Finally back home

November was a difficult month.

I had my large Annual Conference at work - the culmination of a year's worth of preparation, immediately preceeded by a few frantic weeks of "Did we remember this?" and " When will those be shipping?" and "Did you get all the presentations in?"  Yeah,  fun times.

So glad it's all over. We traveled to San Antonio and I'm embarrassed to say that I didn't get any pictures of my DS, who came along with my mother. Many thanks to her for coming with. People seemed shocked that I would bring my mom and son, but when you're nursing an infant, it's very difficult (on the mind and the body) to be away for an extended period of time. The four days away would have been four days too many.

It always amazes me how so many parents want to "get away" from their babies. For parents of multiples, colicky babies, and those with older children - it's certainly understandable. But a normal infant? I don't really understand. I just couldn't bear being away from my baby for more than a long day. I have done that a few times, and even then it was difficult. And after I've been away all day, the last thing I want to do is tuck him to bed alone. My favorite part of the day is bedtime. I get to snuggle in bed with my two favorite boys in the whole world. What could be better than that?

One thing that I expected to get a lot of flack about from my mother on this trip was cosleeping. It's certainly not in the norm, and most doctors these days will tell you it's unsafe. That couldn't be farther from the truth. There are numerous benefits to cosleeping, the least of which is being able to nurse at night without getting out of bed.

When I first returned to work, I would sleep on the futon in DS's room. When he woke (which was often), I would take him to the couch, place him on the Boppy, and nurse. More nights than I care to admit, DH would awake to find the two of us passed out on the couch, with DS dangling off the Boppy. THAT is unsafe. Realizing that my sanity couldn't keep it up, I started bringing DS to bed with me. and Voila! Life was suddenly easier, simpler, and much sweeter. I was well-rested in the morning, and he would awake with an angelic smile (until he got in the "let's grab mommy's nose, lips, and eyelids with razor-sharp fingernails" stage) and a stream of babble. It is wonderful. No crying, no fussing, no sleepless nights.

We've traveled many times, and spent almost two weeks total in hotel rooms. Yet every time, DS has transitioned beautifully. He goes to sleep and wakes up just like at home - with minimal complaining and a breast to suckle. I am so thankful to cosleeping for making this work for us.

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