- It's been a while since I've posted. I post slightly more at my other site, and since I can't find the hours in the day to send out the e-mail I will most certainly take down the link by the end of the weekend but if you want to follow me over I'd be most honored. I love comments, but please no references to this blog :) This is my private one where I can write about things I don't want everyone (i.e. family, friends) reading.
- Little guy is not sleeping anymore. We went from 5 hours stretches, to 6, to 7!! And then down to waking every 2-3 hours nightly like clockwork. I am feeling like a zombie due to sleep deprivation, as though I've been transported back into the early days of having a baby. Not just that, he used to lay in the crib without a fuss and coo and chat to himself and fall asleep, now its a 45 minute production of tears and screams to get him in bed. I thought it got easier, not harder?!
- I'm worried my milk supply is the cause. Last night we gave him a bottle of formula for its purported ability to keep a sleeping baby sleeping longer and I pumped out of curiosity to see how much milk I was making. 3 ounces total. 3 lousy ounces to feed a 14+ pound baby. I've heard that baby extracts more than the pump so I might have more but I'm wondering if milk supply is the reason.
- Although this theory was a tiny bit eroded last night since he woke up 2 hours after the bottle screaming. This time I gave him tylenol, he instantly quieted down and fell asleep. So maybe this is all teething related? The white buds are under his gums waiting to come out. He's got a lot of teeth- I guess I'll be sleep deprived for a while if this is the case.
- But my doctor thinks its my diet. I joined weight watchers. I was doing GREAT on it. Losing 2 pounds a week for a total of 7 pounds to date. I NEVER lose weight like that (thank you PCOS) but his sleep deprivation coincided with this. I talked to a LLL volunteer who also agreed it might be my diet. I've been advised not to lose weight at all, but I feel like I'm wearing a fat suit and I want to get out of it! And WW does give you points if your'e nursing. I'm able to eat VERY well on the diet. I mean, two eggs with toast for breakfast, pasta for dinner! I'm not exactly starving. I don't get it.
- Do you have any advice on baby sleep regression? I can't imagine letting him cry it out. I tried it for four minutes last night and I was a hysterical sobbing mess. Just can't do it. Any advice on weight loss? Milk supply issues? Battling the inability to sleep once the baby is asleep because your'e lying in wait for him to awake next?? I've ordered fenugreek, I eat fennel seeds every day as is, and I'm now adding oatmeal. Sigh.
- But let me be clear, the fat suit, the insomnia, the hysterical shrieks of my bebe- wouldn't have it any other way. I am happy. So happy he's here. I don't take THAT for granted.
Updated to add, the past two days I ate whatever I wanted, like a nut, and today when I pumped I got out 6.5 ounces. Yep- food is definitely a factor. Sigh. I really want to lose this weight but not at the cost of giving up nursing which I worked SOOOO hard to stick to and which I actually now love doing. It's weird to bemoan that I MUST eat to my heart's content but I really feel motivated to shed the weight. weird.
Kate, I was told that if you start solids at 4 months it can issues but everyone I know who has started at four are just fine. Did you do any reading on this?
A couple of thoughts. With my first it was always two steps forward, one step back with sleeping. Just when we thought she was reliably sleeping through the night we'd be up every few hours with her again. Even the best sleepers tend to go through sleep regression when they are hitting milestones especially. The truth is that there isn't much you can do about it.
ReplyDeleteI didn't breastfeed for very long, but one thing I do know is that many women produce less milk when pumping compared to feeding directly from your breast. So he may actually get more breastfeeding than you were able to pump.
I could hardly get anything out when I pumped! Like 2 ounces! hahaa. From both sides total! But my baby was always 97% on the growth chart, so I know he was getting much, much more when I breastfed him.
ReplyDeleteHmm, my stepsister is going through the same thing...sleep regression with her 9 month old. I can only imagine how frustrating that is. Are you suspecting that he is waking up because he is hungry? You could try adding some rice cereal to a bottle of breastmilk? My son has been on since he was 3 weeks.
ReplyDeleteI get out 2oz every 2h, or 3oz after 3h. Sounds like a decent output to me.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link to your other blog - I'll look forward to following you over there.
We got permission to start solids around 4 months, and her sleep and weight gain has gotten better since then. Something to maybe consider trying.
louise started sleeping through the night at about six weeks, it lasted for about six weeks and then she started waking up 1-2 times a night again. i read that at three (of four, don't remember if it was three or four) months they don't actually need to eat in the middle of the night anymore and to try rocking back to sleep instead of feeding so that's what we did. i guess if they get fed in the middle of the night it can get them in the habit of doing it even though they don't need it. louise is formula fed though so i'm not sure if the same applies to breast fed babies, have you talked to your pediatrician?
ReplyDeleteWe had some sleep regression, but nothing too terrible that we weren't able to ride out with time. We were "Happy Sleep Habits" followers...I don't know if you are familiar with the book. I had low supply issues to the extent that DD was combo-fed from about two weeks on. I'm afraid that I tried everything to increase my supply, but I didn't have a lot of success. One thought on fenurgreek. It works for a lot of women, but watch your little one while you are taking it to make sure that it doesn't cause him GI upset. It can bother their tummies. Lastly, I'd love to follow you over to your other blog. If you don't mind, will you send me a link? It's the name of my blog (no underscore or space) at ymail dot com. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI was told that following the GD diet could help keeping me afloat, meaning it would not interfere with the milk, but it won't increase my weight. Perhaps you could try that? And see how your weight is doing? Sadly I am not keeping up with that, because I get to eat whatever I can grab these days. Perhaps a bit later I can do sth about it.
ReplyDeleteSo sorry the LO has gone to not sleeping as long again :( Hopefully, it will sort itself out soon. It's bad that losing weight is affecting your milk supply. But at least it's not such a terrible hardship to eat what you feel like!
ReplyDeleteBtw, I would love to follow your other blog. My email is wistful(dot)girl(at)gmail(dot)com.
I'm having regression issues already. I've been wondering if it has to do with supply too and have tried formula supplementation, verdict is out on whether that helps ;cause it seemed to upset his stomach and we stopped abruptly.
ReplyDeletehe's become kind of a lazy eater which could be part of it...it seems like if i'm patient enough to keep coaxing him to feed for at least an hour, he gets enough to be satisfied. But on those nights when we spend a hr and 15 min, and he still isn't happy, it seems SO inefficient.
I'm glad to know the diet thing worked so well for you. I'll give that a shot, I've been conscious of what i'm eating lately as i too am eager to lose the fat suit - i didn't realize what a big difference even subtle changes coiuld have. this will make me feel less guilty on those days when i don't get much exercise in. :)
And i totally hear you on being sublimely happy despite the delerium of sleep deprivation and frstration of sleep and eating issues! it's like infertility and loss have given us a consolation prize of being able to smile and cry tears of joy in moments when most parents would be at their wits end.