I thought my stint at staying home was going to last about 12 months. It's now been 15 months and will probably last until Beckett goes to school, so another two years. Two years from today, literally, since today was the first day of school here.
Now that I know what my life is going to look like for the next two years (well, you never *really* know, but a good chance), I am trying to become more organized. Well, actually, my problem is discipline, which bleeds over into my organization, or lack thereof.
Combining my love of spreadsheets with my desire to be more disciplined is leading me to creating a "home management binder." It is essentially what it sounds like - a binder that allows you to better manage your home - schedules, meal plans, shopping lists, phone numbers, important info, etc.
I'm not going so far as to creating a checkbox for brushing my teeth or scheduling every minute, but let me tell you, it's tempting. I've read lots and lots of blogs about this, and while I can't say whether it's the chicken or the egg that came first, the women who use these binder systems are very disciplined. They manage to save time and money, homeschool their kids, make everything from scratch, exercise, keep a spotless-perfectly-organized-home, keep their husbands happy, find time to blog, and live SIMPLER lives. While I'll be happy with (partially) accomplishing two or three things on that list, and have no desire to accomplish others, I am impressed with their discipline and the happiness they derive from their simpler lives. In short, I want to (in a few ways) be like them when I grow up.
I'll be sharing with you my methods and madness over the next few weeks as I embark on my latest obsession.
Showing posts with label raising kids will make you crazy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label raising kids will make you crazy. Show all posts
Monday, August 22, 2011
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Sleep Training Chronicles
Elise has been sleeping with me (and poor Travis has been relegated to the guest room) since mid-November. It all started innocently enough; she had a rough night and I let her come in with me. Since then, any attempt to put her in her own bed has resulted in much screaming and gnashing of teeth. We tried the crib, a toddler bed, a regular bed, baths, books, rocking, treats, gushing, and so on. All she wanted was "mommy's bed." And neither of us had the patience to do much about it.
We did try the "Nanny 911" method over the holidays, where you sit close the child in their room. Every time they get up, you put them back in bed without engaging them. We did this for four nights. Each night, it took between 3 and 4 hours to get her to sleep, and she'd wake up every 45 min and scream for another 45 min. After 4 nights, we gave up. We were getting even less sleep than before, which seemed pointless.
Until recently, we were just going with it. But then we decided enough was enough. I am warning you, this is going to be a long post, so either grab a cup of coffee or just quit reading here.
We were at the ped for Beck's 9-mo check up and I spoke to him about her issues. He told me what I knew he was going to tell me - that the best thing we can do is teach her how to fall asleep and stay asleep on her own. It's not cruel or abandonment.
He said to do the bedtime routine and then put a gate up at the door (he feels closing the door is a bit too confining/separating them from the outside world) and then tell her I love her and will see her in the morning.
She may cry for 8 hours. She may puke. She may do this for 2 weeks. But she will eventually learn.
It made me soooooo sad to think about doing this, but nothing else had worked and we'd not making any improvement, so I knew it had to be done. As the ped said, I wouldn't give her candy for dinner just because she cries, so why is this any different?
____________________________________________________________________________________
Night 1
I converted Elise's crib back into a toddler bed (for the second time) as she watched me and we talked about sleeping in her bed. I hoped it would help that Mommy was doing it and she was helping. We also totally child-proofed her room.
Did the bedtime routine (brush teeth, jammies, stories, rocking) and then she started getting teary-eyed. She laid down in bed and started bawling. T and I kissed her, told her we'd see her in the morning, and stepped over the gate into the hall. She was right behind us as the gate, wailing, with her dolly in hand.
We were just about to the end of the hall when I turned around and saw her fling herself over the gate, never once letting dolly hit the ground or get hurt.
That was the end of the gate and into our bed she went.
Score after Night 1:
Elise 1, Parents 0
____________________________________________________________________________________
Night 2
I was going to buy a second gate to stack on top of the other one, until a wise coworker pointed out that she'll just fall from higher up if I do that. She's definitely a climber.
So I guess our only option was to close the door.
