Monday, October 31, 2011
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Sleeping Update
Quick sleeping update. Luke has been having that one longer stretch of sleep at night for the past week, varying from 4 hours to 6 hours, which is fantastic. I haven't slept straight through the time as I still wake every so often and feel the need to check on him to make sure he's breathing (but since he's sleeping in a bassinet right next to the bed, I don't have to get up--I just reach over and check). But it's a really wonderful feeling to be able to stay in bed for an extended stretch of time.
I think that he's figured out that he needs to "tank up" a bit before bedtime as he's been eating more and more in the couple of hours before going to bed this week. Last night was the most I've ever seen him eat at one time. He just kept going and going. I was so afraid that he was just going to spit up a lot of it (as that happens sometimes), but he actually seemed to keep it all down. He started that feeding around 9:00 and we were in bed by 10:00 pm. We didn't get up again until 3:30 am!
The sleep after that time is usually only about two hours, maybe two and a half and he seems to want to either stay awake or sleep snuggled up on the couch with me after that, so we're still getting up around 6 am each morning for the day. I'd like to be able to have one more two-hour sleep session in the morning and get up around 8 am, but right now I'm just happy to have cut out one of the night feedings (sometimes he was even getting up twice during that time), so I think I'll just be happy with this schedule right now as it's not too bad at all.
I think that he's figured out that he needs to "tank up" a bit before bedtime as he's been eating more and more in the couple of hours before going to bed this week. Last night was the most I've ever seen him eat at one time. He just kept going and going. I was so afraid that he was just going to spit up a lot of it (as that happens sometimes), but he actually seemed to keep it all down. He started that feeding around 9:00 and we were in bed by 10:00 pm. We didn't get up again until 3:30 am!
The sleep after that time is usually only about two hours, maybe two and a half and he seems to want to either stay awake or sleep snuggled up on the couch with me after that, so we're still getting up around 6 am each morning for the day. I'd like to be able to have one more two-hour sleep session in the morning and get up around 8 am, but right now I'm just happy to have cut out one of the night feedings (sometimes he was even getting up twice during that time), so I think I'll just be happy with this schedule right now as it's not too bad at all.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Sleeping and Shots
Two different topics but I thought I'd just write one post.
Luke has liked to eat frequently, which makes night time rather difficult with a lot of lack of sleep. He usually wakes up and is hungry after two hours, which I could occasionally push to three hours (and that is from start of feeding to start of feeding, not actual time sleeping, which is much less). Now that he's two months old, I wanted to try to get him to go a little longer at night between feedings if possible.
So on Saturday night I decided that instead of picking him up right away when he started getting fussy about wanting to eat, I would just try to soothe him (such as rubbing his tummy) and see if he would fall back to sleep. I didn't get to sleep the whole time (since I was soothing), but he managed to go a bit over four hours without getting up to eat. I was excited about that, especially if he could do it without me having to soothe him in the future.
But I was worried that it was a fluke. So last night I was happily surprised that he went almost four hours on his own (well, there was minimal soothing at a couple of points) and then another hour with me soothing him, for a total of just over five hours between feedings. I'm really hoping that we've hit a turning point and he'll be able to go longer at night.
I actually wonder if he figured things out yesterday because in the evening in the few hours before bed, he seemed ravenously hungry, like he knew that he needed to really fill up before bed time. He gulped down quite a bit and still wanted more. And he didn't really spit up very much, so I guess he really did want it all. So perhaps getting him filled up before bed is something else that I need to try to do to help him sleep longer during the night. So I'm crossing my fingers that he'll be able to keep going for those longer stretches.
And now the other topic: shots. Today was Luke's two-month checkup. He did really well. He's now 10 pounds 14.4 ounces and 22 inches (measurements from his one-month checkup were 8 lbs 2 oz and 20.25"). He's just above the 25th percentile for full-term babies and just above the 50th percentile on the chart for early arrivals, which is a more accurate measurement for him. Everything else the doctor checked looked good.
Then it was time for his vaccinations: two shots and one oral vaccine. I fed him right before he got the shots (supposedly breast milk has analgesics and so can help with pain) and J held him during the shots. He got one in each leg. He did start crying (with a little screaming) with the first shot but he calmed down after a short time. On the car ride home, he was so sleepy but he kept trying to keep himself awake. Once we got home, he took some short naps, but around mid-afternoon, he started to get really cranky and didn't want to lie down in the pack-n-play or even sit in his swing. He was okay if I held him (though he'd throw in a little cry every now and then). So I decided to go ahead and give him a dose of Tylenol. I think it did help a little but he still just really wants to be held right now, so J and I are taking turns this evening.
