My so called schedule
So I have a new respecct for single parents. This past week my daily schedule has gotten a little more routine, which I am greatful for, I know things will probably change but so far this is what a day in the life of Max and I looks like.
Wake up is between 6 and 7am. I usually feed him in bed and then get up to change him and head downstairs to get start the coffee and get some breakfast. Max is usually the most happy in the mornings and I can get some good smiles out of him. We play a little, and he sits in his nap nanny while I eat some breakfast. We play a little more, I drink coffee and by 8 or 8:30 he is getting fussy and ready for a morning nap. I usually have to take him to the laundry room, to hear the dryer, and rock him some before he is down. He will sleep about on hour in his nap nanny downstairs. I take this opportuntiy to get dressed, wash my face and brush my teeth. If I have extra time, I will play around on the computer (like right now) or get some things done, like start a load of his laundry, do the dishes, or take the trash out. Once awake, I feed him again, get him dressed for the day and we play again usually in his bouncer, sometimes he'll sit there for 15 mins or so by himself, allowing me to get some more small chores done. I get some lunch for myself, and by 11:30ish he is ready for another nap. This one is harder to get him down for, so I put him in the sling and walk around the house until he falls asleep. Once he is out, I curl up on the recliner with him. Since I can't take hime out of the sling (he will wake up) I take this opportunity to take a nap with him. He sleeps on me in the sling, usually for about 2-3 hours. It is pretty amazing, and this is my longest stretch of sleep at a time (night or day) so I relish this nap time! Around 3ish, he is up. I feed him, play and if the weather is nice we setlle in for a walk around 5. He'll fall asleep in the stroller but wakes up as soon as I get back. If the weather is bad, he takes a short nap only if I am holding him. Once awake, feed again then I try to get some dinner for myself around 6:30. At this time I usually put Max in his swing, which he cries, until I'm done eating and pick him up. Around 7 pm, well play, then bath time and he starts to nod off. I do one more feeding and the spend the next half hour trying to get his tired self to sleep. I usually get him in his crib around 8:30pm. At this point I rush around getting the coffee ready for the morning, doing the dishes and taking a quick shower. I try to be in bed by 9:30. If I am lucky, Max will sleep until midnight, but 11 is more likely. Once he's up, I'll change him, feed him and rock him back to sleep. The whole process usually takes about an hour or more. I have discovered that I have to wait until he is 100% asleep to put him down, or he will wake up, start crying and I will have to start the whole proccess all over again. I know this isn't a great habit to get into, and once he is old enough to self-soothe I will try something else, but at this point, we both just need sleep. So 1am ish he asleep in bed and he sleeps anywhere from 1.5-3 hours from there. Once he's up for the second feeding of the night is where the trouble starts. around 3:30 am ish i'll feed him again, and it's hard to get a good feeding because he drifts off, but then will wake up in a few minutes because he's hungry. Anyway, once fed and asleep again, around 4:30am. I put him down in his crib. I know this won't last because for some reason he will not stay asleep in his crib after the second feeding. I keep putting him down in it, in hopes that he will eventually sleep, but so far no go. He will wake up after 15-30 minutes. I go and get him and bring him into bed with me. I'll cradle him to sleep again and me and him lay down in bed. I'm not a huge fan of having him sleep with me because it's uncomfortable for me and I rarely get any sleep because he makes so many grunts, and moves do much when he sleeps. But again, at this point at least he is asleep and not screaming. He sleeps like this until wake up time around 6-6:30. So that's been my days here lately. . Every once in a while we get out to go somewhere, but I'm really scared I'm gonna mess up our afternoon nap time as I seriously count on that sleep to get me through. Especially since I only get about 4 hours of sleep every night. Max's awake times are sometimes happy and sometimes not. It's so crazy too find time to do something regularly like work our or cook something, because I am never quite sure what Max will do or be like that day. Every day things are now so challenging. Haha yesterday I went pee when Max was asleep on me in the sling! It was a little awkward, but I didn't know what else to do:) I couldn't wake him up and I couldn't hold it either! The majority of my day is spent trying to get Max to sleep, but I feel like he is at least sleeping more now than he did a few weeks ago. I'm starting to think he may have acid reflux as he spits up A LOT! I didn't think it was before because he's gaining weight and has tons of wet and poopy diapers, but spits upat least an ounce every feeding and often will wake up crying, and then just spit up every where. Other times when he spits up it doesn't seem to bother him, but lately it is just so much! I'm gonna ask the doc about it when we go in for his 2 month appointment. Oh, I have started offering him formula for one feeding each day. I am ready to not be breastfeeding anymore. Maybe it's selfish on my part, but I want to get him used to formula so I can have breaks when I need it. Once jeff is home I would love to be able to sleep for a few hours and not worry about Max getting fed. I can tell Max doesn't like the formula and will only take it sometimes. Lately he realises that if he won't take the formula, I'm going to cave and breastfeed him. Obviously I won't let him starve. He's pretty smart there, but I have a very picky eater on my hands, so I'm just gonna try a different formula brand and see from there. I am trying not to wish time away and cherish this time when he's tiny, but I just can't wait until he is old enough to be entertained and actually do something haha. Sometimes I look at him and am just so amazed at how awesomely cute he is! I still can't believe he used to be in my belly!
