Biting the Bullet

BabyCenter.com sent me an email informing me that my child is 46 weeks old. 6 weeks shy of his first birthday. I really don't read these updates. I freak out if I think something is not going right. One of the things I loved about my OB was that he didn't give me unneccessary information. All I needed to know was that my baby was healthy. He didn't tell me the heart rate in an exact number, just that it sounded great. When I looked at my chart at the end, I saw how it fluctuated from week to week and I know me. I would have freaked and been concerned about something I didn't need to be concerned about. So I don't read these email things. Occassionally there will be a topic in a headline that will spark an interest, but generally I don't read them.

Anyway, 46 weeks old. I thought about where I wanted him to be, and how far he's come. In my opinion, he does alot of things that are somewhat advanced for his age, like putting his cookies through the slot in his cookie jar, and doesn't do other things as regularly or as well as another baby his age. I am not worried about him in terms of development or growth. He's perfect to me. He's healthy and he's happy.

But he wasn't sleeping well. His sleeping routine was not where I wanted it to be.

I realize that breastfeeding babies don't routinely sleep through the night until they are a bit older. But Isaac weaned himself. He's a bottle baby now. So that reason doesn't fly for me.

Plus I AM DAMN TIRED. Somehow I ended up with like, 4 jobs over the past year and no matter what I do, I have alot on my plate. I need sleep.

I thought about it long and hard. I looked at our routine and what needed to change. I talked to my husband, and then just bit the bullet.

Isaac eats dinners between 5:30 and 6, followed by his bath. Then he is allowed to play until about 7:30ish. At that time we turn down all the lights, have one last bottle and cuddle and rock for a while. Then at 8, heavy eyed or not so much (but he is 9.5 times out of 10), we go into his room, turn on his aquarium and kiss him goodnight. I put him in his crib and rub his back, tell him I love him and I will be right outside. Then I leave him and shut the door. I let him cry it out.

He screams. It started out as about 30-45 minutes of screaming, sometimes an hour. We are down to about 20 minutes. And then he sleeps. AND THEN HE SLEEPS THROUGH THE NIGHT.

So do I.

Do I like hearing my baby scream? Absolutely not. But it is not a pained cry. He's mad. I don't go in there anymore, because that makes him scream louder. I distract myself. I don't go near his room. I clean up the kitchen and pick up all his toys around the house. I took a couple of long showers and dried my hair. I do laundry in the basement. I run the dishwasher. I don't really hear him. By the time I am done with everything, he's sound asleep and I go in then to tuck him in.

It was the best decision for us. He knows I love him. And now, he is a delight in the morning. He wakes up happy and rested and so do I. If he wakes up during the night, I don't hear him. He greets me with smiles in the morning.

It was time. We all needed this.

All I Want For Christmas

...is for my baby to start sleeping through the night.

Seriously. That's all I want. I am considering driving myself to the mall just to tell that to Santa. Forget the KitchenAid mixer, and the Blu Ray player. I don't really need that purple Coach purse or those EasyTone shoes. What I need is SLEEP.

Isaac is close to getting a sleep pattern down, said while holding my breath. The last time I thought that, 4 pearly whites starting cutting through his gums at the same time.

Well, now those teeth have all broke through. Realizing his need for a baby toothbrush, I also realized his need for a better bedtime routine.

Oh, he knows when bedtime is. BELIEVE ME. He knows. He knows because he HOWLS. and wiggles. and squirms. and recently, BITES. I think that may have been because of the teeth, but still. He bit me. I will not be the mother to the biter.

Anyway, Isaac goes to bed around 8. During the prevacation, I hate my life because these teeth are killing me phase, he pushed it to about 9:30 or 10. That doesn't really work for me or Ben. We need those 2 hours. Now, if he was sleeping from 10 until 7, I would be fine. But he wasn't. He was still waking up at least once a night, if not 2 or 3 times. Then he insisted on being up at 5.

