On Sleep and Other Things

There are a few things that people told me before I had a baby that I didn't fully understand - like how much I would love Little Man, or how sort of labour-intensive it is looking after a little baby. It's true he doesn't do a whole lot, but the few things he does need - mostly feeding, burping and cuddling, take up way more time than one would think. And when he is quiet for a nice long stretch, I have to keep checking on him!

Then there are the things no one tells you - like what the pain of labour feels like, how worrisome the tiny things that are that can happen to a newborn, and how different colours of poop become discussion topics between you and your partner. But maybe those are things I wouldn't have believed even if I'd been told.

On the list of things I wish someone had told me: breastmilk stains! I wore a couple of t-shirts to sleep in, comfy, favourite t-shirts, and taking them out of the wash, I see that they still have the telltale rings on the chest from late night leakage or something. So note to others who may still be looking ahead to this adventure - wear that nursing bra to sleep in!

As for Little Man, things are going really well. His cheeks are getting fat. D and I are figuring out how much we can get done in a day, and mostly we are just enjoying him immensely. Most people complain or commiserate about the sleep deprivation aspect of this age, but so far that has not been too major an issue. There have been a couple of nights where he just doesn't want to seem to settle down, but most nights he wakes, mewls a little bit, I feed him, burp him, feed him again, and he settles back in for the night. I have him next to my bed, so I don't even have to get up, and I stay in bed the next morning until 9 or 10. I figure this way I'm still getting my needed 7 or 8 hours, even on the nights when he's particularly alert. If he's really fussy, I might wake D to change him, or wrap him, or just to take over for a bit, but mostly I just handle the nighttime and D is on daytime duty.

I have a friend who passed me copies of the Baby Whisperer and has asked me whether LM is sleeping well yet. I don't really anticipate him sleeping for long stretches for a while, and in fact, the midwives told me to wake him if he goes more than 4 hours. But it's funny how there's this pressure. I don't want to admit our bedtime routine because I know she'd think we're spoiling him by having him in our room (and occasionally in our bed), even though it's the routine that absolutely works best for us and I am much more well-rested than I'd be if I had to get up and go into another room every time he fussed (not to mention, I'd probably wake to check on him, just cause I am a bit anxious.)

I just remember her telling me how "Eat-Activity-Sleep-You Time" (the routine suggested by the Whisperer) works for ALL babies. But funnily enough, it doesn't work for us because LM is quite a prodigious vomiter and if he gets too jostled or moved after a feed (i.e. if we do an "activity" like a diaper change) all my hard work ends up on a receiving blanket, or on me, or in his bassinette. So it's more like Eat-Sleep-Me Time-Eat-Sleep-Burp-Sleep-Activity-Eat-etc. and that's working out just fine.