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September 18, 2013

Adventures of Mommyhood: The First Month


My baby girl, Lilly, was born on August 1st, 2013 and has been a relatively great baby so far! She has been sleeping for 4+ hours from the first night we brought her home so things have been pretty much a breeze. She's only fussy when she's hungry or gassy and is great in the car and when we take her out. She went on her first road trip to visit grandparents in North Carolina and slept the entire 4 hour drive there and back.

Having survived our first month with a new baby, here are some of my pointers for new moms bringing home a newborn and what to do the first month:

- Don't worry about getting baby on a schedule right away, wait until they are a few months old. Let your baby eat and sleep for however long they want and how often they want, especially the first month. They are trying to figure out what they need and how much they need in this first month of life. Letting Lilly sleep and eat when she wants for however long she wants has been a great pay off for us. She has developed her own schedule pretty much, I have never had to wake her up to feed and have not had any really late and stressful nights with a fussy baby.

- Take advantage of resting as much as you can the first 6 weeks, you and your body will greatly appreciate it. Don't try to do too much too soon or worry about trying to loose the baby weight, give yourself and your body the time it needs to heal properly. 

- Take advantage of your friends and family that are offering and willing to help you. If you need to take a shower, need the rugs vacuumed, the dishes washed, a load of laundry done, a few things picked up from the store....don't be afraid to ask for help.

- Depending on your needs, find some time for yourself. Whether it's one hour a day or a few hours on the weekend, find some time for you to relax and get things done that you want to get done. I am very blessed that my parents live right next door to us. My mom has been a life-saver. If I need to go grocery shopping or run some quick errands or need to get some house cleaning done, she will help me or watch Lilly while I get some things done. Since my husband works during the week, we have an arrangement where I get up with her at night during the week and on the weekends he gets up with her if she wakes up (she will usually wake up around 3 or 4 in the morning and then at 7 or 8) while I get some extra sleep.

- If you want to hold your baby, hold your baby! You only have them like this at this stage for a very short window in time. Get all the peaceful baby snuggles you can and want.

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