This time around is much easier than the first. With Xavier, I battled post partum anxiety and was on medication and went to a counselor to get through the days. This time, has been much better and I feel more prepared. Audra was on a 3 hour rotation, starting at the hospital. The first month, she slept non-stop, waking up only to eat a 3 ounce bottle. I also made sure to sleep when she slept during the day. Around 2 months, our routine was still a 3 hour rotation, waking up for a diaper change, to eat a 3-4 ounce bottle, burp her, hold her up for 10 minutes to let her belly settle, but we noticed she was staying awake more during the day (sometimes only taking short cat naps until her next feeding or no naps at all). She no longer passed our from a milk coma. We've always kept her room bright during the day, and she only slept in her room at night time.
At 2 -3 months, Audra's days are mostly filled with her lying on her back taking in all the excitement around her. She likes her swing the best and her babysitter puts her in that most of the day. At home, we let her play on her gym, lay in her bouncer and her giraffe mat. She also likes to play with rattles and hand toys that make noise. We make sure she gets plenty of tummy time, either on my chest, propped up on her boppy pillow, or propped under her elbows on her gym. She is getting so strong! We've noticed she doesn't like to snuggle with us and tries to bust out of any snuggling hold with lots of arm swings and kicks! She is however, super snuggly right after her 10pm bottle so I make sure to hold her extra long then :)
Audra started giving us smiles and coos/ahh's around 2 months (different from Xavier who started this at 4 months). Her toothless grins are the sweetest thing! In month 3, Audra found her hands and started to love blowing bubbles! She loves attention from her big brother, and the sound of the vacuum (when on she's fine, when off she cries). But hates the sound of the lawnmower (when on, she screams frantically). She also hates that part in Fur Elise that gets really loud (on Baby Einstein videos). I'm also having so much fun dressing her up in the cutest little outfits with matching headbands and bows. We had friends donate a ton of clothes to us, so we are set!
Look at those thighs!
Audra's day time sleep varied a lot the first 3 months. In month 1, she slept about 2 hours of every 3 hour cycle. In month 2, she slept only 15-30 minutes in each 3 hour cycle, with up to 6 hour stretches at night. In month 2, she slept 10-30 minutes during the day (not a napper, unlike her brother who took super long naps and plenty of them!) but was ready for lots of sleep by the time we brought her home from her sitter around 5.
Our pediatrician recommended waking her to feed her during the day if she ever slept longer than 3 hours, that way her long stretches would always be at night. Her routine at 2 months was to start bedtime around 7pm (new diaper, jammies, sleep sack), sneak in another full bottle, 4-5 oz, at 10pm (usually she stayed asleep through this), then she'd wake up around 5am starving for a 6 oz bottle. Starting at 2 months, we moved her from night time sleep in her swing to sleeping in her crib, because with her increased mobility, we were afraid she'd wiggle her way out of the swing. She transitioned amazingly and we helped by getting her an infant pillow and a sleep positioner so she'd feel like she was still swaddled. We also only used her white noise sound machine in her room at night (between 7pm and 7am).
In month 3, she basically stopped napping except for a 20-30 minute cat nap up to twice a day (sometimes no nap at all), but was super sleepy by 5pm and pretty much napped until her bedtime of 7-8pm. We started a bedtime routine at 3 months with a bath every night (needed to address her cradle cap), jammies, and sometimes a bottle. We'd rock her to sleep and she'd usually straight through til 10pm. I'd gently wake her for a warm 5 oz bottle, and she'd fall right back to sleep on me, all snuggly :) She woke up once a night for a 6 oz. bottle, immediately went back to sleep, and was up for the morning between 7 and 8 am.
For baths, Audra loves them!! She smiles so much loves to watch the water. I love giving her the bath because she loves it so much :) We only gave her a bath if she was stinky from formula, usually only 1 or 2 a week. We always washed her hair with a gentle newborn shampoo. We noticed she was shedding a layer of body skin around 3 weeks (especially her hands and feet), so during bathtime, I'd try to exfoliate it with a soft washcloth. I also cleaned the outer part of her ears with a damp Q-tip after each bath, never going inside her ear though. In month 3, we started giving her a bath every night (only used soap 3 times a week) because she was so dirty form moving around a lot and we needed to address her cradle cap. We used soap very sparingly.
