Eating:
Right from the start Samantha really took to breastfeeding, which I am so grateful for as that was one of my biggest fears before Samantha was born. She is very healthy and has been gaining weight well. She was born at 8 pounds 14 ounces, and when she was discharged from the hospital she was 8 pounds 5 ounces. At her first checkup, two days after leaving the hospital, she was 8 pounds 9 ounces and 20.5 inches long still. At her two week checkup she was 9 pounds 3 ounces and 21 1/4 inches long. Eleven days later we went to the doctor to talk with the lactation consultant, and she was 10 pounds 11 ounces. At five weeks old she weighed 12 pounds 3 ounces and was around 22 1/4 inches long. So, as you can tell, she has had no problem in the eating department. Sometimes Ben and I joke around with each other about how much weight she has gained and call her our little porker, but we know that she is doing exactly what she should as a baby and gaining weight is a sign of being a very healthy baby.
At 3 weeks, when we went in to see the lactation consultant and found out how much weight Samantha had gained, the nurse gave us the thumbs up to introduce Samantha to the bottle and start using pacifiers for when she has the need to comfort suck and is not hungry. This was a relief for us because we knew she was nursing well, but didn't want to introduce these things too early and disturb our success at breastfeeding. We only give her bottles every once in a while if we are out over a feeding time, or if I am out for some reason. As far as the pacifier goes, she hasn't taken to it too much. We will use it most often in the evenings when she tends to be fussier because she is tired, and she will use it to soothe herself. She still has a hard time holding it in her mouth and sometimes we have to help her out by holding it for her.
Sleeping:
When it comes to sleeping, I also believe that we have been blessed with a very good baby. Even when we first brought her home from the hospital she would sleep pretty well at night and wake up every 2 1/2 hours or so for nursing and then go back to sleep. Our little Samantha loves to be wrapped up in her swaddle blanket at night. After we wrap her up tight we call her our little burrito. Around five weeks we were met with a surprise when Samantha started sleeping four to five hours at a time at night during her first stretch of sleep. It doesn't happen every night, but it has happened more often than not in the last week. We have also discovered that our little girl likes to wake up with the sun. Once it starts getting light outside, which unfortunately is around 6 a.m. since it is the summer time, Samantha has a hard time falling back asleep. In order to get a little extra sleep, I will often bring her into bed with us and she nurses and snuggles with me for awhile, allowing both Ben and I to get an extra couple hours of sleep.
Even though Samantha has been a good sleeper at night, during the day has been a different story lately. During the first few weeks of her life she would seem to sleep anywhere, especially if we were out, she would fall right asleep in the car or in her stroller. The biggest issue in the last week and a half is that she is so tired throughout the day but doesn't like to let herself nap. Samantha really likes to be near us, so it has been hard getting her to sleep in her crib or bassinet when we aren't in the room. She even doesn't fall asleep as easily as she used to in the car or in her stroller. We have been working on reading her sleepy cues and trying to help her fall asleep and take good naps during the day to help her fussiness. So far our efforts seem to be working, and we've had a much happier baby as a result.
When we first brought her home from the hospital she loved to be held to sleep, it didn't seem to matter who held her or how you held her, she just wanted to be cuddled. She especially loved to be held up against your chest with her legs pulled up underneath her like a frog. Now, she is not as content with just being held in your lap or in your arms to sleep. She likes movement, to be held in your arms while you walk around or bounce or sway back and forth. Rather than being held up against your chest, she oftentimes likes to face outwards so that she can observe the world around her.
Playing:
Samantha's personality has definitely started to come out more in the last week or so. We think we saw a first glimpse of a smile at about 3 weeks, but they really have started to come much more often in the last week. In fact, when my parents were here visiting this past weekend, she was giving my mom big, toothless grins for a long time as my mom was tickling her tummy. She will often smile at me as a change her diaper as well, and I am enjoying trying different things and talking in different ways to her to try and invoke a smile. Even though babies of this age don't necessarily play, Samantha has started to enjoy the swing a lot more than she did when she was first born. She doesn't like to go too fast, but many times she will just lay in the swing and make little noises and coos at the teddy bears up above or the blinking star that plays music that we sometimes hang above her. The vibrating chairs are another of her favorites right now, and we can often put her in those while we take showers or eat dinner together. Each day she enjoys a little bit of tummy time either on her boppy pillow or on the play gym, and her neck muscles are getting stronger every day! We also enjoy taking her outside on walks in her baby carrier. She loves to look around feel the breeze blowing on her.
Well, I think that is a long enough entry for right now, and a pretty good summary of our first six weeks with our sweet little Samantha. We look forward to all the changes in the weeks and months to come!
