Monday, May 26, 2008
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Again With The Night Weaning
I know this seems to be all I have to talk about, but when you are a sleep-deprived mother, all of your conversations do tend to gravitate towards sleeping problems.
Fifi is still waking often at night, but last night was better (compared to the night before, when she woke every half hour crying). She's getting the hang of putting herself back down to sleep, but the problem hour seems to be 4am when the sun comes up. I think she's starting to 'get' that she gets milk before bedtime and then milk when the sun comes up. In reality, it's milk any time after 6am (preferrably later!) but of course, that means nothing to an infant. Last night she slept relatively well, until 4 when she cried for about thirty minutes, before drifting back off to sleep. At 6 she woke again and I nursed her back down until 7.30. When she woke then, I didn't feed her, but took her downstairs for breakfast of banana and freshly squeezed orange juice. (Really! I squeezed the oranges myself! Yummy.) She was very patient and ate about three bites of banana, so I call that success.
Eating habits, sleeping habits, potty training - mothers have such interesting things to talk about. Snore.
Fifi is still waking often at night, but last night was better (compared to the night before, when she woke every half hour crying). She's getting the hang of putting herself back down to sleep, but the problem hour seems to be 4am when the sun comes up. I think she's starting to 'get' that she gets milk before bedtime and then milk when the sun comes up. In reality, it's milk any time after 6am (preferrably later!) but of course, that means nothing to an infant. Last night she slept relatively well, until 4 when she cried for about thirty minutes, before drifting back off to sleep. At 6 she woke again and I nursed her back down until 7.30. When she woke then, I didn't feed her, but took her downstairs for breakfast of banana and freshly squeezed orange juice. (Really! I squeezed the oranges myself! Yummy.) She was very patient and ate about three bites of banana, so I call that success.
Eating habits, sleeping habits, potty training - mothers have such interesting things to talk about. Snore.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Night Weaning Does Not Equal No Night Waking
The night weaning process has been going reasonably well. The first night was not nearly as bad as we both expected. Scott cuddled her and rocked her and whispered I Love You to her all night in our room, while I slept in Fifi's room. The second night though was much harder, and I had to come in and help. That only made it worse as she started asking for milk, so eventually I had to leave again. Last night I took over a bit more, and it went really well. She never asked for milk once, until morning, which is when she's allowed to feed again. (The milk goes to 'sleepy' until we all wake up in the morning.) She did get a bit upset when Scott came to bed as I think she must've thought that meant I was leaving, but she settled back down and went to sleep again.
Even though she's not nursing at night now, though, it doesn't mean she's sleeping through! She still wakes a lot all night, but now she rolls over, cuddles one of us and goes back to sleep. We'll go along with this a little while longer, I think, until she's used to it (and maybe sleeping longer?) before moving her to her own bed for the night. I don't know how she'll feel about sleeping alone. It must be awfully scary for a little child to suddenly sleep alone in another room, no matter how much she loves that room in the daytime.
It definitely has helped my frame of mind to not nurse at night. Now, when she nurses during the day, I feel much more patient with her than I had been before. I'm glad of that.
Even though she's not nursing at night now, though, it doesn't mean she's sleeping through! She still wakes a lot all night, but now she rolls over, cuddles one of us and goes back to sleep. We'll go along with this a little while longer, I think, until she's used to it (and maybe sleeping longer?) before moving her to her own bed for the night. I don't know how she'll feel about sleeping alone. It must be awfully scary for a little child to suddenly sleep alone in another room, no matter how much she loves that room in the daytime.
It definitely has helped my frame of mind to not nurse at night. Now, when she nurses during the day, I feel much more patient with her than I had been before. I'm glad of that.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Toddler-Baby
I'm just squeezing this post in before waking Scott for work.
Last night was a very bittersweet night. It was the last night of night feeding Fifi.
After 16 months of night nursing, I've come to the point where I've simply had enough. I love nursing, and I'm in no way ready to wean all together. But I'm now at the point where if I'm going to continue nursing, something's gotta give. That something, I decided, had to be nights. It all came to a head the other morning when I felt she'd been feeding all night long and at 5am she woke again for a feed. I burst into exhausted tears and started shouting at her to stop crying and that 'I can't do this anymore!' I realised then I had come to a breaking point and had to make some kind of decision in order to maintain my sanity. So night weaning it is.
We begin tonight. Scott will take the bulk of the night cuddling (and crying), while I hide in another room, and probably cry myself. Each time Fifi fed last night, I refrained from feeling agitated, as I reminded myself this was it. Instead, I kissed her lots and whispered I Love Yous over and over.
