It's been a busy couple of days. Last night, Elias enjoyed his first tub bath. He actually seemed to enjoy being immersed in water, but I found it oddly more awkward than the sponge bath we'd been giving him up to this point. He kept slipping down and I felt like I couldn't really get to all the nooks and crannies as well as I could via the sponge version. He also spit up during the bath and peed while we were trying to dry him off, resulting in a second dunk. He was incredibly calm after, though, enjoying a snack before nodding off around 10 or so and sleeping until a little after 1 this morning.
Like the past couple of nights before, we had a hard time settling him down after that 1ish feeding. I think the super swaddle I learned at my very first Mom's group meeting this morning might help. He didn't seem to like - or need, really - the tight swaddle early on, preferring his upper extremities to be free. But the past couple of weeks I've definitely noticed an increase in the flailing arms and legs being a problem, waking him up and making for a very fussy baby. And the blanket is really light-weight, so I think it'll work even in the warm, humid weather we've been enjoying lately here in Boston.
Otherwise, the Mom's group went well but I was a little more flustered than I thought I'd be, particularly since Elias was ready to eat just as we arrived. I brought all my gear and a back-up bottle, just in case. There were many an exposed breast even during this first meeting, so that wasn't the problem. But getting the nipple shield to stay on and handling a very squirmy baby without Neal's help proved too frustrating for us both. In the end I gave him the bottle - as I noticed a lot of other Moms were doing, too - and then nursed as soon as we got home. And then pumped! Phew...Much better. Anyway, Elias is the youngest in the group, by a couple of days. It's encouraging seeing all these 5 and 6 week old babies and hearing their mothers talk about how it's been getting easier every week. And I do feel better even in the past day or so. I don't know if my hormones are finally leveling out or what, but I feel much less anxious about everything, even if my first attempt to nurse in public was a disaster. Neal and I managed to clean the apartment during an afternoon nap yesterday. And getting out really helps. I have this fantasy of taking Elias along on a grocery run (it's been awhile) and/or a walk later, after the height of the afternoon heat passes. Okay, so I've yet to take a shower, but you can only expect to get so much done each day!
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