I'm Nicole, 24, and my dh, Eugene, is 26. We had been married for 2 years when we got pregnant with our first child. My pregnancy was smooth except for the fact that I seemed to have a very hyperactive uterus -- I started feeling Braxton-Hicks contractions at only 16 weeks. At about 4 months pregnant, my husband and I went to see a suspenseful movie, and I started having B-H contractions every 2 minutes, but they went away after we left the movie. Then at 30 weeks, I had a terrible day at work when my boss yelled at me, and started having contractions every 10 minutes consistently for several hours -- went into the hospital, where they actually sped up until I was given Terbutaline. It seemed that any time I was under stress, I would have contractions. Of course, after all this concern about the possibility of pre-term labor, Kateri came 10 days late!
Nicole and Kateri My labor was long but pretty typical for a first baby, except for the contractions that were 3-4 minutes long. I got an epidural but managed to hold out until 7cm without it -- I was so afraid it would slow things down! About an hour after Kateri was born, I got to nurse her for the first time -- she had been frantically sucking on everything within reach before then. She nursed well and was calm and alert, and seemed like the perfect baby.
Nicole and Kateri Then my husband went home and night came and I learned that Kateri was NOT going to stay in that little hospital bassinette for anything. Everyone had told me that newborns would be sleepy for the first 24 hours -- not Kateri! She wanted to nurse continuously -- she would nurse for half an hour on each side, be content for about 15 minutes, and then want to nurse again -- all night. I learned how to nurse lying down that night, because as my epidural wore off, I was so sore from sitting up for so long! The nurses kept coming in and asking me why she was nursing so much, but she was happy while she was nursing, so we kept going -- I knew that so many people had problems with nursing in the beginning that I was just grateful that she seemed to be doing well. The hospital had given me this little card to circle the times when she nursed -- I finally just stopped using it because I had to circle every hour.
When we got home from the hospital, our idea of her sleeping in her cute little bassinette lasted all of one night, after I spent the first night home in the recliner nursing and holding her. I had had so little sleep over the past 5 days or so that the next night I told my husband that she was coming to bed with us unless he wanted to carry her around all night. That made all the difference in the world for us -- after my husband realized that she didn't cry at night when she was in with us, he decided that he was all in favor of co-sleeping!
The first month sort of felt like one long day -- she nursed so often. All the books said she should be going longer between feedings -- except for good old Dr. Sears. My mom had given me a copy of "The Baby Book" when I was pregnant, and I'm so thankful. That was what kept me confident that my baby knew what she needed, even if that was different from what she was "supposed" to need.
When the constant feeding finally slowed down a bit after she was 2 months old (though still every 2 hours like clockwork), that's when I began to think that she might be high needs -- she wasn't very cuddly, seemed to need me around all the time, and needed constantly changing entertainment. She would sit in her bouncy seat for a while, but I always had to be nearby, and she wanted a constant succession of new toys. She started getting very squirmy as well, and not very cuddly, and always wanted to be held facing outwards to see the world.
Kateri is now 4 and a half months old, and things have become easier in some ways and more difficult in others. She doesn't eat as often, though still more often than most babies her age. The major change is that she nurses so efficiently now that she's done before I know it -- I've started missing those days of long nursing sessions -- they were so peaceful! She now will start the night in her crib after a transitional period of nursing to sleep and sitting in her swing, as it seems to help her to be upright for awhile after nursing. She comes to bed with us at her first night waking until about 8am, when I usually manage to transfer her back to the crib when I get up. She then often sleeps until about 11, which is great. I now almost enjoy the 2 or 3 times she nurses during the night, because it's the only time she'll cuddle up to me -- the rest of the time she's so squirmy, even when she's nursing.
The new sleeping routine is great, because it gives me a little time to myself, which makes me feel a bit more sane. The harder part is that she's increasingly demanding of attention and stimulation -- she gets bored with her toys faster than ever! She's also teething miserably, and won't let me forget about it. She got her first two teeth on her 3 month birthday, and they came in with very little fuss, so I thought I was set. These next ones are a different story -- she's been so cranky lately! I go to a breastfeeeding support group once a week, where they all know Kateri as the baby who "yells" throughout the meeting -- not crying, just yelling at the top of her lungs. She also squirms all over my lap, as the other babies are sitting quietly with their mothers!
Well, I didn't mean to go on so long, as my baby is only 4 months old, but it has been nice to reflect on things, and I've enjoyed reading all of the other stories. Thanks for all of the advice so far!
Nicole and Kateri
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