Tuesday, February 19, 2008

I gave in to the binky monster

Well I'd said I wasn't going to give my son a pacifier...and I didn't for two whole months. But after WEEKS of him not being able to go to sleep for 12+ hours at a time I finally gave in and researched it to see if there were any good reasons not to use it. AND there are...they can become dependent on them...it can cause nipple confusion if given at first...but other than that not too many good reasons not to.
And the Mayo clinic says that they might cause a reduced risk of SIDS...always a good thing.
So I gave in. and he was asleep in under 5 min and slept for 3 hours...I took it out of his mouth after he fell asleep b/c I don't want him dependent on it for sleeping or anything...but I've used the same trick 3 more times and it has worked each time with him sleeping for at least 3 hours each time....so... I am now going to use it when he has trouble sleeping.
I guess I decided that no matter how much I don't like them him being able to sleep and feel better was more important. But I still feel guilty and, of course, worried that I didn't do the wrong thing. The nice thing about knowing myself the way I do is that I know that I'd worry I did the wrong thing if I didn't give it to him too so that worry isn't going to stop me.
Time for me to go take away the pacifier :)

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Sleepless

Wow the last two nights have been looong! Night before last I didn't get him to sleep till after 5am and last night/ this morning I gave up at about 6:30am and woke my husband up because I was exhausted (two hours of sleep will do that to you). The baby finally went to sleep for him about 10am. Did I mention that when I woke him up I was crying, balling really, because I felt like a total failure as a mother because nothing I was doing was making my little angel happy.
I realize now that it was the sleep deprivation talking but at the time it just felt like I was failing at life. So....he was up for 13 hours with only two 30min sleep breaks. Is that normal? I thought babies slept for 12-18 hours not were up for 12 hours at a time? He's not sick that we can tell and seems to feel all right, only cries if I put him down... He has his two month checkup next week so I'm going to ask the doctor. He hasn't really slept that much today 10-2.... then 3;30-6;30 then he took a little nap around 7 and woke up at about 8:15...got him back to sleep a little before 10 and he's waking up again....sigh. I know he is miserable too I can tell he wants to sleep but just can't get it. Yesterday during the day after his little 10 hours of wakie time he slept for 7 hours and acted like he felt much better...till he woke up at 10;30 and stayed awake for 12 hours...ok I'm rambling but if anyone knows anything about what keeps babies up for such long stretches I'd love to hear about it.
Oh and I've tried swaddling which works sometimes and shhhing noises and a sound machine and a swinging chair all of which work great except when he's in marathon wakie time. Sweet dreams all.

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Sleep and pumping!

I think I've become a bit obsessed with sleep lately. For about a week I was getting about three hours of sleep for every twelve or so that I was up with him. He would sleep a little in those twelve hours or so, for about thirty minutes. I was beginning to think I wouldn't make it!
But today he's been sleeping beautifully. He slept from midnightish to almost 6am then back to sleep around 8 and up at 1pm. Back to sleep around 3 and still sleeping..I'm expecting him to wake up any minute now. Hubby thinks he hasn't been feeling well and is now feeling better. I thought maybe he was teething but he is only 7 weeks old *tomorrow*. At any rate that is the sleep part of the post.
Pumping. Have I mentioned that I am breastfeeding exclusively? Oh and that I love it and that every bad thing I've read about it didn't happen for me? Yay! It was easy and mostly painless from the start and he had gained apx 2 oz per day as of his last checkup which the doc said was wonderful as 1oz per is considered good. Back to pumping. So I bought a pump in case I needed or wanted to go out so the hubster could stay home with the little guy and him not starve to death *baby not daddy*. I kept meaning to pump and freeze but dang is it hard to find time to pump when the baby always wants to eat or is eating all the time or wants you to hold him when he isn't eating...and then if none of that is going on I was wanting to sleep. BUT yesterday I had a doctors appointment so I had to pump for the lil guy because I didn't know how long I'd be gone. Was about the fourth time I'd tried and it went pretty well. The funny thing is when hubby went to feed him, I expressed about 3oz, he sucked it all down in around 2 minutes! I'd put the slower flow nipple with the bottle but apparently he's so used to having to really work for it he didn't know what to do with the easy delivery system. teehe. I don't know why but that kinda cracked me up.
So tonight I pumped before my tutoring session in case he woke up while I was working (I tutor online). This brings me to the reason I started the post about pumping. It only took me about 20min tonight to get more than I've been getting in half an hour to an hour so I guess pumping does get easier! I was a little worried but now I have my first bottle to freeze because he didn't wake up during class! Yay me, I am officially ahead of the game! SWEET!
Oh and for anyone reading this that wants to tell me breastfeeding isn't easy for everyone, I know :) I just think it is great/cool that it is easy for me and I'm crossing my fingers that it remains that way and is this easy for the next (we've decided we want at least one more little angel) one.
Goodnight all :)

Saturday, February 2, 2008

Wow where did January go?

I blinked and January was gone :) I know you missed me but I'm back now and I'll try to get back to writing daily or close to it. It is crazy how I'm busier as a stay at home mommy than I was when I was working multiple jobs.
I look at my little angel and can't believe how huge he is! He's only six weeks old but I feel like he's all grown up! I'm going to be impossible when he really does grow up. Right now he's all snuggly and I know it is just going to break my heart when he gets too old for it.

I wonder if all first time moms resist taking their baby out of the house? So far I've only left to do errands when his dad or grandpa are over to watch him because I don't want to take him into the grocery store or the post office or wherever. He's only been to the doctors office so far....overprotective much? :) I know I have to take him out its just I think of all the things that can go wrong and I decide I don't really need the milk/mail/whatever until someone is home to babysit. I mentioned before that I worry about everything, right? :)