Last night went well.
Ari was excited about her new bed. She enjoyed checking it out, jumping on it, etc., before bed time.
At bedtime, I nursed her, gave her a chance to have some milk (aside from mama milk), walked her, sang the song, and gave her a backrub, as I do every night. Ari took a while to fall asleep, but there was no crying, no trying to nurse. She put her hand on my chest and went to sleep, after tossing and turning for a while.
Ari slept for five hours before she woke up! At that time, I went in her room and sat next to her, until she fell asleep. I was in there for about half an hour. It took me a long time to fall asleep after that. That was the only bad thing about last night. So nothing to complain about.
The next time Ari woke up it was 5:30, so I told her she could nurse and brought her to bed with us. I was too tired to sit next to her for another half hour or so. I felt like I had just fallen asleep. The stupid toothache is not letting me sleep very well.
On a different note, I tried to donate platelets today, but I got a temporary deferral because of some tiny red bumps on my arms. Basically, there are red marks from where the needles had been. The nurses were fairly certain that there is no infection as there is no pain or swelling. But they could not take a chance and more needles would not help my arms right now. I was told I could go in again when the redness goes away. I guess my body is complaining about the facts that there have been needles in my arms three times in just over three weeks!
When the redness goes away, I will try again and hopefully I can donate every other week.
I learned that my last platelet count was 290. My count keeps going up! The higher it is, the more platelets I can donate. Last time I gave enough for two infusions. I am told I will probably be giving enough for three infusions soon.
Showing posts with label night-weaning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label night-weaning. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Night-Weaning: Night Seven
Wow, it has been a week already. We have our ups and downs, but, overall, night-weaning is going better than I had anticipated. There have been very hard times, don’t get me wrong. There were many times when I second-guessed myself, felt like a selfish B, etc. But I am confident that this was the right decision for our family. Ari and I are already sleeping better. And my husband is back in bed with me! It is the little things in life…
Last night, I decided to lie down next to Ari, but on her bed, rather than bring her to bed with us. I was unsure about how this would work, but it worked quite well.
Usually, Geeky Entrepreneur puts Ari to bed, but she just was not having it last night. Eventually, I took a turn, lied down next to her, and she went to sleep. I wish I had put the man out of his misery sooner. All she wanted was to put her hand on mommy’s chest and go to sleep. She did not even ask to nurse before going to sleep.
Ari slept for 4.5 hours. When she woke up, I went in her room, lied down next to her, waited for a bit, and left her room after she had fallen asleep. This was around 3:30am. I could not believe how well things went. No crying, no asking to nurse, just her hand on my chest.
The next time Ari woke up it was 6:00 or so. I told her she could nurse because it was daytime. She nursed, we cuddled, and everyone got to sleep another hour and a half.
Yay! A good night! Can we have some more of those, please, kiddo?!
The rail for Ari’s bed arrived today. Abuela and I reassembled the crib and installed the Kidco rail. We finally have what I wanted: a bed where she cannot roll off, but can get out of safely. Now let us see how she likes it tonight. I don’t know if I can lie down on it with her. Not sure on the weight limit. 100-something pounds is much more than 25 pounds! Maybe I should do some research before bedtime!
Last night, I decided to lie down next to Ari, but on her bed, rather than bring her to bed with us. I was unsure about how this would work, but it worked quite well.
Usually, Geeky Entrepreneur puts Ari to bed, but she just was not having it last night. Eventually, I took a turn, lied down next to her, and she went to sleep. I wish I had put the man out of his misery sooner. All she wanted was to put her hand on mommy’s chest and go to sleep. She did not even ask to nurse before going to sleep.
Ari slept for 4.5 hours. When she woke up, I went in her room, lied down next to her, waited for a bit, and left her room after she had fallen asleep. This was around 3:30am. I could not believe how well things went. No crying, no asking to nurse, just her hand on my chest.
The next time Ari woke up it was 6:00 or so. I told her she could nurse because it was daytime. She nursed, we cuddled, and everyone got to sleep another hour and a half.
Yay! A good night! Can we have some more of those, please, kiddo?!