Audra's first bath! Nothing much cuter than being able to cover up with a washcloth!
She's all snuggly in the shark towel handed down from big brother.
At 2 -3 months, Audra's days are mostly filled with her lying on her back taking in all the excitement around her. She likes her swing the best and her babysitter puts her in that most of the day. At home, we let her play on her gym, lay in her bouncer and her giraffe mat. She also likes to play with rattles and hand toys that make noise. We make sure she gets plenty of tummy time, either on my chest, propped up on her boppy pillow, or propped under her elbows on her gym. She is getting so strong! We've noticed she doesn't like to snuggle with us and tries to bust out of any snuggling hold with lots of arm swings and kicks! She is however, super snuggly right after her 10pm bottle so I make sure to hold her extra long then :)
Audra started giving us smiles and coos/ahh's around 2 months (different from Xavier who started this at 4 months). Her toothless grins are the sweetest thing! In month 3, Audra found her hands and started to love blowing bubbles! She loves attention from her big brother, and the sound of the vacuum (when on she's fine, when off she cries). But hates the sound of the lawnmower (when on, she screams frantically). She also hates that part in Fur Elise that gets really loud (on Baby Einstein videos). I'm also having so much fun dressing her up in the cutest little outfits with matching headbands and bows. We had friends donate a ton of clothes to us, so we are set!
Look at those thighs!
Audra's day time sleep varied a lot the first 3 months. In month 1, she slept about 2 hours of every 3 hour cycle. In month 2, she slept only 15-30 minutes in each 3 hour cycle, with up to 6 hour stretches at night. In month 2, she slept 10-30 minutes during the day (not a napper, unlike her brother who took super long naps and plenty of them!) but was ready for lots of sleep by the time we brought her home from her sitter around 5.
Our pediatrician recommended waking her to feed her during the day if she ever slept longer than 3 hours, that way her long stretches would always be at night. Her routine at 2 months was to start bedtime around 7pm (new diaper, jammies, sleep sack), sneak in another full bottle, 4-5 oz, at 10pm (usually she stayed asleep through this), then she'd wake up around 5am starving for a 6 oz bottle. Starting at 2 months, we moved her from night time sleep in her swing to sleeping in her crib, because with her increased mobility, we were afraid she'd wiggle her way out of the swing. She transitioned amazingly and we helped by getting her an infant pillow and a sleep positioner so she'd feel like she was still swaddled. We also only used her white noise sound machine in her room at night (between 7pm and 7am).
In month 3, she basically stopped napping except for a 20-30 minute cat nap up to twice a day (sometimes no nap at all), but was super sleepy by 5pm and pretty much napped until her bedtime of 7-8pm. We started a bedtime routine at 3 months with a bath every night (needed to address her cradle cap), jammies, and sometimes a bottle. We'd rock her to sleep and she'd usually straight through til 10pm. I'd gently wake her for a warm 5 oz bottle, and she'd fall right back to sleep on me, all snuggly :) She woke up once a night for a 6 oz. bottle, immediately went back to sleep, and was up for the morning between 7 and 8 am.
For baths, Audra loves them!! She smiles so much loves to watch the water. I love giving her the bath because she loves it so much :) We only gave her a bath if she was stinky from formula, usually only 1 or 2 a week. We always washed her hair with a gentle newborn shampoo. We noticed she was shedding a layer of body skin around 3 weeks (especially her hands and feet), so during bathtime, I'd try to exfoliate it with a soft washcloth. I also cleaned the outer part of her ears with a damp Q-tip after each bath, never going inside her ear though. In month 3, we started giving her a bath every night (only used soap 3 times a week) because she was so dirty form moving around a lot and we needed to address her cradle cap. We used soap very sparingly.
Audra's first bath! Nothing much cuter than being able to cover up with a washcloth!
She's all snuggly in the shark towel handed down from big brother.
