What a difference 2 nights of sleeping for over 6 hours each can do for the morale.
I'm a totally different person today. I feel human. I feel like a mommy. I can look at NG and feel like we're doing great.
I put her to my breast this morning as she was dozing. She slept on it, mouth touching nipple, for 20 minutes. I then nudged her with it, trying to get her to breastfeed, but she utterly refused (without crying). And you know what? I was fine. I wasn't bummed out. I was just happy she was in such close proximity to it and that she was still comfortable.
Then I pumped and got 2 ounces from one breast and 1 ounce from another and my milk production is up - both from rest and from her just being close to the boob. It is a good thing.
We interrupt this program to bring you this video...
How did you get the sleep? Did she sleep that long too? I am soooo longing for some sleep. My son Simon is 4 weeks old now and wakes up every three hours still.
Posted by: stephanie | August 12, 2006 at 04:36 PM
So awesome you got some rest. That can make a HUGE difference.
Thanks for the snippet of video. She is beautiful and amazing.
Posted by: S. | August 12, 2006 at 07:13 PM
Super cute video! She sure is a cutie-pie.
Way to go on the sleep.
Posted by: Grechen | August 12, 2006 at 07:41 PM
Squee! What a cutie! I know what you mean about the sleep, though. I can see how sleep deprivation is a torture technique. My husband and I have an arraingement when he comes home in the morning (he works graveyards) I get to sleep for 5-6 hours, then I get up and he sleeps. Otherwise my head would have exploded in the second week.
Posted by: plucky punk | August 12, 2006 at 10:38 PM
Ahh sleep, amazing isnt it? Youre probably still 200 hours behind but its a wonderfull feeling!
Posted by: Amy | August 13, 2006 at 08:55 AM
That is fantastic and also great that you are more accepting of the situation.
Posted by: Em | August 13, 2006 at 12:24 PM
All that wiggling and kicking! She's obviously very excited to see whoever it was running the camera.
Posted by: DD | August 13, 2006 at 01:08 PM
Sleep is a very good thing.
She's such a little kicker! As usual, she is outstandingly adorable. She has really great expressive eyes. I am glad things are settling down and the enjoyment is starting to creep in.
Posted by: SaraS-P | August 13, 2006 at 01:10 PM
She is gorgeous!!! Can't wait to see those tiny little legs fill out and get all rolly and squishy like they do. =P
WOOT! for the sleep and breast and pumping victories!
Posted by: Kier | August 13, 2006 at 08:03 PM
Aliza, I was thinking of you today and went searching for cybergrrl on the net and wondered if you were still in NYC and wow...discovered your site here. Very inspiring. So interesting to read about your breast feeding experience. My daughter Haley, who is 10.5 months old was a nonlatcher. A nibbler...still is. Sadly, I worked hard at the pump but finally gave up after six weeks. I was getting so incredibily depressed that after much discussion with my husband I decided to go to formula. Anyway, one thing that came up much later was the issue of water intake for helping to promote nursing. After I had Haley I was so dazed that I really didn't drink much water and this may have contributed to my milk production issues though not to the nonlatching problem. I hope you are more successful than I was. Thanks for such an inspiring career and website.
Mo
Posted by: Maureen Eich VanWalleghan | August 13, 2006 at 08:54 PM
Spent much of my day yesterday with friends warning/scaring me about the sleeplessness that comes in those first 6 weeks. Looks like you are through them, at least for tonight. I feel your breath of relief. I'm sure there will be other hard nights, but you are DOING this!
Posted by: evenewra | August 14, 2006 at 03:09 AM
My sleep formula: G. takes the first late night feeding and I take the 2nd one. We just started doing this and while it is making him more sleep deprived than he had been (which was far less than I had been), he is really hanging in there. He'll feed NG around 1:00am and then I feed her when she wakes up again around 5am. Feedings take about an hour. Of course, she always falls asleep when I feed her and then squawls when I try to put her back down to sleep so I'm inevitably up for good after each morning feeding. Then G. has let me take a 1/2 hour nap before he heads to work just to top me off with those luscious ZZZs...
Posted by: aliza at babyfruit | August 14, 2006 at 06:31 AM
Awesome news. How wonderful that you got two full sleeps of 6 hours. It is truly amazing what happens when we get our much needed sleep. Wishing you many more nights filled with sleep so you can fully rejuvinate.
Posted by: BeachMama | August 14, 2006 at 09:35 AM
I'm SO GLAD you got some rest - it does make all the difference in the world!
Posted by: Kim | August 14, 2006 at 12:18 PM
After reading your blog, I must say you sound a little obsessed with breastfeeding and being a new mom. Most women in the world have had babies and survived. The worst thing you can do is ignore yourself and lose who you are. Breast milk is best, ture, however if its not working it is not the end of the world to go on formula. What's more important is for you to be in a happy good place and enjoy these early months and really appreciate who she is rather than did she latch on today.
Posted by: Monica | August 15, 2006 at 03:47 PM