I have lots of photos of Matti especially when he was still smaller, chubbier too at that time. Today, he had lost some of those baby fats and started gaining more muscle as he is taller and more active. But thanks to photographs, we can freeze moments, keep them in digital form or print them for tangible memoirs.
Matti loves laughing and smiling, he still does today but when he was smaller, he had this chubby cheeks which make his face big and round whenever he smiles.
His father's favorite photo pose is lifting Matti and this baby boy would giggle and laugh so hard. I guess it feels great being up in the air! He still has the same reaction today, he is now 13 months old.
He weighed 4.5 kilos when he was born via normal delivery. He lost a few kilos a week after birth but he still regained that after two weeks. During our first pedia visit, we thought he would be underweight but then we found out he was in fact a little overweight but the doctor assured us that there's no such thing as being overweight for breastfed babies. Matti was purely breastfed from day 7 until today.
When I first carried him in my hands, I felt that he was already heavy. The nurses at the hospital where I gave birth told me he will be heavier and I might be having a hard time carrying him. But thanks be to God for giving us strength, I can still carry him even today, he is already 11 kilos.
I also recall he had neonatal acne when he reached home. I felt very sad, it was very frustrating for me as a mother, I was told by the pediatrician that this was a normal thing. The hormones from the mother are still present in the baby's bloodstream, it will go away in a few days.
I thought it would go away in just two or three days after the visit but it didn't. One month after, he still had that neonatal acne that looking at his body and face was hurting my heart so much. I wished it will be gone soon.
I used to give him a milk bath every day. I collect breastmilk on the other breast while he latches on the other side, thanks to Haakaa, a silicone milk catcher. I kept those milk collected in a sterilized milk bag, place them in the fridge and then get it diluted in warm water when it is bath time.
It went on for weeks and then one day, the neonatal acne just disappeared! I recall looking at my baby's face and his skin had cleared, he was flawless! I couldn't even see any trace of that acne anymore! it was amazing!
Matti is such a blessing to us, after having gone through an operation due to ectopic pregnancy, I never thought I would be pregnant again but thanks again to God for He hears and answers. Matti came into our lives in the midst of the pandemic. It was tough but it was worth it.
Now that he is already 13 months old, he has started walking on his own. Time flies so fast, the baby that I was still carrying in my arms is now slowly letting go of my hand. It brings tears to my eyes knowing that soon, he will not need me anymore but life indeed is like that, growth is always like that.
Thanks for reading this far guys! I woke up pretty early today and decided to create this blog, now I am tearing up from remembering those first few months of having Matti. The nights are long but the days are short indeed!
xoxo,
junebride