Four Months Postpartum

It looks like I am finally starting to fit comfortably into my pre-pregnancy jeans. I am so excited because I didn't want to have to buy new pants. I have to be honest, I haven't been eating the best, but I try to get nutrients in as much as possible along with some junk that I shouldn't be eating. Hey, I'm only human! I do work my butt off exercising though. As I have said, I am training for a half marathon, so there's that…and I also go to a boot camp that our trainer puts on a few times a week. He is so intense, and it really has been making such a difference. I see the tone and definition throughout my body from training and boot camp. If I ate well, I know I could look MUCH better. Eating really is the majority of it, but it is also the most difficult (in my opinion).

When it comes to what is left, I have A GREAT DEAL of skin that needs firming. I think this will probably come with time. I know there isn't too much you can do with the excess skin, which saddens me.

Since I don't weigh myself, I can't tell you if I am back to my pre-pregnancy weight. I did have to weigh myself at the doctor a little over a month ago, and I was seven pounds away from my starting weight! I must have dropped a few more pounds, surely.  I used to weigh myself and it psyched me out too much. I would workout and eat better than ever, but I would gain weight instead of losing…so I decided I wouldn't let my weight define me, and I wouldn't let it mess with my head! I am crazy enough without having to look at a number all of the time.

Anyway, my long runs are up to 8 1/2 miles! I am very proud. Of course, I am not as quick as I used to be. I am still proud of my 9 1/2 min/mi average pace. A "goal" that I made for myself for the half next month is to finish averaging 9 min/mi. We will see though. I don't know why I always have to give myself a time limit. I guess it is just what I do. This will be my third half marathon, with my quickest average pace being 8:09 min/mi.

If you are trying to get back into shape, you have to push yourself! If you want results, you have to push it…you have to go over your limit…you have to be sore the next day. You have to feel it! If you aren't feeling it, you won't see the results as quickly. Some people also have to eat very well. I am lucky, so I can slip up a little. I do think my definition of not eating "well" is better than a lot of people's diets. I don't drink sugary drinks, or too much caffeine (I do love Starbucks a couple of times a week, but I order tall and I make it Skinny.) I drink A LOT of water because I am breastfeeding, and I make sure to get my fruits and vegetables in AT LEAST every morning in my smoothie. I think everyone deserves a cheat meal once a day ;) Okay, so obviously don't listen to me when it comes to diet and nutrition. I just love food too much.

Chris Powell was on Dr. Oz and he did say that you should sneak breads and pastas in every other day, in ONE of your meals. This way you aren't craving the carbs so much when you are trying to have a healthy diet. I like this idea, and look at Chris! I think he knows what he is talking about.

I hope all is well with you all…

This is a couple weeks shy of fourth months postpartum. As you can see, I still have my good ole love handles! I am happy with my progress though! 

Moving to the crib at night...

OH my gosh…I am so exhausted after a week of trying to get Micah Avery to sleep soundly in his crib at night. I guess he always woke up a little at night because he wanted his pacifier, but it is a much different story when you have to get up and go to the other room and give it to him. It is not very fun having your sleep interrupted every hour for three hours straight in the middle of the night. 
Oh, and I am also nursing him once during the night, which isn't bad, but it is another time I need to get up and go into his room. Some babies could go 12-13 hours without nursing, but not Micah. Micah can go eight, but not this week. This week he has decided to go from 5-7 hours. What did I expect? That he would transition well to his crib the first night? Maybe. 

He is an easy baby, so I thought that this would be an easy thing to do. 

On top of all the aforementioned, he cannot really soothe himself with his own fingers because he is swaddled. I feel like if he didn't have to still be swaddled, he may comfort himself by sucking on his fingers, but then he wouldn't sleep well at all without being swaddled. Has anyone had this problem? 

Anyway, for about three weeks prior to him sleeping in the crib at night, I started putting him down in his crib for every nap. This has been working pretty well actually. Some days he needs me to help him fall asleep, while other days he falls asleep all on his own. 

He is waking up more often in his crib. I have been trying to research why…is it because he is cold in that room? Teething? Do different noises wake him? Who knows. 

Why can he sleep for about five hours straight, and then suddenly decide he needs his pacifier? 

These are all things I try to ask myself. I will keep trying because I know it will be better for us all if he learns to sleep well in his room. I do miss having him right next to me at night though. 

I decided to try and get him to sleep well in his crib before he hit the four month mark next week. I can't believe that the time has gone by so quickly. 

Anyway, if you are crib training right now…or have just started putting your little one in the crib at night…DON'T GIVE UP! You aren't the only one who has a stubborn little cutie, and I feel for you. :)

Exercising with baby, getting it back!

