Baby Grins and Baby Trains of Week 12

This was the first week where I couldn't remember how old Nathan was. Crazy how quickly time flies. Soon, we will be referring to his age in months and even years! This week Nathan went through a major growth spurt. He was hungry every 2-3 hours, even during the night and I was starting to worry that he was regressing in his sleep. I was definitely brought back to the rough nights of the first weeks. But overall, I'm very thankful that he has had his feeding frenzies during the weekend when I have some extra help around the house. We had just weighed him on Friday and when we weighed him on Monday, he had gained 0.7 pounds. Crazy.

On a good note, last night he slept for a long time. He slept for 5 hours before I woke him up because my boobs were painfully engorged.

For awhile I've been wondering if I was producing enough milk. Sometimes I feel Nathan gets frustrated when he's nursing and gets nothing. So, I've been trying this herbal tea called "Mother's Milk." It's got fennel, anise, and fenugreek and pretty much tastes like herbs. It's not as bad as I thought it would be, considering that I'm not a big licorice fan, but I think it's helping. Nathan is feeding for less time (30-40 minutes as opposed to 60+ minutes) Apparently you just need to drink it to increase your supply and your body will sustain it, granted that the demand is there.

This week he has also started to smile a lot more. (Not just when I talk in a country accent) Other than when he's tired or hungry, he pretty much just smiles when you look at him. The moment that I've been waiting for has finally arrived.

I discovered this new game that I like to play with him. I kind of have him do sit ups. He holds on to my fingers as he starts out laying on his back. I then pull him up a bit, and then he uses his arms to pull himself upright and then slowly lifts his head up. I think he really likes it because after he is successful  he gives me this biggest smile. It almost seems as if he knows he accomplished something and is proud of himself.

Speaking of exercise, today, a few of the moms and their babies from our birthing group met up to go hiking at the greenbelt. There was a total of 5 moms and 5 babies. Half way through the hike, we stopped to nurse our babies and then we traded babies by passing each baby around in a circle. I kind of liked the feel of the bigger babies as I felt that they kind of fit a bit more snugly against my body, but I was glad when my light baby was returned to me.

The hike was exactly what I needed. We pretty much chatted about things from how we met our significant others to the sensation of breast feeding let downs. Since most of us had our babies in September, I really like being able to share the joys and trials of motherhood with other moms who were at similar stages with their babies. As each mom shared their experiences, I felt a sense of admiration in how strong and yet graceful these moms were for their babies.  (Perhaps strong and graceful aren't the exact words I want to use...maybe empowered and loving.)  It was such a neat experience, an experience that I hope to continue to have. I think our next event will be a pot luck.

As people passed us on their mountain bikes, someone in the group commented on how the baby train was coming through. Baby Train... I like it.