We started talking about sleeping in her own bed about 30 min before bed, and it did not go well. She was crying and screaming the whole time.
But we did the bedtime routine, and I rocked her. She wouldn't lay down at all, so T and I kissed her and walked out of the room. I had to literally pry her fingers off the door to close it.
She then started wailing like she was being beat and THROWING her entire body at the door. OMG. I was almost in tears. She kept screaming mommy and bodyslamming the door. She immediately got the child proof doorknob off, but couldn't get the door open, thank goodness for antique-y doorknobs that are a bit difficult to open.
For 3 min, she screamed like she was dying.
Then she crawled into her bed and silence followed. We knew it was too good to be true.
About 10 min later, she started softly crying and just repeating mommy over and over again intermixed with times of silence. This went on until about an hour after she went to bed.
She then slept THROUGH THE NIGHT. You don't understand - this is the child who wakes 5 and 6 times a night when she sleeps with me.
I woke her up at 8:45 am this morning and she cried for about 10 sec. Then started telling me how her baby slept in the bed with her and not on the floor. And on and on and on and on.
We've done tons and tons of praise and excitement over sleeping in her big girl bed. We're going to the store later and she gets to pick out a new toy. She's excited and hasn't argued back that she's going to sleep in "mommy's bed" which is her usual MO.
Score after 2 nights:
Elise 1, Parents 1
____________________________________________________________________________________
Night 3
Once again, she started crying before we even headed upstairs, but she did stop while brushing her teeth and rocking. Then she laid in her bed, somewhat unwillingly, but she did it anyhow. I gave her a kiss and told her I'd see her in the AM.
Closed the door and she was crying, but she never even got up. She cried for about 1-2 min. T did say she cried a bit more when I was in the kitchen making popcorn, but it wasn't too loud, as I couldn't hear it.
She slept through the night and was happy as could be to see T when he got her at 9 am this morning (she was still kinda sleeping).
Then it was super cute - she got into bed with me and kept kissing me on the lips and saying "Awt (love) you, too, Mommy". My little sweetie.
Score after 3 nights:
Elise 1, Parents 2
____________________________________________________________________________________
Night 4
Night 4 wasn't as smooth. She was crying off and on before we even went upstairs. Then she cried while brushing her teeth. HAHA - that was funny. We rocked for a while and then she resisted going to bed, but I got her in. She kept telling me, "No Elise like it Elise's bed. Elise like Mommy's bed."
Then the little stinker decides to climb over the SIDE of her crib. WTF? I was watching on the video, so I ran upstairs and stubbed my toe on a stupid laundry basket I stupidly left in the hall. She was perched on the side rail, which is about 4' in the air, with one leg on either side. I was expecting her to fall at any moment.
I got her down, and we rocked a bit more. Then I put her back in and went in my room next door and watched her on the video. She kept climbing over the side. Seriously? It's a toddler bed, so she can get out the front no problem. Why does she have to go over the side? But she got down just fine. Then she climbed back in the bed over the side from the outside! I told you, this girl is a monkey! For the love of all that is good, why does she do this? She was giving me a heart attack. But after she did it back and forth about 20 times, I realized she probably wasn't going to get hurt.
She cried for about 30 min total, but finally went to sleep and slept through the night.
And she was so proud of herself when she got up this morning - "Yeah, Elise waked up! Yeah, Elise!"
Score after 4 nights:
Elise 1, Parents 3 (although last night was a doozy, I still think I won)
____________________________________________________________________________________
Night 5
She started crying again before bed. I hate that part. And cried through teeth brushing, but not while rocking. I put her in her bed, kissed her and told her I'd see her in the morning. She followed me to the door, wailing and shrieking. I closed it and walked downstairs.
By the time I got downstairs, she'd stopped crying and was in her bed. Asleep.
Score after 5 Nights:
Elise 1, Parents 4
____________________________________________________________________________________
Night 6
She got a little whiney about Barney almost being over and bedtime being imminent. But then she announced "Elise brush teeth" so we went upstairs, brushed teeth, rocked, and then I told her it was time to go to bed. She hopped off my lap, crawled in her bed, covered up her babies (she's such a good little mommy) and then covered herself up. I gave her a kiss, told her I loved her and I'd see her in the morning. She did get a little tiny quiver lip, but no screaming, no crying, no tears!