I'm not sure what this will mean for his sleeping tonight. Hmm...perhaps the two topics aren't so separate after all. Anyway, here's a picture of Luke today. You can see the band aid on one of his legs. He has another on the other leg. (And the onesie is appropriate, given his mood today.)
Luke has liked to eat frequently, which makes night time rather difficult with a lot of lack of sleep. He usually wakes up and is hungry after two hours, which I could occasionally push to three hours (and that is from start of feeding to start of feeding, not actual time sleeping, which is much less). Now that he's two months old, I wanted to try to get him to go a little longer at night between feedings if possible.
So on Saturday night I decided that instead of picking him up right away when he started getting fussy about wanting to eat, I would just try to soothe him (such as rubbing his tummy) and see if he would fall back to sleep. I didn't get to sleep the whole time (since I was soothing), but he managed to go a bit over four hours without getting up to eat. I was excited about that, especially if he could do it without me having to soothe him in the future.
But I was worried that it was a fluke. So last night I was happily surprised that he went almost four hours on his own (well, there was minimal soothing at a couple of points) and then another hour with me soothing him, for a total of just over five hours between feedings. I'm really hoping that we've hit a turning point and he'll be able to go longer at night.
I actually wonder if he figured things out yesterday because in the evening in the few hours before bed, he seemed ravenously hungry, like he knew that he needed to really fill up before bed time. He gulped down quite a bit and still wanted more. And he didn't really spit up very much, so I guess he really did want it all. So perhaps getting him filled up before bed is something else that I need to try to do to help him sleep longer during the night. So I'm crossing my fingers that he'll be able to keep going for those longer stretches.
And now the other topic: shots. Today was Luke's two-month checkup. He did really well. He's now 10 pounds 14.4 ounces and 22 inches (measurements from his one-month checkup were 8 lbs 2 oz and 20.25"). He's just above the 25th percentile for full-term babies and just above the 50th percentile on the chart for early arrivals, which is a more accurate measurement for him. Everything else the doctor checked looked good.
Then it was time for his vaccinations: two shots and one oral vaccine. I fed him right before he got the shots (supposedly breast milk has analgesics and so can help with pain) and J held him during the shots. He got one in each leg. He did start crying (with a little screaming) with the first shot but he calmed down after a short time. On the car ride home, he was so sleepy but he kept trying to keep himself awake. Once we got home, he took some short naps, but around mid-afternoon, he started to get really cranky and didn't want to lie down in the pack-n-play or even sit in his swing. He was okay if I held him (though he'd throw in a little cry every now and then). So I decided to go ahead and give him a dose of Tylenol. I think it did help a little but he still just really wants to be held right now, so J and I are taking turns this evening.
I'm not sure what this will mean for his sleeping tonight. Hmm...perhaps the two topics aren't so separate after all. Anyway, here's a picture of Luke today. You can see the band aid on one of his legs. He has another on the other leg. (And the onesie is appropriate, given his mood today.)
Sunday, October 23, 2011
My Little Snugglesaurus
Luke is two months old today. The time really does fly by. This morning I've been thinking about the question from this past week's breastfeeding support group (I've been going every Thursday; the leader usually starts us off with a question to answer when we introduce ourselves): what personality characteristics are you already seeing in your baby?
Luke has been a very well-tempered baby. He is happy most of the time and only gets really fussy when he is hungry (and he can go from asleep to starving in 30 seconds--which helped me answer another previous week's question in my breastfeeding group: what is one reason this week you are glad you are breastfeeding? My answer: how fast it is to get food to the baby because I don't have to go make and warm up a bottle, so I can soothe Luke right away.). He also smiles quite a lot (sure, you could say it's gas but since many of the smiles do seem to be directed at the circumstances, I think he does actually smile quite a lot).
But mostly, Luke loves to be held and loves to snuggle. He seems to be the happiest when he's in my arms, burying his face into me. He has a pair of dinosaur footie pajamas that say Snugglesaurus on the front and I think that's a great description for him (see picture). And he likes to snuggle with Daddy, too. The leader at the breastfeeding group has remarked several times that for most babies, other people can't hold the baby the same way that mommy can hold the baby (any hold that mimics breastfeeding) but Luke doesn't seem to be bothered by it when Daddy holds him like that and he'll snuggle with J just as much as he snuggles with me. I hope that Luke continues to be our little Snugglesaurus.
