I’ve been behind in the mommy blogger department (still working on writing our girl’s birth story and I skipped past the one month update because time flew while trying to be completely present in those first weeks). Today I’m combining a mix of what’s been going on in the last two months and a current update! Our girl is now two months old! She has grown so much, I’m ordering up a size in sleeper pjs, she is discovering her surroundings and hands (that she loves to put in her mouth or sneak out of the snoo sleep sack). I feel like she’s going to be left handed because that’s always the hand that makes its way out of the swaddle!

The first month I was really trying to figure out breastfeeding, healing, feeding every 2-3 hours through the day and night and now we’ve got feeding down (woo hoo) and she’s sleeping 7 hours a night (praise be). We started doing tummy time this last month and our girl loves it. She’s got quite the strong neck already, lifting and looking around (curious little lady).

We’ve been keeping our days pretty simple with a newborn in this time, sticking to somewhat of a schedule (this is always flexible as they’re so little) and going for at least one family walk a day to get us outside in fresh air. Grace will usually nap in the bassinet of the UPPAbaby Stroller (which we really love) on our walks. We bring our portable sound machine, her favourite toy of the moment we named Santiago and swaddle her in one of these sacks for our walks with either a thin little bodysuit or just a diaper underneath during the summer and she gets a great snooze.

Having Neal home with me all the time has been a huge blessing and has made so much possible from sleep to routine to being a working mom to how supported I feel. We’ve always worked from home together but now it’s been even more helpful as first time parents having one another 24/7. We divide and conquer when it comes to baby, house work, cooking, work obligations and our dog Lucy. Don’t get me wrong, our house can still become a mess at times, some days I don’t get to all of my e-mails (because that’s life with a newborn) and there are still days I haven’t showered (even though Neal can relieve me to go do so). I am so grateful that we can be home together raising our baby, I know it’s helped my postpartum experience be as positive as it has been! We make a pretty great team, but that’s not to say there have not been any challenges or adjustments that have needed to be made. I think it’s just important to be transparent about that, because even though we know social media only shows a snippet of life, we can compare ourselves to others and there picture perfect snapshots of the good moments in their day. Give yourself lots of grace in this department!

Now to answer some frequently asked questions over the last two months…

POSTPARTUM

How are YOU feeling? Your mood? Physical recovery etc?

At my 6 week check up I was told I probably have another month of recovery down there. If I push it some days walking too much the bleeding can come back (on and off) so I am really just trying to listen to my body – even when I feel good! Mood wise it varies. I was super emotional the first week postpartum between being overwhelmed with so much love for this new baby, to frustrations figuring out breastfeeding, sleep deprivation and extreme pain down there from tearing during the birth. Thankfully my mood improved but I still go up and down. Just last week I felt more on the anxious side and crying quite easily! I just usually walk up to Neal and ask for a hug and cry in his arms 🙂 just having someone hear me out always helps. Your hormones are still trying to figure themselves out and as my doula put it, settling into our new roles, while balancing work, baby and marriage adjustments can contribute to mood dips. Reach out of if you’re struggling, even if you think “it’s not that bad” just talk to someone. I have seen a therapist for years now and don’t hesitate to book an appointment with her whenever I need a check in even if I’m not totally overwhelmed, it’s just good to check in with yourself (but especially now that I can get overwhelmed with the responsibility of a little human). Those help so much and I encourage you to seek support when you’re feeling all the feels. For the most part I do feel good physically (even as healing is taking some time) and emotionally I am feeling grateful my transition to parenthood has been pretty smooth but of course I am human like anyone else and have my days where it can feel and just be a lot, even with all the support I have!

Have you noticed any hair loss yet?

I have not noticed any hair loss yet, but it could be because I am breastfeeding? I have been told that when you stop nursing that’s when you can see more of the hair loss. So far none yet! However I’ve got a ton of grey hairs at my roots and my colour has grown out so much as I haven’t been to get my hair done since last June!! I could also use a pedicure…badly… 🙂

Best nursing bras?

I love this set of 2 from H&M they are the comfiest and I even wear them to sleep! I use these organic cotton nursing pad inserts after every feed to keep them clean (as you can leak).

How was your first week postpartum?

You can read more about my first few weeks in this blogpost! 🙂

SLEEP

Are you establishing a nap schedule yet/how is she sleeping?Did you have any issues with her sleeping at night during the first month?

