"C" is for Crying

We survived the newborn photoshoot a couple weeks ago, but it didn't happen without some tears from both mommy and Tully.  Poor Tully was so cold during the session that he just couldn't get to sleep.  Every time we'd take him out of the blanket to snap the pics, he'd tense up and cry.   I broke down after we left the studio the first day too.  As a new mom I'm constantly bombarded with advice, which I think I take pretty well, but when your baby is crying and someone's trying to convince you you need to bottle feed and give the baby a pacifier, it's tough.  So I had to go back the next day for a new session.  Luckily the room was much warmer, and the photographer was able to take some good photos without us using a pacifier or bottle.  Here are a few of my favorites:

Although I was enjoying 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep last week, there was a trade off: nursing every hour during the day with a fussy and gassy baby.  It was exhausting work, and Tully was clearly uncomfortable, so I knew something had to change.  I read enough of the Babywise book to get an idea of what a schedule could look like for a one month old.  The concept was that baby nurses every 2.5-3 hours, so I figured it was worth a shot.   The trade off for longer times between nursings during the day?  The return of 3am feedings and some 20-minute cry sessions before going to sleep.  I do not fare well when Tully cries.  It's heartbreaking.  I feel worthless.  I feel like a mommy failure, but the schedule Tully chose was negatively affecting his health (green diapers, gassiness), so I had to make the difficult decision to change something.  John constantly has to reassure me that we're doing the right thing, but it sure doesn't feel that way when I have to listen to Tully cry.  I told myself I would give this process a try for at least a week.  I can't wait until Friday gets here, and I hope to see more improvement.  The green diapers and gas are gone, but I want the crying to stop too.  I also picked up two other books for ideas of feeding/sleeping schedules.

I'm not totally convinced the Babywise concept will work for us.  Sometimes I just can't handle it.  For example, earlier this afternoon instead of letting him cry himself to sleep I rocked that sweet baby until he drifted off to dreamland.  It was so peaceful.  Speaking of dreamland--I need a nap.  Being a mom is HARD WORK!

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