Rosa's first month

Looking back, the main thing I remember about Rosa's first month was trying to learn how to do the breastfeeding. That was a big learning curve - physically, mentally, and emotionally.  But from the vantage point of having made it almost 8 months now, I see that it worked out, one way or another.

When we got home from the hospital, Jeff and I were on our own to try to establish some sort of routine for the first week.  I remember one night the two of us leaning against each other on the couch in the dark after eating some Trader Joe's type meal that Zarah brought (thank you!), just exhausted.  At that point, there were three phases of Rosa - eating, crying, and sleeping.  

My mom and dad (Grandma Lois and Grandpa Mike!) came out for the next two weeks, and at my request, my mom stayed another week.  In that first month, there was:

* lots of tracking pees and poops

* lots of swaddling (and lots of escaping the swaddle)

* Rosa's first bath (a sponge bath)

* lots of visitors

* lots of bouncing

* and lots of generous gifts from friends and family

Unbelievably, we had to set our alarm to wake up in the middle of the night a couple times to feed Rosa until she gained her birth weight back.  I never would have dreamed you had to do that.  Eventually, we learned tricks to both get her to stay awake to eat and to get her to sleep (mostly bouncing on the ball).

 

At the end of her first month, we took a picture to re-enact a photo of Jeff's dad on his one-month birthday, then we celebrated one month of Rosa with a cupcake.