and get dressed here in a little bit and maybe try to put a little bit of makeup on. I still have some like eye makeup on, but my face makeup is like totally gone. I mean, I haven't done it since before giving birth to her. So, so I'll probably try to put a little bit on before we take some pictures cuz I'm excited to take her little newborn pictures. Oh, and she needs a bath still. I wanted to wait a little while to give her a bath just till you know, have all those benefits of What is it called? Ver- vernix, I think.

[00:05:02]It's like the white stuff on the baby's skin.

[00:05:05]It's just really um there's just different benefits. It's really moisturizing for the baby. Um it helps regulate their um temperature and it also helps with like breastfeeding, bonding, things like that. So, I'm not into the whole wait 2 weeks to give a baby a bath. I don't know. Seems like a really long time to me.

[00:05:26]I'm probably just going to ask to do like a little sponge bath before we leave just to get like the all the stuff out of her hair. So, they are kicking us out because there is an insane amount of babies being born and they literally have no room. So, any healthy baby they are discharging.

[00:05:42]But we are definitely ready to go home anyway. So, we are just loading up.

[00:05:46]Pretty much all we've been doing is this.

[00:05:50]So, it's been wonderful. I didn't mention before, but I did not tear at all. So, I really haven't had to do like any of that special stuff you do during postpartum. Thankfully, praise the Lord.

[00:06:02]Little miss is perfect. She's passed all of her tests.

[00:06:07]And now I just want to get a few pictures with her.

[00:06:10]And then we're going to go home.

[00:06:14]Cuddling Daddy.

[00:06:20]That is a bad baby.

[00:06:22]No, she's just particular.

[00:06:26]Oh, it's so pretty.

[00:06:27]>> [crying] >> Guess what? My baby.

[00:06:30]You got it. The pinky is so big.

[00:06:33]It's okay.

[00:06:34]It's okay, Daddy.

[00:06:36]I love her.

[00:06:38]I think it's a It's okay, Daddy.

[00:06:43]We made it home.

[00:06:45]Go inside. Hey guys, walk inside.

[00:06:50]I want the door. I'll help you. The light switch has to be on and the little buttons on.

[00:06:55]Oh, she's so cute. Your belly is shrinking really well.

[00:07:01]I'm saying welcome home.

[00:07:04]Welcome home.

[00:07:07]Her new home.

[00:07:09]>> hold her, Mommy?

[00:07:10]>> Yeah.

[00:07:13]You cough, too. Mhm. So, do not get her sick. No.

[00:07:18]Jesus will protect her though.

[00:07:21]Be a good big brother taking care of her, huh?

[00:07:29]She just like She's making a beeping sound. Was she?

[00:07:38]See? See her mouth?

[00:07:40]See that?

[00:07:43]Water that we draw up?

[00:07:45]It's not fully drawn.

[00:07:47]Right there.

[00:07:49]That's her mouth.

[00:07:52]This is her hand and then her fingers.

[00:07:54]Riggs, you're good eater.

[00:07:59]That's her arm.

[00:08:01]And her wrist.

[00:08:02]And then this is her elbow. I can really see this arm.

[00:08:07]And that's her hand up there.

[00:08:12]Uh what's it called?

[00:08:14]>> Can I see it?

[00:08:15]>> A robot A robot show? Wall-E? Is it Wall-E? No, it's not. He just said That's cute.

[00:08:24]Are you okay, Dot?

[00:08:27]And they're so tired. Careful, turn No way. You want to try that?

[00:08:32]It came out last year.

[00:08:34]We are now home and hang on. She's losing her pinky here. I'll fix that for you. We've actually had a pretty rough night so far. She was latching so good at the hospital, but I don't know what it was.

[00:08:53]I guess just the change of scenery. But she just like is refusing to latch ever since we got home. It's been a little bit emotional.

[00:09:03]Shh.

[00:09:06]Um this is April Lee.

[00:09:10]Here we go. Here we go.

[00:09:13]Okay. So, a few hours later, but little miss is now very content.

[00:09:21]She has had a really difficult time latching ever since we got home. I don't know what it is. I guess just new environment. I don't know, but it's been a journey and I haven't gotten her to latch since we've been home. So, I've been um expressing in just this medicine cup and then giving it to her through a syringe. So, I've been filling it up about like 2 to 3 ml and just giving it to her that way because I really want to make sure she's getting enough cuz I want to make sure that her blood sugar stays good and doesn't dip too low.

[00:10:03]So, we're just we might be up all night doing that. It's going to be a long night because she has an appointment in the morning at 8:00. So, And we got to be there at 7:30. We got to be there at 7:30, so it's going to be a long night. It's currently 11:20.

[00:10:22]And I think I just finished giving her a feeding and she's asleep, so I'm going to get ready for bed and try to get a few hours in before she's awake and ready to eat again. My dad and my stepmom have the other three kids tonight just so well we get settled and try to get a little bit of rest, you know, but I kind of doubt it's going to be a very restful night.

[00:10:48]But, it's part of newborn life and we'll get through it.

[00:11:25]What happened?

[00:11:25]Yeah, she was terrible. How much?

[00:11:28]I don't care.

[00:11:34]My butt is so dry. I always forget how much a laxative this thing is.

[00:11:39]I know, right?

[00:11:39]>> But, she got to eat.

[00:11:41]It's worth Oh my word, she's pooping right now.

[00:11:46]Big time.

