What I’ve Learnt In Three Months As A First Time Parent

Hi all! 

Today I am going to be sharing what I learnt/experienced in my third month as a first time parent. First of all, my baby is no longer a newborn! At 13 weeks, she is officially an infant! This last month has been challenging but wonderful, to say the least. If I am being perfectly honest here, I realised at about 9 weeks that I didn’t love the newborn stage. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE my daughter with every fibre of my being, but I do not enjoy constant wailing, exploding poops and no way of truly knowing what is wrong with the little human I made. The second I admitted it, I felt a weight fall off my shoulders. I don’t have to adore every single moment of motherhood, even though I adore Abigail. It felt good reading online that so many others felt the exact same way. A lot of them raved about the infant/toddler/child/teenage stage but said the newborn one was by far the hardest. Having said that, I knew I needed to have a better attitude about the whole thing, otherwise I would’ve spent those first 12 weeks wishing her life away. Every morning that I rose (whether I was sleep deprived or not) I would say to myself ‘she’s never going to be 10 weeks and 1 day again, she’s never going to be 11 weeks and 2 days again’ etc…This mindset made all the difference and ensured that I savoured every second.

I started mother’s group in the last month and it has been really fun and helpful. I’ve enjoyed meeting other mums who have babies around the same age as Abi. We chat in our sessions and get lots of tips about sleep settling, playtime and introducing solids. I really loved the third session where we danced with our babies to music and put them all on the floor together. It was so cute!

I had to take Abi to sleep class because she refuses to nap during the day, making her super cranky and overtired come the evening. Thank the gods above she sleeps well at night! They gave me some good tips but unfortunately Abi didn’t take to any of them. No matter how much shushing and patting and white noise and darkness, she would scream and scream until she lost her voice and I had to pick her up. I realised I couldn’t force a baby to do something she wasn’t ready to. It wasn’t fair to either of us and I was becoming quite depressed after listening to her scream day after day. I never let her cry it out, but she did go on for longer than she should have purely because I hoped my pats and shushes would eventually soothe her. They didn’t! Abi sleeps best when she is nursed, so I try that during the day now to get her to nap. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. At the very least, the process is much more peaceful. I know some would say that’s a bad habit and to wean her off now but other mothers and a few sleep technicians say it’s completely natural and they will grow out of it eventually, so I’m going to do what works best for my baby and me. We also began transitioning her from bassinet to cot as she is already too big! I felt slightly emotional seeing her in a bigger bed. How is she growing so quickly?!

Thanks to the lactation consultant, Abi feeds so well now and barely spits up at all. The laid back position saved us! It’s so nice not to worry about that anymore. Every month that passes I feel happier and happier that I stuck with breastfeeding. I am just taking it month by month. I am trusting my intuition and will know the best time to stop.

I cannot believe how much Abi has developed in such a short time! She holds her head up well, makes adorable screeching sounds, kicks her legs when she’s excited, bats at the hanging toys on her playmat and giggles when she’s amused. I remember the sleep technician telling me my face is her favourite toy. Just looking into each other’s eyes brings a gigantic grin. It’s the best! It’s this kind of feedback that assures you it’s all worth it.

Finally, Abi and I started swimming lessons! There is a program in Melbourne called JUMP that offers classes for babies 3 months and up. I was so excited when I heard about it. I bought adorable Minnie Mouse bathers for her plus swim nappies and we just had our first session last weekend. It was so much fun! I loved seeing my water baby so serene. I definitely want to keep taking her. I’ve realised how important it is to have activities to do with your baby no matter how small. I’m also going to take her to a Gymbaroo class soon for more sing-a-longs and play. With the weather fining up in the Southern Hemisphere, it’s much more ideal to go for walks and enjoy the sunshine. Try to have a few outings each week planned to combat any cabin-fever.

Anyway, that’s it from me! I hope you enjoyed and I shall see you in month 4!

Thanks for reading!

Peace and Love xoxo