New Parent Jitters

And the new and exciting theories of infant health care and development just keep on coming to confuse and confound even more than the last one. They scare you to death with this stuff.

For example, when Alex came home, we had no sheets ready yet for his bassinet. You have to wash all new stuff of baby-ness straight from the package. So say “they”: The fabric has been handled by a lot of people and machines prior to packaging and then it’s been stored with silica gel to prevent humidity from damaging it during shipping and storage.

Then there's the sleep sac he’s been wearing. It's recommended because now you’re advised to not even use a blanket on a newborn. The loose blanket poses a suffocation risk. These sleep sacs are blankets that – as you can see in the photos – are worn like clothing. It can’t come loose to wrap around his face. However, it's suggested that you use blankets a LOT while you're awake and watching the baby. The conflicting theory is that newborns, especially preemies, require a tightly confined environment to mimic the small amount of space they had in the womb. Preemies in particular, it's theorized, are still developing as they would have in the womb. The whole process is dependent on them still feeling like they're in 98 degree water all the time, in a tiny, dark space and rocked a lot like they were when the mother would walk around. Go figure.

How DID we survive when our parents didn’t know all this stuff in the 60s? One wonders. Does anyone know of any family on your block or even immediate neighborhood who lost a baby our age due to unwashed baby stuff or loose blankets? Do any of us know any preemie born people who wound up emotionally messed up or intellectually slow by not being swaddled all the time until they got to their due date? Of course, after they tell you this stuff, you can't make the leap of faith to NOT heed it.

The Sleep Sac

His second morning home. That’s his “What’s this stuff?” and/or "Who are you people?" stare.

The not-so-good ol’ days when it was hard to feed him a whole bottle. Now he’s in a growth spurt and wants to eat every two hours and sometimes every hour. (This is a good thing. I keep telling myself that at 2 AM, 3 AM, 4 AM…)

We had a cold front move in the first week of April. (I’m sure it hit DC and PA too). The socks that don’t fit became necessary. He kept losing them in the sleep sac. I gave up on these green ones eventually. Next month, he can be a more stylishly coordinated baby. You know, when the nice stuff he has fits him and all.

He’s been showing an early ability to grab things. He was able to hold the pacifier to his own mouth when only days old. (Though I think he’s forgotten this skill now.) He was able to do this with the bottle at 4 days. Today, he even held up the bottle (15 days old.)

April 12, 2007