1 Week Old – Cruz

Nursing: Cruz latched right on and stared nursing when we got out of the tub and settled in bed. It’s so beautiful how babies who are brand new to the world instinctively know how to nurse. I was able to start tandem nursing right away. When Cash climbed on the bed to nurse with Cruz he gently reached over and caressed his brand new baby brother's head.  I know that we will all share a deep, indescribable bond forever. My heart was so full of love for my two sons it brought tears of pure joy to my eyes. I know that there will be ups and downs with tandem nursing and that it will be demanding at times but it’s something that I really want to do. I’ve been reading about how it strengthens the bond between siblings when they tandem nurse and I can already see Cash bonding with his little brother.

My milk came in Tuesday morning around 4:30. Having a toddler nursing has really helped my production but I’m dealing with quite a bit of engorgement. I know my supply with regulate soon though. I had to pump once because both boys nursed and I was still so full.

Cash is nursing like constantly but Cruz is still in the sleepy baby stage. I nurse him at least every two hours during the day but at night I let him sleep four-hour stretches. It’s so nice to actually get a little sleep with a newborn. He’s a little bit slow when he nurses but I think that’s typical for a newborn.

Cloth Diapering: We love our XS OBF diapers. They are so much better than the diapers we used with Cash. Cruz had two days of meconium poops, two days of greenish brown poop and then started having the typical mustard yellow breast milk poop. He has been wearing his XS interlock covers and his size 0 coverwoolies. After his cord fell off we put him in an XS knit cover for night and it was the perfect nighttime combo.  I love the tiny woolies so much!!

Sleep: I forgot how much newborns sleep! I let Cruz pretty much sleep the first night since newborns aren’t too hungry that first night. I didn’t get to sleep until after 3 AM because I had so much adrenaline running through my body from the birth. The second night I tried to wake Cruz up every couple hours to nurse but he was almost impossible to wake up. I decided to follow his lead and let him sleep longer stretches at night because he’s gaining weight and has plenty of wet and poopy diapers.

We sleep four deep in the bed and Cruz sleeps on my chest or tucked into my side. He sleeps four-hour stretches and would probably sleep longer if I let him. Nick and I prayed for a good sleeper so we’re hoping this sticks but it’s still too early to tell.

Likes/Dislikes: Cruz loves skin to skin snuggles and being held. He’s not a big fan of diaper changes or cold hands. When my mom picked him up with cold hands for the first time he squawked in protest! We were so surprised to hear him cry out because he has been content and laid back so far.

Health: Cruz’s cord fell off Saturday. We took him outside and let him hang out naked. It was just what his cord needed to dry up and fall off completely.

My midwife came and weighed Cruz when he was 24 hours old he was 7 pounds 9 ounces. He had some baby acne spots surrounded by red skin on his stomach and chest but they cleared up within a few days.

The Morelli Brothers: Cash has really taken to his big brother roll. He absolutely loves his brother. He was painting and wanted baby Cruz to paint with him so he picked out a paintbrush and put it in Cruz’s hand and they painted together (I helped Cruz just a little bit). Then he brought his bike out so Cruz could watch him ride his balance bike. It was perfect because Cruz was really awake and alert so I sat him up to watch his big brother. Cash also got out his little bike and wanted Cruz to ride it. “Mama put him on there”. He also likes daddy and Cruz to play cars with him. He picks out a car and tries to get Cruz to hold it.

Cash is really helpful with Cruz too. He gets clean diapers for him, picks out his woolies, tells me which boobie he wants and gently rubs his head and tells him “it’s ok” when he starts to fuss. It is so sweet to see them bonding.