So after two months of mommyhood, I'm still tired (although we did have a longer - over 3 hours - period between feedings last night) quite a bit but still just amazed at this little guy and love watching him develop day by day. I'm sure the next two months are going to pass by just as quickly and he's going to be very different at four months than he is now just as he's so different now than he was when he was first born. I'm just trying to store up all the memories (and pictures) that I can and really living in each moment to enjoy it all.
Luke has been a very well-tempered baby. He is happy most of the time and only gets really fussy when he is hungry (and he can go from asleep to starving in 30 seconds--which helped me answer another previous week's question in my breastfeeding group: what is one reason this week you are glad you are breastfeeding? My answer: how fast it is to get food to the baby because I don't have to go make and warm up a bottle, so I can soothe Luke right away.). He also smiles quite a lot (sure, you could say it's gas but since many of the smiles do seem to be directed at the circumstances, I think he does actually smile quite a lot).
But mostly, Luke loves to be held and loves to snuggle. He seems to be the happiest when he's in my arms, burying his face into me. He has a pair of dinosaur footie pajamas that say Snugglesaurus on the front and I think that's a great description for him (see picture). And he likes to snuggle with Daddy, too. The leader at the breastfeeding group has remarked several times that for most babies, other people can't hold the baby the same way that mommy can hold the baby (any hold that mimics breastfeeding) but Luke doesn't seem to be bothered by it when Daddy holds him like that and he'll snuggle with J just as much as he snuggles with me. I hope that Luke continues to be our little Snugglesaurus.
So after two months of mommyhood, I'm still tired (although we did have a longer - over 3 hours - period between feedings last night) quite a bit but still just amazed at this little guy and love watching him develop day by day. I'm sure the next two months are going to pass by just as quickly and he's going to be very different at four months than he is now just as he's so different now than he was when he was first born. I'm just trying to store up all the memories (and pictures) that I can and really living in each moment to enjoy it all.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Growth Spurt
So I've survived (I think) a growth spurt. Thursday evening, Luke started to eat more frequently although Thursday night wasn't too bad. He ate not quite as spaced out as he had been during the night but it still was at least 2 hours between feedings. Then Friday morning came and Luke was ravenous. He was eating every hour or so. I barely got anything else done (which is fine, since I know this growth spurt eating schedule would end).
But last night was not so great. He started off with sleeping for two hours before getting hungry. Then it was another hour only before he cried again. I fed him in bed instead of taking him out to the other room like I usually do. Only 50 minutes later, he cried for food again. I went out to the other room, fed him, changed him, fed him again and put him back to bed. Not too much longer before he started fussing again, but this time the cry seemed different (not a hunger cry). I figured it might be gas so I tried to burp him and that didn't really work, so I just lay in bed with my hand in his bassinet rubbing his stomach. That seemed to help but whenever I stopped rubbing his tummy, he would start to cry again shortly thereafter. He did start to fart quite a bit so I was hoping he would feel better soon and I could get more sleep.
No such luck. I got up and tried to feed him in case he actually was hungry again. He ate a little but didn't really seem that interested. So I sat on the couch with him. He seemed a lot happier lying on his stomach on top of me so we stayed that way for an hour or so. He would sleep a little then wake up and whimper a bit then sleep a little more. Around 7 am, I fed him again (it had actually been over 3 hours since he really had eaten) and went to change his diaper, thinking that he had to have some major poo in there. But there was actually no poo (just a little streak).
I went back to the bedroom and put him back down and I think he was okay-ish (still not super happy) for about another hour. Then J woke up and after a while he tried burping Luke. He got quite a few burps out of him (and more farting) and Luke seemed better. He also finally had a really big poo.
I know that he's going to start transitioning from pooping at every feeding to once every few days, so it looks like along with the growth spurt, he's also changing his poop routine. I'd probably be a little fussy myself if I were in his shoes so I totally understand. And today he is super wide awake (though finally sleeping now) and happy. And he's back to feeding every 2-3 hours. So it looks like we've come out the other side of this growth spurt and we'll see what his poop schedule is like now.
