Y’all can you believe Shiloh is already 1 month old?! I feel like pregnancy drug on / took FOREVER, but now that Shiloh is here time is just flying by. Which is especially weird considering I’m not sleeping so you’d think time would drag on haha. I just wanted to share a quick little update on how life with a newborn is going so far, now that we are 1 month in!
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So, first thing’s first. Yes, taking care of a newborn is HARD WORK. Now I fully understand why maternity leave is 100% necessary because it is more than a full time job. I knew going into it we’d be sleep deprived, but I thought days would be pretty easy/manageable because babies sleep so much during the day. Shiloh is pretty good at napping which is great. But when she does nap, I either try to get a little sleep, or wash my hair, or remember to feed myself haha. So, I’m not really getting a ton done around here at this point – which I know is completely fine. So to be real with y’all: yes, we’ve definitely had our moments of frustration and total sleep deprivation over here!
For the first two weeks (maybe 3?) Shiloh completely had her days and nights mixed up…so she really wasn’t sleeping at night. I’m still feeding her every 3 hours, but after I would feed her, she just wouldn’t go back to sleep. So that was really hard. This past week she’s definitely gotten better (except for last night lol) and will typically go right back to sleep after I nurse her. I think she’s figuring out day vs night!
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I read the book Moms on Call and also took the newborn class from Taking Cara Babies and would highly recommend both courses! Taking Cara Babies has tons of helpful tips as far as soothing your baby, naptime tips, and tons more. Moms On Call has helped us (try) to get on somewhat of a schedule. Shiloh is still so little so we’re definitely still in the practicing stages over here. But I think she’s definitely making progress!
The hardest part about this stage for me is 100% the lack of sleep. I’ve had insomnia for years now so I thought “I know how to function without sleep!” and honestly I think I function better than most people running on just a few hours. But this is different haha. Even on Shiloh’s best nights of sleep, I still have to feed her every 3 hours (from the start of one feeding, to the start of another), and the feeding / changing process takes about 45mins…so the longest stretch I get at night is about an hour and a half. Then when morning comes and I have a ton on my to-do list…I feel so exhausted and just want to lay in bed all day. Just being real with y’all – the lack of sleep is HARD. Definitely the hardest part about life with a newborn in my opinion.
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Another update about life with a newborn: I went to see a lactation consultant and can’t recommend this enough! I shared this on IG stories so you might’ve already heard this. I felt like breastfeeding was going fine but at the same time…I have no clue what I’m doing! I have no clue how much Shiloh is eating and if its enough. I have no idea if my supply is good. And about 100 other questions. So I went to see a lactation consultant and just asked all of my questions and it was SO helpful. Even just having her confirm that yes, I am producing enough for baby and yes, she is gaining at a normal rate, brought me such peace of mind. I highly recommend looking into seeing if this is something your hospital offers!
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Having said all of that…this past month has also felt like a total dream and the biggest blessing in the world, which might sound weird given how challenging it’s been haha. My heart is daily just overwhelmed with the love I feel for Shiloh. Every morning I get her out of her bed, even on nights when she didn’t sleep, I still can’t believe that she is MY BABY. WHAT A BLESSING. And then on nights when she actually slept decent or days when she kinda stuck to a schedule, it’s incredible how happy / accomplished you feel as a momma.
My parents came and stayed with us the first week after Shiloh was born, and then Michael’s parents came after that which was super helpful. Now we are back to life just the 3 of us (4 including Beau!). We have a pretty sweet setup since I work from home, and Michael is doing the part time MBA program so he’s home during the day. He has been super helpful with Shiloh and also with taking care of this house! I would definitely be losing my mind right now if it weren’t for his help.
As far as my body / recovery goes – things are going really well! I stopped bleeding somewhere during week 3 I think (maybe end of week 2), and am pretty much pain free “down there”. I haven’t started working out yet (probably won’t get back into a workout routine until the 6 week mark), but I’ve been trying to do some pelvic floor exercises and a little bit of core strengthening. I also try to go for a mile walk with Shiloh everyday if the weather is nice!
Having Shiloh has helped me put / keep things in perspective tremendously. Typically around this time of year I’m super stressed about having the perfect Black Friday blog post or the best instagram content etc etc. I still want to create amazing holiday content for you guys, but having Shiloh here has just put everything into perspective for me. Right now, she is my priority. Taking care of her, loving her, staring at her, holding her…that is my first priority. After that, I’m doing my best to still take care of my own body. And blog stuff can come after that. Things that used to really stress me out – whether work-related or otherwise, just don’t seem as big of a deal anymore. Because my love for her kind of trumps all.
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Outfit Details: Cable Knit Dress (Similar Here) | Leopard Booties (Similar Here) | Gucci Crossbody Here and Here | Victoria Emerson bracelet
As y’all probably remember from this post and this one too, I’ve been a huge fan of Victoria Emerson jewelry for a while now. All of the pieces are feminine with impeccable attention to detail, and you seriously can’t beat the price point! The bracelet I’m wearing in today’s post goes with almost every outfit in my closet, too! If you’re looking for a great gift idea, I can’t recommend Victoria Emerson enough!
Other Victoria Emerson jewelry I’m loving:
That’s my little update for today! Obviously at 1 month old it’s not like she’s crawling or talking yet haha but just wanted to share what life has been like in the Sims’ casa these days. Thanks for reading!
xo Lauren
