Motherhood Lessons

The picture above cracks me up. Gavin yawned right as I took the picture.

The last 10 weeks have been the biggest learning experience of my life. Being a mom has blessed my life. Being a mom isn't always easy, but it is the most rewarding thing in my life. Lately I have been thinking about how my life has changed and the different lessons that I have learned from being a mom.

1. Do what works for you.

Being pregnant, Jayden and I got a lot of advice from people. Everyone tries to give you their two cents on parenthood. People try to tell you the "right way" to take care of your baby based on their experience with their own children. I have learned that you really have to do what works for you. You can read all of the baby books and all the advice that is out there. They are great and do give good information, but you still have to do what works for you and for your baby. One example of this is breastfeeding. Being at school this semester, I knew that I wanted to breastfeed, but it wouldn't be exclusively. We had to be open, because I'm not with Gavin all day and everyday. From the beginning, we introduced the breast and the bottle to Gavin and he took both really well. On the days that I am home with Gavin we really try to do our best at making most of the feedings breastfeeding. However, I also pump my milk, so Gavin has bottles with breastmilk. We will also give Gavin formula at night to help him sleep better. This means that Gavin has three different types of feeding time: breastfeeding, breastmilk from a bottle, and formula from a bottle. We try to give him 75% of his feedings from breastmilk, but we do not feel bad about supplementing with some formula. I have gotten a lot of advice about how breastfeed correctly and that you should only breastfeed exclusively. We have our own system and it works. It's not perfect, but it works for us and Gavin is happy.

2. You Don't Set Your Schedule

When you bring your baby home from the hospital, you think that you are going to get on a schedule. Sleep at the same time, feed at the same time, be able to leave the house ready at the same time....yeah right. Gavin controls our schedule. Some moms can get their babies on a schedule within the first couple weeks, but our schedule is no schedule. We have a different routine everyday, because Jayden and I have different days with work and with school. Hopefully once the semester is over we will be able to get on a set schedule. BUT Gavin eats when he gets hungry, sleeps when he is tired, and cries when he is not feeling well. There isn't much you can do to control it sometimes, so for the meantime, Gavin sets his own schedule.

3. Don't Compare Your Baby to Other Babies

Every baby grows and develops differently. Gavin is a big baby! At his 2 month checkup, he weighed 14 lbs and 11 oz, which is in the 97th percentile. He is also 24.5 inches and is in the 90th percentile for his height.

4. Life Is Fragile/We Are Blessed

Now that Gavin is here, it has made me realize how fragile life is. Lately, I have heard a lot of stories about people losing babies or young children. It has made me realize that we are extremely blessed. Gavin is a healthy and happy baby and I never want to take that for granted.

5. Love Has a Whole New Meaning

It's true what everyone says. You never thought you could love someone so much in such a short amount of time. Gavin brings so much joy into our lives. It feels like we have known Gavin forever. It seems like he has been with us way longer than 2 months. It is hard to remember life before Gavin came into our life.