Nolan at 3 Months Old

Fourth Trimester - DONE! I'm over the worse of the sleepless nights and adjustment period, I've been back at work for a month already, and I'm proud of the progress I've made post-partum compared to the time when I just gave birth to Amadine.

1. I've been hitting 5kms weekly, and trying to hit more for my long runs on Sundays. I've been swimming twice a week, and just recently been keeping it at 1200m mileage every session. My abs are returning too, as long as I keep up with my no/minimal rice intake!

2. Nolan is more awake and longer too. He'll usually nap for a while after his morning bath, and be up for 2-3 hours, then nap again. He'll go to "sleep" around 9/9.30pm, which gives me time to hang out with Maddy (while she watches Paw Patrol) until her bedtime of 10:30pm.

3. Nolan is up by 6:30am or so, at which point I hand him to Yaya Jean while I work out or while I take another hour of sleep.

4. He's discovered his hand/thumb to his great delight, and will.not.stop. sucking on an entire fist! I have to keep reminding the helpers to move his hand away from his mouth.

5. He's also moved up to Pampers Medium already. MYGAD. I've started fitting him into the 3-6mos old onesies actually when he was just 2.5 months old.

6. Maddy's been taking Art Classes with Hannah Florendo every Wednesday at 10am, which she  semi likes, Swim Classes with Teacher Ellen TTH, which she doesn't like so much, and Ballet Classes at Turning Point Montebello every Wednesday and Thursday 3pm, which she loves.

7. I feel guilty that I don't take Nolan out as much as I probably did with Maddy at the same age. It's just such a big production when we do! That's two yayas, two strollers, two diaper bags. DIBA?! It was easier to plop down anywhere and breastfeed when Maddy needed, but now with Maddy as a toddler, it's harder to just sit and feed shoti and make Maddy wait.

8. It is entertaining to see Maddy really owning it as a big sister. She's so bossy and she loves being bossy. She's so dedicated to doing things herself now (putting on her socks, shoes, handing me a towel, pushing the co sleeper inside the room) and to ordering shoti around. I tell her to make sure shoti doesns't suck on his fist, and then I'd regularly hear her go, "No no no, no hand. Boob only!" But the good thing with this is that she's too busy being bossy to feel jealous. I try not to put her in situations where she'd get jealous. If I wanted to talk to shoti, I'd make sure to talk to him about her, within her earshot. 

The Switch To Pigeon Peristaltic Plus

Weeks before I went back to work, we've practiced giving Nolan a bottle here and then already. We've used the same Avent Natural bottles that Maddy used, with new nipples (but still 0+ level). For some reason, when I started working, he hardly touched his bottles! 3 days in, when I got home after a whole day at the office, I was informed he only drank 1.5 oz THE WHOLE DAY. WTF.

That same night Hanley and I went to Ayala so I can get my hands on these Pigeon Peristaltic Plus bottles/nipples that are supposedly also for breastfeeding babies transitioning to bottles.

Next day, he promptly downed 2/3 oz. So it's about the bottle nipples after all?

It's been a few days so far that we've been using these Pigeon nipples, and well he more or less consumes naman the bottles. He doesn't chug the entire contents down like I remember Maddy doing (sometimes kulang pa nga), but he finishes a 3oz bottle in installments over a span of 2-3 hours.

Did you know a brand new Pigeon Peristaltic bottle costs like 570 pesos! And a nipple is around 299! Cray cray expensive, especially since I need about 6-8 bottles on hand, since half are always in the fridge with the pumped milk.

So at least when I have a third kid, ayan may options na sya sa bottles. Sad lang hindi na ROI ang Avent!

6 Week Mark

Nolan finally gets his first vaccination and we had his baptism that same weekend!

I’m down to around 127, so almost 23 pounds lost post partum and less than 10 pounds to go before getting back to pre pregnancy weight!



As soon as I’ve stopped bleeding around 4/5 weeks, I’ve started swimming and running again and doing some core exercises. Werk werk werk’

The start of pumping milk for Nolan

Okay, I couldn't wait til the recommended 6 weeks before starting to pump. Especially since I wasn't exaaaactly going to pump.

I wanted to leave milk already so that I know if Nolan will take it, and so Hanley and I can go out to watch a movie (which was Ready Player One, which I'm not too impressed with anyway. Sayang lang day out ko).

I used the Haakaa hand pump to catch letdown from the other boob when feeding, which was actually pretty effective, except it doesn't really attach well to the boob. I have to keep adjusting it or hold on to it every few minutes. But it did the job of catching the needed milk, which I collected to make 2.5 oz.

Thankfully, less the anxiety of when it was Maddy before, shoti took to the Avent Natural bottle (same as what we used for Maddy) like a pro. He didn't even really choke on it as how Maddy did before.

