Wednesday, August 17, 2011

13 Weeks Old


Lots of news this week!

First, breastfeeding is going way better! As soon as the supplemental nursing system (the tube thing) came and I used it once, I realized I no longer needed it because nursing had suddenly become much less painful. Now I really wish I hadn’t wasted my money on it! It worked great, though, so if anyone out there needs something like that, Lact-Aid is a good one to get. (If you want mine, you can buy it cheap!!!!)

I’m not really sure what changed. It might just be that her mouth is now big enough that it doesn’t hurt, even if she’s still tongue thrusting. Leslie told me that would probably happen eventually. Anyway, it still hurts a bit – sometimes more than others – but it is NOTHING compared to what it was. I can even fall asleep while nursing her during the night, which is something I’ve been looking forward to being able to do. And I am quite certain (and very hopeful) that this is a permanent improvement, since I’ve been nursing her day and night for almost a week.

I’ve also experienced some other great improvements regarding breastfeeding:

Norah nurses less frequently and for a much shorter amount of time than she used to. It used to take 45 minutes for her to finish, and then she’d be hungry again in an hour. Now she eats for 10 to 15 minutes at a time, every two or three hours.

I don’t have to worry about her having enough to eat. My supply seems to have increased from all the pumping I had been doing, and just since last Monday (a little over a week ago), I have stored 12 bags of milk totaling 51 ½ ounces in my freezer!!!!!!! I am SO excited about that – and relieved! Maybe she’ll never have to eat formula again! I wish I had started storing milk when she was born. I was worried about ending up with an oversupply…ha!

Breastfeeding has FINALLY become easy! When I decided to breastfeed (which really wasn’t much of a decision – I just always knew I would), I looked forward to the simplicity of it. No hassle. No mess. No baby crying while I prepare a bottle. But up to now it’s been much harder than I had anticipated. Finally, all I have to do is latch her on whenever she gets hungry! I’m also spending MUCH less time hooked up to the pump. I’m now pumping every night after Norah is asleep, and some mornings if I have more milk than she wants. I will keep storing milk until I have no room left in my freezer! If she doesn’t drink it all, it’s good for making baby food.

In other exciting news (depending on how you look at it…), Norah seems to be teething already! She’s been a little fussy, especially in the evenings, and drooling everywhere, and chewing on her fingers. She’s also suddenly taken to using a pacifier. Before last Thursday, when I offered it to her since nothing else was doing the trick, she had done without it completely for two weeks or more. Now she’ll take it almost every time we offer it. She doesn’t seem to like the teething ring much, though. We got her two different types, and she doesn’t really like either one. She might like them more when she’s a bit older. The discomfort is, unfortunately, causing some fussiness while she nurses, but hopefully it will not cause me any undue pain. As adorable as she’ll be with a few little teeth in that smile, I am not ready for this yet!




That covers all the big stuff, I think. Norah has started to jump a bit in the doorway jumper, and she’ll entertain herself in it for longer than she used to (maybe 30 minutes). She says a lot of new syllables, like “die,” “gee,” “ghghee,” etc. She is beginning to use her hands with more purpose. She pulled out her pacifier and put it back in twice in a row today!







She loves to sit in the Bumbo seat on the table while we eat dinner. Someone even gave us a tray for it, which is great to put toys on.




She’s so big! We just got out the 3-6 month clothes, and some of them are barely long enough!!! I guess we should have gotten them out sooner! I’m not sure what she weighs now. I’m guessing around 13 lbs.

She is a great sleeper in the sense that she will put herself to sleep quickly and with no fussing if we put her in the crib when she’s tired. I would like to get her on a better schedule though. She tends to take three naps a day, but they’re all usually less than an hour long. I’d like her to have a longer nap, even if that means eliminating one. It’s been really hard for me to get anything done during the day.

Travis started back at school last week, which is a huge change for us after a whole summer of the three of us together all the time. It’s a challenge, for sure. Even though I feel like I don’t have much time to get anything done, I actually feel like a more productive person than I ever have been. There can be no procrastination with a baby, because you never know when you’ll another free moment. While I wish Norah could stay a baby forever, I’m also anxious for her to be able to entertain herself a bit more.

Another thing I’m anxious for is to have her talk to me. That way I won’t have to guess what she wants, and my whole day won’t feel like a one-sided conversation! I mean, she’s attentive for sure, but…you know what I mean.

I am going to start doing some sign language with her. I’m starting with the sign for “milk,” so she can tell me when she’s hungry. We’ll see how long it takes for her to start doing it! (It’s a super easy one. You just pretend like you’re milking a cow.)

Anyway, I guess that’s it for this week! J Have a good one!

Here are a couple of pictures of Norah playing dress-up. Ok…I was playing dress-up.




1 comment:

  1. I can't believe how "grown-up" she's becoming already!!! Precious! I'm so glad the nursing situation has improved! You are such an amazing mom... most of us don't get it right the first time around (or the 2nd...3rd...)! Big hugs from Aunt Laurie! :)

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