The Day Things Got Better
Baby Bug got her first real bath in a baby bathtub today. I’ve been a horrible mom. I’ve only been washing her face and I’ve only given her one real sponge bath since she’s been born. To tell you the truth, I was terrified of immersing her in water. I don’t know what I’d do wrong but I guess I was just afraid I wouldn’t know what to do at all. It’s very hard to hold her squirming little body and wash in between all the many folds and creases. I think I was just intimidated. So I just let her be dirty.
Today my mom and sister-in-law and nieces came in to visit for the day. I took advantage of their willingness to help with the baby and got some lessons on how to wash Baby Bug properly. Boy did I learn some things! I had no idea she was so dirty! There was old dried stinky milk in the creases of her neck and I had no idea! My SIL was very thorough and probably washed ten layers of dead skin off Baby Bug. She is a much cleaner baby now. But more importantly, I feel a lot less afraid of the baby bathtub. It actually seemed pretty easy and Baby Bug actually liked the warm water. She only squealed a little bit.
I think today was a turning point.
First of all, Baby Bug was an angel baby all day long. We didn’t have one badger baby episode. Not one!
Second, we went to Target and I finally bought a nursing bra. Oh. My. Goodness! What a difference! I am so much more comfortable. I don’t know why I’ve been squishing myself in to my old bras all this time. Life got a zillion times better today. It is much easier to nurse with the proper bra. I thought I was too cool for those snappy things that fold down. I was wrong. They are so much better than the old way of just pushing my bra up and letting it cut off the circulation to my boob.
Thirdly, Toby bought some baby saline drops and giving Baby Bug a drop in her nose before nursing does wonders for the awful snorking sound that she used to make. No more sputtering and gaging. Phew!
Fourthly, I bought some new pajamas at Target. I didn’t even try them on. I just bought larges. I never used to wear large, but I have a mom body now. I put them on tonight and they fit perfectly! It feels so good to wear pajamas that aren’t stained with milk and aren’t a t-shirt and sweats out of Toby’s closet. It feels so good to match again.
I think I can do this mom thing.
32 Comments
Kimberly
So glad things are coming together. Thanks for keeping us updated!
Anna
YAY! Nothing like a breakthrough day to make you feel like everything is coming together. And pretty soon you will be bathing her like you have done it every day of your life. Congrats on the bra, it does make a difference, just too bad Vic toria’s Sec ret doesn’t come out and make one!
Texas T-bone
We knew you could do the mom thing!
Like everything else, the more times you do something the easier it will get. That incudes baths, trips in the car, throwing her up in the air and catching her and eating out in restaurants. We exposed the Cutlet to all of those (except the tossing thing) and he can handle them all at age 3 better than my overly sheltered 6-year-old nephew can. When she graduates to things like solid foods and peanut butter, learns to crawl, learns to say words you can understand, you’ll look back and be so amazed at how far she (and you and Toby) have come. Enjoy it!
momma2mingbu
Sounds like a great day!
I always loved taking my babies into the bathtub with me. Nice skin to skin contact to keep them warm (also keeps them calmer), wonderful bonding time, nice to nurse in a warm bath……..
Ah…….I miss that!
Daisy Mae
First I have to tell you how glad I am that the comment problem is fixed. I feel spoiled because it remembers my info now.
The first baby tub bath is always the hardest. Have you discovered the curse of cradle cap yet? For that I took baby oil and out it on their scalp and rubbed it with the baby brush. Then shampoo it out. I hated cradle cap! I hope yuo miss that curse.
Jenny
Horray for SIL’s and Target!!! :)
momma2mingbu
Olive oil or almond oil also work nicely for cradle cap.
american girl
I can SO totally relate…when you do a few normal things (for yourself!), life seems so much better. My “baby bug” was born two days after yours, and I’ve been enjoying following your ups and downs and getting encouragement from knowing that there’s someone else experiencing the same things I am…although you’re not having to struggle with a car seat and ever-growing baby through snow and ice and rain like I am in Canada! I hope things continue to go well, but remember when they don’t…tomorrow’s another day!
Jill
She is such a doll… enjoy every moment with her. I’m on my 3rd and last (due anytime) and trust me it goes by waaaaaay too fast.
ms. sizzle
you can TOTALLY do it.
:) sizz
Kim
What a difference a bunch of little things can make! I read your post and made an audible sigh of relief and comfort for you. May badger baby be an infrequent guest at your house.
My son is 10 months old and I still forget to excavate his bellybutton. It takes a remarkably short time for it to get icky in there.
JennB
Oh, Jo. You’re doing great! There are so many things they don’t tell you about babies, and it’s all a learning process. Kudos to you for learning that part of it so early, and for being open to change, adjustment, and nursing bras. You can do this, and you’re going to love every bit of it (and will even look back on the badger baby days and laugh – someday!)
laura
Aww. I’m glad you had such a good day. I love the pics of your SIL bathing the Bug. They both look so relaxed. Now you know she won’t melt or break when immersed in water.
halloweenlover
The one with your niece looking down at Baby Bug makes me want to cry! Baby Bug is going to adore her two big cousins!
