I am back and hopefully for good! It has been a long 9 months but I finally have a chance to sit down and reflect on the life of a working mom with two. Let me first reflect on 9 months postpartum and then on my lupus.
Postpartum: To review, I gained about 45 lbs with Emily and I have lost almost all of it. My start weight was 118lbs and I am currently at 125lbs. My pant size however has greatly increase. With having two kids, I have climbed up two sizes. I am hoping that once summer comes, I can get into a workout routine.
Breastfeeding: I am still breastfeeding Emily and have not had the same problems that I had with Liam. It seems more relaxed this time around. I did have a bout of mastitis at the very beginning but have not had any since then. Things at night are also different. Emily's bedroom is large enough to have a King size bed. I am able to nurse her at night and normally fall asleep while doing so. I will wake an hour later, put her back in her crib and head back to our bedroom till the next time she wakes. She is getting up 2-3 times a night but she does put herself to sleep. Having the ability to sleep while nursing her at night allows me to maintain a healthy amount of sleep. Although I am still slightly sleep deprived, I am not nearly as exhausted as I was.
Lupus: I am glad to say that I am STILL in remission! They have been keeping up on my blood work and my last set, about a week ago, was "excellent" according to my kidney doctor. Anti-A antibodies are negative (lupus antibodies) and my kidney levels are in the normal range. The only abnormal results are trace amounts of protein in my urine (better than the 10 grams when I was diagnosed) and two others.
One of the abnormal tests is my complement C3. According to medlineplus "complement C3 is a blood test that measures the activity of a certain protein that is part of the complement system. The complement system is a group of proteins that move freely through your bloodstream. The proteins work with your immune system and play a role in the development of inflammation. A complement test may be used to monitor people with an autoimmune disorder and to see if treatment for their condition is working. When the complement system is turned on during inflammation, levels of complement proteins may go down." My level are below normal and have been for almost 3 years now.
The last abnormal reading is my BUN number. BUN stands for blood urea nitrogen and urea nitrogen is what is formed when protein is broken down. This is what alarmed me in the beginning when I was first sick. A normal reading is between 6 - 20. When I was sick, it rose to 36 and into the 40s. My most current reading was a 26 and that was an increase from 21, 5 months ago.
That's it for me. Look out for the update on Emily and Liam and one on the new additions to our family coming in April :).
One of the abnormal tests is my complement C3. According to medlineplus "complement C3 is a blood test that measures the activity of a certain protein that is part of the complement system. The complement system is a group of proteins that move freely through your bloodstream. The proteins work with your immune system and play a role in the development of inflammation. A complement test may be used to monitor people with an autoimmune disorder and to see if treatment for their condition is working. When the complement system is turned on during inflammation, levels of complement proteins may go down." My level are below normal and have been for almost 3 years now.
The last abnormal reading is my BUN number. BUN stands for blood urea nitrogen and urea nitrogen is what is formed when protein is broken down. This is what alarmed me in the beginning when I was first sick. A normal reading is between 6 - 20. When I was sick, it rose to 36 and into the 40s. My most current reading was a 26 and that was an increase from 21, 5 months ago.
That's it for me. Look out for the update on Emily and Liam and one on the new additions to our family coming in April :).