She woke up three times throughout the night and cried for about two minutes each time, but she went back to sleep each and was happy as could be this morning.
Score after 6 Nights:
Elise 1, Parents 5
____________________________________________________________________________________
Night 7
Rinse and repeat night 6 minus the crying in the middle of the night.
We did try the "Nanny 911" method over the holidays, where you sit close the child in their room. Every time they get up, you put them back in bed without engaging them. We did this for four nights. Each night, it took between 3 and 4 hours to get her to sleep, and she'd wake up every 45 min and scream for another 45 min. After 4 nights, we gave up. We were getting even less sleep than before, which seemed pointless.
Until recently, we were just going with it. But then we decided enough was enough. I am warning you, this is going to be a long post, so either grab a cup of coffee or just quit reading here.
We were at the ped for Beck's 9-mo check up and I spoke to him about her issues. He told me what I knew he was going to tell me - that the best thing we can do is teach her how to fall asleep and stay asleep on her own. It's not cruel or abandonment.
He said to do the bedtime routine and then put a gate up at the door (he feels closing the door is a bit too confining/separating them from the outside world) and then tell her I love her and will see her in the morning.
She may cry for 8 hours. She may puke. She may do this for 2 weeks. But she will eventually learn.
It made me soooooo sad to think about doing this, but nothing else had worked and we'd not making any improvement, so I knew it had to be done. As the ped said, I wouldn't give her candy for dinner just because she cries, so why is this any different?
____________________________________________________________________________________
Night 1
I converted Elise's crib back into a toddler bed (for the second time) as she watched me and we talked about sleeping in her bed. I hoped it would help that Mommy was doing it and she was helping. We also totally child-proofed her room.
Did the bedtime routine (brush teeth, jammies, stories, rocking) and then she started getting teary-eyed. She laid down in bed and started bawling. T and I kissed her, told her we'd see her in the morning, and stepped over the gate into the hall. She was right behind us as the gate, wailing, with her dolly in hand.
We were just about to the end of the hall when I turned around and saw her fling herself over the gate, never once letting dolly hit the ground or get hurt.
That was the end of the gate and into our bed she went.
Score after Night 1:
Elise 1, Parents 0
____________________________________________________________________________________
Night 2
I was going to buy a second gate to stack on top of the other one, until a wise coworker pointed out that she'll just fall from higher up if I do that. She's definitely a climber.
So I guess our only option was to close the door.
We started talking about sleeping in her own bed about 30 min before bed, and it did not go well. She was crying and screaming the whole time.
But we did the bedtime routine, and I rocked her. She wouldn't lay down at all, so T and I kissed her and walked out of the room. I had to literally pry her fingers off the door to close it.
She then started wailing like she was being beat and THROWING her entire body at the door. OMG. I was almost in tears. She kept screaming mommy and bodyslamming the door. She immediately got the child proof doorknob off, but couldn't get the door open, thank goodness for antique-y doorknobs that are a bit difficult to open.
For 3 min, she screamed like she was dying.
Then she crawled into her bed and silence followed. We knew it was too good to be true.
About 10 min later, she started softly crying and just repeating mommy over and over again intermixed with times of silence. This went on until about an hour after she went to bed.
She then slept THROUGH THE NIGHT. You don't understand - this is the child who wakes 5 and 6 times a night when she sleeps with me.
I woke her up at 8:45 am this morning and she cried for about 10 sec. Then started telling me how her baby slept in the bed with her and not on the floor. And on and on and on and on.
We've done tons and tons of praise and excitement over sleeping in her big girl bed. We're going to the store later and she gets to pick out a new toy. She's excited and hasn't argued back that she's going to sleep in "mommy's bed" which is her usual MO.
Score after 2 nights:
Elise 1, Parents 1
____________________________________________________________________________________
Night 3
Once again, she started crying before we even headed upstairs, but she did stop while brushing her teeth and rocking. Then she laid in her bed, somewhat unwillingly, but she did it anyhow. I gave her a kiss and told her I'd see her in the AM.
