1. I'm constantly questioning myself in regards to this baby. Should I let her sleep this long? Should I wake her up? When should I feed her? Should I bathe her or feed her first? Should I put her in her crib tonight? Can I wear earplugs so I don't wake up every time she moves? How am I going to ever learn to leave the house if I've got to be somewhere? Why is she still crying? Is she colicky or is this just how babies are? Why doesn't she fall asleep until 1 am? Why is it that the only way she'll sleep is in her boppy pillow? Is that safe? I only have questions. I have no answers. And that makes me anxious.
2. I haven't thrown up once since the baby was born. I'm able to eat beef again. And, Husband made some sausage the other day and the smell didn't make me even a little sick. He's been waiting for that moment for over eight months.
3. I'm happy to say that my feet and ankles appear to have returned to pre-pregnancy size. No more swelling! I'd forgotten what my ankle and foot bones look like. I can just slide my feet into my flip flops - not jam and coax them in.
4. Breast feeding for 40 minutes in the middle of the night takes at least three hours. I can barely stay awake. I'm scared I'm going to fall asleep and smother my baby.
5. Is there an unspoken rule among babies that they can only have a dirty diaper after they've been bathed, dressed in jammies with billions of snaps, and swaddled up?
8 comments:
Erin! There is a book called "Baby Wise" by Gary Ezzo and Robert Bucknam that is going to save your sanity. You can even visit this blog http://www.babywisemom.com/ to read about a real mom who really tried it. My sister's and I used this method after discovering it and found that just as it's your first time being a mom, your baby is new at this too and you can all get through it with a little bit of training. ;) Good luck!
I was a worried mom just like you when I had my first son. Especially when it came to sleeping. Here's what I've learned after my two sons in regards to your questions:
1. -Let her sleep! -Never wake a sleeping child. -Feed her when she wakes up. Then let her stay awake and play. Then back to sleep. -Bathe her after she eats. Or before bedtime to help establish a nighttime routine. -Are you co-sleeping? I always put my boys in their cribs. A lot less to worry about and I was able to sleep better by not hearing every move they made. -In the beginning, my first son only slept in his boppy pillow as well. I think it's a comfort thing. I didn't worry about it and let him do it.
4. Breastfeeding for 40 minutes? Good for you! My first son nursed for 30, but my second would only nurse for five minutes on each side!
5. Yes. Yes, there is.
Erin, I am what you call a blogstalker...sorry...but I got a suggestion for you...does she sleep in the crib? if so you can roll up a small baby blanket and lay it under the mattress so that the mattress will be slightly angled. Remember the little carriers they were in the hospital were raised on one side. This seemed to help with my two kiddos! Good luck, and don't worry...you are the mom and you always know best!
Hmmm... I can remember those jitters when I first had Gabi. So, so hard to know what to do. I heard a funny joke about it the other day. The guy said, "They train you for two weeks to work at Applebees but they just hand you over a baby? No questions asked?"
I definitely felt unqualified those first few weeks. But, I will say that once I felt really, truly bonded and settled into motherhood (which can take awhile) NO one - not even the pedi - could tell me what to do with my kid. You'll experience that soon enough. Suddenly, you'll just "get" it.
In the meantime, if you need ANY help, let me know and I'm there. I love, love, love that sweet baby Carolyn.
PS - You need to have Kyle take her newborn pics before she outgrows that sleepy baby stage.
I totally echo the "Baby Wise" advice. Somethings you have to take with a grain of salt and adapt to you, but for the most part, I totally agree with everything they teach. It did a world of good helping to understand what the heck is going on with these new babies and what the heck I was supposed to do. And I say to babies sleeping in the boppy pillow, if she sleeps, it's a keeper!
Let her sleep in her crib from the beginning. I have never slept with any of my babies in my room because I do wake up to every single thing they do. You will hear her cry when she needs you. My favorite Pediatrician (my dad) says to not even have baby monitors because it really interrupts everyone's sleep cycles. Again, you will hear the baby when the baby needs you.
And I KNOW that you are doing a good job all the way from here. How do I know, because you are all still alive. Whatever you are doing is working, so keep it up!
You will soon become the expert, and know more about your baby than you ever thought you could know another person that can't even speak!
I thought being able to EAT again after having my baby was wonderful!!!
I skimmed the other replies so sorry if this is redundant!
Marlee (2months old now) sleeps best propped up on a pillow. So we have one in her crib with her...although now she wiggles and likes to sleep on her side...so I'm thinking about taking it out! Don't worry about how your baby sleeps right now. When she gets more mobile, it'll change! :)
Let her sleep when she wants and eat when she wants. Eventually a routine will fall into place and you'll be amazed at how well you understand without words! :)
I was overly thrilled to see my normal feet and ankles too ;)
As Grandma Ivy says... "There are no answers, only the search." Good luck searching! I'm sure you'll be a great mom.
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