Christopher currently weighs a little over 14 pounds. So far he seems to be a long and lean little guy. 3-month clothes are not tight around, but too short, so I've been on a bit of a shopping spree for him lately. Developmentally, he's got great neck and back control when held, and he's still figuring out the concept of sitting. He happily rolls from stomach to back as he hates tummy time, and he's rolled once from back to stomach when I wasn't looking. He can grab a toy with either one or both hands, and he just discovered a few days ago that he can grab his feet and, if unencumbered by clothing, can occasionally get one in this mouth. He coos very earnestly and laughs often - it's just magical.
Less than magical are some of our adventures and misadventures in breastfeeding, but thankfully, they are mostly resolved. Just before Thanksgiving, I came down with mastitis, and my milk supply took a dive. While I worked to get it back up, he got a lot of formula. It seems that he got used to the faster flow of a bottle (at least that's the most plausible theory after seeing his doctor and a lactation consultant) and became very frustrated when nursing. He would cry, scream, and arch his back a few minutes into every feeding. December was really difficult for us, and I almost weaned twice and emotionally beat myself up over it. Things finally got better somehow - I think it helped when I got a lot of support via Facebook from other moms I know and made a conscious effort to be kinder to myself and not feel like I would go to mommy hell if I formula-fed my baby. This and other experiences have proven to me that babies really do pick up on and mirror parents' tension.
In an effort to improve his sleep at night (a topic I'll save for later), we tried starting him or cereal just before Christmas at about 4 months of age. The effects on sleep were variable, but he loves the stuff, so we've been dabbling in solids ever since. The first feeding was, um, interesting...
He's really gotten the hang of it since then, and we've moved on to sweet potatoes and, starting yesterday, carrots. I could expound on what veggies do to his poop, but you might be trying to eat while you read this. Let's just say I've almost called in a biohazard crew for a couple of diapers this week.
Oh, one final milestone I want to mention - Christopher was baptized on January 11!
1 comment:
I had no idea you were going through all that, or I would've written to give some support too! I'm sorry. I had all of those same issues minus the good sense to actually formula feed. My poor child nearly starved. If I had it all to do over, I would do exactly what you did, which was the most motherly thing you could do: FEED THE BABY.
It gets SO much better/easier.
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