Sometimes it’s hard to believe you’re a month old and other times it seems like you’ve been here much longer than a month! (Actually you’re almost 6 weeks old right now as I’m a bit behind in my blogs, as usual…) But I’ve noticed quite a few changes in you this month! We’re solidly in the newborn stage and it’s been rough, but it’s getting a little better day by day.
Sleep always seems to be the main concern of people with newborns. You gave us a few nights your first month where you slept 5.5 hours straight and it was AMAZING. But usually you’re up every 2-3 hours. Daddy usually tops you off with a bottle of formula while I pump around 10:30-11pm and then you’re usually up by 3am. I make you a 3oz bottle of formula then and sometimes you drink it all, but usually you take an ounce or two and are back to sleep. Then you typically sleep until around 6am, although these past few weeks you’ve been a bit fussy between 3 and 6 so I nurse you during that time. Around 6:30am you usually want more so I typically give you another bottle and you drink some of it. Sometimes I can get you back to sleep for a while and sometimes you’re pretty much awake at that time. Your most awake time is usually in the mornings and lately in the evenings around 5pm-ish. The rest of the day you sleep (on me) and then you eat a little bit and sleep some more and eat some more. You aren’t really having “full meals” yet, you kind of like to graze. And if I put you down you typically won’t sleep more than 20 mins. Usually within 5 mins you’re screaming, which makes it super fun to try to get anything done. Luckily you’re cute.
Eating has been a challenge for us this month. I’m trying to nurse you as much as possible, but you typically pass out as soon as I get you on the boob, which is hurting my supply big time. I rented a hospital grade pump ($90/month), met with a lactation consultant ($100), bought a supplemental nursing system ($20) and bought 3 supplements ($80) so I’ve been able to somewhat keep my supple up. You’re waking up more now to where you actually will nurse for a little while, but I still try to top you off with pumped milk or formula so I know you’re getting enough. I don’t want another Ben situation. You don’t seem to have any nipple confusion and you’ll drink out of any bottle we give you and you latch okay, you just fall asleep every time I nurse you. They say breastfeeding is cheaper, but I’m going to call BS on that one for right now… Although I did buy 2 large containers of formula at Costco and they were $38 each. We still have one of them left and part of another one. But that’s less that the hospital pump rental…
You were up about a pound from your birth weight at a month old. You hate car rides and scream the entire time you’re in your car seat. You don’t seem particularly interested in a paci. You will rarely take one and once you realize it’s a paci and not a bottle, you spit it out. You aren’t a big fan of baths at all, but you like getting your hair washed. You didn’t get your first bath until you were about 3 weeks old and we only gave you 2 baths that first month. We washed your hair and wiped you down once too. The joys of being #4… I think we gave Abbie a bath every day when she was born…
We co-sleep with you. And by “we” I mean “I” sleep with you. I know it’s between sleeping uncomfortably or not sleeping at all, so I choose the uncomfortable part. Hopefully I can get you sleeping more in your bassinet in the next month or two. Or actually anywhere but on me, but we’ll do baby steps for now… And I’ll try to relish in these baby snuggles, which I do love, just not ALL the time. I would give anything to be able to actually move when I sleep, but I don’t move at all when you’re tucked in next to me. And I typically sleep with your head just underneath my chin. I do like having you close by to check that you’re breathing okay. When you’re not sleeping on me I’m constantly checking to see if you are still breathing or if anything is over your nose/mouth. I am hoping to slowly transition you to your own bed soon, but right now sleep is more important to me. I don’t function well on little sleep.
I do have pictures of you on my good camera that I will post eventually, but for now, here is my phone bump of all the pictures I took of you your first month (after we got out of the hospitals that is). The big kids all love you and have been really good with you. It’s fun to see them interact with you, especially since that means they’re usually not fighting, unless they’re fighting over you, which has been known to happen….
I can’t wait to see what the next month holds for us! Don’t get big too fast! (Just start sleeping through the night… That would be nice.)
Here’s Abbie, Ben, Jamison and you at a month old!
