Happy 1 Month, Alexis!

By
Elena @ Every Avenue Life
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136
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Happy 1 Month, Alexis!

1 MONTH OLD

Happy 1 Month, Alexis!

{cute organic cupcake onesie is by My O Baby}

Yesterday was 1 month since Alexis came into this world. And while some people seem to wonder at how fast time flies by, I feel like it’s been ages. Ages since we’ve known her, ages since she’s been in our lives, and let’s be honest, ages since we haven’t gotten enough sleep.

It’s probably the sleep deprivation and her demanding schedule talking, or maybe the fact that we’ve considered her a part of our family a year before we even conceived her.

Either way, a month is nothing, compared to the vastness of experiences we’ll get to have with our daughter in years to come.

But for now, here’s what our 1 month old is up to ( from the last update)

The cooing has really picked up – this girl really talks to us.

As a 1 month special, I wanted to include a video. It’s probably boring to everyone but me, but I want it here for posterity. After a few months, I’ll compile a bunch of short videos together in a better fashion. But for now, just simple barely edited footage.

I’m speaking Russian to her, and basically all I am saying is prompting her to talk, having a sort of conversation like “Yeah? And then what?” If you understand Russian, don’t laugh at me too much 🙂

That is when she’s in a good mood, because she gets quite fussy at times.

SLEEP/FEEDING

Her schedule has been pretty much the same: she eats every 30-50 minutes during the day, naps about 20-40 minutes at a time. At night, feedings space out to every hour with one stretch of sleep being 2 hours. That means I get up to feed her 7- 8 times a night ( yes, you read that right!).

Now I don’t know what happened last night (maybe she got clued in that she’s a big girl now), but she slept for 3 hours before waking up, and then continuing waking up every 2 hours until the last feeding. That was amazing! Aaaaand today she’s back to every hour 🙂 Lucky us!

Despite having to nurse that frequently at night, I’ve been doing pretty good with sleep. We all try to go to bed at 8 pm and end up getting up for the day by 7-8am. So in the end I get about 6 very interrupted hours of sleep.

Hubby is really lucky, because I try not to wake him up unless I need something, which means he gets to sleep 4-5 hour stretches. It’s for the better, because HE IS HORRIBLE when woken up, like he can’t function at all.

MSC

She also developed baby acne all over her face, which means along with her second chin, she now looks like a TEENAGE sumo wrestler.

After the first spontaneous outting with the Moby wrap, I thought I could actually go places with her. I was mistaken. We decided to go to Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods with Alexis and Moby wrap. Well, let’s just say she cried the whole way and in the Moby. So I spent the whole trip in the car nursing her or calming her while hubby shopped.  Realization: when your baby still eats every 30-40 minutes and gets really fussy when she doesn’t, don’t attempt to go places with her. Lesson learned!

Happy 1 Month, Alexis!

So I’ll be waiting until she spaces out her feedings to at least a reliable hour or maybe 2 hours and for breastfeeding to become more comfortable before I start venturing out. She doesn’t like being in a stroller or a bassinet either, or anywhere for that matter, except for our arms and occasionally Boppy but with our attention included, so a few stroller trips I attempted were a disaster, especially in Florida heat. So I am pretty much stuck home nowadays, but I don’t mind. I want to rename the fourth trimester a ” Chill out and Snuggle Trimester”, because that’s what it’s going to be!

Happy 1 Month, Alexis!

On photo: My first trip out with washed hair (still wet on photo, washed doesn’t mean blow dried) AND make up! Woohoo!
Wearing: Boob Design Nursing tank top. BTW, their spring collection is out and it’s awesome! 

And my final thought is this: I love physical books, so while I read mostly on my iphone on a Nook app, I thought it’d be a good idea to buy a few actual paper baby books when I was pregnant. WRONG! You know how everyone says you won’t have time to read books when you have your baby. Well, they are right, it’s extremely hard to read physical paper books! However, reading on my Iphone has been the best thing to ever happen to breastfeeding or to those hours that I spend with Lexi sleeping in my arms. Luckily, I only bought 4 books in a physical paper format and they’re still sitting on my table half read, while I keep buying and reading other books on my Nook. So I guess what I am trying to say is learn from me: if you’re pregnant, get used to reading on your iphone/ipad, or buy/register for a Kindle (it is SO a baby shower register-able item). And then if you get a baby who’ll only sleep on you, you won’t die from boredom!

Dress by Bungalow Bebe, hairband by Violet’s Velvet Box

Happy 1 Month, Alexis!

On another note, I am half way done with the birth story. It’s hard when I have to split my time with Lexi AND writing intermittent posts. But I’m loving looking at the birth pictures as I work on them.