So now....now, I am kinda done with the lack of sleeping routine. He's almost 11 months. He's weaning himself. He's ready. I'm ready.

So last night, I gave him his bottle. Then he nursed for a minute or two. And then just laid there, cooing in my arms while we rocked. At 8, I took him into his room, with his newly lowered crib (necessary because I have a standing man). I kissed him. Turned on the mobile, and put him down. Let the screaming begin. I told him he was fine, and I would be right outside but it was time for bed now. I rubbed his back and gave him one last hug, then left the room, closing the door behind me. I cleaned up the kitchen and did a few other things. By 8:30, the screaming had stopped. There were a few occassional whimpers, but then silence.

And then he slept until 7:15 this morning.

So I say with bated breath:

Dear Santa,
All I want for Christmas this year is for my baby to start sleeping through the night.

Oh, and Avent size 4 nipples. I can't throw those into the dishwasher and if I am not going to be able to sleep much at night, I can't waste any of that time washing nipples for Isaac's bottles.

D.O.N.E.

On Thursday I will have been breastfeeding for 10 months. 10 rewarding, exhilarating, exhausting months.

My original goal was to breastfeed solidly for a year. I also wanted a completely natural childbirth, but plans change (hello, epidural!). Secretly, I was praying to make it to 9 months.

I have made the decision to stop pumping after we get home from vacation. At that point Isaac will be about 2 weeks shy of 11 months (gulp). I will only nurse him in the morning and at night. He will get one breastmilk bottle a day and one formula bottle. When the breastmilk runs out, he will be getting 2 formula bottles a day. At that point we will begin to phase in whole cow's milk.

I made this decision for a few reasons.

1. Isaac is about done with nursing. He is totally not interested in it during the day. He doesn't want to nurse for as long, he turns away and tries to sit up. He is much more interested in his food at mealtimes. Even if I tried to nurse him before his meals, he does the same thing. He is making it quite clear he is ready to move on.

2. I hate pumping. I do it for my baby, and that is the only thing that keeps me doing it: His little happy, full of food and content face. In the past month, my milk supply has started to diminish. When I came back to work, I had to pump 3 times per day. And my boobs told me I had to pump three times a day. Slowly that went from 3 to 2. I was still pumping 3 times a day at the beginning of November. I was trying to up the supply. And it worked. About 2 weeks ago, I went down to 2. That's pretty much when Isaac said "yeah, I am kinda over this, Mom. Where's my sippy cup?!" Now, I can skate by on just one pumping session.

3. This is completely selfish, but pumping has become inconvenient. Sigh. Yep. Work is busy, I have been in the field more often. Isaac and I have play dates, and I have more of a social life again. I have been taking classes and training. Lugging around Miss Medela is rough. And, Medela, while I appreciate the sleek design of your bags, you just can't glamorize pumping in the back seat of your car in a parking garage in the city. It is becoming harder and harder to find the opportunities to pump on days like that.

So yeah. Kinda done.

I am sad. I am excited for the next phase. I am slightly disappointed.

But I am mostly proud of myself and Isaac for making it this far.

9 Down, 3 To Go

As of today, I have made it through 9 months of breastfeeding. Breastfeeding and pumping. That means I only have 3 to go. Does this mean I am in the homestretch?!

I feel rather accomplished. I never knew the breastfeeding was so intensive. I thought it would be easy. No seriously, I did.

I was not prepared for all the hormone surges and shifts. All the pain. The 2 cases of slight mastitis, which were HORRIBLE, and I can't imagine having a severe case. All the milk stained clothes.

About a month ago, I hit a wall and got lazy. I didn't want to pump, because let's face it....it's not fun. It seemed tedious and I just started slcaking off...and then so did my milk supply. And then I FREAKED.

