Strike Update 2

I am still having a hard time with Tyler. See my recent blog post on the strike.  Well, since then we have really taken it easy and not gone out too much. He has been doing well but still very distracted.  I can only feed him in his dark room with the white noise.  I am feeling very isolated because we can't go anywhere because he will not feed anywhere but at home.  And I don't want to give him any bottles because I feel that was a big part of the strike. Tom has been away for the past two days on a business trip. So Tyler and I were out several hours yesterday and today and it did not go well at all.  He will nap at my friends' houses but not breastfeed ?!?!  This is very hard.  And now Tom is going to be out all day tomorrow.  This is crazy. I just can't stay home all day every day.  Gosh, I wish our society was more home-centric.   I wish my work, family and friends all lived next door... So far the hardest part about being a say-at-home mom has been the isolation.

Where did the weekend go?

So let's see.  Friday the weather was terrible.  Windy, rainy, cold.  We packed the van, hung out with the family, spent some time in the hot tub. 

Saturday I was up at 5 A.M for Tyler, and checkout was at 9 A.M. (early for rental house standards).  The cleaning crew showed up at 9:07 A.M.  Gee wiz.

Then we stopped at my parents again for a quick visit, pick up the cats, and on our way again.  Rain and wind for most of the drive.  I was exhaused and pumped constantly (what else is there to do just sitting in the car?).  Tyler was very good and slept most of the way.

Sunday the weather was nice and cool so we took Tyler on his first hiking trip.  Pictures and blog post of this to come.

Tyler's First Hike

Today we took Tyler on his first hike.  We went to Preddy Creek Park and walked about 2 miles.  He rode on Tom's back in the soft carrier.  Tyler seemed to get uncomfortable by the end so I carried him in my arms for the last few minutes.

This was our first time to this park too.  It is pretty nice and big and close to home.  We did not get too deep into the park but there were no good hills to climb.  There is a nice stream and an interesting old house that is mostly fallen down surrounded by a rusty car and discarded tires.

Tyler's First Hike - Preddy Creek

Strike Update

Today was our first bottle-free day in a long time.  I can safely say that Tyler's breastfeeding strike is over. Beginning about a week ago, Tyler would not breastfeed, even when he was clearly hungry.  He would only breastfeed at night when he was asleep.

I believe the strike was from a combination of stress leaving for this trip, vaccines last Tuesday, and some stomach and nasal upset.  That is a lot going on for a little guy!  He just wanted the bottle.  I got very frustrated with him.  My milk supply dropped considerably and I had trouble pumping enough to keep up with him.  Luckily I have plenty of milk in the freezer.

I had several bad thoughts go through my mind, such as he would never breastfeed again and my milk was going to dry up.  We have worked so hard to establish and maintain this breastfeeding relationship, it was breaking my heart to think that it might be coming to an end.

I was ready to call off the trip I was so worried but I decided so go and do the best we could.  I pumped every 2-3 hours on Saturday while we were traveling to help get my milk supply back up.  Tyler was really thrown off by his new surroundings but still napped at least once a day and slept through the night.  Gradually he took less and less bottles and let me breastfeed him while awake.  At times the only way he would nap would be to nurse the whole time while in bed but that was ok with me.

I talked to my LC who has been helping me since Tyler's birth.  She assured me that this is common, it will soon end, and that one's milk supply is resilient and will return.  Her words really helped me feel better and push on and not give up. 
It feels so good to have Tyler nursing again and without a fuss. He is still very distracted and must feed in a dim room with a noisemaker.  But he feeds well and continues to flourish.

Here is an old picture I just re-discoverd on my ipod from when Tyler was 4 days old.

OBX 6

Thursday, Sept. 15.

My back feels much better and Tyler slept until 7 A.M.!  The family watched Tyler while Tom and I went swimming on the beach.  The waves were a little higher today but I did not learn my lesson from the other day.  I did some boogie-boarding and learned that if I stay in from the inital crash of the waves, the ride is not as good but there is less of a chance of getting flipped over and hurt.

Tyler skipped his evening nap and went to bed an hour early without much fuss.  Breastfeeding has been going well.

For the first time in our visit we can't see the moon and the beach is very dark here at night.  A storm is blowing in from the northwest and the wind has really picked up.  We lucked out on the weather so far: sunny and mid-80s every day.  Tomorrow will be cooler and raining but that's ok because we have to spend at least half the day packing and getting ready to leave because the checkout time is 9 A.M. Saturday morning.

OBX 5 - Sightseeing

Wednesday, Sept 14.

Up at 1 A.M.  My back hurts so much it is hard to pick up Tyler.  I put him in bed with me and nursed him on and off for most of the night.  Around sunrise I poked Tom to put Tyler back in his crib in the other room.  The bed is a firm king-size so it works well for co-sleeping.  It was nice to sleep with him and I managed to get some good sleep.

I was a little grumpy in the morning so I slept in.  Then Tom and I headed out for some sightseeing with Tyler.  First we went to the Bodie Island Lighthouse, part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, near South Nags Head.  The visitor center was closed due to flooding from the recent hurricane.  The boardwalk through the marsh was nice but a little buggy.  Tom pushed Tyler in the stroller.

Then we headed out to Fort Raleigh National Historic Sigh and toured the museum of artifacts for the lost colony of Roanoke Island.  I wanted to see the remains of the fort, but again the mosquitoes were really bad so we headed back to the house.  I can't imagine what the colonist went through living here without bug spray or even nets to protect you while you sleep.
The highlight of the day was going out to dinner with just Tom while my mother-in-law graciously babysat Tyler and put him to bed for the night.  I believe this was only our second time out for dinner together since he was born.  We even got to stop a few times on the way home and shop.  Afterwards we went for a walk on the beach.  The harvest moon over the water was beautiful and lit our way.  But alas, the mosquitoes, even on the slightly breezy beach, drove us inside.

We heard from the locals that the mosquitoes were very bad because of the hurricane and planes were used last week to spray the area.

OBX 4 - Mom Gets to Boogie

Day 4 - Tuesday, Sept 13.

Up at 5:30 A.M.  Nursing strike progress is flat.  Sleepy nursing is ok but daytime is not good at all. 

Tom and I too Tyler for a short shopping trip to the outdoor outlet mall.  Tyler did well and took a short nap in the stroller.  The mall did not have many deals, but it was nice to walk around with views of Roanoke Sound.

I went swimming in the surf.  Taught myself how to boogie board and did pretty good until I caught a wave wrong and sprained by back.  So now I am going to take it easy in the water.

An old friend of Tom's dad who lives in the area came for dinner, which was served in the middle of Tyler's bedtime routine.