Yet another update

I never know how to begin these blog posts. I feel like I’m just writing yet another update on the misery that is my life currently. But we receive text messages daily checking in on “how we’re doing”, so I feel like it is necessary. At least, it makes my life easier to just update everyone at once.

So how are we doing? We’re surviving. We wake up every day, and eat breakfast and then proceed to attempt to be distracted from our heartbreak. Stefan plays video games. I begin and reject at least 3 different TV shows, 2 different books and a movie. I usually end up just laying on the couch, in Stefan’s lap, snuggling Analiese’s bear, doing absolutely nothing. I feel numb right now. I can go large periods of every day without feeling any emotions at all. And then I feel guilty, because I’m not actively sad, so I look at her pictures. And then I get overwhelmed with grief, and snuggle her bear harder.

Most of the time, it doesn’t feel real. Physically my recovery is easy, and I fit in all my pre-pregnancy clothes. There’s nothing physical to remind me that my daughter was born, and died, 13 days ago. It’s all emotional. So when I have those moments of sweeping grief, I feel guilty on top of everything else that I’m not overwhelmingly sad all day every day.

On Monday, Stefan and I went to Lasting Tributes and picked up Analiese’s ashes. Yesterday we went and had a friend’s mom open up the back of her bear, and put her ashes inside it. So now, when I snuggle her bear, I’m able to snuggle my daughter as well. Not the way I desperately want, but better than nothing.

Someone recently described grief as waves. Some of them you can jump over, and some of them knock you flat on your back and make you feel like you’re drowning. Most of the waves I’m hit with are the latter.

There isn’t words for what we feel, or how we’re doing. We are just taking every day moment by moment until it is time to go to bed, and then we do it all over again the next day.

I’m still pumping, and I’m almost finished with the process so that I can donate. I average about 25 ounces a day now, and it still lifts my spirits, knowing that Analiese’s birth has given me a way to help so many babies. I’m not gonna lie though, I’d rather be feeding my baby.