Paul Daniel: One Month

Time is cruel and slipped by way too fast. My sweet boy went from being a newborn to an infant in the blink of an eye. I can’t believe Paul has been with us for a whole month. Watching him grow and being able to snuggle a baby again has been so wonderful.

When Lily was born I couldn’t imagine my heart getting any fuller. Then Paul arrived and all that changed. Everyday I tell him I’m so glad he’s here. He brings us so much joy, just like his sister. I have moments where I look at them both and cry because I am so grateful for them. 💗

Sleep

He’s a pretty good sleeper to the point where we’ve had to wake him up for his middle-of-the-night feedings. We’ve gotten into a solid routine with him where I’ll pump while Joshua gives him formula and changes his diaper, usually between 2:00 am and 3:00 am. When all is said and done, we’re all back to bed within 40 mins. He’s a noisy sleeper though, cooing, grunting, and squeaking all night long. It’s so sweet and reassuring, so I can’t complain.

We rented the SNOO again and so far Paul likes it. We got a little nervous at first but it turned out he didn’t like the volume of the white noise. Ever since we turned it down he sleeps soundly no problem. Zero regrets!

Feeding

Breastfeeding started out very promising this time around, but just like with Lily, we ended up having to supplement with formula. He’s formula-fed with a side of breastmilk (both pumping and nursing).

I was able to exclusively breastfeed him in the hospital and while it didn’t affect his bilirubin levels like with Lily, he lost more than 10% of his birth weight within the first week. After working with our pediatrician and lactation consultant we were able to get his weight going in the right direction once we introduced formula.

My supply unfortunately cannot keep up with his demand, primarily due to PCOS and my breast reduction surgery I had many years ago. However, it’s much better this time around so I’m doing what I can to maintain for as long as possible. Things like going to acupuncture, taking certain supplements, and eating certain foods as well as drinking a ton of water, and keeping up my demand via pumping are all helping keep my supply going. It’s a lot of work but totally worth it!

Big Sister Lily

Lily has been doing great and loves her little brother! She is so kind and gentle with him. She’s always asking me to get on the floor with him so she can give him hugs and snuggles.

She’s also tried teaching him to sit and wants him to play with her. It gives me big smiles thinking about the future once he becomes more mobile. I hope this is a good sign they’re going to become best buds.

How I’m Doing

I’m definitely tired and have some aches and pains here and there. Overall, I bounced back a lot quicker than I expected which has been rather weird for me. I was fully prepared to give myself adequate time to rest and heal, figuring I’d need it with two littles. However, because labor went so smoothly and I had minimal damage, I felt like myself very quickly and my energy was back in no time. It felt odd going back to life because we have such a good routine in place and Paul fit in so perfectly. I feel really fortunate that despite a physically exhausting pregnancy my postpartum healing process was quite the opposite.

Favorite Things

Wildbird Ring Sling – A few months before Paul was born I got the Wildbird Ring Sling in a special edition Gemini pattern. With Lily, I had the Moby wrap and while I was a big fan of babywearing, the Moby wrap wasn’t very curvy gal friendly in the long term and was kind of a pain to assemble on the go. This time around I wanted to try a ring sling instead, and so far I’m liking it now that I got the hang of it. It’s much easier to pop baby in when I’m out and about.

Elvie Double Electric Breast Pump – If the Baby Brezza was my bougie purchase with Lily then the Elvie pump was my splurge with Paul. I’m working really hard to maintain my supply with Paul and having a wireless pump makes things so much easier especially since we’re supplementing with formula. I can pump while doing other things (like cooking dinner) which is convenient since I have a toddler to look after as well. Now I don’t have to be chained to a chair multiple times a day.

Frida Mom Breast Care Self Care Kit – Funny how Frida Mom comes out with these awesome kits right before the birth of both of my kids. With Lily, it was their postpartum care kit and with Paul, it’s the Breast Care Kit. Since I’m nursing way more my tatas need some TLC so I decided to give their kit a try. It comes with a heated lactation massager which I use while pumping, a few sheet masks, and some heating pads.