The New Normal Postpartum

The New Normal

It’s been 7 weeks now, and I’m not sure if we’ve really found our new normal yet, but we are getting there!

 I think Alan’s birthday was pretty indicative of what it’s like around here:

Alan woke up sick, and we all hung out at the house doing nothing special at all…..sorry, Alan.  Well, we’ll just call the new baby our ‘something special’ for this year!

New babies are such a serious show stopper.  I have a friend from college that calls this phase “baby jail.”  I think that sums it up pretty well.  I have several overdue appointments scheduled for this week, and with a breastfeeding baby that can be a challenge…..

So it’s always a mathematical problem of how to handle each appointment….ugh…..and in this sprawling metropolis, you often have to just take what appt. time you can get.  So here are my options, this week, with Alan being off work:

#1. Feed the baby right before I leave (Look, Bobby, I know you just fed an hour and a half ago, but please please eat again for my convenience!!!)

……..and dash back between 2-3 hours later to spare Alan having to deal with a crying baby.

2. Pump before I leave, and let Alan give him a bottle while I’m gone.  (We’ve actually pulled this off once now!  So exciting!  He drank 5 ounces).

3. Take baby with me….risking having to listen to him scream and cry in the car seat, while I feel awful about it.  PLUS risk having to breastfeed the baby in …..dumdumdum……public.  *gasp*

Now how is it that I have nursed four babies and yet am still not good at that?

I tend to tuck away into the nursery to feed the baby at home, so I’m not in the habit of covering.  I haven’t had a baby yet that seems to appreciate being hidden under a blanket for his meal.

Plus, what if the office timing is bad??  What if he needs to be fed at 3ish, but I end up at the doctor’s office too long, not leaving me time to feed him?

This has also happened already, at his two well baby exams.  Thankfully, we had an understanding doctor who let me feed him while she did paperwork, ha!  Then another time, they took f-o-r-e-v-e-r drawing his blood, and he was starving by the time we got him out of there.

See, this is why I don’t enjoy leaving the house like I used to!

Now, I suppose at this point I have completely ruined your delusion that I am an easy going person, as you have just read all of my neurotic thoughts on breastfeeding.

By the way,  good news:  He is doing much better with his feeding routine.  He now sleeps one 5 or more hour stretch.  One night he actually slept 6 1/2 hours straight.  I was GIDDY.

….So if you come visit us, and suddenly I disappear for a while, do not be offended.

I’m just an inept public breast-feeder.  Maybe when I get used to this again I’ll be able to *chill* a bit!