So the next week or so was spent revving up my milk supply. I went back to taking Fenugreek relilgiously. I added an extra pumping session into my day. After Isaac nursed, I pumped. Lo and behold, the milk came back. It still is nothing like it was when he was a newborn, but it's enough to make me feel confident we will make it to the 1 year mark. We will most likely switch to just pumping around the 11 month mark, to fully transition Isaac to bottles. He still retaliates against them from time to time. Mostly when he is really tired or feeling sick.

Yay me! 9 down...3 more to go. The finish line is in sight.

I Want That!!!!!!

We try to eat dinner as a family, but it has been hard since Isaac joined our dinner party. :) Of course, he always gets fed first and most times that means Ben eats while I feed the baby boy. Ever since he has been big enough, we have been sitting him at the dinner table with us in his high chair (when possible...sometimes it's just not.). And lately, he has been eyeing our spoon and forkfuls of food and practically drooling over Mommy delish cooking (true story). One morning while nursing on the boppy, a certain little man went as far to grab my oatmeal laden spoon and pull it toward his little mouth.

After this, I decided to give the cereal off a spoon a whirl...all the signs of being ready were there...and boy, was he ever ready! We have been doing it for about a week, and it is going AWESOME! Isaac took to the spoon like a fish to water, no problems. As soon as he goes in the high chair with a big ol bib on, he knows something good is coming his way! He recognizes the spoonful of cereal at the beginning of the feeding, and before I know it, his little mouth is wide open and saliva is dripping down his face in anticipation. :) He is however, a messy eater, like his Daddy.

His eating repetoire now goes a little like this: big breakfast of both sides of the milk factory, mid-morning snack of about 3-4 ounces, lunchtime rice cereal 4 oz. bottle or 2 oz.rice cereal from spoon, afternoon snack of 4 ounces, dinner of both sides of milk factory, before bedtime oatmeal cereal bottle.

There's Always a First Time for Everything

These photos pretty much summarize some of the firsts that Isaac has had over the past week or so. Yep, he is holding toys! And now, not just holding them, but scoping them out and putting them in his mouth! This has inpsired me to go through his tub-o-toys and look for suitable ones. Gotta say, as much as they cost, he loves the Baby Einstein ones! His favorite though, is Mr. Elefante which is pictured twice above. Mr. Mono joins in the fun in the high chair pic.

And yes, he is in his high chair! Not to eat of course, but as another place for sitting and general entertainment. During my last cook-off, I noticed that someone was just not a happy camper in his bouncer on my kitchen floor. I think it was something to do with the angle and that he was looking up at everything, etc. Since I needed to get my meals done, the fussiness was just not cutting it and I just couldn't keep bending down to talk to him and get everything done. I caught a glimpse of the high chair and thought to myself "why not?" I mean, he is pretty good and sitting up with little assistance. So off came the big tray and he LOVED it.

And then we have the feet. Since discovering his tootsies, he has been obsessed with them. The other night in the bath, he finally discovered that....gasp! He can hold them in his hands! :)

He also LOVES his Baby Einstein DVDs! We have been watching the Baby's First Sounds, and he really likes do ing the activities with mommy. Can we say "ba, ba, ba....ba-by? ma, ma, ma....mommy?" :)

And if you recall Monday is Daddy Daycare day. The last two have been um....rough. I have gotten report that someone took almost 2 ounces from his bottle with little fuss! And regular daycare feedings have been increasing in success as well, as on Friday he ate about as much as I was able to pump.

Yay, Isaac Benjamin! You are growing so fast! :)

Baby Expo-sure

Today, Isaac and I journeyed into Santa Rosa to the My Baby Expo. I didn't really know what to expect, given I had only heard about the event off a sign posted on the telephone pole on the way to daycare, but boy am I glad we went! We got loaded with free stuff and saw some of the awesome new gadgets in baby and mommy gear! Among our stash, we walked away with new design Avent bottles (Score! this is our bottle!), a Munchie Mug, some sippie cups, play-doh recipes, TONS of coupons, free samples of wipes, boogie wipes, diapers, a baby brag book....soooo much stuff.

