Seven months of new discoveries with this little guy! I remember thinking when my fourth was born how easy she was and how I’d have ten more like her if they were all this way. I had basically convinced myself that I could only birth happy, independent babies <yes funny, I know> . Flash forward to this little big dude and well, he sure proved me wrong. He may be happy as pie but he LOVES his Mama, which hasn’t allowed me to keep with the routines I was once accustomed to. One day I’ll miss my baby constantly needing me, so I try not to get too worked up on the <ultimately unnecessary> tasks I’m not able to complete…
It feels funny to even type that out, like get a grip Kristen - be there for your baby, forget about the work or dirty house, it will be there tomorrow. While I completely agree with you it’s also a part of me that I can’t fulfill. All of my babies always had a bedtime, I’d lay them down and get back to having solo time with my husband, work or even clean a room- I loved it. This time around my little man hasn’t really leaned into this routine. But you know what, I think I’m also to blame! My routine with all of my other babies, multiples included, involved bottle feeding and a crib. This little guy is enjoying life a little differently, nightly fresh from the tap sessions and a snuggle next to mom.. all night long! I don’t regret this for a second but I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t taxing. It’s not the life I’d ever think would be for me. Sounds dramatic, right? It’s hard to go from independent sleep and a spacious bed to boob barnacle and hanging off the bed, every.single.night. As I’ve said, it’s a season and I won’t be kicking him out of my bed anytime soon but this has been quite the experience for me and for my husband too.
This guy should be starting solids like yesterday, eek, my least favorite time of being a mother. If you’re anything like me, scared to start and wondering which foods to begin with I highly recommend checking out Solid Starts. I had the pleasure of connecting with Jenny Best six year ago and I have watched her resource grow into a full blown service AND learned a ton that I’ve picked and chosen to implement into my starting solid routine. Be sure to check out this podcast I recorded with Jenny, it’s awesome and will instill confidence to get started! Don’t forget to snag a pair of my favorite baby utensils when getting started! The BEST! We touch on these in the podcast too!
As far as his bottles and my pumping. We are still looking at the same schedule as before. He’s taking about 4-5 ounce bottles regularly, not even on a schedule any longer. I just feed the kid when he’s getting antsy, you get to know your baby very well and you’ll know when they’re looking for a meal! With this, I’d say that’s also a good reminder when to pump! You may need to pump to replenish that bottle anyway, so this might not come as news to you. It’s the one thing that keeps me on my schedule. I’ve been logging my ounces and session in permanent maker on my mason jar- super tech savvy of me. This really just keeps me in check, because if I didn’t do this I wouldn’t be able to tell you when I pumped last! In the past when I was a wild lady I would pump and log every single ounce with the Baby Tracker App- this app is gold and starts every breast feeding journey off with me! In the past when I logged a freezer stash I would use Pump Log, another fab app! * I preferred to log sessions on BT and stash on PL, don’t as why! I apparently like to complicate things!
My current pump schedule looks a little like this- 7a, 9:30/10a, 1p, 4p, 8p then nurse whenever little man needs a fix. If I’m being honest, I’d like to add in one more session but it’s not easy, especially with five kids but I’m trying! I am still rocking the Baby Buddha Pump, a recent upgrade to the same 2.0! This pump continues to be my main primary jam! use BEMYBREASTFRIEND for 10% off if interested! <affiliate code>
Our sleep schedule has been, nap when you can on Mama or my Aunt (our nanny) when the feeling hits. On the weekends I’ve been thing to do better napping him in the bed, which I want to move to the mini crib but for now bed and I watch him like a hawk with my Eufy baby monitor <which I have fallen in love with>. He will nap around 9:30a and 4/5p then to bed at 8p, this is our lately routine.
I ordered the Happy Baby Carrier recently and LOVE IT
Overall, he’s been a total joy, I don’t think I’ve given birth to a baby who loves me more than he does! Just making for a difficult road to navigate to get my evening me time that I ache for!
