Saturday, April 9, 2011

In Case You Are Wondering...

We are still here! We are still surviving...kind of. The days seem to be a blur of crying, diapers, feedings, nap times, more crying, and repeat. As I speak, Jackson is rolling around the floor - he has become quite the mobile little guy - and Addison is currently fighting sleep in her papasan, as usual.

I am still nursing. I had to see a lactation consultant and she concluded I was not making enough milk. So, I was started on Domperidone, a medication to increase milk supply. Since then, we have not had to supplement. And Addison now takes 20-30 minutes to nurse instead of over an hour. And, she usually goes 3-4 hours between feedings, a little longer the first part of the night. Of course, that doesn't mean she takes peaceful naps between feedings. Oh no, she is up fussing on and off the entire time. We have to swaddle her, rock her, walk her, bounce her, etc to get her to go to sleep, then keep holding her for at least 15-20 minutes, then put her down *finally*, then pray. And usually it doesn't work and she is up crying within 5 minutes. And I can't hold her all day, so she gets to cry a lot. I kept worrying that she was hungry, so I'd give her a bottle with breastmilk or formula, and she played with it and eventually spit it out, so I concluded she was not hungry. I consider daily switching to formula feeding, wondering if she would do better on it? I go back and forth. We worked so hard to get nursing to work, and I feel proud that I stuck with it, but is it really working? Would formula be better, would she calm down? Any thoughts?

And at night, well, it's on and off. She gets up after about 4 hours of sleeping to nurse, and sometimes falls asleep and can be put back in bassinet for another couple hours of sleep before her early morning feeding. But if she wakes up too much, it's all over. For instance, last night she got up for her feeding at 2:30am and did not finally go back to sleep until about 5:45am. She would fall asleep before that, but the minute we put her down, she was back to crying. Needless to say, we are often sleep deprived and non-too-thrilled with our newest "bundle of joy."

I have had help on and off, and thank God for that. A good friend of mine came and stayed and took Addison in her bedroom for 2 nights, except when I had to nurse. It was heaven. And Jason's family was visiting and they held the babies a lot, giving me a break. And Jason's mom is coming next week, and I am literally counting the hours. I am so thankful to everyone for coming to help - well, i think they are more coming to just see the babies, but I put them to work anyway:).

Before I forget, any ideas on baby wearing would be much appreciated. I need something that I can have both hands free and know she is safely tight against me. The Moby eludes me. Every time I put her in it, it seems too loose and I can't get it tight enough to feel comfortable for me. I have the Seven sling, but that's awkward. I also have a Bjorn, but it's not secure enough for her yet with her head flopping, so I can wear her in it, but can't get anything done. It's good for outings, but not for getting stuff done around the house. If you do have suggestions, let me warn you of one thing - my brain cannot figure out wraps or slings well if they are at all complicated. The Moby is a perfect example. I just can't work those things. So, simplicity is key here:). I'd love your thoughts!

Oh, and we are currently looking for a new house (we need WAY more space) and will probably move in the next couple of months. Uggghh. Ok, currently both babies are melting down and I want to scream. Gotta go....

9 comments:

  1. Faith, I put a previous comment in the blog for you about some feeding issues we were having with Elijah. (I can't find your email.) flakymn@hotmail.com

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  2. Keep trying to master the moby, it's worth it. It's be best for hands free baby wearing for a baby that young. they have tons of videos on you tube, check them out and remember you tie the moby on you pretty snugly before putting the baby in. you really have to PULL the fabric way from you to get the baby in the moby and then you are good! I wish I lived close by to give you a hand and to show you moby magic! :)

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  3. What I tried with my kiddo, because I really wanted to BF, too, was before bedtime add rice cereal to a bottle of breastmilk. It's more filling and she'd sleep most of the night. It helped with daytime fussiness. Hope you figure out something that works for you soon!

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  4. I tried EVERYTHING to have a baby who would sleep. Almost 8 months later, it is still really hit or miss (mostly miss, it seems). And I can't figure it out. I never put her on any formula so who knows if that would have made it better. But I understand sleep-deprived. :(

    You're doing a great job of managing 2 kids (even if it seems crazy). I admire you!!! If I lived close by, I'd be more than willing to help out even if it meant neither of us got any sleep. At least I'd have someone to hang out with in the middle of the night. :)

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  5. I found a baby wearing miracle, thanks to a friend. It is called the Sleepy Wrap. It is similar in theory to the Mobi, but is made of a different type of material - stretchier and more comfy. You wrap it snugly around yourself, then slip the baby in. It is sooooo much easier than the mobi, because you don't have to try and figure out how much room to leave in the material for the baby. I think you can even carry two babies in it. I love, love, love this thing. It is very easy to use, my baby loves it and it washes like a dream. It even gets used by other family members. You can get them at Motherhood Maternity stores or online at the company's website or ebay. My only regret is that I did not have one 15 years ago for my first daughter.

    Kudos on working through your breastfeeding issues, too. I am nursing my little one (she is 5 mos now) and nursed my first for a year. It is hard, but if you can make it work, it is soooo worth it. But on the other hand, it does not work perfectly for every mom and that is okay, too. Best of luck to you!

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  6. I have a babyhawk, which is basically a mei tai, and i love it! not quite as much to tie and twist as the moby. I used it with my son from birth, and it was a life saver when he was super colicky.... we still use it if he's having a fussy day, I just put him on my back now.

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  7. Wow, I wish I had some kind of advice for you.
    I will be thinking of you and hope that things improve and you get a chance to breathe!!

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  8. My advice about babywearing is to keep trying different things until you find something that works for you. I think I've probably had about 8-9 different varieties and I had two that I loved (a wrap version for young babies; an Ergo for older babies) It is well worth the investment when you have multiple babies, fussy babies, and believe in the value of attachment parenting!

    I had a "colicky" baby that literally required being held 23 hrs a day and even as a newborn would only sleep about 10-12 hrs a day - only while being held (not to name names, but it was not the first one, so I already had my hands full!) It was horrid and I wouldn't wish it on anyone. I wanted someone - anyone - to give me the answer that would make life tolerable. It ended up that it was just something we had to survive through. And slowly it got better. Hang in there, Faith!

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  9. My friend has a 2 month old who was initially breastfed and is now formula fed due to lack of milk supply. Her baby is still fussy so it definitely is child dependent. Stick with the breastfeeding if you can!! :)

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