Now that my attempts to keep the munchkin asleep all night are finally paying off, it's time for me to adjust to more normal sleeping patterns. I'm an insomniac anyway, so I have always kept late hours (even when I would go to work at 4 AM, I'd be up until 12 or 1 AM.) However, with the baby, I was staying up until 8 AM sometimes, only to sleep off and on during the day. Now it's time for me to start sleeping at night again. I don't know how I'll like it: I've gotten a great nighttime TV show routine mapped out LOL! Once I'm sleeping through the night again, I will have to learn what's good on TV during the daytime :)
Seriously though, I'm spending many waking hours trying to find a way to stay close to my baby once my maternity leave is over. I used to have a daily 4 hour round-trip commute to work. Now that I'm a mommy, I can't imagine wasting 4 hours a day in traffic (instead of spending time with her.) I also can't bear to think about the fact that if she gets sick while I'm working, it'll take me 2 hours to get back to her :( It's time to make some changes ...
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Monday, May 28, 2012
My Trick for Getting the Baby to Sleep All Night ...
The munchkin has been sleeping on a crazy schedule since I brought her home. But now that she's 6 weeks old, I figured I'd try tinkering with her routine, to see if I can get her to sleep all night. I certainly don't have anything to lose: I'm up all kinds of crazy hours, anyway LOL!
As it turns out, my mother told me that she had a trick for getting me to sleep soundly as an infant. I was born in the summer, and it was HOT when I was born. My mother told me what it took to get me to sleepyland: a very cool room, a warm sleeper outfit, and a full belly. I tried the same thing with my munchkin, and it's been working for the past couple of nights! So excited :) I'm hoping that I will be able to get her to sleep beyond 5 hours, though getting her to this point makes me very happy :D
As it turns out, my mother told me that she had a trick for getting me to sleep soundly as an infant. I was born in the summer, and it was HOT when I was born. My mother told me what it took to get me to sleepyland: a very cool room, a warm sleeper outfit, and a full belly. I tried the same thing with my munchkin, and it's been working for the past couple of nights! So excited :) I'm hoping that I will be able to get her to sleep beyond 5 hours, though getting her to this point makes me very happy :D
Friday, May 25, 2012
Postpartum Checkup
I went to my obstetrician for my postpartum checkup. She checked my c-section incision and gave me the go-ahead to resume normal activity :) This is the day I've been waiting for! I will be starting my new diet and workout routine on June 1st. I'll be blogging it about it :) I can't wait to get back to my pre-pregnancy, pre-marriage body.
My body goals are as follows:
-overall size 4
-24 inch waist
-weigh less than 130 lbs
Stay tuned for updates!
My body goals are as follows:
-overall size 4
-24 inch waist
-weigh less than 130 lbs
Stay tuned for updates!
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Word of the Day: Constipation
My poor little munchkin was so constipated over the past day. She was extra fussy and could not sleep more than an hour or two at a time. I perused a few forums, looking for something to give my baby relief. I found my answer here, at BabyCenter. I decided against doing a suppository (the gross factor was just a bit much for me LOL!) I didn't have any dark Karo syrup, but my mother had purchased some baby juice-apple-prune juice- just in case the munchkin needed it. So I did a half juice/half water bottle. I used one ounce of each. After a few hours, the little one filled her diaper, and she slept soundly after that.
I will be giving her juice/water bottles for another couple of days, just to keep her regular, along with cutting back on baby formula and breastfeeding her more. In the meantime, here is another picture of my little pooper-star :)
I will be giving her juice/water bottles for another couple of days, just to keep her regular, along with cutting back on baby formula and breastfeeding her more. In the meantime, here is another picture of my little pooper-star :)
Friday, May 18, 2012
Twitter Thoughts on Motherhood ...