BABY QUESTIONS:

1. Girls who live in hot climates, what do you do about taking your little one out, since they’re not supposed to get into direct sunlight. The carriers are waaaay too hot, especially against a human body. Am I stuck inside until she turns 6 months and can use sunscreen?

2. How do you put a baby into a pram? Alexis seems to cry every time I do it. Do you wait till she’s asleep to go for a walk with a pram? How do you make sure she doesn’t roll around there (blankets?) and what about her head? The whole set up just doesn’t seem comfortable to me.

FUTURE POSTS:

{hopefully in that order}

Birth Story
Breastfeeding Challenges and Lifesaviors {along with some giveaways}
Best 1st Month Baby products {what we’ve been using}
Many many baby related giveaways to come {if there’s anything specific you’re interested in giveaway-wise, let me know, I’ll attempt to host it}

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

136 COMMENTS

  1. I think only the sunscreen with toxins has a 6 month requirement. If you get something like California baby or blue lizard, I think it’s safe earlier. You probably already know about this site but cosmetic database . Com has a list of sunscreens ranking how safe they are (take out spaces in site). Alexis is a pretty baby! Her skin will clear up too! J had nasty skin for a few months but then it went away.

      • yeah, i think the zinc ones are fine. just put her in a hat and stay out of direct sun. get some UV sun clothes. not for long periods of time, but 10-20 minutes would be fine!

      • Be careful with the zinc on her legs – zinc is what can cause cloth diapers to start repelling, so you’ll have to strip them if any zinc gets on them. 🙂

      • Babies younger than 6 months don’t sweat enough to cool themselves off. Applying sunscreen inhibits any sweating that they do provide to cool off and it increases the risk of overheating.

        Lots of shade, hats and UV clothes!

        As for the pram, I have never used one, we always put my son in the carseat and snapped it into the stroller. Maybe she doesn’t like laying flat? Are they big enough you could put the boppy in it and lay her on that?

  2. Happy One Month! She’s so adorable! I love reading this and I loved the video. You have such a loving tone with her. 🙂

  3. What a great post! Happy One Month, little Lexi! She is sooo beautiful! The video was so fun to watch, you really have a little talker! I’m excited to read the birth story, I am sure it is amazing!

  5. I’m in Florida, and I use baby carriers in the summer. I’ve got a linen ring sling from Sleeping Baby Productions. http://www.sleepingbaby.net/proddetail.php?prod=nlinen I’ve been using it well over a year, and it’s in perfect condition. The linen is very breathable, and a ring sling only has one layer between the baby and the air. You can wear a newborn upright in a position similar to the Moby, not just laying down. It’s also a lot longer lasting than the Moby. My son is 28 lbs and it’s the only carrier I still use. It’s also much smaller and fits easier in a diaper bag. If you get a long tail, you can drape it over baby to keep the sun off. It’s also MUCH easier to breastfeed in a sling, and you can use the tail as a cover, if you want.

    I just avoided the sun. There’s plenty of shade around. I also got a UV protection blanket from Babies R Us that I kept in the diaper bag to use as a shield if I did have to walk for a considerable distance in direct sunlight. A few seconds going between places of shade won’t hurt anybody.

    My son didn’t go into a stroller until he could sit upright in one, around 5 months old. Before then I just used carriers. He never liked laying flat, and he certainly didn’t appreciate being unable to look around. Even now, he would much prefer to walk. He’s just never been much of a stroller baby. Unfortunately some babies just aren’t as okay with being in strollers. My kid also only slept with me holding him. I think there’s probably a relationship between the two.

    It will get easier to take her out. Once breastfeeding is firmly established, you’ll be able to go anywhere. Probably only 2 weeks left before the struggles end! 6 weeks seems like a magic age for breastfeeding.

  6. Happy 1 month guys! 🙂
    I think she looks more like Andrew now 🙂
    And the video is fun to watch, your Russian is adorable haha 🙂

  7. Wow she sure is a chatter! That is so sweet! I didn’t see my daugher awake and not screaming until she was 3 months and she wasn’t that vocal until probably 5 or 6 months- but you can’t shut her up now, hahaha. She’s adorable and that’s really cool you’re raising her bilinguial!

  8. Try walking with the stroller anyways. Leif used to cry a bit at first, but soon he would fall asleep to the movement. Dont worry, they get used to almost everything.

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  10. do you have a Carseat adaptable stroller? That’s the only way I’d take baby out in a stroller just yet. I would think most strollers that have baby facing away from you aren’t safe until about 6 months. As for moby wrapping in warm climates, I’m in the South east with an August baby so I hope I can help. Once she’s big enough for the kangaroo hold with the moby, try that. it is more comfortable for us both & feels less warm for me. The heat is just going to be hot unfortunately, so if you want to wrap you’ll just be hot, but we do find that hold more comfortable. It worked best for us after our daughter gained some neck strength (2-3 months). Wear extra deodorant lol 😀

    • I have a stroller that is facing rear but even seeing us she fusses and then there’s the sun which is just too bright.
      As far as moby, I’m not worried about being hot myself but her overheating since its so easy for little babies to overheat and it seems like even going naked in our sun wouldn’t keep her cool enough 🙁

  11. I just love getting updates from you!! 🙂 Alexis is ADORABLE!! beyond adorable! And that cute little face, you would never know she demands so much! 🙂

    I love that last picture of her!!

