Sleep...
If you read my musings on life with a 5 week old, there was of course a lot of talk about sleep. Lila was only taking tiny catnaps during the day and going to bed around 11:30, waking once or twice at night and then up at 6 or 7. Since then, Lila has (knock on wood) been pretty much sleeping through the night. Pretty impressive for a breastfed baby! I’m talking in the last week, she (and Neil and I) have had 6-8 consecutive hours of sleep at night, mostly 11ish to around 6.
We still have an off night every once in a while when she wants to eat at 3am, but for the most part she sleeps a pretty long stretch. Last night, she slept from 10:30pm to 6:15am! Now, we’ve in no way tried to train her or make her sleep through the night. I really didn’t mind the middle of the night feedings all that much, actually. So I’m giving her all of the credit! I think she just loves sleeping. I’m pretty sure she gets that from Neil, who can sleep 9 hours, eat breakfast, and then be ready for another nap!
In addition to her great nighttimes, she’s been sleeping better during the day too. She still has some days where she rarely naps or only takes 20 minute catnaps, but she’s been better at taking longer naps during the day. Today she’s had 3 or 4 pretty good naps. She's sleeping now, so I can write this post! I also got a shower earlier. Score!
Lila sleeps swaddled in her bassinet at night and during the day she sleeps mostly in my arms after a feeding, in her carseat or on the couch. She’s a great back sleeper but I try to get her on her side sometimes to avoid a flat head! She also loves sleeping on Neil's chest.
Another thing I’ll mention regarding sleep is something that helps Neil and I rest much easier. A lot of parents spend time worrying about their baby during the night, and are constantly checking their breathing, especially during the peak time for SIDS, 2-4 months. We are using a Snuza Halo movement monitor at night. It clips to her diaper and monitors her breathing and movement. If the monitor detects no movement after 15 seconds it vibrates and it alarms after 30 seconds. We’ve had a couple false alarms because of me putting it on her wrong, but overall we love it!
And... feedings.
Lila is a great eater and we’re thinking she’s about 11 lbs. We’ll know for sure next Tues. at her 2 month appt. She’s still exclusively breastfed and it’s still going well. I’m trying to pump more to start a reserve for my return to work in a couple months. We also need to start giving her a bottle occasionally to make sure she’ll take one when she has to! She’s doing less of the cluster feeding at night, but pretty much eats every 2 hours during the day. Sometimes she’ll go 2.5 or 3 but not very often.
Getting out of the house = Happy baby and happy mommy
My pediatrician recommended keeping her inside and away from crowds until 6 weeks of age. It’s been so great to have the freedom to get out of the house with her. We’ve gone to Panera, Chick-fil-A, Target, Walmart and my favorite place, TJ Maxx. It makes such a difference getting out for a walk and some kind of outing everyday. For the most part she does very well as long as I make sure to time things well and bring what we need. I have still not nursed in public yet, but did in the car while Neil ran in a store. She loves being out and having something different to look at. She usually sleeps in restauants and stores but I’ve had times where she just sits there looking content while I shop!
I've also greatly appreciated both of our sets of parents coming up to give us a break from the baby. My mom was here yesterday and watched Lila while I shopped on my own. I felt like myself again! Mom was also here early enough on Wednesday so I could go to Zumba! I haven't done it forever and forgot how fun it is!
Lila has had a lot of milestones and firsts this month, but I’ll save those for next week's monthly update!
And of course some pictures from the last couple weeks:
Where did my newborn go?
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