"No one should demonize motherhood. No one should romanticize motherhood. It can liberate. It can enslave. Both are possible." @Anti_Intellect
"Happy Mother's Day! #Motherhood is the most sacred profession. #HappyMothersDay" @DeepakChopra
"Motherhood is near to divinity. It is the highest, holiest service to be assumed by mankind.” - Howard W. Hunter" @GreatestQuotes
" ... Motherhood isn't biology it's 'Love-ology' " @CoryBooker
"Happy mothers day 2 all u wonderful mommies! Hope u get lots of wet kisses & funky art work & back yard peed-on flowers. #motherhood" @kimwilliamspais
"A disorganized, individualistic selfish "community," makes motherhood a burden." @SouljahBooks
"Happy Mother's Day! #Motherhood is the most sacred profession. #HappyMothersDay" @DeepakChopra
"Motherhood is near to divinity. It is the highest, holiest service to be assumed by mankind.” - Howard W. Hunter" @GreatestQuotes
" ... Motherhood isn't biology it's 'Love-ology' " @CoryBooker
"Happy mothers day 2 all u wonderful mommies! Hope u get lots of wet kisses & funky art work & back yard peed-on flowers. #motherhood" @kimwilliamspais
"A disorganized, individualistic selfish "community," makes motherhood a burden." @SouljahBooks
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Word of the Day: Shots
Once upon a time, when I heard the word "shots", I thought of small glasses filled with all kinds of libational goodness. Now, "shots" mean those almost-every-month baby torture sessions. I had a supply of baby Tylenol on hand, just to help the munchkin get through it. Fortunately, she was pretty tough: she squealed for less than 5 minutes, and has been relaxed and comfortable ever since we left the doctor's office. She looked absolutely adorable today:
She's had a hard day. Every nap was well deserved :)
Monday, May 14, 2012
Word of the Day: Breastfeeding
Psst, guess what? I'm doing it, my sister-in-love is doing it, and even Beyonce is doing it. What are we all doing? Breast feeding, of course! It's free, helps promote the bonding process, gives baby the best nutrition, helps your stay busty longer, and helps you lose the baby weight super-fast. So many bonuses to it, why would anyone opt out of breastfeeding?
Well, it isn't exactly a "natural" sensation, especially for first time mothers. It actually hurts when you're figuring it out (and forget all those folks who say that it doesn't hurt once the latch is correct: it hurts until you get used to it.) It means that you have to feed frequently (baby's bodies process breast milk far faster than formula.) You also have to keep up your healthy pregnancy eating habits (along with eating an additional 350-500 calories a day), which can be time consuming for a new mom. You will have a wet shirt or two, until you get baby on a good schedule or until you start buying those breast milk pads for your bra. Oh yeah, only you can produce your breast milk so, unless you pump, you can't hand off the baby for feedings: you will have to do all of the feedings yourself.
I weighed the option and decided to primarily breast feed, while giving the baby no more than 4 ounces of formula per day, to start. Now that she's eating 4 ounces per feeding, I do 8 ounces of formula per day (2 small bottles) and breastfeed for the rest of the day. So far it's been working well. I'm glad that she hasn't had any issues with nipple confusion or problems with digesting formula. I use Enfamil's Newborn formula, but I'll be giving Similac a try, as well. I registered with both the Enfamil and Similac websites. I received lots of formula to try (nice sized cans: no wimpy sample sizes LOL!) I'm making mental notes of how her stools look when using Enfamil (per Similac, their formula creates stools that are far more similar to the bowel movements of breastfed babies, since their formula is supposed to be closer to mother's milk.) I'll then compare her stools to how they look with Similac. I'll be monitoring for general gassiness, vomit, fussiness, etc., to see which formula she favors, then I'll make my final decision.