[00:11:47]Okay, let's give you a moment. Finish that.

[00:11:51]I'm still running with no energy drink.

[00:11:54]Yeah, you don't Where is it? Where is it? Where is it, mama?

[00:12:00]Did you end up fixing her car seat?

[00:12:04]Huh?

[00:12:04]Did you need to fix her car seat?

[00:12:07]I don't know till I try to put her in.

[00:12:10]Oh, you mean the buckle?

[00:12:13]No, the buckle.

[00:12:16]>> [crying] >> Oh my god.

[00:12:29]You okay, babe?

[00:12:32]A Band-Aid? What you do?

[00:12:34]What?

[00:12:36]Let me come over there and show you.

[00:12:39]You want to see?

[00:12:40]Oh, you scratched yourself. Mhm, that's where I was getting my thumb.

[00:12:54]I thought I would show my little newborn setup by my bedside. Always by my bed, I keep diapers, wipes, an extra outfit, my hand pump, her Owlet, and also a few of breast pads, and then a white noise machine. I really like this one because it also comes with a light and I can like turn up the brightness and turn it down, so it's really nice for like night feedings. I also keep snacks in here, too, and water.

[00:13:26]Those are like a must for breastfeeding.

[00:13:28]Then we have her little bassinet right by my bed. I love that I have all of her things in here right now. It makes it very, very convenient. I'm not really bleeding that much now, so I've switched over to just like regular pads, and I do really like these Freedom Mom underwear.

[00:13:44]I bought these before the whole crazy stuff that came out with them, so I definitely recommend getting another alternative, but these type of underwear are so much better than the hospital ones, but before when I was like super fresh postpartum, I had all those like big jumbo diapers stuffed in here, but now I just switched to those, and then I didn't really tear anything, so I don't need to use like a bunch of things, thankfully.

[00:14:13]Um I've been through that, been there, done that, but I do use this peri bottle just to kind of clean down there, and I like this one because it has this type of nozzle, and so it's easier to clean than just like a straight nozzle. Today, I am 1 week postpartum. So weird not having a bump anymore. I'm constantly still thinking in my head, "Oh, I haven't felt her kick in a while." Or grabbing my belly. Like when I take a shower, like making sure it's not too hot. Just like little things like that. It's like a whole mind adjustment. This postpartum, I really wanted to be different. I do not want to feel bad ever for how much rest I am giving myself, how much time I have spent just in bed or on the couch or sleeping in or taking naps. Like this round, I told TJ and I told myself that I was going to rest and I was going to soak in this time. I wasn't going to worry about laundry, wasn't going to worry about the house, wasn't going to worry about dishes because I have all my life to worry about those things and this time is so precious and also my body needs that rest. Postpartum, fresh postpartum, the best thing you can do for yourself is to rest. Sleep is healing. TJ has been so wonderful. He's been keeping up with the dishes, keeping up with the laundry. I have been doing things here and there from what I normally do day to day, this is like nothing. This postpartum so far has been such an answer to prayers. My last postpartum experience was very, very rough, and so mentally I was preparing myself and my husband for the experience I had last round. Ever since my milk came in, so my milk usually comes in around day three or day four. Day three or four.

[00:16:13]I think four.

[00:16:14]Anyway, and the last time it came in, I suffered really bad with fevers for like a full week, terrible night sweats. I had awful anxiety. I felt like I had the flu for almost 2 weeks, and I just was taking Motrin around the clock because I was not okay. And I was fully anticipating this postpartum to like be like that, and it has not at all. This whole pregnancy, I've really been praying for my postpartum to either prepare me mentally or just that my body is able to regulate better and my hormones to regulate better, and I think a big thing of why that is is because I have been allowing myself to rest, but I have not had any night sweats. I haven't had any fevers. Something else that I normally deal with is engorgement, like super engorgement, and that is very painful, and this round I have not. I'm definitely still producing a good amount, plenty more than what she needs, but that's okay. I usually use this time to build up a good supply of milk. This postpartum has been just a dream compared to the last time.

[00:17:27]Also, I've had so much help from my family and friends. We have built such a wonderful community at our church, and they set up a meal train.

[00:17:38]Um so, we have someone bringing us a meal every other night, which has been so wonderful, and that is like the biggest thing you can do for a postpartum mom. Like I told my mom and my stepmom, like they're like, "Okay, what do you need?" And I'm like, "Meals." My stepmom just like made us a bunch of ready-to-go breakfast, like burritos and breakfast sandwiches, which has been so wonderful. TJ wakes up usually with the kids while I stay in bed with Dottie as long as I need until I'm ready to get up, and he's been doing breakfast and cleaning up.

[00:18:13]It's been very helpful to have those just like ready-to-go. The after labor contractions were so intense this time.

[00:18:23]So, my first baby, I had like zero.

[00:18:25]Second baby, little bit. Third baby, it was definitely I could feel them, but they were tolerable.

[00:18:32]Fourth baby, literally felt like I was birthing another child. It was so painful, and every single time she would nurse, that's where it would get the worst, and I just had to like hold my breath and just breathe through it like I was having another child, but I mean that's basically what it is. Like your body is now contracting back, but thankfully that let up around day five, where and now I don't even I don't even feel it at all. Okay, so here is my belly. It is definitely very flabby still, and my belly button is still sticking out a lot.

[00:19:12]From the side.

[00:19:14]So, 1 [music] week postpartum.