To Sleep or Not To Sleep

Andrew cannot decide. He sleeps about every other night and stays up about every other night. Don't get me wrong - he is getting PLENTY of sleep, he is just not getting it all at night. He is kinda on a schedule of his own!

This is probably Daddy's biggest weakness with him. Daddy LOVES his sleep, and has a really hard time waking up. He opens his eyes, and he tries to calm him down, but he is not really awake! The first couple of nights, he did really well getting up when he cried and changing his diapers and bringing him to me to nurse, but since I have been doing better, he hasn't really been getting up.

I don't mind though. I am so used to NOT sleeping at this point, that it is not that big of deal for me to get up with him. Besides that, I have to nurse him anyway so I have to get up whether Paul does or not. He tries! He opens his eyes and pats Andrew when he cries, but his hand usually lands on Andrew's head!! He never really wakes up enough to know what is going on though!!

One reason he probably is not waking up all the way is that our lamps were pretty bright next to our bed and all times of the night. I requested that he either get a new lamp for my side of the bed (like a nightlight lamp) or get a dimmer. He found a dimmer that you just plug in and plug your lamp into. It has worked great. Their is a cord that has the dimmer switch on it that I put on the bed next to me and when he wakes up I keep it as dim as possible for me to still see to change diapers and feed him.

The hospital told us that we are not suppose to switch what side we are nursing on until he quits nursing the first side. It used to be that they said to nurse for about 15 minutes and then switch sides. Now they say that if they only nurse for 15 minutes, they are not getting all of the nutrients they are suppose to be getting. Now they say to let them go up to 30 minutes before you switch sides. This is not working to well for us. Andrew cannot stay awake that long. He does good if he eats for 15 minutes on one side before he falls asleep - which means I am having to nurse about every hour and a half. I am afraid his supply is going to dry up if I don't feed him at least that often - even though he will frequently go much longer if I let him! He nurses well, and has since he was born, other than the falling asleep quickly. We have tried letting him cry - really scream - so that he would be awake, but I think that just wears him out quicker!

We will get each other figured out soon I am sure. I am really just taking it as it comes with him and trying to enjoy every second because this will be the last time we do this and it goes by SOOOO quick!