How I picture having a baby will be.
&
Being a mommy - 12 days in.
We are almost at Claire's 2 month birthday and it is hard to believe. As with everything we have had some ups and downs, things change by the day and I am just learning how to be the best mommy to Claire.
Sleep
She is still quite the napper, she takes about 3 or 4 a day in her bassinet and they range in length and while she naps I get stuff done around the house, cross things off my to do list, and I try to take at least one nap a day. So far so good. She falls asleep easily without much coaxing, she usually eats, plays and then nods off. At night it is pretty much the same. What changes a lot and can make or break a day is how long she wants to sleep between each feeding. We have had a few nights of 7 hours of sleep, a good amount of 4 - 5 but lately she is back to wanting to nurse every 2. I thought with the block feeding that she might sleep longer at night but it seems to be the opposite. We have her doctors appt next week so that is on my list of topics to cover with her doctor. We want to implement a sleeping routine but so far we are pretty lax on it, she usually is in her crib by 10:30pm after nursing, maybe a book and being changed. Once I get this blocked nursing thing in control it should be a lot easier to get more strict on that.
Our sleep is going pretty well too. I wake up quickly and fall back to sleep pretty quickly, the last two nights have been tougher because I have had a lot on my mind so getting back to sleep was a bit harder, but overall I am feeling rested. I do not wake Ryan during the night because he cannot really do much while I am breastfeeding and since he has to go into the office in the morning I figure he can sleep and on the weekends he takes a few feedings so I can catch up. Lately he takes her in the morning before work, changes her and calms her down so I can rest a little bit longer. I feel like our routine is working for us and our fingers are crossed she starts sleeping for longer bouts soon.
Breastfeeding
Well, I have written about this in many many other posts:
Thrush
Thrush update
Lactation appointment
We are still getting along and I am happy I have kept up with it. When it gets tough I have thought, "man, this is too hard maybe I should supplement" but I keep being told how much easier this will get and I keep waiting for that to happen. I am lucky because she is a great eater, she latches well, and she is gaining weight but the thrush, overproduction and sore nipples do get me down sometimes.
We are still working on all of those with - nystatin syrup for her, nystatin cream, fluconazole, probiotics, gentian violet and waiting on our order of grapefruit seed extract. Still washing bras, towels, pump parts, and burp clothes daily.
The bonding aspect of breastfeeding is wonderful- I love when she caresses my neck, holds my finger and stares at my face. She is the sweetest, I will keep working on these issues because I want this to work for as long as possible and maybe 8 weeks just is not enough time for it to be easy.
Breastfeeding in public has been going well, I was a little nervous at first but I am happy that we both have got our groove and things are going well and I know that I can nurse her where ever and whenever. I use my cover when I want to and don't use it when I don't. I was breastfeeding Claire last weekend in SD, we were sitting on a restaurant patio and I was not using a cover, an elderly woman got so excited about it and started waving to say hello. It was so cute! Most people avert their eyes and try not to look at me but it was nice that she wanted to interact with me and it did help me feel more comfortable with my decision.
My relationship with Ryan
Ryan is an amazing dad, my best friend and a great husband. It is true that all the extra work of a baby can sometimes make a relationship tough, we have had those moments when we are both tired and maybe a little grouchy but one of us always brings us back. The bedtime routine that we are trying includes Claire being put to bed and then us spending some time together where we reconnect, talk about everything not baby related and just enjoy each other. At 8 weeks postpartum it has been nice to spend sometime alone with my husband and this weekend we are going away for a night for wine tasting and relaxation. I think it will be so so much fun and I value our relationship as husband and wife not just as parents.
Healing from her birth
I am as good as can be expected it seems, my incision is healed but I know full healing can take up to a year so I need to still be kind to myself. I was cleared for working out so that has been really great and I think has helped me heal in other ways. Emotional healing is going well also, I do not feel blue as often as I did at first and I am totally ok with the course our delivery had to take. I just spoke with Ryan about he dealt with that day when things got crazy, I had not thought about how emotional that must have been for everyone else and it was really nice to sit and talk it out with him. It was a scary day but here we are happy and healthy.
Thats all for now
xoxo friends
have a great day
Nikol
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