  12. If you aren’t already using, order a Miracle blanket ASAP. Its a godsend and was the only thing that got my daughter to sleep a good stretch at night. Worth every cent the first time they sleep 4-5 hours.

    Also, I would recommend a ring sling. I used a Maya Wrap as my daughter wasn’t too keen on the Moby. It’s another lifesaver for getting things accomplished at home or even just feeling like you have freedom to move about while still keeping baby happy. I’ve also heard great things about the Ergo.

    As for sunscreen, you should be fine with California Baby or even better Badger Baby.

    And another f.y.i. since you are coming up on growth spurt/colic time is the use of stability ball for bouncing them to sleep. It really works better than a rocker and feels good on your butt after sitting in a chair/couch/etc. for hours on end. I recommend to all my new mommy friends and they have always come back to me and said “OMG, thank you for telling me about this”, usually with tears in their eyes b/c they are so happy.

    • Got 2 miracle blankest and it’s funny you mention the stability ball cuz we just discovered that same thing a few days ago.
      Alexis doesn’t really sleep for long regardless of where and how. Swaddled, unswaddled, in a swing, at 30 degree angle. We tried it all. She sleeps the longest with us and it’s usually 2 hours at a time.
      That’s fine though, she’ll grow out of it! And in the meantime I get more time with her. 🙂

  13. I don’t have a kid, but what everyone does for hot weather is to buy a small portable fan that attaches to the pram, so there’s some wind. Also, cover the pram with a towel so it’s not so bright and not so hot for the baby inside- use a really big towel.

  14. I’m appalled that you are referring to your baby as a teenage sumo wrestler because she has a double chin and baby acne. Starting off like that now doesn’t bode well for the future, when she’s old enough to hear you say that/read what you wrote and it impacts how she looks at her body.

          • I didn’t say you were picking on a teenager NOW. I said you focusing on her looks isn’t starting off on a good foot for later in life. Your entire blog focuses on your body, and now your baby’s. You constantly point out “flaws” in everything, or just photoshop them out. (Like your freckles, which are actually quite adorable, yet you photoshop them out most of the time – that, or wear really thick makeup to cover them up). In fact you edited that last picture of Alexis so much you can’t even see her birth mark anymore, which is definitely still there, as seen in your instagram photos. You spent oh so many weeks lamenting how you were gaining weight with your pregnancy and were trying to eat suuuuuper perfect so you wouldn’t get fat. And then when you lost most of your baby weight and now look actually quite healthy instead of bone thin like before, you can’t help but point out your “fat roll.” So while you may think you’re pointing out her acne or double chin in jest, it’s easy to interpret that differently, based on your entire blog.

          • Ok, I almost didn’t answer because it would take too much time… But.

            I see what you’re saying, however you’re wrong.

            I ate super perfect during pregnancy for the SOLE reason of making sure that Alexis had the right nutrients while developing (which you’d know if u read earlier posts). Weight gain wasn’t my concern, I commented on it for the sake of other women who are reading and going through same body changes (trying to keep it honest and real).

            I don’t point out flaws because I’m focused on them but because I’m being honest about them. If they bothered me, I’d try to hide them/ignore them. Instead I either laugh at them or take them as it is.
            I love my freckles, but you don’t see them in some photos because of the lighting, others because of the make up, and others when I smooth the skin out, there’s no good way to keep them in.
            I don’t photoshop her birthmark- again it’s all about lighting and post processing when it comes to photography. Even in that photo you can see her mark. Obviously, iPhone instagram photos have horrible dark lighting and poor editing, so any reds are accentuated.

            So I hope it clears things up for you and to be fair, it seems people who focus on 1 sentence in my post that has something to do with appearance are the ones who truly have an issue with body image. There were plenty of other things to comment on in this post and yet this is what you chose to talk about.

          • I personally think FAT babies are the cutest 🙂 My son was almost 9 lbs and I loved his chubby little cheek- I was almost sad when he started to get super thinned out.

      • Good response!! Also, who ever had self-esteem issues about the way they looked when they were ONE MONTH OLD??

        That last picture made my heart stop, she is so gorgeous.

    • Oh my goodness, seriously!? Wow. You’re gutsy, Anon, that much I have to give to you, since you didn’t have enough guts to use your name. However, you’re quite hypocritical–pointing out the flaws you’ve noticed in Elena.

