24 Hours With Philo
I never, ever realized how busy I'd be taking care of Philo. I'd always been told that babies are a lot of work but I never fully realized how much work it would be. So yesterday I kept track of everything I did for Philo. If you don't have kids yet, you'll know what you're in for later on.
Midnight - Philo just finished a streak of cluster feedings. Normally infants want to eat every two to three hours, but when they're in the mood for cluster feedings they want to eat every half hour or so. Philo likes to be nursing incessantly. I just switch him from one side to another. Right now, though, he's getting drowsy. It might be an early night tonight.
12:09 AM - Philo's asleep. I put him gently in his swing and run to the bathroom.
12:12 AM - I return to find Philo sound asleep in his swing. I don't like the idea of him getting used to sleeping in his swing but I also hate to move him when he's sleeping so soundly. Since I now sleep in the same room as Philo I grab my comforter and arrange it on the floor underneath the swing so I can get some sleep.
12:18 AM - I hear Philo fill his diaper. Dammit. I pick him up and change his diaper, hoping that he might somehow go right back to sleep.
12:24 AM - No luck, he's awake and hungry. I feed him and consider thinking up a better nickname for him. His current nicknames are based on his facial expressions (mostly grimaces) and the sounds he makes (mostly grunts) so I call him Little Wicked Face, Snort Hog, and, most commonly, Growly Baby. It makes me feel bad that my friends call their babies Munchkin, Sweetheart, or Honey, and I refer to Philo as Growly Baby.
12:34 AM - Philo is finished eating. I put him down in his crib and arrange my blanket in front of it so we can get some sleep.
1:43 AM - He's awake! I attempt to soothe him in his crib and change his diaper, but he isn't placated. I take him into the living room and feed him. He's started spitting up lately, so I keep him upright against my shoulder for awhile after burping to make sure he doesn't have to throw up any more.
2:10 AM - Philo is cutest at two in the morning. His facial expressions are the most animated. I feel bad that Mike can't see them (he is, of course, in bed, since he has to work tomorrow). I think that I'll wake him up at 2 AM on Saturday so he can fully appreciate his son. In the meantime I put Philo down in the crib again and go to sleep.
4:20 AM - Philo wakes up again. I feed him, burp him, change his diaper, and put him in his crib for more sleep.
4:40 AM - He will not sleep. I pick him up and feed him again.
4:56 AM - I attempt to put him back down, but he's still not enthusiastic about the idea. I feed him twice more and change his diaper once again.
6:12 AM - He's finally snoozing in my arms. I hold him for awhile longer to make sure he's asleep.
6:23 AM - I put him in his swing to nap while I catch up on the blogs I read.
6:55 AM - I go to sleep on the floor next to his swing.
7:50 AM - Mike wakes me up when he comes into the living room. He leaves for work and I get dressed and perform various acts of hygiene.
9:00 AM - Philo wakes up. I change his diaper, dress him, feed him, burp him, change his diaper again, and feed him again.
10:00 AM - I buckle Philo into his carrier and head out to a rummage sale. Mike found a church rummage that advertised some interesting items, so he wanted me to go and look for some stuff. Unfortunately the rummage seems to be a bust - the church is all closed up, there are no signs, and there's nobody around. Perhaps they canceled because there was rain forecast. We head home.
11:00 AM - I arrive home, change Philo, swaddle him, and we both have lunch. He then proceeds to do cluster feedings for the next two hours (the cycle is feed, doze off for a few minutes, fill diaper, I change diaper, he wakes up and wants another meal). This is sort of hard on me because it leaves me extremely sore.
1:00 PM - He finally falls asleep. I sleep by his swing.
3:04 PM - I wake up and check my email.
3:50 PM - Philo wakes up. He alternates between eating, dozing against my stomach, and having his diaper changed.
5:15 PM - Mike arrives home and we go on a walk. By the end of the walk Philo is crying because he's hungry again. How much can that kid possibly eat?
6:00 PM - I begin feeding him again.
6:45 PM - Philo dozes off for a bit, and then I hand him off to Mike to have his diaper changed. This gives me enough time to gobble dinner. Then he goes back to eating.
8:15 PM - He's finally done eating. He goes to sleep and so do I.
10:15 PM - He's awake. I feed him once and he's down for the count. Mike and I have some actual adult conversation time.
11:45 PM - Just as I was going to go to sleep, he wakes up. It'll be the start of another long night.
So yeah, that's how I spend my days now. I absolutely can't wait until I can start putting my milk in bottles so Mike can feed Philo too. That'll be a huge help.
Midnight - Philo just finished a streak of cluster feedings. Normally infants want to eat every two to three hours, but when they're in the mood for cluster feedings they want to eat every half hour or so. Philo likes to be nursing incessantly. I just switch him from one side to another. Right now, though, he's getting drowsy. It might be an early night tonight.
12:09 AM - Philo's asleep. I put him gently in his swing and run to the bathroom.