Closed the door and she was crying, but she never even got up. She cried for about 1-2 min. T did say she cried a bit more when I was in the kitchen making popcorn, but it wasn't too loud, as I couldn't hear it.
She slept through the night and was happy as could be to see T when he got her at 9 am this morning (she was still kinda sleeping).
Then it was super cute - she got into bed with me and kept kissing me on the lips and saying "Awt (love) you, too, Mommy". My little sweetie.
Score after 3 nights:
Elise 1, Parents 2
____________________________________________________________________________________
Night 4
Night 4 wasn't as smooth. She was crying off and on before we even went upstairs. Then she cried while brushing her teeth. HAHA - that was funny. We rocked for a while and then she resisted going to bed, but I got her in. She kept telling me, "No Elise like it Elise's bed. Elise like Mommy's bed."
Then the little stinker decides to climb over the SIDE of her crib. WTF? I was watching on the video, so I ran upstairs and stubbed my toe on a stupid laundry basket I stupidly left in the hall. She was perched on the side rail, which is about 4' in the air, with one leg on either side. I was expecting her to fall at any moment.
I got her down, and we rocked a bit more. Then I put her back in and went in my room next door and watched her on the video. She kept climbing over the side. Seriously? It's a toddler bed, so she can get out the front no problem. Why does she have to go over the side? But she got down just fine. Then she climbed back in the bed over the side from the outside! I told you, this girl is a monkey! For the love of all that is good, why does she do this? She was giving me a heart attack. But after she did it back and forth about 20 times, I realized she probably wasn't going to get hurt.
She cried for about 30 min total, but finally went to sleep and slept through the night.
And she was so proud of herself when she got up this morning - "Yeah, Elise waked up! Yeah, Elise!"
Score after 4 nights:
Elise 1, Parents 3 (although last night was a doozy, I still think I won)
____________________________________________________________________________________
Night 5
She started crying again before bed. I hate that part. And cried through teeth brushing, but not while rocking. I put her in her bed, kissed her and told her I'd see her in the morning. She followed me to the door, wailing and shrieking. I closed it and walked downstairs.
By the time I got downstairs, she'd stopped crying and was in her bed. Asleep.
Score after 5 Nights:
Elise 1, Parents 4
____________________________________________________________________________________
Night 6
She got a little whiney about Barney almost being over and bedtime being imminent. But then she announced "Elise brush teeth" so we went upstairs, brushed teeth, rocked, and then I told her it was time to go to bed. She hopped off my lap, crawled in her bed, covered up her babies (she's such a good little mommy) and then covered herself up. I gave her a kiss, told her I loved her and I'd see her in the morning. She did get a little tiny quiver lip, but no screaming, no crying, no tears!
She woke up three times throughout the night and cried for about two minutes each time, but she went back to sleep each and was happy as could be this morning.
Score after 6 Nights:
Elise 1, Parents 5
____________________________________________________________________________________
Night 7
Rinse and repeat night 6 minus the crying in the middle of the night.
FINAL SCORE:
Elise 1, Parents 6
And the victory goes to the PARENTS!
Elise 1, Parents 6
And the victory goes to the PARENTS!
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
One for the baby book
Tidbit #1: We aren't bathe every night people with the kids - more like 1-2x/week. Tonight was bath night. After all the work of wrangling two kids in and out of a bath, we try to keep them clean for at least 5 min. You know, we're fancy like that.
Tidbit #2: The babysitter teaches the kids to hug by leaning in towards one another and saying "awwww" to avoid wrestling and other things that go wrong when kids hug. So that's often how Elise hugs - leans her head in as she "awwwwws."
After her bath, she needed to use her potty. Thirty successful seconds later, we did a dance and lots of high fives. She gave Beckett a high five, Daddy one, and me.
Then she bent over to hug her potty. I'm not exactly sure why the potty got a hug and we only got high-fives.
I watched in her horror as her clean hair fell right in the potty.
