Piper: One Month Update

Hey everyone! After binge-reading all my friend Jane’s baby update posts I decided that I would do monthly updates on Piper! By the way, Jane’s blog is called The Pink & Green and you should totally check her out, she’s awesome. She writes about food, mom life, travel and more!

I’m going to try and break these posts down into categories but I may end up changing the format later on. I thought it might be helpful for those of you that are expecting or have a small baby to see what I’ve been using and loving! Obviously Piper is now 4 months old so I have some catching up to do 🙂 Expect a few “Piper Update” posts in the next few weeks!

Sleep

Piper is what people refer to as a Houdini baby. This means that she can bust out of virtually any swaddle despite actually loving to be swaddled. It makes NO SENSE. The first few weeks after she was born we used muslin swaddle blankets which are made of super soft and breathable fabric. But she would always manage to wiggle her arms out in the middle of the night and then start crying. No matter how tight we made her swaddle she would somehow get those little hands free.

Google and Amazon are a new mom’s best free D. I scowered the interwebs in search of a magic solution! First we bought the Woombie Perfect Peanut Swaddle, and while it kept her hands inside the sack she would get her hands up around her chin and that also caused her to cry. It was at this point we realized she liked to be swaddled with her hands straight along her sides. If her arms were bent even a little bit she would totally lose it. Next we tried the HALO Sleep Sack Swaddle but she wiggled her way out of that as well! However it does convert nicely into a sleep sack once your baby can sleep with her arms free!

Our saving grace was the Miracle Blanket. I’m not going to lie, this is basically like a straight jacket for your baby. It’s not really necessary unless your baby is constantly escaping her swaddle, but for Piper it worked SO well. She was always happy once we finished wrapping her up in it because she felt so snug and secure. She never got out of it until she was almost 4 months old, and by then she was growing out of being swaddled anyway.

For the first month (actually the first 3 months) Piper slept in the room with us. She slept in the Fisher-Price Deluxe Newborn Rock ‘n Play Sleeper which vibrates and can also be rocked manually. They have a version that rocks on its own too which is only about $10 more. Nothing too exciting about this, she loved it and slept really well in it until we transitioned her into her crib a few months later. I loved having her in the room with us because I could easily pick her up for nighttime feedings which were happening about 4 times a night at that point. Also it gave me peace of mind knowing I could lean over and check on her at any time. I never thought I would be one of those moms but I totally was 🙂 I can’t recall how many times I leaned over her with my ear inches from her face just to confirm she was still breathing!

Breastfeeding

I had a difficult time with breastfeeding and the first few weeks were definitely the worst. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – breastfeeding is the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life. Let me know if you’d like me to do a whole blog post on this because I could write a novel on my breastfeeding story!

Starting with the fact that I didn’t produce any colostrum (well…maybe 2 drops a day) my experience with breastfeeding began as a challenge. I would groan in pain as the hospital nurses would squeeze my boobs trying to get just a bit of colostrum to come out. Nothing. After two days of failed latching and no milk or colostrum coming in, I started to panic. I saw a lactation consultant when Piper was 3 days old, and things started to improve a little. Unfortunately the damage from several days of improper latching was already done. My nipples were blistered and raw (sorry, this post is about to go there). I would nurse her 8-9 times a day with tears in my eyes as the pain only got worse with each feeding. I started using the Medela Nipple Shield which protects your nipple while nursing and allows it to heal faster. To be totally honest, if it wasn’t for the sheild I probably would have given up on breastfeeding during those first few weeks. It really helped with the pain and also helped Piper latch properly. It turns out Piper had an undiagnosed tongue and lip tie at the time which the doctors and the first lactation consultant missed. This was what caused a lot of her latching issues, but I’ll save that story for another day.

I used the My Brest Friend Nursing Pillow and the Boppy Nursing Pillow while nursing the first month. Both worked well but I liked the Brest Friend Pillow best because it went all the way around my waist and clipped securely into place. It acted as a shelf that elevated Piper and kept her in place so that my hands were free to help her latch properly.

Because Piper lost quite a bit of weight in the first few days, the doctor encouraged me to supplement by pumping after every time I nursed her and then feed her what I had pumped in a bottle. I used the Medela Pump In Style Advanced Breastpump and really liked it. In the US under the Obamacare Act every new mom is entitled to a free breast pump so if you live in the US check with your insurance to see what pumps you can choose from!

Play

For the first few weeks Piper basically just ate and slept with very short awake times. We bought (and promptly returned) the 4moms rockaRoo Baby Swing because the swing was so gentle that it didn’t really soothe her and she just cried the whole time. Some people love this swing and it had great reviews, so give it a try if your baby likes a very gentle swing! Piper was still too young for “toys” at this age so we just snuggled her and read her books while she was awake.

Baby Wearing

I wasn’t sure if I would like baby wearing but it turns out I really do! I started wearing Piper in the Baby K’tan wrap when she was about 1 week old and she loved it too (and still does!) I got so much more done when Piper would nap in the wrap because I wasn’t constantly going into the bedroom to rock her in the bassinet, or soothe her when she started to cry. I could even take Buffy out for a walk while Piper just snoozed away inside the carrier. I liked the Baby K’tan because it’s a loop wrap that is easy to put on and your baby into. There are a ton of different baby wraps and slings that are more adjustable. This wrap can’t be tightened or loosened so you have to make sure to get the right size. As a first time mom I was super intimidated by the wraps that you had to tie yourself so the K’tan was a great starting point to get me into baby wearing without feeling overwhelmed.

Bathttime

We got the Puj Tub Foldable Bath Tub as a baby shower gift and we really liked it. It’s perfect for apartment living where you need to save space. It lays completely flat and can be stored on the back of your door or on your shower wall. It’s made of a non-slip material that keeps even the wiggliest newborns in place while you bathe them. It uses two magnets to pop into a seat shape and goes right in your sink. We used this for about two months and only stopped using when Piper started growing – we have a small sink and even when it was completely filled up with water it still didn’t cover her whole body and she got chilly (aka grumpy).

That’s it for Piper’s first month! Look out for her 2, 3 and 4 month updates coming soon 🙂

I would love to hear what the first month was like with your newborn! Let me know your craziest (or funniest) moments in the comments 🙂