I have come to the realization that I need a professional organizer. I need someone to come in and fix my house. Then I would like them to teach me to make better use of my time. Now that Sam has arrived I can't get anything done. (I also had this problem before baby, but now I can use sleep deprivation as some sort of excuse.) I have about 10 jobs half done. The days that I decide to start something are the days he doesn't nap well. Yesterday he slept for 3 1/2 hours and I made the brilliant decision to watch for facebook updates during that time. It was a very productive day. Today I wanted to hang up all the clothes, put the towels away, get his clothes in order, and choose one corner of my messy house to claim as my own, call it organized and be proud of myself. But of course today is the day he has decided not to sleep. Will somebody please come and do it for me? I promise I will keep up with it if you just get me started.
The problem is that I really don't know how to get organized. I always seem to have too much stuff even though I really don't have that much. I am very good at throwing things away and I am not much of a hoarder. I do admit I have some sort of a problem with spatial reasoning. I can fit very little in a huge closet. What I really need is my mom to come over and treat my house like she used to treat my bedroom when I was a teenager. I would let my bedroom get out of control due to my ever pressing social calendar and my mom would surprise me by totally cleaning it top to bottom. Then she would completely reorganize all my stuff. I loved it and I always promised to keep it looking nice. That promise would last about two months and then she would have to do it all over again. I love my mom! Unfortunately I have lost my mom's time to baby Sam. When she comes over he is her top concern. So...what to do?? I need a plan. I need a great plan of action...first step, put down the computer.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Just a quick thought...
Today was a day where I looked at the clock and wondered how I had managed to make it to 2:00pm with spit up in my hair, jeans on paired with a stained pajama top, morning breath that has now turned into afternoon breath, and the need to take a shower for the benefit of all human kind. Then I look at the baby trying to fall asleep in my arms and realize that this wonderful and amazing day is thankfully just one of many. Cheers to motherhood!!
Breastfeeding Pressure
I must say that I felt a lot of pressure and worry during the first couple weeks of breastfeeding. I did no supplementing and no pumping (for storing). I was the sole food source for baby Sam. I felt this overwhelming fear of him not gaining weight and it being my fault. No one in my family or in my husband's family breastfeed. And I was too tired to get out and join The La Leche League. So I really didn't have a support system in place. I did have my best friend who warned me that you really have to want to breastfeed to be successful and was helpful during the day. But I didn't have anyone to cry to and ask, "Is this normal? Am I doing this right?" at 3 in the morning. It was scary flying solo. I shed many tears of concern with Sam at the breast.
I must say this (you will see this over and over) I have a very supportive family. My in laws and my own family support me in everything that I do. But even with their support, I felt their worry about Sam and whether or not he was getting enough to eat. I was also very touchy about breastfeeding. If anyone said anything that could be possibly be interpreted in anyway as a negative about my breastfeeding I wanted to explode. If my husband even whispered the words "supplement" or "formula" I took it as a personal attack to my milk supply. I felt very alone. So I turned to Google and my breastfeeding books. Google is an amazing resource for breastfeeding info. As you know, everything you ever wanted to know about any subject is available on Google and it is probably what got you to my site. I probably googled breastfeeding over 2000 times during the first two weeks. One book that I found incredibly helpful was Breastfeeding Made Simple Seven Natural Laws for Nursing Mothers by Nancy Mohrbacher, IBCLC and Kathleen Kendall-Tackett, PH.D.,IBCLC. This book answered many questions and made me feel validated as a breastfeeding mother. Their book made me feel really good about what I was doing and how I was doing it.
A website that calmed me in my darkest hour was,
http://www.breastfeedingbasics.com
The other thing I was looking for was for someone to say, "You are doing such a great job with breastfeeding." (the way I feel love the most is from words of affirmation, but that is a whole other post) No one really ever said that to me and I needed to hear it so badly. So, there I was tired, scared, lonely, and feeling a little sorry for myself.
Then the best day ever came! It was Sam's two week check up. I nervously undressed him so he could be weighed. I couldn't wait to see if I had been a good mommy. My husband and I handed him to the nurse and followed her down the hall to the scale and watched anxiously as she laid him down to be weighed. Then the great news came! He had gained almost two pounds since we left the hospital! The nurse turned to me and said, "Wow! Good job Mommy!". I had to hold myself back from hugging and telling her how I had waited for someone to say those simple words to me. Instead I just looked at my husband and gave a little "you see, they work great!!" smirk.
If you are reading this and it is 3 in the morning and your feeling scared and alone...You are doing a great job!! You are giving your baby the best!! This too shall pass!! You look amazing!! Kiss your baby on the head!! I know how you feel!! Sam is now 6 weeks old and it was totally worth it. Don't give up!! Give it 40 days. I promise it gets better!!