Wake up is between 6 and 7am. I usually feed him in bed and then get up to change him and head downstairs to get start the coffee and get some breakfast. Max is usually the most happy in the mornings and I can get some good smiles out of him. We play a little, and he sits in his nap nanny while I eat some breakfast. We play a little more, I drink coffee and by 8 or 8:30 he is getting fussy and ready for a morning nap. I usually have to take him to the laundry room, to hear the dryer, and rock him some before he is down. He will sleep about on hour in his nap nanny downstairs. I take this opportuntiy to get dressed, wash my face and brush my teeth. If I have extra time, I will play around on the computer (like right now) or get some things done, like start a load of his laundry, do the dishes, or take the trash out. Once awake, I feed him again, get him dressed for the day and we play again usually in his bouncer, sometimes he'll sit there for 15 mins or so by himself, allowing me to get some more small chores done. I get some lunch for myself, and by 11:30ish he is ready for another nap. This one is harder to get him down for, so I put him in the sling and walk around the house until he falls asleep. Once he is out, I curl up on the recliner with him. Since I can't take hime out of the sling (he will wake up) I take this opportunity to take a nap with him. He sleeps on me in the sling, usually for about 2-3 hours. It is pretty amazing, and this is my longest stretch of sleep at a time (night or day) so I relish this nap time! Around 3ish, he is up. I feed him, play and if the weather is nice we setlle in for a walk around 5. He'll fall asleep in the stroller but wakes up as soon as I get back. If the weather is bad, he takes a short nap only if I am holding him. Once awake, feed again then I try to get some dinner for myself around 6:30. At this time I usually put Max in his swing, which he cries, until I'm done eating and pick him up. Around 7 pm, well play, then bath time and he starts to nod off. I do one more feeding and the spend the next half hour trying to get his tired self to sleep. I usually get him in his crib around 8:30pm. At this point I rush around getting the coffee ready for the morning, doing the dishes and taking a quick shower. I try to be in bed by 9:30. If I am lucky, Max will sleep until midnight, but 11 is more likely. Once he's up, I'll change him, feed him and rock him back to sleep. The whole process usually takes about an hour or more. I have discovered that I have to wait until he is 100% asleep to put him down, or he will wake up, start crying and I will have to start the whole proccess all over again. I know this isn't a great habit to get into, and once he is old enough to self-soothe I will try something else, but at this point, we both just need sleep. So 1am ish he asleep in bed and he sleeps anywhere from 1.5-3 hours from there. Once he's up for the second feeding of the night is where the trouble starts. around 3:30 am ish i'll feed him again, and it's hard to get a good feeding because he drifts off, but then will wake up in a few minutes because he's hungry. Anyway, once fed and asleep again, around 4:30am. I put him down in his crib. I know this won't last because for some reason he will not stay asleep in his crib after the second feeding. I keep putting him down in it, in hopes that he will eventually sleep, but so far no go. He will wake up after 15-30 minutes. I go and get him and bring him into bed with me. I'll cradle him to sleep again and me and him lay down in bed. I'm not a huge fan of having him sleep with me because it's uncomfortable for me and I rarely get any sleep because he makes so many grunts, and moves do much when he sleeps. But again, at this point at least he is asleep and not screaming. He sleeps like this until wake up time around 6-6:30. So that's been my days here lately. . Every once in a while we get out to go somewhere, but I'm really scared I'm gonna mess up our afternoon nap time as I seriously count on that sleep to get me through. Especially since I only get about 4 hours of sleep every night. Max's awake times are sometimes happy and sometimes not. It's so crazy too find time to do something regularly like work our or cook something, because I am never quite sure what Max will do or be like that day. Every day things are now so challenging. Haha yesterday I went pee when Max was asleep on me in the sling! It was a little awkward, but I didn't know what else to do:) I couldn't wake him up and I couldn't hold it either! The majority of my day is spent trying to get Max to sleep, but I feel like he is at least sleeping more now than he did a few weeks ago. I'm starting to think he may have acid reflux as he spits up A LOT! I didn't think it was before because he's gaining weight and has tons of wet and poopy diapers, but spits upat least an ounce every feeding and often will wake up crying, and then just spit up every where. Other times when he spits up it doesn't seem to bother him, but lately it is just so much! I'm gonna ask the doc about it when we go in for his 2 month appointment. Oh, I have started offering him formula for one feeding each day. I am ready to not be breastfeeding anymore. Maybe it's selfish on my part, but I want to get him used to formula so I can have breaks when I need it. Once jeff is home I would love to be able to sleep for a few hours and not worry about Max getting fed. I can tell Max doesn't like the formula and will only take it sometimes. Lately he realises that if he won't take the formula, I'm going to cave and breastfeed him. Obviously I won't let him starve. He's pretty smart there, but I have a very picky eater on my hands, so I'm just gonna try a different formula brand and see from there. I am trying not to wish time away and cherish this time when he's tiny, but I just can't wait until he is old enough to be entertained and actually do something haha. Sometimes I look at him and am just so amazed at how awesomely cute he is! I still can't believe he used to be in my belly!
Don't think you're a bad mom for being ready to be done breastfeeding! I thought the same thing, mainly because I had always heard my mom talk about breastfeeding and my best friend did it for over a year and a 1/2. You know what's best for your baby and for you!! And if it means giving him formula, that's OK! :) I wanted to say more but I've lost my train of thought because Emma wants to play and she's trying to explain "No one's it tag", lol. Have a great week!!
ReplyDeletemeant to type my name at the end, it's Chloé. :)
DeleteYou remind me of me when i had Amari (my first). You are doing every thing perfectly. You have to maintain some sort of sanity and if that means peeing with him in the sling or laying with him, or not letting ANYTHING ruin any form of sleep you can get away with, DO IT. I was so sleep deprivedthe first month,ibegan to get depressed. You seriously are doing everything right. I wish i could have read a blog like this when i was going thru it, just to know i wasn't the only one and that there isa light at the end of the tunnel. And there is....my youngest is 5 1/2 months now and i figured it out this time around.lol but i love reading your stuff and congrats on your baby!!!!
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