Another month gone by with baby Sienna!
Sleep – Still in the midst of sleep deprivation for sure! She typically goes a 3-6 hour stretch for her first sleep at night (4.5 hours is her typical, but it can start as early at 7 pm) and then eats one more time before being up for the day around 6 am or so. Though she does have some rougher nights where her feedings are closer together, she’s more fussy and harder to get back down and is up for the day at 5 am. Naps are all over the place. Some naps are super easy and long (I have to wake her up to eat!) and other naps are really short or non-existent. Some days she just wants to be held all day and others she sleeps well in her bed. Typical for one of our kids that’s for sure! 🙂
Breastfeeding – Still going really well. She’ll take a bottle which has been great and allows me to get a little extra sleep in the early morning or leave the house without being worried about getting back for a feeding. She does have reflux still which affects her sleep most days but she’s not screaming all the time and isn’t up all night, so we’re not giving her meds and know/trust that she will grow out of it as she gets older. We just started a probiotic for her so we’ll see if that makes any difference. I did also cut out caffeine, chocolate, alcohol, dairy (which I already wasn’t eating), tomato-based products and spicy foods per the pediatrician’s recommendation. I’m pretty good with all of those except chocolate. It’s been 2 weeks without it and I feel like I’m going through withdrawals!
Milestones – We got our smiles and coos now! She loves chatting with people and smiling when she can which is really fun. Especially when Enzo and Emilia want to play with her.
Exercise – Now that I’m past the 6 week mark, I started a workout program through Every Mother which helps heal diastasis recti (separation of the abs) which is much more pronounced for me this pregnancy than the others. I’m working on healing my core and regaining some strength. I’m about 2.5 weeks into the 12 week program so too early to tell if it’s working.
Mental Health – I’ve had some really rough days mentally over the last month which has been cause for concern for me a bit. Some days I feel totally normal and other days I can feel the postpartum depression taking over. Thankfully I have an amazing, supportive husband and a therapist as well as friends to talk to. But even with that, in those dark moments it’s hard to see the light. This week has been better and I’ve been much more consistent reading the Bible and praying which is what I need to be doing to combat the darkness. I decided to start reading through the whole Bible which I’ve never done straight through. Instead of following a strict plan that I know I would end up failing/quitting, I’m reading on my own timeline when I can using my Kindle. I typically read when I’m nursing the baby or putting her to sleep. It’s been huge and I’m hoping I can continue doing it. I also (almost) finished reading the book Radical by David Platt. I highly recommend it for any Christian. It’s really convicting but has brought a lot of things to light for both Joe and I. You won’t regret it!