So, Elsie & Delia are 10 weeks old, and I can't believe how the time has flown. Though it has been a crazy blur of weeks, things have really gone better than I envisioned!
The first few weeks were rough, admittedly, mostly because of the breastfeeding issues, both of them losing more than a pound. It was all very familiar, though, so it wasn't quite as upsetting or emotional as it was with Emma. The actual physical pain from nursing went away really fast this time (it hung around for 3 months last time!), and figuring out latch stuff, tandem nursing, and supplementing was HARD, but easier than if I had been breastfeeding for the first time. While they still nurse really frequently -- every hour or two, except at night -- we are now in a good routine with supplementing and they are gaining weight well, at about an ounce a day. Both are right around 9 pounds! Which seems little when I think of Emma's birth wieght (9lbs3oz) but its a good 3+ pounds more than where they were at their smallest.
I have been noticing this week that Delia hasn't been gaining well, due to her sleeping through feedings (which her sister takes advantage of). You snooze, you lose around here...
In terms of sleep, well there's the good and the bad. The good is that Elsie & Delia both seem to need/want MUCH more sleep than Emma ever did. Woohoo! Sometimes it seems like they would sleep all day if they could. And, they seem, at night anyway, to cycle in sync which allows us all to get longer stretches of sleep. Right now, they often have one longer stretch of 4 hours, and then another 2 or 3, broken up, before morning. I am feeling pretty well rested, because of this.
The downside is that they are still very dependent on me for sleep. They don't take pacifiers (I've tried!) and like to nurse to sleep, and don't transfer well, so they mostly nap on me. Hence, I have a lot of time in the armchair, looking at my Internets, but not good for actually getting stuff done and tending to Emma. Night is the same way -- they sleep draped on me, pressed on either side of me, wedged in with pillows. Some would say a smothering nightmare, ha, though I feel it is totally safe since I can feel if they move, and know their faces are always towards me anyway. Believe it or not, we all sleep really well this way, but I do want to get them sleeping in their own spaces (still probably in our bed for easy nursing though) soonish.
This past week, my first solo week with all three has gone pretty well! There are stressful (really stressful!) times, ususally midday, when I am trying to juggle fixing Emma's and my lunches, getting her down for a nap, and two whiny screaming babies who are wanting to nurse/nap too. I just have to let them cry, and thats HARD! And then they get so hysterical they don't settle when I am able to tend to them. Up until yesterday my only trick for soothing/calming both at once was nursing, but I just got my new Beco Butterfly carrier, which allows me to put one very easily on my back. Last night I was able to put one in there on my back, one in the ring sling on my front, and bounce them both to sleep on the exercise ball! While also watching the Olympics!
This week has also led to having the babies put down more often, and they seem to be getting more used to that, too. Sometimes they can sit in the bouncer, the swing, in their play gym, or under their mobile for decent stretches (of course, not always at the same time...). Lying on the changing table is also a favorite chill zone. My next step is getting them to take naps in these places, or in a different specific bed places. Thats going to be a challenge, but if I can get them to do it, it will revolutionize my life. Ha. However, since it didn't happen with Emma until much, much later, I am not counting on it. Cautiously optimistic, perhaps?
Posted by Rachel R on August 12, 2008 at 07:26 PM PDT #