Erica posted about a year as a mom, and here I am 11 months behind, with one month of motherhood under my belt. I can’t believe we’ve had little Eleanor at home for 4 weeks now! We’ve gotten through the month with a lot of blood, sweat and tears as well as many smiles and laughter and overwhelming love.
(us on day 1)
Overall we’re doing really great. Of course we have good days and bad days and our share of ups and downs, but luckily the good/ups really outweigh the bad/downs.
We’re slowly getting into our routines and getting a better handle on our 2-4 hour “mini-days,” as I like to think of them. Feed, sleep, change, repeat. It’s fun getting to know her quirks and some of her preferences, such as how to soothe her and what sounds relax her. So far we’ve learned that the sound of the shower instantly calms her, which is fantastic for me because it means I get a decent shower every day with a content baby in the bouncer next to the shower. No rushing through a shower to rescue the screaming baby for this mom (at least for now). We’ve also found that bouncing her is her favorite way to be calmed aside from the shower–I chalk this one up to how much walking I did while pregnant. When she’s freaking out we sit on the exercise ball and bounce and after a few minutes we usually have a content or sleeping baby on our hands.
(Dad and Eleanor on day 1)
Nursing is still proving to be a challenge, but it’s definitely better. I’ve discovered that dressing rooms make a great place to nurse (as long as there’s a place to sit) when you’re out and about, and that nursing out in public really isn’t that bad (I do use a nursing cover, however–I’m not that brave).
We try and get out once a day to get some fresh air, and it’s getting easier and easier to get out of the house. Now that I’ve broken the nursing-in-public ice, it’s much less daunting to be out and about. I typically try and leave right after a feeding to buy myself some time, but I don’t always get back before the dragon awakes and needs to eat.
(snuggling with grandpa and just hanging out)
I posted on Facebook asking what people do with a newborn, because I watch a lot of TV. I really haven’t found much else we can do with nursing and burping and soothing. I put her in the bouncer at times, but she only tolerates it for so long. I’m starting to be able to set her down longer, but we still have a lot of down time where we just hang out and watch TV. It was worse in the early days when she was taking 1.5-2 hours to nurse and feeding every 2-3 hours.
(smile!)
I think that’s a nice roundup of our first month! It’s amazing how quickly they grow and change and how much you love them from the start. I can’t wait to share more about my experiences with Eleanor and parenting!
(showing off the dimples)
Eleanor is just darling! And I can tell you’ve got the parenting gig down b/c it’s all about the humor. And baby-wearing! So easy when she weighs hardly anything and you have your hands free, easy access to what she wants, and you can do/go anywhere you please. Go explore your city like a tourist! Babies love public transportation and you could see a new ‘hood every day. Have fun…this is a rare opp in your life to wander.
I absolutely adore this final picture of Eleanor!I just couldn’t resist commenting.
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Beautiful girl! Love your post. As for what to do … I recommend the Moby wrap. Wrap her up next to you & go about your day doing whatever (while at home). My daughter loved it & I could do anything. She was always quite content being snuggled up next to me and my hands and legs were totally free. You almost feel a little pregnant again
This was especially helpful w/ #3 as couldn’t just sit & “baby watch” like I did with #1! … congratulations.
Where is the love button? Thanks for sharing.