Ivy || 1 Month Old

Ivy turned one month old yesterday! This month seemed to speed by but looking back, four weeks ago seems like a lifetime.

Ivy May at One Month

Weight: 8lbs. 11oz. (up from 7 lbs. 2 oz. at birth)

Height: 22 inches (up from 20 in. at birth)

Personality: sweet dreamer

Likes
Sleeping

Being held on someones chest...and sleeping

Nursing...to sleep

Stroller and car rides...to sleep
Being swaddled...for sleep

Big brother Kippy

Pacifier

Bedtime baths

Dislikes
Diaper and clothes changes
Not being held

Waiting more than 1 second to be latched to feed

When the pacifier falls out of her mouth

Wearing
Size 1 diapers
0-3 month clothing (most are a little big)
Loves the Swaddle Up for nighttime

Things I want to remember about Ivy at one month old:

The way she slams her face into my chest looking for the place to latch

Her sad little goopy eye (blocked tear duct)

Our girls only slumber parties in the living room (I sleep in the living room with her so Dan can get enough sleep for work and he takes the monitor for Kip if he wakes up)

The way she clinches her fists and brings them close to her neck when she has a bottle or are sucking on the pacifier (Kip did this too)

Gorilla ear

The way Kippy says "you open your eyes?" whenever he sees her awake

Her easy going "along for the ride" style

Her loud squeaks and grunts

The way she smiles in her sleep

Sleep

Oh Ivy girl is a dream sleeper and I am SO grateful and surprised. It may be a temporary phase but we appreciate it. Coming out of pregnancy sleep deprivation and into newborn sleep deprivation I was really worried about the continued lack of sleep but she just seems to like your ZZZs and, that is the place to be in this world today. Dreamland is far better than reality.

Right now her rough schedule is down for the night between 7:30 - 9:00 pm. She wakes somewhere between 1:00 - 3:00 am and again between 5:00 - 6:00 am. Then she takes a last stretch of sleep until 8:00 am when she is "up" for the day. I try to get her to nap around 10 am when Kip naps but that is hit or miss and sometimes she goes for a longer nap in the afternoon. If we go for a walk or get in the car she sleep pretty exclusively in those places. If I was to guesstimate, I'd say she has spent 70% of her first month of life asleep.

The other night she slept for an 8 hour stretch. Yikes! I'm not sure if that is even allowed at her age but she is making up for it with daytime feeds and producing plenty of wet and dirty diapers and the doctor said her weight is good so we can let her sleep!

Eat

Ivy latched successfully within the first 24 hours of life and I attribute that immediate success to my confidence the second time around. By the time we left the hospital she was latching well and my supply had already come in. Unless she is in a long car nap, she eats every 1-2 hours during the day and around 4 pm she typically cluster feeds until 7 pm when she goes down for the night. During that dinnertime window I feel like she is attached to my chest for literally four hours.

She is a daytime eater which I think really helps with the nighttime sleeping. We have also given her bottles here and there and she does well with those as long as the breast milk is room temperature (Kip liked his cold).

I have an oversupply again along with overactive let downs and so that makes our nursing sessions long and very messy. I feel like everything is covered in milk right now. Me...her...everything. Until Ivy gets the hang of managing being sprayed in the face with a jet stream of milk, we'll all be covered in milk.

The doctor confirmed at the appointment yesterday that Ivy likely has silent reflux which is the cause of her coughing and gasping noises while nursing and in her sleep. She also spits up a good deal. So far it doesn't seem to cause her too much discomfort...just me... but hopefully she will outgrow it soon.

Play

Since Ivy is such a dreamer it's hard to say how she prefers to be entertained at this point. She likes the bouncer seat as long as someone keeps bouncing her until she is asleep. Likewise for the baby swing. If I was to guess what she enjoys most during her waking moments it would be hanging with big brother and laying on his comfy bed while he coos at her in the voice he only uses when talking to her. I hope their bond grows deep.

Ivy girl, this first month with you has been sweet and while the world around us teems with chaos and uncertainty and injustice, I am grateful for you calm demeanor. You are a reminder that peace can be found right here.