Check out my previous mama update in Diary of an Overwhelmed First Time Mom.
Everyone kept saying that life with a newborn would get easier around the three-month mark, but after one month that seemed so. far. away. (See post above.) I was so overwhelmed with my recovery and Oliver’s non-stop crying that I couldn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. I just had to take it one a day at a time and keep telling myself it would get easier for us both. Thank goodness it did!
Sure enough, in early December Oliver started to gain some core strength which helped with his burping. Finally! What a relief when burping him didn’t take up the whole time in between feeds and I could actually put him down and take a breath. (Oh the peace and quiet.) We went off his reflux meds and saw a chiropractor, which made a big difference. It was such a joy to hear him start cooing instead of screaming! I knew he was starting to enjoy being alive, because for a while there I wasn’t quite sure.
Feeding
Day: The beginning of the month was still very erratic – between 1-3 hours from the start of a feeding to the start of the next. Now it’s more like 2-3 hours. He feeds well, but still makes a clicking sound pretty often. I think it’s due to my forceful letdown, his high palate and borderline tongue-tie. It’s not causing any other issues so I’m fine with just leaving it for now. I’m still working out how to nurse in public though. That nursing scarf is great but there’s nothing quite like being free to just feed without worrying about covers and hands flying everywhere.
Night: He feeds on the hour for three hours before bed time (whew!), which is somewhere between 9 and 11:00pm. I never quite know. I have to make sure I’m somewhere quiet and that I’m comfortable. No parties for me during this time (see pic below!). He started skipping the early morning feed and started sleeping through till about 4/5/6am in early December. What a HUGE difference this made to our lives. I still have dark circles under my eyes, it’s going to take a lot more sleep to reverse those bad boys.
Why is mom having fun instead of feeding me 24/7?
Sleep
Day: Sleep during the day? What for? Oliver is not a great day sleeper unless he can sleep on your chest. Then he’ll sleep for 2-3 hours no problem. We stopped doing this though because we knew, long term, it wasn’t practical. He is winning the battles, but we will win the war whatever it takes!
Night: Thank goodness he sleeps well at night! And seriously, getting more than 3 hour naps at a time has been pure bliss! Typically he sleeps 6-7 hours with a couple of 5 hour and 8-9 hour nights.
Keeping an eye on me in case I put him down.
Milestones
Giggling
Cooing
Rolling over (and flapping around on his back like a fish out of water)
Grasping toys and putting them in his mouth (sometimes in his eye or on his nose first, lol)
Fun tid bits
Oliver still loves ceiling fans.
He has been experimenting with different types of cries.
The changing table is his time to tell us all the stories.
He loves his milk and whines when we have to stop to burp him (I remind him that he unlatched but somehow it doesn’t help).
He favors his left arm/hand.
He has started kicking and splashing in the bath and loves it! Big smiles.
His hair has fallen out/thinned at the back but is still long in the front. Seriously, one day I noticed it all over his sheet. Ew. I have a thing with hair.
When he sees himself in the mirror, he smiles and bashes his head into our chest like he is shy.
He can’t keep still if you put him on his back. Legs and arms go crazy wild. If we could only harness his energy for our electricity bill.
He looks like an angel when he sleeps. #mamabias
He fusses when we wait at a red traffic light, but falls back asleep as soon as we start moving again. How I pray for those greens 😉
Could he really enjoy being burped now?? Hallelujah!
Mama
I’m doing much better. I am absolutely loving watching Oliver grow and learn about the world. He is so curious and cute. I am recovering well and finally can go for a walk or do some yoga without having pain. I really underestimated how long it was going to take to feel “back to normal” and I still think it’s going to take a while. I still have anxiety about going out with him (or leaving him) but I know that it is just going to take practice. I shouldn’t be embarrassed if my baby cries in public but I am. I don’t know where that came from but it’s just something I need to learn to get used to.
I’ve been doing some light yoga every day this week and that has helped so much. We have a lovely morning ‘routine’ that really gets me pumped for the day. Also I am binge watching “Shadowhunters” after reading all of the books about 4 years ago. Yes, I know, I am a teen reader by heart. I’ll grow up some day.
Any tips or tricks for nap-time during the day?
Do you have any similar parenting anxieties?
What are some fun facts about your baby/child?
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