It didn't take too long at all after Baby Girl came along to realize that, although nice, it isn't lotions, potions or creams that keep a mama in good condition after baby. It isn't work outs, although they are wonderful. It isn't special diets or nice clothes. It's
sleep! After a few sleepless nights in a row once we came home from the hospital with Baby Girl, I decided maybe we would test out a gift one of my husband's coworkers had given us, the
Woombie. At first, I thought there was no way I could possibly zip my sweet baby into such a thing. But at 3 AM on the third sleepless night in a row, this mama was ready to do just about anything to get just a few zzzz's so I settled her down and zipped her up. And she slept the rest of the night. The next night, I thought maybe I'd try it from the beginning. And she slept for about 4 hours before waking up hungry. We never looked back, and I know it isn't typical, but my sweet Baby Girl has been consistently sleeping straight through the night since she was about 5 weeks old! Our very first 8 hour night came when she was 2 weeks 6 days old. I will never forget the sheer panic when I woke in the morning and saw first the clock then the baby monitor. Of course she was just fine, sleeping like a little angel and looking like a little gloworm!
Something else I learned nearly immediately we wouldn't be able to live without is our video monitor. I think it must be natural for all new mamas to kind of jump out of bed when sweet baby cries, always fearing the worst! For me, I just knew Baby Girl was wonder baby and had thrown herself from her crib into the floor at 4 weeks old or that someone had crept into her second-floor locked windows and was trying to steal her. I mean, who wouldn't want to steal the most perfect baby God has ever created, right?! It was and is still so nice to be able to just look over at the nightstand and see that she's okay without having to wait a whole 30 seconds it takes me to get to her nursery. I know there are several different kinds, but this is ours. I truly don't think I could live without it even now that she's bigger. It really is so much fun to watch what she's doing when she thinks only the bunny rabbit can see.
The last thing that I have found to be really useful is a thermometer in the nursery. Not because I can't tell the difference between hot and cold, but because everyone else likes to give you advice about the temp of the nursery. I can't count the number of times I was told her room was just too cold. Her grandparents complained, her great-grandparents complained and sometimes even her wonderful Daddy swore that I was keeping our house way too cold for a newborn. I didn't get it because I thought I was wrong, but because I was tired of all the chatter about the temp! Now I can just point to the little egg in the corner when someone shares an opinion on the temperature of Baby Girl's room. And sometimes quietly say "I told you so"!
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