      As a mom who gave her sons good enough groceries (breast milk just to ease any confusion on that one) that they had multiple leg and arm rolls, double chins, and chubby cheeks, I was so flattered when someone would come up to my babes and say something along the lines of, “Look at that cute widdle fat baby! You’re soo cute, I just want to snuggle with you!” I was nourishing them with the best food possible. And when they are hulking, surly teenagers, I am going to whip those pictures out, point to their muscles and tell them that I used to kiss their flabby little biceps and tickle their little double chins, and I am going tell them how proud I am at how they’ve grown into strong, lithe young men. And if they grow into weenie, little stick figure boys, I am going to whip out those photos, point to their slender limbs, and tell them all about how I used to kiss their flabby little baby biceps and tickle their little double chins, and I am going to tell them how proud I am at how they’ve grown into strong, lithe young men.

      The words that are said/written to a teenager stick a whole lot longer than the words that are said/written to a 1 month old.

  15. I live in S. FL. I used a ring sling with my daughter. The material is very breathable. I got one by Sakura Bloom. While they are a bit pricey, they are totally worth it. The construction and material are just divine. (http://www.sakurabloom.com/). I did a lot of research before buying and they got great reviews. Their customer service is also very helpful.

    We also used large hats to keep her shaded. I didn’t like to not be outside (wasn’t good for my mental health).

    As far as the pram, you just have to keep trying. My daughter didn’t roll around much until she was a bit older. So at 1 month I don’t think you’ll have much of an issue. I would always keep an eye on her anyways and adjust her if needed.

    • You could also find a water sling. I think the material is a bit thinner and since it is used in the water, it dries quickly and would move the sweat away from the body so it could evaporate.

  16. To keep my son out of the son I used a carrier and then a nursing cover. The kind that loop around your neck. The Bebe au Lait is really light, but has a really wide, long bit of coverage. It was cool for me, breathable for him, and kept the sun off. Good luck!

  17. I live in Texas and it is always warm here. I really like my sport Ergo carrier. It is very breathable and sits on the hips (won’t hurt your back). I did use the infant insert with my Ergo at first (first 4 months I think) so she fit better inside it. 🙂 As far as sunscreen, I don’t think we started using it until 5 or 6 months. I tried to keep her out of the direct sun (my daughter is a redhead with very fair skin). I love little wide rimmed sun hats from REI to protect the face. Happy 1 month Alexis! 🙂

  18. I don’t have children (yet), but I watched my friend’s baby for a few months when he was really tiny. I hated being stuck in the house with him and he’d scream each time I tried to put him into a stroller to go anywhere. Well, I eventually decided that enough was enough and I strapped him into the stroller and away we went. He screamed for just a couple of minutes, got quiet, enjoyed the ride and then went to sleep. I would say just put her in, start walking at a fast pace and see what happens. She might just hate the act of being put into the stroller.

  19. I know you were concerned with establishing breastfeeding at first before introducing pacifiers, but have you considered trying them now that she’s a month old? It’s possible she’s got the urge to suck but doesn’t necessarily need to eat when you’re out and about!

    Oh and I used Johnson & Johnson’s sunblock for my daughter before she was 6 mo. It was actually rated better than Blue Lizard or California Baby. And it’s cheaper. No advice on the heat since my girls didn’t mind the hot and humid NJ summers. They both were fine in the Moby.

    • She hates pacifiers, won’t take them. And when she asks for food, she truly asks for food, it’s not for comfort sucking- it’s clear. Once she’s done eating, she usually pulls away. Only on her very needy days she continues sucking without swallowing.

      • Not to belabor the point, but have you tried different kinds? My 1st would ONLY take the Soothie pacis that they give out at the hospital. My 2nd only likes the MAM. It might take some getting used to as well for her. Though admittedly my 1st didn’t take them for very long. She didn’t have too much of an interest in them.

        Check Youtube for instructional videos on the nursing hold for Moby.

  20. And yes, use a light blanket as a cover to keep the direct sunlight off of her. I used Aden + Anais blankets…very light and breathable. They make amazing swaddle blankets as well especially in the warmer months.

  21. She’s so attentive! And her eyes in that last photo!!! GOOOO baby! She’s freaking cute Elena! I love you both, you look awesome btw! All of your planning and preparation has paid off 🙂

  22. The sunscreen rule is only put in place soothat parents don’t get a false sense if security thinking that because their newborn is covered in sunscreen that it means they can be in direct sunlight for hours at a time. There are no health risks with using it before 6 months. I would suggest an organic brand like California Baby. It gets a great rating in the Skin Deep website and we love it.

