Just shy of her 3 months!

Tomorrow my little nugget will be 3 months old.  As I have mentioned before, most people talk about how it "flies" by but it definitely has felt like 3 months...if not more.  And, not in a bad way.  I just feel like we have been through a lot together, have learned about each other and have been in each other's life A LOT longer than that.  But, more reflection tomorrow when we celebrate her big 3 MO!

So, her sleeping arrangements have been set for quite a while now.  She has been in her crib for a month, passing out cold at 8 PM sharp and, over the past couple of weeks, has been sleeping until 2 or 3, eating and then sleeping until 6:30 or 7.  When we first put her in her crib, I left the crib bumpers (padded) on for fear that she would get her feet stuck between the bars.  Then, when I noticed how much she moves in her sleep, I took the bumpers off due to the overwhelming SIDS fear that I dwell on every night.  Not long after taking them out, and especially over the last couple of nights, I started noticing that she would hit her head against the railing and that her swaddled feet were getting stuck between the railings - both of which made her wake up and cry.

So, after chatting with T about it, we decided to put the bumpers back on.  H is a light sleeper in most cases so we felt that she would become aware if she couldn't breathe and would move her head. T even kinda "tested" it last night by bringing her face into his shirt a bit to see what she would do and, sure enough, she adjusted so that her nose was free.

The other concern we had was, because she is swaddled, what happens if she rolls over onto her stomach for the first time in the middle of the night?  Her arms and legs are pretty restricted in the Woombie.  I had a feeling that, if she did end up on her belly with her face in the mattress and no way to adjust, she would cry.  Well, at about 3 this morning, we heard a cry on the monitor that wasn't a typical hungry cry.  I went in there and, sure enough, our little nugget rolled over for the first time!  She was on her belly and definitely not too happy about it.  I'm sure it surprised and scared her!  When I saw her on her belly, I was both horrified and excited!  My first thought was to get her out and figure out if I should put her in jammies now that she can roll over (no more swaddle)...my second thought??  I need to remember this date and time for her baby book!

So, at 3 AM on March 25, H rolled over from her back to her belly for the first time and transitioned from swaddle to jammies like a big girl!

I was worried about putting her in jammies - afraid that her startle reflex would wake her continuously.  I guess we will see more what happens tonight but, she slept another 3.5 hours after being put in her jammies...arms over her head.  So we will see!

You know, it is such a strange time we live in.  I am so thankful for the amazing technology so that I can reconnect with old friends via FB, visit with my parents in person via Skype and keep a digital journal for my baby via Blogger.  But all this technology comes with a price.  Too much information!  We can "google" or "bing" anything which leads to too much information!  No matter what camp you are in on any issue, there is a ton of information in cyberspace to back up your position...and just as many to oppose it.

Being a first time Mom, I have set my keyboard ablaze researching everything from the best swaddle, what to do if they have a runny nose, how much playtime she should have, what milestones she should be reaching to how to prevent SIDS.  What Mom hasn't, right?

Well, our Moms didn't.  They couldn't.  They went by what their doctors suggested and what their maternal instincts commanded.  And, look at us, we all turned out fine...for the most part!  ;)  Isn't it funny how much things change?  Most of us were placed on our stomachs to sleep - doctors said it was safer in case baby were to spit up while they were sleeping.  They could choke on their own spit up.  Makes total sense to me!

But now tummy sleeping is forbidden and absolutely taboo!  Even for a nap!  You feel wrong admitting that your baby sleeps on their tummy for a nap because they are more comfortable or it helps relieve a gassy belly.  Of course they are supervised but I bet I wasn't supervised all night when I would sleep on my belly.  And I am here to talk about it now.

It is the same with breastfeeding.  It is such a common and preferred practice now, you feel like a complete failure and outcast if you prefer (or have to choose) formula.  But there were so many of us who were formula fed as babies (myself included) that grew up big, strong, smart and healthy.  It's just funny how times change, how fads develop and how clicky it all becomes.

Anyway, off on a tangent.  I was thinking about this because T and I were discussing what to do when we were putting her back down last night.  Should we lay her on her back and risk her reflexes waking her up or lay her on her tummy (with our motion sensor monitor on) and let her sleep that way.  I instantly felt wrong, scared and guilty for even considering laying her on her belly so we laid her on her back instead.  Like I said, she slept fine.  We will see what tonight brings.  I am sure I will google search some suggestions in the meantime....