I had a touch of mastitis last week and to say that I was in excruciating pain is the understatement of the year.
I woke up last Wednesday and fed Adler on one breast, but didn't have enough time to pump the other breast. I thought I'd make it to work and pump as soon as I walked through the door, but I didn't have time and, well, my 9am pumping session turned to 10:30am and my boobies were literally about to explode. I probably should have pumped more than I did, but in about 7 minutes, I had already pumped 6 ounces! A few hours and one other pumping session later, I had managed to pump 19 ounces in two pumping sessions and I still felt full! Problems up ahead! Or should I say below?
The next day I woke up feeling not-so-well and my breast felt as though it would feel better if someone just put an ax to it and took it completely off. I wasn't sure what to do. Should I go to the doctor or should I wait it out? I went to work and literally winced and moaned my way through the day. The other assistant I work with in my office kept asking me if I was ok. It wasn't good! On top of the pain, I felt sick. I felt feverish and achy.
I wrote my La Leche League chapter leader for advice. No reply! So I did what I thought I should do and pumped and nursed as much as possible. On Friday, I felt much better. Still very sore, but better! Over the weekend, I felt bruised, but better!
Women's bodies are an interesting thing. Since I've had children, I have this totally different sense of what a woman can do. We make babies and feed and nurture babies. We are amazing. Today, I'm back to normal... But my supply has dramatically decreased! Which would probably be bad for most breastfeeding mommies - but I'm now exactly where I need to be! I'm no longer overproducing.
Doesn't look like I'll be donating breastmilk any time soon, but that's ok, right?
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Sleep Training
Oh, where do I begin? Sleep Training. It was when Harper was about six months old that I realized I could no longer deal with swaddling, nursing to sleep, stick pacifier in mouth, and place her in the car seat that was nestled so safely in her crib. Yes, I'm serious. Car seat IN the crib. Imagine it. We were living it. THIS was Harper's sleep plan between months 3-6. Don't judge! I didn't know what else to do! Between her extreme reflux and her sleeping issues and her lack of weight gain, I was stressed. At about six months I decided it was time to get her laying in a crib at night with no crutches to help her fall asleep. How would I do this? Do I take her out of the car seat first? Do I stop nursing her first? Do I get rid of the pacifier first? I had NO IDEA. And it was then that we decided to hire a certified sleep trainer. Yes, people, I paid someone to come to our home to help us figure out how to get our daughter to fall asleep. And, it was (without a doubt) the BEST money we ever EVER spent on our child. I actually had (key word: HAD) a friend (who didn't have children!!) whom I later found out talked shit about me to her other friends because I did this. Be ye not so stupid. You should NEVER judge a mother and they way they parent their child especially when you do not have one of your own. Now that's out of the way...... The truth is, if I could go back, I would pay the money all over again. Knowing what I know now, I would have paid her TWICE the amount we did. What we learned from the sleep trainer has now helped us to sleep train not only our first child, but our second child too! Not only has it helped us directly... it's also helped many MANY of my friends. So this is what we did. And listen carefully, because it works. I'm telling you, IT WORKS!!!
It starts with age and then a routine. Make sure your baby is at least four months old AND at least 12 pounds. Decide what time you'd like to put your baby down to sleep each night. If you are going to give your baby a bath, start your routine 45-minutes before that time. No bath? Start your routine 30-minutes before that time. Goes like this: Give bath, get dressed, nurse or bottle feed (with lights on), wake baby up if fell asleep while eating, read short book, say goodnight, give kisses, turn off the light ("say goodnight to the light"), place baby in crib, hand baby tiny lovey, shut the door. Yes, it's really that easy. Is it that easy immediately? NO. The first two nights are hell. But once you get through that third night, you will have a sleep trained baby who will sleep through the night. TRUST.
The first night is the worst. As soon as you put your baby down in the crib, he or she will cry. Like, REALLY cry.
There are 3 levels of crying:
-Level 1 crying is whining.
-Level 2 crying is crying.
-Level 3 crying is hysterics.
