I have a lot swirling in my brain today, so this post will be all over the place.
First I can't believe I didn't blog that I ran 3 miles! 3 whole miles. It was the perfect weather and I was feeling good, so I "pushed" it a little bit. It was very slow, but gave me a lot of hope. I felt really good out there on that run along the neighboring tree lined mansion row. I felt like I was a runner and soon enough I would have my legs back. Not that I have ever been a great runner, but I just hope that I can consistently run 6 miles and one day be a back around a 9 min mile, instead of the 11ish I am right now. Sadly, that was last Sat and I've only been out to run one time since and ran 2 miles, but I have been on 2 -4 mile walks. I haven't been lifting much and that is going to be a tough habit for me to get into. I know good and well that if I want to get in shape quickly that I need to focus on weights and not the cardio. I think when G goes back to work it'll be easier for me to focus on weights b/c with him at work I can only go to the gym or do a DVD at home, the runs will have to be when he's home, until we are using the running stroller. I don't think I can use it until she's like 6 months old.... I need to look into that.
I have successfully swaddled Harper the past 4 nights and she has slept much better. Out of the 4 nights, she had 2 nights with a 5 hours stretch, one with a 6 and then the other was just 3. Just now she was lying next to me on her boppy lounger snoozing and she startled herself awake, poor thing.
The hospital I gave birth at has a weekly breastfeeding support group and a new moms group. For the past 2 weeks I have gone to both and I LOVE it. I am so thankful they offer these free groups. The breastfeeding group is ran by a lactation consultant and you can weigh your baby before and after you feed to see how much they are taking in. Harper is already over 9 lbs! She is chunking up nicely. The new mom group actually has some ladies in it I could see myself hanging out with. It's nice to have these free things to look forward to weekly.
Question for you moms. Harper wants to eat constantly, CONSTANTLY. I am lucky if she goes 2 hours and in the evening it's more like 45 mins. She eats so much that after awhile she can't even latch on b/c my milkers are too squishy for her to get a hold of. Did you guys go through this phase? When did you start getting tough and not feeding on demand and trying to make your little one wait longer? Sorry to my triathlon peeps who have to read my boob questions.
8 comments:
yay for mommy groups with cool people!! and 3 miles, and swaddling (we're still at it at 5+months but i am NOT messing with 12 hour nights). i don't remember when it got easier, but andra ate all the time in the evenings too. probably around 3 months is eased up? which may seem like a long way away but it's not.
do what you're comfy with, but i wish i had been a bit more relaxed and use bottles/formula a bit more when i was frustrated with it all. everyone makes bf so all or nothing, scaring you into thinking everything is going to mess with your supply! i didn't find that to be the case. sometimes the boobs were just OFF LIMITS for a bit. though i can't say i ever think i got tough about a feeding schedule (it was the easy way to keep her happy, and i hated the crying), again around 3 months (which coincided with me going back to work and andra getting bottles) she started being easier to distract and started going about every 3 hours.
you're doing great!! it gets easier.
"getting tough"... HA! I'm the WRONG lady to help with that arena! I still hear the slightest peep and my first reaction is always, "oh, oh, don't be sad, here, wanna boob?" Man I like having that easy fix on hand, and I'm pretty pathetic when he turns out to not be hungry :)
Yeah, I think if she's hungry you should feed her, especially for the first 3-4 months. She'll get on more of a schedule in a month or two. Nate goes about 2-3 hors btw feedings now, but cluster fed a ton in the early weeks. Also, maybe ask the lactation consultant about it! I've always read and heard to feed on demand. i don't think it's like sleeping where you can eat train :)
You also might want to check this site out: kellymom.com. It i my go-to for bf'ing info and tips! GL!
Hmmm, Jack never really cluster fed and has been on a 2.5-3 hour routine from the start. We do feed him a bottle of part formula and part breast milk at his evening feedings and maybe that fills him up more. I also like that I can see how much he is eating. He usually eats 5-6 oz at 6:30 and 10pm. Glad the swaddle is helping. Jack won't sleep unless he is swaddled. That was tough since it was 95 degrees yesterday. I tried to get him to sleep without it but no luck.
Congrats on the run. I decided to ignore the Dr and ran 1.5 miles on the treadmill the other day. It was great but I was sore for 2 days. Haven't been able to run since but it's a start!
I was a schedule crazed mommy with both the boys. I kept Ryan on a 2 hour schedule and Brayden on a 3 hour schedule pretty much regardless of what they wanted. Don't get me wrong, the first month to 6 weeks I was a little more relaxed and did feed more often when I noticed the "growth spurt" but otherwise I didn't allow it. Both boys were sleeping 10-12 hour stretches by 8-10 weeks old. I firmly stand by getting them on schedules. It makes your life so much easier. Eliminates doubt.
I do agree with supplementing with formula in the evenings. It gives you a chance to not be "the machine", allows Gary to bond with Harper and it sticks to her tummy a little more than BM. Don't be afraid of the bottle. Like Clare said, BF is not all or nothing...or at least it doesn't have to be. Any BM is better than none.
Those mommy groups sound great. I wish I'd found something like that.
Zach was a HUGE eater. I never ever got him to go longer than 2 hours. Even now he's every 2 hours but at least we can give him solids. I started with just giving him one bottle at night because when he would go on those crazy feeding toward the evening that was the only way to satisfy him. For a while it was extra pumped milk from the mornings then I started with formula. Like Clare said, I think it was around three months when he stopped eating so much at night. In fact, now I don't even feed him before putting him to bed and I thought that day would NEVER come.
Great job on the 3 mi!
Lucy still eats every 2 hours when the boob is around :) At daycare she goes 3 hours between bottles but she's getting 6 ounces of breastmilk in those bottles which is more than she would get out of me-they say a breastfed baby only takes 4-5 ounces at a feeding. They get faster at eating though so it becomes less of a hassle. And I know you won't believe me but you'll miss the marathon feeding. It's so nice to have a cuddly little one just eating away rather than a figgity 8 month old trying to jump out of your lap to go play with toys. Oh and teeth? Yeah nice.
We swaddled Lucy until about 4 or 5 months. When she started to roll was when the swaddle went away. It took time though to wean her of the swaddle!
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