Entry #5: Introducing Ryder
My baby boy has finally made his appearance.
Ryder was born March 6th, 2020 after a long and eventful labor and delivery.
He is healthy, happy, and already growing like a weed. Life with three kids is hectic at times but my two big kids LOVE Ryder and are super helpful with him.
Ryder is about a week and a half old now, therefore all he is really doing is eating, sleeping… and crying. Which is totally normal.
Infants need time to get acclimated to the world during the first 8-12 weeks of their lives. Dr. Harvey Karp (Happiest Baby Co.) refers to this time as the “fourth trimester”. During this time, I always recommend that my clients work to recreate a womb-type atmosphere for their baby, which is exactly what I am doing!
I am using Dr. Harvey Karp’s 5 S’s to help trigger Ryder’s calming reflex and help him become more comfortable with the world.
I am Swaddling, Shushing, Swaying, holding him in a Side/Stomach position, and encouraging him to Suck. The 5 S’s are extremely helpful for soothing a new baby. I am a certified Happiest Baby educator, so I have a lot of experience and practice with the 5 S’s, but if you need some pointers, check out this video of Dr. Karp. Also, feel free to reach out to me and we can do a video chat to perfect your 5 S’s form :)
For those of you out there with new little ones like me, don’t worry about getting on a sleep schedule just yet. Don’t worry about getting on a feeding schedule just yet. Don’t worry about your baby sleeping or eating all of the time. Don’t worry if your baby wants to be held ALL of the time. All of these things are normal for newborns. Try to enjoy the snuggles while helping them get acclimated to life outside of the womb using the 5 S’s. Remember that this transitional phase is temporary. Hang in there!
Once infants are a little more accustomed to the world (typically around 8-12 weeks of age) we can begin working more intentionally to set good sleeping and eating patterns in place.
I will show you how it’s done!!
