M2 is almost 3 weeks old! Crazy to think that 20 days in and I am still functioning...despite not getting more than 3 hours of sleep at a time (though usually I get 1.5-2 hours at a time). Short periods of sleep strung together, on a good night I am averaging about 6-7 hours of sleep. It sounds better than it is, since I am usually up for 45 minutes to an hour between the short periods of sleep.
Breastfeeding is going better, though it still has it's challenges. I've found a few things that are making it better/easier. The first is that I need to be watching something to keep me occupied so that I am not clock watching. As long as I have my laptop set up on the bed with a DVD, I am less anxious about being stuck sitting. The second thing I've found is that if I BF M2 for 15 minutes on each side, she is less fussy for a bottle of pumped supplemental milk. The LC had told me to nurse her for 10 minutes on each side which I did for most of last week, but now I've been able to adjust to 15 minutes on each side. I think M2's suck is getting a little better; each time I pump after BF her, I notice that there is less pumped (which hopefully means more milk in her stomach from BF). I'm still working on increasing the number of BF sessions per day...at night I am pretty lazy and prefer to pump and bottle feed her since the total time spent feeding is less than if I BF, pump, and bottle feed. Also, if I am exhausted from spending an hour consoling a fussy baby, I can pawn off a bottle feeding session on Mr.P.
M2 has had some reflux issues the past few days. Often when we lay her down too soon after feeding, she'll have milk come up through her nose. This is very frightening for both her and us parents. She gets a panicked look on her little face and starts to cry, while we rush to get a burp cloth to clean her up and make sure she's breathing OK. We've now got her swing in our bedroom so that we can sit her in it after feeding so that she is upright for a little bit. She's been doing good feeding wise, and I'm sure she is getting more than enough milk. I bought a breastfeeding log book last week so that I can keep track of when she feeds and how much, and so far she is eating more than the recommended amount per day.
She is an angel during the day for the most part...she eats and sleeps and doesn't fuss too much. At night, that is a different story. We've had our share of difficult nights where Mr.P (who is much calmer and more laid back than me) is doing double duty consoling a crying M2 and a crying PhinneyGirl. I am not patient or calm when I am extremely tired.
It's amazing how much of my day is totally zapped between feeding, pumping, diapering, washing clothes/blankets...I haven't really gotten much of anything else done. My house is a mess, I have piles of books I had thought I'd get to read while on maternity leave, and my DVR que is filling with random TV shows I have yet to watch. But I know things will get easier, we're still adjusting. When I look at her cute face and hold her against me it is all worth it.
M2 is absolutely gorgeous and we can't wait to meet her. About BF... I totally feel for you. Lilly did not latch on at all until she was 3 weeks old. I had to pump nonstop, keep trying to get her to latch, and bottle feed her for those first weeks, and it was a huge challlenge. I am SO proud of you for sticking to it and doing what you know is best for your little one. I had a lot of stuff I thought I would get done during my break from school when I had Lilly. Ha. Ha ha ha ha ha. Eventually I just stopped recording most of my shows, and I haven't read a non-baby related book in two years. But you're right, it's totally worth it. Just wait until she's 3 months, and all this really hard newborn stuff sharts to resolve, and it will just be amazing. Hang in there. You're an awesome mama.
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