Brayden a night owl..zzzz zzz.... me sleepy

[Jrene]

Because he doesnt eat much at one time, Im up every 2 hrs to feed. So by the time I get the bottle warmed and a diaper changed and get him settled back to sleep. I have about an hour between rounds.

I do nap when he does and DH will watch him while I take a much needed nap. But man am I tired!

[Kelly1101]

I remember this with Em... are you nursing at all? Nursing her while lying down was such a relief at night because I could close my eyes and kind of doze while she ate, and often she would nurse right back to sleep herself...

This definitely passes, though... just accept that you're going to be a bit sleep deprived for a few weeks! One thing that helped me, was to make an effort to take a shower every morning, brush my teeth, do basic grooming and try to look halfway presentable, while husband or mom watched the baby for an hour. It's easy to let that slip because you're so exhausted and taking care of a baby around the clock, but it does wonders for your mood.

[triscuitsmom]

Originally Posted by Kelly1101

I remember this with Em... are you nursing at all? Nursing her while lying down was such a relief at night because I could close my eyes and kind of doze while she ate, and often she would nurse right back to sleep herself...

This definitely passes, though... just accept that you're going to be a bit sleep deprived for a few weeks! One thing that helped me, was to make an effort to take a shower every morning, brush my teeth, do basic grooming and try to look halfway presentable, while husband or mom watched the baby for an hour. It's easy to let that slip because you're so exhausted and taking care of a baby around the clock, but it does wonders for your mood.

I agree with both points.

Mama. This too shall pass. I hope you get some rest

[Baby~Braatens~Mama]

FWIW I have read that most babies need to eat every two hours during their first weeks with us.

[DoulaLMT]

Honey I remember sometimes I wouldn't actually get back to sleep between night feedings. I felt like I had to hold my eyelids open during the day for several weeks, but you are no alone, we're all going to be there shortly.....and it does pass eventually. s

[RedOakMomma]

Echoing the idea of night nursing...it's what kept me sane for the first many months. I don't know what I would have done without cosleeping/nursing!

Though really, in the first week or so, my kiddos were too small and uncoordinated to effectively side-nurse. Instead I would prop myself up into a reclined position with pillows and nurse the baby, then sort of slide back down when he was done. Still sleep deprivation, but not quite as bad.

Are you warming breastmilk or formula? Not sure if it would help, but if it's formula, we (with dd) would just use filtered room temp water. You have to gradually work your way down to room temp (vs. heated), but it's so worth the effort...the last thing you want to do at 2am is mess with heated milk/formula.

[Jrene]

Im actually pumping. Because he is small they said he would burn more caleries trying to suck the breast then he would get benefit from. So until he's a little bigger we're pumpimg into a bottle.

Plus he needs a special formula for preemies. At our next appt. we'll see if he still needs to be on it. I know he's gaining cause his face is getting chubber.

[Kelly1101]

Ah, figured it was something like that.

Well... basically there is no easy solution, haha... wish there was.

I do promise that once he gets bigger and you can ditch the bottles and pumping and just nurse, it gets a whooooole lot easier. Since you're doing bottles anyway for the moment, try to work out shifts with your husband so that you can at least get 4 hours of sleep or so. Which sounds ridiculous normally, but I definitely remember when getting a 4-hour stretch makes you feel like you've slept a week.

Also make sure you're eating and drinking enough! Since you're pumping, you are pumping crazy amounts of calories out of your body. Lots and lots of water, lots and lots of food.

[RedOakMomma]

Originally Posted by Jrene

Im actually pumping. Because he is small they said he would burn more caleries trying to suck the breast then he would get benefit from. So until he's a little bigger we're pumpimg into a bottle.

Plus he needs a special formula for preemies. At our next appt. we'll see if he still needs to be on it. I know he's gaining cause his face is getting chubber.

I would check both of these assumptions with someone who's a breastfeeding expert (not a hospital-supplied one)...have you contacted your local La Leche League? Or if that's too much, you could look online. You could also check into the breastfeeding forum here.

[JTA Mom]

Your son was 4lbs 7oz at birth, right?

Odd that they'd tell you that. Ds was a few weeks older(37 weeks), but he was only 4lbs 13oz, 17in long. And I didn't get the whole extra formula for growth, no boob feeding. And he did lose a good chunk of weight too, due to being a c/s baby.

I did get the 'only feed him for 30 min' advice, because after that it burns more calories than he takes in, but I ignored that. He'd doubled his weight by 8 weeks, tripled plus some by 6mos. And he was completely latched on for what seemed all day long.

If you don't feel comfy totally ignoring their advice, what about just exclusively breastfeeding at night? That way, he'd be taking most of his feeds in the daytime with the calorie booster, but you'd get more sleep and he'd get boobie time at night?

Ami

[Jrene]

Originally Posted by RedOakMomma

I would check both of these assumptions with someone who's a breastfeeding expert (not a hospital-supplied one)...have you contacted your local La Leche League? Or if that's too much, you could look online. You could also check into the breastfeeding forum here.

Im totally going off what the hospital pediatrician and his pediatrician have both suggested. Because I did ask that question at his first appt. His Dr seems to think that at the next appt he would be at a comfortable weight to just breastfeed.

But I know when I fed him in the hospital they said after 30mins he doesnt get to eat anymore... (which seemed mean to me) so I'd let him go over the time if the nurse wasnt in the room. But the reason they said was he would burn too much energy and caleries.

