Sunday, May 5, 2013

How it is going at home

Certainly having a toddler also makes a significant difference....Mike is great and is definitely in charge of Oliver, and my mom keeps us fed and allows us that bit more rest, but I am tired. More than I remember being with Oliver. I suppose the major news is that I manage to breastfeed Martina almost all the time, which means we have absolutely no schedule...how did I manage? Well, I found these nipple shields that totally do the trick even though they should be used as a temporary solutions...at the moment Martina doesn't latch on at all without them, no matter what I try, so it'll have to do for now. Still I don't know if she's feeding enough as she is waking up very often and at night she takes a couple of bottles too (we need to survive too!). I'm delighted that our milk of choice (Hipp organic) is also doing a new-born version which wasn't available when Oliver was born. Mind you, I'm not obsessing about breastfeeding this time, I actually don't find it particularly rewarding, I don't have all those marvellous sensations people talk about, but I don believe whatever I can give her will do her good.

Martina is a very sweet baby, she requires quite a lot of physical contact which I don't remember being the cas with Oliver, she needs to be held tight to fall asleep, and she loves being beside me in the bed. We don't co-sleep though, I put her in the crib once she's asleep, though at night the temptation of just staying under the duvet with her is huge.
Oliver seems to have adjusted very well, his toilet training is perfect, we have no accidents and we have seen no regression. He is a bit more whining but he is also a two year old!

I'm posting here avery cute pic of Martina taken the other day when we were about to go out the other day, she is adorable in our eyes!


Emotionally I'm doing much better also, no major crying (of mine!) and settling into the new routine is getting easier, though not perfect just yet. I also don't have this time the claustrophobic feeling of being at home with a newborn and no interaction with the adult/working world, in fact I'm quite content to be at home with Martina and I'm loving our time together.

We have also booked our first trip to Italy for June, after my 6 week check with Dr. W (scheduled for the 7th of June) and ouch it's expensive to fly a family of four!! First reality check and serious evaluation when thinking of baby number three...

Better go now as the little one is hungry (again!)

14 comments:

Mrs. Misfits said...

I used nipple shields with E right up to 8 weeks. She wouldnt take the bottle and wouldn't nurse without them. She is amazing. Congratulations!

Mina said...

So good to hear you've adjusted so much better this time. It is great to hear you're not obsessive about breastfeeding, I am sure it makes all the difference. I so know the temptation to keep the baby under duvet during the night, that is why I had a cosleeper. And when he got old enough, he just stayed there, under the duvet, and for us, it was perfect. Cuddling a warm and sweet smelling baby is divine. :-)

St Elsewhere said...

I do know you are doing better because you are already referring to baby #3 in your current post.

Martina is definitely cute! I love the name too.

Maybe the familiarity with the whole thing takes away the cold-shower sensation from being a mother?

Good Luck!

Anonymous said...

Having seen a few of my friends welcome 2nd babies recently I do think it's easier cos you know what to expect. They are tired for sure - but they seem to handle it better than the first time round.

Well done for doing so well.

Much love to you all

xxx

Life Happens said...

She is precious! I hope you can get your energy back soon. P.S., I had to use the nipple shield with Matthew when I was nursing. Good luck. Don't stress. Enjoy every minute of it. :)

Elle said...

I really thought you would be having another boy, so I am quite surprised you had a girl! It could not be any more perfect to have one of each.

Congratulations on the birth of the baby! I am glad to hear you are doing so well post partum too. It seems like it just isn't as big of a deal with the second one. We're old pros now. ;)

I hope everything continues to go smoothly. Sending loads of love!

Alex said...

Wow - sounds like things are going really well for you! Yes, I'm sure you're tired, but even still, sounds like you're handling things just fabulously. I especially love your attitude about breastfeeding - I hope to adopt the same kind of attitude myself. And I'm especially happy to hear that Oliver is adjusting well. Keep it up, mama!!!

Kakunaa said...

She is adorable, love. It's so fun how many of my friends and I have babies all nearly the same age! I think we may have to try nipple shields because poor Finn has a tiny mouth, I have huge nipples, and he has to LEARN to nurse because of his early arrival. And nursing isn't for everyone, but it is good for her. Do what you can, but cut yourself some slack :-) Love you.

Anonymous said...

I love seeing pictures! Martina is a DOLL! She is incredibly precious and I'm so glad to hear that big brother Oliver is doing well in his new role. You are doing beautifully and it's great to *hear* the joy in your voice. Enjoy this newborn time....it goes by so quickly! Hugs to you all.

CyberSue said...

Sounds like all is going well - never perfect, but really pretty good! I'm glad you're able to breast feed - just because I am a big fan, but I know it's not for everyone. It does get easier and more relaxing the more you do it though. And yes, with breast feeding there is no schedule,. Sometimes it feels like its non stop breast feeding! How long do you have off work? I'm glad you are able to enjoy your close bonding and sleeping time with Martina - and with the never ending on the go life of a toddler mom, it's nice to sit and be quiet and to just stare at the baby and cuddle:) hope your mom is making lots of lovely food for you all:)
Take care! Get some sleep!!!!!!! I know easier said than done.

CyberSue said...

PS That was Claire / Tireegal logged in as Susan!

lostintranslation said...

I think it was the same for me - easier, but very tiring with two kids (it still is, but also very rewarding). And the continuous feeding sounds very familiar too... Those stories about growth spurts that only last a few days never came true for my kids, they just wanted to nurse around the clock, all the time. We use Hipp organic too and I was also pleasantly surprised to see that they had a newborn version with baby #2.

We haven't flown much since the eldest became 2, because his ticket is about the same price as a regular ticket... It is indeed expensive, even when the baby can still practically fly for free!

Momasita said...

I meant to say in my last comment, that I love her name.

It sounds like overall, this is a much calmer post-partum for you. So happy for you and your family!!

Flower said...

She is beautiful!!!!