Month 1

I started being able to handle Olly on my own around 3 weeks which means David could go out and get groceries or something. After 4 weeks he went back to work and I was left alone with the baby. I still needed meals to be pre-made so all I needed was to microwave it.

The key issue at this stage was to get the baby to nap during the day. I would feed him and he'd fall asleep. I would wait about 15 mins until he's in deep sleep and I would gingerly lift him up and put him ever so carefully into the bassinet, the crib, or the bed. A few seconds after I put him down, he would detect my absence and start crying. The internet told me that this was almost a self-preserving instinct so that they are not left alone. Your warmth and the sound of your heartbeat keeps them feeling safe and secure.

Sleeping on me. Happy as a clam.

Why did you put me down??

That's great internet but sometimes mommy needs to shower or eat or go to the washroom!
At some point I started feeding him on the bed and rolling away ninja style. This worked for awhile but it was harder to get a proper latch feeding on the bed.

Then I tried to put him swaddled in a swing. This seemed to work better than the bed. He would stay asleep and napped longer than the bed. It worked for about a week and I was very relieved but in the end sleeping on mommy was still the best.

After reading some articles where mommies reminisce about this short and precious time where they'd sleep on you, I started to really treasure having him on me. Netflix saved the day and I would binge watch Homeland, Downton Abbey and Modern Family while he slept.

Sometimes we'd get into situations like this:

Eating fried rice for lunch

Now that he's 3 months old and can sleep on his own I DO really miss having him on me. It's not the same now that he's a lot bigger and can barely fit across the armchair.