I'm glad I didn't opt for the formula. Who knows what'll happen down the road, but I read that the first 3 months are the most important for building up baby's immune system. So now I'm just left with one more task... Trying to find some kind of routine that works for us. I scrapped the other one when the growth spurt came on. It was impossible to stick to given her demands. But now that things are becoming normal again, I have to find a realistic schedule for us to stick to (loosely of course). I should also take note of how her behavior has changed. I noticed that today she was awake and alert more than usual, so I can't expect her to nap as often as she did a couple of weeks ago.
One thing that I have found challenging that I really didn't expect is keeping her occupied and entertained. I mean, how much can you do with a 6-week-old? She's not interested in toys, although I see her eyeing them once in a while and she likes the rattle on her play mat. Toys don't last long. I sometimes read her books, but that really depends on her mood. Sometimes she'll glance at the pictures, but sometimes no response while she stares at the wall. Right now she seems to be interested in my face, which is great, but that interest lasts around 5 minutes until she remembers I'm the one who feeds her. Then she'll do the tongue thing, even if she's not hungry. Strangely, Sejin seems to be a good soother and entertainer because she doesn't equate him with food. Anyway, this isn't really a huge problem, just something I've noticed. I'm sure as the days go by it will get easier as she wants to interact with me and her surroundings more.
One thing she's been doing a lot of lately is smiling, which is fantastic.... let's me know I'm doing something right...
4 comments:
Yay! I love the expression in the last picture. Ian gave me that look all the time.
Another thing I forgot to tell you is that if you turn your ear to hear mouth as she is nursing you should be able to hear her swallow. It sounds like,"Suck, suck suck swallow pause." If you don't hear her swallow, and she is just mouthing on you, you can try a pacifier. She might just need to suck.
Sometimes you can feel that she is swallowing but in the beginning, I found listening was better. It can be hard to hear so try listening whenever you nurse to try be able to hear it.
If you give a pacifier when she is really hungry, she won't take it and may refuse to ever take it. I only used the pacifier for a few weeks with Ian when he had a really strong suck urge. It is not a substitute for frequent nursing during a growth spurt, but if you can learn to distinguish when she wants milk and when she just wants to suck, it can give you some rest. I don't like when babies become attached to pacifiers b/c they always fall out and get dirty, etc., but if you use it sparingly, as a tool, it can get you through strong sucking phases and keep her entertained a bit.
aww, what an adorable baby!
I'm thinking of you and wish that I could offer some adivce... how about some cookies instead? ^^
Mama Seoul: Thanks for the advice. Yes I notice that when she's truly hungry she'll spit out the pacifier and look really disgusted! Often late at night, though, when she's just being fussy, I'll give it to her and she'll take it reluctantly. I definitely don't want to get her hooked on it though...
Wevegotseoul: I'll take the cookies! k k k~ Hope you're settling back into life in the jungle, as I call it...
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