Those first 3 months - also known as The Fourth Trimester - are the hardest part when adjusting the life with baby now outside the womb. You spent all that time so warm & cosy in my belly being nourished and constantly rocked with my movements then all of a sudden you're thrust into the big wide world and it's bright, cold and noisy out here. Your need to be cradled and rocked or to be kept constantly near me is natural and understandable.
I'm happy to tell you that here we are at 3 months and things are very different from how they were even just a few weeks ago. Things have definitely become easier. You are now more relaxed in your new surroundings so you are sleeping better, feeding regularly and starting to settle into more of a routine. We are more in tune with each other, I can predict your behaviour better, read your cues and act on them more efficiently.
You feed 5 times a day and generally nap at some point between each feed. You are a short napper and prefer to have little and often - which seemed at first like 'oh my god, my baby wakes up after 10 minutes of being put down' - but actually accepting the fact that this is all you need has taken the strain out of it. You stay awake roughly for 1 1/2 to 2 hours at a time and knowing what your tired signs are and watching out for them so I can help you settle quickly makes the whole process so much easier.
You still take a while to settle in the evenings but you are getting there, slowly but surely. We moved you into your big girl bed in your own room at 10+5 weeks and your night waking has improved hugely! For over a week now you have bypassed your usual waking up at 3am and mostly now it's 5.30am (give or take a little) and as you feed at 6am I have no issues getting up with you at that time :)
After getting your reflux under control, your weight gain is back on track now. At 12lb 8oz, you are still only on the 25th centile but are growing stronger and are starting to develop more of those chunky baby rolls and leg creases <3 You currently wear:
- Size 2 nappies (more absorbent but still a little big round your waist)
- Mostly 0-3 month tops & leggings but are growing into a few bits in the next size now
- 3-6 month size sleepsuits
Your focus and concentration is getting a work out as you spend more time on your playmat reaching out for objects to grab or batting at the noisy ones. Your neck muscles have strengthened and holding your head up is much easier now. Those strong legs of yours like to push off as you shuffle yourself across the floor (both on your back and your tummy!) and you are sooooooo close to being able to roll over, I can't even believe it...
In fact, that video was take a week or so ago and since you have actually been able to roll so far that you can get onto your tummy....but you still just can't quite figure out how to get that arm out from underneath yourself, so it doesn't count. Not yet anyway :)
So, yeah 3 months on and I feel more relaxed with our routine. I feel like I know you better. I'm starting to see your personality really come out now, seeing what you like and what you don't. What makes you laugh. What works for helping you get to sleep. What each of your cries or whimpers mean - and discovering that a lot of them are not genuine upset, but merely you being a diva about letting me know you aren't happy with something haha.
I know we're not totally out of the woods yet and there are still hard times to come - although I don't think parenting is ever without it's problems, more just that old ones pass and new ones develop - but I feel so excited about what is to come. I can't wait to see you grow and learn new things. That you will hopefully want to do girly things with mummy like painting our nails & going shopping. It's only going to get better from here.... xx
