I still can't believe it's been 4 months (143 days from today to be exact) since my life was blessed with the birth of my daughter. It seems like it all goes really slow during the first month while you're getting adjusted to the new mommy life. Never ending days of sleepless nights, around the clock diaper changes, and a baby sucking at your breasts all day. Then all of a sudden, it all speeds up. Before you know it your baby is goo-goo gagaing, rolling over, and you are breastfeeding everywhere and anywhere like a pro!
Below I will share with you where we both are in this 4 month stage in hopes to give some positive insight to all you soon-to-be moms.
*Weight/Height: 12.8 lbs. 25 inches long
*Breastfeeding/Solids:
Believe it or not, when it comes to breastfeeding, it does get easier mommies! Just continue to tough it out through that first month. At this point, my daughter no longer needs help latching on. She pretty much can find the nipple on her own. I no longer need to use the boppy pillow while feeding her since she's outgrown it for a breastfeeding pillow. (She still does use it to sit and for tummy time however.) She feeds about every 2-3 hours still except for at night when she usually sleeps through a good 6-7 hours before waking up to be fed again. Now that she is older and better at sucking, she has the ability to get the milk she needs quicker. Therefore, the amount of time she spends on the breast has been cut almost by half from when she was a newborn. Her feedings now last about 10-20 minutes max, depending on the time of day. Usually before her bedtime she is latched on longer because she likes to fall asleep on the boob. Another positive note is the pain is completely gone! It's almost as if your nipple cracks in the beginning days in order to grow a new tougher outer skin layer to protect from the abrasion of your baby sucking. I barely even feel a thing while I feed now and my nipples have not cracked ever again.
According to our pediatrician, it is not necessary for breastfed babies to begin any type of solids or cereal until after they are 6 months old. Fortunately, breastmilk provides them with more than enough nutrients that their body need at this stage of their lives. She did however mention that if the baby begins to show signs of desiring to eat actual food, we can try to start giving her cereal or specific fruits and vegetables purees.
On Valentine's day, one of the dishes my husband prepared for our breakfast was a delicious fruit salad. We thought it would be fun to allow our daughter to try some fruits and see how she would react to the new tastes. First we tried letting her suck on a slice of pineapple. Then some strawberries and blueberries. Her reaction at first, was not so pleasant but after a few sucks the new taste seemed to have grown on her and she ended up loving it! Here's a video of it for you all to enjoy.
I now have been spoon feeding her a puree of a couple of blueberries right after her morning feeding a few times during the week. It is usually suggested that when you are first introducing solids to your baby that you not do it while they are hungry. She is not yet showing any particular signs of wanting to eat solids. For example she doesn't try to grab food from us if she sees us eating or opens her mouth. (One thing she does do, is that if I am eating while breastfeeding her, she is curious about the noise of the food crunching and latches off to see where the noise is coming from.) However, I am excited to start introducing her to new tastes with different foods in the future. I can tell she is going to have a great appetite!
*Diapers:
My daughter now uses size 2 diapers. Thankfully we were able to go through all of her gifted newborn and size 1 diapers before we had to purchase any new size 2 packs.
When it comes to diaper changes, the number of soiled poopy diapers per day goes down tremendously! In the beginning days as a newborn, babies tend to have just as many dirty poopy diapers as wet pee pee diapers. However, now that she is older and still exclusively breastfed, she usually has about 2 dirty diapers a day as opposed to 7-8 wet diapers a day. Every baby is different and it also depends on how they are fed whether breastmilk or formula and if they are fed any solids.
*Motor/Sensory Development:
At this stage my daughter is now able to roll over pretty quickly on her own. She doesn't quite sit up on her own yet but, she is able to lift and hold up her head. Now when she hears my husband or my voices, she turns her head toward it. She also seems to be able to recognize me because when she is crying and trying to get my attention, I notice her follow me walk past her with her eyes or if not she will stare at me from afar. One particularly exciting moment for me in this area of development was when I heard her laugh for the first time. It was the most wonderful sound I had ever heard and it made me feel so inexplicably happy inside. I wanted to keep hearing it over and over but of course it was a while before I was able to get her to do it again. I have also had fun discovering she is ticklish under her chin in her neck and in the middle of her belly!