We visited every booth, and more so, we talked to every booth, even if it didn't really apply to our situation. All the folks there were excellant resources and knew many baby things, other that what they were there for. We also entered all the raffles, so hopefully we are contacted to say we won something! I really want this chair or this storyboard. Fingers crossed!

The main reason I went was to scout photographers. There were some great ones there, but I think we are going to go with the Giggle Gallery. We did a little session with them (it was only $4) and the photographer worked really well with Isaac. We ordered a set of prints (only $12), and her prices are a little more in our budget than the others that were there. One thing I must say...I know that photographers are professionals, and make a lot of money on prints. But seriousy, If I am paying you $200 - $300 for 30 minutes, I want access to the digital copy of my pictures...especially if a sheet of wallets is $62. Is that so wrong? :( Too much to ask, I know. I am probably just being too cheap.

1st Day With Daddy

So this is what I came home to yesterday:

This is the jersey that we bought for him way back when, I know that Ben has been dying to put it on him. Since he has been so small, I didn't think it would be fitting him for a while. And it was still huge on him, but he looks adorable.

I think Ben gained a new appreciation for how I stayed home with the baby everyday for 14 weeks and still managed to maintain the house and get dinner ready and run the errands. Isaac didn't like his bottle yesterday and only ate about 4 ounces. He was starving when I got home. He latched on and didn't move for about 20 minutes. Ben was tired and hadn't showered or even changed out of his pjs. He did manage to load the dishwasher. :)

My first day back to work was fine. It feels wierd, but a good wierd. There is lots going on, so I have plenty to keep me busy. By the time I got home, I was exhausted. And I still had to get everything ready for today! I have to say that freezing dinners was such a good thing for us. It was so nice to just heat up the oven and throw the pan into it. Plus cleanup was a breeze.

Isaac has been sleeping wonderfully (knock on wood). On Sunday night he slept from 1030 to 445, and last night from 930 to 330. Hopefully daycare will get him good and tired today. I saw him on Miss K's webcam, and he seemed very content. Whew. :)

B is for...

...Babies R Us. Yes, I went back to my own private hell last Thursday to pick up some things for my baby boy before he starts daycare. Why do I keep going back there, you ask? This is why: I got the bigger carseat, umbrella stroller, some learning toys, the rest of his crib bedding, pump supplies, summer rompers, a bottle warmer for daycare, and some odds and ends that totalled $290 for $175. The baby monopoly bastardos keep sending me discount coupons. I had a handful of my own coupons (I'm telling you new or soon to be moms, get a baby email address and register and every single diaper, baby food and formula, and toy site), plus a few BRU coupons and some $10 off cards. I have learned my lesson, and I do not go alone. I always take a friend with me.

...Baking and Cooking. I have made 5 nights of dinners and froze them for back to work. So far we will be having Chicken Pozole, Pork Adobo, Shepard's Pie, Tia Hessie's Tuna Noodle Casserole, and Chicken Enchiladas. I am going to attempt to make Chili tonight. After that, I only want to make 2 more. That is 2 weeks of dinners.

...Back to work. I officially will be at work this time next week. I took Isaac to daycare last Friday while I got my hair cut and ran some errands. I forgot how quickly these things can be done without being pregnant or toting a baby in and out of the car. I stopped by my office and arranged to come in this Wednesday for an hour or so to reclaim my desk and get re-situated. It absolutely breaks my heart to leave Isaac. I only cried a little when I dropped him off, but I left him when he was happy, so that made it easier. I had myself a good cry in the shower that morning. I am trying hard not to be depressed about it. The bottom line is that this has always been the reality. I have always known I had to return to work. I could take more time, we could afford it, but that will pull from time off I want later in the year, like at Christmas. I am going to take a full 2 weeks then, when everything slows down. Going back to work is for the best, for all of us. I know, I know, Isaac can't be cared for better by anyone but mommy, but in the long run this will make our lives better. Isaac did well at daycare. He was happy for the most part, but still needs some bottle work.

