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Bullets from the Front Line
May 31st, 2010
* Sam is currently taking a nap in his crib in his very own room for the first time. Now, every tiny little snuffle and snort won’t jolt me wide awake and have me jumping up to check for choking on spit-up and SIDS. Instead, I’ll hear it over the monitor and have to run to the other side of the house to check. Somehow, I’m not quite sure this “moving to his own room” idea is in my best interest.
* Thank you very much for your sympathy and empathy on the whole “older child is driving me batshit crazy” sitch. It helped IMMENSELY to know that other moms felt the same way when their second child was born. I was feeling very much like an unfit mother. Now, I still feel that way, but in a “normal” sense.
* I’m recovering nicely. I’ve been off the pain meds since the day after we brought Sam home. My swelling and bruising are just about gone and so far my incision has stayed completely closed. SCORE! Also, I weigh five pounds less than I did when I got pregnant. (Don’t hate me. I only gained 13 pounds over the pregnancy.)
* We’ve made the decision to breastfeed AND bottle feed Sam. I realized that nursing exclusively was wicked difficult with a toddler around. And Sam takes about 1.5 hours to nurse (LITERALLY. No hyperbole, people.) and that’s just way too much of my day taken away with another child to tend to. So, I nurse him once or twice a day and he gets a bottle for the other feedings. I realize this makes me unpopular with the “breast is best” nazis, but it’s the best decision for my family at this point in time and I’m happy with it. Maddie was almost exclusively formula fed and has turned out just fine so I know I’m not doing Sam any long-term harm.
* Sleep deprivation is causing my temper to simmer right on the surface, but so far the hormonal roller coaster hasn’t been too bad this time around. The Z0loft is definitely helping keep Teh Crazy at bay.
* We’re settling into our new routines and finding the things that work for us. It’s a HUGE readjustment and sometimes kind of a pain in the ass, but I’m praying it’ll all be worth it one day.
test Filed under family, maddie, Sam | Comments (10)10 Responses to “Bullets from the Front Line”
The adjustments to the routine are crazy, aren’t they? Ack. I don’t envy you—but you’re right, eventually it’s worth it and the new routine seems….routine.
It will DEFINITELY all be worth it one day. I mean, have you seen how CUTE that kid is? Seriously. And he’s only going to get cuter as he gets older.
Ah, slow nursers are super difficult. There’s not much you can do to speed up a slow eater… I’ve been working on MY slow eater for going on five years now without luck! And yes, we supplemented her with formula too!
Slow nursers are a pain in the booty. I was lucky that my first was the slowest and the rest have been fast-ish. The routine will become so normal that you won’t remember what it was like to have a different one, weird how that happens.
I’m there with you about the slow nurser. My daughter nursed for hours on end up until she was around 9 months. Then she suddenly figured out how to do it quickly (15 minutes). Now (almost 13 months) she will only go 5-10 minutes and I wonder if she actually got anything.
Pics of Sam’s room, pretty please.
I’ve heard slow nursers can be a killa on the nursing front. Who has that much time to be shirtless? Bah.
I love the bit about the slow nursing. I’m way scared that this little girl will be a slow nurser when she comes since her brother was one. BTW, he was also a nipple biter. Yup, that made me want to hit the “dislike” button on breastfeeding right away, but I did it with him for 2 months before we supplemented. This time around, I think we may have to follow in your footsteps. The boy will be home with me all summer, so dealing with a preschooler and a newborn while trying to, you know, survive myself, might be a challenge. Please keep us updated on how well it works for you!
My kid was a slow nurser and it was a killer when I only had one to deal with. I’m hoping the girl will be with the quickness.
Just a pointer, there is a baby monitor that senses their movements as they sleep. An alarm sounds if they stop breathing so SIDS is avoided. We had one for our first child and it was the best piece of mind. It is called “Angel Care” baby monitor and you put a sensor under their mattress and I swear it works! You will however have a heart attack when the sensor goes off the first time. Our little boy had just rolled to a corner where the sensor could not feel him. He was fine but really pissed when I hovered all over him while he was trying to sleep.