Co-Sleeping, Hygiene, The Wrap

My mornings with Giovanni usually start off pretty peaceful. Overall, he is a happy baby. He barely ever gets fussy and when he does it's usually related to my oversupply problem. Whoever said that breastfed babies do not have to burp, LIED! If Giovanni doesn't burp, he may very well spit up or projectile vomit all over me. We are co-sleeping, which makes my life soo much easier! It is not recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics because the risk of SIDS may increase. Honestly, SIDS can happen at any time. If you are anything like me, you are an extremely light sleeper with obsessive compulsive disorder. If my son is not lying in the middle of my arm, I cannot sleep through the night. I have terrible dreams and am constantly waking up to check if he is breathing. I did the same thing with my daughter. What can I say? I am paranoid. He has a beautiful wooden bassinet and crib in the other room that I have never used. When I return to work next friday, he will most likely sleep in the bassinet. My husband will be unable to co-sleep like I do because we also share a bed with our daughter. She hasn't transitioned into her own room yet. People have mixed reviews on this, but she is 3 and I slept in bed with my parents FOREVER on and off. There is absolutely nothing wrong with me. Any who, the struggle always becomes a reality. Parenting is never easy and we all face off with diverse issues. So if you have to judge, please do so silently. ***We wake up, he feeds, spits up, and my boobs feel like an atomic bomb waiting to explode. He can’t feed that much, my body just signals itself to overproduce. The struggle is real.. You want to take a shower with two kids all by yourself? You are joking right? There’s no by yourself with children. Whenever I sat Giulietta somewhere when she was little, she would wiggle, but she never lifted herself up. Giovanni on the other hand is the wiggle lifter monster. I have to seriously hold him and wash.. for some mammas that’s possible.. for me, highly impossible... you hear that saying? You shave one leg and leave the other as a mom? So true! Eventually, you find a way to cope and take 3 minute showers.. I usually put both kids in the tub with me.. that way I can freely move around, but Giovanni has learned how to maneuver his way out of the seat, so I have to adjust him every 5 minutes. There’s that cute frog chair I can put him in for a few minutes and bam, I can get my own hygiene taken care of. I tried everything with Giovanni that I thought was a “miracle” when I had Giulietta, but they are truly two different personalities. Giovanni dislikes the "savior swing," while Giulietta loved it.. she hated being still, while Giovanni does not mind it. However you put him, he stays for the most part. Except for discovering that he can lift himself and boy does he ever do that! Today was a pretty easy day for us thus far. We woke up early and had Dunkin’ Donuts for breakfast. I secured Giovanni in the front cross carry wrap position and fed him. We walked around and I had to rock him a bit because of my powerful letdowns... then we decided to go to Carter’s. We bought him his first Thanksgiving outfit and got Giulietta an outfit for Thanksgiving and Christmas. All the while, Giovanni was asleep in the wrap. He woke up and searched for the boob a bit, so I adjusted the wrap and plopped my nipple in his mouth. He didn’t fuss at all. He stayed asleep. This was a major mom score. Giulietta, of course threw one of her three year old tantrums in between and we had to drag her out of the store. How do I know when Giovanni is hungry? Obviously, I must have him on a “schedule” how else do I get things done? There are no schedules in my home. There are routines. Thanks to a friend of mine who told me that she had no schedule for her children. They eat when they are hungry. The only time I check the time is when he hasn’t eaten for a little while or if he’s asleep. Otherwise, I listen to him and my body... Yes,of course I hear the negative comments. “Stop feeding him. You’re spoiling him! He won’t be able to cope when you return to work. You have to have a schedule, so he can adjust when you aren’t there! You are totally his pacifier! Etc." I am his mother and research suggests that if he is constantly on the boob, it's good for your supply. It strengthens it and if he is going through a growth spurt, let him eat! It's also impossible to overfeed a breastfed baby. In my case, he gets too much milk too fast, which can upset his belly, but he is not overfed. Our breasts are meant to comfort our babies, especially when they are sick. Our antibodies transfer into the milk and boost their immune systems. The same happens when we are sick. I was ill twice since my son was born and fortunately he did not catch it. He was always around me and on me, but because of the powerful antibodies, he stayed healthy! I call it "power of the boobies!" Sometimes, I wish I could still stick the boob in my 3-year-old's mouth. As I am writing this, I have all ready stopped countless times to burp and feed Giovanni. I have also stopped to play Barbie's with Giulietta and comfort her. I love multi-tasking. I am also reading my new favorite book, "The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding." On top of everything else, I think Giovanni is teething. His pediatrician doesn't think so, but some babies are born with teeth and Giulietta got her first tooth at 4 months old. The wrap is the cure of a cranky baby. He loves being close to me and I can get all of the things I want done. I can even type this post. Here are some silly photos of today to close.. At least for now..