I haven't posted in a few weeks because we have been in the middle of moving. We stayed at my daddy's house for about three weeks and during that time, we let C sleep with us. Doesn't sound like a big deal, right? Well it is.
My husband and I decided that we wanted our bed back, but that was kind of hard since we were sharing it with both C and our dog, Apollo. There was no more snuggling for Mommy and Daddy.
Don't get me wrong, I loved snuggling next to my Sweet C. Plus, feeding was SO much easier. All I had to do was flop my boob out, turn over, and C ate while I slept. It was a magical thing. Really.
We tried putting him in his crib, but that didn't work. It didn't matter if C was asleep when we put him in there, the second he felt himself on the mattress, he woke up. So when we went for his four-month check-up, I asked the doctor what we could do, and if co-sleeping was as bad as I had heard.
The doctor told us that the majority of babies he had seen from SIDS were co-sleepers. So that scared me to death. He told us to do the "cry it out" method where we would check on C every 10 minutes until he realized that we were still there with him. It was hard. It took a few nights, but eventually C got it. He now sleeps in his crib (yayyy!!!).
As grateful as I am that we have returned to normalcy, I am still unsatisfied. C still wakes up anywhere from two to four hours to eat. This means that rather than pop a boob in his mouth, I have to physically get out of bed, put my feet on the cold tile, and walk into his room. Then I have to get him out of his crib, walk over to the rocking chair, and feed him. When he's done eating, I have to get back up, walk to his bed, put him in the bed, and walk back to my bedroom. THEN I have to fight not only my dog, but my husband as well, to get the covers back and get into a comfortable position to go back to sleep, only to get back up and do it all over again in a matter of short hours.
It's a workout.
Before we all judge the ped, he did tell me that based on C's growth, I should EXCLUSIVELY BREASTFEED for at least two more months.
This was a relief to me since I had been hearing from different people that C may need to go on cereal, formula, or even solids. I'm not ready for that. I enjoy our feeding time, even when I'm a zombie.
During this moving thing, my supply had dipped in a bad way. Stress combined with Dr. Pepper and coffee, combined with everything else going on in my life, my body just had too much going on. I started taking Fenugreek, two capsules, three times a day, and upped my water intake. It helped. I realized I had quit taking my prenatals too, so when I started that back, it really helped.
Now my supply is back to where it needs to be.
SO. My point of this post is the same as all the other posts: Don't give up.
Life has a way of throwing everything at you at once, and that can affect you mentally and physically. But breastfeeding is one thing that you're doing right for yourself and your baby, so while you may be giving up on other things, don't let this be one of them. It's hard, I know, but you can do it.
I'm not going to tell you to get rest and drink water, because sometimes you can't rest and you just want a damn Dr. Pepper. But I will tell you to keep feeding, keep pumping, and keep reminding yourself that you're doing the right thing.
Another word of advice: If your ped is not supporting you in breastfeeding, FIND ANOTHER ONE. If C's doctor hadn't been so supportive, it would have been much easier for me to quit. As mothers we trust our children's doctors, so it's imperative that they support us.
Conclusion: Don't give up. Drink the soda. Enjoy the milky way life.
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