The rail for Ari’s bed arrived today. Abuela and I reassembled the crib and installed the Kidco rail. We finally have what I wanted: a bed where she cannot roll off, but can get out of safely. Now let us see how she likes it tonight. I don’t know if I can lie down on it with her. Not sure on the weight limit. 100-something pounds is much more than 25 pounds! Maybe I should do some research before bedtime!
Monday, August 31, 2009
Night-Weaning: Night Six
The night-weaning part is getting easier. Ari is no longer asking to nurse, trying to latch on, or crying for extended periods of time each time she wakes up. She is, however, needing a fair bit of time to go back to sleep, often 45 minutes to an hour. Ari still wants to hold onto my nipple. Lately, she also wants to fall asleep with her head on my arm. I love cuddling with her. I really do. But it means I sleep like crap and I end up hurting. I hope we can find a way that works for everyone. What I really want is for Ari to be happy sleeping near me, not on me, and for our next bed to be a king-size! Oops, the husband had not heard that yet!
Back to last night, Ari woke up three times. That made the night hard on me, along with the horrible toothache I had.
It feels like now we are ready to tackle the next big thing: the many night wakings. Night wakings are normal. We just need to help her develop ways to put herself back to sleep. It won't be easy, but I am feeling like if we got through night-weaning, we can do this.
Back to last night, Ari woke up three times. That made the night hard on me, along with the horrible toothache I had.
It feels like now we are ready to tackle the next big thing: the many night wakings. Night wakings are normal. We just need to help her develop ways to put herself back to sleep. It won't be easy, but I am feeling like if we got through night-weaning, we can do this.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Encouraging Post on Night-Weaning
I needed this. I so needed this!
Here it is:
http://sonyasf.wordpress.com/2009/08/28/guest-post-how-i-night-weaned-my-daughter/
Time for bed. Let's see if I can sleep for an hour or two before Ari gets up. Yes, when you are the parent of a child who does not sleep through the night, your expectations regarding sleep change drastically! I would be a happy, rested woman if only I got five hours of uninterrupted sleep! Would never have guessed that two years ago!
Here it is:
http://sonyasf.wordpress.com/2009/08/28/guest-post-how-i-night-weaned-my-daughter/
Time for bed. Let's see if I can sleep for an hour or two before Ari gets up. Yes, when you are the parent of a child who does not sleep through the night, your expectations regarding sleep change drastically! I would be a happy, rested woman if only I got five hours of uninterrupted sleep! Would never have guessed that two years ago!
Night-Weaning: Night Five
Last night had its ups and downs, more downs than ups.
The first time Ari woke up, Geeky Entrepreneur helped her go back to sleep. She cried for a bit. Once he took care of her diaper, she went right to sleep.
The second time… Well, I am not so sure what happened that time… I think it went ok because Geeky Entrepreneur stayed in bed with us. That means there was not a whole heck of a lot of crying. I have a vague memory of noticing that Ari was not asking to nurse incessantly, as she had done before. It took her a while to go back to sleep, though. That is hard on me because she wants to keep her hand on my chest. I cannot roll over and so I end up with a backache.
The third time sucked big time. Ari was crying. It must have been over an hour by the time she fell asleep. She kept wanting to hold my nipple. This is uncomfortable and really drives me nuts. If I remove her hand, we start back at square one. If I don’t, my nipple hurts, I get frustrated, and the backache returns.
Today I tried putting her down for her nap three times. Not sure what went wrong. Finally, around 3pm, I asked Geeky Entrepreneur to take her for a ride. This is something we seldom do. Not a good habit. But it is an ok plan C when nothing else works. The alternative was to be ok with her not napping. She would drop of exhaustion around 5-6 and then she would be up until 10 or so. Unacceptable.
I hear that about 20 minutes into the ride, Ari fell asleep and slept for almost two hours.
As for me, I had big plans. Sunday is cleaning/laundry/everything day for us. But all I did was wash her clothes and nap. I needed it badly. I am so tired after all the hard nights that I have an almost constant headache. I have been feeling unmotivated and moody lately. My poor husband… Thank you for being so supportive and helping out, my love!
