Catching Up
I can't believe it's been well over a month since I've been on LJ. Seems like every time I get a free moment and I don't nap, I've been trying to catch up on laundry or posting on leelafish.com where I can publicly keep everyone updated.
Turns out having a newborn keeps me insanely busy. I thought for sure I would get stir crazy, but instead the days just seem to fly by. A lot of that may have to do with the fact that I'm working from home, but still.
We've developed a routine that helps a lot. At first Sarah hardly slept at all. But we finally figured out she has reflux and started letting her sleep with her head elevated, which has made a huge difference. At one point I had only slept 7 hours total in 48 hours. Now she will go for up to five hours straight at night. I can't even explain how much of a difference that has made.
I've also finally gotten used to breastfeeding. It's a lot harder than I thought it would be. Being on call for her all day, every day was wearing me out. And we had a very tough time with latch and me being in pain at first. We're slowly getting over those hurdles. She's much better at latching now and I'm getting better at being able to relax and not being frustrated by the experience. In fact, she's gotten so good at it that she won't take a bottle with pumped milk. She hates artificial nipples, pacifiers included. Every time we try to give her one, she screams her head off which is frustrating for Mark who really wants to be able to feed her. I'm nervous about getting that situation sorted out before I have to return to work July 5.
Once I go back to work, Mark, mom and my MIL will be taking turns watching her for July and August. She'll start daycare September 1. I'm nervous about going back to work and really really wish I could be a work from home mom. While I could do it, my job won't let me. And I understand because that would open the flood gates for all the moms up there. I'm just very nervous about day care. Though I love the one we picked and I feel like it's above standards. Just the thought of missing something she's learning or doing breaks my heart. I do think it will be good for her to be around other babies though.
Until then, I'm just going to enjoy loving on my girl every minute. I never realized it was possible to love another human so very very much.
Turns out having a newborn keeps me insanely busy. I thought for sure I would get stir crazy, but instead the days just seem to fly by. A lot of that may have to do with the fact that I'm working from home, but still.
We've developed a routine that helps a lot. At first Sarah hardly slept at all. But we finally figured out she has reflux and started letting her sleep with her head elevated, which has made a huge difference. At one point I had only slept 7 hours total in 48 hours. Now she will go for up to five hours straight at night. I can't even explain how much of a difference that has made.
I've also finally gotten used to breastfeeding. It's a lot harder than I thought it would be. Being on call for her all day, every day was wearing me out. And we had a very tough time with latch and me being in pain at first. We're slowly getting over those hurdles. She's much better at latching now and I'm getting better at being able to relax and not being frustrated by the experience. In fact, she's gotten so good at it that she won't take a bottle with pumped milk. She hates artificial nipples, pacifiers included. Every time we try to give her one, she screams her head off which is frustrating for Mark who really wants to be able to feed her. I'm nervous about getting that situation sorted out before I have to return to work July 5.
Once I go back to work, Mark, mom and my MIL will be taking turns watching her for July and August. She'll start daycare September 1. I'm nervous about going back to work and really really wish I could be a work from home mom. While I could do it, my job won't let me. And I understand because that would open the flood gates for all the moms up there. I'm just very nervous about day care. Though I love the one we picked and I feel like it's above standards. Just the thought of missing something she's learning or doing breaks my heart. I do think it will be good for her to be around other babies though.
Until then, I'm just going to enjoy loving on my girl every minute. I never realized it was possible to love another human so very very much.