My little toddler-baby is turning into a toddler-kid. It makes me feel very sad.
Last night was a very bittersweet night. It was the last night of night feeding Fifi.
After 16 months of night nursing, I've come to the point where I've simply had enough. I love nursing, and I'm in no way ready to wean all together. But I'm now at the point where if I'm going to continue nursing, something's gotta give. That something, I decided, had to be nights. It all came to a head the other morning when I felt she'd been feeding all night long and at 5am she woke again for a feed. I burst into exhausted tears and started shouting at her to stop crying and that 'I can't do this anymore!' I realised then I had come to a breaking point and had to make some kind of decision in order to maintain my sanity. So night weaning it is.
We begin tonight. Scott will take the bulk of the night cuddling (and crying), while I hide in another room, and probably cry myself. Each time Fifi fed last night, I refrained from feeling agitated, as I reminded myself this was it. Instead, I kissed her lots and whispered I Love Yous over and over.
My little toddler-baby is turning into a toddler-kid. It makes me feel very sad.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Long Overdue
I've been given into trouble by several people via email for not updating so here's a quickie while I prepare dinner (chicken fried rice, in case you care).
I am tired.
Fifi is a wonderful joy in my life, but these past weeks I've had to remind myself of that over and over to keep my sanity. I think she's hit her twos... I won't call them 'terrible' because I think that's unfair to children, considering all they are going through inside. But you can imagine the kind of behaviour she's been exhibiting if I just mention that particular age.
She's great, really, but the tantrums! Scott and I have decided to just ignore her when she flies off the handle and do something extra 'interesting' like look a picture book together until she a) realises we are ignoring her and b) realises we are doing something far more interesting without her. It's working a little. I did it today at Maria's house and within seconds her screaming subsided as she peaked over my lap to see what I was doing.
She's really lovely when she sleeps though. I like her a lot at those times.
Let's see, what else... Well, weeks ago I posted about doctors and my general distrust of them. Well, I went to see the other doctor in my practice (the female one) and decided I love her. She has the best 'bedside manner' of any doctor I've ever met. I will now be requesting her any time we need to go in. She breastfeeds her kids until they are around one. Good woman!
Speaking of breastfeeding, this week was Breastfeeding Awareness Week. I will probably be in the paper this weekend. I'll try to scan the article or link to it or something for you if I can.
Oh yeah. My parents were here for two weeks. They are back home now, but we had such a wonderful time with them. They had a good time too. Dad did a lot of cycling and Mom did a lot of shopping. She also helped me finish Fifi's room, paint the bathroom and paint a wall in our living room. Dad hung the shades in Fifi's room. It was so nice having handy people around. I'll take pictures of all of the above this weekend but not now as my cake is about to come out of the oven (chocolate for a little girls-only party I'm going to tonight! No toddlers!) and dinner is ready and I've got to go pick Scott up from work.
Mom, Aunt Phyllis, was this good enough for you?
I am tired.
Fifi is a wonderful joy in my life, but these past weeks I've had to remind myself of that over and over to keep my sanity. I think she's hit her twos... I won't call them 'terrible' because I think that's unfair to children, considering all they are going through inside. But you can imagine the kind of behaviour she's been exhibiting if I just mention that particular age.
She's great, really, but the tantrums! Scott and I have decided to just ignore her when she flies off the handle and do something extra 'interesting' like look a picture book together until she a) realises we are ignoring her and b) realises we are doing something far more interesting without her. It's working a little. I did it today at Maria's house and within seconds her screaming subsided as she peaked over my lap to see what I was doing.
She's really lovely when she sleeps though. I like her a lot at those times.
Let's see, what else... Well, weeks ago I posted about doctors and my general distrust of them. Well, I went to see the other doctor in my practice (the female one) and decided I love her. She has the best 'bedside manner' of any doctor I've ever met. I will now be requesting her any time we need to go in. She breastfeeds her kids until they are around one. Good woman!
Speaking of breastfeeding, this week was Breastfeeding Awareness Week. I will probably be in the paper this weekend. I'll try to scan the article or link to it or something for you if I can.
Oh yeah. My parents were here for two weeks. They are back home now, but we had such a wonderful time with them. They had a good time too. Dad did a lot of cycling and Mom did a lot of shopping. She also helped me finish Fifi's room, paint the bathroom and paint a wall in our living room. Dad hung the shades in Fifi's room. It was so nice having handy people around. I'll take pictures of all of the above this weekend but not now as my cake is about to come out of the oven (chocolate for a little girls-only party I'm going to tonight! No toddlers!) and dinner is ready and I've got to go pick Scott up from work.
Mom, Aunt Phyllis, was this good enough for you?
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