When I say all night I don't mean he actually slept all night (oh if only) but he was in there from 6:30pm until I went and got him at 10am this morning.
We made the decision to move him yesterday morning as we have noticed that it is not Husband and I that are losing the most sleep, it's Oliver. He, is like his mother sleeps light and every time I shift in bed/get up to pee he wakes and becomes unsettled so with the encouragment of the HV we put him in his basket and placed that in his cot last night after his 6pm tea time feed. I was, admittedly rather nervouse about having him away from us all night as I kept hearing 'SIDS' in my ear but we know it was a wise move. I will also admit to poking my head in the door one too many times before I went to bed at 10pm just to check on him.
One thing that spooked me through the night though was that at 2am I woke and panicked. I was asking myself "where was he?" and I can only imagine it was due to being half asleep but I then worred he'd gone too long witout a feed. He'd missed the 10pm as he'd slept from 6:30pm and as Husband was fast asleep next to me I then wondered if he'd fed and changed him before coming to bed (husband often stays up way later than me, I simply can't function past 10pm) and this would mean all was well but then right on cue, Oliver stirred and woke. Husband had the monitor next to the bed but we could clearly hear him next door so I might not have monitor on tonight for 3 reasons:
- It flashes when there is sound (We have the new T.omy monitor)
- The battery is useless and it needs charging after 6 hours of use
- Our room is adjacent to his and me being a light sleeper means I hear him clearly anyway
Oliver then slept til 6am, had his next feed, fussed for around 30 mins but fell aslee again and we all woke up around 10am. All in all not a bad night at all, but I just wish he could shift that long spell of slumber by 4 hours. I'd be dead chuffed if he fed at 10pm and slept though til 6am. Well who wouldn't?!
Today was weigh day: 5 oz in 10 days which is a change from the massive gain he had at the last weigh in. Maybe the growth spurt has eased. He now weigh in at a satisfactory 11lb 6oz.
I spoke to the HV about weaning onto formula because people, I am really struggling with the expressing. I'm not fed up with it, it's more that it's too draining on me. I will be the first to admit that my diet of late has been somewhat abysmal as it's a case of grab what I can when I can with Oliver still being colicky (I told you it'd come back to bite me in the arse). Some days It'll be a rushed bowl of flakes, half a ham sandwich and maybe 2 or 3 cups of tea until Husband returns from work and I can eat a 'proper' meal.
Any tips on food that can give me a little more energy are welcome but I really think that at 12 weeks I might start to wean him on to formula.
I currently get between 7 and 9oz per session but I've noticed that I have also become a little lazy with pumping times. I was a stickler for 'every 4 hours' but now it's gone to every 5 and sometimes 6 or 7 at night time. This hasn't affected my supply thus far but surely it's only a matter of time before it dwindles and with the HV advising me this morning to up his feed to 5oz it's worrying that I'll be digging into the stock that I currently have. (10 feeds in the fridge at all times and a freezer drawer full of 4oz bags just in case.)
I guess the expressing is really getting to me. I know it is the best thing for Oliver and I know I've done well to get this far on expressing 100% bar the odd tea time boob feed still but that will stop soon I think as he doesn't sleep for as long after compared to a bottle.. selfish of me perhaps? Another selfish view is that formula takes longer to digest so there's a good chance he'll sleep through sooner. This was pointed out by the HV. Still, Breastmilk is so good for him and I take comfort in this. A good example is when Husband and I had the really bad cold not so long ago, Oliver never even caught a sniffle. HV says it's all down to breastmilk (and maybe a smidgen of luck.)
What to do? So I'm throwing it out to you all. I know that with maternity leave being tremendously shorter in the US than here in the UK a lot of new mums express whilst working etc. What's your secret and if you've fell in a rut like I have, how have you yanked yourself out (pardon the pun)
I think pumping is harder to maintain than breastfeeding... I myself hate pumping and don't have to do it that often, so hats off to anyone who can pump more than once/day for any length of time!
ReplyDeleteAs far as feeding yourself goes, I like to have a lot of easy snacks at hand. In a pinch I often just wolf down a couple of slices of whole wheat bread because it's quick and satisfying. But I also stock up on almonds, dried fruits, protein bars, hunks of cheese... anything I can eat one handed, essentially.
I did stop pumping, and my advice to you would be that as I was cutting down, it got MUCH easier. It's not an all-or-nothing thing. Yes, your supply will go down as you express less often, but you can feed part formula and part breastmilk so that you can get a break and feel less exhausted. Oliver will still get some immunity from your milk, and you'll get more rest.
ReplyDeleteI second the idea of protein bars or the like. I'm not sure if they have these in England, but I'm a big fan of Fiber One bars. They taste yummy and chocolaty, but they're good for you too! Mmmm. (And they're quick energy.)