Week 12 - no longer a newborn!

Week 12 - no longer a newborn!

12 weeks! 3 months! How is my little baby 3 whole months old?! It's been an incredible journey so far and now my gorgeous little bear is officially no longer a newborn. He is an 'infant' now. Becoming wise to the ways of the world. No longer new at this living life malarky, but nailing it. He has grown in length and weight and size of course, but the best bit is watching him grow mentally, emotionally and developmentally. Being a parent is absolutely the toughest job ever, but it is also the most rewarding role on the planet.

Here's how the 12th week went down.

1. Yellow (and browny yellow) poo continued.       

After our green poo woes recently, I am pleased to announce that we have managed lovely yellow brown poos all week and I have never been prouder. This means that all our hard work in fixing our breastfeeding position and attachment is paying off. In excrement, yes, but that is one heck of a pay off when you're a mum!  We've been increasing the feeds (we are back up to every 2 hours in the day, not 2-3 anymore as we were doing) to try and really get a handle on feeding and help my boy put on more pounds and I believe it is working. Go team!

2. The Jojo Maman Bebe experience. 

I want to give a shout out to the excellent Jojo Maman Bebe policy of allowing any mum to come in to one of their stores and be welcomed to breastfeed and nappy change their little one with no obligation to even browse let alone buy anything. I was in there browsing sheepskin stroller liners (more on that later), when Pads got irritable and I realised we had hit the 2 hour since the last feed mark so he needed another feed pronto. The staff were so lovely and kind, setting me up in an empty changing booth, with an excellent chair for biological breastfeeding might I add. I was in there a good 40 minutes giving my son dinner and a pudding so to speak (both boobs) and happily listening to the 90's tunes playing on the in-store sound system, when he promptly did a stinky poo but all I had to do was carry him across the corridor to a lovely, clean toilet with changing facilities. Sorted.  Definitely worth knowing if you are ever in need of a quiet, calm and comfy place to breastfeed or nappy change when out shopping, head to a Jojo.

3. The best breast pads. 

Breathable, washable and reusable cloth breast pads. I just discovered them and wonder where they have been all my new mum life!  So much better than the sweaty sticky plastic backed disposable ones I had been buying. Comfier, more absorbent and cost wise, as I can wash them again and again and reuse them, I reckon I am going to save some good pennies here over time, plus they must be better for your skin than the disposable ones, not to mention better for the environment. Everyone's a winner.

4. My growing boy. 

So Pads has now outgrown his cutest newborn sleepy grows, some new baby hats, a couple of leggings and some vests. He really is growing up. I have put them away safely as you never know when you'll need them again (!!!! - definitely not anytime soon!) but it feels like a big milestone for my little boy to be in his bigger clothes. He is definitely not a newborn anymore. (wipes a little tear from the eye)

5. 'Smooth transitions' leap. 

Pads has been through another developmental leap, according to The Wonder Weeks book, (the only baby book I now read as I find it fascinating and it doesn't make you feel like a failure!!) and this one is known as smooth transitions, where he gets to grips with new skills he has been learning over the past weeks. It mentions that he is likely to thumb suck more for comfort and to avert crying at this age! Ha! That's a definite. After my post last week on the negative comments I had received out and about about him sucking his thumb, it was great to hear from so many of you that your little ones do or did it too and that it's fine. It's actually a really good thing that they can then self soothe and it looks cute. Thanks for the thumb sucking solidarity ladies! 

The other developments Pads is displaying this week after his leap: he is more content at independent play now, able to amuse himself on his baby gym or cot for a period of time (mainly by thumping his legs down, lifting them up into the air or swiping at toys/mobiles etc...), and our chats have got more frequent with new excited squawks and shouting sounds from him. He has got much louder and more confident with making noises and I love to make them back to him and watch his reaction. He has totally got the rhythm of conversation. He knows to speak after I have spoken and we go back and forth for a while now like this, me repeating his noises back to him and maybe adding a new one for him to experience. He has learnt how to do the most adorable cries of joy when he finds something amusing or fun. He has also started to do attention seeking shrieks, when he has had enough independent play or gets bored or just wants to be cuddled. He gets really excited chatting sometimes too, kicking his legs and flailing his arms about merrily. 

When he is tired he can be a bit shy around other people now and bury his head in my chest.  Oh and apparently boys cry more, sleep worse and take up more of their mum's time than girls! Prove them wrong son. 

6. Sleep update. 

We spoke too soon! On Sunday he had an epic 14.5 hrs sleep from midnight to midnight then the next evening he had one of his most fitful sleeps in ages - just 3 hours in a block, then he was up for feeds pretty much every hour after that. It was like the early days when he was a brand new born.  Just goes to show that anything can change with a baby! 

Towards the end of this week he then surprised us again with a corker of a sleep record, clocking in a mighty 8 hour session one night and a 7 hours 46 minutes block 2 nights later. Awesome. If I knew how to repeat that, I would tell everyone I knew. I don't however, it just happened and I am so grateful for it but aware that it may not happen again! Take the rough with the smooth right?!

I do think in general though, he is sleeping better, and for longer blocks, in his cot (on the sleepyhead still), so am pleased we made that transition early. 

7. Breast feeding clinic round two. 

We went back to see the amazing lactation guru Carol Walton for a progress check on our breastfeeding and it was so busy at the clinic, there weren't even enough seats for all the mums. Carol is clearly in demand and we mums need help from people like her on this breastfeeding journey. There need to be more Carols basically. 

