Monday, July 31, 2006

Stinker

Iyyar nursed pretty much all night long last night. He had an upset stomach, or something, last night, and the nightly screamfest, which has been as short as 15 minutes recently, went on for HOURS. By the time I went to bed I didn't even make an attempt at putting him down--I just took him with me and let him have fun. Around 6 am, I woke up and realized that he had literally been at it all night. He was soaked, I was soaked, etc.

The plus to this is that if your baby nurses all night, it does very good things for your supply. Wishing to take full advantage, I eased myself away from him and sneaked off to the back bedroom to pump. Halfway there, I heard him wake up. "He's fine," I called to MHH. "Just give him a pacifier. He should go back to sleep."

Nuh-uh. I could hear him howling for the next ten minutes, and finally couldn't stand it anymore. Put the milk in the fridge. Got back into bed. Started nursing Iyyar. Two happy minutes on one side and then

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!! I'm STAAAARVING!!!"

Two happy minutes on the other side, then--you guessed it--

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!! I'm STAAAARVING!!!"

Back and forth a few more times. Pacifier? Fat chance. I'm STARVING, Imma!! Don't you understand! Piteous wails, mouth open, desperate for FOOD. Okay, fine, maybe I was wrong, maybe you really are hungry. I hauled myself back out of bed, took the pumped milk out of the fridge, put a couple ounces in a bottle, handed it to MHH--he can do this, right? and went back to sleep.

Baby attacks bottle like his life depends on it.

For thirty seconds. He took a QUARTER OF AN OUNCE.

Then he went to sleep. For two hours.

And now I have to throw all that milk out--can't freeze it once he's drunk from it.

Stinker.

3 comments:

projgen said...

Just curious (from an ignorant non-mother) why can't you freeze it after he's drunk from it? Is it a bacteria thing?

uberimma said...

You know, I don't know. All I know is that you're not supposed to refreeze thawed milk or milk that's been in a bottle the baby's had. I have no idea why. I guess it must be a bacteria thing.

miriamp said...

breastmilk is anti-bacterial. Leave it out on the counter and the germ count goes down! (At least, I read a study to that effect.) They're just covering their own, umm, behinds. I wouldn't refreeze thawed milk, but I'd be less cautious about a bottle baby drank from, because, honestly, how much milk gets onto the baby's mouth and then back into the bottle through that little teeny hole anyway?

Anyway, total sympathy. Been there, done that.