My plan for today had been to go to Walmart for a few items (like diapers) and then drop Nadia off at Sarah's before returning at home. At home my goals were to #1 go cold turkey with the shield when nursing Ian (using the hand pump and/or SNS in the transition if necessary), #2 do the laundry & dishes, and #3 get a nap or two in between feedings. I feel like scratching the first two goals off the list and just trying to get as much sleep as possible. The last 2 nights Ian hasn't slept in the crib At All, and to make matters worse, he hasn't slept well in my arms the last 3 nights. He seems to want to nurse incessantly. I went to bed at 8pm, and Paul held him for 2 hours (gave him 2 ounces of formula during that time span). I nursed him (and changed his diaper) from 10:15-11:00pm. I tried to get him to sleep in my arms in our bed starting at 11pm, but he didn't actually fall asleep until midnight. He then slept in my arms for 90 minutes. Then I was up with him for another 90 minutes before I cried uncle and Paul gave him a little more formula (not sure how much), and then Ian slept in my arms for 1 hour. Then he was up for 1 hour and then fell asleep in my arms shortly before Nadia got up. I went to bed at 8pm and only got 4.5 hours of sleep total - 2.5 of that was with him in my arms. My norm is to get 9 hours of sleep a night, but most nights over the past 6.5 weeks I've only gotten 2-4 hours a night. I feel like if I don't start getting more sleep ASAP, I am going to lose my mind. The nap nanny is supposed to come on Saturday. I pray I can maintain my sanity until it arrives, and I really, really, really hope it works. I have no idea what we'll do if it doesn't work. It just seems way too soon for any "sleep training" (aka letting him cry it out). He's only 6.5 weeks old, and his due date was just 1 week ago. I hadn't planned to letting him CIO until 4 months, but there's no way I can keep going on this small amount of sleep for another 2+ months.
I can't keep holding him all the time during the day. He's held about 23.5 hours a day. The other approximately 30 minutes a day he spends in his swing. I hold him for about 21.5 hours a day, and Paul holds him for 2 hours each evening so that I can get 2 hours of sleep a day without a baby in my arms. I love holding the little guy, but I really can't keep holding him this many hours a day every day of the week. He screams when I put him down so that I can go to the bathroom or change Nadia's diaper. I also don't want Nadia to continue watching so much tv, but I don't think that's going to change until Ian learns to sleep somewhere other than my arms.
I had planned to weigh him this morning. I didn't weigh him the past 2 mornings as I had planned to switch from weighing him every day to every 3 days. Right now I'm not sure what to do. If the number is encouraging, I'll be glad I weighed him. However, I don't know if I can handle any bad news today. I already feel like I am going to burst into tears due to the fact my head feels like it is going to explode from lack of sleep.
Nadia is doing a great job of saying "please" and "thank you" - without being prompted! Way to go, girl!!! She absolutely loves her crayons. Somehow she managed to sneak one into her crib during her nap yesterday. I need to find out how to get crayon markings off of clothing (she colored her sheets). OOPS! She's also making great strides with the 9 new puzzles I bought her on Monday at Target. It's amazing how quickly they change at this age!
1 comment:
I held Lydia that much when she was that age, too. It's hard to believe a little baby can require so much of you until you have one that does! Have you tried gripe water? That sometimes helped with Lydia. I hope things improve soon...
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