I remember reading that people need 21 days to break a habit. I really hope that that is not true! Please, tell me that is just a myth! Otherwise, we are only 25% of the way there!
A bit of good news: after eating poorly for the past few days, Ari is slowly starting to eat more. She is thin. She is not getting the calories she had been getting from nighttime mama milk. So we need her to eat up, not reduce her caloric intake! Feel free to share what works for you and your family, any tips you have heard, etc. This mommy is a bit desperate! I don’t want my baby to be so thin she will fall off the famous chart. Most importantly, I want her to be eating healthy again.
I was about to get in the shower, but I scratched that idea because I cannot find my shampoo! Yes, I looked everywhere. Where is it, kid? Hopefully one of the two other people in this house, the ones with better eyes, can give me a hand when they get in. Maybe she will even remember where she left it!
The first time Ari woke up, Geeky Entrepreneur helped her go back to sleep. She cried for a bit. Once he took care of her diaper, she went right to sleep.
The second time… Well, I am not so sure what happened that time… I think it went ok because Geeky Entrepreneur stayed in bed with us. That means there was not a whole heck of a lot of crying. I have a vague memory of noticing that Ari was not asking to nurse incessantly, as she had done before. It took her a while to go back to sleep, though. That is hard on me because she wants to keep her hand on my chest. I cannot roll over and so I end up with a backache.
The third time sucked big time. Ari was crying. It must have been over an hour by the time she fell asleep. She kept wanting to hold my nipple. This is uncomfortable and really drives me nuts. If I remove her hand, we start back at square one. If I don’t, my nipple hurts, I get frustrated, and the backache returns.
Today I tried putting her down for her nap three times. Not sure what went wrong. Finally, around 3pm, I asked Geeky Entrepreneur to take her for a ride. This is something we seldom do. Not a good habit. But it is an ok plan C when nothing else works. The alternative was to be ok with her not napping. She would drop of exhaustion around 5-6 and then she would be up until 10 or so. Unacceptable.
I hear that about 20 minutes into the ride, Ari fell asleep and slept for almost two hours.
As for me, I had big plans. Sunday is cleaning/laundry/everything day for us. But all I did was wash her clothes and nap. I needed it badly. I am so tired after all the hard nights that I have an almost constant headache. I have been feeling unmotivated and moody lately. My poor husband… Thank you for being so supportive and helping out, my love!
I remember reading that people need 21 days to break a habit. I really hope that that is not true! Please, tell me that is just a myth! Otherwise, we are only 25% of the way there!
A bit of good news: after eating poorly for the past few days, Ari is slowly starting to eat more. She is thin. She is not getting the calories she had been getting from nighttime mama milk. So we need her to eat up, not reduce her caloric intake! Feel free to share what works for you and your family, any tips you have heard, etc. This mommy is a bit desperate! I don’t want my baby to be so thin she will fall off the famous chart. Most importantly, I want her to be eating healthy again.
I was about to get in the shower, but I scratched that idea because I cannot find my shampoo! Yes, I looked everywhere. Where is it, kid? Hopefully one of the two other people in this house, the ones with better eyes, can give me a hand when they get in. Maybe she will even remember where she left it!
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Night-Weaning: Night Four
Last night was horrible. It sucked big time. Here I was thinking that things could only get better from now on in the sleep department, but, no. I should have known. Actually, I knew there would be bad nights every now and then, but refused to believe it. Been trying very hard to stay hopeful. Night-weaning really, really sucks. I hate seeing Ari cry.
I cannot remember clearly how many times Ari woke up or how long it took her to go back to sleep. I think she got up four times.
The first time, Geeky Entrepreneur tried to help her go back to sleep for about 45 minutes. Then, I took a turn. About 50 minutes later, she went to sleep.
I don’t remember anything about the second or third times. All I know is that there was a short period of time between time two and time three, less than an hour. I also remember that one of those times she fell asleep horizontally, near the edge of our bed. Eventually, she was upside-down, with a foot on my face. Fortunately, that did not last long. That means the weird sleeping arrangement happened on time two! I am still trying to wake up, can you tell?
