Re: Really need and would appreciate some advice

Originally Posted by
@llli*miles.mum
Thank you so much for your reply. I really appreciate you taking the time to respond and I know you're right. Tiredness has taken me over a bit and I've definitely been letting my anxiety on this issue get out of control. I obviously just need to surrender to the present moment more. As long as this is normal and he is getting what he needs, I will try to relax and go with it. I know I need to enjoy this time with him as a little baby because I'll never get it back. Thanks again.
Hi new mommy! Big hugs to you as i was right there with you just 32 weeks ago. You would not believe how much changes in such a short time. I say normal, normal, normal. My daughter nursed constantly for 3 months. I did not use a dummy. I nursed. And nursed some more. It was tiring and I had little opportunity for anything else. I did put her in the carrier and take walks, which got me air, exercise and usually a nap for her. But man oh man, we had many nursing marathons that lasted 3 hours. I read and watched a lot of movies, kept up on email, etc. i tried to sleep when she slept. I remember nights I did not sleep - even nursing didn't seem to help all the crying -but that passes eventually. My kiddo had horrible gas pain until her gut matured a little around 3 mos. I freely asked my husband for help with everything. He cleaned, cooked, took care of our dogs/cats, shopped. He was a total rock star. If the house became a mess i did not care. We tried to fill the fridge with little containers of food that I could eat cold or nuke quick. My favorite was fresh sliced turkey (not lunch meat), sliced veggies, guacamole and a pile of cashews. When I needed to shower I tried to get her to sleep and either DH snuggled w/her or I put her in a little cradle right in front of the shower. My biggest challenge was usually trying to get to the bathroom. I hydrate a lot, even more important when nursing. That's great except for the bathroom trips. I don't even want to think about how many treks I've made to the toilet holding an infant.
Now at 8.5 months she's more where you think 'normal' might fall for your LO but extreme for some. In other words what the heck is normal? We're all normal for ourselves. I nurse about every 90 min to 2 hours on weekends, and the same weekday mornings and evenings. (Weekdays I work full time and our nanny bottle feeds my milk.) Overnight I nurse a lot. She dreamfeeds and nibbles a ton. If I tried to compare notes I prob nurse more than moms I know where I live, but a lot of them formula feed. I should note our DD also naps on us and we co sleep, and is nearly impossible to leave to sleep in her own, all of which is amazing bonding but also exhausting. And I wouldn't have it any other way.
Hang in there. You're doing great and your LO is lucky to have you! If there's one thing I learned being a first time mommy, you are rarely alone in your suffering, but also never more rewarded than with the joy a baby brings.
1st time mom over 40 to Alex(andra) b: 7/14/12