I assume like a lot of new parents, there are a lot of things that I didn't know about newborns before actually having one. Like, for instance, the fact that newborns eat every three or so hours. Between feeding, changing, diapering, and getting her settled back down it takes about an hour, leaving me with two hour blocks of time all day. Granted, these are not set two hour blocks--sometimes she wants to eat more frequently so that trumps whatever it is I may be doing at the time. So what do you do with two hours that may be interrupted?
Sometimes the choice is easy. Sleep is the easy answer for anytime from 10 PM to at least 7 AM, sometimes longer. The bonus here is that the feedings are 4 hours apart in the evening (for now) which means 3ish hour blocks of sleep, and I do really well with naps. She hadn't returned to her birth weight as quickly as the doctor would have liked, so we're going to continue waking her for a while until she gains a little better.
During the day is a little less structured, but we're getting into a bit of a routine. After we get up for the day (whether that be 7 or 9 in the morning, based on the last feeding), Natalie is awake until at least her lunchtime feeding. So those two hour blocks are spent on some tummy time, some playing, giving her a bath, doing some laundry, straightening up the house, storing milk and washing supplies... all sorts of fun stuff. She is generally very content for these hours so I'm able to get some things done.
The afternoon gets a little less structured. Usually the little one will sleep after the noon meal, but not always. A few days ago she decided to be awake from 8 in the morning until 8 in the evening with just a short 2 hour nap. That day was chaotic--most days are better with more sleeping. Those two hour blocks are sometimes spent trying to calm her down or taking a nap myself or doing some sort of household chore. Today I'm making a cake and working on the downstairs since we're expecting company tomorrow afternoon.
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| The baby blanket my grandma made for Natalie |
The evening is where it gets interesting. It seems that she knows when we're eating supper and decides to get fussy and will be inconsolable for no apparent reason for a while or she'll be completely content sitting with us watching TV. She will often switch from happy to screaming for no apparent reason. While we don't have a "bedtime" per se, I have noticed lately that we are able to get her fed and settled in for bed somewhere between 8 and 10, though often we'll get her settled in and she'll want to be fed again an hour after the previous feeding. The two hour intervals after supper are reserved for Natalie, at least for now. There is no time to do anything else--the meltdown can happen at any time without warning. But it is nice to have an hour or so to ourselves after she's down to decompress from the day.
Natalie is three weeks old today, and aside from a case of baby acne she is a happy and healthy little girl. My body is finally under control as well and I no longer have to sleep with ice packs and have cut back on my medications. Rick went back to work today as well, but we did get to see him over lunch. We're doing fine without him, but it is lonely (already!) and I know that I'll be trying to find things to keep me busy/occupied while the little one is sleeping throughout the day. My sister is also on maternity leave, so we're arranging some play dates. The Mommy and Me support group at the hospital has been cancelled due to the flu season which is sad, but we'll find other things to do. I really should start with cleaning, but it's the least fun household task.
And with that, my two free hours is up and we're back to feeding again.
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