Ari woke up a fourth time around 6:30. She did not ask to nurse, but it was daytime, so I offered. She nursed and slept for another 1.5 hours.
At 8:00, I woke up Geeky Entrepreneur so he could take over and I went back to sleep. I got to sleep another 2.5 hours, which was very helpful. Still feel strange, though. My head feels funny. I can’t wake up!
Ari has been starting the night on her high-end bed, the floor, but, once she wakes up asking to nurse, we co sleep the rest of the night. Poor Geeky Entrepreneur has been sleeping on an airbed all week. Better than both of us hearing her cry and not being able to sleep, but I would love to have our husband back at our bed, any day now.
Not sure how transitioning her back to her bed will go or when it will happen. I feel like it is a must because I don’t get good sleep when we co sleep. She likes to keep her hand on my chest and it becomes painful not to move all night. If I could sleep well and we had a king-size bed, I would think that co sleeping is cool!
For now, transitioning her back to her bed is not our top priority. Night-weaning is. In a way, I feel like if we can get through night-weaning, we can get through anything in the sleep department.
I was going to write about something else sleep-related, but I cannot, for the life of me, remember what the heck it was. Perhaps it is time to go back to bed. More later.
I cannot remember clearly how many times Ari woke up or how long it took her to go back to sleep. I think she got up four times.
The first time, Geeky Entrepreneur tried to help her go back to sleep for about 45 minutes. Then, I took a turn. About 50 minutes later, she went to sleep.
I don’t remember anything about the second or third times. All I know is that there was a short period of time between time two and time three, less than an hour. I also remember that one of those times she fell asleep horizontally, near the edge of our bed. Eventually, she was upside-down, with a foot on my face. Fortunately, that did not last long. That means the weird sleeping arrangement happened on time two! I am still trying to wake up, can you tell?
Ari woke up a fourth time around 6:30. She did not ask to nurse, but it was daytime, so I offered. She nursed and slept for another 1.5 hours.
At 8:00, I woke up Geeky Entrepreneur so he could take over and I went back to sleep. I got to sleep another 2.5 hours, which was very helpful. Still feel strange, though. My head feels funny. I can’t wake up!
Ari has been starting the night on her high-end bed, the floor, but, once she wakes up asking to nurse, we co sleep the rest of the night. Poor Geeky Entrepreneur has been sleeping on an airbed all week. Better than both of us hearing her cry and not being able to sleep, but I would love to have our husband back at our bed, any day now.
Not sure how transitioning her back to her bed will go or when it will happen. I feel like it is a must because I don’t get good sleep when we co sleep. She likes to keep her hand on my chest and it becomes painful not to move all night. If I could sleep well and we had a king-size bed, I would think that co sleeping is cool!
For now, transitioning her back to her bed is not our top priority. Night-weaning is. In a way, I feel like if we can get through night-weaning, we can get through anything in the sleep department.
I was going to write about something else sleep-related, but I cannot, for the life of me, remember what the heck it was. Perhaps it is time to go back to bed. More later.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Night-Weaning: Night Three
Last night, Arianna got up around 12:45. About 25 minutes later, she had settled down. She kept asking to nurse every once in a while, almost in her sleep. I felt bad…
Once we got through that, we got five hours of uninterrupted sleep! Wow, it had been so long!
Ari got up around 6:00. She was not done sleeping, but she wanted to nurse. I showed her it was daytime and told her she could nurse because nighttime was all done. So she nursed and went back to sleep for another 1.5 hours!
For those of you who like to create a graph in your head (there is a certain husband who might be booting up Excel right about now!), here is the data:
Night 1: settled down after 1 hour
Night 2: settled down after 40 minutes
Night 3: settled down after 25 minutes
On the down side, Ari was somewhat clingy and fairly uninterested in eating today. She must have asked to nurse 15 times. No, not exaggerating! We are working on getting her to bed earlier and are hopeful that in a few days she will return to herself, once she is sleeping better and is used to no mama milk in the middle of the night.
Once we got through that, we got five hours of uninterrupted sleep! Wow, it had been so long!
