I received product and compensation from Mead Johnson Nutrition to create this post written by me. All experiences and opinions expressed in this post are my own and not those of Mead Johnson Nutrition. You can contact Mead Johnson Nutrition with product related questions or comments toll-free at 1-800-BABY-123 (1-800-222-9123).
In the first few weeks after Miles’s birth, everything felt new and different. My body, for sure. Kristie’s and my relationship? Definitely. Our house? Yup; we even rearranged the furniture in our living room so that for the first six weeks of his life, we could take shifts sleeping on the couch next to the bassinet while the other wife got uninterrupted rest upstairs.
And then, of course, there was the baby.
All of a sudden this amazing, new, small, confusing human was living with us – and dependent on Kristie and me for everything. (No pressure, right?) But we all made it through the newborn days – I even caught myself missing those middle-of-the-night feedings recently!
In addition to the living room sleeping arrangement (somewhat unconventional I think, but it worked for us until he was sleeping longer stretches, and until we all missed each other too much!), here are a few more things that helped make those newborn days – and nights – a little easier.
- A village. We didn’t get out much during Miles’s first few months. He was born in late November, and we weren’t feeling quite brave enough to take our tiny son out into the cold and flu germs very often. But my parents live about an hour away from us, and I kid you not we (happily!) saw them at least every weekend for Miles’s first 16 weeks! My brother and sister came, too, as often as they could. Friends brought food, hand-me-downs, gifts, and more – just socializing with other adults felt like such a relief sometimes.
- Gentle formula. Poor baby Miles took after me – and a LOT of other babies – and was a pretty gassy newborn. It sounds cute (aww, baby farts!), but gas can actually be uncomfortable for babies. Sometimes Miles was so uncomfortable he didn’t want to sleep or eat – just cry. This was obviously super distressing to his mothers (especially combined with sleep deprivation and postpartum healing). We spent a lot of time burping him, bicycling his legs, massaging his tummy. Finally we switched his formula to Enfamil NeuroPro™ Gentlease® Baby Formula. (Miles has been combo-fed – breastfeeding, pumped milk, and formula – since day one. Actually, since hour one! I had to have surgery right after he was born, so Kristie got to give him his first meal: a bottle of formula. I love looking back at those sweet first pictures of them together.) Enfamil NeuroPro™ Gentlease® is a gentle formula for easing fussiness, gas, and crying in 24 hours that has small, gentle easy-to-digest proteins. Plus, Gentlease is the #1 Pediatrician recommended brand for gassy and fussy babies. It’s the choice we keep making for Miles’s formula even today!
- Outside time – every day. For me, not the baby. Even when it was a blizzard outside, I left the house to walk up and down the street, go to the store, walk the dog downtown. Sometimes I would bring Miles in the stroller or carrier, but the point was to get myself out of the house. Even if it was just for 10 minutes.
- A moms group. I joined the moms group at the hospital where I delivered, and we met weekly on Fridays. I can’t overstate how powerful it was to connect with other mothers, some of whom were going through exactly what I was, and others who could tell us that it gets better! The group helped me build my crew of invaluable mom friends, and we’re all still in touch.
These are tips that worked for me – make sure you try different things, and see what works best for your baby and for you. Then, DO THAT THING! Soon, it won’t feel like you’re just surviving – you’ll be thriving.
Visit https://www.enfamil.com/enrollment/neur1 or call 1-800-BABY-123 for more information and to request a free sample.
This is sponsored by Enfamil® Gentlease Infant Formula.