Like I mentioned earlier, breastfeeding can be uncomfortable. It doesn't help when you have dry, sore, cracked nipples. I tried Medela's nipple cream while I was in the hospital, and it worked well. However, I had a sample sized bottle so I either had to buy more or find an alternative. Also, I still use soap on my breasts (which is generally discouraged while breastfeeding, since it removes your skin's natural protective oils.) Here's a little tip that I have for breastfeeding moms: olive oil, post shower, is great for applying to sore, dry breasts and nipples. It absorbs into skin easily, it's all natural, and it's a food product, so you don't have to worry about it making your baby sick, should you have to breastfeed soon after applying it. Any olive oil works, though heavier versions (extra virgin olive oil, as opposed to extra light olive oil) tend to be a little better for me.
That's my words on breastfeeding. For more breastfeeding information, I go to this site: http://breastfedblog.blogspot.com/ Yeah, you can Google your answers, but I find this blog more informative and fun :) The information on co-sleeping was very useful, as I had a c-section and found that hopping out of the bed every couple of hours to get a hungry infant was just too much. I have been co-sleeping-though slowly weaning her off of it-since the baby came home (she's napping in her bassinet more, now that my incision has healed considerably.)
For the moms who want to supplement breastfeeding with formula feedings, check out the websites for Enfamil and Similac. Those freebies are a big help!
Well, it isn't exactly a "natural" sensation, especially for first time mothers. It actually hurts when you're figuring it out (and forget all those folks who say that it doesn't hurt once the latch is correct: it hurts until you get used to it.) It means that you have to feed frequently (baby's bodies process breast milk far faster than formula.) You also have to keep up your healthy pregnancy eating habits (along with eating an additional 350-500 calories a day), which can be time consuming for a new mom. You will have a wet shirt or two, until you get baby on a good schedule or until you start buying those breast milk pads for your bra. Oh yeah, only you can produce your breast milk so, unless you pump, you can't hand off the baby for feedings: you will have to do all of the feedings yourself.
I weighed the option and decided to primarily breast feed, while giving the baby no more than 4 ounces of formula per day, to start. Now that she's eating 4 ounces per feeding, I do 8 ounces of formula per day (2 small bottles) and breastfeed for the rest of the day. So far it's been working well. I'm glad that she hasn't had any issues with nipple confusion or problems with digesting formula. I use Enfamil's Newborn formula, but I'll be giving Similac a try, as well. I registered with both the Enfamil and Similac websites. I received lots of formula to try (nice sized cans: no wimpy sample sizes LOL!) I'm making mental notes of how her stools look when using Enfamil (per Similac, their formula creates stools that are far more similar to the bowel movements of breastfed babies, since their formula is supposed to be closer to mother's milk.) I'll then compare her stools to how they look with Similac. I'll be monitoring for general gassiness, vomit, fussiness, etc., to see which formula she favors, then I'll make my final decision.
Like I mentioned earlier, breastfeeding can be uncomfortable. It doesn't help when you have dry, sore, cracked nipples. I tried Medela's nipple cream while I was in the hospital, and it worked well. However, I had a sample sized bottle so I either had to buy more or find an alternative. Also, I still use soap on my breasts (which is generally discouraged while breastfeeding, since it removes your skin's natural protective oils.) Here's a little tip that I have for breastfeeding moms: olive oil, post shower, is great for applying to sore, dry breasts and nipples. It absorbs into skin easily, it's all natural, and it's a food product, so you don't have to worry about it making your baby sick, should you have to breastfeed soon after applying it. Any olive oil works, though heavier versions (extra virgin olive oil, as opposed to extra light olive oil) tend to be a little better for me.
That's my words on breastfeeding. For more breastfeeding information, I go to this site: http://breastfedblog.blogspot.com/ Yeah, you can Google your answers, but I find this blog more informative and fun :) The information on co-sleeping was very useful, as I had a c-section and found that hopping out of the bed every couple of hours to get a hungry infant was just too much. I have been co-sleeping-though slowly weaning her off of it-since the baby came home (she's napping in her bassinet more, now that my incision has healed considerably.)
For the moms who want to supplement breastfeeding with formula feedings, check out the websites for Enfamil and Similac. Those freebies are a big help!
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