I thought I was going to be waiting to see her for a really long time and wasn't looking forward to waiting it out as I hate hot, cramped and busy rooms at the best of times, more so since having a baby. However, I got lucky. I'll let you into a little secret in case you ever go to see her, she always goes to mother's of babies who are crying first. And Paddington decided to get a bit grizzly on the boob when we had just got there and started crying as I took him off to wind him. Bingo! We got assessed there and then and then were out within the hour. 

Her assessment was that we were doing really well but that there wasn't enough space between my boob and lap still so I need to remember to sit up more 'like a page 3 model'. I tend to slouch into the position so need to work on that. As he is so long, she also suggested we try laying him oblique style across my lap, so he has more space to stretch out. His occasional fussing and closing his latch from wide to just on the nip could also be down to him being too bunched up she said, so I need to sit more on the edge of the chair and lean back once he is on well rather than sit up straight at the back of the chair. She also suggested I can relax my arms a bit now we are getting the gist of the position and instead of holding him with both hands around his middle which can e uncomfortable for me after a while, I can support him with just one hand around his middle and use the other arm to lightly cradle around him. Much comfier for me! If his head lops to one side, as it often does in this position, he can rest on my curved arm a little bit but however tempted I am, I must not try to hold or support his head as he needs that to be free to come off when he is done. All in all though, we have got a hang of the position mostly and will carry on as we are as it seems to be (fingers crossed) working. 

We don't need to go back now unless we feel things slipping again or if I am worried about his feeding at all, so I think I will give us both a break and let it be for a while.  We have both worked really hard at this new technique. Fingers crossed we keep doing good. 

8. Shake, rattle and almost roll. 

When chilling on the baby gym at the clinic, he grabbed the rattle hoop and pulled it off its Velcro tab and held on to it shaking it!  He has not done that at home and was very casual about it! I was elated and looked around the room expecting all the other mums to be as impressed as me but no one even saw it. 

At home I added tissue paper streamers to his gym and he loves yanking at them and grabbing and pulling them with a super strong grip, but he does have to be supervised when playing with them, as he has also taken to putting them in his mouth and little bits of paper then tear off when wet. I found a little bit of yellow paper on the side of his mouth so am pretty sure he must have ingested a little bit when I wasn't looking, so hoping that doesn't come out in his poop! 

He has also started arching his back and leaning his head up and back and then trying to push off with his feet when on his back so he rolls onto his side and then almost on to his tum. I reckon we will have a roller on our hands very soon! Watch out- the days of easy play in one place may be nearing their end with this live wire!

9. The massive live poo!!! 

Pads did an incredible just-about-to-leak poop which I got to cleaning up as usual, and for the first time since his first 2 weeks, he then decided that was the perfect time to push out another massive live runny poo! I was in the line of fire and got my hand covered in the stuff, which made me drop his legs from my usual 'chicken legs' grab in the air to clean his botty easily, yup, straight into the freshly laid poo. I started giggling uncontrollably and he reacted with a massive grin and a shriek of pleasure. It was a right old mess and required a full outfit change for him and a thorough hand and arm wash for me but if you can't laugh at a live poo, what can you do?!

10. Popping to the shops...

Half an hour is not long enough to 'pop into town' with a baby. Actually, scrap that, there is no 'popping into town' with a baby. There is only an expedition into town. And it takes up to 2 hours to leave because they need a nappy change just as you are at the door which then makes them cry so you try settling them with some rocking and playing games which they love so you continue this for a while. Then you realise they want to be fed so you think 'just a quick snack then' which they decide will be the 2 boobs please for at least 15 minutes a piece, then they need winding and another nappy change, then you have a small window to get out. And you must get out now or forever stay inside! I had 4 simple chores to do in town and managed to complete 3 of them, which was no easy feat.  It felt a bit like I had just competed in a gruelling round of the Krypton Factor - I actually jogged with the buggy to make it happen and worked up quite a sweat. Next time, I will be leaving myself double time to get anything done in town with a baby! What was I thinking?!

11. Buggy workout. 

Speaking of jogging with a baby, I took Padster on a lovely riverside walk and suddenly felt the need to work in a little fitness for myself as he was peacefully asleep and snuggly so I jogged with the buggy for 30 second intervals. Anyone that knows me knows that I do not jog so this was quite something to behold. I then started doing squats holding onto the handle, a few calf raises and then some yogic leg raises and stretches. I was having a great time in the fresh air, getting some exercise, just me and my boy. It was at this point I noticed a man and his dog walking parallel to us who was desperately trying not to let on that he had been a) watching and b) most likely sniggering a little at this unco-ordinated woman seemingly dancing with her buggy. Ah well, I lost my dignity during the birth so I just gave him a smile and continued jogging on. On this same day after little man woke up and the jogging was done, he needed a feed - of course! - and as we are in the country, there wasn't a lot of seating options. I found a large rock, nay, a massive boulder and perched on that for the feed and the nappy change that followed - it felt very primal and primitive being on a rock and its definitely the most photogenic place I have done a nappy change so far.

12. The sheepskin.

I bought Paddington something I have wanted to buy for a while now as a treat and as 'Winter is coming' . It's a gorgeously soft, non shred lambs wool stroller rug and it is gorgeous. I want one! It fits in the car seat, buggy carrycot and will fit in the stroller when we convert the buggy in a few months, so it's a versatile bit of kit too (and did I mention how soft and stroke able it is?!).  It makes him look so snuggly and will keep him warm in the Winter and cool in the Summer apparently. We have only had it for 2 days but I have to say he has slept much better and for much longer in the car since and in the buggy so it seems to be working. 

So that's the 3 month mark met. Pads is a quarter of a year old. I hope Paddington has enjoyed this journey so far as much as we have and I know we have all learnt so much together.  And do you know what, not to jinx anything, but it really does get easier, or more manageable perhaps, and it just keeps getting better and better.