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month one with baby

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We are officially into month two with baby Charlotte. I’ve learned that during that first month you really just stay at home and try to survive. I’m sharing a few of my favorite items and tips that have made my life a little bit easier those first few weeks – read on.

babyessentials

#1 So by baby #3 none of the frilly, fufu, adorable tiny dresses passed on from baby #1 have been worn. Despite the cuteness, realistically it’s just not comfortable or practical. My favorite baby clothes are soft rompers, sleepers and these Baby Gap gowns. They are awesome for night time changes, you know…when you are half awake, trying not to get peed on let alone snap those sleeper buttons in the correct order :) They are soft, comfy, come in different colors and are frequently on sale.

#2 There is a reason why these aden and anais swaddlers are so popular. I find myself using these frequently as swaddlers, emergency burp cloths, car seat cover, nursing cover… easy to wash and rotate.

#3 Not that you need another gadget BUT if you are anything like me tracking when you last fed your baby becomes a task in itself. I’ve used this Itzbeen for the first month or two with all three kids. My math skills already leave much to be desired let alone with sleep deprivation. This item allows you to track diaper changes, sleeping and and eating…I primarily just use one button to keep track of that 2 1/2 – 3 hour nursing schedule.

#4 Yes, seriously, another baby chair. We had a baby swing that never got any use so I sold it on craigslist and bought this Rock n’ Play Sleeper instead. I figured with my other two causing their usual troubles it would be helpful to have a baby chair that is higher up and easy to transport. Best buy ever. This has been so helpful these first two months. I’m actually quite concerned that Charlotte may have gotten so used to snuggling and napping in this chair that she is not too excited about her crib. But this has been great to take to grandmas and grandpas house and move from upstairs to downstairs when I’m preoccupied with the other two and need the baby close by. I’m a big fan.

#5 For all you nursing mamas, when you start nursing there is a reason why you feel a sudden urge to gulp down a glass of water. Staying hydrated is so always important, but even more so in helping you be successful in breastfeeding. Instead of spilling carrying around a glass of water I’m a HUGE FAN of this awesome Nathan water bottle.

#6 The Boppy Pillow – my favorite nursing pillow

#7 Comfortable sleep bras & cloths for mom. Let’s face it, you still look pregnant, your nursing all the time and most likely very sore. You are not going anywhere. So bum around the house in comfort. I love these sleep bras from Pea in the Pod. Motherhood also has these easy pull down nursing tops and I discovered  some awesome sweat pant leggings at Gap recently. I don’t think they sell them anymore but their Gapbody collection always has some cute lounge wear.

#8 Nursing pads, you go through so many of these. This time around I just purchased a bulk box of Lansinohs on Amazon. You can also purchase reusable pads but my favorites are the Lanisoh ones.

#9 caffeine.

#10 smart phone. At first, those feedings take a LONG time. At least you can be kept up to date on everyone’s facebook lives, instagram photos, pinterest finds, news and the weather for the week.

#11 – not pictured but the most important one of all – your Mr. or Mrs. Wonderful. Let it be your hubby, your mom, sister or dear friend it is so important to have a good support system. Someone to hold the baby when you need break (or need to shower), bring you a meal, make you a cup of coffee, hand you that water bottle or watch your kids. My Mr. Wonderful was able to take some time off of work and it made all the difference. Having him get breakfast ready and watch the other two girls so I can “sleep in” a little with the baby has officially earned him his “Mr. Wonderful” title :)

FP248I’ve been incredibly blessed because either baby Charlotte has just been a pretty easy going, calm newborn or I’ve become more experienced. Month one really hasn’t been too bad. All these things that I posted about WAY back in the day as a new mama still apply. I’ve learned that it’s so important to stay calm regardless if one, or three children, are crying. Your attitude rubs off on them and how you react to things will make a difference to everyone. Nursing can still be a struggle, even the third time around, but it has been easier every time. We still had some latching problems and crying spells in the beginning, but we got through it…calmly.

Breastfeeding month 1:

I kept Charlotte on a 2 1/2 – 3 hour feeding schedule. So yes, even if she was sleeping (during the day) I would wake her up to nurse. At night I would let her sleep as long as she wanted to. I’ve learned that this method helps them differentiate between night and day rather quickly. Did I always stick to a 2 1/2 – 3 hour feeding schedule? No. Sometimes she would wake up earlier needing to be fed – but not too often.

How do I keep her awake through a whole feeding?

Nurse on one side, burp and change diapers in between switching sides to try and keep baby awake. It’s so important to keep them awake through a feeding for #2  reasons. #1 – they get a full feeding and are not waking up 20 minutes later still hungry, if this happens then you are “snack” feeding and it’s not a lot of fun for anyone in the long run. #2 – your breast milk is made up of two kinds of milk, foremilk (comes first) and hindmilk (comes after foremilk). It is important your baby gets to the hindmilk and doesn’t just fill up on foremilk. You can read more about this here.

Introducing your newborn to your other kids:

This hasn’t been an issue for us at all and I think it’s because we haven’t made it an issue. We discussed with Adeline (Amelia was too little to understand) that a baby was coming and all that it involves. When Charlotte was born they both came to the hospital and were introduced. Amelia was quite infatuated but Adeline was not very interested. We never pushed the baby on either one of them, we just let them approach her on their own without a lot of fuss. Surprisingly Amelia was “motherly” towards Charlotte from the very beginning. Adeline was into her own world, still very sweet, but not the first one to run up to her when she was upset. Now that Charlotte is starting to react a bit more I see Adeline coming up to her more and more trying to make her smile :) I think the most important thing to do is to make time (no matter how tired you are) to sit down and spend time/play with the older kids. To give them a hug, snuggle on the couch and watch a movie with them, be present. To make them feel that they are just as important and loved as this new little bundle that entered our lives.

So now we are a few weeks into month 2 -

I find that it is now getting a little harder juggling the three. Charlotte is starting to not sleep as hard and the other two have woken her up more than once with their playing. I’ve tried to put her down in her crib and fuss herself to sleep a bit -  a complete fail. I’ll make that a goal for Month #3. We have good days and bad days. Sometimes she sleeps right on schedule and three kids is a breeze and sometimes she’s gassy and just needs to be held when I don’t have enough hands. She’s a bit addicted to her binky. Oh that binky, I love it and hate it at the same time. You have to be flexible and sometimes it’s okay that cartoons were on for a bit too long some days. I still try and keep life organized for my own sanity so here is our “schedule” at 2 months old:

7:00 – wake up, feeding
9:45ish – feeding
1:00 – feeding
4:00 – feeding
7:00 – feeding
10:00 – feeding/bed
2:00/3:00 – feeding

Give or take 30 minutes. She’s on a 3 – 3 1/2 hour feeding schedule with some awake time and nap time between each feeding. It doesn’t always go according to plan and I change it up a bit when I need to, but I try to stick to this for the most part. I’ve learned that consistency is important in trying to establish some type of routine, and a routine with three little ones makes life just a little easier.

Would love to hear some of your favorite newborn items, tips or experiences!

 

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