100 days of Bertie

Yesterday I had been a mum of two for 100 days as Bertie had been in our lives for 100 days. I’m not a weirdo counting the days, but I knew that 100 days was somewhere in between 14 and 15 weeks, and boy what a rollercoaster of 100 days it has been.

100 days ago Bertie arrived via elective c-section at Lewisham Hospital, and life became a blurred fun whirlwind of being a family four. I could barely move, and my husband was doing everything including purchasing lemon green tea instead of my requested peppermint tea for trapped wind, alongside doing all the nappy changes and helping me to raise my tortured body from the bed to go to the loo.

Then we arrived home and the first six weeks were a mixture of feeding, trying to rest as much as possible, not being able to move, enjoying and hating the heatwave, and battling a toddler who I couldn’t pick up. Those days feel like a distant memory and now I am fully back onto my feet and trying my damn hardest to win (and sometimes loose) at this game of motherhood involving two children.

Having already been through the newborn days before with my daughter I kind of knew what to expect, and this time round I am feeling a lot more relaxed, and not even bothering with the baby books or Google. Google, what’s that? I don’t think I’ve used it once to search for anything parenting related and I’m hoping that I don’t have to. Although I may have to refresh myself on weaning in a couple months time.

At 100 days old we’ve endured the journey of feeding and sleeping. I found breastfeeding a lot easier this time round, either I was lucky or just knew what to do – possibly a combination of both. We also had success in the beginning with combi-feeding, however he now seems to only like the boob, and is refusing the bottle. I am ok with this. I’ve learnt from my first that this is only for a very short period of time, and before Christmas we will be weaning and hopefully I can start to slowly cut down on feeds.

The two, three or four wake-ups during the night, I am also ok with for now. Currently we are in a routine where bedtime is completed by 7.30pm for both children, and Bertie will wake for feeds throughout the night often at about 1am and 4am, and sometimes with an extra one thrown in to keep me on my toes. I’ve not had a full night sleep for 100 days, and I’m fine with this. The days can be exhausting especially with two to look after, but they are just about manageable.

In the past 100 days we’ve also had a few holidays including a week in Tenby and a week in Spain. I learnt that travelling with a baby and toddler is ok, and you just need to be incredibly organised. It’s not a holiday as you know it, but more parenting somewhere else and an escape from the hum drum of every day life.

As well as this he’s had his standard course of vaccinations, had his first taste of Calpol, he can smile, he can almost giggle, he has a cute little shy smile, he can nearly roll, and I’m convinced he’s teething. Plus he is already on the waiting list for a nursery place starting next September.

It hasn’t all been plain sailing, and I have two big frustrations. One is that my toddler seems to want to attack him every second of the day. I know that she doesn’t really understand, but my god it’s exhausting constantly removing her from his bouncer, and telling her not to poke or pinch him. Having said that, there have been some really lovely moments where she showers him with kisses and says “I love you Bertie”. I guess I can’t have it all.

The second biggest frustration is me, me wanting to do too much and not being able to do it. Work and the blog are busy, and obviously I have a lot less time now. As my husband rightly said that if I wasn’t working for myself I would be three months into a year long maternity leave. However not being able to work for a year, isn’t an option. Right now, I’m doing my hardest to keep them ticking along, and trying to avoid overcommitting – which is easier said than done, although both are manageable and I would love to grow them further.

Bertie you are a gorgeous content boy, keep smiling for us please.

So that’s a recap of the past 100 days of Bertie, and I can’t wait to see what the next 100 days bring.

Claire x