My horror continued as she stood up, and her urine-soaked hair slapped across the side of her face and into her mouth.
Parenthood is so glamorous.
Tidbit #2: The babysitter teaches the kids to hug by leaning in towards one another and saying "awwww" to avoid wrestling and other things that go wrong when kids hug. So that's often how Elise hugs - leans her head in as she "awwwwws."
After her bath, she needed to use her potty. Thirty successful seconds later, we did a dance and lots of high fives. She gave Beckett a high five, Daddy one, and me.
Then she bent over to hug her potty. I'm not exactly sure why the potty got a hug and we only got high-fives.
I watched in her horror as her clean hair fell right in the potty.
My horror continued as she stood up, and her urine-soaked hair slapped across the side of her face and into her mouth.
Parenthood is so glamorous.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Note to Elise
Note to Elise: Sleep in your own bed!
Two little elbows and two little knees in my back all night has me craving a nap. Big time.
Two little elbows and two little knees in my back all night has me craving a nap. Big time.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Happy Halloween!
What nearly two-year old tells people "NO" when they try to give her candy? Oh, that's right - MINE! Seriously, she was such a Halloween Grinch; she didn't want to walk, she didn't want anyone to give her candy, she really ruined all our fun! At least she looked cute. Beckett, on the other hand, was a perfect angel.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Random Ramblings
I know, I know, I haven't checked in lately. Sorry! The nesting bug has taken over my brain, and no surface, closet, or drawer in my house is safe from my urge to purge. It's driving Travis a little batty, but he's dealing as well as can be expected for a man who does not like things out of place.
Anyhow, a few random thoughts/updates:
1. Elise has her 3rd ear infection in as many months.
2. Our entire house had the stomach bug from hell last week, and we've managed to infect two other entire households. It's a nasty one!
3. We still don't have a name for this little guy, but Beckett seems to be growing on me, which would make Travis uber-happy.
4. I LOVE snow, and even I've had enough of it this winter.
5. I have a new obsession with chocolate chip cookie dough. I hope it goes away soon.
6. Touch screen phones suck. They're nearly impossible to dial while driving. I wouldn't recommend one.
7. The peanut butter in Girl Scout Cookies is safe, so order/buy lots of cookies!
8. I'm sad that ER is in its final season.
9. I'm glad President Obama is finally in office.
10. I'm almost caught up on my laundry!
I promise to post some Elise pics later this week!
Anyhow, a few random thoughts/updates:
1. Elise has her 3rd ear infection in as many months.
2. Our entire house had the stomach bug from hell last week, and we've managed to infect two other entire households. It's a nasty one!
3. We still don't have a name for this little guy, but Beckett seems to be growing on me, which would make Travis uber-happy.
4. I LOVE snow, and even I've had enough of it this winter.
5. I have a new obsession with chocolate chip cookie dough. I hope it goes away soon.
6. Touch screen phones suck. They're nearly impossible to dial while driving. I wouldn't recommend one.
7. The peanut butter in Girl Scout Cookies is safe, so order/buy lots of cookies!
8. I'm sad that ER is in its final season.
9. I'm glad President Obama is finally in office.
10. I'm almost caught up on my laundry!
I promise to post some Elise pics later this week!
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
An Act of God
My friend Angie just left me a message. Her in-laws are in town, and Katie, who is 7, was describing her birthday for them (two of my best friends from HS and I spent the day together with 5 of our 7 kids). According to Katie, “My mom’s one friend has a baby with a little bit of orange hair. She is sooooooooo well-behaved; it’s like an act of God.”
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Ahhhhh, sweet sleep!
We started sleep training Elise on the eve of her 10-month birthday. What a great idea it was!
Our plan was to let her fuss for 5 min, then we’d go in and lay her back down, and rub her back for 3-5 min. We kept doing this until she fell back asleep and any time she woke up.
