I’m still alive! And my baby and husband are too! This has been the primary goal of the past two weeks. I’ve focused on keeping us all fed, clean and appropriately dressed (Eli and I spend a lot of time topless because it’s easier to clean dribbled milk and spit up off of skin than do 2 loads of laundry a day).
We’re approaching three weeks (on Sunday! I can’t believe it’s been that long!) and I’m thinking it’s time to move out of “survival” mode and start thinking about habits and routines.
I’ve been feeding Elijah on demand, meaning whenever he is hungry. And I stop the feeding when he starts to doze off (my nipples still hurt. I’m happy to feed my baby but I don’t want to be used as a pacifier). Unfortunately, this has created the routine where he eats for 5-10 minutes every hour and a half. This isn’t ok. I’m really struggling with needing to feed him so often. Also, it isn’t predictably every hour and a half. Sometimes it’s 30 minutes, sometimes it’s 2 hours. At least once a day I usually get a 3 hour stretch, but I never know when it’s going to happen.
Breastfeeding frequently and unpredictably is difficult. I started reading “Secrets of the Baby Whisperer” at the recommendation of two friends. The book recommends feeding a baby every two and a half to three hours, for up to forty minutes. FORTY MINUTES!!! Elijah and I were barely doing a quarter of that. The author recommended helping baby stay awake to get a really good “meal” rather than letting him “snack” all day long. This makes sense. I started late this morning, keeping him awake and eating for about 20 minutes, the feeding after that was 30 minutes and we’re been doing 30 minute feedings all day since. I’m still starting the feedings when he shows me hunger signs (and I’ll always feed my baby when he’s hungry) but he’s been going two to two and a half hours between feedings today! This is progress!
On Sunday (his 3 week birthday) we’ll introduce a bottle of breast milk. The plan is for me to pump in the morning (my milk is at it’s best in the morning, according to the books) and feed Eli normally with the other breast. Right after an early evening feeding (8 pm-ish) I’ll hand the baby to his Daddy and go to sleep. Andy will take care of the next feeding using the bottle I pumped that morning while I continue to sleep. Andy will care for the baby until he needs to eat again, and will then wake me up to take over. If Elijah can go two and a half hours between those feedings, I’ll get five straight hours of sleep. That would be nice.
I haven’t allowed Elijah a bottle or a pacifier yet. I wanted to make sure he was really good at latching on to me before I confused him with fake nipples. I think he has a good latch. My nipples still hurt when he latches on, but all the nurses and lactation consultants I’ve asked for help have said that his latch looks good. After a week with one bottle a day, if he’s still breast feeding like a champ I’ll let him have a pacifier.
Once we’ve developed good eating habits, I think I’ll start working on our sleeping habits. My little Sweat Pea LOVES to be held. He only lets me put him down while he’s sleep about half the time, the other half he’ll wake up and cry until I pick him up again. I suspect if I left him long enough he’d go back to sleep, but I don’t want to do that. At this age I don’t think he should be left to “cry it out”. Today I put him in an Ergo baby carrier and wore him for a while. That worked well, he was able to be close to me and feel me and I was able to have both hands free. At night, if Andy doesn’t have too bad a schedule the next day, he and I will take “shifts”. He’s do the early night shift, and I’ll take the later one. The person not on duty wears ear plugs to bed, the other person tries to get the baby asleep on his own, but will stay up and hold him if need be. We’ve just started sleeping in separate beds, so as to not disturb the person not on duty. This is working right now, but it’s something I’m limiting to “survival mode”, Andy and I need to be in the same bed. I’m hoping the pacifier will help us with Elijah’s sleep.
I’m surprised at how well I’m doing with the lack of sleep. I am tired, and when it’s my turn to sleep at night I go straight to bed. But I’m not napping much during the day. I often doze with the baby on the couch in the morning until around 9 or 10 am, but I’m not usually tired enough during the day to choose a nap over laundry or dishes or posting pictures or blogging 
I don’t know if it’s adrenaline, hormones or just my body adapting, but I’m doing pretty well right now with the sleep I’m getting … but that doesn’t mean that I’m not REALLY looking forward to a potential five hour stretch of sleep once we start with the bottle!