The only problem is that Noah seems to be a little TOO attached. As in, no one but me can hold him/change him/feed him/touch him/get him to sleep/care for him in any way shape or form. I am getting exhausted. He wails for me if I'm not in eyesight, even if daddy & his sisters are right there. He is getting to be a challenge to nap & still wakes a bazillion times a night. I don't get a break from him & I need one. I was hoping going to work out at the Y would turn into "me" time, but he's screamed for me so much that they almost instantly call for me to come back. I cant even put him in the dang playpen to work out here because of the crying & fussing. I'm at my wits end!
How do you unattach yourself from your overly attached baby? I feel like I'm climbing a slippery slope of barely not losing my mind here & I know I sometimes let my frustrations out on the girls by yelling. I HATE hearing myself yell. HATE HATE HATE IT! But what else can I do about Noah's very intense demands?
Thoughts of sleep training & CIO cloudy mind and are looking tempting, Which makes me feel even worse. Pair that with his awful latch right now and my supply plummeting. I'm feeling like a pretty big failure. I don't know how to find some middle ground here. Anyone have any suggestions?
And yeah, his latch is lazy & tight. As if he thinks I am a straw (which is ironic since he hasn't figures out how to use a real straw yet). He has given me raw blisters & cracked, bleeding nipples, but I am SO close to making it to 1 year that I can't just give up now. I'm calling WIC this week to see I'd they have any suggestions, because I've tried all of the tricks in my bag & still dread every nursing session from the inevitable pain. Boo!
I hope to find some resolutions that work for us very soon!!
My daughter was just like that. I wondered if I'd ever be able to leave her long enough to go to the gym or take a class at college. Because I was a first time mom and paranoid that I was doing a good job, I spoiled her 24/7. I never let her cry for a second, I carried her around all the time. But you know what? She wasn't spoiled! She's super independent now. She could care less if I walk out of the house and leave her with daddy or her grandma or uncle or anyone she knows well. She KNOWS I'm coming back. She's secure. She even willingly goes to bed with daddy now, and I raised her nursing her to sleep, which everyone said would surely spoil her. This stage will end before you know it, I promise! I know it's harder with 3 kids but have faith, you'll get through it, then you'll actually miss it! (And in a few years when I have 3 little ones, please remind me I said this, hahaha.)
ReplyDeleteFor the latching problem, if WIC counselors don't help, try a La Leche League meeting. They are awesome and don't mind formula supplementing. I know some people think they're breastfeeding Nazis but they're not. http://www.llli.org/web/pennsylvania.html