Throwback Thursday: Welcome To Mommyhood: MONTH 1

It’s Thursday and I’m throwing it back to a video I did when Aria was one month old. It was my first go at mommyhood, and I decided after a full 30 days of it, I was ready to dispense advice (ha!) Actually, it’s mainly my experience as a new mom, and now having done it a second time around, now I’m including a few tips below. Take a look at how little my sweet Aria was (and see how much she and Bray look alike as babies!)

Some of my top advice:

1) Be prepared to be sleep deprived. It’s a hard pill to swallow, but necessary. This was by far the toughest part for me, but know it won’t last forever. Sleep training typically starts around 4 months old,  although some pediatricians like Tribeca Pediatrics will start some babies as early as 2 months.

2) Get support – whether baby’s daddy or grandma or a good friend, have someone take care of baby so you can get some rest.

NYC LIVING: Check out MUST HAVE product picks for baby HERE!

3) Take it Easy – Don’t overdue it as a new mom. Remember your body is still healing and you don’t want to do too much physically. Most doctors won’t clear you for exercise until week 6, but even then listen to your body!

4) Remember it will get easier- the first few weeks are tough, but, trust me, it will get easier.

5) Take Care of YOURSELF too. I remember a nurse in the hospital telling me if I needed to let Aria cry for 5 minutes so I could take a quick shower, that’s OK.  Part of being a good parent is making sure we are mentally and physically healthy. Don’t feel guilty if you need to prioritize yourself once in a while.

Good Luck! See you in month 2!

xxoo

Vanessa

 

 

Four weeks In: Sleepily savoring every moment…

WOW! Have four weeks really passed since this little one arrived? It’s already flown by, but looking back been filled with excitement, anxiety, plenty of love and adoration, and, of course, SLEEP DEPRIVATION (definitely now set in).

My mantra these days

Why would I sleep in the middle of the night, when I can get your undivided attention, Mom?

Amazingly, this go around, I’m not nearly as agonized by the lack of my most favorite commodity (yes, I’m the girl who needs 8 hours a night, and struggled through years of working in morning news). Somehow with this little one, the love seems to surpass the drudgery of being tired all the time.

I recently went back and forth with a fellow blogger on Instagram, who had similar sentiment. We both marveled in how these little demanding people can have us completely exhausted, and yet still so in love (cries, cluster feeds, gassy bellies and all!)  I can only conclude that God gives us all these feel good hormones and this overwhelming love to help us deal with the trial of the first weeks of newborn life.

I must admit too, that the second time around seems SO much sweeter. I did not have this positive outlook with Aria. Perhaps it was because my body was in shock. Back then, what I was actually thinking was ,”Yikes, life as I know it is over. What the heck have we done?!”

Yet, this go around, I’m savoring every second.  It’s in part that I now know how temporary the tough time is, and also how fast the sweet parts go. That scrunched up little body laying on my chest, those funny little milk drunk faces….ahh. The fact that this baby is most likely my last also has me holding on to every little mushy, gassy, crying, funny faced, sweet, lovely newborn moment.  I also am now well aware of just how much love and happiness these little people bring, and how as they grow, that love and happiness does too.

 

 

Let’s hear it for the boy. Let’s give the boy a hand…

Let’s hear it for my baby…(ya know, you gotta understand-an-and)!

Brayden Adam arrived November 9, 2015 at 5:03pm
He was a whopping 10 lbs and 21 inches long.

A few pics from his first day here.

 

 

 

I’m a bit overdue on this post, but thought I would update you all after that never ending pregnancy wait. More to come on our my labor and delivery, our first weeks home, how Aria is adjusting as a big sister and some of our challenges and highlights to date.

Indeed, he is a little love. His favorite past times are eating and sleeping (and getting us all to adore him).

 

Month 1 With Baby: What To Expect & 3 Tips To Get Through

So, as mentioned earlier in this blog, I did a bunch of videos during Aria’s first year of life. Here is one to kick things off.

Our first month was a bit trying. A baby is a big adjustment for everyone, and if your baby is fussy or has colic it can be even tougher.

In this video, Aria and I give my top 3 tips for new mom on how to survive Month One.

Related articles

• The Colic Survival Guide (thebump.com)

Some of my favorite pics from Month 1: 

Birth Day

Swaddled and sleeping!

Lots of walks along the lake in the bjorn (another thing that helped calm her).

A funny face taken on the high line!

First big day out! Marathon Sunday at 3 weeks old!