As my fifth baby turns 6 weeks old, I find myself a bit emotional. She is growing so quickly and I don't know if I will be blessed to experience this precious newborn stage again. It has been tough and exhausting many times, as all newborn stages are, but I have found myself slowing down and just enjoying her more than past babies because I know she might be my last and I just don't want to miss a moment or forget how precious a newborn can be.
With my first baby, I was determined to try to be a good mommy...I watched the clock constantly, not wanting to feed her too often or not often enough and trying to make sure she slept the perfect amount of time. With my 2nd baby, I was too sleep deprived and honestly wouldn't remember a thing if I hadn't blogged about it. My 3rd baby was thankfully an easy one and fell into our routine nicely but I gave up blogging so much because there just wasn't time with 3 little ones running around. My 4th baby was very fussy and my life was absolutely crazy with a recent move, my husband losing his job, and trying to homeschool a 2nd grader, a kindergartener, and a preschooler while bouncing a fussing baby in the sling. She pretty much lived in the sling. But this time, with my fifth baby, I find myself not even knowing when I fed her last or when she went down for a nap. I purposely try NOT to look at the clock. If she yawns, I put her down for a nap. If she cries with her precious cough that means she is hungry, I feed her. Even if it seems like I just did. If a new mom asked me for advice, I would just say, "Enjoy your new baby. You can't spoil a new baby. Babies were meant to be held. Don't worry about the clock. Don't worry about how much time you spend rocking. Don't worry about sleep-training those first 3 months. Just enjoy your baby." Because it passes all too quickly. And it is such joy to just love on that baby instead of watching the clock.
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