On the first night, you do not answer to level 1 crying. Let your baby whine. You do not answer to level 2 crying. Let your baby cry. You answer to level 3 crying ONLY IF your baby cries for 5 minutes straight. Hear me on this. If your baby stops crying momentarily (for two seconds), the time resets! Your baby must cry nonstop for 5 minutes before you go in. If and when you go in, you DO NOT pick your baby up. You go over to the crib and you rub your baby's tummy, touch his face, tell him you love him, but you DO NOT PICK HIM UP! You do not stay in the room for longer than 15 seconds. Once you leave, your baby will begin to cry again. But remember that your baby must cry nonstop for 5 minutes before you go back in. This may go on for hours. We went in to Harper three times on the first night. It took her 45 minutes to fall asleep. We went in to Adler one time on the first night. It took him 50 minutes to fall asleep. If your baby wakes up in the middle of the night, you use the same steps.
On the second night, you do not answer to level 1 crying. You do not answer to level 2 crying. You answer to level 3 crying ONLY IF your baby cries for 10 minutes straight. If your baby stops crying momentarily (for two seconds), the time resets. Repeat everything you did on the first night. We went in to Harper one time on the second night. It took her 20 minutes to fall asleep. We did not need to go into Adler at all on the second night. It took him 20 minutes to fall asleep. If your baby wakes up in the middle of the night, you use the same steps.
On the third night, you do not answer to level 1 crying. You do not answer to level 2 crying. You answer to level 3 crying ONLY IF your baby cries for 15 minutes straight (which isn't going to happen, TRUST!). If your baby stops crying momentarily (for two seconds), the time resets. Repeat everything you did on the first night. We did not need to go into Harper at all on the third night. It took her 7 minutes to fall asleep. We did not need to go into Adler at all on the third night. He didn't even cry when we put him down. He was asleep in less than 5 minutes, and I listened to him babble himself to sleep (yes, he's an angel). If your baby wakes up in the middle of the night, you use the same steps.
In regards to waking up in the middle of the night, Harper never woke up in the middle of the night. That was never her problem. Once she's asleep, she's asleep. Adler on the other hand, woke up in the middle of the night. But on all three nights of sleep training, we never had to go into him to soothe him. He woke up for short periods of time and whined and cried a bit, but after 10 minutes or so, he put himself back to sleep.
If you follow these steps, chances are, you will have a baby who sleeps 10 hours straight after three nights of sleep training. Of course there will be bumps along the way. As a matter of fact, just two weeks after sleep training Adler, I made the mistake of putting him in bed with us when he woke up at 4:30am. The next night, he woke up at 3am. Then the next night, he basically was no longer sleep trained and we had to start the sleep training process all over again.
Stick with it and you'll have your baby sleeping soundly in his crib.
Good luck!
It starts with age and then a routine. Make sure your baby is at least four months old AND at least 12 pounds. Decide what time you'd like to put your baby down to sleep each night. If you are going to give your baby a bath, start your routine 45-minutes before that time. No bath? Start your routine 30-minutes before that time. Goes like this: Give bath, get dressed, nurse or bottle feed (with lights on), wake baby up if fell asleep while eating, read short book, say goodnight, give kisses, turn off the light ("say goodnight to the light"), place baby in crib, hand baby tiny lovey, shut the door. Yes, it's really that easy. Is it that easy immediately? NO. The first two nights are hell. But once you get through that third night, you will have a sleep trained baby who will sleep through the night. TRUST.
The first night is the worst. As soon as you put your baby down in the crib, he or she will cry. Like, REALLY cry.
There are 3 levels of crying:
-Level 1 crying is whining.
-Level 2 crying is crying.
-Level 3 crying is hysterics.
