But, I have a few free minutes now before I need to go to bed to do Lydia Grace's 6 week update!
Her stats: We took her into the pediatrician on Friday to get her Thyroid tested one more time (her levels were a little bit abnormal in her newborn screen, but have looked good since). She weighed in at 8 lbs. 10 oz. and the doctor said that everything looked great! She is definitely continuing to grow and is very much in 0-3 month clothes at this point. David and I find ourselves saying, "She is so big!!" when obviously she is still very tiny :)
Eating: She continues to eat great and to take bottles when I am not home like a pro. She has dropped a feeding, so on average she eats 4 times during the day and then once at night. Nursing is becoming so much more pleasant for both of us and it is definitely a time that I look forward to. In the past week she has become so much more awake and it is obvious when she is ready to eat. She smacks her lips and holds really still while I get ready and it is just so amazing that she already is able to anticipate things!
She is still eating for long periods of time, which is normal since she doesn't eat all that often. I am trying to get her to be a little bit more efficient, but at the same time I don't want to stop her from eating. I have to say that when I see her chubby cheeks and little arm rolls I am pretty proud of what my body continues to support.
Sleeping: Her sleeping habits are a little bit random at this point. She has good days when she will take at least one of her naps in her pack and play or on the couch without being held, and then she has others when she wakes up as soon as you lay her down. Similarly, she has nights when she fights sleep hard... like for 2 hours. And then other nights it isn't so bad.
I have been starting to read a book about sleep habits and so far I don't really know what to think. Ideally I would like Lydia to be able to put herself to sleep but I just don't know if I will ever be able to do the "cry it out" method. I know it would be awesome for her to have that habit, but I just don't think I am strong enough. Also, books usually aren't clear on when to start any kind of sleep training. I still think that she is really young, and that we probably won't try to implement anything consistently until she is 12-ish weeks. For now we try to have some kind of bedtime routine and we have accepted that her "long period of sleep" which usually lasts about 6-7 hours is going to start at around 7 or 8. We don't get as much sleep this way, but if she stays up too late she definitely gets grumpy!
Any advice on sleeping for a 6 week old? Is it just too early to try some of these sleep methods?
For now, we will just treat her like a newborn still (because she still is one!) and we will let her sleep when and how she wants to sleep. On the days when she just cries to be held I remind myself that in a few months she won't be as cuddly or as needy, instead she will be crawling all over the place! There are obviously pros and cons to both, but I just need to cherish the great things about this time which will go by so quickly.
What she loves: She is still loving her momma! I usually have the best luck with calming her down when she is upset. Again, this is a ton of responsibility but is pretty awesome.
She also loves her Nana (my mom). My mom comes down every Thursday to watch Lydia and our little one responds so well to her. She is always alert and happy and on her best behavior for her Nana.
Lydia Grace loves human faces and her fish rattle also. She is really starting to be able to see and focus, and she follows the rattle all around. It is so, so incredible to watch her develop and grow! We have gotten some really good smiles out of her lately and I can't even describe what my heart feels when she coos and smiles at me. It is the best thing ever.
One last random love of Lydia's are the sconces on the wall in our living room. If she starts to get fussy, we take her over to where she can see them and she immediately calms down and stares at them in wonder. Hilarious.
What she hates: Her carseat, at least for the first 10 minutes, and sometimes the entire car ride. This is very stressful.
She still isn't a fan of diaper changes, but if you catch her at a good time she doesn't yell too much. However, she HATES getting out of the bath and getting lotion put on her. She just screams. But she really likes the bath itself, so this makes it hard to decide whether a bath should be a part of her current bedtime routine.
Cute things: Her smiles and sneezes. We have gotten to hear her adorable little voice a few times which has just been awesome! Also, at night she sometimes falls asleep while eating and this is very cute and sweet for me.
Postpartum Me: I go to the doctor on Thursday for my official Postpartum check up and I am expecting that all will go well. My biggest question for the doctor will be about exercising. I have been walking a lot recently (since it has been like 60 degrees!) but I would really like to add back in strength training and abs. I feel great, but I want to check with the doc before I start.
I definitely feel almost back to normal these days. I have very little pain left over from delivery and my energy level has returned to normal. Also, my appetite has leveled out a little bit so that at this point I am eating about as much as I did before I was pregnant (I eat a little bit larger portions at dinner time, but the rest of the day is about normal). However, I only eat these "normal" portions because I stop myself when I am no longer hungry. I don't know if I would every really feel full... it is crazy to be able to eat so much again! I am back into some of my pre-pregnancy pants and most shirts fit fine, although the definitely fit differently.
My goal for myself is to be able to get back into good cardiovascular shape in the next month, and to get my strength back over the next two months. Then hopefully my summer I will feel comfortable in a bathing suit again! But if not, that is fine too. As long as I continue to feel great I will be happy.
Heaven-sent baby items:
1) I can't believe I didn't mention the Boppy pillow last time. It is a MUST HAVE for any mommy in my opinion. It is basically a perfectly designed pillow to use to help you hold (or nurse) a baby. Without it I think that my arms and neck would constantly be hurting! Also, it is a perfect place to set a newborn baby to look around while awake, or to take little naps in. (Note: You should get the "naked" pillow and then but machine washable covers for it because you will need to wash the outside a bunch).
2) In addition to the soft sling that I shared with you last week, I would highly recommend a more structured sling, like this one.
3) So this is more of a mommy item than a baby item, but if you are a breast-feeding mom who needs to return to work or school a good, electric double breast pump is a MUST. They are expensive, but if you go online rather than just Babies R Us or Target there are more options. I have an Ameda Purely Yours pump and I really love it. I have to pump twice a day to have enough for one bottle, so I really can't imagine not having a nice pump since I use it so often. Ultimately pumping is annoying and boring, but if you have a good one you can waste as little time as possible!
Words from Daddy: It has been great already to see her grow and change. I didn't expect to see these so soon and it is neat that every day I learn more and more about her. It is cool that this is a process that will last the rest of our lives.
Well now I should really go to bed!! Lydia has been asleep for a bit, so here is to hoping she will stay that way for at least a few hours.
Buenas noches.
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