training wheels

What a difference a little professional help makes! The three of us met with a lactation consultant yesterday. I'm frankly a little surprised we've struggled this long with all the lactation consultants and nurses who watched over us as we attempted breastfeeding in the hospital. She took a look at me, took a look at Elias, prescribed a couple of "breast shields" and a regimen of breast, bottle, and pumping, and we were off. We also bought a different nursing pillow - the Breast Friend nursing pillow, which I highly recommend if you're in the market - and a better-fitting bra. If I could have I would have taken the chair we were sitting in! The "breast shields" should act as sort of training wheels for Elias, as we both take a little more time to learn. It's a bit exhausting, nursing for anywhere from 15 minutes to a half-hour will usually satisfy him, but we always have an ounce or so in a bottle as a back-up in case he needs to be "topped off." Once he's eaten and calmed back down, I whip out the pump for another 10 to 15 minutes and Neal usually washes everything up for the next round. During the day, of course, this just feels like my job. The nighttime feedings will be the challenging ones, I think. Especially after an evening like yesterday, when he was mostly up and somewhat fussy between 7 p.m. and midnight. Neal entertained him in another room so I could get an hour or so of sleep and after midnight I tried to do the bulk of the work. I can barely keep my eyes open by the time I get to the pump. But it's amazing how much an hour of sleep will do when you're so sleep-deprived.

So I'm feeling much better in the feeding department. We'll stick with the prescribed regimen through the weekend and meet with the consultant again on Monday. At our meeting yesterday, he weighed in at 7 pounds 2 1/2 ounces pre-feeding, so I think we must be doing something right. We also have another weight check with the pediatrician on Saturday, so that should be a good indication (in addition to keeping close track of wet and "poopy" diapers) of how we're doing.

Otherwise, I'm slowly but surely starting to feel a little more like myself. I shaved my legs today for the first time in months. It's not even a day-by-day thing, more like a two to three hour cycle. Some cycles go well and during others I feel like a wreck again, but I feel like I'm getting the hang of it and I'm enjoying watching Elias develop before our eyes. Even the past few evening episodes of fussiness are benchmarks to be noted.

As for what to do with your newborn during the fleeting periods when they're in that "quite alert" stage, we've been experimenting with our various diversions, including simply sitting and taking it all in against the versatile Boppy pillow:


Or swatting at plush monkeys on our playmat ("tummy time" is still a bit awkward for us):


And hanging out on a shoulder, exercising our neck muscles:


I tried the sling carrier yesterday (or was it the day before?) but couldn't quite get him in and get the sling adjusted before he started to fuss. I think I'll try again this afternoon, or maybe we'll buckle him into his snap 'n' go, because I think we could all use a walk and some fresh air. We're slowly moving out of the bedroom encampment, but spending some time outdoors still feels like quite a feat.