And then there is her eating. It's really important to me that Scarlett has breastmilk. It is so good for babies, and I've always felt strongly about breastfeeding. Well, Scarlett has never really latched on, and I gave up easily, so now everytime I feed her, I pump first, and then give her a bottle. I would LOVE to actually have her feed on me. I'm happy she's still getting breastmilk, but this isn't real convenient.
And then there is her spitting up. It's a lot. I know babies spit up, but seriously, sometimes the amount really scares me. I even brought her to her pediatrician for it, who was not concerned. Well today she took in about 3 ounces, and literally spit up/threw up the entire contents. Maybe she just didn't burp good enough before we put her down? Maybe we layed her in the horizontal position too quickly after feeding? Scared me though! A lot!
And sometimes I feel like I'm not entertaining her enough. Are there fun things to do with an infant? I don't want my baby being bored.
So, motherhood is going well, but I strive to be better. But, Scarlett is growing and she smiles and seems happy, so I guess I have to trust that I'm doing something right.
Here are some new pics of my baby girl. :)
21 comments:
She's gorgeous and you are doing great. It's ok not to know everything - this is a new adventure. It's a learning experience for everyone.
Oh Leah, so been there...actually, am still there! So, I came within millimeters of dropping Emma on the coffee table on one of her first nights home. She literally came all the way out of my hands, flipped over and I caught her like a football right above the table. Oh my gosh. I absolutely flipped out. Cried my eyes out.
And then there was the time we also forgot to strap her back in to her carseat.
And the time she puked so much on the bed we had to strip it all the way down to the bare mattress.
And you don't know how many times I've asked myself what I'm supposed to be doing to entertain/make my baby into the smartest baby in the world! That part gets a little bit easier once they start grabbing for things because then they become a little interested in toys. But until that point, Emma was on her playmat all day long!
So, I feel like a hypocrite telling you not to worry and that you are doing a good job...because I've felt the exact same way as you...BUT YOU ARE DOING A GOOD JOB :)
You're doing fine. This motherhood gig isn't for the faint of heart and it's by far the hardest job ever.
The pics are adorable:)
What a cutie! Try not to be so hard on yourself. You're doing awesome! The carseat thing - you are not the first. I know that can make you feel awful but it happens. I'm glad that right now mine are old enough to remind me if they're not fully buckled (G gets herself half way there then needs help for the rest). This is from the "car seat nazi" as my husband calls me (though I've met worse). ;) Try to relax!
Infants think watching the world is fun - that is their entertainment! Talk to Scarlett as you're going along your daily activities and you're doing great!
The new pics are precious! Thanks for sharing. My baby also had a difficult time latching on so I wound up using a nipple shield, and now he is nursing like a pro. There is a lot of conflicting info about nipple shields, but as long as they are used properly they can be just fine. Initially I was exclusively pumping and giving the milk in a bottle, and now I'm nursing exclusively (with the shield). Just something to consider. Heather
People make mistakes, dont be so hard on yourself :)
She is a beautiful baby, and she obviously is growing up in a very loving environment. You are giving her what matters most.
She is BEAUTIFUL!!! (I love the hat)
You are NOT a bad mom!!! Don't feel so bad about the car seat! We did that one time too. Drove all the way home before we realized we had never strapped him back in and didn't see it because it was winter and he was covered with a blanket!!!
I did the pump 'n feed thing for a while too. Then I switched little man back to nursing. It worked out really well for us. You should keep trying to nurse just to see if she's able to do better now. We went from all bottles back to all BF. Now he gets bottles during the day when I'm at work and nurses at night and on weekends when I'm home.
What a DARLING! I see you AND T in her.....she's perfect!
When I had our first daughter, we took her to church. She was 1 week old. Way back then, the carseat came out of the car completely, instead of just removing the "seat" part and leaving the "base". We were leaving church and parisioners were walking us out, oooohhing and aahhhhing over our sweet Kate. I put her (in her carseat) on top of the car while we loaded the diaper bag and some baby gifts the church gave us, into the car. Then we pulled away. Katy was STILL ON TOP OF THE CAR! I heard a scream and we stopped, we had only moved forward a few feet and very slowly, but it still scared me half to death. You will make mistakes, hopefully nothing as bad as this, but just KNOW that you're an excellent Mom and Scarlett is a strong baby and ask God to keep an angel with her "just in case".
You're really doing great Sweetie!
♥,Lilly
Honey, you are doing GREAT! Everyone makes errors (I wont call them mistakes...) and we do better the next time. It's the way it goes! But you are doing fantastic!
And she is a doll!
Oh Leah - you're a great mom.
