After three long, late nights, I made a decision. I was not going to go through another night like that. It must be me..it HAS to be me or the way I am not doing something right. My SECOND baby should not be having this much trouble sleeping at night/waking up multiple times. I have books on reserve to check out at the library--four to be exact. Before I went to read the forum boards on pregnancy.com, I was determined to read each book cover-to-cover to find a solution to get my baby boy to sleep better at night. But then I HAD to read the forums and discover I am not alone and maybe there isn't a solution. Which puts me back at square one. Here's what I have discovered:
1. Many moms are struggling with their babies who also have AR sleeping for long periods of time on their backs without waking....CHECK
2. Many moms are having to put their babes in carseats so they will sleep at night....CHECK (lately around 3 a.m. it's the only place Bay will sleep)
3. Many moms are having trouble finding a formula for their baby and have been through 5-6 different kinds b/f they found one that worked. Many are suggesting the Enfamil AR or Similac A--- (the one that's hypoallergenic) CHECK (Baylen is mostly b-f but when we are out and about, and I don't want to go to the car to bf or didn't have time to pump, then I give him a bottle of formula...we use Enfamil AR)
4. Many moms are still struggling with AR with their babies up to a year old. (I knew it might take awhile) CHECK
5. Many moms are struggling with finding meds that will even help their baby. Thank GOD Axid is giving Baylen at least some relief...although if I don't give him his meds when he needs them, he gets REALLY cranky and irritable. I just HATE it that he has to be pumped full of meds at such a young age.
6. Moms with AR babies continue to say how exhausting it is to have a baby who is fussy so often but feel bad for feeling frustrated b/c they know it's not their baby's fault--they just want him/her to feel better--and often feel like they are the only ones with a fussy and what seems like a mostly unhappy baby. CHECK CHECK CHECK
7. Moms added they must hold their baby upright for 20 min. after feeding. Hmmmm...this is not something we always do..perhaps we may try this little trick....but what about when they are ready to sleep for a nap or the night? When I put Baylen up on my shoulder, he wakes up instantly 95% of the time. Hmmmm must think how this would work...
I was thinking about switching to formula when I return to work in a couple of weeks just because I need that extra bit of energy for school. Honestly, it was more of a selfish reason because I thought it would be easier/more convenient..no pumping, no bringing in milk everyday, no worrying about the supply getting low at daycare, being able to get back into my old bras and not have to wear nursing ones all the time, not feeling like my boobs were gargantuan, etc. etc.
BUT, now I am having second thoughts BECAUSE: right now, he's on Axid and it seems to be helping him cope with the AR. His spit up sessions have definitely decreased, but he still gets really irritable and arches his back when he's unhappy or has a big burp. He still spits up. What would it be like if he's on formula all day? (I feel like it would be worse....b/c bm is easier to break down and he would not be as unhappy/feeling awful/fussy)
So, I am going to cont. to bf him when he transitions into daycare. One transition at a time is best for my big guy. I will try to keep up with his demand/supply as best I can. When or if it gets to the point that I can't keep up, then we'll go to Plan B, which is formula. What I am wondering about at that point is: will they use Enfamil AR at daycare if I ask them to or will I have to have my Pedi write a note to prove Bay really can only use this kind of formula? I guess we'll cross that road when we get to it. Right now I am going to try and make it through with bf him to 6 months. We'll see from there.
And on the sleeping front, well, I am still going to read those books, because maybe there's some little trick in there that will help my sweet boy stay comfortable a little longer than 2 or 3 hours at a time and not feel the need to party it up at 3 a.m. Because seriously, I'm DRAINED. Until then, I guess I'll be wearing a little thicker concealer under my eyes and drinking that second can of Diet Pepsi I need by lunch time to get me through the rest of the day/evening.
4 comments:
If your day care needs a NOTE from the doctor to give your baby a certain kind of formula... that's pretty whack.
In my non-child mind, I figured as long as you were providing the formula for the babies, they give them what you bring. Do they just throw all the booby juice in the fridge and grab whichever is handy when a baby is hungry!? No, they separate it. Formula should be no different, procedure-wise.
Or just fill the bottles up with formula at home and act like it's milk.
If the issue is cost (i.e. the day care buys the formula so absorbs the extra cost to buy special stuff for your baby), do they charge extra for formula babies vs. breast fed babies since it costs more to care for them? Probably not. Maybe they'll be cool with it as long as you bring it in for him or pay any extra cost.
Wow. I guess I even have an opinion on boobs and babies! Sometimes I just expect the world to "work", you know!?
Oh Sarah, I feel you in the sleep department. Henry does not have AR but he does not like to be on his belly when he sleeps although he likes to roll onto it all the time. I have been getting up every hour on the hour for the past week to nurse him back to sleep because it is the only way to calm him down. How did we sleep on our bellies when we were infants because Henry does not like it.
On the formula side of things, have you tried the carnation good start with comfort proteins? My girlfriends little girl has AR and it worked really well for her so I thought I would just pass on the good word in case you were looking for a success story with formula. :) I hear you on the BF front, I am looking to get to 6mo and re-evaluate nursing. I want to wear a bra that will lift these babies up! ha!
Good luck on the sleeping front. Post the good tips you find from your books.
You poor thing. And poor Baylen! (AR sucks! I had it with all three of my pregnancies and it's so very painful, I can't imagine it for a baby.) Your daycare would need a note about his formula? I have always just made the bottles up in advance each day and sent them in. They feed what I send. She does have some frozen BM in case Olive needs an extra bottle though. But the boys, I always just made their bottles and sent them each morning. And there was always extra formula in the diaper bag just in case. Hmmm, maybe they are part of a food/nutrition program like one of our previous sitters was. Drove me nuts! She wanted to feed Logan (at 16 months old) swordfish! I flipped out, it's really high in mercury. She said I'd need a Dr's note saying he couldn't haev it or she was going to give it to him. To this day I will not send them to a sitter who is part of that program. I just felt like I had no say over what my kid were fed and I hated that feeling.
Oh, I'm sorry Fitz! It will get better.
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