MRSVERGIEM

I was never a morning person. My body was used to sleeping at the break of dawn and be up at noon or a few hours before I go to the office. It was my daily routine for many years, even when I was pregnant. I could never get used to being a morning person. Until our baby came.
They say, a baby will turn your life upside down, and it did for me. a 180 degree turn. I am going to give you a glimpse of how our daily life or schedule is. This may not be true to everyone but this is how we roll 😀

Newborn
When Achan was a newborn he wakes up every hour, contrary to what we expected where as newborns sleeps all the time. well, not our newborn. He likes to be awake. In his first few days at home, we were still testing the waters on how to feed him, the temperature of the room or how to clothe him. We had many mishaps which lead to our little bebe in the hospital only after 6 days outside the womb (for another blog). Thankfully everything went well after that incident, which was a relief, and we were able to figure out a routine for him.
I read that as early as 2 weeks, a routine can be established with babies and that was what I did. Every morning at 5:30, where the sun was not too hot, we get up, remove his clothes and bathe him under the sun for his daily dose of Vitamin D. That was how we started our day for two months. After sunbathing, I give him a sponge bath (during the time when his chord was still attached and healing), or a bath (after the umbilical chord was detached) every other day. I decided to bathe him every other day to prevent his skin from drying, and he smelled good anyways so I did not see the need for everyday bath.
After his bath, I change him to his day clothes. All fresh and clean. Dede, burp, poop, sleep, repeat was his daily activities.
Come sun down, at around 5:30 or 6 PM, I change him to his pajama. A onesie pajama, I bought from an online store. This will keep him warm at night. We do side-lying (big help!) until he falls asleep. His night waking changed from newborn to when I went back to work. Around 2 months, he was able to sleep 6 to 7 hours (longest) , and 2 to 3 hours (shortest). First 3 months, I would change his diaper every 4 hour. After that, I stopped myself from doing night changes, so he could have a longer sleep, unless he poops, that would be a different story. Luckily for us, he does not mind the poop as long as he had his milk.

Back to Work Struggles
Leaving him on my first day back to work was the worst feeling. I made sure I left while he was sleeping or else I wont be able to leave the house. I cannot bare to leave him while looking at me with his sweet stare. It was a struggle indeed.
His sleeping schedule changed from him getting 6 to 7 hours of sleep back to waking up every 3 to 4 hours. We both adjusted. and as if he can sense that it is time for me to leave the house, he would wake up whenever I try to leave the bed, as slowly and as quietly as I can. It took a few weeks, I think talking to him helped (a little?), until he became accustomed to me leaving at a certain hour, in which he would roll to his other side – his back facing me – and fell back asleep while I tiptoe my way out of our room bringing with me everything I need.
His bath was moved to afternoon, once I arrive home. 5 PM became his bath time, right before bed. My husband and Mom gives him milk upon waking up, then they follows the every 3 hours feeding rule. I pumped at work (for another blog) which helped me store and retained my milk supply.

Normal Routine Today
Now on our 9th month of our journey, I can say Achan is now used to our routine. When I am at the office, he spends time with his Lola and Jay. We do not have a fix schedule. We still wing things and go with the flow mostly. Our rule is, he eats when we eat, since we can now give him little of what is in the table without the seasonings and all. Same routine as before, he wakes up at around 6 AM, depending on the number of wake ups during the night or what time he fell asleep which is around 5 PM but max is 7 PM or he will not go down until 10 or 11 PM. On a weekdays, hard stop is 7 PM or I will on zombie mode the next day (haha! not funny actually, but I just laugh it off lol). I try to end our night routine at 6 PM (give him bath, change him to his pjs and change his diaper) and feed him lying down.

It can be hard at first, but when you get the hang of it, things would get easier. My take away from this is that as early as you can, stick to a routine that your little one will get used to. He may not understand at first but it will give him a hint that “Ah! it is time for me to sleep” or “It is nap time for me” or “Yey! lunch time” which will make life a little easy for you and your baby.

I am also lucky to have a sweet boy. He would not cry unless he is hungry. He loves to roll around his play mat, look at pictures on his books and drool all over. I am thankful to God for that. Every day is a chance for me to get to know him more, everyday is a struggle I am willing to endure, and every day is a battle I am ready and thankful to face with my little one in my life together with my loving and supportive family.