Babies and their sleeping! Very confusing and frustrating.
I'm talking mainly about daytime sleep! Seth hardly sleeps in the day anymore! He is now just over 7 weeks old (already) and he has woken up big time! Here's how it goes: I'll get him to go to sleep, he'll have a half hour catnap, and then boom, he's awake. Then I invariably have to try rock him to sleep again, or something. Why does he not sleep for more than half an hour in the day? What happened to at least an hour or so?
His nights are okay, not bad at all, although he's gone back to waking every 3-4 hours after he did a couple of 5-6 hour stretches for a few nights. But I can't complain about the nights, because he wakes, eats, then goes straight back to sleep.
But the daytime has me flummoxed! Aren't little babies meant to be sleepy? Aren't they "meant" to need a lot of sleep, even in the day? I guess it's not really a problem, per se, but I can't quite figure it out. Because if I have him in the Kango Pouch (those front pack holder things) then he does sleep long! He loves being in there. He'll sleep, wake, moan, and go straight back to sleep when he's in the pouch. So why not when I put him down on the bed? Weird.
Let's just hope that the nights get longer again. That'd be great.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Monday, December 7, 2009
Granny time
Granny (my hubby's mom) is baby sitting for a while hence I have the time (short as it may be) to blog a bit.
I am finding it hard to let go and let her have him for a while, but I have to. He's also been very niggly today, so I think he may be giving her a hard time, and I am dying to rush next door (she's just a door away) to see how he is doing, but I mustn't. I must leave her to it. Because I also need a break. I need to have a small bit of time for myself, without baby. It's difficult to do.
On the whole he's not a bad baby, but he has his days where he cries, or doesn't sleep so well and then I feel like I'm going crazy. I am part of a mom's group and we get together once a week, and let me tell you, this group is my sanity. It's so wonderful to hear other mom's stories about their babies, and it's wonderful to see that my baby is normal, and that they all cry at times and do funny things.
It sounds terrible, but I'm battling to really enjoy this time with my baby. Yes, I love him, dearly, and he is very cute and beautiful, but I find it SO frustrating that you just don't know what they want sometimes, as they can't talk! I've actually ordered that 'Dunstan Baby Language' dvd (she was on Oprah) and I'm dying for it to arrive so I can have some sort of insight into his "language". Anyway, I guess mother's have managed for centuries without that dvd, so I shouldn't pin all my hopes onto it.
Otherwise, he's started to sleep a bit longer at nights, so it's giving me a little more sleep, and I'm hoping he continues to stretch it.
That's my life at the moment - baby, baby, baby! I guess the older he gets the more I'll have time to do other things. I am dying to get back to the gym, but at the moment, don't really have the time. Let's hope next year I'll be able to!
I am finding it hard to let go and let her have him for a while, but I have to. He's also been very niggly today, so I think he may be giving her a hard time, and I am dying to rush next door (she's just a door away) to see how he is doing, but I mustn't. I must leave her to it. Because I also need a break. I need to have a small bit of time for myself, without baby. It's difficult to do.
On the whole he's not a bad baby, but he has his days where he cries, or doesn't sleep so well and then I feel like I'm going crazy. I am part of a mom's group and we get together once a week, and let me tell you, this group is my sanity. It's so wonderful to hear other mom's stories about their babies, and it's wonderful to see that my baby is normal, and that they all cry at times and do funny things.
It sounds terrible, but I'm battling to really enjoy this time with my baby. Yes, I love him, dearly, and he is very cute and beautiful, but I find it SO frustrating that you just don't know what they want sometimes, as they can't talk! I've actually ordered that 'Dunstan Baby Language' dvd (she was on Oprah) and I'm dying for it to arrive so I can have some sort of insight into his "language". Anyway, I guess mother's have managed for centuries without that dvd, so I shouldn't pin all my hopes onto it.
Otherwise, he's started to sleep a bit longer at nights, so it's giving me a little more sleep, and I'm hoping he continues to stretch it.