Ari got up around 6:00. She was not done sleeping, but she wanted to nurse. I showed her it was daytime and told her she could nurse because nighttime was all done. So she nursed and went back to sleep for another 1.5 hours!
For those of you who like to create a graph in your head (there is a certain husband who might be booting up Excel right about now!), here is the data:
Night 1: settled down after 1 hour
Night 2: settled down after 40 minutes
Night 3: settled down after 25 minutes
On the down side, Ari was somewhat clingy and fairly uninterested in eating today. She must have asked to nurse 15 times. No, not exaggerating! We are working on getting her to bed earlier and are hopeful that in a few days she will return to herself, once she is sleeping better and is used to no mama milk in the middle of the night.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Night-Weaning: Night Two
I am very proud of our little girl. I know that she will need a few days to adjust, but, thus far, she is doing a great job.
Last night, Ari woke up about an hour after going to sleep. This is rather unusual. Usually, she sleeps three or four hours before getting up. Geeky Entrepreneur was able to put her to sleep without me going in there and saying “all done” or any of that.
She then slept for four and a half hours before she got up again. Around 3:30, Ari woke up and I brought her to bed with me. About 40 minutes later, she had settled down and gone to sleep. At first, Ari kept asking to nurse. I kept telling her that breastfeeding was all done until daytime and that my breasts have booboos, which is true. Nothing horrible, just sore nipples due to nursing a million times in the middle of the night. Eventually, she stopped asking, put her hand on my chest, and went to sleep.
Now that Ari simply puts her hand on my chest, rather than holding and squeezing one of my nipples, I am enjoy co sleeping again. Nothing like cuddling with your baby! I especially love when she suddenly rolls over and puts her arm around me.
The next time Ari got up it was 6:30 and I could tell she was done sleeping. When she asked to nurse, I brought her to the window, had her look outside, told her it was day time and that she could nurse because it was daytime. Ari breastfed for quite a while. I was very full and lumpy. She had not nursed for nine and a half hours. I had almost forgotten what full, lumpy boobies felt like! What a trip down memory lane! I was brought back in time to those days when she was tiny and I was just as full two or three hours after she had nursed. Those memories make me smile!
I have really enjoyed having that special connection with my little girl. I have enjoyed witnessing first-hand the miracles that are pregnancy and breastfeeding. I knew kids could be exclusively breastfed, but to actually know that my child grew, gained weight, and thrived on only the milk that my body made for her was quite the experience.
Tonight is night three and, just like last night, I am a bit anxious but very hopeful that we will do well, just like last night. I keep reminding myself that night two was much better than night one and that even night one was not as horrible as I had anticipated.
Wish us luck and I will update tomorrow!
Last night, Ari woke up about an hour after going to sleep. This is rather unusual. Usually, she sleeps three or four hours before getting up. Geeky Entrepreneur was able to put her to sleep without me going in there and saying “all done” or any of that.
She then slept for four and a half hours before she got up again. Around 3:30, Ari woke up and I brought her to bed with me. About 40 minutes later, she had settled down and gone to sleep. At first, Ari kept asking to nurse. I kept telling her that breastfeeding was all done until daytime and that my breasts have booboos, which is true. Nothing horrible, just sore nipples due to nursing a million times in the middle of the night. Eventually, she stopped asking, put her hand on my chest, and went to sleep.
Now that Ari simply puts her hand on my chest, rather than holding and squeezing one of my nipples, I am enjoy co sleeping again. Nothing like cuddling with your baby! I especially love when she suddenly rolls over and puts her arm around me.
The next time Ari got up it was 6:30 and I could tell she was done sleeping. When she asked to nurse, I brought her to the window, had her look outside, told her it was day time and that she could nurse because it was daytime. Ari breastfed for quite a while. I was very full and lumpy. She had not nursed for nine and a half hours. I had almost forgotten what full, lumpy boobies felt like! What a trip down memory lane! I was brought back in time to those days when she was tiny and I was just as full two or three hours after she had nursed. Those memories make me smile!
I have really enjoyed having that special connection with my little girl. I have enjoyed witnessing first-hand the miracles that are pregnancy and breastfeeding. I knew kids could be exclusively breastfed, but to actually know that my child grew, gained weight, and thrived on only the milk that my body made for her was quite the experience.