As I sit here with my sleeping baby I know it is wrong. Don't let him fall asleep in your arms, it is too comfy! He won't nap well when put down, which is partially true. I've been putting in him the crib for naps now, but he sleeps longer when I hold him, sorry to say. He has been so fussy lately, and we have a dinner date tonight so I want him to be happy for it! 

Anyway, I wanted to run with him today, but he's been grumpy even in the stroller. I may have to wait until Conrad gets off of work before I go. 

Exercise has been going well. I love the boot camp I go to three days a week. It is great, and just what I need to get back into shape. I run the other two days,  and sometimes I run on boot camp days. Of course, I walk every day to get out of the house, and for Georgie the Corgi. I really should run more consistently since the half marathon is next month, but things have really changed with my baby Micah around! I'm okay with it all, too! As long as I get my long runs in, I'm good.

Okay, so I actually should do more cardio for my excess weight and love handles, but boot camp incorporates cardio, so I feel good about that! 

Anyway, eating is the majority of it, and I'm not doing well in that department, but I really haven't felt like limiting myself...yet!

I'm proud of how far I've come in three months! I'm still not where I was before, but before I didn't have a beautiful and healthy baby boy! 

Life with a 3 month old, building a supply, and such...

Just as I am becoming confident in the way things are…things change!  

I like to go to a boot camp that one of the trainers at our gym puts together…it is separate from the gym itself, and a really great way to get into shape, or stay in shape. It is three days a week, and I am gone roughly an hour and a half. I also like to run a few times a week (with and without Micah)…being that I am training for a half marathon and all. Conrad said that when I am gone now that Micah gets really fussy. Last night he was crying the entire time that I was gone. Conrad asked if I fed him (THE NERVE!), well he knows that I did, but he was frustrated that he was behaving that way with him. I think it was because he is starting to get attached to me. At first though, I started worrying that my supply was diminishing because he wasn't content, and usually he only cries if he is hungry or tired. Next time Conrad will feed him if he needs to, this is why I pump once in a while…he just didn't want to mess up the schedule that he is on. 

Are you a stay-at-home-mom and want to build a supply, but are nervous about getting an oversupply? That is definitely something I was nervous about the first month! As I have said in previous posts, I am doing what they call "block feeding." I just feed on one breast each feeding because I produce a lot of milk. So now that Micah is sleeping 7-8 hours at night (YAY!), one breast is full, while the other is not. That's when my friend, Ashley, suggested that I pump the other breast while I nurse him. This has really helped me get a supply. I do not get a great deal of milk by any means, but I keep the milk I do get in the refrigerator, and I put two-three nights' worth of milk in one storage bag. Just today I have decided to start pumping at 7 a.m., with Micah's first morning feed. I produced double the amount of milk than I do at night! I think if I do this, I won't risk getting an oversupply because it is so spaced out. 

You see, my situation is different than most people's. Try not to read too many articles online that tell you, "Most people do this…" When it came to my situation, I wasn't like most people, and then it worried me because I thought there was something wrong. 

During #strollermomsABQ (Our own Stroller Mom's club, by invite only ;) ) Ashley and I were talking about how we try to get on such a strict schedule and if it goes off a little bit, we worry that it will mess everything up. Then we came to the realization that we are stay-at-home-moms…we are here for our kids, we should feed them when they are hungry, and who cares if things get thrown a bit off. 

Anyway, that is just my two cents for the day. I hope everyone has a great weekend. Let me know if you have any questions or comments!

Filling the day with a nearly three month old

I've been trying to figure out how to fill the day with a baby who cannot do too much yet. I watch entirely too much television, and becoming aware of this fact has made me stop watching so much! He will sometimes turn his head to watch it, too...and that's when I get up and head into the other room. 

However, there is only so much tummy time that you can do in a day! 

So I've been doing research to figure out what babies need at this age. It is very important that you read to your baby (obviously), but too much reading and it is apparent that your baby will become bored. Of course, you should be doing tummy time, and the amount of time should increase every month. I also think that after tummy time you should put your baby on their back on an activity mat so they can look at all the different hanging toys. At three months, your baby should be swatting and grasping toys, so this encourages them to do so.

I enjoy putting Micah in his boppy and talking to him without any distractions. He is very vocal and will respond to me very excitedly. I love his smiles, giggles, and yells! Also while he is in the boppy, I put music on for him and sing. Although I have the worst voice on earth, he doesn't seem to notice. 

I do put him in his swing when I am cooking, or eating. When I'm cleaning I have started to wear him, and I like to talk to him about what we are doing...that is until he falls asleep! 