I just feel a bit like zombie mom today. I tried to nap earlier but he's just too awake (and J went to see a movie). Now that he's asleep (and J is home), I'm finding myself unable to sleep. So I apologize in advance to my gaming group tonight as I think it's going to be another zombie night from me. Sorry! I will try to nap again before we head over there, but I'm not sure if it will happen.
But last night was not so great. He started off with sleeping for two hours before getting hungry. Then it was another hour only before he cried again. I fed him in bed instead of taking him out to the other room like I usually do. Only 50 minutes later, he cried for food again. I went out to the other room, fed him, changed him, fed him again and put him back to bed. Not too much longer before he started fussing again, but this time the cry seemed different (not a hunger cry). I figured it might be gas so I tried to burp him and that didn't really work, so I just lay in bed with my hand in his bassinet rubbing his stomach. That seemed to help but whenever I stopped rubbing his tummy, he would start to cry again shortly thereafter. He did start to fart quite a bit so I was hoping he would feel better soon and I could get more sleep.
No such luck. I got up and tried to feed him in case he actually was hungry again. He ate a little but didn't really seem that interested. So I sat on the couch with him. He seemed a lot happier lying on his stomach on top of me so we stayed that way for an hour or so. He would sleep a little then wake up and whimper a bit then sleep a little more. Around 7 am, I fed him again (it had actually been over 3 hours since he really had eaten) and went to change his diaper, thinking that he had to have some major poo in there. But there was actually no poo (just a little streak).
I went back to the bedroom and put him back down and I think he was okay-ish (still not super happy) for about another hour. Then J woke up and after a while he tried burping Luke. He got quite a few burps out of him (and more farting) and Luke seemed better. He also finally had a really big poo.
I know that he's going to start transitioning from pooping at every feeding to once every few days, so it looks like along with the growth spurt, he's also changing his poop routine. I'd probably be a little fussy myself if I were in his shoes so I totally understand. And today he is super wide awake (though finally sleeping now) and happy. And he's back to feeding every 2-3 hours. So it looks like we've come out the other side of this growth spurt and we'll see what his poop schedule is like now.
I just feel a bit like zombie mom today. I tried to nap earlier but he's just too awake (and J went to see a movie). Now that he's asleep (and J is home), I'm finding myself unable to sleep. So I apologize in advance to my gaming group tonight as I think it's going to be another zombie night from me. Sorry! I will try to nap again before we head over there, but I'm not sure if it will happen.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Pictures from Grandma's Visit
Grandma went home yesterday (sad). We had a good visit and I'm so happy that my mom got to meet Luke. Here are some pictures that we took over the course of her visit.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Grandma's Visit and Spitting Up
Grandma (my mom) is visiting now so just a quick update. We're having a good time with grandma. Yesterday we went to the mall and were there longer than Luke goes between feedings, which means I needed to feed him while there. I still haven't done any breastfeeding in public (the closest was in the car in the Target parking lot last week), and I'm not sure if I'm ready to do it right out in front of people (even though I do have a cover). So I used a fitting room in Kohl's. It seemed to work well. (I did go to the bathroom to change his diaper, even though the changing table was very awkwardly positioned so that I practically blocked the door so it was hard for people to come in and out).
The other latest news is that Luke has been spitting up after he eats almost every time for just over a week now. It looks like he may have acid reflux, so we're trying to do things like keep him upright after a feeding for 30 minutes to help him out. I was worried at first that he might have something like a milk sensitivity, but I went to a breastfeeding support group on Thursday and the woman running it went through a list of other symptoms for food sensitivities (rash on body, blood in stool, green or frothy or slimy poop, etc.). Luke has none of those symptoms, so I'm feeling quite a bit relieved. If I had to cut milk out of my diet I don't know what I would eat as so much of what I do eat has milk as an ingredient!
I'll post some pictures with grandma a little later.
The other latest news is that Luke has been spitting up after he eats almost every time for just over a week now. It looks like he may have acid reflux, so we're trying to do things like keep him upright after a feeding for 30 minutes to help him out. I was worried at first that he might have something like a milk sensitivity, but I went to a breastfeeding support group on Thursday and the woman running it went through a list of other symptoms for food sensitivities (rash on body, blood in stool, green or frothy or slimy poop, etc.). Luke has none of those symptoms, so I'm feeling quite a bit relieved. If I had to cut milk out of my diet I don't know what I would eat as so much of what I do eat has milk as an ingredient!
I'll post some pictures with grandma a little later.
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