Iaine is a month and a half old today! I look at her now and I see a little girl who has grown a LOT since she was born. There's always something new or different about her everyday. She's really growing up so fast (and growing chubbier by the day, too)! Jai and I can't wait for her to be able to roll over, crawl, sit up on her own, play with us, say her first words, stand up, start walking, and run loose!
1 month old
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1 month and 11 days old!
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Time for a little vent: For 1 month and 2 weeks I've mingled with a lot of people and I'm sure there have been a lot of things being said and thought about about how I take care of my daughter. Well if there are people who think I'm not doing a good job at being her mother, this is what I have to say: I'm so proud that I am a great mother to this child. You know how some people can be. Nothing's just ever good enough sometimes. But no matter how bad of a parent they think I am, I don't care. I'm the mother and I know what's best for her. I know exactly what I'm doing. I love my daughter and I give a damn about her more than myself. And nobody can ever bring me down with whatever verbal weapon they have.
Anyway, I'd like to share a few important key notes I've learned so far based on my own amateur experiences and a little research work:
1. Most babies like to be swaddled and cuddled because it reminds them of being in their mother's womb. This means Iaine is absolutely not spoiled, in contrary to what some people believe.
2. Putting a small amount of table sugar in their drinking water won't give a baby diabetes for chrissakes! In fact, infant formula contains more sweeteners than table sugar. I put a little sugar in Iaine's drinking water to cover up the bitter taste of distilled water. Ever since I started doing that little trick Iaine drinks 2 ounces of water fast. And that's good! A well hydrated baby is a healthy baby.
3. No matter how much breastmilk or formula milk your baby takes in, he/she still needs to drink water.
4. You can give a newborn a full bath as early as you want to, even before the umbilical cord stump falls off. The only drawback is that it will make the stump fall off longer. Iaine's stump fell off at 3 weeks.
5. Baby lotion is obviously designed for babies, no duh. I apply lotion on Iaine's tummy, arms, and legs everyday. I started doing this to help Iaine's skin peel easily (newborns' skin tend to peel for the first week) and it went from dry to soft and smooth. It makes your baby smell good too.
6. If you let them sleep for as long as they want, babies won't fuss during bath time.
7. The rashes on a newborns face aren't caused by kissing him/her too much, or because the father has too much facial hair. It's called baby acne which is completely normal. Iaine has an prescribed lotion to help get rid of it.
8. A simple cold to you is something totally different for a baby. Take your child to her pedia immediately the moment you find out he/she has a cold. Actually, just take her whenever you sense something is wrong healthwise.
9. When a baby pushes out the nipple with her tongue it doesn't always mean he/she isn't hungry. There is something called extrusion reflex. A baby sticks out her tongue when the tip is touched.
10. Sterilizing bottles everyday is unnecessary, or else it will wear out the plastic more easily and shorten the "life span" of the bottle.
11. A baby could suck all day if he/she wanted to. They're not hungry all the time. Sometimes they need a pacifier to achieve oral gratification which is extremely important for their age.
12. Babies can smile as early as a few days old but I'm sorry to disappoint you--it's not the social smile. The social smile happens at around 1-2 months, or as soon as they can recognize faces.
13. Babies can wake up and go back to sleep on their own without your help.
14. Breastfed babies won't be any smarter than formula fed babies, unless genetics is the reason.
15. It's totally safe for babies to lie on their tummy as long as someone is watching them.
16. A crying baby isn't always a hungry baby. It could mean a lot of other things. Pain, hotness or coldness of the environment, rough handling, wet/soiled diaper, and many others.
17. Family over strangers for nannies.
18. Participating in mommy forums is more helpful than believing old wives' tales.
19. Photos are a good investment. It pays to look back at those first few days of his/her life. I can't help but go aaaawwwwww...
20. Vitamins do a LOT of good for your baby. Never skip a day.
21. Some older relatives like to think they're right. Fact is, they're not always right.
22. You could try different sleeping positions for your baby to figure out which makes her sleep more comfortably. Ever since I discovered that Iaine likes to sleep in a high back rest position, Jai and I have been having more hours of sleep. Yay!
23. Breastfeeding moms aren't the only ones who can have a special bond with their babies. A formula feeding mom can also achieve this bond by making physical contact with their baby. I do just that.
24. The dad's role in a baby's life is just as important as the mom's. It's best if he's as hands on as his wife.
25. A baby should make his/her parents marriage stronger, not tear it apart. (Actually, this one is up to the mom and dad.)
26. A pack of diapers isn't really that much.
27. A can of milk formula isn't really that much either. Lol
28. Talk to your baby as often as possible. It's also a form of bonding.
29. A quiet baby usually means she's feeling all right, but it doesn't mean he/she's not hungry either.
30. A bedtime routine is important. It helps your baby get used to the idea of nighttime.
31. I realized that the "letting baby cry in the morning" thing is bullcrap. There is a reason why your baby needs you. Go fetch.
32. Never ever ever everrrr leave your baby unattended, even when he/she's asleep.
32. Never ever ever everrrr wake up your baby just to feed him/her!!!! Babies wake up when they're hungry, so let them sleep in peace!!!
But still, there is this one important thing you must remember:
34. Not all babies are the same.
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I'm a new mom myself, but this is not all I've learned. These are just some of the things that I've learned in a month and a half. (If I'm going to type in everything here it would probably take an eternity to finish.) Anyway, I'll probably add some more in my next blog entries. Moms should never stop learning! I just hope that with these 34 items, I could help at least one mother who's going crazy with all the questions in her head and all the new mommy adventures she's going through.
Wow. Iaine is exactly 42 days old today, happy and healthy (aside from the minor cold she has, Lol). So happy one month and a half birthday to you, my dear lil tigress! Momma and Poppa will keep doing our best to make sure you're gonna grow up to be the best person you can be.
And by the way, Iaine stopped using mittens today. Ohhh my big baby girl!
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