I think he's made leaps and bounds when it comes to eating. He is eating more and it doesnt take him near 30mins to eat at all. When he was first born it was 15 ml then 30 ml was what we had to reach to be able to go home. But now my little piglet eats 40 ml to 50 ml every meal!! Almost 2 ounces!!

[Kelly1101]

Originally Posted by JTA Mom

If you don't feel comfy totally ignoring their advice, what about just exclusively breastfeeding at night? That way, he'd be taking most of his feeds in the daytime with the calorie booster, but you'd get more sleep and he'd get boobie time at night?

Ami

That is a really good idea.

[RedOakMomma]

So he is breastfeeding throughout the day?

I would still check the dr.'s advice with the breastfeeding forum here. Doctors, even pediatricians, are known for giving really poor advice for moms who want to establish a good breastfeeding relationship. I know I've gotten some rotten advice over the years, and have had to cross-check it with my LLL books and the breastfeeding forum here. I don't think it's maliciously done at all, just that some doctors have pretty outdated ideas on breastfeeding, and/or they think that any mode of nutrition (bottle/breast/formula) is fine as long as babies are growing. What they often don't take into account is the fact that establishing a bottle/formula mode of feeding can disrupt or even make impossible a breastfeeding relationship.

[bri276]

Doctors, even pediatricians, are known for giving really poor advice for moms who want to establish a good breastfeeding relationship.

Yup. And exclusive pumping isn't something you want to get stuck with long term if he develops bottle preference- I did it for 21 months! (but my DD had a cleft palate). How much are you pumping? In the hospital, they told me to pump for 10 minutes every three hours, but when I found an exclusive pumpers group, I learned I had to do it for more like 20 minutes 8-10 times a day for those first 12 weeks to makes sure my supply came in well.

sorry if this is unsolicited assvice!!! I just know so many moms that got off track by following the advice of people who SHOULD know what they're talking about, but don't Definitely, I'm on the same page as getting food in the baby is priority #1, but I think their theories deserve to be tested if you feel comfortable with testing them!

[boatbaby]

You have gotten some VERY good advice here! I wanted to add two quick things...
As for pediatricians and breastfeeding advice... my brother is a pede and he and I had our first babies at the same time (by 2 weeks). I would chat with him on the phone about breastfeeding or sleep or whathave you and it became clear we had REALLY different parenting styles. And I asked him, what did they teach you in med school about breastfeeding, baby care, etc. The answer - NOTHING. Not one thing. If you have a sick baby, he's there with everything we need -- but the rest of the stuff is either based on his own parenting style or the style established by that particular office (his partner has been on the news advocating CIO if that tells ya anything). So the long and short of it is, a certificied lactation consultant or LLL leader are always the ones to call for all things breastmilk. Docs don't get the training there at all but they still hand out the advice.

On sleep -- toss out your clocks! There should be no time piece in your bedroom (if your DP needs an alarm, have him set a cell phone and put it under his pillow) or babies room or in the path between you and the bottles. My ds nursed every 2 hours for 2+ years and I found that once I got rid of the clocks, I felt like I was better rested and slept sounder between nursings.

best to you and your little one!!

[Kelly1101]

Originally Posted by boatbaby

You have gotten some VERY good advice here! I wanted to add two quick things...
As for pediatricians and breastfeeding advice... my brother is a pede and he and I had our first babies at the same time (by 2 weeks). I would chat with him on the phone about breastfeeding or sleep or whathave you and it became clear we had REALLY different parenting styles. And I asked him, what did they teach you in med school about breastfeeding, baby care, etc. The answer - NOTHING. Not one thing. If you have a sick baby, he's there with everything we need -- but the rest of the stuff is either based on his own parenting style or the style established by that particular office (his partner has been on the news advocating CIO if that tells ya anything). So the long and short of it is, a certificied lactation consultant or LLL leader are always the ones to call for all things breastmilk. Docs don't get the training there at all but they still hand out the advice.

Huh, that's funny about what your brother said... I've noticed that a lot of Peds like to hand out parenting advice (I'm lucky with mine, he is very laid back and only offers opinions on things medical-- novel idea, right?). And I've always wondered that when people talk about "oh my doctor says that my 6-month-old should be sleeping through the night without nursing" and so on-- it's like where the hell did they get that?

[RedOakMomma]

Our ped. said the same thing...that really, all advice other than medical advice can only be personal advice (based on their beliefs and parenting style)...because breastfeeding/sleep/etc. isn't covered in medical school. At most, the doctors "learn" about these things while they're residents, shadowing other doctors who are spouting THEIR personal beliefs.

Not exactly science.

[bri276]

My mother is a ped, I know for a fact that she uses her own experience of parenting as a basis for everything. Even though she was never home (That's not slam against working moms- I AM one- she chose to spend her free time without her kids around, even on weekends, etc).

Get this- neither my sister or I had any issues with teething, supposedly, and therefore she thinks no babies do. She literally doesn't believe teething upsets or hurts babies ever, at all. She also told me to "start putting DD down more" when she was about 2 months old, suggested CIO, thought pedialyte was more hydrating for a newborn than breastmilk, I could go on forever. Having two parents as MDs has made me naturally rebellious towards them! Actually, my dad is great, he's a general surgeon and if you ask him a question about something that's outside of his particular knowledge base, he's super honest about it. I love doctors who will say "I don't know." Pediatricians don't seem to do that often, though!

/sorry for the tangent!

[Parker'smommy]

Good luck momma...Hoping you get babe on the breast soon and will be able to sleep through most of those night time feedings!!! Hugs.....