...Bottles and Boobs. As the previous "B" so nicely sequed, Isaac is still have issues with the bottle. I haven't given him one the past two nights, and you will see why in the next "B." I am pretty sure he is still going through a growth spurt because he wants to eat about every 1.5-2 hours again, and my boobs are in milk production overdrive. I am getting a good 5 ounces when I pump, even in mid-day.

...Belly. I think Isaac is developing some acid reflux. He has started to puke (not spit up, puke) more frequently after meals. It makes him pretty upset, and he has returned to the fussiness of his newborn gas in the evenings. Mylicon holds him off a bit, but it wears off pretty quick, I think. If it isn't better this evening, I am calling the pediatrician. He has been so fussy, that he doesn't want to sleep alone. I have had to cuddle him. I have noticed that when on his belly, he sleeps like a rock. But belly sleeping is bad, isn't it? What if it is with Brother Kitty watching over him?

...Birthdays. Isaac celebrated his 3 month birthday on yesterday and hit 13 weeks today. He is getting so big! He laughs all the time now. His new favorite trick is to be pulled from laying into sitting and then he pushes himself up with his legs to our cries of "big boy!" It makes him so happy, so we do it in the morning and the afternoon. Still not so much about tummy time, but he can hold his head straight in line when we do the aforementioned trick. It doesn't flop back, he is able to hold it steady. If I had to fathom a guess, I would say he is at about 12 lbs. And in all the Baby hulabaloo, I completely forget that my 28th birthday is rapidly approaching. Here he is at 3 months:

...Blueberry scone. Seriously. I have been craving one for about 2 weeks now, and no one ever has them! I am on a crusade to find a good recipe, so if you have one....

...Baby nicknames. Oh the things we call our little Isaac: Big Man (this is Ben's), Mr. Man, Pumpkin, Pumpkin Face, Poodle, Oodley Poodley, Pudding, Pudding Pop, Angel Face, and my favorite...Little Monster. :)

...Baby time. My husband is gone for most of this week for a work conference. As much, as we miss him and I know he misses us, I am very glad to have these few days just me and Isaac, before I return to work.

Hush Little Baby

My son has developed a new sleeping pattern which I can't decide if I love or hate. For the past three nights, Isaac has gone to sleep at about 10-10:30 with little feeding. And then he sleeps until 4-4:30. I have gone to bed around the same as he has the past two nights because I am soooo tired and sore (from the massive 3 hr. walk around the lake with a Lamaze friend). I have really enjoyed the 5+ hour stretch of sleep I get.

What I don't really enjoy is that when he does get up, he is ravenous....and WIDE AWAKE. This means the schedule that took place previously at 6-7 am is now happening at 4-5 am. And when I say wide awake, I mean smiles and laughing and kicking and cooing. The full "I'm awake, Mommy, play with me, cuddle me, love me, I don't care if your eyes are still unfocused and crusted shut with sleep deprivation."

But I do it. I try in vain to put him back in the bassinet with the magical FP seahorse he has grown to love (or is that me?) but it has yet to be successful. So we get up and come out to the family room and hop onto the packnplay for a diaper change. I let him kick forcefully while I put everything away from our night and make my oatmeal and oj breakfast. Usually by this time, his eyes are looking a little heavy as he has been awake for about an hour and a half (I let him kick in the bassinet for a while, as long as he is happy). Thus far I have been able to put him in his swing and he falls asleep while I snooze on the couch for about 3 hours.

This schedule is fine now but will not be very good in 2 weeks when I have to go to work. Daddy will not want to get up at 4 am.

I am happy for the most part with how and how long Isaac sleeps. We have finally taken the hot water bottle out of the bassinet and he sleeps completely flat on his back with his arms over his head. We have moved to the half swaddle for his legs only since he loves his arms free (which probably isn't necessary anymore, but we are trying to adapt him to a few new things so one thing at a time, right?).