I take at least one walk a day with him. That is another way to fill the day. It seems like he really enjoys the stroller. While I walk with him, I try to tell him what I'm seeing. He usually hears me telling our poor Corgi, George, no. He doesn't make walking easy, that's for sure!

Anyway, I'm training for a half marathon, and Micah goes on runs with me, too! I don't like to take him further than four miles because it is a lot more work! But I think I will be a better runner if I try! 

Yesterday Steph and I did five treadmill miles, and it is much harder running on a treadmill than running outside! I don't think I have ever ran that far on the treadmill before.

This month Micah giggled for the first time, and he rolls over during tummy time. He is 11 weeks and 6 days! I'm pretty proud. He rolled over two times in a row, so it wasn't a fluke! 

This is right after he rolled over:

I have joined a MOM's club here in Albuquerque, there are a few different chapters, depending on where you live. This will be a great way to meet moms, and to get out and enjoy the city.

Micah and I also run a lot of errands together, and go hang out with a lot of our friends, and sometimes family. Micah and I also meet Daddy for lunch once a week. Going out early on also helps him get used to the carseat, and people!

So spend your day talking with, wearing, walking with, running with, playing with, laughing with, reading with, going out with, and of course, loving your baby!!!

Crib training & sleep

Have you co-slept with your baby, and had a hard time figuring out when to transition to the crib in the nursery? My husband and I have been realizing that Micah has been more and more aware lately (at 11 weeks), and it is probably time to start trying. Since we FINALLY received the crib a couple of weeks ago, I have been laying Micah in it while awake every morning when I'm getting things ready for the day. I just started last week trying to put him down in his crib for naps. As I type, I'm rocking eagerly back and forth in the nursery rocking chair, just waiting for him to wake up. Of course, I put him down while he is sleepy, but awake because he has learned to fall asleep on his own in his co-sleeper, so I want him to get used to it in his crib, as well (it makes for easy nights). I am happy to say he has been asleep for 35 minutes now!

I don't swaddle him for naps, and I know I am supposed to, according to research, but I don't want him to only be able to sleep with a swaddle. Plus, we are mostly on the go at least half of the week, so he sleeps in car seats a lot of times. I am sorry to inform you that we don't have set nap schedules, which is completely fine with me. And this has been fine because he has been pretty easy to put down at night (knock on wood) and that is what I care most about. For example, our friends were over a lot last week, and I have been able to feed Micah, burp him, put him down awake, and attend to our guests right after...it takes me about 15 minutes! I watch him on the monitor the entire time I'm away from him though! :)

I am nervous about having him sleep five miles away from me (a slight exaggeration ;) ), but I know that it is for the best...for all of us! 

So I will continue putting him down in his room for naps at least once a day to get him comfortable with it. 

Anyway, Micah is starting to wake up because it is close to his feeding time, so I will talk to you soon!

Strong let-down & oversupply...pumping and such

   

I have finally figured out how to manage my supply. As I have said in a previous post, I was having issues with Micah choking and becoming increasingly frustrated when breastfeeding. I didn't know what to do. I spoke to several lactation consultants, who said different things: Try putting frozen veggies on your breast before nursing, pump a little before (which doesn't help matters in the long run), try elevating his head, try laying down and having him turn to the side so the milk can dribble out of his mouth when needed, etc. None of those things helped! 

So I read several online articles and decided to try to block feed to lessen my supply since I am a stay-at-home-mom and do not need to build it. 

First, I would nurse only on one side for two feedings in a row. I did this for a few days, and then I switched to nursing on one side only for a feeding, and then switching to the next side for the next feeding. I have been doing this for a month and a half now, and Micah hasn't been stressing out and choking for a few weeks! I feel so much better doing the block feeding. With that said, he only nurses for about 10 minutes. I have learned from doing research, that not all people can be classified into one category when it comes to breastfeeding.

When Micah was born, I would drive myself crazy reading, "Most babies should nurse for 30 minutes, and they should feed on both sides. They will tell you when they want to switch sides. They will tell you when they are full." All of this was BS when it came to my child, and so I learned. So, don't freak out if your child is different than "most" because it happens! You will also read that as long as they have enough wet and poopy diapers they are fine! I used the La Leche League website a lot:

http://www.llli.org/faq/enough.html

Anyway, I struggled at first, especially not knowing if Micah was gaining weight because after the two week appointment, he didn't go in until the two month appointment! Call your baby's pediatrician if you have questions and a nurse should get back to you promptly. If you are concerned make an appointment. That's what I had to do! First time mom, everyone 😍

A strong let-down does lead to a more gassy baby, too! Just so you know. 

Anyway, I hope this helped at least one person! 

Talk to you soon 💕