  23. You can nurse discreetly in a Moby wrap. After doing it a few times it gets more comfortable. That would solve the problem of being stuck in the car. 🙂

      • There’s a certain way to wrap the baby for a nursing hold that’s different than the standard newborn hold. There’s videos on YouTube that show how to do it.

  24. Great update! Alexis is adorable. I am so glad you all are adjusting well, you have such a cute family! How did your outing to the doctor go the other day? Have you introduced the bottle yet? Just wondering how Miss Alexis did without her mama. 🙂 Also, thanks for being so open and honest on your blog. I have enjoyed following your story the past few months!

    • Thanks for asking! It went as well as I could have expected. I had to rush home as soon as I was done since Andrew gave Alexis all my pumped milk (I don’t have any stored yet because she nurses so frequently), so I had to be home before she woke up or it’d be “end of the world” for little Lexi!
      We’ve given her a bottle twice, she doesn’t really like it, just like pacifiers, but I’m cautious to do much more until we have breastfeeding dowpat.

      • I’m glad she did ok! Yeah, we had a hard time getting breastfeeding down, too, so I waited until 4-5 weeks to introduce the bottle as well. I understand! I went back to work part time at 4 months and my son went back and forth from bottle to breast no problem. He nursed until he was 14 months, actually. I know you know this, but it does get easier! Before you know it, you will be nursing and walking around the house at the same time! Best of luck to you.

  25. The video isn’t boring at all mama. She’s super cute. I can imagine it’s hard not to want to kiss those cheeks all day.

      • Hmm — this worked for us in the hot North Carolina summer, but I know that’s not as hot/humid as Florida.

        The cover acts as a shade and is fully vented/screened, so I never felt like she got too hot. But you gotta do what works! My daughter loved the car seat and strolling around, so I did everything I could to make her comfortable in it. 🙂

  27. She’s adorable!! I cannot believe 1 month old is sooo alert!
    Love that you speak Russian to her, but please please try not to mix the languages. I’ve bet it’s hard since you think in English, but One Parent One Language is the best option (I plan on speaking Polish to my baby, and I think in Spanish and sometimes English, so I know it’s hard).
    As for sun screens, I’ve bet you know this page: http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/, you can find safe sunscreens…

    Happy 1 month birthday!! 🙂

    • Elena, don’t stress about using Russian, English, or a mix of the two:

      “Despite many parents’ fear that using two languages will result in confusion for their children, there is no research evidence to support this. On the contrary, use of two languages in the same conversation has been found to be a sign of mastery of both languages.”

      Source: http://www.cal.org/resources/digest/raisebilingchild.html

      • Lesley, thanks for the article. Maybe I am wrong but I think what they’re talking about here is the child mixing languages, which is perfectly fine. However in order to raise a bilingual child successfully, OPOL is the best way ( other ways work too but OPOL sets standard for a kid where they can’t resort to an easier language, they have to speak one to daddy and another to mommy).

        • Ah, I see–that makes sense.

          In any case, I think it’s so beneficial and lovely to share your childhood language with your daughter. It’s not worth getting stressed if it’s not “perfect” or completely fluent. Just roll with it and I have no doubt she will learn.

          I think language acquisition is fascinating!

  30. I had my son in March so when we started getting out more it was turning hot and humid. We stayed in a lot, to be honest. I exclusively babywear (live in a big city – easier) so when we went out I’d hold a sun hat over his head to shade him and bring a cool, damp washcloth.

    There are water slings that you might be interested in for dips in the shower, strolls in the pool, etc.

    She’s darling! Glad you’ve been well. I’m a new reader – wanted to wait until things settled down before saying hello. Hello!

  32. First, that last photo is absolutely gorgeous. What a little doll!

    Second, like Lexi, Riley hated the stroller and most carriers until she was about 6 months… she hated the pram, despite everything I tried. And unlike what some other people said, she would NOT stop crying after we got going. I ended up going for walks and would come home pushing the stroller with one arm, holding a baby in the other! She also hated the car seat and pretty much anything that wasn’t my arms. Also, like you guys, she didn’t like being swaddled, we had all the fancy swaddling blankets… I started to think maybe I was doing something wrong since she seemed to hate everything that all other babies loved! But in the end, that was just her! It’s really easy to see that now that we have a second baby and he is TOTALLY different than she was!!

    So, no helpful advice from me, sounds like you are doing what’s best for your little munchkin’s personality. I love and appreciate your honesty on your blog!

    • It sounds like Lexi is exactly like Riley! I’ll be interested in getting your input as Lexi grows since you went through it. And I am totally jealous of your laid back baby boy 🙂 I can’t believe he sleeps so much. That being said, of course, I sort of like Lexi being needy because that way i am “forced” to spend all my time with her.

  34. I live in Florida, too. My first baby was born in August…talk about HEAT! To be outside, we would try to go to shaded areas. If he was in the stroller, we would make it so it was totally covered from the sun. They sell stroller fans that just clip right on the stroller so baby can have some air circulation in there. Also, lots of hats were worn by my little guy!

