It has taken forever to get this post out (let’s be real, it’s been much harder to get any post out since having Lex!). How do you record down the 3 months after one of the most monumental moments of your life?

Have you heard of the fourth trimester? It is the 12 week period after giving birth and it is full of changes for both the mother and the baby! We had an amazing time at Matilda, but that honeymoon period had to end some time. We were lucky to have spent a whole week there, where we were supported and guided by the most amazing midwives. Once we got home, we were on our own! The first week was rough. Jerry and I had been enjoying uninterrupted 8-9 hours of sleep every night for quite some time and having a newborn thrown in was a shock to the system. We also did not know what was bothering him and how to soothe him in the beginning. I had to feed Lex every 3 hours and sometimes after his feed he would be fussy or just wide awake for another 2 hours… just in time for the next feed! I did not know what type of soothing he preferred and I would spend hours rocking and patting him. In the beginning I also took it upon myself to try and do it all. I wanted to feed him and get him back to sleep without waking up Jerry. I realized this was not smart and that I should ask for help when I needed it. There have been a few times where Jerry woke up to me crying in desperation at 3 am after being up for hours. Now I will wake him up if I cannot console Lex and Jerry will take him out to the living room for a stroll. At the end of the first week you sometimes wonder how you’re going to make it for another week, but it definitely gets easier! You start to understand what may be bothering him (hungry, temperature, nappy, etc.) and what type of soothing technique works for him (more about his sleeping in another post!).

Everything we learnt at Matilda was still quite new to us and at first we were quite slow at changing diapers (especially when he was tossing around!) and we would be quite nervous when giving Lex a bath, but we noticed that we got better and more comfortable at these tasks quickly. At first it was so difficult to get the diaper on a wriggling baby but now we can change him in a flash! We still get peed on once in a while (hello boy parents) but we are much better at covering up him to prevent that. Initially we were also a bit clumsy and overly careful when picking Lex up, but as time went on we became much smoother and would scoop him up with ease (obviously still safely, but you realize babies aren’t AS delicate as you think).

We were also quite paranoid with germs for the first month (especially with Covid around) and washed our hands and sanitized nonstop. My hands were getting so dry! After the first 1-2 months we became a little more relaxed but we were still diligent about hygiene.

In the beginning, Lex slept A LOT. Soon he was waking up more often and we had to learn how to interact and engage with him. It feels a little weird to read books to a newborn but it has been shown to be very beneficial to their development. We tried to read to him everyday and also showed him high contrast images. We also started tummy time quite early (his first week) and we love watching Lex get stronger and stronger. At first he was hardly able to lift his head and now he does it with ease. Before becoming parents, I did not know much at all about all the amazing developments that babies go through in the first few months. It is fascinating to watch Lex grow and gain the ability to follow an object with his gaze, reach for items, and recognize voices. Lex also rolled over at 2.5 months and has been a little trouble maker ever since! Please remember that babies develop at their own pace, so don’t worry if they don’t hit the “milestones” at exactly the proposed time. However, do check in with your healthcare provider if you feel like something is amiss.

Luckily, breastfeeding has been going super well (will have a separate post on my breastfeeding journey) and Lex is gaining weight at an extremely healthy rate. He is generally not a fussy baby but can act quite crazy during growth spurts. It is definitely helpful to chat with other moms and to read up on developmental/growth spurts so that you have some understanding of what is happening (and also to not feel alone!). Every baby is different and the guidelines are not 100% accurate, but it does give you some peace of mind as well that what your baby is doing is normal.

In terms of my own recovery, I was really lucky to have a smooth c-section recovery. I started working out again around 4 weeks and feel basically back to normal (in terms of birth recovery… NOT fitness). I got used to the interrupted sleep and also feel quite comfortable with newborn care. It took Jerry a little bit more time to get used to the lack of sleep, but he is now such a trooper – he is ready to jump into action to help at night. I know that I will continually be learning and things will change, but these first 3 months have been chock full of new experiences! It wasn’t easy, but I loved learning and practicing with Jerry, I felt like we were fully in this parenthood journey together. Things may seem a bit overwhelming at first, but remember that you are the best parent for your baby and you’re doing amazing! Don’t doubt yourself, but remember to ask for help if you need it. It’s a huge adventure being new parents and there are good and bad days, but we felt more confident and fulfilled as time went on. We are now 6 months into the parenthood game and we realized that there are new things to learn at every turn, but I have also been surprised by how adaptable and resilient we are as parents. You got this!