Is it a boy or a girl? 👦👧

Spent the last 2 weeks cracking our sleep regression and being strict about wake windows and sleep environment - something I knew nothing about before. Baby would sleep in random places around the house! We would drag a bassinet to wherever we were. It used to work. Sleeping through the night was just a stroke of luck. We used to bounce on a ball, shhhh and pat the bum for 30min until we feel deep sleep on us then we put the baby down. After working with a sleep coach, we have now taught our 4 months old to self settle without patting or movement. Laying down awake and hand firmly pressing on chest to mimic the tight hugs we give while holding upright. From a baby who could only fall asleep held upright, we can now lay down wide awake and fall asleep in the bassinet. We’ve had to change sleeping surfaces 4 times to find the right one! And on good days, we get a long stretch of sleep. There are still challenging days of night time wakes every 2-3hours. Now we are just working on those dreaded day time catnaps and linking sleep cycles! Toys were added inside bassinet when baby woke! 😁

Trying to have some fun while waking the baby up to make up for our wild nights. 🫠😭😅🙃🤪 it’s these precious moments that momentarily make me forget what we just went though the night before and make it all worth it 😬 I was dancing to Finesse on my earphones 😅

Our special place. I dreamed of having a space like this where I get to bond and observe my baby thrive independently in a safer space. Also prevents Willow from sharing squeaky toys! This @dreambabysafety playpen converta gate is going to grow with our family. The panels were easy to adjust to fit our space and made of sturdy metal. It can pretty much stand on its own but we secured it to the wall. #@dreambabysafety #dreambabysafety

I’m all about getting as much comfort as I possibly can. The @growbright pillow was my favourite when I was pregnant and it’s still being hugged every night now. If anyone tells you you don’t need a nursing pillow, I say otherwise! I’m fact I am collecting nursing pillows for different areas of our house now that I’m having to feed twice as much to bring my supply back up. Having a pillow that attaches to you makes it just a little easier to adjust and move about. We’re transitioning to a cot soon and just set up our mattress. How difficult is it to move baby from co-sleeping bassinet to a cot in their own room? I’m so scared 😭🫠

Family moments ❤️ having to cope without help means that Ralph and I must take turns strategically. Since I’m up most of the night, I get to lay in bed for 30min more in the morning and this is what I usually see when I come out. Bubba and dad bonding in the dockatot. Sharing a few more of our favourite items from @dockatotausnz - a stylish nursing pillow that we use everyday and a sleep sack. @dockatotausnz

I ditched the bands and swear by compression pants & undies. @blanqigirls post partum must haves - nursing bras, sports bra, tank top, compression everything!

I admit I knew nothing about newborn toys and infant development when I gave birth. We had zero toys. But I saw other mums with high contrast cards, squeaky toys, rattles and became guilty I didn’t spend the first few weeks of life helping my baby develop in this way. @lovevery.au makes it too easy. ❤️ now we are catching up! It’s never too late - we started after 4 weeks. Also if you’re wanting to gift a stuffed toy to a friend’s baby, I say put your money towards a @lovevery kit! 😁

Motherhood. Hands on is an understatement for the mama who lives far away from friends and family. Teamwork with dad gets better each week. We are so grateful for his presence. But the raw reality of the days when dad has to work and rest in the other room is overwhelming. The intensity of cycling through breast feeding, changing and soothing is tough and lonely. Every night is an adventure. Some nights we party hard - up all night. We need to be resilient handling baby alone while trying to feed ourselves, tidy and squeeze in a bathroom trip while holding baby. All that in survival mode. Sleep when the baby sleeps doesn’t apply to those of us who use that time for chores. I see my friends in the PH with night nurses and nannies. Motherhood with a village is also challenging. I wish I organised more postpartum help in advance. We are so grateful to have had friends and family fly over last minute to cook and clean up after us. I’m not the only mama going through this. It will make us stronger but it doesn’t mean we don’t need help. I’ve learned to just say “please help me” to anyone within reach. Pretty curated pictures are not reality ❤️ There are many days of tears, eating standing up while breastfeeding and unglamorous attempts to do 3 things at once. Motherhood is the greatest endless marathon we will ever endure. And it’s an honour to be in this role - a little human’s source of food, comfort and security❤️

Fall feedwear stories. I realised to how important strategic wardrobe is to make the feeding journey more enjoyable and cuter. 👗 lifting my shirt in public does not feel cute 😅 Everything from @legoeheritage

Fall dog 🍂 @willow_theminiaussie

Sent an SOS all the way to SF and Manila. My Au Pairs 😛 when friends become nannies.