And just like that … 3 months flies by and I have a 3 month old baby. Wow! Even though we’ve been down this road before, the speed with which time flies will never not blow my mind.
It has been such a wild, yet fun journey watching Zoe grow these last several weeks. I still vividly remember our days on the couch when she was just a few days old; we’d fall asleep there every night out of pure exhaustion. 3 months later, she is getting acclimated to her new bed, in her own room, and doing so well.
Today on the blog I’m sharing a quick Zoe + mama update, plus linking all the baby products that we have used and loved over the last several weeks.
3 Months Postpartum
I’ll be honest, I had almost forgotten about that adjustment period after baby. The one when you almost feel like you are having an out of body experience because change is happening so fast and you can barely wrap your mind around it all because you are so, so tired. But 3 months later, here I am, feeling more like myself than I have in a long time. You can read my 3 Week Postpartum update here. A lot has changed since then.
Physically I feel great (when I get enough sleep). I have started exercising, but I’m doing it very slowly. I don’t completely feel up to it just yet to be back at it full force. But I do love my workouts that I do online! Beachbody On Demand is the program I decided to go with because I love several of the workouts on there, and I can do them at home if I don’t make it to the gym.
I got on birth control after 6 weeks and went with the Mirena IUD. My doctor recommended it and I have had this same IUD in the past. So far there haven’t been any complications!
Once I got past those first few weeks of “survival mode” with a newborn, I found that I was able to get into more of a daily routine. I linked my most used items at 3 months postpartum below!
Zoe’s 3 Month Update
Without a doubt, Zoe is the one that has had the biggest transformation these last 3 months. I am so proud of the little human she is becoming.
Feeding
You might remember from my previous updates that we were exclusively bottle feeding – I would pump and she would drink from the bottle. Around 2 months, she went through a growth spurt and we switched to exclusively breastfeeding. She was eating significantly more (we jumped from 3-4 oz per feeding to 6 oz), so I had to adjust to her needs. She now prefers this over anything and no longer has any interest in a pacifier. She acts so appalled when I try to offer it to her … real nipples only mom LOL!
We typically supplement with formula (Enfamil NeuroPro) if we are out and about and I haven’t had a chance to pump or if she’s still acting hungry after we nurse at nighttime. She hasn’t had any issues switching back and forth between the two. I have noticed that if she wants to nurse, she will NOT take a bottle. Even if it is expressed breastmilk. So that can be challenging at times if I need a break. Sometimes I’m the only person she wants to get milk from. I love our little bond though and wouldn’t trade it for the world. I’ll keep you posted on the transition into school for her, this is probably my biggest worry for her. Sis is stubborn but my friend made a good point … she won’t starve herself (we hope).
Sleeping
Figuring out her sleep schedule and preferences has been our greatest challenge. We used and loved the 4Moms Bassinet for awhile.
Quick 4Moms Bassinet Review:
It is spacious, has several modes, fairly quiet (though some of the transitions between settings are not as smooth as I would like), and it has an add on basket underneath that was a lifesaver for us in the early days. The mattress in the bassinet is not as comfortable as I would have hoped. Firm/hard is what is safe for babies, so I always felt Zoe was safe, but I did feel like Zoe struggled to get comfortable once she got older and had slept on our bed or other surfaces for nap time.
Back to Sleeping …
After about a month of life, Zoe decided that she didn’t love the bassinet anymore and she was sleeping with us in our bed. This of course is a big no-no – I know! I talked with my pediatrician for advice, because for awhile it seemed she would not sleep without being held. It finally dawned on me that I had the bassinet from her Nuna stroller that could be used for safe sleeping. We tried that and it worked for a few weeks! She slept in there and did so well!
Zoe is very long and she also loves to move around A LOT when she is sleeping, so our Nuna bassinet soon became too crowded for her. We made the decision a couple weeks ago to make the transition upstairs to her room. It was a big adjustment, but she has slowly started to sleep longer and more frequently in her bed. We napped in there first to get her used to the room. And then we did a short stretch at night in the bed until she woke up for a feeding and by the time it was time for her to stay upstairs all night, she did really well. I’m proud of her because I was very nervous! We ordered this baby monitor and it gives me peace of mind since I can check in on her whenever I need to without having to run upstairs.
Milestones
If you follow us on Instagram, then you know Zoe has the biggest, cutest gummy smile that melts my heart! I can’t get enough! Seeing her smile when she sees her family is the best thing ever. She also has started to scoot and can roll over from tummy to back. The scooting is a bit premature for my taste, but do what you do girlfriend! She can inch her way across pretty much any surface to get to what she needs. I stopped letting her sleep on her tummy in her crib because she would scoot from one end of the bed to the other and then get to the end and be irritated that she couldn’t go any further! Swaddled on her back is not what she likes, but there’s a lot less commotion upstairs when she sleeps that way LOL.
Carseat/Stroller Gear
We have 2 carseats and 1 stroller for Zoe. My husband and I both have one in our cars. I have the Doona and love it! My husband has the Clek Liingo Baseless Carseat and he loves it! We use the Nuna Mixx Next Stroller for walks around the neighborhood or if we’re going on an outing. A few notes about each of these products:
This is my husband’s car seat! We chose this brand for the awesome safety features and the fact that it is a baseless seat. Straight from the source:
Liingo is engineered with the LATCH connectors directly onto the car seat carrier, eliminating the need for the car seat base.
It is extremely lightweight (only 9lbs) and has several features that allow for seamless transitions throughout our busy life – from car to stroller to dinner … etc. We really like it.
This is the car seat that I keep in my car and the ingenuity of this product truly blows my mind. One of the things I hated when my boys were younger was carrying around a car seat. Honestly, it’s the luxury of being able to quickly convert the Doona into a stroller for me. Love it!
Life has gotten so much sweeter with Zoe joining our family. We are extremely sleepy, but our hearts are full! Here’s a few links to all of the things that Zoe is using and loving on a daily/weekly basis:
