The best thing that has ever happened to me was becoming a mama to my sweet Henley Grace. Ready or not, the moment us mamas have our baby, we take on the ‘Mom’ role with the only shift available – 24/7. It is demanding, exhausting, and full of adventures (that you don’t always plan for) but it is also the most amazing, rewarding, and wonderful role of all.
A Mama and Her Mamalogues
So, what’s a mamalogue? It is those special moments between a mom and her baby that are driven by the combination of instincts, deep connection and understanding your baby’s mannerisms. Philips Avent put out a video that celebrates these magic moments. And if you follow me on Instagram, you know that I love Philips Avent! But even more, I love that they are encouraging moms to share their stories.
For me, my most special moments that occur between Gracie and I thanks to my motherly intuition. If you’re a mama, you probably know exactly what I mean. It’s the midafternoon and my baby is looking at me all sorts of serious with her face getting redder and redder – she’s about to have a massive blowout (where are the diapers and wipes kinda thing). It’s that 3 o’clock in the morning and my baby wakes up screaming for me – I need to rub her belly in the “I love you” pattern and do the “bicycle” with her to help her pass that gas and ease her pain sorta thing. She’s not saying what she needs, but as her mama, I just know.I have so many mamalogues with my Gracie girl.
Nightly Routine with My Daughter
I learned from my OB, pediatrician and just about every mommy blogger out there that a “schedule” or “pattern” is helpful for your baby. So, when Gracie was just about 2 months old we began making bedtime the same every.single.night. We’ve had to adjust it a couple times, but now it goes just like this:
8:00/8:30PM – Gracie gets doused in lotion, a fresh diaper goes on and she gets into her PJ’s.
8:30/8:45PM – 8oz of milk that I pumped from the night before with my Philips Avent Double Electric Breast Pump goes in the warmer. We like to bottle-feed her an exact amount of breastmilk before bedtime, so we know that she has had a full “meal” before bed. We use the Philips Avent Natural bottle because I can alternate between breastfeeding and bottle feeding with it easily (and honestly, it was the only bottle Gracie took to).
8:45/9PM – Either my hubby or I will take Gracie upstairs to her nursery and get ready to feed her and sing her the song I made up for her when she was only days old. It goes like this: “Henley Grace, Henley Grace, you’re daddy’s Henley baby and mommy’s Gracie girl.”
9PM – We feed her, rock her and sing the Henley Grace song on repeat until her bottle is finished, she’s been burped, and she falls asleep. Then we put her in her crib for the night.
I’m not going to lie, the rest of the night can be a bit unpredictable – but that’s when the natural instincts come in handy. Being a first-time mom, I don’t always feel like I know what I am doing, but that instinct kicks in when you least expect it. I’ve learned to trust my gut.
Many people are so quick to give you their opinions on parenting. There are probably people reading this right now who just saw our nightly routine and want to tell me what I am doing wrong or how I could do it better, but that’s the thing about a mama and her baby – sometimes only they know what is best for them.
Maybe there are a zillion “better” ways than what I am doing, BUT I know that for me and my baby this is the best way for us right now. How do I know? I know by the special, magical moments going on each and every day between me and my baby. I can see it when I watch her accomplish new milestones weekly and I am reassured each time she looks up at me with a huge smile and lets out a little giggle. But nothing is more telling than when we are at her doctor visits and the pediatrician shares with me how much weight she’s gained and how healthy she is. My baby is happy, healthy, and thriving and that’s really all that matters. 🙂
Mamas, What are Your Mamalogues?
You NEED to watch this video by SoulPancake and Philips Avent! It will leave you with a cheesy smile on your face and all sorts of good feelings inside. These mamas have done an incredible job sharing their mamalogues!
Judge-Free Zone: Us mamas gotta stick together! I’m curious to hear about your mamalogues. Please share with me in the comments below or share on social with #mamalogues – I love hearing from you all! 🙂
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Jamie Otis
