We have tried giving her oatmeal before bedtime in the hopes that she'll sleep longer. I don't think that works. During the day time I don't think it keeps her fuller any longer than breast milk does.
Part of me is secretly wondering if we should start adding some formula to her diet...just so we can sleep...and that makes me feel ashamed just thinking about it. Changing her diet just so that I can sleep. Seems selfish. I want her to be an all breast milk baby. I know it wouldn't hurt her to give her some formula. But it goes against what my plans were for her. It might be a swift kick to my psyche. I'm proud that I've been able to feed Emma for 5 months.
I just don't know what to do.
I know that I can't keep functioning on this little bit of sleep.
I know when we see the pedi next month he's going to say, again, she should be sleeping through the night. His suggestion was to already start sleep training her.
I still can't manage to get out of the house on time
I think I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed. And it sucks because I end up taking out my frustrations on Scott, and it's not his fault. That makes me feel terrible. The last thing I want is to put a strain on our marriage because of how I'm feeling. It's not fair to Scott, it's not fair to Emma, and it's not fair to me.
I realize that this stuff is something that all parents go through and that my situation isn't any more unique than anyone else's. I do wish that there was such a thing as an easy button and that we could magically get little Emma to sleep better at night.
3 comments:
Babies don't come with a manual, and it's hard to understand them because they can't really communicate what's ailing them. Stay strong through this. Maybe her pedi has some advice on how to get her into a night time regiment.
I dont think adding formula will help. It may even make her worse as it's harder for them to digest so she may be gassier, etc. Do you have enough of a stash to give her a full bottle of breastmilk before bed time. I mean when you nurse her, you dont know how much she is getting but maybe nurse her first then offer 2-3 ounces more. Our bodies produce less at night so she may not be filling up. Nurse her, put her to bed, then pump.Maybe you will start producing more at night. Also,maybe she is teething. Those often accont for many sleepless nights. Is she drooling a ton, chewing on fists, etc? fussy during the day?
Also, formula is not poison that some make it out to be so if you end up having to go that route, in the end you're doing what's best for Emma :) hang in there. I promise it gets better.
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