We are experimenting with "trying to stay up through the first half of the night" when the babies are most fussy (10p-3a) and then we'll plan to sleep in the morning when they give us two 4 hour stretches back to back.
The past week we kept attempting to sleep in between their feeding/changings and it just wasn't working because as we'd doze off one or the other would be up for something.
H is playing a video game. FIFA 2017. I just had a piece of chocolate cake and milk - I needed it. And my mom brought it to me so I had to eat it, don't want mom feeling bad.
Post by ClassyMrsA on Nov 13, 2016 23:18:42 GMT -5
Nursing. Everyone else is asleep. I almost was...sigh. Being home has been rough so far. Maybe I'll get some sleep tonight. I hope. Already sooo tired. I'm seriously concerned about if I can do the newborn thing again AND have a 2 year old.
So I failed my experiment. I napped from 1:15-2:30 or so. They're both sleeping now and I should also but I'm afraid they'll wake up any minute.
Alec is sleeping on my chest. I love this feeling, I could do this forever. There must be a need for people to cuddle babies, I'm thinking in cases where the babies are seperate from their mothers for various reasons - awake Kristina needs to look in to this.
Post by goldenlove3 on Nov 14, 2016 4:34:59 GMT -5
I feel like I've been MIA from here lately. So many ups and downs with trying to get C back to breast feeding. He has good feeds then he'll have others where he's screaming through most of it. I don't think he's getting nearly enough food from me alone. He only managed about 5 minutes on each side and then took another 2oz from a bottle and still seems hungry. It's so frustrating.
DH took Lilah for a couple of hours so I could actually sleep. I'm still waiting for my milk to come in and it's so hard to know she's hungry and I don't have much to give yet. I had the same thing with Lillian. Milk came in on the 4th day. I'm hoping it'll be here sometime today. I feel like it's close and I can already express what is there more easily. I'm going to try to get some more sleep since she's passed out again.
Thanks for the encouragement ladies. I know I'll get there. Tonight was just rough between the little sleep and Lillian hit her head before bedtime. She was crying and DH was here to help her. Lilah was screaming, too, wanting to nurse. I'll feel better once I get a few more hours of sleep.
goldenlove3 is it possible cluster feeding? Maybe he's getting enough but going through a growth spurt. Mine are doing it right now. About 8 days old.
If it's any consolation I'm still having BFing problems. I have days where I mostly formula feed (mistake I know, but tired and emotional and two at a time is hard) and days where I feel like it was awesome. I keep telling myself that I will be happy with any little bit I can give them, to go easy on myself because it's my (our/your) first and I came into it having no idea what I was doing, and in this case because there's two and it's like - really effing hard.
Adeline latches like a champ and sucks a good twenty minutes on either side. But then she's hungry an hour later (which after today I'm finding out she is doing the same on formula also so maybe cluster feeding???)
If I miss Alecs earliest hunger cues there is NO WAY he'll latch because he has no patience. I think my mistake with him was that in the hospital after they took him for his circumcision I felt so bad pressing him up to my body to feed that if he'd start to cry I got nervous/sad that I was hurting him and I'd reach for a formula bottle.
Post by goldenlove3 on Nov 14, 2016 7:43:49 GMT -5
kleigh I really don't know much about cluster feeding so I had to look it up. I guess it's possible. I was just thinking that it seems like he's going through a growth spurt because he's wanting more food when we do give him a bottle.
Also don't beat yourself up for bottle feeding. Your babies are being fed and that's all that matters. We had to supplement to get through the jaundice hump and it did make me feel like we ruined him for breast feeding but it's slowly getting better. And you have two which I can't even imagine!
Hugs to everyone adjusting. This stuff is HARD, but as aggiebug said, we are not the first to go through this and we will persevere!! In regards to feeding, the best advice I received was to not look at a clock. It doesn't matter if it has been 3 hours or 30 minutes. If they are showing signs of hunger, feed them. As you said kleigh, if you miss the window, they are so hungry that you can't get a good latch, it causes pain, and they get less milk. It's a vicious cycle. Signs of hunger include rooting, opening the mouth, hands to mouth, rapid eye movement when sleeping. When you catch them early, you can be more picky with getting a good latch which leads to more successful BFing. I had a lot of trouble with O and also had to supplement for a short time because of a lot of the issues some of you have described. I think I'm having an easier time by being more proactive with feeding all the time. Let the chores, the visitors, the to-dos slide right now.
I really hope this didn't sound obnoxious! Just trying to give some tips for what has worked for me!
hangry Soooo helpful. What I struggle with is nighttime. If I doze off, how do I catch the hunger cues? Or am I supposed to stay up most the night looking for them at first. I actually just got a good session with him because I woke him before he showed any signs and he hopped right on it. WOOO hoo!!
Also to add, kleigh, do not feel bad about bottle feeding, supplementing, sleeping in RnPs, or anything else! Mom guilt is real, don't make it any harder on yourself than necessary. You are keeping 2 little people alive and doing an awesome job! We all are!
Are they always sleeping with you or in your room? I tend to wake when I hear her rustle. If she does that for more than a minute, I try to pull myself up to feed her. Don't know if she's actually hungry, but she doesn't often turn it down.
Yes they are literally right beside me in the bassinet topper of the pack n play. I've been so exhausted that sometimes I don't hear them until it's a cry and it sometimes seem they go from sleeping to screaming in a second.
Post by shedreamsincolor on Nov 14, 2016 10:04:51 GMT -5
Up since 5 am with lower belly, back cramps, and (tmi) loose stools. Very sporadic still and responsive to position changes (i.e. If I'm up and moving they increase and if I'm laying down or sitting they pretty much go away). From what I remember with DS this went on and off for 2 days but then had a super short active labor. Due on Thursday so hoping this is the start of something but anticipating it's going to be a long while still. Time will tell
Oooohh shedreamsincolor, all good signs towards labor! Keeping my fingers crossed for you!
kleigh you are just so sleep deprived it's expected for you to sleep through light sounds! Is there any way you can force more naps in yourself? Smaller chunks may be he only realistic way to sleep right now and small chunks are better than none. Then maybe you would rouse more easily.
waitwhat and hangry Yeah that first week was rough, very hard. This week my goal is to get more sleep and more food in me every day. I've succeeded so far over the past 24 hours let's see if I can keep it up. I know the extra sleep will help to hear them earlier, as right now I just try to stay up for it.
kleigh I think you're doing absolutely amazing. I can't really offer advice because from one moment to the next I have no idea if I'm doing everything or nothing correct.
Post by shedreamsincolor on Nov 14, 2016 13:28:39 GMT -5
sophiegrace - nothing new to report. Still at home having similar symptoms to before. Debating whether we should drop DS at my parents tonight. I'll feel silly if I'm wrong but on the other hand I would really like to avoid a 2 am drop off if that's where this is headed.
cookswithwine9 LB! tomorrow is the big day. What time are you going in?!
I'm so anxious! I haven't slept the past 2 nights and I can't believe it's tomorrow! We get to the hospital at 7:30am est and the c section will start at 9:30am.
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