3 Month Milestone - for both of us!
Let me get right to it with no sugar coating: These three months with Unity have been HARD. In so many ways. I guess I had hoped motherhood would come naturally, and I wouldn't say it feels unnatural but it has been nothing of what I expected. I was prepared for low-sleep nights, some fussing, and keeping an eye out for anything medical to deal with. I felt well trained for all of these as a nurse, my years of working in childcare (not to mention all the babysitting), and as one gifted in thriving without sleep haha. They used to call me Mary Poppins. 😆
If you laughed when you read the word "some" before fussing, then you get me. Or I get you, now. Miraculously our girl sleeps really well at night, so my skill of not needing much sleep means little. But the DAYS are another story. So.much.fussing. We are actually starting to see some real improvements, so don't think this is just a rant post haha. I just know that pictures can look great, but we all know there is so much life happening behind those few minutes of smiles. And I like joining the community of real life people on social media.
So real life: Our baby fusses A LOT and is super picky. "Baby whisperers" hand her back screaming. Over the last month we've started seeing a chiropractor, started baby probiotics, read several books on sleep (not so much for our nights but for our naps), and accepted a few more bottles in our nursing regimen than I had anticipated. And I feel like she is doing at least 75% better than she was at 2 months old. What has improved?
- She is napping in her bassinet instead of my arms most of the time now during the day.
- Our nights are still going well (minus the 2 nights she might have been feeling unwell and didn't sleep until 4 and 5am.), but bedtime has moved up from 11:30pm-1:30am to 10-11:30pm most nights.
- We survived a nursing strike that lasted two and a half days and an increased demand for bottles. She is now nursing exclusively (and happily) 5 out of 7 days a week, and only needing one bottle a day on the days she's not nursing exclusively. Good thing I froze all that oversupply I had back before my milk regulated. :) ... Now to keep from under-supply...
- With that, I don't have to convince her to nurse anymore - she goes to it happily most of the time. Sometimes she even stops to smile at me mid-nurse (which melts me ❤).
- She is more content to be held without us needing to stand on our heads or put on a circus.
- For several weeks she would only be content when awake if we were bouncing like crazy - and I mean deep squat bouncing with the electric teapot boiling for white noise, plus music or white noise playing on youtube at the same time sometimes if the teapot wasn't enough. She doesn't like bouncy chairs or swings. She doesn't like being in the carseat so driving didn't calm her; she only liked going on walks in the Bjorn carrier some of the time and only for not too long of a walk; hated the stroller; she didn't like the wrap carrier unless wrapped side-lying and only for naps - facing forward and facing inward were a no-go; she didn't like snuggles or being held in a cradle position unless asleep; and we can't do chocolate. Post-chocolate days are the worst. I'm sure if we hadn't bent over backwards to try to keep her happy she would definitely qualify as colicky.
- So now we can hold her in a few different positions that she'll enjoy and she seems relaxed, and sometimes we don't even have to bounce. She likes going for walks more often, and she tolerated one walk in the stroller. She sometimes snuggles in the morning ❤. We only turn on the teapot once or twice a day - and just for tea. She doesn't need it to be soothed (although it still totally works for soothing her).
- And me. I've improved. I'm learning how to be Unity's mom every day, and I'm getting better at it - slowly:)
- She can roll from belly to back.
- She has this like half-laugh that she responds to silly things with.
- She is becoming more social and coos to us all day 💕 Which will absolutely melt you ❤.
- She likes reaching for dangling toys.
- She likes when we play with her blanket - swooshing it over her face or peekaboo.
- She likes standing (with us holding her up, of course) and she likes when we pretend she can fly.
- She thinks her fists taste AMAZING. 😂
- And she's gorgeous. Just SO so beautiful.
I love this. It gives me a great picture of both her and you as you begin this era, this phase of life that is such a departure from the life before. it is a life of joy and sacrifice (sleep and chocolate). But, oh, the rewards - a brief smile, a coo, a moment of blissful contentment. You are off to a great start on the great adventure.
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