On the first night, you do not answer to level 1 crying. Let your baby whine. You do not answer to level 2 crying. Let your baby cry. You answer to level 3 crying ONLY IF your baby cries for 5 minutes straight. Hear me on this. If your baby stops crying momentarily (for two seconds), the time resets! Your baby must cry nonstop for 5 minutes before you go in. If and when you go in, you DO NOT pick your baby up. You go over to the crib and you rub your baby's tummy, touch his face, tell him you love him, but you DO NOT PICK HIM UP! You do not stay in the room for longer than 15 seconds. Once you leave, your baby will begin to cry again. But remember that your baby must cry nonstop for 5 minutes before you go back in. This may go on for hours. We went in to Harper three times on the first night. It took her 45 minutes to fall asleep. We went in to Adler one time on the first night. It took him 50 minutes to fall asleep. If your baby wakes up in the middle of the night, you use the same steps.
On the second night, you do not answer to level 1 crying. You do not answer to level 2 crying. You answer to level 3 crying ONLY IF your baby cries for 10 minutes straight. If your baby stops crying momentarily (for two seconds), the time resets. Repeat everything you did on the first night. We went in to Harper one time on the second night. It took her 20 minutes to fall asleep. We did not need to go into Adler at all on the second night. It took him 20 minutes to fall asleep. If your baby wakes up in the middle of the night, you use the same steps.
On the third night, you do not answer to level 1 crying. You do not answer to level 2 crying. You answer to level 3 crying ONLY IF your baby cries for 15 minutes straight (which isn't going to happen, TRUST!). If your baby stops crying momentarily (for two seconds), the time resets. Repeat everything you did on the first night. We did not need to go into Harper at all on the third night. It took her 7 minutes to fall asleep. We did not need to go into Adler at all on the third night. He didn't even cry when we put him down. He was asleep in less than 5 minutes, and I listened to him babble himself to sleep (yes, he's an angel). If your baby wakes up in the middle of the night, you use the same steps.
In regards to waking up in the middle of the night, Harper never woke up in the middle of the night. That was never her problem. Once she's asleep, she's asleep. Adler on the other hand, woke up in the middle of the night. But on all three nights of sleep training, we never had to go into him to soothe him. He woke up for short periods of time and whined and cried a bit, but after 10 minutes or so, he put himself back to sleep.
If you follow these steps, chances are, you will have a baby who sleeps 10 hours straight after three nights of sleep training. Of course there will be bumps along the way. As a matter of fact, just two weeks after sleep training Adler, I made the mistake of putting him in bed with us when he woke up at 4:30am. The next night, he woke up at 3am. Then the next night, he basically was no longer sleep trained and we had to start the sleep training process all over again.
Stick with it and you'll have your baby sleeping soundly in his crib.
Good luck!
Tuesday, April 09, 2013
Am I Tired? Nooooo. Not me.
I'll tell you the fastest way to lose your shit. I finally realized it today.
Wake up at 1:30am to your babbling baby who you sleep trained two weeks ago to sleep through the night. Listen to that baby babble (in your room because you only live in a two bedroom apartment and your oldest child is a pain in the ass to get to sleep each night) for 2 hours before he starts to wail and cry for another two hours, finally falling asleep 30 minutes before you are supposed to wake up for work. You know, that job that you called in sick to yesterday because you only got 4 hours of sleep the night before. Only THIS morning, you realize that you only got 3 hours of sleep (and it wasn't consecutive time).
Get dressed and you're out the door (20 minutes late because that's the new norm!) and you realize that you have to move the car. The car that's parked on a New York City street. A street that is going to start filming a movie today and your car will be towed if you don't move it! Thinking it won't take too long, you keep positive until an HOUR AND 15 MINUTES LATER, you still haven't found a parking spot.
Arrive to work a full hour late. (I really wish I was kidding!) You know, that job that you called in sick to yesterday? Yeah, you show up an hour late today.
Drudge through the day only to have your (amazing) boss tell you that you aren't looking yourself and that you need to go home and sleep.
Realize you forgot to buy your fabulous husband a birthday card (it's his birthday today), so you make a beeline to the closest shop near home to pick up a fancy card. You pick out the card and the cashier says, "That will be $5.39, please.", and you open your wallet to realize that you have a five dollar bill, a dime and a penny. The cashier actually gives you money from the "extra change" in the shot glass sitting right next to the cash register. (What I really needed was a shot of vodka in that glass!)
