Weight: 9 lbs 11 oz, in the 50th percentile
Height: 22 in, in the 75th percentile
He has finally surpassed his birth weight! Two weeks ago he was still less than 9 pounds and I was getting worried. I am so happy to see he has gained weight! He has also grown half an inch and is now too long for his newborn footie pajamas. He is wearing some newborn clothes and some 0-3 month clothes, depending on the brand.
He goes through 3-hour cycles during the day of nursing, awake time, and napping. At night he usually wakes up to eat every 4 hours, sometimes 5. We swaddle him and put him to sleep in the bassinet attachment on our pack-n-play next to our bed and it has been working out great. During the day he usually naps while I'm holding him, or in the k'tan carrier, which we LOVE! If he is fussy he usually calms right down when I put him in the k'tan. We also introduced the pacifier recently and it helps a lot with the fussiness. When he falls asleep and it falls out of his mouth, he doesn't wake up and cry for it, so I am happy about that.
I am finally starting to feel like I'm getting the hang of things. He is sleeping longer at night, so while I am still tired a lot, I don't feel like I just can't make it through the day anymore. Because of the paci, we no longer have many of the long crying spells that put me in tears. And with experience I am figuring out what soothes him. I have learned when is the best time to take a shower with him in the bouncy seat in the bathroom with me. If I time it right, we can even run an errand in between feedings.
I have learned that life with a newborn is wonderful and very challenging at the same time. I have had to lower my standards for what I can accomplish in a day. I'm happy if I can shower and do some basic chores. This has been kind of difficult for me to adjust to since I like my house to be clean, and I like to check things off my to-do list. I've also had to get used to broken sleep. I may get 6 or 7 hours of sleep in a night, but it is broken up into 3 hour stretches with an hour of being awake in between. When I finally do fall into bed, I don't sleep very well and wake up multiple times in that 3-hour period. It feels a lot like sleeping with the snooze constantly on. Breastfeeding is another challenge. A month in and I still have pain, though it is much better than at the beginning. I am trying to wean off the nipple shield and it is frustrating for both of us. So far it's more of a chore than anything, but I am grateful that I can breastfeed him and I hope that it will get to be easier and more pleasant eventually. But all these things are so worth it when I look at my sweet little boy. He is such a joy!
I can see him getting more alert and inquisitive every day. He likes to look at our faces and out the window. He makes the cutest little faces, especially when he's stretching. I love his skinny little legs and feet; he's my long and skinny boy. And he looks so peaceful and angelic when he's sleeping. I am at the same time happy that he is growing and maturing, and sad when I think about him getting bigger and outgrowing these cute little newborn mannerisms. We love him so much!
Kari,
ReplyDeleteAgain, you remind me so much of my experience as a first time mom (I now have 2 little girls, ages 3 and 1/2 and 19 months). Aubri was a large baby with a long recovery due to a tear (as I mentioned previously) and I, too, had a difficult time with nursing the first time and used the nipple shield for several weeks. It DOES get easier! Don't be afraid to reach out to other moms or to call a lactation consultant or your local La Leche League. They're a wonderful resource! The first 6 weeks are definitely the hardest!
Something else that worked for us was putting Aubri in the bouncy seat while I was in the shower and turning the hair dryer on low as white noise...usually put her right to sleep :) Hang in there! From the looks of it, he's growing and you're doing a great job!
Korie (Annie's friend)