skip to main |
skip to sidebar
We tried out a dance class this past weekend. Erin loves to dance, so
I thought she'd enjoy a class dedicated to moving around and dancing.
She did a lot of standing around and staring at people than actually
moving around and dancing. All of this was to be expected. The class
started at 11am, later than what I wanted (Erin is usually taking her
nap at this time) so I could tell she wasn't all that energized. I also
wished the class had a little more structure and less of just running
around with music on.
Her little outfit was pretty dang cute.
The first few weeks postpartum were the most difficult for me. I was
filled with a mixture of emotions and my hormones were ALL over the
place. As a new parent, you are majorly sleep deprived. My schedule the
first few weeks with Erin looked something like this:
(Do you see what happened between 7:30pm - 3:45am?!? That would be cluster feeding and Erin would want to do nothing but EAT)
Erin just a few days old.
Babies
do nothing but sleep, eat and poop the first few months. People told me
that I should nap whenever the baby napped, but I couldn't get myself
to do that for some reason. I was never much of a napper and I guess
that part of me didn't change even with the lack of sleep. Also, I don't
fall asleep quickly, so I hated it when I did end up trying to nap and
would end up having to wake up only just 10 minutes after I had just
fallen asleep (I'm jealous that Ken can fall asleep in 0.5 seconds. It's
truly a gift). On top of the sleep deprivation, my body was recovering
from labor and adjusting to nursing, and I was constantly thinking about
how I was now a mother. There was just so much going on all at once. I
remember I would randomly want to cry and then would suddenly be
overjoyed and thrilled. I was extra (by extra, I mean a lot) irritable
and moody. The baby blues are quite normal and I think every new mom has
some degree of it (baby blues and postpartum depression are very
different, so if some of these symptoms last longer than a few weeks or
if they get worse, you should call your doctor). The baby blues for me
was like having a major case of PMS. I had a "stay out of my way"
mentality (poor Ken). I really had to take time to think and process
things. I'm more of an introvert so I process things better alone. There
were a lot of pep talks to myself and a lot of "Am I doing this
right?!?" In general, I don't do well when I feel overwhelmed and it
doesn't help that I'm also super stubborn and find it hard to express my
needs for help. This all made the first few weeks a roller-coaster for
me.
I'd say about 2 weeks postpartum, things got a whole lot
better/easier. My body was healing properly, nursing wasn't a huge
challenge anymore, Erin had somewhat of a schedule and was taking longer
naps, and my hormone levels weren't all whack. Being a new parent is
definitely a challenge, but so doable! It's such a joy bringing a baby
into this world. Seeing your baby grow and smile and knowing that no one
else knows the child better than you do is the best feeling ever.
You'll also learn that babies are more resilient than you think!
Here are just a few tip/points that might help new moms:
- It's OK to say No.
Like I mentioned before, I'm quite an introvert and I get overwhelmed
easily. The thing with having a baby is that everyone wants to meet
him/her. For me personally, I found it harder having company over
(especially the first few weeks). We lived in a tiny one bedroom
apartment at the time and when people came over, the apartment felt more
tiny to me. I didn't want to be rude and just veg out while people were
over so I felt I needed to entertain them, which turned out to be more
tiring. I assure you that no one will take it offensively if you asked
them to hold off a few weeks before visiting. Everyone will get to see
the new baby eventually. For me, it was important that I had the first
few weeks for my family to adjust and learn things on our own.
- It's OK to ask for help. It's
so hard asking for help. I was so stubborn and I felt like I was
supposed to be doing everything on my own. I was so determined. Ken
stayed home a whole day before heading back to work and due to his work
schedule, he didn't come home till around 7:30pm every night. I was so
grateful for all the people who made short visits the first 3 months and
brought me yummy food!
- You can survive off little to no sleep.
Believe it or not, you don't need much sleep to function (Of course a
full nights rest will make a more happy, less irritable person). Once my
body got used to sleeping in 2 hour increments, I was able to function
properly. Even with no naps during the day, I was amazed how much my
body could do/endure with such little sleep.
- Get some fresh air.
All doctors will advise that you keep baby at home at least the first
few months. I lasted about a week before I started getting cabin fever. I
just wanted to get out, get some sun, drive my car, walk around, get
some fresh air, etc. So I really advise new moms to get out. With Erin
nursing around the clock and not taking the bottle (also our
neighborhood was not a safe place to walk around), I ended up taking
Erin out with me. We went to the mall to walk around, went out for some
coffee, and made stops at 85 degree bakery for some yummy bread. It
doesn't sound like much, but getting out of the house for even just an
hour really saved me.
Baby Erin. :)
They seriously grow up too fast!!
I finally got to check this off my to-do list. Erin and I tried out a
trial gymnastics class this weekend (Parent & me classes are great
for kids like Erin). My mom put me in gymnastics when I was a kid and I
did some tumbling when I was in high school. I loved it. I ended up
coaching for 3+ years and my favorite classes by far were the ones with
the little toddlers. Gymnastics can really help with coordination and
muscle development. I wanted to see if Erin would like it too.
Erin
wasn't all that thrilled about gymnastics class, which I expected. She
was very cautious about the things the coaches wanted her to do. She'd
freak out if the coach came too close or tried to assist her. She didn't
really put any effort into holding on to bars or jumping when I asked
her to. First classes are always hard because kids are doing things and
seeing things for the first time. She did however enjoy forward rolls
and putting chalk on her hands, yay!
(pc: Ken)
Trying to get her to jump. She ended up just walking around the french fries.
She flipped out after getting to this point and didn't make it to the top.
She did well on the beam.
She wouldn't hang on to the rings. She just thought it was funny when she touched them.
She tried eating a piece of the foam block.
Trying to show her how to finish properly.
Loving the chalk.
She's been doing forward rolls at home!
We have a trial dance class next week. I'm going to see which she likes/does better and hopefully enroll her in it.