Yay for a good day!
maizzy
Good for Baby Bug! The baby tub does look a bit scary… I would be so scared too… You SIL is a wonderful woman!
Love the pics!
Thank you so very much for the link… I loved it! :) I’m going to get some for the 2nd bedroom! NICE!
Carmen
Oh, hooray! That day when all of a sudden everything clicks! Whoot!!!!
I’m SO glad for you!
And I second the taking baby in the bug/shower with you. Even better if Toby is home and you can pass her off to him, and then he gets her dressed while you relax!
Kristin
Those. Pictures. Are. Gorgeous.
I’m so glad things are getting a little easier…it’s so insane at first, isn’t it?
Also: sports bras work as well as nursing bras, I find, and not as ugly/expensive. Just shove up, pull down, voila.
pokobelle
*clap* I felt so happy for you reading this. The days have their ups and downs and being able to roll with them is one of the hardest parts of parenting but also some of the most enjoyable. They grow up so fast, mine is almost two but your post made me nostalgic! It’s all those little things you learn that are so eye opening.
jane
Ahhhh yes…the first bath. The first time I bathed my son (who is now 13), he peed ALL OVER ME as soon as he hit the warm water. Then he proceeded to scream for the next 10 minutes. Naturally, I had set up the video camera on a tripod, so I have the whole thing on tape. Good times; good times! ;-)
Aunt Jaynette
Check behind her ears too. It’s amazing was get stuck and dry back there. I stick check behind Mitchell and Becky’s ears and their 11 and 10. A bath chair for baby in the tub works great so both of you can get clean at the same time.
I’m glad you had a turning point. It only gets better from here.
What book are you reading to her right now? It’s never too early to learn that you love and value the flavor of words.
Ande
You can!! You can do it!! Baby Bug looks so squeaky clean. Don’t you just love how a clean baby smells? Soooo sweet.
justJENN
Yay! I’m glad for you!
Lin
Fab pix and beautiful clean babe! I especially love the photo of your SIL where you can only see the left hand side of her face. She has such a sweet face which I gather matches her personality. Lucky Baby Bug to have all these lovng relatives in her life.
Xangelle
Yah, I hear ya on the bathing thing. Fortunately for me, my hubbie wanted to do the bath thing so I rarely had to. Something about a wet squiggly baby freaked me out. I did used to take my kids into the shower with me, soap them up and rinse them off and hand them off to hubbie.
Good to hear that today was a good day! Yah for you!
Becky
I’m so glad that Heather can be there to help you. It sounds like things are going much better. Glad to hear it. I love all the pictures on your blog.
Becky Z.
lainey
I’m so glad you’re back up! I was beginning to worry! I love the new site, and yay! for new pjs.
Karina
Glad you had such a great day!! :)
andrea from the fishbowl
Three cheers for the pjs. After one of my chicklets was born I splurged on a few mix n’match pairs of comfy jammies, but I’m not talkin’ flannel turtlenecks, they were pink and white sexy comfy ones. I felt totally HOTTTTT sitting around in them all day.
I didn’t even mind answering the door when the postman rang. :)
Marilyn
Oh, B, I’m so HAPPY for you and Toby! She’s adorable!! I’m just getting caught up on weeks worth of posts–our laptop crashed a month ago and we just got a new computer. The last post I saw was when your water broke…I so missed being online and following along during this most exciting time in your lives. Congratulations on your beautiful girl! I’m sure motherhood will be filled with all sorts of fabulous adventures just perfect for a Secret Agent like you… xoxo
cynder
Yay! You finally had that day! Things only get better and better. First baths are always nerve wracking and they don’t like it for a few weeks but before you know it baths will be her favorite thing.
Target tip – the nursing tank tops are a godsend. I wore those all summer and just put a shirt over when I went out. Target will most definitely will be your friend now that Baby Bug is here. Where else can you get diaper cream, milk and stylish PJs at the same place?
mar
I distinctly remember “the day things got better”. Son was just 3 weeks old. I was immensely proud of myself … he had had a bath, I had gotten a shower, dressed in “normal” clothes, made the bed … and it was only 2 p.m. !!! But it was also a day when the weak spring sun shone through the sheer curtains in our bedroom, and gently lit up my son’s face as his wobbly head turned to look at me as I called to him from the other side of the room … and the overwhelming wave of love that swept over me still gives me goosebumps. That’s when I knew I’d be ok, that we’d all be ok.
Next month, he’ll be 10 … and we’re still all ok.
She looks so precious, enjoy this time. You will all be ok – trust your instincts! And definitely watch out for what my husband affectionately called “neck cheese” – the milk that gets in the folds! ;-)
pixie
i too, remember the day things finally got better-it was about the fourth week too. i had to take *chinese* mood elevator herbs because i thought i would never be able to handle my son’s angry crying and my inability to figure out his cues. and then, one day, things just got a little better, and then a little more betterer. i used a regular bra too for a while, but a friend told me that it could damage my milk ducts and that milk may not flow well down to baby-i do think it was true because the badgerish moments were often when i was doing my bra this way…we also have the hotei onesie in “parrot”-i thought we were so original!! you are doing so well. hooray for your family!!!!