    My daughter was a December baby and we still had the same issues, so hot! Good luck staying cool!

  35. I live just north of west palm beach, so I understand your questions about warm weather and taking the new baby out. I have two little girls and a little boy on the way in May! 🙂 I used a mammasmilk sling for cooler weather but it was waaaay too hot most of the time. So when we took the girls out and used their stroller. I had a stroller for the girls that laid into a bed. I would strap them in, even when they were super tiny and lay the bed down but keep their heads inclined just enough so that they could see out a little bit. With the pram, have you tried using a boppy and laying her in the middle of it, just a thought…never had a pram.

    We used to also take them out and just attach the carseat to the stroller a lot when they were tiny. In that case we usually didn’t strap them, I’d put a super soft blanket down, push the belts aside and lay them in it facing me. Both my girls loved that, especially after we got moving!!

    If you come across any better tips regarding this issue, I’d love to hear them!! Especially since the little guy is gonna be super tiny during the super hot months this year!! Love your blog! You’re doing a fantastic job being a mother to Alexis!!!

  37. For night time I swear by the sound machine sold at Bed, Bath and Beyond. Babies don’t like to sleep long if its too quiet. My son still uses it at 2 cranked high on the “ocean” option.

    I remember the 6 week growth spurt and then nursing did get alot easier. For what its worth…my son never took a paci and was a constant “snacker”. He would want to eat every hour on the hour and it took him 40 minutes each time because he would fall asleep. I’d make sure she is getting a full feed each time…every 30 minutes is VERY frequent and it kind of establishes that snacking is OK. He ended up turning into a horrible sleeper (which was my fault) because at every peep I’d shove my boob in his mouth. I remember going thru the 4 month wakeful period where he would literally be up 15 times a night and the only thing that would soothe him was the boob. He’s eat for 2 minutes then pass out. I gave in because I was so tired and that would be the only thing that would make him stop crying but in the end we had to do hard core sleep training around 8 months.

  38. Yeah the time in the beginning seems to go by so slow because of the lack of sleep. But believe me when she’s 19 months, walking, repeating words you say, you look back and it went by fast. My Alexis is 19 months tomorrow and it’s unbelievable to me. I live in Florida and had Alexis in August, which is hot (you know). I stayed in mostly because it’s so hot. When she got older we laid out in the shade on a blanket. It’s hard because it is so hot and they sweat in the carriers.

    • There have been issues with babies suffocating in pouch or bag slings, not ring slings. The pouch and bag slings were recalled and very few exist on the market today; most will be found in resale/consignment/thrift shops. Ring slings do not go over the babies face and cause a suffocation risk.

      Elena, checkout thebabywearer.com as a resource for baby wearing. The forum has sections dedicated to helping you find out what type of carrier would be best.

      If you are not bothered by using the Moby, you could easily use a woven wrap. One of the best brands for thin, light, breathable wraps for hot weather is Solarveil.

      There are so many fantastic options for baby wearing once you branch out past the Moby. Don’t stay inside all the time, find a wrap or other carrier that allows you two to get out. The earlier you get Alexis used to being out and about the easier it will be later on. Good luck!

  41. Have you tried putting Lexi in a swing (in particular one that does a cradle motion). My baby was VERY similar to Lexi in terms of needing to be held and nursed constantly, etc. I bought a swing when he was four weeks old and he would actually let me put him in the swing for 10 minutes or so at a time! It seemed like a miracle when I was so used to being glued to my little one all day and night.

    • She hated the swing ( the one that does side to side motion) at first. Now she takes it for 10 minutes at a time, but ONLY if you’re next to her talking. Actually, the video was shot in that swing. I’m thinking the older she gets the better it’ll be in terms of self-entertainment.

  42. The video of you and your daughter talking is precious! Love all the photos and updates. I come to your blog because I enjoy your honest and heart felt writing and the approach you took on pregnancy and now parenting. I simply don’t understand the negative comments. When I read the “teenage sumo wrestler” joke I laughed and then said to myself, oh Elena is going to hear about this one! Anyway, thank you for continuing to open yourself to those of us who appreciate and adore you and want to support you in your journey with Alexis. She is stunning in that purple dress!

    • Hahahaha 🙂 Well, see that’s the thing, when I write, I can never imagine that someone would take something so innocent in a bad way! But what I am learning is that EVERYONE is going to have an opinion about EVERYTHING. And when you have thousands of people reading something you’re bound to find a few that have a problem with every single word you write. Thanks for the support, Kristi!

      • Very true! If you were second guessing your writing in any way, it wouldn’t be as honest as it is now, and as I said (and many others) your honesty is one of the greatest things about your blog. You are You and you keep things real! Thank you, Elena!