And here are the results:
Night 1: 1 hr 45 min of on-and-off crying
Night 2: 50 min of on-and-off crying
Night 3: 5 min of crying
Night 4: Slept through the night
Night 5: 2 very short crying episodes that stopped immediately with back-patting
Night 6: Slept through the night
Night 7: Slept through the night
Night 8: Slept through the night
Night 9: Slept through the night
Night 10: Slept through the night
Nights 11 and on: Slept through the night
Here’s why I think we’ve been successful thus far:
*I waited until I knew she could sleep through the night, as she’d done it here and there, but not consistently.
*I waited until I felt she could cognitively understand what we were doing – that she wasn’t going to get picked up just because she fussed a little. She knows what “no” means, and I felt that was a good indicator of her readiness.
*I was 100% committed to it once we started. I knew it was going to be tough, but I also knew that once we started, we couldn’t give in and pick her up – we’d do more harm than good!
*I finally accepted that her crying was because she was mad that we wouldn’t pick her up. She was not hurt, scared, or sad – she was ticked off! I can deal with ticked off; I’m sure she’ll be mad at me lots during her life – it just means I’m doing my job right.
As a testimony to her sleeping better, when I picked her up from daycare one day last week, her sitter (who did not know we were sleep training) commented that she was a different child the past few days and wanted to know what we were doing differently! Well, she’s getting adequate amounts of sleep for the first time in quite a while, and it definitely has improved her demeanor. She’s just a happier kid!
My next step is putting her to bed drowsy but not fast asleep, but I’m going to wait a month or so before tackling that!
Our plan was to let her fuss for 5 min, then we’d go in and lay her back down, and rub her back for 3-5 min. We kept doing this until she fell back asleep and any time she woke up.
And here are the results:
Night 1: 1 hr 45 min of on-and-off crying
Night 2: 50 min of on-and-off crying
Night 3: 5 min of crying
Night 4: Slept through the night
Night 5: 2 very short crying episodes that stopped immediately with back-patting
Night 6: Slept through the night
Night 7: Slept through the night
Night 8: Slept through the night
Night 9: Slept through the night
Night 10: Slept through the night
Nights 11 and on: Slept through the night
Here’s why I think we’ve been successful thus far:
*I waited until I knew she could sleep through the night, as she’d done it here and there, but not consistently.
*I waited until I felt she could cognitively understand what we were doing – that she wasn’t going to get picked up just because she fussed a little. She knows what “no” means, and I felt that was a good indicator of her readiness.
*I was 100% committed to it once we started. I knew it was going to be tough, but I also knew that once we started, we couldn’t give in and pick her up – we’d do more harm than good!
*I finally accepted that her crying was because she was mad that we wouldn’t pick her up. She was not hurt, scared, or sad – she was ticked off! I can deal with ticked off; I’m sure she’ll be mad at me lots during her life – it just means I’m doing my job right.
As a testimony to her sleeping better, when I picked her up from daycare one day last week, her sitter (who did not know we were sleep training) commented that she was a different child the past few days and wanted to know what we were doing differently! Well, she’s getting adequate amounts of sleep for the first time in quite a while, and it definitely has improved her demeanor. She’s just a happier kid!
My next step is putting her to bed drowsy but not fast asleep, but I’m going to wait a month or so before tackling that!
Friday, November 30, 2007
Breastfeeding, the bane of my existence
A recap of our breastfeeding journey...it's been a long, wild ride, but it's so worth it in the end!
11/24:
Not sure exactly where to start, but here's the run-down, as short as I can make it. Elise had trouble latching on from the beginning, because of my wonderfully-shaped nipples (yes, I am sharing this piece of personal info with the entire world - modesty went out the window a while ago!) The lactatation consultant (LC) gave me nipple shields, and Elise would latch pretty well, but she got frustrated QUICKLY when she didn't get something immediately.
The LC (or a nurse) worked with us nearly every feeding while in the hospital. On the second day, the LC recommended the SNS (a small tube that goes over your nipple and gives them formula) because Elise got so frustrated so quickly. It worked OK, but she is a very lazy latcher. She latches, sucks 5-6 times, then falls asleep. She'll do this for about 10 min, and then she is completely done.