I must say this (you will see this over and over) I have a very supportive family. My in laws and my own family support me in everything that I do. But even with their support, I felt their worry about Sam and whether or not he was getting enough to eat. I was also very touchy about breastfeeding. If anyone said anything that could be possibly be interpreted in anyway as a negative about my breastfeeding I wanted to explode. If my husband even whispered the words "supplement" or "formula" I took it as a personal attack to my milk supply. I felt very alone. So I turned to Google and my breastfeeding books. Google is an amazing resource for breastfeeding info. As you know, everything you ever wanted to know about any subject is available on Google and it is probably what got you to my site. I probably googled breastfeeding over 2000 times during the first two weeks. One book that I found incredibly helpful was Breastfeeding Made Simple Seven Natural Laws for Nursing Mothers by Nancy Mohrbacher, IBCLC and Kathleen Kendall-Tackett, PH.D.,IBCLC. This book answered many questions and made me feel validated as a breastfeeding mother. Their book made me feel really good about what I was doing and how I was doing it.
A website that calmed me in my darkest hour was,
http://www.breastfeedingbasics.com
The other thing I was looking for was for someone to say, "You are doing such a great job with breastfeeding." (the way I feel love the most is from words of affirmation, but that is a whole other post) No one really ever said that to me and I needed to hear it so badly. So, there I was tired, scared, lonely, and feeling a little sorry for myself.
Then the best day ever came! It was Sam's two week check up. I nervously undressed him so he could be weighed. I couldn't wait to see if I had been a good mommy. My husband and I handed him to the nurse and followed her down the hall to the scale and watched anxiously as she laid him down to be weighed. Then the great news came! He had gained almost two pounds since we left the hospital! The nurse turned to me and said, "Wow! Good job Mommy!". I had to hold myself back from hugging and telling her how I had waited for someone to say those simple words to me. Instead I just looked at my husband and gave a little "you see, they work great!!" smirk.
If you are reading this and it is 3 in the morning and your feeling scared and alone...You are doing a great job!! You are giving your baby the best!! This too shall pass!! You look amazing!! Kiss your baby on the head!! I know how you feel!! Sam is now 6 weeks old and it was totally worth it. Don't give up!! Give it 40 days. I promise it gets better!!
Getting Started
In the Beginning....
Wow! It was hard...so hard. I had Sam December 28th by a scheduled cesarean. I started my breastfeeding journey in the recovery room with my husband and a not so helpful nurse. We got skin to skin and I put him on my breast. What nobody told me was that my breast would be numb from the epidural and Sam would not attach right away. I had read all these books about a babies quiet alert state after birth and how they stare into your eyes and want to nurse right away. Well...no one gave baby Sam that memo. He was sleepy and not interested in nursing. I was totally numb and a nervous wreck. We tried it for 15 minutes and then I decided to stop torturing the grandparents and let them in to see their new grandchild. So, here we are in this truly spiritual moment and all I am thinking is..."Will he ever latch? Will the feeling come back in my breast? Did I totally screw myself and Sam by not forcing the issue right away?"
That night in the privacy of our hospital room I tried over and over to get him to latch. He did it kind of, but not really. He would cry and get super frustrated. They tell you that any nurse can help you and baby get a proper latch but I found this to be untrue. They were actually kind of rough with him and that seemed to make him even more frustrated. So I made a decision that made all the difference. I asked for the hospital's lactation consultant to come to my room. The nurses tried to get me to go to the nursing class instead but I stood my ground and asked for the lactation consultant. They put it in my chart for the morning nurse to make the call. And, there in my hospital doorway at 10 in the morning was my breastfeeding angel.
The moral to this first breastfeeding post is that if you have trouble you should insist on seeing the lactation consultant. The first 3 days were very hard and confusing, but having the lactation consultant checking on me every two hours during the day and helping me gave me the support and confidence I desperately needed.
You won't believe what all I had to do to make breastfeeding successful!! More to come...
Wow! It was hard...so hard. I had Sam December 28th by a scheduled cesarean. I started my breastfeeding journey in the recovery room with my husband and a not so helpful nurse. We got skin to skin and I put him on my breast. What nobody told me was that my breast would be numb from the epidural and Sam would not attach right away. I had read all these books about a babies quiet alert state after birth and how they stare into your eyes and want to nurse right away. Well...no one gave baby Sam that memo. He was sleepy and not interested in nursing. I was totally numb and a nervous wreck. We tried it for 15 minutes and then I decided to stop torturing the grandparents and let them in to see their new grandchild. So, here we are in this truly spiritual moment and all I am thinking is..."Will he ever latch? Will the feeling come back in my breast? Did I totally screw myself and Sam by not forcing the issue right away?"
That night in the privacy of our hospital room I tried over and over to get him to latch. He did it kind of, but not really. He would cry and get super frustrated. They tell you that any nurse can help you and baby get a proper latch but I found this to be untrue. They were actually kind of rough with him and that seemed to make him even more frustrated. So I made a decision that made all the difference. I asked for the hospital's lactation consultant to come to my room. The nurses tried to get me to go to the nursing class instead but I stood my ground and asked for the lactation consultant. They put it in my chart for the morning nurse to make the call. And, there in my hospital doorway at 10 in the morning was my breastfeeding angel.
The moral to this first breastfeeding post is that if you have trouble you should insist on seeing the lactation consultant. The first 3 days were very hard and confusing, but having the lactation consultant checking on me every two hours during the day and helping me gave me the support and confidence I desperately needed.
You won't believe what all I had to do to make breastfeeding successful!! More to come...
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