Oh my goodness.
It felt like years when it's only been 30 days.
30 days of...
sleep deprivation
back pain
nipple sores
dirty diapers
horror reflux moments
Yet, those 30 days were the happiest in our married life. And in my general life, basically.
My tiny human just turned one month old and I was already tempted to buy a Happy Birthday cake, but I settled for a blank chocolate one-tier cake instead.
Here.
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Yummy icing, fine cake bread, calligraphy by yours truly
It's from S & R and it tastes like Mernel's (Laguna Bakeshop) chocolate, which is our favorite.
Anyway, I'm on a mission to document my son's progress and antics, and the #RuxTheVac blog series is just one of them. The "them" part includes:
- His own Instagram account, @jeerux.alcott
- My own journal for recording Jeerux things
It's a first-time mom thing.
With that said, I guess we're headed for the point of this post?
At one month, Jeerux Alcott...
👶 Made mommy's breastmilk go pink
This is a nice way of saying that my little monster, on his 4th day on earth as an air-breathing baby, has become a boobie sucker pro and has managed to make both of my nipples bleed in the process.
I always read the sparkling side of breastfeeding. Nobody told me that it would hurt more than my labor.
I always read the sparkling side of breastfeeding. Nobody told me that it would hurt more than my labor.
👶 Showed how brave he is
On his first day, he was due for newborn screening tests and a couple of shots, which means he has to get prick a couple of times.A post shared by Jeerux Alcott (@jeerux.alcott) on
I was not prepared for this, but when the doctors administer these, I couldn't have been more proud. Jeerux has taken like a big boy. He cried upon the pricking, but stopped when the pain goes away, I suppose.
He got a total of 3 pricks and he would cry at the start but would stop crying in between.
👶 Has a fashion trademark (thanks, mommyla)
See this.A post shared by Jeerux Alcott (@jeerux.alcott) on
Can you spot what that trademark is?
Yup, it's the alfalfa hair.
My mom is the one to blame (or to thank). I like having it on him. It gives him some spank and sass to match his rugged face.
The cutie blue onesies with matching mittens and elf shoes? Nah, they make him look weird.
He's better off with jagged pieces like oversized polo shirts and statement shirts.
👶 Appreciates balloons and Christmas decors
A 0-month old baby, according to literature, has short attention span and only focuses on objects 8 to 12 inches in front of him, Jeerux has shown great interest in the Christmas decor on our walls.He would stare at them for far too long than he's supposed to (seconds). He also loved looking at the silver number balloons that spell out 2 0 1 8.
Because of this, my mom told me to create ABC posters for him. So I created them using watercolors.
When we have plastered the first three letters, he giggled at the sight and would be entertained for minutes. This is a total win!
Makes him calm during diaper changes and his reflux attacks.
The letters make his day. Lol.
👶 Can lift his head
He lovesss to do this, especially when we are getting him to burp and when he's in the room with the decor.👶 Smiles... but
only in his sleep. Told ya, he's a bit grumpy.👶 Projects his own attitude
The first time I saw him via ultrasound, I could almost fathom what his attitude will be—the cool kind of grumpy with a dash of an enigmatic facade.And I was right. He's this and
It was his first night when we somehow caught a glimpse of how our baby Jeerux is.
He's demanding, especially when he wants to feed. I knew he's like this while he's still in the womb. He'd kick whenever he feels any discomfort like when it'll get bumpy on the road. Lol.
He knows what he wants too and would insist on them rather than giving in to his caregiver's directions.
- I've tried putting him in the right breastfeeding position, but he would push his hips back on my lap and turn his head to my breast. Okay, if that's what's comfy, baby. As long as you're fed.
- He'd push my boobies away when he's done eating.
- Sometimes, he'd make grumpy noises when I start talking while feeding him. And stop when I stop talking. It's like he's telling me to stop talking.
- Same thing when there are other people who are talking to me while I'm nursing him.
- He wipes his mouth when there are leftover liquids like his vitamins and my bloody milk.
- He dislikes blood-stained milk. Other moms told me to just continue feeding even your nipples bleed, but uhm, Jerrux doesn't like it.
- He doesn't like the "burping on the shoulder" position too much and would wiggle his way out.
- He lets you know when something is not wrong like when I almost squished his leg while nursing. He screamed at me.
Gawd, I hope I'm not raising a spoiled boy.
This brings me to the next one.
👶 Feeds every hour or two
He eats like a king, thinking it's buffet season all day long. He's a boy and it's expected as per his pedia.
😨 This made my breastfeeding journey super challenging, especially on the first week. Was able to recover by the second week and has been exclusively breastfeeding him since.
Tell me how can I build your milk stash, kid.
👶 Send out sensible cries and actions
It's not hard to decipher what Jeerux needs as he's good at communicating what he needs (or mom's just good at figuring this one out).He has every right to be a colic baby (see next bullet), but he doesn't cry for an hour or more. Thank heavens!
We only have a few things to check on when he's fussy:
a. He's hungry
b. His diapers
c. His bellybutton clip (when he was less than 5 days old)
d. The milk's coming back up 😥 (more of this on the next bullet)
👶 Is a certified reflux rebel
Yes, he's got reflux.It's when the milk goes back up to his throat, making him spit up. It's not severe, but it irritates him and interrupts his sleep.
His pedia said that he maybe overfed, which is totally possible since he nurses every hour or two (30 minutes, on worst scenarios).
For the first few weeks, it's making us worried. The sight of your struggling baby, looking at you like he's saying "Take it away mom. It hurts!" breaks my heart.
The acid hurts and articles say the pain is comparable to heartburns for adults. And I only experienced heartburn twice during my pregnancy and it kept me up through the night!
Ugh, I hate imagining that pain hurting my baby.
But we can only do so much. The good thing is that it's going to get better as his digestive system matures. In a couple of months.
Ahhh, the month was fast, but the nights were long
I feel like Jeerux Alcott is a grown-up little baby who has skipped his few weeks of life.
He didn't feel like a newborn to me.
Because he has so much sass when newborns are supposed to be these powerless little creatures who entirely place their fate upon their caregivers' hands.
It's thrilling to see his milestones early, but sometimes I whisper to him, "Don't push too hard yet, my love, you're only a month young."
