My son turned nine months a few days
ago and I can barely believe just how fast he is growing, just the other day he
was a tiny little thing and now he is trying to stand though he still has a
long way to go. The most interesting thing for me about motherhood I would say
is watching them learn and accomplish the little milestones. I remember when he
was just a new born baby and he could barely smile to express his excitement,
it is still amazing to learn that babies aren’t born knowing how to smile; they
learn it. Now he has about 10 different expressions to let me know when he is
super excited and when he is not happy.
Like I said, babies aren’t born
knowing how to smile (at least not intentionally to express joy and happiness).
Some babies, like my boy usually smile in their sleep or when they pass gas
when they are about 1 month but by around two months (give or take) they learn
how to smile. And it is so magical when he whips out that adorable toothless
smile that melts your heart.
2.
Supporting his head
When my son was born, some of my
friends would refuse to hold him because of the mechanics of having to support
his head and hold him well. I remember even I kept worrying that I might not be
holding him well the first few days after birth; I was always concerned about
if he is comfortable and such but I got the hang of it with time. In his first
few months, I couldn’t wait to have his little neck strengthen up so he could
hold his head up by himself because I was always worried about giving him to
someone who had no experience with babies to hold him. I literary did not take
my eyes off my baby for the first month, he would be in a friend’s or family’s
arms but I would be watching closely to make sure he was being held well and
was comfortable. By the third month, his neck got stronger and he could hold
his head up for minutes at a time and finally by four months, he was supporting
his head. I learnt a good exercise routine that helped strengthen his back and
neck from month 2 onwards. I would put him on his tummy for about a min or two
and he would try to lift his head. I read that in a book and it really seemed
to help. They called it tummy time though it’s important to remember not to put
him on his tummy after feeding, you don’t want him to lose his lunch.
3.
Sitting down
I remember I read in an article once
that your baby will let you know when they are ready to sit and I was baffled
by that. How does he let you know? He will start trying to prop himself up when
you hold him. When he does, you can hold him in a sitting position for a few
minutes at a time while supporting him. As his back gets stronger, he will be
able to stay in that position for a much longer time. My son started trying to
sit at five months and by six months, he could sit with some support (the
c-shaped pillow I bought for breastfeeding but it never worked for that
purpose). As it turns out that pillow is a good place for him to relax in since
it supports his back and provides barriers on the side so he doesn’t fall over.
By seven months, he was sitting by himself like a big boy.
4.
Weaning
I was fortunate enough to be able to
exclusively breastfeed my son for six months. My work allows me to work from
home from time to time as long as I have my laptop and an internet connection. I
remember when my son was five months I tried to give him baby formula but it didn’t
sit well with his tummy; he would always vomit it so I quit the formula. Being
around 24-7 also didn’t help him accept the bottle either, he would cry his
little heart out if I put a bottle in his mouth because he was used to the
breast. But when he got to six months and I tried to give him a little cerelac
(baby cereal); he ate it with no fuss. I gave him cerelac for a week then
introduced infant porridge and he loved it! About two weeks later I gave him
some food (boiled mixture of potatoes with green bananas and a leaf of spinach
then mashed and mixed with some milk to soften it then sieved.) and he ate that
pretty well too. I was lucky that he is an angel during feeding time; he does
not play with his meals and as a result he is a chubby and healthy boy. A few
months down the line, I introduced some fruits in his diet, and I also added
boiled pumpkin with potatoes too. Looking into adding more nutrients in his
diet right now. He still breastfeeds through the night and in the morning
before I head to work and in the evening after work. My advice would be,
breastfeed your baby as much as you can. There are a lot of working moms who would love
to breastfeed exclusively for six months but cannot because their careers don’t
give them the freedom. Most companies will give you a three-four months
maternity leave and you have to work to provide for your child so you do the
best you can within those constraints. Express at night or in the morning and
leave a bottle for your child; when it is done he will take some formula and
when you get back in the evening breastfeed him and feed him through the night
and your little angel will still get all those nutrients. Big up to career
moms; it is not easy being a full time career woman and a mother.
5. Sleeping
through the night
The first few months after I had my
son, I was a walking zombie and so sleep deprived! Unfortunately, instead of
sleeping through the day when my munchkins slept, I tried to get things done
around the house and catch up on some work and sometimes I would even be up
watching a movie or series (I’m a movie junkie). But about a month in, I was so
exhausted I could barely make it through ten minutes of a movie without blacking
out. So I started sleeping when he slept during the day and suddenly the long
nights weren’t so bad. He would wake up at 2am and decide he wants to chill and
not go back to sleep because he didn’t know the difference between day and
night. I remember how eager I was for the day he would sleep through the night.
He sleeps well this days, since he was about 5months old. He only wakes up to
feed and goes right back to sleep after he gets some milk in his tummy. So as
far as exhaustion goes, it is still there but in much smaller proportions now.
Soon he will sleep all night without waking up to breastfeed, waiting for that
day.
6. Teething
Teething is a not a fun milestone for
your baby because of the sore gums as the tiny teeth try to break through the
gum. It might consequently be a bit tough for you too depending on your baby’s
reaction to it. My son just got his fast two bottom teeth about a month and a
half ago but the teething process probably lasted about two to three months.
When they were breaking through he couldn’t sleep well at night because of the
discomfort and you just need to sooth him and get him through it. I got my son
a chew toy that he could nibble on to kind of scratch his gums and ease the
discomfort. At this stage, you have make sure you clean his hands regularly because
they will constantly be in his mouth and so will everything he can get his
hands on. Also, buy plenty of bibs. My son got into a heavy drooling stage when
he started teething and he would go through about 6 bibs a day; just soaking
them with drool. I also learnt that the saliva can dry your baby’s chin and
give him rashes so it is always best to try clean his chin and around the mouth
regularly and apply some baby jelly to keep his skin from drying and cracking.
Works like a charm for my boy.
I could go on and on and on about the
milestones but I will have to cut this one short. The most important thing to
do in my opinion during your baby’s milestones is just enjoy them and take lots
of baby pics. I have like a million photos (I exaggerateJ) of my son and he is only nine months. I went
through some of his photos from day one to now just the other day and was
beyond amazed by how much he has grown! If you want to share some of your
experiences; drop me an email: motherhoodfirsttimearound@gmail.com.
Let’s get sharing moms.