12:12 AM - I return to find Philo sound asleep in his swing. I don't like the idea of him getting used to sleeping in his swing but I also hate to move him when he's sleeping so soundly. Since I now sleep in the same room as Philo I grab my comforter and arrange it on the floor underneath the swing so I can get some sleep.
12:18 AM - I hear Philo fill his diaper. Dammit. I pick him up and change his diaper, hoping that he might somehow go right back to sleep.
12:24 AM - No luck, he's awake and hungry. I feed him and consider thinking up a better nickname for him. His current nicknames are based on his facial expressions (mostly grimaces) and the sounds he makes (mostly grunts) so I call him Little Wicked Face, Snort Hog, and, most commonly, Growly Baby. It makes me feel bad that my friends call their babies Munchkin, Sweetheart, or Honey, and I refer to Philo as Growly Baby.
12:34 AM - Philo is finished eating. I put him down in his crib and arrange my blanket in front of it so we can get some sleep.
1:43 AM - He's awake! I attempt to soothe him in his crib and change his diaper, but he isn't placated. I take him into the living room and feed him. He's started spitting up lately, so I keep him upright against my shoulder for awhile after burping to make sure he doesn't have to throw up any more.
2:10 AM - Philo is cutest at two in the morning. His facial expressions are the most animated. I feel bad that Mike can't see them (he is, of course, in bed, since he has to work tomorrow). I think that I'll wake him up at 2 AM on Saturday so he can fully appreciate his son. In the meantime I put Philo down in the crib again and go to sleep.
4:20 AM - Philo wakes up again. I feed him, burp him, change his diaper, and put him in his crib for more sleep.
4:40 AM - He will not sleep. I pick him up and feed him again.
4:56 AM - I attempt to put him back down, but he's still not enthusiastic about the idea. I feed him twice more and change his diaper once again.
6:12 AM - He's finally snoozing in my arms. I hold him for awhile longer to make sure he's asleep.
6:23 AM - I put him in his swing to nap while I catch up on the blogs I read.
6:55 AM - I go to sleep on the floor next to his swing.
7:50 AM - Mike wakes me up when he comes into the living room. He leaves for work and I get dressed and perform various acts of hygiene.
9:00 AM - Philo wakes up. I change his diaper, dress him, feed him, burp him, change his diaper again, and feed him again.
10:00 AM - I buckle Philo into his carrier and head out to a rummage sale. Mike found a church rummage that advertised some interesting items, so he wanted me to go and look for some stuff. Unfortunately the rummage seems to be a bust - the church is all closed up, there are no signs, and there's nobody around. Perhaps they canceled because there was rain forecast. We head home.
11:00 AM - I arrive home, change Philo, swaddle him, and we both have lunch. He then proceeds to do cluster feedings for the next two hours (the cycle is feed, doze off for a few minutes, fill diaper, I change diaper, he wakes up and wants another meal). This is sort of hard on me because it leaves me extremely sore.
1:00 PM - He finally falls asleep. I sleep by his swing.
3:04 PM - I wake up and check my email.
3:50 PM - Philo wakes up. He alternates between eating, dozing against my stomach, and having his diaper changed.
5:15 PM - Mike arrives home and we go on a walk. By the end of the walk Philo is crying because he's hungry again. How much can that kid possibly eat?
6:00 PM - I begin feeding him again.
6:45 PM - Philo dozes off for a bit, and then I hand him off to Mike to have his diaper changed. This gives me enough time to gobble dinner. Then he goes back to eating.
8:15 PM - He's finally done eating. He goes to sleep and so do I.
10:15 PM - He's awake. I feed him once and he's down for the count. Mike and I have some actual adult conversation time.
11:45 PM - Just as I was going to go to sleep, he wakes up. It'll be the start of another long night.
So yeah, that's how I spend my days now. I absolutely can't wait until I can start putting my milk in bottles so Mike can feed Philo too. That'll be a huge help.
posted by Danulai at
6:28 AM
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4 Comments:
I remember those days so well. My son just couldn't nurse enough. Sometimes I would lay down for a nap with him nursing. I'd fall asleep, so would he and then wake up and nurse some more. I know that is against all the books but I was exhausted and it worked for us. And the poopy diapers; they were non-stop. He turned out just fine at 6 foot 3 inches tall.
By
country girl, At
12:32 PM
Oh My God. So how much sleep each day is that for you?? If I ever do have kids I think I'd better save for a live-in nanny!
By
kite, At
8:34 PM
It should get better in a month or so....Philo sounds a lot like SP as far as cluster feedings go.
Have you tried a lanolin based breast cream? I used a product called Lansinoh and it helped a lot with the cracking/bleeding from constant suckling. It's recommended by La Leche league and by the lactation consultant I worked with before leaving the hospital after SP was born. They used to carry it at Walmart...might have it at Walgreens too, but I'd call ahead if I were you given the hour it will take to prepare yourselves for the trip :-)
By
abigailstein, At
4:36 PM
I've called my kids, at various intervals, sugar-booger, the pooper, short-round, and Maggie bubble pants. It's a long, sad tradition, but the worst nicknames mothers give tend to be the best. And the ones that stick.
By
Emilie, At
10:06 PM
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