Week 10

Hello everyone! We are onto week 10….I actually can’t quite believe that Grace is 10 weeks old, time goes so quickly yet so slowly at the same time…it’s a wild journey! I always wondered what Grace’s development would be like seeing as she was 6 weeks early. I had heard about these wonder week ‘leaps’ that essentially help you track their development and give you reassurance of certain behaviours they’re showing. Now she is reaching 4 weeks past due date, I could start to see and actually I think she’s had / having her first leap. They say that during this leap, it’s a phase whereby you will get, for example, the first smile (we are getting there!), focusing on objects for longer (yes!) and the first tear (yes, we have had many tears stream down 😢, including my own). They say to look out for signals such as crying more than usual (yes…I think 🤔), clingy (yes!!), grumpy (yes!) and poor sleep (yes!). It’s hard to measure the tears but it seemed to intertwine with the clinginess….if i put her down, she would cry and this included in the night. So day or night, it was hard to settle her for a few days. For 2 nights, she’d wake up every 90 minutes! It was tough but we got through it.
Now I know some people don’t believe in these leaps and I am not sure if it is totally accurate, but the signals seemed to match at the same time she developed certain skills…maybe it is just a reassurance effect, I’m not sure.

It’s hard when they’re so clingy because you feel like you can’t get anything done. Have I wasted the morning? The day? It’s not an excuse to not do some washing or anything, but I won’t let her scream because I need to tidy the kitchen so I just hold her and let her sleep on me for a bit then feed her after and the next nap might be different and I can put her down. It’s a WHIRLWIND! I don’t want to create any ‘bad behaviours’ but she just needs to know she’s loved and I’m totally there for her. Sorry, what a soppy post!

So anyway, I think we have/are experiencing it. Last night, Grace slept the longest she has ever done - 10pm to 2.30am….I couldn’t believe it! I did, however, text my mum and said ‘is she ill because she slept for so long?’ I mean it’s non stop worrying! But after doing the check for more crying, temperature and less feeding, I knew I was probably over thinking matters (as she was fine across those 3 points)….soooo let’s hope she does the same tonight!
But from this, I think her development is fairly in line with her due date and not birthdate…so we are waiting longer for things to happen. It’s lucky I’m so patient 👀 if I could see myself from Grace’s view of all the faces I pull and grins I make at her, I would never smile, I’d be traumatised!

I went to see our lovely chiropractor who adjusted Grace and she noticed tension around Grace’s gut that should have been less tense by now. There weren’t any other major symptoms that could shed light on why this is but we thought we would try a few things out. The first one is going gluten free. I failed the first couple of days, accidentally eating gluten but we are on the right path to seeing whether this has any effect on Grace after 3 weeks! Ideally we want to hear less grunting, a softer belly, less stinky farts and less tension. If not, we can start trying out other things! I absolutely love taking Grace to the chiropractor, she gets a cranial massage and has helped relieved a lot of tension and Grace always feels so relaxed after! I honestly think it’s doing wonders for her!

A highlight of our week was doing the Lullaloop photoshoot for their spring / summer clothing for newborns. It was amazing! The clothes are wonderful and I can’t wait for Grace to get her own. Seeing all the other babies as well was adorable! Don’t get too star struck when you meet Grace after her modelling debut 💅🏼

Other things we have done this week are continuing the habit of going to John Lewis for a coffee or brunch / lunch with Grace. Before or after coffee, I sit in the nursing room feeding Grace and I tell you what, it’s a great place to meet Mums or to vent to them about parenting, so if you have one local to you, take a trip and meet lots of lovely, new mums.

My sister and her boyfriend came to stay with us at the weekend and we took a trip to Bath for the day. We walked around the Parade Gardens, had lunch, walked around the town centre and Grace was pretty much asleep throughout it….so I’d say it was a success. We stopped in the gardens for a feed and then carried on with Grace in the carrycot, which has been hit or miss recently. We did, however, go out for a pub dinner and Grace slept at the start but then I had to hold her whilst eating my dinner and breastfeed her at the table because she started to whine (that witching hour is always on time!) and then she started to full on cry and when you’re in a pub or restaurant, you do start to get fairly self conscious. My family live quite far away so it’s the best thing in the world when they come up to stay….again soppy! Maybe I’m getting hormonal, so on that note….speak next week.

Maddie x