When you tell people that you are pregnant, they all start to tell you about what you should expect in the upcoming months. How to expect little sleep and how to prepare for exhaustion, and changes in your body and all the things. For the majority of my life I have been TERRIFIED to have a child because of what people told me to expect. It sounded scary as all get out and truthfully I wanted no part of it.
So with that being said, I am here to tell you what to expect…NOT! I am here to answer your questions about this journey so far, but also to remind you that everyone’s journey and every baby is different. Please do not take this as me saying, “this is what you should expect when your baby comes.” I really just want to provide a “here is how it worked for us incase your baby/body is similar to mine” situation. If you are like me, then you will read all of the things. It did help me to read stories similar to mine and find some reassurance in what I was doing. But again, don’t compare…just use this as encouragement. You got this momma!
What schedule are you using for Miles?
We decided to use ‘Moms on Call’ for our schedule. I had SEVERAL friends suggest this book and then my mother-in-law had a co-worker that swore by it, so I gave it a shot. He actually took to the schedule well and I kept rolling with it. It is funny though because there are things in this book that people (maybe even your mother) would tell you not to do. For example, I wake him up to feed him. When I told my grandma this her immediate response was, “you never wake a sleeping baby!” Well, I do, because I am strict about his schedule.
I have truly loved the MOC schedule though because I have seen how much it helps him! He is sleeping through the night, he knows when it is time to eat, he knows when it is time to play…he almost guides me now and I love it. It is also good because once he was old enough (I think it was the 8-16 week change) his bedtime became 7:30pm. This was not only great for him, but it has allowed Jon Luke and I to have more time together as a couple. We can put him down and enjoy dinner together instead of rushing through our meal with a crying baby around!
How is breastfeeding going?
Surprisingly, well. Thankfully I am producing what he needs and more so I have been able to store a lot in the freezer. This is something I do not take for granted so I am trying to stick with this as long as possible. I do enjoy the fact that this is something only I can give him, but I also do not see myself doing this forever to be honest. It has been difficult for me as I have gone back to work simply because pumping at work is hard. Which leads me to the next question…
Are you going to continue to breastfeed when you go back to work?
Short answer, yes. Long answer, this has been way more difficult than I imagined. Not only do I have to remember to pump every three hours, but I also have to get dressed in the morning in a way that is convenient for pumping. It is hard because I will be in meetings where I can’t pump (even if they are Zoom meetings) and by the time I finish I am 30 minutes behind schedule. Then I have to pump before my next meeting and I don’t have enough time. It is tough. And a lot to think about while I am also trying to get work done. So we will see how this goes. I am trying to give myself a ton of grace. If it continues to go well, then great. If not, I can be proud of myself for making this far and continue to be proud moving forward.
How was the bottle transition for you? Did he take it easily?
So when we was old enough, we started to give him a bottle before bed. This was helpful for him to get used to it, as well as give me a little bit of time to myself while Jon Luke fed him. Thankfully we did not have many issues but I do think that introducing one per day helped for when I went back to work full time!
When did he start consistently sleeping through the night?
Around 9-10 weeks we would get several nights in a row. For some reason around 11 weeks he started to wake up in the middle of the night again. When I reached out to my Moms On Call help they suggested that he might be ready to drop the swaddle. Sure enough, we dropped the swaddle and aside from his first night in the pajamas he has been sleeping through the night! We also started him in his crib right when we got home from the hospital so the only “transition” we had was dropping the swaddle.
How are you balancing work with a baby?
I feel like I should wait a couple of weeks to answer this question. Right now, I feel like things have gone smoothly? But we have had help for sure. My mom came to town the first week I went back, then JL’s mom came the second week. We are going to alternate for now and I might try to work from home some so it will be interesting. As far as how I am doing, it was tough going back at first. I missed him terribly for one, but I also had to get used to pumping, storing, all the things. I think I am getting the hang of it but right now I am just making it work! And as far as the extra stuff (Pure Barre and the blog) I have limited those as well. I am not teaching again yet and I am being SUPER strategic with blogging. I will shoot multiple looks at once to get me through several days/weeks and I have made a calendar of post ideas. That way I can sit down during a nap or two on the weekends and knock a bunch out at a time!
Do you have a favorite baby brand yet?
If I had to pick one right now I love Kyte Baby. They have the softest onesies and footie pajamas and for the most part that is what he has been living in. I think I am going to work on a round up of places that I shop for him in a few weeks but for now I would choose Kyte Baby.
Favorite baby item…go.
This piano play mat that does not match the aesthetic of my house at all haha
Have you noticed a ton of changes in him?
Yes! He has grown so much it is crazy. And now you can tell how is personality is developing so much. He is SO smile-y and loves to talk. He can definitely recognize our voices so watching him look around for his dad is so sweet. He is seriously such a joy and I love him so much!
What is your favorite part of being a mom?
My goodness…this is hard to answer because (surprisingly) there are a ton of things I love about it. I love the way he looks at me. I love waking him up in the morning. I love when he acts like he wants to laugh. So many things I love about this job but mostly I just love that he is mine.