I too had my baby girl roll off the pillows (except mine hit the floor). I too drove around without my baby girl strapped into her car seat. I too didn't have my breast-feeding experience unfold the way I had imagined.
The LOVE is all Scarlett really needs right now, and I'm sure she has that in abundance!!
She is so pretty. Every parent has a list a mile long of the stupid things they've done... my list keeps growing with the grandparent thingy.
As far as the spitting up goes - our youngest did that. Sometimes it was projectile. Would scare my like crazy! As long as Scarlett is gaining weight, she is fine.
Again, she is so pretty! What a joy.
well don't worry you might feel like I rookie forever, you will always make mistakes and really kids mgiht as well know we are't perfect. I have put my daughter in the car and then unloaded grocery's out of the cart then realized I hadn't buckled her, holy crap, I can't believe I did that.
Alot of babies do have reflux and you might have to try burping her after part of her bottle and then feeding somemore, unless that makes her so mad that she gets upset and makes it worse. You will learn what works best for her by trying different things as far as laying her down etc after eating. A few kids do have a condition that causes them to do that and they do have to have surgery, the muscle at the bottom of the esophagus just pushes food back out, doubt thats her problem.
Good luck!
We all make mistakes as you know.
I make mistakes all the time. Like, Putting 1 baby in the little bathtub knowing I forgot a towel to place him/her in the other baby starts to cry, So I run to care for the other baby get a towel for the one sitting in water. No I would never do this if my house wasn't full of people playing with the babies 24/7 but I always feel bad if I need to walk away because I forget something as important as a towel at bath time.
So don't think of yourself as a rookie, think of your self as a Mom. you are now one of us that will forget what most see as simple things. and It's ok. =)
If she's gaining weight and doesn't appear to be in pain after or while eating, it's probably not something to be concerned about like reflux. Just burp more often- she may not be ready yet for 3 oz at a time between burps.
As far as activities, I had a "schedule" of sorts from the time Z was very little- every day, we would have "music" time where I would put on music and we would dance around the house, we would have reading time where I read him a few books and then toy time where we looked at rattles, etc. And of course tummy time (which usually turned into back time since he hated being on his tummy) on his playmat. Hope that gives you some ideas.
And it's hard at the beginning to figure all of this out and very easy to second-guess yourself. So give yourself some grace.
You are such a good mom! That little girl of yours is a cutie :) I kind of chuckled about your carseat story - I remember once when my mom put my sister in her carseat, and put the carseat in the car, but forgot to strap the carseat in to the car! We went around the corner and the whole seat fell off the backseat and flipped upside down! So it can happen to anyone...and I still happen to think I have the best mom ever :) I always feel like you do - it's going well, but I want to do even better. There is so much to this being a mom thing!
I imagine these are things that all moms have done! You are right that if she's happy and healthy you are doing something - a lot of things! - right!
Love the Ethiopian knit hat. :)
She is just beautiful, Leah. I know you are doing a great job! I think the second-guessing, worrying, and even little mistakes just come with the job. I'm already worried that I won't know what to do when we bring home our baby. It scares me to even think about that first night together! But you are giving Scarlett lots of love and attention, which is the most important. Don't be too hard on yourself. You're just going to have lots of funny stories to tell her one day!!
Ah, welcome to the wonderful world of motherhood. You are doing great. Mistakes? Are bound to happen. I did the same thing when my girl was about 3 months with the car strap thing. I actually managed to get all the way home, too, before realizing what I had done. NICE! Mother of the year!
IT DOES GET EASIER, I promise. But there is always a learning curve! And you know what's especially funny? Once you feel confident in your "mama skills" and good that you've got your kid all figured out, they go and do a complete change on you and make you feel like you are relearning how to be a mom all over again... it is a PROCESS. Never ending.
Remember this, if nothing else, God gave you that precious baby because he decided YOU were the absolute best person to be her mother. Don't beat yourself up over the little things... as long as you love her and do your best, that is all that matters!
I'm sure it is normal to doubt yourself. (I will probably be right there with you in a few weeks!) But it sounds like you are doing great! I LOVE the pictures of her with the Ethiopia hat. So cute!!! Eager to hear of your Embassy Date!
Hon, I am 29 years old and my mom STILL wonders if she is doing ok as a mom.
It's ok. I think every scenario you listed I have heard from a million other new mom's. But it always feels like you are doing worse. Unfortunately, it sounds pretty normal.
Say it with us - YOU ARE A SUPER GOOD MOMMY!
:) I am spending today catching up on blogs since I was MIA for a week!! She is so beautiful! I am so happy for you and T!!! Such an amazing family!!! :)
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