A few weeks ago, my husband and I decided she was ready to try using a jumper/bouncer. We purchased her the Fisher-Price Rainforest Jumperoo. At the beginning, she didn't really understand she could actually jump and bounce in it. However, after a few days, she now bounces so fast it's so much fun to watch her. She also enjoys playing with all the different toys and sound making pieces that are on the jumper. She still uses the momaroo when she gets tired of bouncing and just wants to sit and watch one of her favorite movies or shows (The Emoji Movie/ Rio/ Sophia the First).
She is also now able to grab and hold things with her hands. She's been also trying to grab her feet and bring it to her mouth for the past couple of days without any success yet but, I can tell she's really close. Every morning she wakes up talking and making noises almost as if she's testing and discovering her voice.
*Sleeping:
At 3 months my daughter began sleeping about 7-8 hours through the night. Her bedtime is usually anywhere from 10pm to 11pm and she usually wakes up for a feeding between 6am and 7am. After her morning feeding she usually goes back to sleep for another hour or two and wakes up for the day at around 9/10am. During the day, she may nap once for about an hour at most. Somedays she may take one or two 15-20min naps. She hardly naps during the day however, for the most part.
Our daily routine before bedtime is a warm bath and then I breastfeed her until she falls asleep. Once she is fully asleep in my arms I put her in her crib where she stays asleep for the rest of the night. I always make sure to turn out all the lights around her and keep noises to a minimum in order to set the nighttime tone.
Of course there have been nights where she's going through a growth spurt and wakes up more than usual for feedings during the night. We asked our pediatrician and she informed us that it is normal for babies at this age to go through changes in sleeping patterns. She even advised that sometimes they may go back to the newborn stage where they wake up every 2-3 hours during the night! So be ware mommas!!
*My Postpartum Body:
At 37 weeks pregnant, right before giving birth to my daughter I weighed 157 lbs. with a bump circumference of 37 3/4". One week after childbirth, I was weighing 146 lbs. with a waist circumference of 32". Today (16 weeks postpartum) I am weighing 125 lbs. with a waist circumference of 28".
What have I been doing you may ask? Well first, breastfeeding has definitely helped with my uterus going back down to it's normal size at such a fast rate. During your first days of breastfeeding, you will actually feel your uterus muscles contracting. I also try to get in the gym for an hour at least 2 times a week. On the days that I cannot go to the gym I try to do an at-home quick workout routine (Check out some of my at-home workout routines under the "FITNESS" tab). In terms of diet, I drink plenty of water throughout the day and try to be consistent with 3-4 meals per day with a couple snacks in between. Studies show that breastfeeding makes your body loose about 500 calories a day so, I make an effort to have at least 2 heavy meals (high in protein and carbs) during the day in order to keep my weight up. You also need lots of energy not only if your breastfeeding but, as a mother in general so, it is very important to make sure you are giving your body all the nutrients it needs to keep going throughout the day. I am also still taking my prenatal vitamins as well as multivitamins.
*My Postpartum Hair:
After 13 months of perfectly in-tact, beautifully full and long, pregnancy hair, I too have fallen victim of the postpartum hair loss!
While I was pregnant, I heard many moms say their hair started thinning at the front edges at around 3-4 months post-partum. I even saw it first hand with my sister and a fellow co-worker. I learned that it does not necessarily happen to every mom so, after passing the 3 month mark, I swore I was in the clear! Until, I began finding strands of my hair EVERYWHERE!
Obviously, I know it will all grow back. However, to help with the process and try to avoid major hair loss, I am sure to maintain a hair treatment regimen. I have been using this hair deep conditioner easily made from home with all natural ingredients even before I was pregnant. I have shared the recipe with you on a separate post under the DIY tab of my website, click here.
I truly hope this 4 month update can give you all some positive insights into motherhood and just how everything does get better with time. It never gets easier, you just adjust and grow into the new lifestyle. Everyday seems more interesting and I continue to learn with my daughter as the days go by.
Any questions or other information you would like me to share, please feel free to leave a comment below...
...Sew This is Life!