That's my life at the moment - baby, baby, baby! I guess the older he gets the more I'll have time to do other things. I am dying to get back to the gym, but at the moment, don't really have the time. Let's hope next year I'll be able to!
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Baby Pictures
Baby with his dad
The smile we managed to capture on camera!
A quick post as I still find it very hard to find time for much else these days besides the baby - but here are some pics of him. Let me say that it is getting somewhat easier, but some days are harder than others. I guess I'm just not a natural baby person - but I am loving being a mother - does that make sense? I love that this little being came from me and that he will grow into a man and will have a personality one day - but all the baby-work is not really my scene. You know, endless nappy changes, night feeds, crying, rocking...it's exhausting at times. But he's just started smiling about 2 weeks ago, and that is very rewarding. Makes it all worth while at times.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Brand new mommy
Being a new mommy is hard! So much more than Iever thought! For example, I am sitting here typing with one hand - that feels weird - and holding my baby in the other! No wonder women are wired to multi-task, we have to! I want to see a man do this!
As I've mentioned, these first two weeks have been a huge dose of reality - I always expected the early days to be difficult, but not quite SO difficult! Nothing can prepare you for the anguish and frustration you feel when your gorgeous little bundle is crying and you can't figure out why. And as much as everyone tells you to sleep when the baby sleeps, your body is just not used to functioning on 2 hour or less grabbed naps. I have been very weepy some days, I think from a combination of tiredness and hormones and adjusting to the new routine. I've already had thoughts of leaving him with my mother until he's about 3 months, I've told my hubby I just can't do this anymore and that I regret having a baby! Of course I don't mean a word of it,but when you're so tired you get desperate!
My gynae has put me on "baby blues" medication, so I'm hoping it kicks in & works! Not that it will give me extra sleep, which is what I feel I really need, but it may just help my frame of mind.
The bonus is that he's not a fussy baby who cries for nothing, but he still cries obviously. There is nothing worse than the sound of your child's cry, I have learnt. Which has made me more emotional - although now I'm learning that there is nothing I'm doing wrong, it's just life with a baby.
On the body front, let me just praise the slimming benefits of breastfeeding! I am now already down to my pre-pregnancy weight, can you believe it? OK, my tummy is still a bit loose and soft, but if you didn't know me, you wouldn't say I've just had a baby. I thank my lucky stars, as I have done nothing to help this along!
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Well, I never did get to finish this post. It's now three weeks in and I'm feeling much better - a combination of the medication and just getting used to so little sleep, I think, plus I'm starting to feel more confident with Seth, I think. It's amazing how nervous I was in the beginning - the first bath terrified me - I broke out into a sweat doing it, and of course the baby crying didn't help either! But now I'm more relaxed, and once he's in the water, he actually enjoys it.
As for routines.....my word, it's hard to get a newborn into any kind of routine. I'm hoping that when he's older we'll naturally fall into some kind of routine. For the most part he feeds between every two to three hours, which is normal from what I read. You can't expect them to really go longer at this stage. So night and day I'm on call with the boob every 2 hours or so! That's partly what gets so tiring, but at least the breastfeeding is going really well and I'm giving my son the best! Seeing as I had a caesar, this has helped me feel more like my body is "working" properly.
So overall I'm settling into mommyhood this week. I can only hope and pray that is gets even easier each week - I've been told it does. I'd appreciate any tips/advice any of you mothers out there have - anything that works and makes life easier. But on the whole, I'm finally realising that this is it, this is motherhood and this is my new life!
As I've mentioned, these first two weeks have been a huge dose of reality - I always expected the early days to be difficult, but not quite SO difficult! Nothing can prepare you for the anguish and frustration you feel when your gorgeous little bundle is crying and you can't figure out why. And as much as everyone tells you to sleep when the baby sleeps, your body is just not used to functioning on 2 hour or less grabbed naps. I have been very weepy some days, I think from a combination of tiredness and hormones and adjusting to the new routine. I've already had thoughts of leaving him with my mother until he's about 3 months, I've told my hubby I just can't do this anymore and that I regret having a baby! Of course I don't mean a word of it,but when you're so tired you get desperate!
