Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Sleep? (5 weeks)

I know that everyone tells you to say goodbye to your sleep when you have a baby, and I was well aware that I would be getting a lot less sleep, but I never realized how much a lack of sleep would affect me. I am exhausted! My little guy refuses to sleep unless he is being held. It takes us forever to get him to sleep in his bassinet at night. He can be fast asleep in my arms but the minute I put him in the crib he wakes up and screams. He has to be literally exhausted to sleep in the crib. This makes it difficult during the day for me to get anything done because in order for him to nap I have to hold him until he is good and asleep before I even attempt to put him down. And then most of the time once I set him down he wakes up. We have tried putting him to bed drowsy but awake so that he can learn to soothe himself to sleep but we are not having any success. He just screams bloody murder! Last night we started trying to put him down at 8:00 and we were not successful in getting him to sleep in the crib until 11:30. By that time he was hungry again and we had to start all over. So, there is my excuse for not blogging much. Not only do I not have any free time during the day but in the evening I am too exhausted to form coherent sentences. Please, if anyone has any wisdom on this issue I would love to hear it? Did anyone else have these issues? What worked for you?

Other than the sleeping issues Noah is a very good baby. He doesn't really cry unless he wants something or his belly hurts. He eats like a champ and is growing like a weed. At his 3 week check up he was 7lbs 15oz. I am positive that he has gained even more weight and I'm curious to see what he will weigh at his 8 week appointment. He is the cutest little guy ever (I'm not biased) and has a little personality already. He does the funniest things sometimes that makes Shawn and I giggle no matter how tired we are. He wiggles his head back and forth and opens his mouth when we offer him a bottle, we call this "crazy man", he grunts like a little baby pig, and he giggles and smiles in his sleep. We haven't gotten any "awake smiles" yet but hopefully soon. I still can't tell what color his hair is going to be. It is a mixture between blond, light brown and red. His eyes are a grayish blue right now so who knows what color they will be. As for his little pee pee, which we have affectionately nicknamed "turtle", it is a dangerous weapon. He has peed on everything in sight one time or another. He has peed on Shawn and myself several times, the changing table more times then I can count, his dresser, and himself. He has peed on his own head, and yesterday he peed in his mouth (ewww!) Today he projectile pooped on my hand while I was wiping him. So, needless to say, the little guy is equipped with some pretty serious weapons.

As for me, my incision is healing really well, I barely even feel it most of the time. I have finally stopped bleeding, which I never thought would happen. I have lost 31 lbs and am a pound below my pre-pregnancy weight. I got great news from my doctor that I do not have diabetes and it was in fact just gestational. After my six week appointment I will start the Metformin again for the PCOS. I'm not sure what to do about birth control. The idea of taking birth control sounds ridiculous to me after 6 years of trying but I am definitely not ready to have another baby any time soon and what if by some miracle I ovulate? So, I'm not sure what to do. I really do not want to go on the pill because it is what caused me to gain all of my weight when I went on it the first time. I am leaning towards no birth control and relying on the fact that my body has never functioned properly so why should it start now? I go back to work on February 9th and even though it will be hard to leave my little guy at daycare I am anxious to get back to every day life. I am dealing with some serious cabin fever because Noah's doctor does not want us to take him out in public until he is 8 weeks old because it is flu season. I can't wait to take him to church but I am not so sure I am looking forward to so many people touching him. That is something I am going to have to get over quickly. I am not looking forward to mornings once I go back to work though. So much to do in so little time. I have no idea what time I will get up but I am sure it will mean even less sleep for me.

Well, I think that is about it for now. I will try to blog more often.

8 comments:

  1. Can't even tell you how often I have been checking on your blog for updates. SO glad you've come back. And I'm even more happy that the little guy is doing so well!! Beware of the weapons (:oP) and I'll be checking back!!

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  2. the early weeks are ROUGH. Just do what ever it takes to keep your sanity. I suggest a sling and let him sleep while you have ihim in the sling. Things become drastically easily the older he gets. I think self soothing is difficult for babies at such a young age. But maybe I am just a push over. MT started really showing signs of self soothing around 2.5-3.5 months

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  3. Here from LFCA...

    Have you tried swaddling? My daughter would not sleep without being swaddled - well, sometimes she would sleep in the swing. But being all bound up in a blanket is pretty similar to being held by mom and dad. Good luck with getting some sleep. I hope you find something that works.

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  4. I agree with the swaddling idea. Also as far as birth control goes have you thought about an IUD?

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  5. So glad that I found you again! You sound just like me in the first few weeks...too much! It's tough, but it DOES get better...I promise.

    Ditto on the swaddling...mine started out in the crib, but the swaddling helped us when we wanted to put them down awake...they needed it. I have an IUD and that's mainly b/c I don't want to have any more kids (at least not for a long while and then age will be a factor...blah, blah, blah). It's not that bad and it is reversible! Good luck and hang in there!

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  6. Glad you're blogging again! I was checking for updates everyday. Hope you're able to get some sleep.

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  7. Hey Mo, swaddle and you'll get through that rough 1st month. So happy for you. I chose not to do BC but ironically I am now having my 2nd regular period in PCOS history. Go figure.

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  8. I totally understand the waking up as SOON as you put him down thing! Chase does that all the time. He is so sleep on you and u put him down and Eyes WIDE OPEN!@ Or he'll sleep for 5 minutes until he realizes he is not on your chest anymore UGH! Other than that he is a good baby too!

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