Ever since Grace was born she’s been a pretty awesome sleeper – my little lamb! I have to thank the creator of the SNOO because that bassinet was pure magic. It would soothe her in the night back to sleep and especially in those first few days of newborn life when you are SO so tired, this was a God send! When I was waiting for my milk to come in we were cluster feeding, so naturally we were up feeding more in the night.The first 4 weeks, Grace was up every 2-3 hours to feed. Those beginning weeks when they are growing and need to get their weight up you have to make sure they’re being fed every 2-3 hours and it can be super tiring. I will say, I didn’t find it difficult to power through (personally) and that could be because for 9 months of pregnancy I was up every 3 hours looking for food for myself, lol (I think it prepared me for disrupted sleep). At 4 weeks we began establishing more of a “schedule.” With newborns there’s really no sleep training happening, you’re just beginning to establish sleep habits so that’s what we focused on. By week 4 she started sleeping at a 4 hour stretch, week 5 – a 5 hour stretch etc. and now she sleeps 7 hours a night. We don’t let her go past 8 hours of sleep as she needs to be fed! During the day we let her sleep 2.5-3 hours, I nurse her, then we have about 30 minutes more of awake time (she goes in the swing or we do tummy time) and then back down for a nap – repeat! We give her a bath every night around 7:30/8 and after that is when she goes down for her long stretch of sleep. So far this has been working for us!

What laundry detergent do you use for her? Having a hard time finding one I like in Canada.

We use Ivory Snow baby detergent or Tide Free & Gentle pods (we use this for our clothing but sometimes throw the baby’s items in with ours too). Both are super gentle for baby’s sensitive skin!

SNOO BASSINET

How are you liking the SNOO bassinet? Is it worth the investment?

For Neal and I, sleep is the best investment. Not just for the baby, but for us to function as parents. The only thing I knew I wanted when I found out I was pregnant was the SNOO! I had seen so many fellow bloggers rave about it. There are so many features I love. The biggest thing is it gives me peace of mind that Grace is safe sleeping. The SNOO keeps babies on their back their entire sleep with the swaddle locked in place (preventing them from rolling over and reducing SIDS). It was created by a doctor, so it’s designed with all of the safety in mind. The SNOO is not meant to replace you caring for your baby through the night – it’s still important to understand all the cues (dirty diaper, hunger, etc) and it will stop and alert you if you haven’t tended to your baby after its attempt to soothe with some white noise and rocking. Instead this bassinet is meant to respond to your baby with a level of movement and white noise to help them get back to sleep. The biggest thing for me was that the swaddle would keep Grace in place throughout the night because I think that would have kept me up a lot, especially in the first weeks as a new mom with them potentially rolling over. The other thing is, babies come from a tight, loud womb and then out into this world and are expected to just sleep through the night without any blankets, movement and complete silence. The SNOO gives a nice transition for the babe in my opinion from the womb! I know you can rent it to try it out in the US but I don’t believe that option is available in Canada. We pray to have more children, God willing, so for us, it seemed like a great investment for now and later. We were fully prepared to purchase this ourselves but then my parents kindly gifted it to us and we were so, so thankful!

How many months can you use the SNOO bassinet?

The doctor (Dr. Karp) who created the SNOO recommends discontinuing the use of the bassinet at 6 months. We plan to transition Grace into her crib that’s in her nursery at that time. You can read more on how to use their weaning feature and tips for the transition here.

Does the SNOO give off radiation to the baby?

This was a concern of mine too but I was relieved that there is a shield to protect the baby from this! From one of my favourite mama blogs that has a holistic approach (Mama Natural)…“The Snoo has a special metal shield that the company says blocks 99.9% of WiFi radiation. They also say the bassinet has been tested with three independent labs to ensure the accuracy of this claim.”

Baby girl loves this activity gym! More favourites from this month included below…

Sassy Boppin Birdie (I use this to distract her whether it’s in the car, during a diaper change, or at the doctor’s office) // Zipper Sleepers (seriously all we put Gracie in, so easy for changes, she stays in these day and night) // Munchkin Swing (Grace has LOVED this swing, we use it for some hands free time and for her to sit up after she’s been fed for some awake time) // Stroller Fan (so necessary this summer to have to ensure she stays cool while on our walks) // Medela Pacifiers (pacis help prevent SIDS and are also a great way for baby’s to self soothe to get to sleep) // Snoo (all my favourite reasons mentioned above) // Earth Mama Cheek Balm (we apply this to Grace’s cheeks before I nurse her as the milk can spill out and then leave her sensitive skin feeling chapped and red – this helps reduce that)

Shop Grace’s Two Month Faves Below: