4 weeks[babywise]
Our little Rogue is one month old! This month has flown by and we are loving the newborn phase better the 2nd time around. There are still days that bring me to tears b/c it's so hard and tiring but for the most part, Rogue is easier than Solis as a newborn and that makes me much more relaxed. I just love this little guy so much and all that soft, dark hair that I can't stop putting my hands through. We are looking forward to all the new things he will be doing this summer!
Behind the scenes: Rogue exploded a lovely mess during this photo shoot and not only stained his onesie but also left his mark on the carpet. Joys of the newborn phase.
My goals for the first month were (and we succeeded):
1. Work on getting full feedings and not have him "snack"
2. Avoid getting overly tired
3. Establish an eat/wake/sleep cycle
Eating: He eats 7-8 times a day. He doesn't take as long to nurse, usually only 20-25 minutes. Which is great b/c then we get to see him more! I love that he's getting out of the sleepy newborn phase and we can stare into his sweet eyes. And he still takes a bottle like a champ....which is up to 4 oz now. He does seem to spit up a lot, which I know is normal for this age but I worry a little b/c Solis developed really bad reflux around 2 months. So far, he's a happy spitter.
Waketime: No activities yet b/c I don't want to overstimulate him. When he's done eating, we just lay him down and talk to him and stare at him. He's starting to make the cutest baby coos and give us smiles! He can follow us with his eyes now. It's so amazing to see these very first developments. I'd say on average he is up 45 minutes before we get him swaddled for nap.
Naps: For the most part, he was awesome at naps this week. We always put him down wide awake and he puts himself to sleep. Sometimes he'll fuss for a few minutes or we won't hear a thing. And I have to wake him from most of his naps! Solis was never ever like this. And Shaun and I both agree it's probably our mistake. We would keep her up for 60-90 minutes as a newborn and then try to put her down. By then, she was way overtired and took forever to fall asleep or would only nap 30-45 minutes. That made for super tiring days. We started babywise a little later with Solis and things didn't click with her till around 3 months.
But even Rogue has some bad days. There was one day last week when he cried for every nap. I held or wore him most of the day. Not sure if it was stomach problems/gas/growth spurt but it made me so sad to see him so sad. When that bottom lip comes out, I lose it :(
But even Rogue has some bad days. There was one day last week when he cried for every nap. I held or wore him most of the day. Not sure if it was stomach problems/gas/growth spurt but it made me so sad to see him so sad. When that bottom lip comes out, I lose it :(
Night Sleep: Still giving us one 5ish hour stretch at night. And one 6 hour stretch! Except for that one bad nap day. That night he only slept 3.5 hours in his first stretch. It's true what they say....sleep begets sleep.
Babywise says you shouldn't let a breastfed baby sleep
more than 5 hours in the first 5 weeks but Rogue is gaining weight like a
champ and my supply is good. He was 8.12 at birth and now he is
10.10.
Schedule: A perfect day looks like this.
8am eat
8:50 nap #1
11am eat
11:50 nap #2
2pm eat
2:50 nap #3
5pm eat
5:50 nap #4
8pm eat
9pm down for the night
10:30ish dreamfeed
one middle of the night feeding
But let's be real. He's 4 weeks old. There's so set schedule right now. But he's pretty darn close to this routine. It all depends how long he sleeps at night. On the days I feed him 8 times, the extra feeding is early morning (like 6ish) and the times throughout the day get pushed back a little or I might feed him every 2.5 hours for some of the cycles. My favorite part of the day is the afternoon b/c Solis is napping and I can nurse him in peace and quiet and spend precious moments with him without a toddler squeezing his head with a "huggy" or Solis destroying the house in a matter of minutes when I nurse.
8:50 nap #1
11am eat
11:50 nap #2
2pm eat
2:50 nap #3
5pm eat
5:50 nap #4
8pm eat
9pm down for the night
10:30ish dreamfeed
one middle of the night feeding
But let's be real. He's 4 weeks old. There's so set schedule right now. But he's pretty darn close to this routine. It all depends how long he sleeps at night. On the days I feed him 8 times, the extra feeding is early morning (like 6ish) and the times throughout the day get pushed back a little or I might feed him every 2.5 hours for some of the cycles. My favorite part of the day is the afternoon b/c Solis is napping and I can nurse him in peace and quiet and spend precious moments with him without a toddler squeezing his head with a "huggy" or Solis destroying the house in a matter of minutes when I nurse.
Solis: She is doing much better with sharing her baby brother with me. The things that come out of her mouth are just too precious. She's always saying he's sooooo cute! And constantly trying to put toys in his hands or read him books. She loves to burp him, help put his diaper in the trash can, and turn his sound machine on and off.
the typical lunch hour scene
little brother/big sister tees {The Kids Next Door}