Get home and have the nanny tell you that your wild 2 1/2 year old did not take a nap today. You know, that one kid who is literally jumping off the windowsills in your apartment and screaming "TAH DAH!!!"? Yeah, that's the one. And your infant only took a 20 minute afternoon nap.
Put on Sesame Street because it's the ONLY THING that will keep you sane at this point. Isn't it amazing how Sesame Street will keep you sane? Start nursing your infant to take a nap and you're so tired that you nod off too - only to be woken up by your screaming preschooler up in your face telling you to "WAKE UP MOMMY!!! OPEN. YOUR. EYES!!!"
Have your infant cry cry cry for a half hour straight because you can't hold him while you make your preschooler a cheese omelet for dinner, microwave her string beans (yes, I microwaved her vegetables!), or while you slice her tiny green grapes into quarters just because "that's the way I like it, mommy!".
Text your best friend for affirmation that your preschooler's age is the most difficult age, and "no, you should not smack her."
ALL this while it's (literally!) 80 degrees in your apartment when it was (exaggeration) 20 degrees in your apartment three nights ago and none of your dresses or short sleeve tops fit because your boobs are so big from all the excess milk you are producing.
Whew. What a day.
Wake up at 1:30am to your babbling baby who you sleep trained two weeks ago to sleep through the night. Listen to that baby babble (in your room because you only live in a two bedroom apartment and your oldest child is a pain in the ass to get to sleep each night) for 2 hours before he starts to wail and cry for another two hours, finally falling asleep 30 minutes before you are supposed to wake up for work. You know, that job that you called in sick to yesterday because you only got 4 hours of sleep the night before. Only THIS morning, you realize that you only got 3 hours of sleep (and it wasn't consecutive time).
Get dressed and you're out the door (20 minutes late because that's the new norm!) and you realize that you have to move the car. The car that's parked on a New York City street. A street that is going to start filming a movie today and your car will be towed if you don't move it! Thinking it won't take too long, you keep positive until an HOUR AND 15 MINUTES LATER, you still haven't found a parking spot.
Arrive to work a full hour late. (I really wish I was kidding!) You know, that job that you called in sick to yesterday? Yeah, you show up an hour late today.
Drudge through the day only to have your (amazing) boss tell you that you aren't looking yourself and that you need to go home and sleep.
Realize you forgot to buy your fabulous husband a birthday card (it's his birthday today), so you make a beeline to the closest shop near home to pick up a fancy card. You pick out the card and the cashier says, "That will be $5.39, please.", and you open your wallet to realize that you have a five dollar bill, a dime and a penny. The cashier actually gives you money from the "extra change" in the shot glass sitting right next to the cash register. (What I really needed was a shot of vodka in that glass!)
Get home and have the nanny tell you that your wild 2 1/2 year old did not take a nap today. You know, that one kid who is literally jumping off the windowsills in your apartment and screaming "TAH DAH!!!"? Yeah, that's the one. And your infant only took a 20 minute afternoon nap.
Put on Sesame Street because it's the ONLY THING that will keep you sane at this point. Isn't it amazing how Sesame Street will keep you sane? Start nursing your infant to take a nap and you're so tired that you nod off too - only to be woken up by your screaming preschooler up in your face telling you to "WAKE UP MOMMY!!! OPEN. YOUR. EYES!!!"
Have your infant cry cry cry for a half hour straight because you can't hold him while you make your preschooler a cheese omelet for dinner, microwave her string beans (yes, I microwaved her vegetables!), or while you slice her tiny green grapes into quarters just because "that's the way I like it, mommy!".
Text your best friend for affirmation that your preschooler's age is the most difficult age, and "no, you should not smack her."
ALL this while it's (literally!) 80 degrees in your apartment when it was (exaggeration) 20 degrees in your apartment three nights ago and none of your dresses or short sleeve tops fit because your boobs are so big from all the excess milk you are producing.
Whew. What a day.
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