Bottle feeding...yeah, not so much. The past two nights have been tough. I don't understand what is going on because he used to take the bottle so well when we introduced it at about 3 weeks. He has had consistent bottles since then so it really is like he made the decision to hate them. Last night I got abou 2 ounces down him over about a 45 minute period in which I was talking to him constantly. You should have heard the things I was saying. If I stopped or paused for a second, everything unraveled. I have some more methods to try so we will see how it goes.

Today is Family Funday Sunday, so we have aBBQ to prepare for. :)

Home Again

After almost 2 weeks of constant attention and spoiled-ness, Isaac, me, and Ben have returned home and are trying to get back into the swing of things. It was a great trip, and I am really glad that Isaac got to meet and spend so much time with his family and our friends. It was very overwhelming at times, and extremely tiring for everyone, but I am glad we took the extra days just so we weren't constantly running around with Isaac all the time. As it was, we really only saw one person/family per day with a few exceptions.

His dedication and family fish fry went so well! It was very overwhelming and there were a ton of people there, but Isaac was a champ. One of the best tips I can give to any one throwing a party for or with a new baby: Keep him close to you and establish limits. We put Isaac on his blanket in the center of the living room floor when he was awake so people could see him. If people asked to hold him, I of course said yes, but I didn't really volunteer him up to anyone. And when he slept, I kept him on me. That way he could sleep without people poking at him and such. He only really cried a few times, and he slept like a rock that night...I got a good 6 hour stretch from him.

Easter was great as well. Oddly, the family party was not as large as his fish fry, but still did the same protocol as above. He got lots of present in Ohio, and I discovered the beauty of the flat rate priority box. We got alot of books, which I asked for. Our favorite is Mars.hmall.ow. :) I also discovered a deep love for the Fish.er Pri.ce Prec.ious Pl.anet collection. He now has the monkey bank, hooded towels, washclothes, bibs, and two blankets.

The flight home was just as smooth as the first, amazingly so, as this one was 5+ hours. He slept for most of the flight. When he woke up, he ate and then had his diaper changed in the lovely bathroom cubicle. He spent the rest of the flight cooing and smiling at pther passengers. Did you know that you can't have a baby in a Snug.li during landing or take off? Does that make any sense to you? Wouldn't I want the baby attached to me in case of a turbulent/violent/rough landing or take off rather than have him pitch across the cabin? Hmmm....

Anyway, Isaac is 11+weeks old now, and has hit alot of mini and mega milestones/firsts during our Ohio trip:

~He rolls from his back onto either side now, as opposed to side to back to side.

~He will take a bottle from everyone but me. Like, he can't even see me in the room or he screams.

~Ben and I had our first two dates sans baby and they went well. He stayed with either set of grandparents

~He attended his first sporting event: my state-champion track star brother's first meet of the season.

~He had his baby dedication and first Fis.her Family Fish Fry and met his godmother and almost everyone in the Ram.sey, Fish.er, and Ols.on families

~He had his first exposure to large dogs, my parents' and Ben's. This did not go over so well. Especially when they bark.

~ He has actual tears now when he cries. Precious and heartbreaking at the same time

~He holds his head up like a champ. We are still working on tummy time, which he still hates, but when he is sitting up, his head is perfectly held. :) He also pushes out from my chest when I am holding him and stares at me.

~He grabs my hair, necklaces, and collars and won't let go.

~He figured out that if he kicks at certain toys on his bouncer, the music and bubbles turn on.

~He has moved to the half swaddle, only around his legs. This is because....

~....He loves his hands in his mouth. Hasn't found the thumb quite yet, but definately found the hand.