Tonight is night three and, just like last night, I am a bit anxious but very hopeful that we will do well, just like last night. I keep reminding myself that night two was much better than night one and that even night one was not as horrible as I had anticipated.
Wish us luck and I will update tomorrow!
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Night-Weaning: Night One
I knew that the time was coming, but I figured we would not be night-weaning for another few months. I was guessing we would be doing it around December. I figured Amor Chiquito might be uncomfortable because of the molars coming in, so I did not want to make life harder for her. Unfortunately, lately, she has been waking up more and more often asking to nurse. Amor Chiquito would only go back to sleep if she nursed. Sometimes we were up for hours no matter what. Recently, we were getting up every two hours. Needless to say, the three of us have been very exhausted lately.
I understand that night wakings happen, but I do not think Ari should need boobies every two hours. We are way past the newborn stage. I think she will be happier and rested once she is not waking up so many times in one night. I am 100% certain that I will be a better, happier mother once I get a little more uninterrupted sleep.
Last night was one of those nights… I had nursed Ari four times and she would not go to sleep. I was hurting and very frustrated. Actually, I was starting to resent nursing. I was angry, biting my lip while she nursed. I knew I had to do something about it. I love breastfeeding her and I know she loves breastfeeding too. We have beautiful memories of breastfeeding. I want to keep it that way.
So, last night, around 12:20, I decided that I was starting the night-weaning process right then. I knew it would be hard on her, but I felt confident we would get through it. I felt at peace with my decision. I knew I was emotionally ready. Trust me, it took me a very long time to get here, so I felt like it was now or never!
I decided to do this on my own, rather than handing her off to Geeky Entrepreneur. I wanted her to know that, despite the fact she could not nurse, I was there, loving her, hugging her, rubbing her back. I wanted the transition to be as comfortable as possible.
The first time, it took an hour before Ari fell asleep.
Two hours later, she woke up again. That time, it took 25-30 minutes before she went back to sleep.
Two hours later, Ari got up again, but she was only awake for 15 minutes.
We made it! We did it! We made progress. This morning, she was herself. She was not upset.
My goal is for her to learn and be comfortable with nursing during the day but not at night.
Wish us luck tonight!
A big thank you to one of my best friends, who quickly responded to my text message and took the time to hear me out today. She just went through this about three months ago, so I knew she would understand how I felt. I love you lots, Yaminette! You are the best!
I understand that night wakings happen, but I do not think Ari should need boobies every two hours. We are way past the newborn stage. I think she will be happier and rested once she is not waking up so many times in one night. I am 100% certain that I will be a better, happier mother once I get a little more uninterrupted sleep.
Last night was one of those nights… I had nursed Ari four times and she would not go to sleep. I was hurting and very frustrated. Actually, I was starting to resent nursing. I was angry, biting my lip while she nursed. I knew I had to do something about it. I love breastfeeding her and I know she loves breastfeeding too. We have beautiful memories of breastfeeding. I want to keep it that way.
So, last night, around 12:20, I decided that I was starting the night-weaning process right then. I knew it would be hard on her, but I felt confident we would get through it. I felt at peace with my decision. I knew I was emotionally ready. Trust me, it took me a very long time to get here, so I felt like it was now or never!
I decided to do this on my own, rather than handing her off to Geeky Entrepreneur. I wanted her to know that, despite the fact she could not nurse, I was there, loving her, hugging her, rubbing her back. I wanted the transition to be as comfortable as possible.
The first time, it took an hour before Ari fell asleep.
Two hours later, she woke up again. That time, it took 25-30 minutes before she went back to sleep.
Two hours later, Ari got up again, but she was only awake for 15 minutes.
We made it! We did it! We made progress. This morning, she was herself. She was not upset.
My goal is for her to learn and be comfortable with nursing during the day but not at night.
Wish us luck tonight!
A big thank you to one of my best friends, who quickly responded to my text message and took the time to hear me out today. She just went through this about three months ago, so I knew she would understand how I felt. I love you lots, Yaminette! You are the best!
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