Matthew is 16 days old today and I am glad to say that he is healthy and has gained a pound since birth. The breastfeeding is going good as well. The past couple of days I have done research on breastfeeding. I wanted to know exactly what type of nutrition I need, how much exercise is ok, information on nursing bras, does pumping hinder your ability to breastfeed, etc. I won't regurgitate all the information I have found since I am still sifting through it and determining what is reliable and what is not. I also searched through the information that the hospital gave me(there were only a couple sheets that were English). However, I found one chart that I had never seen before and would have prevented me from giving up on breastfeeding with my last child at only 2 months. This chart breaks down the child's life by months. Month 1 -48. Months that are black (or stormy) are periods that baby will be going through intense growth spurts. These months you should expect that the baby will be excessively fussing and constantly want to be fed. I remember this distinctly with Rebekah and I thought that I simply wasn't able to provide enough breastmilk to keep her satisfied. I actually quit. If I would have been more knowledgable about when my baby would be going through growth spurts, I would have perservered through the stormy time. At least I know with Matthew more of what to expect.
I have found that I do alot of things differently with Matthew than I did with my first two. Most everyone has heard the saying that parents get more lax the more children they have. I would disagree, or perhaps shed a different light on the subject. When I had Hannah, I was focused on not allowing "bad habits" into our life so, she never slept with us, never was allowed to have a pacifier, I let her "cry it out" alot as well. Of course I checked to make sure she wasn't hungry or wet but I didn't allow her to cuddle with me just to cuddle. I don't know why. I was also more strict on her as a toddler. When Rebekah came along, I eased up because I realized that I had been unnecessarily strict on her. Now, that Matthew is here, I just spend everday enjoying him and not worrying if he has a pacifier or if he spends the right amount of time on his belly. We cuddle all the time, breastfeed when he wants to, and yes, he even sleeps with me. We both sleep better. I know I don't have it perfect but I am determined to fully enjoy every minute of this little one's life.
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About Me
- Dana
- I'm an outside girl that loves horseback riding, hiking, camping,or anything that involves the great outdoors. I from VA though I currently live in Selfkant-Havert, Germany. I drink excessive amounts of coffee. My imagination often runs away with me usually to an awesome horse farm that is self-sustaining where I teach girls how to mesh being athletic, tough, and leadership quality without loosing that gentle and quiet spirit. According to Suellen from "Gone With the Wind," "You can always tell a lady by her hands." I believe there is some truth to that statement. A lady should be strong and capable of caring for her family, gentle enough to quiet tiny tears, ferocious enough to scare away monsters lurking on the bed, and capable of hosting the next ball. I really love having fun doing things on the adventurous side, and the more dangerous the better. I also enjoy drawing and writing some. I absolutely LOVE Traveling and am drawn magnetically to other countries and adventures!!
What a beautiful post. I feel like you echoed my feelings about my 1st, 2nd and 3rd born children and my different mindset with each child. Our poor firstborns! I still think I may be more strict with Katrina because I've always been and I expect a lot out. Each child brings about new perspectives and insight. I'm so glad the breastfeeding is going well. It is amazing how proper information can help soo much. I'm grateful my midwife informed me of the expected growth spurts so I was prepared for them. However, they do not always follow the expected times. Just follow baby's cues. If he wants to nurse every hour for a few days he is doing it to increase your breast supply or he isn't feeling well. Whenever my baby would be sick I let them nurse, nurse, nurse, and darn any schedule I've created. We always get back to it after they've recovered. No harm done. :)
ReplyDeletePost pics sometime! :)