The first few weeks and months of Scarlett's life were a frenzy of diaper changes, middle of the night feedings, and endless crying. You do feel helpless at certain times. You question if you're doing the right thing as a parent and you hope you're making the right choices and decisions for her as she progresses. When I think back on this stage, it's hard for me to remember. It all seems like one gigantic blur.
Since Scarlett was born in the dead of winter in December, we were stuck inside for the first 8 weeks of her life. I am a stay-at-home mom, so you can imagine how hard it was being indoors with a newborn 24 hours a day. It was too cold to take her on stroller walks, so we were inside all the time. I felt like I was going insane and I couldn't wait for my husband to get home each night. I would rush out and just drive anywhere I could at the time. Whether it was the grocery store or even CVS, it didn't matter. Any place I went felt like an instant vacation for me, and I craved 5 minutes of peace.
Brand new baby
One week old
The hardest part of having a newborn is the night feedings. Scarlett ate every 3 or 4 hours daily as newborn. I remember timing the feedings with a special app to make sure she was eating as she should. My baby monitor would be on my nightstand and I would be woken up by hungry cries at 2 AM. After feeding Scarlett, I would lay back down and hope I would have another few hours to rest before she woke up again at 5 AM. These were very rough times and I'm so glad we're past them.
My formula for happiness was joining a mom's group back in February. Scarlett was a little over 2 months old at the time, but it was my saving grace and it got us out of the house. There are weekly activities like playgroups, story times, mommy and me classes, among many other things. A bonus of the group is that there are other events like Mom's Night Out dinners where you can enjoy adult time without the kids. I've met some wonderful friends from my group and I highly encourage any other new mom's to seek out a group in your area. What's your formula for happiness with your newborn? Maybe you let dad take the baby while you shower quickly, or go workout at the gym.
About a month old
Fast forward a few months later and Scarlett has now been on a schedule since June. She takes 2 naps a day, eats solid food along with her bottles, and sleeps from 7 PM to 7 AM. She does not wake up in the middle of the night. My husband and I are extremely lucky that she's such a good sleeper, and we're overjoyed for uninterrupted sleep. We know not every baby is this good. Her schedule is like clockwork. She's hungry when she's supposed to eat and is tired exactly when she's supposed to be. I couldn't ask for anything better.
Sleep is the most important thing for new parents, and keeps a baby happy. Gerber believes in the importance of baby's comfort and happiness, and they've partnered with baby sleep expert Christina Gantcher to help. Christina is happy to assist and support expecting or new parents by providing free and personal 1-on-1 baby sleep consultations. If you're exhausted and need help, Christina is there for you. You can visit Gerber's website to find the online scheduler to schedule an appointment, or call the Gerber Parents Resource center 24/7 at 1-800-284-9488 to help with setting up a time slot.
If you're a parent of a newborn who is exhausted, don't worry it will get better. The days will turn into weeks which will turn into months, and you will sleep again. You'll remember these days and how tough they seemed, but you'll have even tougher challenges ahead of you. Make sure you create your own formula for happiness, it's essential.
*DISCLOSURE* This is a sponsored post for Gerber's Good Start Gentle Formula. All thoughts are strictly my own.
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