Nope! I refuse to believe it! How is it possible that 30 days have passed since our little lady joined our family?!
I know they say “it goes so fast” but the truth is, it really does!
I feel like the time to her arrival was dragging on and now suddenly she isn’t a newborn anymore. Here’s a look at what her first month has looked like.
Age:
One month old!
Weight:
She is finally well above birth weight. She has had some eating difficulties so it took us a little over two weeks to get her above birth weight but we are progressing forward now. Her weight gain is on the lower end of normal but the doctor is happy with her progress.
Happenings this month:
Oh, this sweet baby girl has had a busy, busy month.
First of all, BIRTH! Her birth was such an incredible, healing event! It was everything I could have wished for!
After she was born she never left my side! She and I snuggled and nursed and snuggled some more. It was truly one of the best 24 hours of my life. Because everything went so well, we were discharged shortly after 24 hours to head home.
But before we left she was greeted by her big brother and sister! Oh, it was so fun. They LOOOOVE her!
Since both of my older kiddos had tongue ties (and they can have a genetic link) we had her evaluated for one as well. She latched on well at the hospital but I knew these things can cause problems quickly if not addressed so we had her examined.
Just like her brother and sister, she too had a tongue and lip tie. Additionally, she had a bubble or high palate because of the ties.
We had the ties revised but I have discovered since that her ties were just the start. Because of her ties (and their revision), she has an oral motor weakness. In other words, she struggles to stay latched, to suck well, and transfer well. Basically, the only milk she gets is the letdowns because she tires before she can prompt other milk.
Needless to say, this whole thing has been stressful but all hope isn’t lost!
Breastfeeding is very, very important to me and I have struggled in the past so I know the hard work it can take to breastfeed. At two weeks old we started to see a speech pathologist each week for suck training and oral motor exercises as well as a physical therapist and cranial sacral specialist for therapies as well.
She isn’t a fan of the car seat so traveling to these appointments, with two other young kids along, hasn’t been the easiest. In fact, it has been incredibly stressful and not at all how I had hoped to be spending the postpartum period but motherhood is a journey and I am taking each day as it comes.
Diapers/Clothes:
She is my chunkiest baby by far but she still fits into some of her newborn clothes. Thankfully it has been a very warm fall so far so she has been wearing the 0-3 month summer rompers from when Ellery was a baby and she looks adorable.
She is currently using both cloth and disposable diapers. I haven’t gone fully to cloth yet simply because we are in survival mode with everything else. But when she is in cloth she is so chunky and cute. I can hardly handle how squishy she is!
Eating:
She is nursing but it hasn’t been the easiest journey. As I mentioned above, she was born with a tongue tie and a higher-than-normal palate. The tongue and lip tie was revised at 5 days old but it was just the beginning of our journey. After her tongue was revised she has basically forgotten how to use her tongue well.
In the last month, we have had multiple visits with various lactation consultants, begun suck training with a speech pathologist, and started soft tissue work with a PT and OT.
Needless to say, nursing has been a slippery uphill battle and has included a LOT of pumping on my end but I love nursing so it is worth it.
Her speech pathologist says many babies will just “get it” around three months so I am hoping that things will improve soon.
Sleeping:
This little lady is a dream sleeper. I feel like the sleepless-mother aspect of this newborn phase was something I was ready for but she sleeps so well.
She sleeps with me and so long as she is cuddled up next to me she sleeps 2-3 hour stretches without a problem. Some nights I have to wake her to feed. Thankfully I have been waking most days feeling well-rested. This is a huge blessing considering I have two other ones at home.
When it comes to naps our little lady doesn’t nap as well as she probably should. I don’t know if it is all that is happening with a big brother and sister or what but little lady is a cat-napper.
Milestones:
She is getting much better at holding her head up. As part of her therapy for eating she does tummy time and is doing great with it. She has the best little smiles and even lets out these belly laughs in her sleep.
She tracks her family really well and lights up when she sees her people.
She is super strong and all those big kicks I felt when she was in my belly have translated to big kicks on the outside as well.
She shares tiny coos and loves to look at the ceiling fans.
She is improving with nursing each day and together I know we will find our groove here.
Best Moments:
Her birth obviously. It was incredible!
Her tiny, chunky self. Neither of my older two was chunky but her little chins and rolls make my heart so happy.
Snuggling anytime but mostly at night. She fits so perfectly against my chest. There is nothing better than a baby sleeping on your chest.
Her midnight belly laughs.
Being her safe space. There is nothing better than a sleeping baby on my chest. I just love snuggling her close. No matter what is happening having her close to me is the best!
Watching the older two with her. It is the best feeling watching them snuggler her or asking to hold her or wanting to pick out her clothes. I am so blessed to have three amazing little people!
Baby’s Favorites:
- Being with mama
- Being in the ring sling
- Nursing, even though she isn’t the best at it!
- Seeing ceiling fans
- Seeing her people
Baby’s Least Favorites:
- Being away from mama
- The car seat
- Being tired
- Therapy
Summing Up This Month
I am not going to lie, this month has been harder than I was prepared for. I spent so much time this pregnancy worrying about the actual pregnancy that I didn’t spend much time thinking about the newborn period.
I was prepared to possibly have milk supply issues again but not caused by the baby. It has been a huge hit to my emotional state handling all of these feeding issues and I just wish I could make them all better. It is really difficult for me not to feel as though I somehow caused this. I am just taking it one day at a time and trying to remember that none of this is a reflection of my motherhood.
Even with all of the feeding issues and work it is taking to make nursing successful, it is all worth it. I am soaking up every moment of this newborn phase because I know she is my last little one.
Every time I feel myself spiraling or feeling like it isn’t fair, I just look at the tiny baby in my arms. She is such a miracle and a blessing. She is the perfect last piece to our family and this season of struggles is just a blip in our journey.
It has been a journey adjusting to three. I love watching the older kiddos hold and love on our sweet baby girl. With all of the stress that developed around her feeding issues, I haven’t always been the patient mom I wanted to be but thankfully they are loving me through it.
I will be the first to admit that this hasn’t been easy. Parts of these last four weeks have been really, very hard. There have been lots of tears and guilt on my end BUT there have been so many incredible parts as well.
Amelia is so sweet and snuggly and really only cries when she is away from me. She hates the car seat but she is healthy and loves to be held and wrapped and snuggled to me. She sleeps like a dream and having her next to me is like heaven.
I refuse to let the feeding and car seat stress put a black cloud over this season of life. So what if my older two have eaten out more than I would like or have watched more television than I would prefer? I am a new mom of three and I am trying to find balance here.
