It's hard to believe how quickly the past month has flown by. Now, some individual moments seemed interminable (pretty much any feeding that happened between 1 and 6 am, anytime he was crying and I couldn't get him to stop, etc), but by and large I find myself surprised to already be the mommy to a one month old.
Like every other new mom, I pretty much get the same questions from everybody (even once from my 6 year old niece, who no doubt was imitating the adults she's heard asking me these questions. She's a precocious little one.) So I'll just answer all of those questions, in no particular order.
1. How is Locke sleeping?
Well, we still don't have the hang of the difference between night and day, but it has improved from the beginning. His first couple of weeks, he slept the most in the morning and afternoon, and was wide awake from about midnight to 6 am. Now, most nights his bedtime is around 3 am, and he is mostly asleep (except for feeding times) until around noon. The longest stretch of sleep we've gotten so far was 5 hours, and that was only once. Most of the time we only sleep for 3 hours at a time at best.
2. How is he eating?
All the time, and not very efficiently. As of his one month doctor appointment, he had only gained 1 lb, 1 oz...so at that point (6 lbs, 9 oz) he was almost the size of a just-born-today newborn. At a month, that put him in the 3rd percentile. He was in the 3rd percentile at his 1 week appointment too, so at least he's consistent. The pediatrician surmises that his tininess is explained, in part, by his breastmilk colitis. As near as I can tell, breastmilk colitis is fancy physician speak for a cow's milk allergy...so if I eat cow's milk in pretty much any form, my poor little guy gets bloody poopy. (Yes, yes, that's TMI. After one month of motherhood, however, it seems that the most normal thing in the world to talk about is poopy. So deal ;) )
The milk prohibition sucks, and what's worse is that I believe I need to extend it to include soy (he was getting better after I cut out milk, but suffered a relapse when I had some soymilk ice cream). It does have one silver lining, though: maybe all these dietary restrictions will mean that I'll be able to lose the rest of my excess baby weight faster? Maybe that's just wishful thinking, but a girl can hope. :D Meanwhile, the pint of limited edition, possibly never to be made again ice cream of the most delicious flavor I've ever encountered in my life (Graeter's Blackberry White Chocolate Chip, if you're interested) sits in my freezer and taunts me. Curse you, breastmilk colitis!!!
3. How am I feeling?
Tired. Overwhelmed, also, but that feeling is gradually going away as I'm finding my mommy groove. I was convinced in the first few weeks that I was the worst mother ever. Some people seem to have a natural, nurturing mommy instinct, and I seem to lack that entirely. This is not to say that I don't have a great attachment for my son, because I do...but, for example, breastfeeding is not a bonding experience for me the way a lot of mothers say it is for them. For me, breastfeeding is work, and often a hassle (come and get me, Leche League police!) and if exclusively pumping and bottlefeeding was an option for me, I'd have switched already.
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