Swaddling

Swaddling. Old school method for calming babies. It works. We swaddle Baby O very often, especially when she gets fussy at night.

When walking around Buy Buy Baby the other day, we saw some Aden & Anais muslin swaddling blankets. That is the brand we use. We own several muslin blankets and one very nice bamboo swaddling blankets. The back of the packaging made me laugh.

 

That baby is smiling. Yeah right. Not my precious little Princess. She screams, makes her uber sad face and cries her heart out. She will soon fall asleep, but she does not enjoy the limited range of movement she is given when swaddled. We swaddle her because she keeps flailing around making herself angry, and then she gets angry when she can’t move. Its a lose-lose situation, at least until she falls asleep, then it become a total parent win.

 

Swaddling is great. Just because she is mad when you swaddle her, doesn’t mean its the wrong thing to do. Just don’t always expect a happy baby like the packaging shows.

Daddy Babywearing

Yesterday my Wife and I bought our joint Christmas present. Our first Ergo soft shell carrier. Until now, O’s mommy has been wearing her in a Moby wrap or Mei Tai. I tried the Moby wrap once, and needless to say, it didn’t work out for me. I’m not the smallest or most fit person on the planet, and I kinda felt like I was squishing my baby.

So we recently had a chance to go to Raleigh and visit the Sweet Bottoms Store. First off, this store is great. They were super nice and friendly. They have all the stuff that my wife researches online, so its pretty much the best baby store ever. They were more than willing to help us find a carrier that worked best for us, showing us several styles and helping us adjust them right. O’s Mommy tried on a very nice ring sling and enjoyed it very much. I wanted to try the Ergo, simply because it looked so simple, that there seemed little to no way to mess it up. We both tried it on, and we decided to go with it. Next came picking the color. After much deliberation we picked a very neutral olive drab color.

Using the Ergo has been great. I’ve now had the pleasure to help aid in carrying the baby. It has been great. However, I dont think baby O is quite sure of daddy carrying her yet. We’re working on it though.>

Dad’s Guide to Breastfeeding

1) Support. Its not easy for your wife to breastfeed. Be there for her. Tell her she is doing great, because she is.

2) If the baby is crying and you cant fit it (because you are not mommy) make mommy happy.

3) Breastfeeding isnt weird.

4) Clean the breast pump parts thoroughly.

To Be Continued…

Birth Truth #1

You will not remember anything from birth class. You can read that book, pay attention, and be totally confident in yourself as a dad. Nevertheless, when time comes, you will pull a huge blank and do whatever you were told.

Write down what your wife told you to do, so you can remember to do it. If you don’t, then you will never forget about it.

Bed Sharing

So, getting baby to sleep is a toughie for every parent. O is our first baby, and turns out we have been bed sharing since Day 1 in the hospital. In the hospital, any time you would lay her down in that hard plastic bassinet, she would cry. Not just cry, but scream, shake and throw a fit. So, to sleep, one of us would simply lay her on our chest, and sleep with her. It worked. She slept, and slept happily.

When we got home, we tried to have her sleep in the expensive co-sleeper we got her. Yeah right. That was funny. We spent more time freaking out if she was breathing, when she wasn’t crying. I guess at least when she was crying we didn’t have to worry if she was alive or not. Nevertheless; she would not sleep in that either. Whats a parent to do when their baby won’t sleep and they haven’t slept in a while either?

Let the baby sleep with them. It works, I swear.

Now, I am not the skinniest person, but I am uber aware of my body, and what i am or am not touching. Now, when little O is beside me in bed, I know where she is and where I am. Its kinda like this weird light sleep stage, where I can feel her, and know that if I roll over, she wont be in the way. Also, if I wake up and have a worry that she is not breathing, then I can check right away. Its a great relief.

Now, you may be saying that this is crazy dangerous, and that I’m trying to kill my child. I’m not and it isn’t. Kids have slept with their parents for centuries. Parental Instinct kicks in and baby is happy, safe, warm and protected. I would never put my child in harms way. Also, for those of you that think my child needs to “Cry it out”, I’d prefer not to raise a serial killer with mental issues. My child feels safe and secure. She doesn’t have to cry and cry and suffer. She can self soothe in a loving environment with her parents right there to love her.

Bed sharing is the way to go as long as you do it safely. Don’t leave your pillows all over the bed, only have 3 at most, and keep them away from the baby. Sleep under different blankets. Be aware of where your child is, and don’t leave her unattended. Be smart, not stupid.

Hello

Hello everyone, I am O’s Daddy. O’s mommy and I are very happy to be keeping this blog about our wonderful baby girl O. She is now 3 and 1/2 months old and an absolute pleasure. She is the center of our world and we wouldn’t have it any other way. So enjoy your reads here.