Tomorrow our baby boy will be one month old. Wow. I am
attempting to surface from my “groundhog day” routine of nursing (and all that
entails with a 2nd severe round of mastitis), burping, changing diaper
(and possibly sleeper), doing laundry, taking meds, trying to remember to
consume something nutritious, nursing, etc. to reflect on all the precious
moments of this past month.
But first I must be truthful about the last week. It wasn’t great.
Yes we had great moments, which I fully intend to share, but I continue to feel
so run-down (and occasionally miserable) due to mastitis (round two) and sleep
deprivation. I don’t have the glorious glow of a new mother- it’s more like the
sticky sheen of a mother who spends too much time obsessing over her milk
supply. See I have too much milk production on one side, and in addition to
drowning my baby each time he attempts to latch, this side insists on clogging
up (hence the mastitis coming back, but I will save you the icky details of
what this does to the milk coming from my left breast). I was told to expect my
milk supply to regulate within a week or two…so now into the fifth week, I’ve
become a bit frustrated.
But the positives! Yes, we have plenty. Thanks to my oversupply
of milk (which happens to make me miserable), Briggs is gaining healthy weight
at an astonishing rate. If our bathroom scale-- and our estimates while holding
him-- are accurate, Briggs is nearly 12 pounds! He is a super baby- growing out
of sleepers like crazy. And thanks to his quickly growing physique, my muscles
are getting toned (or so I want to believe).
Also he has been sleeping well (enough for a newborn, that
is). He generally goes down well after his feeding and only awakes every 3 to 4
fours for more. I count that as such a blessing, especially since recurrent
mastitis is often attributed to stress and fatigue. So, I have a baby who is
generally good about letting me sleep, if only my mind would shut off after
each feeding and let me take advantage of my baby’s good sleep habits.
But I’m positive today, remember? So here is a list of the
precious moments Briggs, AJ, & I have shared this past month:
1.
Yesterday we made a “Munger” pile on the couch,
cuddling together in succession according to size. It was delightful and made
me appreciate the reality that WE ARE A FAMILY (and we have a baby who likes to
cuddle)!
2.
AJ & I often deliberate over what he will
look like as he grows older. It’s fun to imagine this little baby becoming a
strong, healthy, and passionate little boy.
3.
I took Briggs to “show off his reflexes” for the
Presentation College Dev Psych class last week, and the students (most of whom
I know well) asked me great questions about being a mom. It was doubly great,
since I got my extroversion fix (BTW- another blog post I considered… motherhood:
an extrovert living an introvert’s dream) and Briggs got some major lovin’.
4.
AJ & I took Briggs grocery shopping, and as I
carried him in a sling around the store, I couldn’t help but notice the joy a
new little baby brings to complete strangers. I also thoroughly enjoyed playing
the part of Proud Momma.
5.
Briggs makes such funny faces, we are often captivated
by his infantile facial expressions- pouty when he’s full, smiley when he’s
passing gas, eager when he’s hungry, adorable when he is basically everything
else.
6.
Thanks in part to the struggles of this first
month, AJ and I have had ample opportunities to reflect on the serious nature
of parenting, the strain of adding an additional role within our own
relationship, and the marvel of together creating a real live baby.
7.
Having a baby means family and friends are
all-of-the-sudden super interested in us again, which is pretty awesome
(remember the extrovert living an introverts’ dream bit?) I love visitors,
cards, gifts, and all the well wishes on facebook.
8.
After I nurse Briggs I get to hold him close to
my chest and recall the beauty of the labor and delivery process. He is such a
miracle, and at the expense of sounding sappy, he is perfect.
So I will leave you with my advice
for new moms after living my first month of motherhood: Survive. Setting any
loftier a goal may result in frustration. So believe this (which is what others
have told me), if you survive the first month, you are a REALLY great mom.
PS- Did I mention how much I love
Briggs? He is truly the best (and most exhausting) addition to our family. And
I tell him this every day.
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