So now, every day, I try to use the Haakaa at least once to collect milk to make a 2.5oz bottle, so I can go out anytime without worrying.

I'll start pumping and saving for realz maybe a couple of weeks before I return to work, which is ohmygolly in a few more weeks!

In the meantime, miss Drama Queen acting out Maddy has really been moody. And I'm so worried she'll be so used to me at home and ready to play anytime that she won't adjust well when I return to work. Cross fingers everyone.

** Swaddling- yep about that, we just kinda stopped at around 3 weeks. There was no point, it wasn't really working to keep him asleep. Like his achi, he's not that much of a fan of swaddling I guess?

Nolan's First Month!

Hah! I survived (for the second time), the first month with a newborn. I'm thankful I was breastfeeding for a long time before Nolan, so I'm used to not sleeping straight during the night.

1. Sleeptime

Nolan wakes up every hour, hour and a half or at most 2 hours middle of the night to feed/change diaper.

I go to the Nursery room to feed and change him so it won't make so much of a noise for Hanley and Maddy sleeping inside the master's.

I prefer to change him after I feed, because (a) I don't want him to make such a racket crying while I change him when he's hungry; and (b) several times he's pooped after I feed, so at least I get to change him only once if ever.

Most times I put him to sleep right beside me underneath my armpit. For one, he doesn't seem to like it in the co-sleeper at night. Maybe it's the aircon temp, but at 22 degrees, that's the hottest I'll go. I tried to go as high as 23, and it wasn't comfy for me anymore. He doesn't seem to like sleeping on my chest as much as Maddy did, WHICH IS GREAT FOR ME!

Maybe when he gets used to the temp na I can try the co sleeper again.

2. Pajama Onesies or Separates?

ONESIES!

At first I tried separates, hoping it'll be easier to just pull out the bottoms during changing time. But it's really much harder for me and bothersome. And it's harder to check the diaper to see if it needs changing. 

So for now, onesies win!

3. Stupid baby acne

Kawawa! As in I can't even bear taking pictures because look! Look at his cheeks! Para syang hormonal teenager grabe.

Upon the advice of Dr. Glenn, I've purchased Eczakort cream to be put 1-2x a day on the acne. Hope it'll go away by his baptism on April 29.

4. How's Maddy, you ask?

She is friendlier with shoti, I don't think she sees him so much as a threat anymore.

BUT there was a time a week or so ago, she got a fever overnight lang naman. She was so cranky. And she'd keep crying at random times or for no reason or for the littlest of things. I think it's part of acting out. She must have mixed emotions inside that she can't really communicate.

In any case, I was advised by friends etc. that it's really better at this point to focus attention on the toddler, since the baby doesn't know any better, and to spend quality time with Maddy. Which I'm trying to do.

5. Ge Lai

Don't even get me started. It does not get easier second time around. Let's just say I had to take a few showers still during ge lai. Di talaga kaya mga beshies. Not when you're running around a toddler pa this time.

6. What do I take?

Well, I've been taking an ounce of Ningxia Red most days. For a time I've been taking the Seravallo wine too but I'm stopping muna in case it's the cause of shoti's acne.

7. Diapers

Started taking Mamy Poko and Pampers NB, but it got a bit expensive especially when we had to change one right after the other all because he kept pooping on a new diaper. So Mamy Poko and Pampers alternately at night, then EQ and SuperTwins alternately during the day!

What to expect at 3 weeks post partum

- finally vaginal bloody discharge significantly lessens, I should be able to use pantyliners in a couple of more days

- shoti hitting maybe 1.5 hrs stretches of sleep (at night), always longer if during the day

- my body’s readjusted so I don’t feel as much of a zombie anymore as the first couple of weeks

- shoti’s baby acne started appearing!

- excited to try pumping soon so I can go out for a movie...

Hubby the duathlete (who would have thought!)

Out of the blue one day, after seeing a bike with an Ironman 70.3 tag on a car in front of him, he decided to get into biking.

He got all the nice stuff (unlike me who got all the cheapest things before, second hand bike and all haha), and started biking! He only spent like a couple of days or a week biking around the parking lot downstairs before being brave enough to venture down and up from our place!!! Galing!

He's lost more than 20 pounds since then, which was August 2017, and he's been so encouraged that he got LC to make training plans for him for a duathlon last Feb!

(a bit chubby pa here)

(so proud of this guy! He's even done a 100km ride, and the longest I've ever done was like 60km hahaha)

(such a strong runner now who can do like a 30-min 5k WITH EASE!)

(he does some long rides with the Omega Tri Team)

(o diba ganda ng bday cake for him!)