We are over the moon excited to have welcomed our 4th baby, Holland Sloan, into our family! Today I’m popping in to share more about her, how we picked her name and my 1 week postpartum recovery update.
Holland Sloan was born one week ago on Wednesday April 4th, 2018. 13 days past her due date! She just kept on chunking up with all the extra time in my belly and was my biggest baby at 8 pounds 2 ounces, 19.5 inches long. She has adorable long toes, dark eyes and dark brown hair.
She is the calmest, sweetest baby. For real. The only time she cries so far is if I’m wiping her bottom during a diaper change. Since we’ve been home she’s showed us that she likes to be awake for 2-2.5 hours in the morning, happily looking around, nursing and just staring into our eyes. She then sleep pretty much the whole day, waking a few times to nurse or have a diaper change, but then just keeps on sleeping. In the evening she has another 2-2.5 hour stretch of happy, bright-eyed awake time. She is our best sleeper yet, which I NEED, and you’ll know why later on in the post. I know, I know – I’m probably jinxing myself by sharing that, but it’s true! Basically, she’s a dream baby and we are smitten!
How did we pick the name Holland Sloan?
With our first 3 kids, we decided on their names before they were born. We had the hardest time deciding on her name though! We had a few options to pick from, and when she was born, Holland Sloan seemed just perfect.
I was born in Holland and lived there for some of childhood too. I loved the idea of having meaning behind her name, plus it’s so cute! Jacob thought of the name Sloan and was really drawn to it, so it was an awesome mix from both of us.
The day we came home from the hospital my first tulip bloomed which was the perfect welcome home for little Holland.
A few other names we were considering: Willow, Winter, Hazel, Harlow, Sage
1 week postpartum recovery update
My postpartum recovery has been more rough than any other. Labor and delivery was great. No complications on that end, and even the first couple of nights at the hospital all was well. We went home last Friday, then Saturday morning I woke up just starting to not feel well. Achy and chilled. Then I began to get a low grade fever (around 100F). And right after having a baby? I got scared and just felt worse and worse. Thankfully a friend came over quickly to be with our kids and Jacob, Holland and I headed to the emergency room as the midwife suggested.
They did a bunch of labs, an ultrasound on my uterus, breast check and everything came back normal. All we left with was that sometimes a mom can get a fever when their milk comes in, and mine had that day.
Then my low grade fever just kept on continuing, not really reducing on tylenol and ibuprofen. We had a follow up appointment on Monday. At the appointment we were told it was likely just viral since my temperature was hot, but not technically a fever, and that it should pass in a day or two.
And that bring us to today. Holland is 1 week old! My fever is managed in this moment, but I still have that achy, chilled feeling going on. I finally found a little more relief yesterday and was able to keep my temp lower than 100F more often by standing out in the cold, keeping an ice pack on me and taking cold showers. All I want to do when I’m feeling chilled and achy is hide under all the blankets, but that doesn’t really help me cause. I’m getting more physical relief by trying to keep myself cooler. So bring on all the ice water, ice packs, cold showers and chilly winds! Unless any other symptoms show up, it’s pretty much a waiting game now.
And that is why I am SO THANKFUL Holland sleeps well. I couldn’t imagine trying to recover from this bug, or whatever is going on, without sleep. She is our little blessing!
I’m excited to share her birth story here on the blog + on my podcast Fit Mama Real Food Radio! Thank you all for your sweet well wishes on Instagram and Facebook. We feel so loved and cared for!Heather
5 comments
Congratulations!!!!! She is so cute 🙂
Thank you!!
Congratulations to all! I hope you feel better soon!
Thank you Kelly! I do now, thankfully!
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