My gynae has put me on "baby blues" medication, so I'm hoping it kicks in & works! Not that it will give me extra sleep, which is what I feel I really need, but it may just help my frame of mind.
The bonus is that he's not a fussy baby who cries for nothing, but he still cries obviously. There is nothing worse than the sound of your child's cry, I have learnt. Which has made me more emotional - although now I'm learning that there is nothing I'm doing wrong, it's just life with a baby.
On the body front, let me just praise the slimming benefits of breastfeeding! I am now already down to my pre-pregnancy weight, can you believe it? OK, my tummy is still a bit loose and soft, but if you didn't know me, you wouldn't say I've just had a baby. I thank my lucky stars, as I have done nothing to help this along!
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Well, I never did get to finish this post. It's now three weeks in and I'm feeling much better - a combination of the medication and just getting used to so little sleep, I think, plus I'm starting to feel more confident with Seth, I think. It's amazing how nervous I was in the beginning - the first bath terrified me - I broke out into a sweat doing it, and of course the baby crying didn't help either! But now I'm more relaxed, and once he's in the water, he actually enjoys it.
As for routines.....my word, it's hard to get a newborn into any kind of routine. I'm hoping that when he's older we'll naturally fall into some kind of routine. For the most part he feeds between every two to three hours, which is normal from what I read. You can't expect them to really go longer at this stage. So night and day I'm on call with the boob every 2 hours or so! That's partly what gets so tiring, but at least the breastfeeding is going really well and I'm giving my son the best! Seeing as I had a caesar, this has helped me feel more like my body is "working" properly.
So overall I'm settling into mommyhood this week. I can only hope and pray that is gets even easier each week - I've been told it does. I'd appreciate any tips/advice any of you mothers out there have - anything that works and makes life easier. But on the whole, I'm finally realising that this is it, this is motherhood and this is my new life!
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Baby Seth has arrived!
Just a quick post - I have NO time anymore now that I'm a mommy - to introduce you to my little bundle of joy and sleepless nights!
I will have to post about the whole caesar experience another time, but all went off well, I am healing, baby is healthy and big - a whole 3.6 kgs at birth - and we are settling into life together. It's difficult - that's a whole other post!
But here he is!
Saturday, October 17, 2009
My baby arrives next week
Well, first things first. I went to Durban this Tuesday just past to Crompton Hospital (let me just say - what a lovely hospital and great staff) where I had found a gynae who was willing to do an External Cephalic Version for me even though I'm not a regular patient of his. He was very nice, and very competent - he scanned me and baby first, then monitored us for half an hour, then gave me a tablet to relax my uterus (although with me being somewhat nervous about doing this, I don't know how relaxed my uterus could have been) and then he and a colleague both worked at turning the baby. They first tried to get my baby to do a forward roll - then a backward roll - but my stubborn little boy was having none of it! Unfortunately because I was doing this at 38 weeks baby has already "lodged" his bum in my pelvis and the gynae just couldn't get it out. Also, he wasn't lying in a very good position to be turned, so even though they really tried (they even had the bed tilted so that my head was lower than my feet to get gravity to help) it didn't work.
Then they monitored me and the baby for over an hour afterwards to make sure we were both fine, and then I was allowed to go home.
So sadly, the procedure didn't work but I feel much more at peace now with the fact that I have done every possible thing to turn this baby. I now know that there is a higher reason why we can't have natural birth and we've now booked our caesar date - for next week Wednesday the 21st October. I will be just over 39 weeks at that point so I'm grateful to my gynae for allowing me to go so long - usually they want to caesar at 38 weeks - because it gives my baby a last chance to turn (although I doubt it) and personally I feel that baby will be as close as ready to being mature as possible. The risk is that I go into labour before Wednesday, but I'm sure I won't, I'm sure all will be okay and we'll be prepared and ready for Wednesday next week.
