(no subject)
So, we have a baby! His name is Keonwoo Samuel Lee. I am a bit skeptical about posting pictures of our baby online, but I trust Livejournal more than facebook, so there will probably be a few here soon. And I am hoping to get a wordpress site just for talking about the kiddo, like my sister has for her son.
But I need to have my real computer for that.
Which brings me to my problem of the day.
You know how I was going crazy staying home and doing nothing but cook and clean all day, during my last month of pregnancy? Well now I am staying at my in-laws' house, and I can't even cook or clean. My mother-in-law is doing everything, plus giving me lots of well-meaning advice. Most of it is helpful. Some of it isn't.
So, I am just hanging around the apartment, eating, sleeping, and feeding the baby. Oh, and going to various hospitals/clinics for stupidly minor ailments that I would never have bothered even calling a doctor about when I was in the U.S.
You guys, how do I deal? I know I should appreciate the time to recoup and recover, but I just want to do things my way! I want to put my baby in a baby wrap and make sandwiches and go for walks and listen to the Beatles while doing laundry and invite my friends over and drink coffee without anyone telling me I shouldn't. (I read that only one percent of the caffeine gets into breastmilk, as opposed to pretty much an equal concentration of alcohol...so I want my coffee back!)
But...My mother-in-law was gone for maybe six hours today, and the baby would NOT sleep for more than ten minutes at a time, and I was super exhausted. Samuel does sleep really well at night, just waking up when he needs to, which is good for David and the rest of the family. But they don't have to feed him.
Breastfeeding has yet to make a positive impression on me. I know all the health benefits and bonding stuff, so I won't quit, but I sure ain't enjoying it.
What should I doooo? I am too tired to do everything alone, in Seoul, and I am too frustrated to stay here.
And rationally, I know that this whole going-crazy and crying every day thing is somewhat hormone-related, which is why I should really encapsulate my placenta soon, to get my hormones back to normal. But all the equipment I need to do that with is at our house in Seoul.
We were planning to do one more week in Ansan. This past week has felt like about three weeks to me, probably because the baby has such a weird sleep schedule. Wake up, eat, play, cry, go to sleep. Day one. Repeat ten times, and you have an actual adult day. But about six or seven baby-days go by before I can see my husband again.
Did I also mention that speaking Korean all the time is exhausting in the best of circumstances? There are so so many words I don't know. I mastered a few important ones that I sure never needed before: diaper, washcloth, sensitive, hiccup, the verb for pee/poop, burp, etc, but my mother-in-law uses at least a hundred words that I don't understand every day. And she tries to clarify, but her definitions invariably contain other words I don't know.
I know, I am whining, and my in-laws are treating me super well and I ought to be grateful. And I really do appreciate them. But I am a really independent person, and the absolute boringness of recovery, plus the post-natal hormones are really wearing on me.
What would you do? If you had to stay in the same apartment for another week? How would you stay sane? You have several baby books, but no other reading material, one ipad, a baby who needs you about 90% of your waking hours, a mother-in-law who won't let you help with anything and also speaks zero English, and a body that is in moderate pain, but nothing you couldn't ignore if you had some good Billy Joel to sing along to.
Constructive advice and perspective appreciated.
But I need to have my real computer for that.
Which brings me to my problem of the day.
You know how I was going crazy staying home and doing nothing but cook and clean all day, during my last month of pregnancy? Well now I am staying at my in-laws' house, and I can't even cook or clean. My mother-in-law is doing everything, plus giving me lots of well-meaning advice. Most of it is helpful. Some of it isn't.
So, I am just hanging around the apartment, eating, sleeping, and feeding the baby. Oh, and going to various hospitals/clinics for stupidly minor ailments that I would never have bothered even calling a doctor about when I was in the U.S.
You guys, how do I deal? I know I should appreciate the time to recoup and recover, but I just want to do things my way! I want to put my baby in a baby wrap and make sandwiches and go for walks and listen to the Beatles while doing laundry and invite my friends over and drink coffee without anyone telling me I shouldn't. (I read that only one percent of the caffeine gets into breastmilk, as opposed to pretty much an equal concentration of alcohol...so I want my coffee back!)
But...My mother-in-law was gone for maybe six hours today, and the baby would NOT sleep for more than ten minutes at a time, and I was super exhausted. Samuel does sleep really well at night, just waking up when he needs to, which is good for David and the rest of the family. But they don't have to feed him.
Breastfeeding has yet to make a positive impression on me. I know all the health benefits and bonding stuff, so I won't quit, but I sure ain't enjoying it.
What should I doooo? I am too tired to do everything alone, in Seoul, and I am too frustrated to stay here.
And rationally, I know that this whole going-crazy and crying every day thing is somewhat hormone-related, which is why I should really encapsulate my placenta soon, to get my hormones back to normal. But all the equipment I need to do that with is at our house in Seoul.
We were planning to do one more week in Ansan. This past week has felt like about three weeks to me, probably because the baby has such a weird sleep schedule. Wake up, eat, play, cry, go to sleep. Day one. Repeat ten times, and you have an actual adult day. But about six or seven baby-days go by before I can see my husband again.
Did I also mention that speaking Korean all the time is exhausting in the best of circumstances? There are so so many words I don't know. I mastered a few important ones that I sure never needed before: diaper, washcloth, sensitive, hiccup, the verb for pee/poop, burp, etc, but my mother-in-law uses at least a hundred words that I don't understand every day. And she tries to clarify, but her definitions invariably contain other words I don't know.
I know, I am whining, and my in-laws are treating me super well and I ought to be grateful. And I really do appreciate them. But I am a really independent person, and the absolute boringness of recovery, plus the post-natal hormones are really wearing on me.
What would you do? If you had to stay in the same apartment for another week? How would you stay sane? You have several baby books, but no other reading material, one ipad, a baby who needs you about 90% of your waking hours, a mother-in-law who won't let you help with anything and also speaks zero English, and a body that is in moderate pain, but nothing you couldn't ignore if you had some good Billy Joel to sing along to.
Constructive advice and perspective appreciated.