ONE MONTH OLD!

My baby is one month old today! Wow, that time went by fast but slow. I keep thinking that it feels like I've had him forever and forget what it's like to be pregnant although I was so uncomfortable at the end.

It has been a crazy, exhausting month. But, I've loved it! Being a mom has been scary, stressful, and so amazing.  I spend hours a day staring at the little boy I carried for 41+ weeks and it just warms my heart. You really do love in a different way when you become a parent.

The first month has went rather well. My mom was here for 3 weeks which was helpful to have an extra set of hands. She's also now known as the baby whisperer, she has a magic way of holding him.

Just this week, he was diagnosed with silent reflux and now that I've learned more about it he has so many classic symptoms: sour breath, likes to sleep on an incline (Rock N Play, swing/bouncer or carseat), refusing to eat or only eating a few minutes then stopping, insane hiccups, randomly spitting up mouthfuls of breastmilk 15+ minutes later, arching his back, lots of gas, congestion, clogged tear duct, etc. Hopefully the medicine kicks in quickly and he stops suffering. The next suggestion (if meds don't work) is eliminations from the mom's diet... I really don't know if I could give up dairy.

Sleep: He actually sleeps pretty well for his age- one 4-5 hour stretch and then a 3 hour stretch. I know this will all change in the next few weeks but for now we'll take it. I'm waiting until he is 3 months old to try to get him into more of a schedule/routine. We have a bunch of trips between now and then so we'll stick to baby-led sleeping habits for now. When he wakes up in the middle of the night, Dave gets him and changes his diaper while I sleep a little longer. Then, he brings him into me to feed him. I feed him, hold him until I'm certain he's asleep and then put him back in his bed until his next wake up where we repeat...

Breastfeeding: Breastfeeding has went pretty well. I was very nervous about my supply because of my breast reduction surgeries but it seems to be ok. I've been working very closely with a lactation consultant named Doris who is amazing. She can tell me my symptoms and knows everything that is going on. She actually is the one who diagnosed Luke with the silent reflux and referred us to the pediatrician. She definitely has made me more successful at breastfeeding, I'm not sure I could've done it without her. I think I would've quit already. Luke has a strong latch and I have had nipple trauma that should've healed by now but I finally have a RX cream that should help. We've been going in almost weekly for weighted feeds (she weighs him, he eats, we weigh him again) to see how much he eats and also to try to heal my destroyed nipples. I've also been going to La Leche League meetings which are a wealth of information and I've met some new friends there. I try to pump once a day so Dave can help with one feeding a day. Now that he's a month, I might try to pump twice a day to get a freezer stash started.

Cloth Diapering: LOVE IT. Cloth diapering has went better than i expected, I really don't mind the laundry at all. We've used disposables a few times and Luke looked like he was wearing a red bikini. The chemicals in the pampers also gagged me, they smelled so gross. We are finished with our trial from Jillian's Drawers, I'm in the process of boxing them up to send back. Hopefully he will fit in our one-sizes soon (around 10 lbs), in the meantime we'll just do laundry more often (everyday).

My Recovery: I think I bounced back very quickly from childbirth. I was walking immediately and have continued trying to walk a few miles most days. We had visitors right away, went out to the store/restaurants, etc and I felt back to normal within days. Also my post-partum bleeding stopped pretty quickly (3 weeks). It helped that my mom was here to let me shower, eat, help take him out, etc.

Staying Busy: I try to have something planned everyday. We go to a new mom's group, signed up for a 3 session infant massage class (helps with calming, colic and reflux), La Leche League (breastfeeding support), walking with friends and the stroller, appointments, etc. So far we do something everyday. I met a few girls through LaLecheLeague and have been hanging out with some of our other mom friends.

Dave: Dave has been completely amazing. He has never been around babies but has jumped right in. He is super calm and is able to keep Luke calm. He loves spending time with Luke and is with him as soon as he gets home from work. He really is a natural dad, it's been great to see.

Overall, I've loved everyday of my first month being a mom. It's been great and I know it will get better when he's able to smile, respond and recognize me more. We have some visitors and traveling planned during the 2nd month, I hope it goes well!

Cloth Diapering!

We committed to cloth diapering with the newborn trial from Jillian's Drawers. I also bought a bunch of prefolds so I could wash once a day. We planned to start cloth diapering after about a week but once we got home from the hospital, Luke's meconium tar poops were done so I jumped right into cloth. The newborn size are still bulky on him but they do fit and I'm happy to report we have had no leaks or blowouts that were the diaper's fault. He is soaked every time we change him though, I think I need to go more by the clock and less by his cries. He hates being changed though and screams which makes it kind of stressful.

Our newborn cloth diaper stash includes:
Newborn Trial from Jillian's Drawers:

• 4 kissaluvs fitted diapers
• 2 Thirsties DuoWrap covers
• 1 Prowrap cover
• 3 infant unbleached prefolds
• 3 newborn unbleached prefolds
• 1 BumGenius AIO newborn
• 1 Thirsties Duo AIO
• 1 bumGenius AIO one size - which is huge on him and we've never used

I bought:

• 12 GMD "orange" newborn prefolds
• 1 GMD "orange" newborn workhorse fitted diaper
• 1 GroVia newborn AIO
• 2 Thirsties DuoWrap covers - with the adjustable rise
• 2 Bummis Whisper wraps
•  1 nija cover (bought at consignment)
• 2 Large Hanging PlanetWise wet bags
• 1 small wet bag (for my diaper bag)
• osocozy flannel wipes
• flannel wipes (my mom bought 2 yards of flannel and cut them into squares with pinking shears- these are actually my favorite wipes)

I think I might actually have more covers since I bought a bunch at consignment stores but I'm not sure. The diapering has gone very well (including while we are out). The only times his clothes have been wet is when Daddy doesn't put the diaper on properly (unfortunately this has happened a few times). I can't wait until he grows into the diapers a little more- they are still pretty bulky on him. We only have the trial for a few more days then I have to send it back. I'm not sure how much more often I'll have to do laundry then- I know Dave really likes the kissaluvs for overnight, I might order a few more GMD workhorse fitteds since they are only $5 in newborn sizes.

We go out a lot so I need to make sure my diaper bag is stocked with the cloth diapers. When we go out, I use disposable wipes and an AIO diaper (my favorite is the GroVia or Thirstie Duo). I use my small wet bag for the dirty. I also keep the disposable samples I was sent in the car just in case I need another.

I'm proud that we are still cloth diapering and haven't quit. I actually haven't even considered it although in the first week Dave was super frustrated with the snappi in the middle of the night and I thought he was going to quit (when he was the one against disposables to start with- now it's me!)