  44. My oldest daughter started cooing very early like Alexis. She was speaking in sentences by 2, and now at 3, she never stops talking. If Alexis is anything like my girl, you’ve got A LOT of listening in your future. 🙂

  45. This summer when Olive was born it was getting up to 120. We stayed inside. If it’s above 85 we stay inside.

  47. I was raised bilingual, my mom spoke both Chinese and English – sometimes even mixing the two in one sentence (“chinglish”). And I’m pretty fluent in both as an adult, was never confused as a baby (I knew who could speak chinese and who could not, even at 18 months I would speak Chinese to my grandmother, then turn and speak English to my Caucasian father in one sitting). Babies have absorbent minds, their capacity is more than ours as adults – so girl you just keep doing what you’re doing. There are no rules here, you make them up as you go, create your own culture and way of life at home. Alexis is going to be great and not confused in the least with your scatterings of Russian and English.

    I guess I’m sensitive to seeing people downplay another parents attempts – Im 4.5 months pregnant and have already been ambushed with other moms telling me this that and whatever I have in mind for parenting won’t work (like telling me cloth diapers, Montessori, and a healthy diet just aren’t possible as a parent for my unborn child). Anyway, girl just do your thang. 🙂

  49. Lexi reminds me a lot of my baby girl when she was that little, sucked at sleeping and a total boob monster. And SOOO alert. It got much better around 4 months though. She’s still an awful sleeper.

    My DD was born in July and I used a carrier with her. She hated our pram like stroller and I never used it after about 5 failed attempds. Luckily it converted to a regular stroller. I used to just wear her in a carrier for hours and hours. I loved my Maya Wrap ring sling, it was a bit lighter than the Moby. We seriously lived in a carrier for probably the first 2 months! It was probably the only place she would sleep!

    Congratulations, she’s gorgeous. Looking foward to reading your birth story!

  50. Hi! I just started reading your blog. Congratulations! I just had my first baby girl too! She is now 7 months old. In your entries I see that you often say you breastfeed every 30 minutes or so. Have you been told or thought about that you possibly have a low milk supply and that maybe your baby isn’t getting full and thats why she is eating so often. There are many things you can try to do 🙂

  51. I bookmarked this article/discussion about the sunscreen/sunblock thing and a dermatologist comments on what is safe and advised for babies:

    http://community.thebump.com/cs/ks/forums/1/35113032/ShowThread.aspx

    Might help!

    Does Lexi have a bad/shallow latch? Is she a lazy eater? My daughter started out like that and we were nursing CONSTANTLY and around the clock – and it turned out that she had a bad latch (slight tongue tie also) and was an extremely slow/lazy eater. That meant a vicious cycle of not being awake enough to get enough to stay awake/full….I tried everything I could and saw a hunge number of lactation consultants. Finally going to a La Leche League meeting helped. I ended up having to nurse, then offer a bottle of pumped milk after nursing. I REALLY didn’t want to ahve to do a bottle but it only ended up being a week or so, when she weaned herself off the bottle, after finally starting to get enough at each feeding that she could stay awake longer and nurse longer/get more. The latch didn’t really improve, though, until she just got bigger. By the time we discovered the tongue tie at about 6 weeks it was too late to improve her latch.

    • Thanks for the link!
      She does tend to have a latch on the shallower side though our LC said it was fine and helped improve it. She has a small mouth and just doesn’t open wide enough. That being said there are days when she eats every hour or like that one day every 2 hours without any change in amount of time nursed/latch.

  52. Oh my goodness – the Russian sounds sooo beautiful! And soothing! Forget the white noise machine – just make a recording of you speaking Russian! Heck, I’d buy it! 🙂 Hope to see more videos like that – I loved it!

    And for people commenting negatively about the teenage sumo wrestler, and commenting negatively about you in general – UGH! I love this blog because it’s honest and I can relate to what you write about. If you didn’t write what you thought/felt, it wouldn’t be interesting! And honestly… you were kidding about the teenage sumo wrestler… people need to lighten up. If we can’t make light of these things as moms (I’ve experienced the teenage sumo wrestler stage too – we have a very chubby, 95th percentile baby what had a teeeeerrible bout of baby acne that began the day before his newborn photos [yay photoshop!] and lasted about a month and a half, so I can understand!) well, that’s just ridiculous. Keep doing what you’re doing and being you, because that’s why so many people love this blog!

  54. You might still want to talk to your doctor about reflux. Eating every hour at a month seems like a lot. It could be that she has a really mild case and has a sore throat from it so uses nursing to soothe her throat.