We were sent home with the SNS, which I faithfully used until my milk came in. It was in for 14 hours, but Elise never sucked hard enough for it start flowing, so the LC recommended a hospital pump to relieve the engorgement. She also recommended bottle-feeding her every other feed, since she was getting more jaundiced. We have been doing that since, although now she doesn't like the SNS either. I've still been trying it or just latching her on every other feed. She's soooooo lazy, though, and I don't know if it's just her (she's lazy, even with a bottle) or if she's gotten to used to the bottle.
We met with the LC last Monday to see if we could get her to latch, and based on her swallow, the LC thinks that the suctioning that was done on Elise after birth irritated her throat, which is making her not want to swallow, and excaberting the whole situation. She recommended letting her get past that, continuing to alternate bottle/breast or SNS, and meeting with her again on this upcoming Thursday. She seems very confident that we can still make this work, but to be honest, I'm getting discouraged. DD is just soooo lazy...even with the bottle, she's so lazy with her latch and suck.
11/26:
We had a ped appt today and I was discussing it with him, and he gave me several tips, including his #1 tip, that I just needed to relax. What do you know? I came home from that appt 48 hours ago, and she's had 2 bottles since then! That's it...she's been nursing!!!!!
We still have a few hurdles to get over, but I see a giant light at the end of the tunnel. She doesn't like my left breast nor is she patient enough to get the milk flowing on her own, so I pump for about 60 seconds before latching her on. But those both seem like workable hurdles at this point.
11/29:
OMG!!! By golly, I think we have it down!!!!! I can hardly believe it!!!!!
My appt was at noon, so I fed her at about 8:30 AM and made her wait, since they wanted a hungry baby. The LC had the time wrong, and didn't get there until after 1 PM. She was super-duper apologetic, but Elise was starving, and I was near tears, as I didn't sleep but 2 hours last night.
HOWEVER, it was well worth the wait...and get this...it's been MY fault all along. I feel so guilty...my first new mom guilt trip. LOL
I wasn't supporting my breast properly, so she couldn't get her poor little chin/jaw under my nipple properly. That's why she was so fussy about latching on.
The LC helped me position my hand, and she latched on immediately. She swallows with nearly every suck, which explains her world-record efficiency. She also latched right onto the left side, which was a FIRST! She nursed for about 12 minutes total (both sides) and was done. The LC estimated that she got 3 oz in that time.
I feel soooooo great! The LC said that we should be good to go, as long as I remember how to support my breast and position my fingers. My milk lets down immediately, and Elise has a perfect latch and suck/swallow. And the best part? It really doesn't hurt when they are latched on properly...no more shooting fire out my nipples!
She ate again when we got home, and it went great. I'm knocking on wood, but I think we just turned the last major corner that we needed to turn!
Oh, and I have a bunch of frozen breast milk that I am going to donate to a milk bank. I'm going to pump until this rental is due so I can get as much as possible for them, since I have production out the wazooooo....
11/30:
The last 24 hours have been amazing. We've had no real issues with bfing, other than it sometimes takes us a few shots to get her latched right, but that's minor at this point.
A few great things about bfing from the last day:
-She's a more relaxed baby...probably partly because I'm more relaxed and partly because she is so much more relaxed when she bf vs. bottle feeds. She lays there with her eyes closed...it's so sweet.
-Last night was awesome. She got up twice to eat...I got her out of the bassinette, into bed with me, she ate, I changed her, and I was back asleep within 30 minutes. I got nearly 8 hours of sleep!!!!
-The two of us were just upstairs working, and she got fussy, even though she had eaten about an hour earlier. I sat down on the bed, fed her, she fell asleep, and I kept right on working. How easy was that!?!?!?!?!
All the struggles the past two weeks were so worth it now!!!!
11/24:
Not sure exactly where to start, but here's the run-down, as short as I can make it. Elise had trouble latching on from the beginning, because of my wonderfully-shaped nipples (yes, I am sharing this piece of personal info with the entire world - modesty went out the window a while ago!) The lactatation consultant (LC) gave me nipple shields, and Elise would latch pretty well, but she got frustrated QUICKLY when she didn't get something immediately.
