Three Months With Grace Selah
Here we are, the month of September, the same month we found out we were pregnant last year and we now have a 3 month old a year later! Looking back at my camera roll from this time last year, snapping photos of the lines on my tests getting darker and darker and now the same camera roll filled with photos of this beauty…it’s so surreal. Three months has felt like the biggest jump in Gracie’s growth! Her awareness, developments, sweet personality coming through (we love getting those smiles) and the little coos she makes trying to talk back to us are just mind blowing. We’re those parents that get super excited watching her in amazement. Every day it’s something new as she grows and we can’t believe how big she looks and feels at just three months! Here’s how this past month has been going and answering your questions submitted from Instagram stories down below…
Q&A 3 Months Postpartum & Baby Grace Update
Q: What was actually needed for the first 3 months? Registry is overwhleming!
A: I hear that! We actually used almost everything from our registry (linked here) but in reality, in the beginning, you don’t need that much. I’d say the rest of this stuff are “nice to have” but not imperative. Most used items in the beginning were a sound machine (we still use this for every nap and at night time, in the car etc.), this stroller for walks (we loved that ours came with a bassinet because she could lay down to sleep swaddled inside it), velcro swaddles (makes your life so easy) and a swing or bouncer when you’d like some hands free time!
Q: Who does Gracie looks like more? I see both of you!!!
A: She definitely has a lot of mama in her (especially how I looked as a baby) and I get that she is my mini me all the time from others, but lately she’s been starting to look more and more like Neal too! I love that she has both of us in her and think it’s sweet that she has been looking like her daddy 🙂 What do you guys think??
Q: Do you have any sleep routine or schedule?
A: We do! I talked more about this in Gracie’s 2 month update but we basically try to have longer awake windows now that she’s 3 months, so that she sleeps through the night. We worked her up starting at 4 weeks (4 hours), 5 weeks (5 hours) etc. We do a night routine of bath and bedtime story before she goes down to sleep and the winding down has always helped her.
Q: How many hours does she sleep at night?
A: Currently 10-11 hours and we put her down around 7:30/8pm every night! She does wake up at least once where we soothe her back and pop the paci back in her mouth and then she continues to snooze until it’s time to feed around 6/7 am!
Q: What is your favourite baby item that new moms might not think to buy?
A: The portable sound machine!! We use it for every nap, at night time, car rides, walks out in the stroller – it’s such a game changer. Sound machines create white noise which really soothes babies, especially in the beginning they really need that as they were so used to all the loud sounds in the womb! I don’t think we go anywhere without this thing and we make sure it’s charged at all times, haha 🙂
Q: How often do you do tummy time?
A: We got a little more serious about tummy time around the 2 month mark for Grace, making at least 15 minutes of each awake time she had during the day dedicated to this. This girl has neck strength!! We’re actually doing virtual physio to help her with a little torticollis that she had and she’s done incredible. It’s just been great to learn about helping her posture, alignment etc. as she grows and what we can be doing to help with that. I linked some of our tummy time faves down below!
Q: How are you feeling/recovering?
A: Postpartum healing took a little while for me, I mean I still definitely am healing in many ways. I tore pretty badly during birth so I had some stitches that took longer to heal and I also continued to have spotting/bleeding way past the 6 weeks (I’d say it probably stopped fully only two weeks ago). I was feeling concerned, but because there weren’t any additional symptoms (usually you have to look out for cramping, stomach aches, fever etc) or heavy bleeding, my doctor said we could wait and see if it would stop by 3 months. I noticed it would come and go and when I’d push it (such as walking too long, bending, lifting things) it would return. It’s important to listen to your body and know when you need to do less. Thankfully I did stop bleeding just before 3 months or else I would have to get an ultrasound done to have a look at what could be going on. Always talk to your doctor and advocate for yourself, if you think or feel anything is off especially in those first weeks postpartum, be sure to speak up! This is so important. I am thankful a girlfriend of mine let me know her friend also bled for 3 months with all three of her kids postpartum so that brought me comfort, but I still got myself checked by my doctor just to be safe.
I’d say I’m ready to start exercising slowly again. I’ve always gone out for walks at least once a day to get my body moving and feeling right. No rush to be a certain size or look a certain way, I just want to feel comfortable again. I did order jeans in a size up so I could be comfortable and not pressured to fit back into my old stuff. So when I want to get a little more dressed up and feel put together outside of leggings I’ll have these to put on! They have a nice stretch and give, so I am loving them. I am more concerned with just being healthy, nourishing myself and healing properly in all the ways than I am concerned about fitting into a pair of jeans to be honest. Release that pressure and just size up 🙂
Q: What things are you doing for YOU?
A: I am still working, so creating boundaries around resting/napping is important (I’m admittedly not the best at this currently). Lately I’ve had fewer opportunities to rest with work picking up, taking care of our place, staying on top of cleaning/laundry etc. but I’ve also had to reach more of a comfort being okay asking for more help and sometimes just letting things be messy. I can’t tend to everything fully at all times at the expense of me being exhausted from trying to keep up with it all (eat healthy, cook, clean, care for a baby, dog, exercise, stay connected with friends and family, create content, respond to all of my e-mails etc. etc). It’s a lot! So I’m just trying to prioritize and be okay with not getting everything off my to-do list done and releasing that pressure/expectation. I am SO grateful Neal is at home with me full-time working and raising Grace together. My mom comes over to help as well which is a blessing!
The other thing I’m grateful I did for myself was therapy — I’ve always been an advocate for this and mental health through the years. When I feel myself becoming overwhelmed and need to process things, I do a check-in with my therapist that I started seeing a few years ago. This has been important for me to process a lot of what goes on in the world, my life etc. and manage my anxiety as it can manifest very physically for me. It’s helped me be more at peace and release a lot through the years so this season is no different!
Celebrating our birthdays with our most prayed for birthday wish the last few weeks was extra special…
Some of our favourites from this past month…
Double Sided Playmat (we use this everyday and love the bright colours, padding, how easy it is to clean) // Mirror (this is great for tummy time, Gracie loves to look at this haha) // Head Shape Pillow (not to be used for sleeping as it’s not safe, we only use this when she’s on the play mat laying on her back to help cushion her head a bit or on the change table) // Boppy Lounger (this is great for reading books to Grace while on the couch) // Flap Board Book (easy, quick read with fun illustrations and meaningful lessons) Bow Set (love this pack with beautiful muted colours that go with her outfits) // Sophie Rattle (easy for her to hold and she always smiles at this thing! we use it to distract her when needed as well)
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