Major Sleeping Improvement

One may be able to see my age-related wrinkles better these days but that is because the puffy eyes and dark circles of extreme sleep deprivation are gone, and that is a trade-off I will accept! Seven weeks postpartum was our turning point for my feeling a lot more rested.

Thomas at 8 weeks old and around 13 pounds

As Thomas became much better at nursing and actually transferring milk, the first bottles I cut out were those overnight. Not having to get out of bed to prepare bottles, then sit upright and try desperately (and fail) not to fall asleep and drop the bottle was a joyful relief!

As Thomas began to maintain his own milk supply, I began weaning down from pumping eight times daily (a task still in process), so the first pumping session I dropped was that in the middle of the night. Now I didn't have to get out of bed at all!!!

And, of course, there are diapers . . . some time ago Thomas stopped pooping in the middle of the night and then, when he grew into Size 2 diapers, I didn't have to change his wet diaper till morning either.

At eight weeks old, Thomas mastered nursing sidelying, so now I don't even have to sit up. He wakes throughout the night, I roll over, he nurses the other side, we go back to sleep right away. There is no crying while I make bottles or pump and he lies there wanting to be held, there is no exhaustion, and the only 'loss' is that I'm no longer watching TV series on my tablet in the middle of the night in order to stay awake during those tasks.

Comparatively, I feel so much more rested these days!

The next accomplishment will be not falling asleep starting at 8:30 p.m. each night.