Working Mommy Blogger from the Philippines
Gwen will only be allowed to go out of the house if she turned 1 month already. Well, on her 2nd week, she went to see her pedia but that’s it. So on her first month, we took a long weekend off.
Time to take a bath first, she still doesn’t use her bath tub because it’s still big for her. We use a small tub that we fill with a little amount of water in our bathroom sink.
bath time
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How time flies so fast. I remember Gwen when she was so tiny and fragile, and now, after a month, her cheeks are getting chubby everyday. I’m making the most out of our moments together because come next month, my maternity leave will be over and I’ll surely miss my baby a lot.
Happy 1st month birthday, Gwen!
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I’m one of the first-time moms who is really starting from scratch when it comes to parenting. When Gwen is only a week old, I was really paranoid on every single hiccups, sneeze, vomiting, sleeping patterns and even diaper poops. I always wonder if it’s normal for newborns to have that kind of behavior. My mother is old already and she forgot some parenting tips she did to us before, and I think she hired a yaya for us before. So I relied to Google whenever I have some parenting questions. I also read the parenting thread at Girltalk and Smart Parenting and share experiences with other moms. Thank God for Internet, it sort of saved my sanity when I don’t know what to do with my baby. It also helped that these sites have the best web hosting so they’re always up when I visit them for an emergency question.
Mommies, what other parenting and child care sites do you visit?
When my Auntie Stella came to the rescue in helping me take care of Gwen, she requested for me to buy Aceite Alcanforado and Aceite de Manzanilla. Clueless on those weird sounding names, I bought it at Mercury. Upon reading the label, Aceite de Manzanilla is a blend of chamomile and citronella oil and Aceite Alcanforado is for colds to be applied on baby’s back.
bigkis, Aceite Alcanforado, Aceite de Manzanilla
The white cloth is “bigkis” which is tied around baby’s tummy also to prevent colic (kabag). Aceite de Manzanilla is applied on baby’s tummy to prevent colic, head and can also be used to massage her legs.
I’m quite wary on using the two Aceite though, as I want an all natural approach for the baby as much as possible. I have to tinf time to research on the side effects of this.
Mommies, do you also use these? Care to share your baby care tips?
As a first time parent and with no experience at newborn baby care, the first few weeks are really hard. We didn’t attend any childbirth classes either. So it’s a blessing that my mother called my Auntie Stella from the province to help me take care of Gwen even just for two weeks. My mother is so worried about baby’s umbilical cord as it is the most sensitive part according to her.
I guess no matter how many parenting sites I’ve read, there is still no other way to taking care of the baby than in actual and daily basis. Besides, parenting sites are more on the modern approach. Since my Auntie Stella came from the province, she was accustomed to the old school way. The use of bigkis, oils and even the way of bathing a baby, is old school. I’m slowly learning the ropes, I hope by the time she’s going back to the province, I’ll be more confident in taking care of Gwen…
Meanwhile, aside from mommy duties, I have wifey duties too and I have to look for bow ties for Jeff, he’s attending a wedding his friend’s wedding in Tagaytay and we can’t join him yet…
My daddy is the perfect swaddler, he makes sure I look like a perfect burrito every time.
swaddle
This is Gwen at 2 weeks, she hates being swaddled but we always make sure she’s wrapped like this especially at night. Surprisingly, she can manage to free her both arms in the morning no matter how tight the swaddle. We call her “Houdini”. During the day, we just let her arms free and only wrap her body.
Gwen sleeps longer when she’s swaddled and doesn’t throw up her arms when she’s having startle reflex. Swaddling mimics the warmth and security of the mother’s womb so baby feels comfortable.
You don’t need to but those Swaddle Me blankets, I was tempted to buy this before but a receiving blanket is enough to swaddle the baby.