If I had to fathom a guess, I would say he is at 11 pounds. Many of his 0-3 month clothes are still loose on him, but he fits most of them. He is way more active in the afternoons now, often forgoing a nap of mention and opting for occassional 20-30 minute catnaps. He plays on his back most of the time with bouts of swing and bouncer action. We take walks, but not in Ohio...it was DAMN cold. He also has conversations with us. :) I still have him in his bassinet. I think we will get a few more weeks out of it. He is still definately in the size range, but I am starting to get anxious about the movements. He sleeps with both arms out and often above his head, and he is rolling from side to back quite frequently. I have ordered the Crib tent cover...I came home to discover quite a bit of kitty fur in the crib...

I think he has hit another growth spurt. He is eating about every two hours again and gobbling both sides, which I would guess to be about 5-6 ounces. I was going through his pictures alot while we were gone and I just can't believe how big he is getting. My itty bitty baby. :) I really want to get started on his baby book soon, and finish printing out pictures. I got a special frame for my desk.

I go back to work in about 2 weeks, on May 4th. I may take him to daycare for a half day next week and a full day the week after that. He is only going for 3 days a week, sometimes less. One of the great things from our trip was that he got used to being taken care of by other people and waking up to see someone else but me. I was there for most of the time, with the two date exceptions, but I let my mother and MIL do alot for him. I have gotten a daycare box around for him which has some emergency stuff in case I forget something in the diaper bag: tylenol, mylicon, aspirator, desitin, extra burpie clothes, a bottle brush, bottle warmer, extra nipples, extra binkies, socks, a hat, a wipes refill, and two extra bottles. I also have his extra adventure gym ready to go. I do want to get another carseat base for the sitter's car. We didn't use one in Ohio, just strapped in the carseat, which worked perfectly fine, I just feel safer with him in the base as well.

And since I muttled this post something fierce, I will close with pictures. :) Thanks for bearing with my randomness in getting out all things baby. :) The first is with his friend Luke:)

This is friend Lily....

4 generations at Easter....

With future girlfriend Lila....she's an older woman ;)

With cousins Gracie and AJ

And lastly....my little Easter bunny baby.... :)

O-H......I-O!

Just a quick update to say that we made it safely and uneventfully to Ohio! Isaac screamed through the airport out of hunger and then slept the entire flight, only briefly waking to eat once. He is having a great time meeting all his family and being spoiled and cuddled. He adjusted to the 3 hour time difference really well and his normal schedule is only off about 45 minutes, if that.

Ben and I had our first night out, sans baby last night. It went really well. We just went out to dinner at an old favorite restuarant and did some quick shopping. It was wierd to be without Isaac, but he was with my parents so I felt really comfortable. I only called once to check on him and that was more to see if I needed to come home to feed him anytime soon. I guess he took his bottle really well last night. :) Maybe the anti-fake nipple phase is over.

I love how he is getting tired out during the day! The past two nights he has slept in a 6 hour and 3 hour block. It's nice.

Today is his dedication and fish fry. He is already up and ready to party! :)

Got Milk, Mommy?

I have been wanting to write a post about how breastfeeding has been going for us for quite some time. Of course, Isaac has been my first priority and blogging falls further and further down the list of things to get done. Anyhoo, here we go.

We have been successfully breastfeeding for 2 months now. I have not been to a lactation consultant or support group yet, but I have some numbers on hand. Isaac took to nursing like a fish to water. He had an awesome latch in the hospital, and the nurse didn't really have to help us that much except with positioning. I had taken our boppy to the hospital, so that really helped us get used to positioning. My milk came in the day after we got home, so we only had to formula supplement for 4 feedings. This was good because Isaac hated the formula. I mean, he HATED it.

