We have a BABY!

1 WEEK

Noah was a week old as of last night! It's hard to believe that one whole week has already flown by. We've only been home for 4 days of his little life, but man, it has just raced by. My baby's growin' up so fast :) Thanks to the Malone's, the Gourley's, Eric Manske, and the Moore's for bringing us nourishment this week. Not having to worry about dinner has been super helpful! And thanks to everyone who has come to visit either in the hospital or here at home: my parents, Buz and Sandy McNutt, Matt's parents, Steve and Debbie Stark, Todd, Shanna, Jenn and Joe, Shanna, Steve and Andrea, EJ and Michael, Rodney and Gina, and Jesse and Kristin. (also the Bush/Garvey clan via flowers)

Happiest Baby on the Block Philosophy

We've hit the breastfeeding at full speed. Noah eats for about an hour 7-10 times a day. It takes up a lot of time right now, but I absolutely love it. It is so special to be able to provide for him in a way that no one else can. I also love just holding him. I've talked to several friends and read about various feeding and sleeping methods. After this research, I've decided to go with the Happiest Baby on the Block philosophy, which states that babies are missing a needed "4th trimester." Basically, I'm going to feed Noah when he gives me the cues that he's hungry, and I'm going to hold him as much as I want until he's about 3 months...Then I'll begin setting a schedule for him. I love this because it really does seem so natural and so instinctive. Dr. Karp, author of Happiest Baby, says that you can't spoil a newborn and that the reason so many American mothers struggle with colic (which from what I understand is when your baby cries a lot...reason fairly unknown) is because other cultures hold and keep their babies close for much of the day. He says that even if you hold your baby 12 hours a day, it is still 12 hours less than they're used to. This idea was completely confirmed by the lactation consultant I met with in the hospital. She really advocated holding and providing for your baby as he/she needs. Most newborns in the animal world are born much more capable than human babies, but we would be unable to birth our babies if we waited until our babies were as capable. Also, us American mothers are all about "independence." We want our children to do as much as possible as soon as possible. Perhaps my opinions will change, but I love Noah's dependence on me right now, and when the time comes, I will certainly give him more responsibilities and boundaries. For now though, I'm thrilled to hold him on my chest until he roots for food, and I'm thrilled to feed him every time he needs it, and I'm even a little bit thrilled to wake up at 3am to soothe him.