Eat-Sleep-Love | Maryland DC & Virginia Sleep Coach, Baby Planner, Maternity & Child Consultant

Maternity & Parenting Center

Sleep Schedules and Play Groups

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Micah is eating well and definitely growing. I think he sounds a bit congested – not really shocking after the past week that Elliot and I have been so sick. We’ve had more than a few sick people around, unfortunately – I guess he was bound to get sick, too. The good news is that most nights, Micah seems to give us a 5 or 6 hour stretch between feedings – kind of surprising for such a small baby! now that we have him in the secure sleeper, he will even sleep in the bassinet, too. I have noticed that Micah rarely wakes up and cries because he is hungry. I’ve just been waking him for feedings throughout the day and letting him sleep at night, but I think he would sleep most of the day and skip eating. Not sure how this child could be related to me and Elliot!! I’ll have to ask the pediatrician next week if that is normal.

I’m finally starting to come back to the land of the living. I feel like most of my days revolve around feeding and diapers, and I feel like I should be *doing* more to stimulate both me and Micah. The weather isn’t nice, so daily walks are not on the table. I’m thinking about starting back with yoga maybe next week, and I want to get back into swimming for exercise – maybe start toning everything back up again. I also looked up the dates for a Baby & Me class at the community center – the next one starts on February 2, and I intend to register for it! Several of my friends with children have said they made several good friends in this same class and found a playgroup for their children, so I’m hoping it will bring us good luck as well.

I also found out that there is this mommy group that includes different weekly activities for 6 weeks – each week, the group meets in a new location for an activity. They offer a singing session, an infant massage session, a photo session, a fitness session, a meeting with a pediatrician, and a class at a children’s fitness place. It sounds like it might be fun to try! There is a session that starts next week (and the sessions are for babies 1 month to 1 year old), but I’m thinking that maybe I should wait and join the March course when Micah is older (especially since I haven’t even brought him out into public yet). I also checked into baby swimming lessons – but I can’t enroll him until he is 6 months old, so that will have to wait until summer time. I guess I’m looking forward to starting to do more.

I am also all set to attend my big conference at the end of the month. I’ll be doing 4 presentations and attending 2 all-day meetings. Elliot will be coming as well, and I signed him up to do a presentation. Hopefully it will bring in some work for both of us! We decided to bring my mom along for the trip to help take care of Micah, so it should be a fun trip to Orlando.

Yoga Time

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When I started out with this pregnancy, I swore I was going to work hard to stay fit and in shape. Health was a factor, but frankly I was terrified I’d gain 300 lbs during the pregnancy, and never be able to fit through a normal door again after the baby arrives. I had grand plans of swimming everyday, and taking long walks, and about 500 other physical activities I was going to do. And then the morning sickness set in . . . and the UTIs. . . . and the sinus infections and bronchitis . . . . and well, let’s just say I’ve been fairly sluggish this pregnancy, despite my good intentions! It is amazing how easy it is to justify staying out of the pool when your head is congested and full.

It seems the morning sickness is finally easing up (I wouldn’t say it is gone, but I have more good days than bad days now), and I’m in between UTIs and sinus infections, so I’m feeling pretty good this week. Except for all of my sore muscles (probably from failure to exercise). So, this week, I decided it was time to get back to physical activity. I am usually quite flexible, so I thought a class that would build strength and flexibility in a low-intensity way would reduce my current discomfort and would be an ideal first step back. On Monday night, I drove over at 7:00 pm to go to my first prenatal class . . . only to find they canceled the class! After much searching, I learned that there are tons of yoga centers offering prenatal yoga . . . but none currently have scheduled classes! Naturally, I saw this as a challenge, and it became my mission to find a yoga class to attend. After relentlessly calling and searching, I found another location that has a certified prenatal instructor who teaches a regular yoga class. I spoke to her, and she said that she is willing to let me participate in her regular class and help me modify the exercises to make them appropriate for pregnancy . . . so almost a prenatal yoga class. The good news is, I could continue in this class after I have the baby, too!

I was asked to come in for an initial private session so the instructor could evaluate me, confirm that I am capable of participating in the class, and show me some key modifications I will need to use. Today, I went in for my first private session. I have to say, I haven’t felt this relaxed and loose in months! I really enjoyed the physical activity, and I’m hoping to keep it up 1-2 times per week. My next class is on Tuesday, and I will be trying out the group class! I also have grand intentions of getting back to swimming, but one step at a time, right?