Being a MOM of Two!
I have been a mom of 2 now for almost 2 weeks! It has been an awesome 2 weeks and I have to say the 2nd time around is much easier! Maybe its the experience or the confidence--I don't know--but I have not cried once since I have had our son! After I had our daughter I cried at least once a day! (LOL!) Nursing, lack of sleep, diapers, and issues that need the pediatricians advice are less scary the 2nd time around!
Nursing is what caused me the most angst with Ella. I just couldn't get it! It only took a couple of days for my milk to come in with Henry and he latched on right away. At the hospital they did something called Kangaroo Care which means they put your baby on your chest for an hour right after birth. (Yes this means they don't even wipe him off!) Statistically when they do this they are 30% more likely to be successful at nursing on their own and it proved to be true with Henry. Nursing is awesome, but it is rough on mom because of lack of sleep.
Last night Henry ate every 3 hours and it was the most amazing night! He had been eating every 2 hours. The program that we are on says to wake them at least every 3 hours to eat and when they are 6-8 weeks they will be sleeping through the night! (This worked for Ella.) At this point newborns need food more than they need sleep. (Keep in mind this is a theory and there are other theories out there--you need to research and do what is right for your family.)
Diapering a newborn boy is challenging because of the circumcision. You can't use wipes until the penis heals. I also forgot how often you have to change a newborn's diaper. You can go through a pack of diapers every few days!
We have had to call the pediatrician on several occassions already! The first reason was because Henry had not pooped in 4 days. They told us to insert a Qtip in his anus (it didn't bother him at all) and that should stimulate a poop and boy were they right! He had a blow out 15 minutes after that.
Control
I have been a mom of 2 now for almost 2 weeks! It has been an awesome 2 weeks and I have to say the 2nd time around is much easier! Maybe its the experience or the confidence--I don't know--but I have not cried once since I have had our son! After I had our daughter I cried at least once a day! (LOL!) Nursing, lack of sleep, diapers, and issues that need the pediatricians advice are less scary the 2nd time around!
Nursing is what caused me the most angst with Ella. I just couldn't get it! It only took a couple of days for my milk to come in with Henry and he latched on right away. At the hospital they did something called Kangaroo Care which means they put your baby on your chest for an hour right after birth. (Yes this means they don't even wipe him off!) Statistically when they do this they are 30% more likely to be successful at nursing on their own and it proved to be true with Henry. Nursing is awesome, but it is rough on mom because of lack of sleep.
Last night Henry ate every 3 hours and it was the most amazing night! He had been eating every 2 hours. The program that we are on says to wake them at least every 3 hours to eat and when they are 6-8 weeks they will be sleeping through the night! (This worked for Ella.) At this point newborns need food more than they need sleep. (Keep in mind this is a theory and there are other theories out there--you need to research and do what is right for your family.)
Diapering a newborn boy is challenging because of the circumcision. You can't use wipes until the penis heals. I also forgot how often you have to change a newborn's diaper. You can go through a pack of diapers every few days!
We have had to call the pediatrician on several occassions already! The first reason was because Henry had not pooped in 4 days. They told us to insert a Qtip in his anus (it didn't bother him at all) and that should stimulate a poop and boy were they right! He had a blow out 15 minutes after that.
Control
A distressed mom told me today, you know what, I still want to control my daughter but I am trying not to. (Her daughter was late to church and the mom was upset.) She went on to say that as a mom you just have to let go of control and let your son or daughter have freedom. This is something she has really been working on—the thing is—she is 84. Control is something you start giving up each year as your child matures, so by the time they are 18 years old they have freedom to make their own choices and hopefully they make good ones. Mom’s almost always struggle with wanting to control things because that is what we have done for so long, but the healthiest thing to do is to let your child have more and more freedom so when the time comes for him or her to have complete freedom they make wise choices. And seriously, if you’re 50 year old daughter is late to church, who cares!