In the beginning, nursing didn't hurt so much. It was a wierd sensation, but I was determined to stick with it, so any discomfort I tried to push aside. Night feedings were, and still are, the most difficult because Isaac likes to fall asleep before he can be burped or sufficiently filled. He was also falling asleep with nursing during the day, so he was really fussy at times and wanted to eat all the time because he was not having successful feedings. In the first weeks this was really hard because all I wanted to do was sleep while he was sleeping, and there would be days when I wouldn't eat until 3 pm,which made nursing harder because what he was getting was basically water. I started laying out snacks that I could grab with one hand throughout the day the night before. This REALLY helped me get better nutrition and more energy. I put out 4 snacks, including a fruit, a dairy, a veggie, and a protein or grain. I think this improved the quality of my milk immensely because before I was just grabbing easy stuff like a cookie or candy or chips or something. I also made sure my meals were easily accessible and didn't need alot of prep time.

I started pumping around the 3 week mark. Mostly because I wanted to start making bottles and I wanted to see how much milk I was actually making. Breastfeeding was taking so much out of me, literally, and my husband and I thought that if we inroduced one bottle a day, at night, that would alleviate some stress from me. And it did. When I first started pumping, I would get about 2 ounces from one side. When Isaac was done nursing, I would pump the rest out to help establish my milk supply. I think I was holding about 2 ounces each side per 2-3 hours. By the evening I usually had about a 2 ounce bottle just from residual milk after feedings. My husband gave this to Isaac before bed and he started sleeping a bit better because he was a little more full faster.

Because we introduced this bottle, my milk would build up between feedings. I started nursing solidly from oneside during night feedings. Isaac still wasn't draining a whole breast for the feedings at night so it worked well. Each time I woke up to feed him I took note of the non-nursing side. When it was rock hard and starting to leak a bit, I got up to pump it, no matter what time it was...anywhere from 3 am to 7 am. At this point I was still pumping into bottles, and not freezing and I was getting about 2.5-3 ounces per breast.

I got a tip from a friend to start feeding Isaac in his onesie or just diaper for as many feedings as possible. This would make him less warm and snuggly until he really established good feeding habits and started draining the boob completely, This worked GREAT for us and soon he was taking both sides and draining them both in one feeding in about 20-30 minutes. And because he did this, he would sleep more soundly and longer during his naps, about 3-4 hours sometimes. When he did do this, I could get a head and pump one side. When he woke up, I would give him the non pumped side first and then the pumped side, and he usually took both. By doing this, I noticed my supply was going gradually increasing. I was up to a solid 4 ounces for morning pumpings and 2.5 to 3 ounces in daytime pumpings.

We have now managed to establish a hearty freezer stash that contains about 2 full days of feedings, with a couple extra. We take a bottle with us when we are going to be out for a while, or I will be somewhere where I don't feel totally comfortable nursing. He still gets one bottle a day and when he takes the bottle, he is taking 4-4.5 ounces per feeding. When he does this, I can usually pump about 3.5-4 ounces to replenish what he took from the freezer supply. With that, I am pumping twice a day and getting 4 ounces from one side in the morning and about the same when I pump after the bottle feeding total from both sides.

I am not going to lie. Pumping in the morning was hard at first. I was tired, tired, TIRED. But now that Isaac's sleep schedule is more established, I am usually pumping at 6-7 am and it takes about 10 minutes to drain the breast. This all really started to work for me. Some days, I don't pump at all in the morning because Isaac was really hungry. Other things that helped me were to make sure that Isaac was completely satiated before I pumped and was happy and content. This way I wasn't worrying about him while I was pumping and I knew I wasn't robbing him of food he needed or wanted. Also, I pump only into bottles and then pour into freezer bags. That way I don't spill from the bag while pumping and if I have to stop, I can just set down the bottle. I can also add to the bottle throughout the day until I have the amount in one bottle that I want to freeze. I never freeze bottles, just the freezer bags.

All this has gotten us through 2 full months of only breastfeeding/breastmilk. I am planning to keep breastfeeding for a year, skipping formua entirely if we can. I love that I can do this for Isaac and it is worth the sacrifice of certain foods and sleep on my part.

I will try to post his two month update asap. :)