Life with a Newborn

I guess when I was pregnant, I didn't think too much about what our lives would be like on a daily basis with a newborn (other than the fact that we wouldn't get much sleep).  Turns out having a newborn can be a bit time consuming. ;)  Of course she has her moments, but I would say that Ellie is a really good baby.  Yes, she cries and fusses and keeps us (mostly me) up at all hours of the night, but nothing out of the ordinary!

The biggest challenges so far are that she really likes to be held, and feeding.  The fact that she really likes (okay, LOVES) to be held is great until you want to put her down to do something productive or even try to sleep.  I have spent 6 hours straight one night this week just trying to get her calm enough to sleep (or not lay there screaming) when I put her in her bed.  I know these days will go by quickly and I will miss holding her tiny little body for hours on end, so I'll try not to complain much about that one.  I am definitely guilty of complaining about having to hold her all the time, and then once she's asleep in her swing saying I miss her and want to have her cuddled up on my chest!  Perhaps that's just some postpartum emotions kicking in (and maybe a little sleep deprivation). :)

 As for eating, she is a good eater but being that I'm the only one who can take on that responsibility right now, there are days when I feel like feeding her is literally all that I do (I swear she just likes to graze all day long sometimes).  Again, this is something I really didn't think much about before Ellie was born - I didn't even have a clue about how often she would need to eat.  Right now she's eating anywhere between every hour and every 4 hours.  There have been many times already that I've wanted to drive to the store to pick up some formula, mostly in the middle of the night, and wake up Tyler to feed her (haha).  Probably the biggest concern in the first week or so was whether she was getting enough, since it's measured in minutes, not ounces in a bottle.  Now that I know she's gaining weight and I'm a little more familiar with everything (and I know I can trust her to scream her head off if she's hungry), I don't really worry about this so much, but it definitely drove me a little crazy at first!  I also dreaded feeding her while we were in the hospital.  I felt like every nurse, lactation specialist, etc. had their own opinion about feeding and would tell us different things.  Once we got home, I felt like we could take the time to find what worked best for us.  Like I said before, it requires a lot of patience but I know it will be worth it. Plus, we get lots of quality time together! ;)

A few things I've learned in the past few weeks...

- Accepting the fact that I'm not going to get everything on my to-do list done.  Prioritizing it and picking one or two things I really want to try to do that day has worked best, especially when I'm trying to get those couple of things done while she's napping (and not in my arms) - time is limited! 

 - Having any meals or snacks prepped and easily ready to eat has been pretty helpful.  One thing that worked out really well was throwing something in the crockpot early in the morning while she's still sleeping for dinner that night.  I've also taken an entire nap time one day/week to wash and cut up all the fruits and veggies in the fridge so I can just throw some in a bowl for a snack.  It's much easier to eat one-handed than it is to prepare food one-handed!



- It never even crossed my mind that Ellie might refuse a pacifier.  We had bought a few different kinds before she was born and finally found one she likes!  I think everyone has their own opinions on pacifiers, and I know it'll be another thing to wean her off of eventually, but when she was using me as a pacifier at 3 a.m., anything sounded better.  Overall, she has been much less fussy, especially at night.  Definitely experiment with different ones before giving up hope. :)

- There is no such thing as having too much baby clothes when your child spits up like it's no ones business.  Add in a few blowouts here and there, and baby laundry starts to add up pretty quickly! ;)

- There is also no such thing as having too many diapers!  I don't even want to know how many of these we've gone through so far.  Also, if you think your baby is done going to the bathroom, do yourself a favor and wait another five minutes before changing her because there is likely more coming... things have gotten a little messy around here a few times!

- I pretty much live in sweatpants these days, mostly because they're comfortable and I'm not leaving the house, but also because I'm still working on fitting into some of my non-maternity clothes.  Needless to say, it's not too glamorous but sometimes attempting to get dressed in "real clothes" and putting on a little makeup goes a long way!  Of course, never underestimate the power of a daily, uninterrupted, shower either.

- Lastly, I thought with staying home all day, I wouldn't look forward to the weekends as much as I did while I was at work.  Turns out, that's so not the case.  We (I) can't wait for Tyler to get home from work during the week, and having him home on the weekends makes a big difference - even if it's just the extra company (and maybe a hand with the diaper changes, too).  Don't worry, we're sure to send him a million pictures every day while he's at work so he feels included. ;)

We've gotten a lot of help from family the past few weeks, but we're pretty open to any tips (especially time-saving ones!) anyone has, so feel free to send them my way! :)

P.S.  The etsy shop I bought Ellia's headband from asked if they could use her photo in their etsy listing.  Of course I said yes - you can see it here!