It's been a blur these past 4 weeks. Every day feels long, but the weeks fly by. Every day something new.
Weight: His last weigh in was at 3 weeks. He was 8lbs 1 oz.
Health: According to the drs he's in perfect health. He's alert when he's awake, he feeds well and he sleep well. He has been gassy so we're trying to go dairy free for him. Going gluten free was hard, and I still cheat, but going dairy free? I LOVE cheese and yogurt. He's worth it. I suspect it will just be temporarily until his gut flora and intestines mature a little more. We'll reevaluate in a few months.
Sleep: There are some days where he just wants to sleep on me and putting him down starts the entire feed, activity, sleep process all over. There are far worse ways to spend a day than being stuck under a sleeping baby. He's so toasty warm too which is great for me since I'm always cold these days.
At night he sleeps 2-3 hours, sometimes he's blessed me with 4. He's a great nighttime baby. Very much like his dad and likes to sleep!
Social: starting to smile at us now. He coos, he gurgles and he laughs in his sleep like Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory. (Seriously, it's hilarious and adorable)
Diet: ME! We're exclusively breastfeeding and I love it. Judging by the coos and smiles and how he falls sleep soundly after eating, I'm guessing Gabriel loves it too. It's amazing to feel so close to him. It's great to be able to feed him wherever, whenever and not have to worry about cleaning bottles or prepping anything or making sure I have enough with me when I go.
There are some days I feel completely empty when he cluster feeds, but I'm always amazed at my body to provide. Mothers truly are remarkable.
I'm continuing to eat gluten free and am considering diary free for his sake. We'll see how that goes in the next month.
Clothes: He's outgrown his newborn clothes and is now wearing 0-3. He has such long legs that a few of his sleepers aren't fitting him either. He's had a lot of clothes given as gifts or offloaded from friends who have sons that don't fit it anymore.
Baby Gear Love: Wraps - Moby, Maya Ring Sling, Babyhawk Mei Tei. I don't know what I'd do without them. Love the Graco Fast Action Jogger stroller we bought. It's so easy to push and the car seat clips in really quickly. Costco sleepers (Peckle) - they are soft, warm and have long enough legs for him.
Crying: He's had an increase of crying around his 3.5 - 4 week mark which is typical for babies I've read. We realized he had really bad gas and tried to do all the suggestions we've heard and read but nothing really worked. We figured out, and this is going to sound strange, that his cloth diapers were hindering his ability to pass gas. He outgrew his newborn diapers so we put him in his one size Bum Genius 4.0. They say they start at 8lbs. That's a lie. He couldn't bend his legs or his body. I realized that overnight when we use disposables he doesn't fuss and doesn't have gas pains. I thought I'd experiment for a day without his cloth on and it made a huge difference for him. We will definitely get back to using cloth again since we both like it, but for now, this is working for us.
Likes: He loves his play mat and the octopus that he got at the baby shower. He hits it with his hand and smiles. He also loves staring at himself in the mirror. Handsome fellow, so I can't blame him.
Cuddles. He loves to cuddle on his belly against Gilles or I on our chests. He can sleep there for hours.
Dislikes: Hard to say sometimes. Something that worked the day or 4 hours before, he doesn't like later.
Cloth diapers (for now. See Crying)
Postpartum:
Physically - My stitches dissolved the second week. I limited myself to going up and down the stairs once per day only to protect and heal the pelvic floor muscles. Lots of naps when he napped. Thankfully had Gilles home the first two weeks which made a huge difference. He made all the meals and kept me hydrated as well as kept me sane with the dogs. Now at the one month mark I'm able to go for at least a 30 minute walk and have no issues with soreness.
Emotionally - I'm so thankful for my placenta pills. Maybe it's a placebo, maybe it's not. I am at risk for post-partum depression so it was a no-brainer to get the pills done. I started taking them as soon as I got them from our doula. Most days I take one, but there have been a few meltdowns where I just couldn't cope and took 2. I've had a couple nights where I've rocked him and been crying. I'm so thankful for Gilles and him being so understanding. He just gives me a hug and tells me I'm doing great and asks what I need.
Milestones: He lost his umbilical stump around 6 days. He's alert more often. He likes to stare at the roof where the blinds make shadows. We've seen a few smiles and cooing.
