Lincoln Grey: One Month Old!

This is totally cliché, but I can’t believe five weeks have already gone by since Lincoln was born. Between spending five days in the hospital and the first few (crazy) weeks at home, it seems to have gone by in an instant.

Everyone who told me that boys love their mamas wasn’t kidding. Lincoln loves to be held and snuggled and prefers sleeping on us versus anywhere else. I had a feeling he would be a more needy baby because I’ve always heard if your first baby was easy, your second won’t be (and Harper was the easiest newborn ever). I’m not sure science backs this “theory” (ha!), but in our case, it’s accurate.

The last few weeks have been tough, though I do feel things are getting better. Between his milk allergy/tummy issues and him generally being a harder to settle baby, I have questioned my abilities as a mother. There have been days I’ve cried, wondering what I’m doing wrong and frantically texting Kevin at work.

But there have also been fantastic days— where I’ve done a ton around the house and he napped beautifully throughout the day. It ebbs and flows and I have to remind myself that it’s okay to have days where I don’t get out of my PJs, have my hair in a top knot and just feed my baby all day. I think that especially with having the new house I put a lot of pressure on myself to “get things done” and organize our spaces, but I’ve had to settle into the reality that some days, those tasks just won’t happen, and that’s okay.

Now that he’s five and a half weeks old, I’m seeing some improvement in his fussiness, but truthfully, every day is different and it can change at any second.

Here are Lincoln’s one month stats:  Weight/Height:
Though he lost 8 percent of his body weight in the hospital and initially had trouble gaining, he now weighs nearly 12 lbs. I weighed him at his hip ultrasound appointment (he was dressed) and he was exactly 12 lbs, so he’s probably closer to 11.5 lbs or so.Health:
Lincoln had pretty bad jaundice when he was born, but that is all resolved now.

Other than his milk protein allergy which causes him to have a lot of gas/discomfort, he has been doing good health wise. Since Harper is still in daycare every day, we were worried about germs, but we just do a lot of hand washing when she’s home and we remind her to touch his head or his feet and not his face or hands.

He had an ultrasound on his hips today since he was breech all of my pregnancy and thankfully he is in the clear and doesn’t have any issues with his hips.

I’m still not sure if it’s related to the milk protein allergy or not, but at about 10 days old he started to develop baby acne. Harper had it too so I knew to expect it, but each and every day, his got worse and worse to the point where it covered his head, entire face and neck. He even a few spots on his shoulders. They were so red and inflamed, it looked painful. I actually called his doctor because it was so severe and he was getting yellow crusty patches all over his head, ears and face. We went and saw the pediatrician and that’s when his milk allergy was diagnosed once I mentioned the other issues I was noticing and they tested his diapers for blood. Poor baby. It took some time and hydrocortizone cream, but his skin looks a thousand times better now. He also has pretty bad cradle cap and lost all of the hair at the front of his head. We used some olive oil and a soft toothbrush on his cradle cap the other night and it looks a lot better now.Sleep:
All over the place. The other night he slept for a 4 hour stretch or so, his longest stretch so far. Some nights he is up every 2.5-3 hours or so to eat. It just depends on the night and how he’s slept during the day. During the day he naps really well most days. After feeding, he will sleep 1.5-2 hours on average, which is wonderful. He definitely has more awake time than Harper did at his age. When he’s awake, we sometimes do a little tummy time or just snuggle. He does get fussy throughout the day and in between naps, but it’s getting much more manageable now that I’ve learned what he likes and what soothes him. He will only take a paci sometimes, so I’ve had to find other things that work for him.

Social:
We don’t get out much these days. Cold, flu and RSV season scares the heck out of me, but I know we can’t stay sheltered forever. Now that he’s closer to six weeks old, I hope to start running errands and meeting friends for lunch, but I love being at home with him too and having visitors. There’s so much to do around the new house that I actually appreciate having the extra time at home—and having my maternity leave fall during the holidays is an extra special perk of having an October baby!Nursing:
This time around, nursing has been a totally different experience. I’ll admit that I was really discouraged at the hospital when Lincoln didn’t seem to have a great latch and nursing was excruciating. I was pumping to ensure he was gaining weight and also nursing. I have to thank all of the incredible friends in my life who texted with me throughout those early days and offered advice and support— it kept me going on those tougher days.I’ve learned that nursing isn’t just about the mom or the baby— you are both learning together. After a couple of weeks, Lincoln’s latch improved and my pain had subsided and now we’ve got a good routine going on and I don’t feel so stressed about it. Having said that, we’re still dealing with some minor issues— I have an overactive/forceful letdown (which is quite painful but it only lasts 30 seconds or so…it also makes him choke while nursing sometimes), so that has been a challenge, but overall I’m so fortunate to have a good supply and a baby that nurses very efficiently. I’m so glad that he is also taking a bottle, because it will make my transition to work easier.Lincoln eats every 1.5-2 hours during the day. Usually 3 oz by bottle and who knows how much when he nurses.

Likes:
Being cuddled, sleeping on my or Kevin’s chest, eating and his swing (can I get an Amen for baby swings?!)

Dislikes:
Waking up from naps (he is like immediately hangry), sleeping more than 2-3 hours at a time at night, gas.

Postpartum:
My c-section recovery has greatly exceeded my expectations. I actually found the first couple of weeks to be less painful than what I experienced with Harper’s delivery. I am feeling good physically. I took it really easy for the first several weeks and had a lot of help. My mom came in the first week we were home and my in-laws have been amazing brining us meals, helping around the house, etc. I think taking it so slow helped me feel better more quickly. Doing things around the house has helped me get my body moving without overdoing it.From an emotional standpoint, like any tired mom of a newborn, I have good days and bad days. Some days I feel rested, accomplished and like my day was pretty good. Other days I feel overwhelmed, frazzled and like I got nothing done. Learning to accept that it’s okay to feel that way is something I’m working on. As we get into more of a routine, I can see that things won’t always be so hard.