  55. Alexis is so beautiful! Happy one month 🙂 Her eyes are as blue as sapphires! I loved the video…she sure is ‘talking’ to you! She’s trying so hard to say what she wants to say. (We have that same swing by the way)
    We live in San Diego and Lillian was one month old in July, so you can imagine the heat! We did pretty much stay home all the time. I worried about her sensitive blue eyes as much as her skin. The sunlight was just so bright everywhere so that was also a reason I stayed indoors mainly for the first few months. When we stepped out into the yard though I’d drape a light baby blanket over her until I was in the shade (just a few steps away) then she’d sit in just a diaper in my arms in the shade. When we’d have to go out in the car I’d have a bottle of water with me. It got to the point that even with the air conditioner on I’d have to use one of her baby washcloths from her diaper bag and wet it and stroke it across her forehead and feet. I still haven’t figured out which sunscreen I’m going to use for Lillian. Gotta choose soon because this summer she’ll be going in our pool for the first time. 🙂

  56. Are you eating enough calories? Maybe she is eating so frequently because the isn’t enough calories in your milk. Make sure you are eating lots of proteins and foods high in the good fats.

  58. She is so cute, and very alert for a one month old! Her hair accessories are super cute, it made me think you might be interested in winning a blossom latch clip that I’m currently giving away on my blog: http://cherrypietwins.blogspot.com/2012/03/giveaway-baby-wisp-latch-clip.html.

    Regarding your questions about the sun/heat… I used a pop up sun shelter that I bought at a Canadian retailer. I’m sure you could find something similar. I can’t recall the name of it, but there’s a photo in this post: http://cherrypietwins.blogspot.com/2011/06/fun-day-in-sun.html.

    (Sorry I don’t mean to be promoting my blog on your blog, just thought you might be interested in these things)

    • Rain or Shine Kids has a great suncover. They’re lightweight, breathable organic cotton with UPF 45+ and they tie easily to strollers, car seats and baby carriers. Check out their website for more info but order through Amazon for a better price and free shipping.

  60. Thanks for sharing the video, too cute! My son was born in FL in Sept. He basically only wore a onesie for the first 3 months due to the heat. Walks outside were very short. He was very colicky and the only thing that would calm him was breastfeeding. I took about two months for breastfeeding to not hurt anymore at all and he always had a great latch so don’t worry, you guys will get the hang of everything and it will stop hurting so much. Mine also would never take any kind of paci and believe me I tried. I don’t know if your LC suggested anything like this (and I can’t remember when I started doing this) but I would feed two feedings on the same side, then switch sides for the next two feedings+. It seemed to help him get more of the fatty hind milk and be satisfied longer. Good luck!

  61. First of all, the video is sooo adorable. She’s a real talker. Oh using a pram is the most beautiful time, try to give it go through the crying for a bit, move with around the house and see how she reacts. I hope she likes it in the end.

  63. I have actually wanted too ask this for a little while now. I like you am a first time mom, but my daughter is 11 weeks old already. I am breastfeeding her. When you say every 30-50 minutes are you counting from the time she stops eating to the start of her next feeding or are you counting from the start of one feeding to the start of the next? Because it should be the latter. Otherwise how many times is she eating it would be excessive to feed more than 12x in a 24 hour period unless she is cluster feeding.

    • I know you’re supposed to count from the start of feeding however I’m referring to the amount of time between feedings: 30-50 min
      From the start of feeding it’s usually 50-90 min. While it does seem excessive (which is what I was concerned about), even my pediatrician seems to think that she’s just a big girl who needs a lot of food.
      She’s too small to deny her food just so that we could sleep more, so I’m rolling with it for now. As she grows hopefully she’ll space them out.

      • She will start spacing them out. During the day my daughter still does every2-3 hours but at night she goes 6-7. Feeding length gets shorter too as they get better at causing a letdown & getting how much they need.

      • It’s totally normal. Don’t let people worry you into thinking your supply is low. There’s no harm in nursing often and comfort nursing and she won’t do it for long.

    • Nope, 12+ times is completely normal for some babies. Some babies just really like nursing. My daughter refused a pacifier and needed to suck. Nothing wrong with that.

  65. Someone may have said this already, but does your carseat snap in to a stroller? We have a Graco and use the snap and go stroller so she doesn’t have to come out of her carseat (which she likes). It’s front facing and really easy to use. I think they are too little at this point to ride comfortably in a large stroller, and I know they prefer small cozy spaces. My daughter is 4 weeks too. Hope things get easier for you!

  66. When her neck control really gets there, you will be able to nurse her in the carrier and then you can go ANYWHERE! I nursed my daughter in the carrier starting at approx. 10 weeks and we were unstoppable after that. Thank goodness! Good luck!!

  68. Elena do you wear the boob design mom and baby twinset? Have you matched Alexis in it? 🙂 I can’t wait to wear mine as a mat top and then nursing after.

    12 weeks tomorrow 🙂

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