Who knew three hours of sleep could be so exciting? But yes, last night, Liam -- at nearly 3 weeks old -- slept for 3 hours and 15 minutes in a row, which is literally a new record for him. I'm hoping this is the beginning of a new trend! Everyone tells me they start sleeping for longer stretches around 6-8 weeks and sleep through the night around 3 months, which can't come fast enough as far as I'm concerned.
Brad and I have a pretty good nighttime routine worked out for the time being. I go to bed super-early, like 8:30 p.m. Around 10:30, Brad puts Liam out with our tried-and-true method of diaper, bottle and swaddle. Brad brings him up around 11 and Liam sleeps until 1 or 2, which allows me to get 4-5 uninterrupted hours of sleep before he wakes up, and then Brad sleeps on the couch for the rest of the night. I then take care of feedings and changings every 2 hours or so for the rest of the night. It's not ideal, but it works for now. We were both able to get about 7 hours of sleep last night with this method, so we're going to keep at it until we find something better. I also installed some red-colored light bulbs in the bedroom for nighttime feedings, since they supposedly help babies develop their circadian rhythms. It makes our bedroom look like a Halloween party, but whatever works.
Moving on...
Now that I've had some time to sit back and reflect on the past few weeks, I'm starting to realize how lucky I am. I had a fairly "easy" (ha!) labor and delivery as far as the medical textbooks are concerned, our baby is beautiful and healthy, and I have the support of the most amazing husband/daddy I could ever imagine.
Still, I definitely had a bit of the "baby blues" at first. I don't think any new mom can ever be prepared for what a HUGE adjustment it is to have a new baby. Our first few days home from the hospital, I spent more time crying than I ever thought possible. It was a combination of hormones, sleep deprivation, and the reality of "OMG what have we done?" On top of that, I really struggled with breastfeeding, especially after developing mastitis on both sides, which left me with a 102-degree fever for two days straight. Antibiotics took care of the infection, but the pain prevented me from feeding/pumping, which reduced my supply. Brad and I made the decision about three days ago to switch exclusively to formula, which our pediatrician is fine with. Still, I feel guilty and wish I could have done more to make it work.
Thankfully, I think the baby blues are going away, and I am really starting to cherish these precious 10 weeks I have at home with my son. (My first day back at work is in early October.) He's already starting to grow and change -- he's more alert than he was even a week ago, and his eyes are starting to focus on faces and other nearby objects. Everyone says the first time they smile is one of the best moments of parenthood. I can't wait for that day.
PS -- Liam is in the middle of a marathon 2-hour nap right now, which is how I found the time to post. Baby monitors are a beautiful thing!
4 comments:
Gosh, those ten weeks are going fast!
Sounds like you and Brad are a great team (of course)!
Do NOT feel guilty about switching to formula! I think so many women feel the exact same way, but in the end, formula-fed or breastfed, the baby just needs to be fed! That's all that matters. Plus, I am jealous of your already established routine and with a bottle, at least your husband can do half the feeding! Granted, it's only been one night at home for us, but it was a bit brutal!
Jess - our first night home, I got maybe 30 minutes of sleep and seriously wanted to put him outside with a sign that said "free to a good home." I'm no veteran, but I promise you, it gets better fast! You'll figure out what works soon enough and get into a routine.
I agree with Jess. I breastfed for 6 months with my oldest and ended up going to formula (using the fancy stuff with DHA) with my youngest. Both of my kids turned out fine and healthy.
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