One Month With Jack

Hi friends! We had a baby! His name is Jack Weston Tsai, and we recently celebrated his 1 month birthday. I am working on his birth story and details about our first weeks, but for now, I am going to share where we are thus far. Everyday looks different for us, but one thing is for sure–this sweet baby is growing like a weed and we love him more each day. We are so grateful for a healthy baby and we are enjoying this newborn season. The good times far out weigh the difficult hours, and we keep telling ourselves that each day is a gift.

Growth: Jack weighed 10 pounds 15 ounces at his 1 month check up. He was 22 inches long and his head was 15.25 inches. He is in the 75%ile for height and weight and 90%ile for head circumference.

Eating: 3 oz (or less) of expressed breast milk about every 2-3 hours. Overnight, he eats about every 3 hours. We supplement with formula when I get behind with pumping, don’t produce enough, or if Jack starts cluster feeding. I may detail our breastfeeding journey (or lack thereof) in another post.

Sleeping: We are working on sleeping mostly in his crib, but sometimes he takes short naps in his rock and play. Let’s face it, he sleeps the best on Grammie’s chest! We were sent home with a few Halo sleepsacks from the hospital and we recently started using the Ollie swaddle. During Jack’s third week of life, I purchased Taking Cara Babies’ online course and we are attempting to practice her philosophy. The type A momma in me wants to get him on a schedule so badly. You know me and my love for timelines. I am learning to go with the flow and loosen up a bit when it comes to expectations. We were sent home with a few Halo sleepsacks from the hospital and we recently started using the Ollie swaddle.

Activity: Jack Weston is a pro at holding his head up when he’s on his tummy. He favors his right side, so we are working on looking towards the left and also doing neck stretches whenever he tolerates it. We are doing everything we can to prevent getting a flat spot on his head. Jack coos and makes the sweetest sounds. He also smiles, but we know that it is likely poop or gas and not purposeful yet. We can’t wait to see him laugh!

Other details:

-Jack officially grew out of his newborn clothes at one month and one day, and we graduated to size 1 diapers.

-He is a happy spitter, but it does not make us worry any less. His reflux is obviously not hindering his growth, and we hope he continues to be happy. It’s a struggle to keep his clothes clean, but we can deal with that.

-We think he has gas, but our guess is as good as the next person’s! Gas is so vague. He does show many of the symptoms (kicking legs, intermittent crying/fussiness) and we are trying all the things. We have gas drops, and plan to start a probiotic soon. I have been mostly dairy free and not eating spicy food, but I haven’t seen a direct connection to my diet and Jack’s symptoms.

-Jack goes from soundly sleeping to screaming the next and it usually means he was asleep and now he is starving. I’m wondering what it says about his developing personality and which one of us passed on this trait to our sweet baby.

1 month photos: