Grant - 1 Month & What I've Learned

 

Grant is already 1 month old! Where did the time go?  I couldn't believe it was already time to start the "monthly pictures" process.

Things to note about Grant:

LOVES:

Being Swaddled (loves, loves, LOVES!)

Going outside

Putting on his PJs

Rocking

Looking at Mommy and Daddy

HATES:

Taking a bath (he's warming up to this now)

Being naked

Changing clothes/diaper

Getting the hiccups

The carseat

 He's weighing in at almost 10 lbs based on my weighing with and without him on the scale at home.

Can we take a second to just appreciate how adorable sleep smiles are?  They are so hard to catch on camera, but I managed to get this one! I can't wait for his social smiles to start, but I love seeing this little smirk when he's sleeping.

Now here is my rundown of what I've learned in the first month and my advice to new/expectant parents.

1. Buy gas drops and Gripe Water before you go into labor to have ready when you come home.  I wish I had it at the hospital! Grant had major gas pain at the hospital and when we came home.  I didn't find out about these two products until we were a week in.  They will save your life! Trust me on this.  I just bought 3 bottles so I could have one in the diaper bag, one in the nursery, and a spare.

2. SWADDLE! I cannot stress this one enough. It calms him down and will double his sleep time.  Grant is a wiggle worm and always has his arms flapping around.  The swaddle keeps him from waking himself up.

3.  Wear your baby! Grant loves it! I thought it looked ridiculous, but it makes him happy and it leaves my hands free. 

4. Schedule and Track! I downloaded an app that helps you track feedings, diapers, naps, etc.  I'm so tired that I can't remember when I fed him last and it helps me know when he is crying out of hunger.

5.  Get ready to do laundry.  I do laundry at least once a day.  It's smaller loads, but you can't make it through a day with clean clothes (mom or baby).

6.  If your baby won't stop crying, walk outside.  This has calmed Grant down every time.

7.  Breastfeeding is hard.  I BF for about 3 weeks before I broke down and started pumping and using bottles.  I could never get Grant to get a deep latch and I was in so much pain that it hurt to carry him against my chest.  Don't feel bad if you have to bottle feed.  It actually speeds up feed times and gives you more time to play with the baby or it's quicker to put them back to sleep at night. 

8.  Try to keep the baby on a schedule.  I read Baby Wise and used it as a basis to plan our day.  The book says to feed every 3 hours, but Grant eats every 2 so I just modified it to fit our needs.  I feed Grant (15 mins), have a little bit of awake time to talk and "play" (about 30 minutes), and then put him down to sleep (his naps range from 45 mins-1.5 hrs). This repeats all day except at night (after 8pm) there is no awake time and he goes right back to bed after eating.

9.  Another tip I found online is to skip diaper changes at night.  This has drastically improved my sleep situation.  Grant hates having his diaper changed and would completely wake up and scream during this process.  By skipping it at night, he stays drowsy and falls right back to sleep (most of the time anyway!) I always change his diaper first thing in the morning though, even before feeding him.  

10. Enjoy your baby! The time goes by so fast. It seems like I just had him yesterday, but he's already a month old.  Cherish all the snuggles and sleep with him on your chest.  Don't worry about spoiling your baby, just give him lots of love and affection and soak in every second.