Today sleep training begins. Brent and I have decided to do it the hard-assed cold turkey way. We’re still going in to comfort him but no picking him up. It’s time. The past few days he hasn’t let me put him down to sleep for naps. He just wakes right up and it’s not good. He’ll sleep better once he can fall asleep by himself. It just sucks to hear him cry for so long, he’s really really stubborn.
Nursing is horrible still. He’s not getting enough anymore. Before I could tell by his wet diapers that he was, in fact, getting enough. The past two days I really haven’t HAD to change his diaper other than the one he wore over night. He’s only had two damp diapers. Sometimes hours pass and they’re still dry. Why is this escalating? Why is it getting worse?? I need to go get a nipple shield and see how that works. I hope the lactation consultants can help me tomorrow. I feel SO bad for my little Ikey. He can get it easy if he wanted to, it’s like he chooses to be fussy about it. I wonder if he’s got some weird medical condition? I’ve done EVERYTHING they tell you to do to help with forceful let down, except the nipple shield so we’ll see how that works. Please pray it works. I’ll wear that thing until he’s done nursing if I have to. I want nursing to work. I know if I change to a bottle I’ll wish I had stuck with it just a bit longer until he got it. We’ll get this!!
Isaac is finally asleep. Goodness me. We had to wiggle his bed to get him to sleep but it’s better than holding him. I have a radio in there for white noise, that boy is SO sensitive to noise and will wake up with any noise, it’s annoying. I’m going to ask for a radio on freecycle because we don’t actually have an extra one for him. We just put it to static and then there’s your white noise. Perfect. I hope he sleeps well now. Perhaps once he sleeps really well and we’re in a better routine then he’ll eat better?
Anyway, I’m starved. I’m gunna ask for a few things on freecycle (I got a free crib for Ikey yesterday) and then eat some food. I’m going to try and get a crib mattress as well then we can spend our crib money on something more fun for Ikey…like…I dunno…nipple shields? I think that right now I’m experiencing heart burn for the first time ever….coffee and no breakfast…oops.
he didn’t take the shield but he nursed like a gentleman anyway…perhaps we exhausted him with making him cry himself to sleep.
don’t buy a shield, the LC will give you one for free. They gave me 2.
*start pep talk* Stick to the sleep training. It bites at first, but happy babies need sleep. I know you’ve been there done that, but keep it up!*end pep talk*
Thanks for the pep baby cakes! I still miss you loads and loads and loads. Narf.
Sorry that the shield didn’t help. It took a little while for Kitten to take the shield, too… so maybe keep trying to see if he will take it. But yeah. I hope that you find something that works.
If it doesn’t – don’t feel bad. Breastfeeding isn’t the most important thing in the world, I promise!
It does suck, but it works eventually. You’ll get through it.
(And kudos to you for sticking with the BFing!)
Please don’t take this the wrong way (as I’m sure you’ve already thought to do this), but have you talked to the pediatrician about his lack of wet diapers? Babies get dehydrated very easily, and I don’t know if there’s something else you can do in the meantime while you wait for the lactation consultant to help sort this all out.
RE white noise ~ my son would wake at the slightest noise, too. We have a fan in his room, and it’s worked wonders. He’s almost six now, and he still asks for it to be turned on at night.
I have to have a fan on at night too. I put a little on in there for him last night and it helped.
I don’t take that kinda stuff the wrong way. I’m not going to make my child’s welfare a personal issue so if I’m doing something wrong then speak the heck up because it’s not my own life I’m taking care of, it’s someone else’s. I remember though when Silas had RSV and he didn’t eat anything and they weren’t too worried about it as long as he still had a little bit in his diapers. The public health nurse will let me know today.
THANK YOU!