The LC (or a nurse) worked with us nearly every feeding while in the hospital. On the second day, the LC recommended the SNS (a small tube that goes over your nipple and gives them formula) because Elise got so frustrated so quickly. It worked OK, but she is a very lazy latcher. She latches, sucks 5-6 times, then falls asleep. She'll do this for about 10 min, and then she is completely done.
We were sent home with the SNS, which I faithfully used until my milk came in. It was in for 14 hours, but Elise never sucked hard enough for it start flowing, so the LC recommended a hospital pump to relieve the engorgement. She also recommended bottle-feeding her every other feed, since she was getting more jaundiced. We have been doing that since, although now she doesn't like the SNS either. I've still been trying it or just latching her on every other feed. She's soooooo lazy, though, and I don't know if it's just her (she's lazy, even with a bottle) or if she's gotten to used to the bottle.
We met with the LC last Monday to see if we could get her to latch, and based on her swallow, the LC thinks that the suctioning that was done on Elise after birth irritated her throat, which is making her not want to swallow, and excaberting the whole situation. She recommended letting her get past that, continuing to alternate bottle/breast or SNS, and meeting with her again on this upcoming Thursday. She seems very confident that we can still make this work, but to be honest, I'm getting discouraged. DD is just soooo lazy...even with the bottle, she's so lazy with her latch and suck.
11/26:
We had a ped appt today and I was discussing it with him, and he gave me several tips, including his #1 tip, that I just needed to relax. What do you know? I came home from that appt 48 hours ago, and she's had 2 bottles since then! That's it...she's been nursing!!!!!
We still have a few hurdles to get over, but I see a giant light at the end of the tunnel. She doesn't like my left breast nor is she patient enough to get the milk flowing on her own, so I pump for about 60 seconds before latching her on. But those both seem like workable hurdles at this point.
11/29:
OMG!!! By golly, I think we have it down!!!!! I can hardly believe it!!!!!
My appt was at noon, so I fed her at about 8:30 AM and made her wait, since they wanted a hungry baby. The LC had the time wrong, and didn't get there until after 1 PM. She was super-duper apologetic, but Elise was starving, and I was near tears, as I didn't sleep but 2 hours last night.
HOWEVER, it was well worth the wait...and get this...it's been MY fault all along. I feel so guilty...my first new mom guilt trip. LOL
I wasn't supporting my breast properly, so she couldn't get her poor little chin/jaw under my nipple properly. That's why she was so fussy about latching on.
The LC helped me position my hand, and she latched on immediately. She swallows with nearly every suck, which explains her world-record efficiency. She also latched right onto the left side, which was a FIRST! She nursed for about 12 minutes total (both sides) and was done. The LC estimated that she got 3 oz in that time.
I feel soooooo great! The LC said that we should be good to go, as long as I remember how to support my breast and position my fingers. My milk lets down immediately, and Elise has a perfect latch and suck/swallow. And the best part? It really doesn't hurt when they are latched on properly...no more shooting fire out my nipples!
She ate again when we got home, and it went great. I'm knocking on wood, but I think we just turned the last major corner that we needed to turn!
Oh, and I have a bunch of frozen breast milk that I am going to donate to a milk bank. I'm going to pump until this rental is due so I can get as much as possible for them, since I have production out the wazooooo....
11/30:
The last 24 hours have been amazing. We've had no real issues with bfing, other than it sometimes takes us a few shots to get her latched right, but that's minor at this point.
A few great things about bfing from the last day:
-She's a more relaxed baby...probably partly because I'm more relaxed and partly because she is so much more relaxed when she bf vs. bottle feeds. She lays there with her eyes closed...it's so sweet.
-Last night was awesome. She got up twice to eat...I got her out of the bassinette, into bed with me, she ate, I changed her, and I was back asleep within 30 minutes. I got nearly 8 hours of sleep!!!!
-The two of us were just upstairs working, and she got fussy, even though she had eaten about an hour earlier. I sat down on the bed, fed her, she fell asleep, and I kept right on working. How easy was that!?!?!?!?!
All the struggles the past two weeks were so worth it now!!!!
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