Michael's 1st Month!

Michael turned a month old on April 8th!

 

As cliché as it sounds I can't believe that our sweet boy has already been with us a month. It seems like just yesterday we found out that I was pregnant and now he is here!

Nursing:  Michael is still eating like a champ! He has started to speed up occasionally finishing one side in 15 minutes. I still offer the other side and then always start with that side for the next feeding. Michael got his first bottle from dad on 3/31. I want to make sure that he is comfortable with it by the time I go back to work but not give them so often that he gets confused. So my goal is a bottle every few days for now and then closer to returning to work give a bottle a day. Trying to find the time and balance for pumping without messing up my supply is hard. I probably read too much info sometimes but everyone has a different opinion. So we will see how it goes and what works best for us.

 

1st Bottle!

 

Sleep: He has started to stretch out his night time sleeping to 3 hours at time for most nights. He will nap still in the pack n' play, bassinet and rock n' play. We tried a Summer Infant SwaddleMe and he still has a mini-meltdown when we first put him in it but he then settles down and is able to sleep.

 

About Michael: His eyes are still very blue! His hair seems to be lightening up to me and he still has a bad case of baby acne. He is around 10+lbs  according to our bathroom scale. He is in size 1 diapers and 0-3 month clothing with the exception of newborn onesies. He has slowed down on the BMs he has 3-4 a day but still has plenty of wet diapers. He doesn't seem to be effected by any of the foods I have eaten so far.  He prefers tummy time on the bobby pillow vs. on a flat surface. He likes car rides and going for walks around the neighborhood in the stroller. He still loves the wrap carrier for trips to the grocery store or around the house when I need to get stuff done and he is fussy. He loves music and his white noise. He is still very laid back most of the time. He is still very alert and wants to look around and see what's going on when he's awake.

Spending the day with his Great Granny!

Being silly with Grandma trying on a new hat!

 



His hair is already over the top of his ear!



Modeling his overalls for Aunt Heather

 



Monthly shot next to Teddy



Mr. Blue Eyes



 

 

 

Big Brother always checking out what's going on!

 

 

 

Postpartum: I have really enjoyed adding walks outside to our routine. We go everyday, weather permitting and it is a great stress reliever and I know it's doing my body some good. I can't wait to go back for my 6 week checkup and get the ok to start back with exercising. I have started with light weights for my arms and I do squats everyday but I want to work up a sweat! I have lost another 5 lbs which brings me to a total of 35 of the 45 I gained during the pregnancy. I still need to lose another 25-35 after that to be at my ideal weigh so I plan to really work towards that long term goal.

 

Easter Sunday

Michael's 2nd and 3rd week

March 15^th-28^th

Week 2 & 3 Summary

Nursing:

Michael is a growing boy! We have gone through a few days of cluster feeding which was a little rough sleep wise. He is now nursing about 20 minutes on the first side and I offer the second side which he sometimes takes for 5-10 minutes and sometimes he is content with just the first side. Michael still wants to eat every 2.5 hours with the occasional shortened time span during the day.  I have started to do a random pumping session here and there to get my body used to the pump for when I go back to work and to start working on a freezer stash.

  Big Brother Buster is always close by!

Sleep:

Michael is sleeping for about 2 hours at a time with the occasional 3 hour stretch at night. He does well in his pack n’ play, cradle and rock n’ play sleeper. He also sleeps like a champ in my carrier wrap and the car seat if we are out and about.  He hates to be swaddled! It dawned on me that during our anatomy scan his hands were up by his face or behind his head the whole time. This is how he likes to sleep now. So this causes either a meltdown if we try the swaddle or the occasional startled cry during a nap which he is able to settle himself back down most of the time.

Wearing a cute hat given to us by a sweet coworker

He celebrated his first "holiday" St. Patrick's Day!

About Michael:

 He wasn't too sure what to think about bath time!
 

Michael had his 2 week checkup on 3/24/2015 and he was already up two pounds from his discharge weight from the hospital, 9lbs and 2oz. The doctor checked him out and said everything looked good and we don’t have to go back until the 2 month checkup. He has outgrown any newborn outfits that have footie bottoms. His legs are too long and his feet are too big! He can still wear NB onesies and he switched from NB to size 1 diapers during week 2 and 3.  He is still having 10+ wet diapers and 5-7 poop diapers a day. It is very easy to know when he has a dirty diaper because he is so loud when he toots or poops!  He still has the white bumps on his nose and now his has baby acne. We are hoping it will all clear up pretty soon. To me his hair looks like it is starting to lighten up and his eyebrows and eyelashes are also coming in very light colored. Everyone who gets to see Michael in real life always comments on how alert his is already. This might not be the best thing when it comes to sleep but we love playing, singing and enjoying him right now! Multiple people also comment on how strong he is when it comes to his neck control. He can easily hold his head up for 5 seconds by himself. It will catch you off guard occasionally when it seems like he is trying to escape your arms!

A flower arrangement from one of Michael's Great Grandmothers for his 1 week birthday!

We also had his newborn pictures done and they turned out wonderfully! We love our Photographer!

 

 

 

 

Postpartum:


The first week was going as well as a major life changing event like having baby could go then we got into the second week. I started to notice some redness on my incision site along with an itchy feeling. I waited a day or two to see if I was overacting or if something really was up. On the 3rd day it looked AWFUL! It was red and it itched so bad I could have drawn blood with the way I wanted to scratch it. I called the doctor and set up an appointment for next day and then had a meltdown for a few minutes. I just went and lay down on the bed and had a good cry. My husband was sweet and came in and was comforting me saying all kinds of sweet things. So the next day we went to get it checked out and the MD thought it presented more like a reaction to the stuff used to seal me up vs. an infection. I was very relieved. He put me on a 3 day antibiotic and scheduled a follow up for the next week. Within a few hours of taking the antibiotics it felt less itchy so I knew we were on the right path. By the follow up appointment 5 days later it looked and felt 100% better.  My bleeding had slowed down to almost nothing by the 3rd week too. I lost another 10 pounds this week which felt good when I look at the scale but the mirror isn’t as nice! Ha-ha. I have a long way to go but that’s ok.

Belly Shot at 2 weeks Postpartum

We are taking it slow and I wouldn’t trade anything for this precious baby boy!