(no subject)

[rivka]

Colin was up all night. Literally. From 12:30 to 8, the longest he was asleep at a stretch was 30 minutes. That meant that the longest I was asleep at a stretch was 15-20 minutes. He didn't seem to be hugely hungry, although he nursed a lot in a not-very-dedicated fashion. He just couldn't sleep. It's a good thing that he won't remember any of the things I called him.

Today, naturally, he's been incredibly sleepy. I keep trying to wake him up, mostly by putting him down in the Pack-n-Play, figuring that either it will wake him up so he'll be sleepier tonight or it will help him learn to sleep more soundly when he is not actually lying on my upright body. Inevitably he wakes up within minutes of being put down. Then I nurse him, and after a brief feed he gets drowsy and falls asleep in my arms again.

Do you know what that last paragraph means? It means that tonight is probably going to be a lot like last night. And tomorrow Alex is home, which means no naps for me.

(Before you suggest the obvious solutions: yes, I did try having him lie in my arms last night, although normally for safety reasons we prefer to have him in a cosleeper set in between me and Michael in bed. It didn't work. Also, not only can't I nurse in my sleep, I can't seem to figure out how to nurse lying down at all. The angles don't seem to work right, and it's hard to get set up so that Colin can breathe.)

I did nap for an hour or two today, but mostly I have had to be up doing work stuff. One of the most hated and stressful parts of my job, made even more stressful because it involves an entirely new bureaucratic system which I am having to learn as I go along. And because a strict deadline is involved, and meeting the deadline will require things to be done by other people who are not under my control, and some of those things have turned out to be surprises. And because I would have had this done before I went on maternity leave, if it hadn't been for (a) bureaucratic screwups, and (b) bad advice from the person who supposedly knows the system and was supposed to be guiding me through it.

Working from maternity leave is really, really awful.

Comments

[casperflea.livejournal.com]

Now is the time to call in a favor from a friend and get help during the day tomorrow. At the least, an extended outing for Alex.

[kalmn.livejournal.com]

[pets]

[going-not-gone.livejournal.com]

Oh, hon. I remember that stage all too vividly. I'm sorry you have to get work done while dealing with All-Nighter Baby.

Do you have a comfortable recliner? I had a few nights where I tucked us both in a big armchair, sitting up, and we dozed/nursed/dozed all night. Not as restful as a real night's sleep, but better than getting up every half hour.

Good luck. You have my sympathies.

[spiritdancer]

For side-lying nursing when the boys were newborns, I ended up with the baby on a pillow, and fed from the upper breast. Also, start with him further down than you think you need, more or less so he's coming up from under the breast - it'll encourage him to tilt his head back, and leave his little nose a bit clearer for breathing :-)

One he gets a bit bigger, the whole nursing while lying down thing gets easier.

And I'll heartily second the suggestion for calling a friend for help tomorrow - maybe a playdate for Alex at a friend's house?

[perceval.livejournal.com]

WSS. Don't be afraid to book additional daycare sessions for Alex as and when you need them.

Also, I agree that working during maternity leave sucks - I think it exacerbated my baby blues quite a bit. My fault for turning the work email back on again, really. I recommend a long email holiday as soon as you can manage - just tell people you're not going to be reading for 2-3 weeks. I only took a week off email towards the end of my maternity leave, but I wish I'd had the guts to do it earlier. But there were always papers to be written, grant revisions to be dealt with, complex PhD students to be contended with.

Incidentally, very similar problems with nursing lying down, which the hospital really pushed as the "easiest" position. As a 32 H, sitting up was more comfortable for me and both DS and DD. Nursing lying down came later, once both had sufficient head control.

Nursing lying down

[ailbhe]

I don't know what shape you are, but nursing lying down can be done several different ways. The way that surprised me most was mother lies down more or less in the recovery position, but with the chest tipped further downwards - some even put the lower arm *behind* them rather than propping them up in front. Then she leans over and feeds with the breast *furthest* from the bed.

Some women can lie absolutely face-down and let their nipples stick out to the side and feed that way, but it hurt me when I was engorged.

[ailbhe]

I'm so sorry you're not getting sleep, and kind of angry you have job-work to do. It's so unfair.

[eeyorerin]

Lordy. I'm glad he's taken to the nursing so well, but it'd be nicer if he could need less of it during the wee small hours.

[erbie.livejournal.com]

Nursing lying down came later, once both had sufficient head control.

It's pretty difficult at first. Especially if you're larger than a B cup, and baby is new and teeny. As he gets bigger, it will become a lot easier.

[rivka.livejournal.com]

Incidentally, very similar problems with nursing lying down, which the hospital really pushed as the "easiest" position. As a 32 H, sitting up was more comfortable for me and both DS and DD.

Thank you, it really helps to hear this. I'm a 38H, and when I've tried to latch Colin on lying down it's seemed that my breast just smothers him. Then I keep seeing smug things from practiced breastfeeders about how much easier nursing is because you can just do it lying down and sleep right through, and it's incredibly frustrating to feel like I am too clueless to manage this incredibly easy thing.

[txanne.livejournal.com]

Ack. I hope this part is over soon.

[ratphooey.livejournal.com]

Try turning him around to nurse lying down. As in, put his head by your waist, instead of by your shoulder. Worked for me.

[patgreene.livejournal.com]

Practiced breastfeeders aren't you. I wasn't as large as you, but by the time I had my third I had droopy breasts, and he did not do well lying down, either.

[patgreene.livejournal.com]

Ack! I hope he gets past this soon, and you get more sleep.

[shandra.livejournal.com]

Just chiming in that I could not do this for the longest time - well past 6 months. If I have another baby, I'm getting a recliner.

[spiritdancer]

42H here more or less (mostly more - finding a good-fitting nursing bra was ... interesting).

And I don't care what anyone else says, I never managed to sleep thru a night-feeding.

[castiron.livejournal.com]

With my first child, it took several months before we finally got the hang of lying-down nursing. #2 picked it up much faster, but for the first month it was still a bit awkward.

So yep, it's possible that it'll get easier to nurse lying down as C gets bigger and gets more muscle control.

[papersky.livejournal.com]

There's a reason there's a piece of furniture called a "nursing chair" and not one called a "nursing bed".

Also, you're getting work done? Wow. I am awed.

[kate_nepveu]

It didn't work really well for this 32A either, and my one try was when SteelyKid was months old. Just in case anyone in my situation happens to wander through at any point.