Leo | Birth to Month 1

Hey Scholars,

Leo is a month old today!
I'm a very proud Mama!

My little Leo is growing very well despite my concerns that he would experience a failure to thrive, as his brother, Eli, experienced. Fortunately, that is not the case and Leo is gaining nine ounces or so a week now!

Breastfeeding vs Formula

I decided way before Leo was born that I would be both breastfeeding and bottle feeding. It is very important to me to breastfeed Leo because it provides him with antibodies that he would not otherwise have because he's too young to be vaccinated against most things.

I also bottle feed because my milk supply has never been very abundant and I need to supplement his diet with something else so they gets all of the nutrition he needs.

While this is an expensive choice, it is the right choice for my family and I stand by my decision.

*Below is my stance on circumcision and it is quite graphic because I describe what can happen when you are uncircumcised. If you are not interested in this, do not read that section and proceed to the Sleeping  or Pictures section below that. - Thanks*


Why I changed my stance on circumcision

Before Eli was born and for a while after he was born, I was against circumcision. I believe that everyone has the right to own their own body. To me, that means that I would let my children make decisions about their bodies. This included circumcision and ear piercing. Despite my stance, I decided a few weeks before Leo was born that I would have him circumcised.

This decision was made because my son, Eli, experienced a mishap. He had a bowel movement during the night, the feces caused inflammation, and when he woke up in the morning his foreskin had become very swollen and began to bleed. I treated his condition at home with sterile gauze, frequent changing and washing, and A&D ointment. It was very painful for him and took several days to clear up.

I have since learned that this swelling and bleeding is not uncommon in uncircumcised children and can actually cause them to be be unable to urinate, causing the need for a circumcision in some cases. It was very scary learning of this and I didn't want Leo to experience the same thing some day, so I went against my words and had him circumcised. I felt sad that Leo was in pain and that I had allowed his body to be altered, but I feel I made the right decision. An informed decision. I would do it again.

I now take more care to change my boys more often. About every two hours I check for wet diapers and if I smell a BM, I change it immediately. Since I made these changes, everything has been great down under.

Sleeping

Leo is a great sleeper. He rests most of the day and night. He loves to be held and swaddling doesn't seem to bother him. He only wakes to eat and look around at world for a bit, before heading back to sleep. He sleeps in a Graco Pack N Play in Twister at home and a Summer Infant By Your Side Sleeper at his father's house. It works well for us. I don't think I'll upgrade him to a crib for some time. Maybe around the time he is pulling himself up.

Here are my favorite pictures of Leo so far!

Until next time friends,