So now hubby and I are just mentally preparing ourselves for the fact that in a few short days time we'll be parents!
Here are some pics - of swollen belly and swollen feet. These poor feet of mine are sure ready to have this pregnancy over! But people keep telling me I'm carrying small for being at the end - but to me I'm huge and there is no more room for this baby - well, that's how I feel! So the end is in sight for me.
Then they monitored me and the baby for over an hour afterwards to make sure we were both fine, and then I was allowed to go home.
So sadly, the procedure didn't work but I feel much more at peace now with the fact that I have done every possible thing to turn this baby. I now know that there is a higher reason why we can't have natural birth and we've now booked our caesar date - for next week Wednesday the 21st October. I will be just over 39 weeks at that point so I'm grateful to my gynae for allowing me to go so long - usually they want to caesar at 38 weeks - because it gives my baby a last chance to turn (although I doubt it) and personally I feel that baby will be as close as ready to being mature as possible. The risk is that I go into labour before Wednesday, but I'm sure I won't, I'm sure all will be okay and we'll be prepared and ready for Wednesday next week.
So now hubby and I are just mentally preparing ourselves for the fact that in a few short days time we'll be parents!
Here are some pics - of swollen belly and swollen feet. These poor feet of mine are sure ready to have this pregnancy over! But people keep telling me I'm carrying small for being at the end - but to me I'm huge and there is no more room for this baby - well, that's how I feel! So the end is in sight for me.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Thoughts
I'm sort of on maternity leave now (from my husband's business) which means that I don't officially come into the office/shop but I do help out a bit now and then. Like today, being a saturday - I'll sit in here and serve the odd customer and answer the phone, but I'm not working hard. My poor feet are really taking a hammering now with the swelling, but I'm putting them up as much as possible now.
My mom is off work as well and came up to visit me yesterday. We "waddled" around the shops yesterday and had lunch and chatted. It was really, really nice. I've needed to just relax! It's important at the end to just be chilled as my poor body is just saying "enough" now. My belly is growing daily (unbelievable but true) and my feet and legs ache! But on the plus side I've had no heartburn and no backache so I'll say I'm lucky!
I can't help thinking and going over my very disappointing last visit with my gynae and how "gentle" he was with his attempt to turn the baby. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to hurt my precious bundle or put him at risk, but I also want to give myself the best possible chance at not having a caesarean. I don't want to fight things, but I also feel I've got one chance here.
So I'm thinking - do I go as far as trying to find someone in Durban (the nearest big city) who is skilled at doing external versions? Or are they a risky procedure and not worth it? God, it's all too much to contemplate! I just don't know what to do now. Trust my gynae (who has a good reptutation) or try for a "second" version/opinion? My husband doesn't understand my feelings, but then again, he is not the one who is going to be cut open!
My mom is off work as well and came up to visit me yesterday. We "waddled" around the shops yesterday and had lunch and chatted. It was really, really nice. I've needed to just relax! It's important at the end to just be chilled as my poor body is just saying "enough" now. My belly is growing daily (unbelievable but true) and my feet and legs ache! But on the plus side I've had no heartburn and no backache so I'll say I'm lucky!
I can't help thinking and going over my very disappointing last visit with my gynae and how "gentle" he was with his attempt to turn the baby. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to hurt my precious bundle or put him at risk, but I also want to give myself the best possible chance at not having a caesarean. I don't want to fight things, but I also feel I've got one chance here.
So I'm thinking - do I go as far as trying to find someone in Durban (the nearest big city) who is skilled at doing external versions? Or are they a risky procedure and not worth it? God, it's all too much to contemplate! I just don't know what to do now. Trust my gynae (who has a good reptutation) or try for a "second" version/opinion? My husband doesn't understand my feelings, but then again, he is not the one who is going to be cut open!
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