It's so hard to believe, but Dominic is ALREADY a month old! This month has been one of the hardest, most rewarding months of my life.Dominic and I are doing really well (most of the time). I think I've figured out what his cries mean, and he's definitely crying less than he did those first days home. We've got his reflux under control, so he's only spitting up some here and there instead of massive vomiting like he did on our first day alone together. Let me tell you, that day was awful!
I decided to use the stems from his baby book to share how we're doing each month (with a few things added in here and there). So here goes: Dominic's First Month!
Weight and Height: About 10.5 pounds and 21ish inches (he's so squirmy it was hard to measure him!)
Sleeping patterns: He naps really well during the day for short periods of time (1-2 hours), but at night he has slept anywhere from 3 to 7 hours. The last week of his first month he slept for 6 hours and threw in a few nights where he actually slept through the whole night! The first week of month 2 hasn't been so hot so far, but I'm really looking forward to the time when he starts sleeping through the night more consistently.
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| Sleepy smiles |
Eating habits: OMG is this kid a piggy! He typically eats 4 ounces at each feeding. Everything I've read says that newborns usually eat 2-3 ounces per feeding. I think feeding has been the single most frustrating thing ever. Dominic and I shed a lot of tears and got very little sleep in the beginning. I started out breastfeeding and the first week went really well. Then he must have hit a growth spurt because all the sudden he was fussy after nursing for an hour, acting like he wanted more food. So we supplemented with formula, and he really was wanting more food. Then on Brian's first day back to work, Dominic decided to get a massive case of reflux and vomited all over the place 3 different times during the day. Per doctor's recommendations, we went back to just breast milk. I started pumping so we could feed him by bottle, which allowed us to track how much Dom was eating. The next weekend, Brian took the night feedings so I could sleep for longer than 2 hours at a time and I freaking lost most of my milk! Instead of supplementing again with formula and risking the vomiting (yuck) while I worked to get my milk supply back up to meet Dom's needs, we decided to switch to 100% formula. This was a really hard decision for me, one I agonized about for a long time. I felt super guilty for switching for so many reasons - I wasn't giving Dominic the best possible nutrition, I was choosing sleep over working to get my milk back and keep it, I was putting myself first over my helpless little baby, I was choosing to spend lots of money on formula over working to get free milk...I still feel guilty sometimes but I'm feeling a lot better about switching him because I know that he is fed, I'm not tethered to a pump every 3 hours, and I'm able to get (a little) more sleep. Even though I had a tough time breastfeeding, I don't think I would have done anything differently. I gave it my best shot, and Dominic was able to benefit from getting all the key nutrients and antibodies those first 3 weeks.
New discoveries he's made: He's starting to focus and track us and colorful objects more. He really liked the balloon in his picture. He loves to stare at me when I'm feeding him, as well as ceiling fans, shadows made by lights, and his hands.
Accomplishments: He's so strong! Dominic is able to hold his head up for pretty extended periods of time (for a newborn anyway). He's manage to punch me in the face a few times if I don't get the bottle to him fast enough. One of my favorite accomplishments - sleeping through the night! I can't wait until that's consistent.
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| Strong boy |
Places he went: So far Dominic has been to the doctor's office three times, Target (of course!), Best Buy, On the Border for lunch with the Drews, La Mie for Lyndi's birthday brunch, and a road trip to Sergeant Bluff for the Diaper Kegger (more on that later). He's done well on all his outings!
Special friends he made: Well, just us, Megan, Lauren, Bess, and family. The girls have been over a lot to help me out and to spend time with Dom. Mom came over a lot in the beginning to bring me lunch and to see Dominic during her lunch hour. Coco and Marbles aren't too interested in him right now. Coco hangs out with us while he feeds, but Marbles just started coming around him in the last week or so. She seems pretty irritated with us for bringing Dominic home!
Noises and babbles: He has some strong lungs, so you can't miss his cries. When he's really hungry and he knows the bottle is close he'll start panting like a dog as he roots around for the bottle. It's hilarious! Other than that, he has the LOUDEST farts and burps. They are grown-up size and always make me laugh!
Firsts: He slept through the night for the first time at the four-week mark. He smiles a lot during sleep and just after feeding but no real smiles yet. His first road trip was to the Bluff - he loves car rides and zonks out pretty quickly. His first bath was interesting - he screamed the entire time, and then as soon as Brian started washing his hair with the lavender shampoo, he stopped. I guess the shampoo reminded him of me and the lavender linen spray I use.
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| Chilling out after his first bath |
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| On his first road trip |
Pictures with Bess
I'm fairly certain the Dominic does not like to have his picture taken. Nonetheless, Bess got some amazing pictures!
Diaper Kegger in Sergeant Bluff
Brian's parents threw us a Diaper Kegger - bring diapers and wipes in exchange for food and beer. We have quite the stock of diapers and wipes now! It was fun to see everyone and to show off Dominic. He got some cute clothes and books, and I got an awesome jogging stroller. I can't wait to use it! Thanks gals!
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| Partying |
