I really should be taking a nap now but am sneaking in this post. Looking at this blog which has morphed into a baby-centric one, it has become apparent that my life has changed.
Although other non-baby things have been happening - almost losing my diamond ear stud at the hairdresser's, trying out new recipes with my helper, making new style corsages, and dining at new places - when it comes to penning down some thoughts in the limited time that I have, baby rules.
So I thought I would share (for anyone who is interested in mummydom) what a day in my life is like right now, with a 2-month old. The times here are rough estimates as Bubbles is not a robot!
7am: Bubbles wakes up for her morning feed. I am usually still the super sleepy non-morning grouch, so feeding will take place as I lie down. Roboman would at this time also be up and getting ready for work. He would, by habit, check the little notebook next to me to see if I had a bad night (ie. Bubbles waking up in the middle of it). If she slept through, he would mumble something to her along the lines of her being a good baby. Then with a kiss, I will bid him goodbye and wish him a blessed day. After Bubbles' feed, I would burp her, and we would both lie in bed trying to wake up properly.
8am: While Bubbles is still half asleep, I would have my breakfast, which will include a mug of Ensure milk and 3 pills - Probiotics, Calcium, and Fish Oil. Then, depending on my mood, I would ask my helper to prepare a fried egg, fish/pork rice congee, or cereal (Kellogs Special K!) with yoghurt.
8.30am: Bubbles' Bath Time! This is one of her favourite times of her day. I would clean her face and mouth, give her a little hairwash, and a nice bath. Then, my freshly bathed and changed baby will be brought to her Play Area. I will play a CD for her - a different one everyday. So far we have done a variety of jazz, classicals, Chinese pop, baby lullabies, Christmas songs, and even Filipino hits (my helper's). If I didn't wake up for breakfast earlier, I would have my breakfast as she plays on her own. If not, then I will play and read to her. She's now a little chatterbox - and loves it when I 'converse' with her. She will respond with a variety of sounds and knowing looks, and when she gets excited she will wrinkle her nose, raise up her knees, and give a little laugh - terribly cute!
9.00am: Diaper change and feed time again! My milkbar opens. (I've noticed that she tends to get hungrier earlier after a bath). After burping and playing with her a little while more, I will put her down for her morning nap. Ok the process is often a little more complicated than this, as she will be tired but still want to play, resulting in some fussiness. When she does fall asleep though, I will do my chores like take a shower, go on the internet or download photos of her from our cameras. If my mum is around (she comes by pretty often), I will use the time to run errands - post a letter, buy groceries (twice a week - one time to the wet market, and another time to the supermarket), deliver presents, get a haircut, get my nails done etc etc.
12noon: Diaper change and feed time! The flow of feed-play-sleep for Bubbles happens again, afterwhich I will have a quick lunch. After eating, I'll whip out the pump and do my first pump of the day. I decided to time a pumping session around lunch time in preparation for going back to work. Sighs. Not a pleasant thought, but a necessary one to plan for!
3pm: Diaper change and feed time. Followed again by a shorter play time and nap. This is when I have my tea. I need all the extra calories these days and get hungry ever so often! So tea is usually quite substantial - pasta, congee or beehoon/macaroni soup - leftovers from previous meals. Then it is once again pump time.
6pm: Diaper change and feed time. This is when Bubbles stays awake for longer - usually long enough till Roboman comes home. If the weather is good, I sometimes take her out in her stroller or in my Baby Bjorn for a walk. At dinner, we will 'sit' her at the table with us. A nice rocker/highchair hand-me-down does that nicely for us. She usually enjoys this and would babble to us as she surveys her surroundings from higher ground.
8pm: This is when her cluster feeding starts, where she will demand to be fed every hour. I will change her diapers and latch her on, then Roboman and I will take turns to converse and play with her. Bubbles tends to be very 'conversational' during this time. Roboman will have all sorts of conversations with her, and the little one will respond accordingly, with accompanying facial expressions and body movements to make her points understood :)
9pm: Roboman attempts to give Bubbles the bottle after another diaper change. I usually prepare a bottle of 150ml of expressed breastmilk for her. Sadly, her protests against this has become fiercer and fiercer these days :( I usually stay out of the room when this takes place, and cry along with her :(
10.30-12midnight (Depends on how long the bottle protests takes): Diaper change and final latch-on feed for the day. When she falls asleep, I will do my final pump to empty my boobs before going to bed. Depending on how much milk she took from the bottle, she will sleep mostly through the night. We usually get 5-7 hours of uninterrupted sleep. If she drank very little bottled milk, then at around 3am she will wake and demand to be fed, and will usually suckle while half-asleep.
So there - this is what a usual weekday is like for me. I squeeze in naps, craft work, computer work and housework/cooking supervision when Bubbles sleeps. Basically, "me time" happens only when she is snoozing.
It has been mostly good though. I'm enjoying my dear baby very much!
8 comments:
What a nice routine! I'm sure you are enjoying every moment of it.
Mine's somewhat the same except that there's less "play" for her at this point. And there's the cluster feeding which happens between 7-10pm as well! haha..babies..
This is so insightful!! :)
I wish I wrote down Noey's earlier schedules because now I can't remember them! Just wondering: maybe you should give her the bottle during the 8pm feed or when she's a little hungrier? They would generally be more willing to take it if they are hungry and have no choice.
That was so nice to read! You sound so composed!
daddy and mummy:
You've a very well-behaved little baby there, my dear! Is it easier with a 2nd one? It was really tough in the first month for me.
jacinta:
I hoped it will be for others who have yet to have experienced this :)
beanbean:
Yes, this post is very much also for me. I decided to do this after looking at my very messy little notebook. The overview helps to frame my days for me! About the bottle - yep we brought it earlier - at 9pm. We used to do it at the very last feed, which was hard. 8pm is often a little too early for Rob. After work need a break lah :)
Amanda:
There are many uncomposed moments hidden here and there! heh - when she gets overtired and becomes difficult to put to sleep for instance. Or when we get diaper overflow =P
GOOD!!!.......................................................................................
I enjoyed this post too! Something for me to look forward to. The ups and downs...but ultimately...the joy of having a little one...
Thank you so much for sharing~
fabulana:
Glad you enjoyed reading the post! Babies are unpredictable though, and every one is different. When it comes to your turn, get to know your little one as a unique person. I fell into the trap of thinking Bubbles should behave like babies I read about in babycare books. This caused me lots of distress initially, wondering why she reacted in a certain way, or why the 'methods' I learnt did not work. Understanding different theories are definitely useful, but at the end of the day, your baby is unique as an individual :) Anyway the day after I typed this post, Bubbles decided to re-time herself to feed more often in the mornings! Ah well...
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