What's been happening this month:
- I have been off work for a month and we have had tons of quality time which has been great.
- Blake had her first bottle and she did great. She took to it right away and had no nipple confusion.
- She has been consistently gaining weight, which is good, but not as quickly as we would like. I'm really working on fattening her up. (8lb. 11oz. on day 32)
- She lost her umbilical cord scab at day 6.
- She started to cry real tears at 2 weeks but luckily for me it's only when she is crying really hard, which isn't very often.
- We have been working on getting her used to tummy time but she still really hates it.
- We have started to create a bedtime ritual which includes bath time, story time, and a baby massage.
- We started cloth diapering. I don't do it exclusively yet but more to come on that in a future post on cloth diapering. She has started blowing out the NB diapers so I think it's time to move up a size.
- We have been out to dinner 3 times and been on multiple outings to grandma's, friend's houses, and the beach for walks.
- Blake's puppy brother is adjusting better than I thought he would but he still has work to do. He's terrible when we have visitors (so overprotective) and needs to work on being gentle.
- We have had quite a few sleepless nights but most nights we get one 4 hr stretch followed by two 2 hour stretches which is enough for me.
- Blake is starting to like her swing ad she loves being in the Ergo Baby.
What I've learned so far:
- Be patient. It takes time to figure things out like diapering, dressing, bathing, soothing, burping, feeding, etc etc etc.
- Wait to cut nails until about 2 weeks old because they will be firmer and it's easier. File and use mittens until then. I did this and then still nicked her thumb once. She cried for about 30 seconds and I cried for about 2 hours. The good news is, she won't remember it but I was still traumatized.
- About every 3 or 4 diaper changes put some Aquaphor on her bum (and other areas that could get irritated). It helps prevent diaper rash. She got a tiny bit red and doing this fixed it right away.
- Poop stains!! The sun will magically take care of this if you dry the stained item in the sun. It seriously works like magic.
- The booger sucker (bulb syringe) is your best friend. Along with saline drops. Around 2 or 3 weeks old, Blake started getting huge boogers that blocked her nostrils and she sounded like a Pug trying to breathe.
- Breastfeeding is hard. It's a huge commitment and takes a lot of learning, for both you and the baby. Stick with it because it gets easier and is totally worth it. Also, yes it literally takes all your time in the beginning and that's normal. Don't let people tell you different or make you feel guilty because you're hogging the baby.
- Let Down feels like "pins and needles" for me. It doesn't hurt, it's just like my boobs fell asleep. People kept telling me I would be able to feel it but it took awhile to recognize
- Infant gas drops really help with her fussiness and spitting up. Also feeding her semi-upright and holding her upright for about 20 min after eating helps with spitting up and gas.
- Take the 1st month and do nothing but bond with your baby and husband. You will not regret taking advantage of this special time with your family. Especially if you're like me and have to go back to work now :(
- Enjoy this time because, as cliche as this sounds, it goes by so fast.
A friend of mine calls this the 4th trimester. I LOVE that :)
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