Touched out...

I’m in the same boat right now. My baby is formula fed, so I can’t even begin to imagine what you’re going through with having to pump on top of all of that. But mine has also been going through a growth spurt and he only wants me, also he is constantly fighting his sleep. He is currently sleeping on my lap right now after screaming/crying for 20 minutes straight. I also mourn my old life, I think it’s fine to do that because even if we miss our free time we also still love our baby.

I’m feeling the same way. I love my baby so so so much but boy do I miss being free too. I’m hoping it gets easier and I feel bad for just waiting for the newborn phase to be over. I’m also breastfeeding/trying to build up a stash and pump. It’s been so hard. Just trying to take it day by day.

my LO has been fighting naps so badly the past 3 days, the first day i couldn't get him down and by 6pm he was screaming and uncontrollably fast breathing to the point I was worried, until I read up on babes being overtired and the fast breathing and jerky kicks and punches are from their adrenaline and cortisol levels spiking when overtired. Once he went to sleep he was 100% better in that regard and I won't lie that night was heaven. He slept through the night and we just woke him at 12a and 4a for a bottle and diaper change but he stayed asleep thankfully. Last night was not as easy. I do agree, I think its normal to mourn our old life but I cant help but feel guilty for just wanting to put him down or handing him to my fiance when he gets home and just sitting outside in quiet for a bit.

I feel the same way. I have 4 kiddos, my husband had to go back to work the day I got back from the hospital. I have had 3 c sections in less than 4 years. Recovery was rough. I have to take most of the night shift because my husband works at 4 am. I barely sleep. My kids constantly just want my attention even when my husband is home. On top of that we have 4 animals. I’m just overwhelmed, overstimulated, snd touched out. I don’t regret any of my kiddos and I love them very much but I understand and I sometimes get “jealous” my husband gets to come and go as he pleases and I’m just stuck and lonely. It’s hard. Motherhood can be so lonely sometimes

Same here! We’re just getting into the colicky phase, and she’s gone from being in bed by 10 pm and sleeping for 7 hours to not wanting to go to sleep until 1 or 2 am 😴 and she wants to be held all the time but not on my chest, she just headbutts me then. It’s so hard not knowing what they want and trying your best to comfort them when all you want is also to be comforted. Definitely missing my old life, and I feel so guilty for that. Touched out and over stimulated is the perfect way to describe it.

i think it definitely has to get easier. It has too. Pumping is so a)painful (though that could be from my nipple trauma from the 3 weeks it took to find the proper flange size) b)time consuming, and c) just a hassle. But I'm in the same boat trying to build up a stash. Since my LO never learned to latch correctly and pumping 24/7 I'm trying to over produce/stash enough that I can stop pumping at 6 months and have 3 months or so in the freezer. I probably will continue after 6 months, but my wedding is in 7 so I was hopeful, but I don't think it will be possible at this point and is disheartening. True, all we can do is take it day by day and hope it gets a bit easier/better!

I only have my one LO and dear god I give you so much props, I don't know how you do it! Thats got to be so rough.. I had a c section too but was lucky my fiance got time off (fmla) to help me. I get so jealous of my fiance getting to do what he wants and not be leashed to a pump schedule (or feeding schedule if you are breastfeeding) its been so hard to not be resentful sometimes when I am so stressed and overwhelmed and he gets overwhelmed with an hour of it and I just roll my eyes sometime. Im grateful we have worked out a sleep schedule where I take 5 hours and he takes 5 so we at least both get a few consecutive hours of sleep, but I am up ever few to pump, and often I hear my LO and my fiance just sleeps through it if he fell asleep on his shift, so I just get up or am up and wake him up since its his shift but then am wide awake until my LO calms down. I never realized how lonely motherhood was until it smacked me in the face 🥴

i do whole heartedly believe this will get better. My LO's worst colicky phase lasted 1&1/2-2 weeks and he was up from 2-6/7am every night, it was ROUGH. I am hoping for you it doesn't last quite as long as ours did. Its so hard to not feel guilty. Mom guilt is a real thing 😵
My little "relief" is the times I'm not feeding my LO with both hands while I pump, if he is comfy next to me or asleep I try to take that 20-30 mins while pumping and read a chapter or two of a book and decompress however much I can, but the past 3 days those instances have been few and far in-between that I can do that

I get it! My LO is 6 weeks and I’m trying to get him on a nap schedule and to where he doesn’t need to contact nap every nap. So far he will only sleep on my bed for a nap and I’m lucky if it lasts 30 minutes. Of course I have a camera on him the entire time. I’m also exclusively breastfeeding because my husband hasn’t attempted to bottle feed yet. Then on top of that I started co-sleeping at night. I’m able to get 7 hours of sleep opposed to him waking up every 30 minutes in the bassinet. He only wakes up twice when co-sleeping. My LO has also been having the worse stomach problems. He has these massive farts that even scare him lol. My love language definitely is not physical touch and I’m being touched 24/7. I love my baby so so much but sometime I just need like at least an hour a day to not be touched. Then it’s hard because my husband’s love language is physical touch. My LO has also developed a “mom cry” and now hates to be held by other people for too long.

i won't lie i was so petrified of co sleeping in the beginning because of SIDS I used to get so upset/scared when my fiance would fall asleep with our LO in his arms. But after accidentally doing it myself and realizing the same thing, how much more sleep I was able to get, I looked up safe ways to co sleep and have done it when he wouldn't go down in his bassinet. He typically is really good about going into the bassinet, but transitioning to our bedroom (from my c section I had to sleep in my living room for 2 weeks since my bedroom was on the second floor) it was so rough and he would only fall asleep after waking up by co sleeping. Since we realized he slept so much better in the living room we have been taking shifts staying up and/or sleeping on the couch for 6 hours each so the other can get some consecutive hours of sleep (one reason I am grateful for pumping, even if I am up every 3-4 hours to pump I at least get that while my fiance stays with him). We just found the transition into our

bedroom was a losing battle and we are going to have to do it for him into his nursery, so until we do that we are doing this. When we start transitioning him into his nursery we put our old bed in there so one of us can stay with him with his bassinet until he gets used to it, but since that's months away we probably won't do that for 4 months or so. We figure we can take our sleep while we can 😅 since transitioning is SO rough

yes I was so scared to cosleep but I found that I sleep very lightly with him and neither one of us move too much and when he does I immediately wake up. I have the Owlet sock and his sleep stats are so much better sleeping close to me than in the bassinet as well. Unfortunately we don’t have an extra bed or mattress 🥲 I’m thinking of sleeping with his crib sheet tonight under my pillow (away from baby) to get my scent on it and try doing naps in the crib tomorrow. I tried putting him in his crib today for a nap and he was awake 5 minutes later. My husband works 12 hour shifts waking up at 4am so I do most of the baby stuff 😅 I’m trying my best lol and trying to get as much sleep as I can so I can be there for my LO.

In the beginning I had sore bleeding nipples I cried every time I tried to nurse but I kept trying got a lactation consultant and it helped a lot. Even though my LO eats around the clock! He sometimes wants 5 oz of pumped breast milk after a feeding makes me feel like he’s not getting enough. He’s gained 3 lbs in 3 weeks lol and my breast feels empty after every feed so I just don’t know. He finally likes the lanolish bottles. I tried every kind! They say at 6 weeks we may be able to get some longer stretches. I really hope that happens for us.

You posting this makes me not feel alone or crazy. You explained EXACTLY what I’m going through 🥲

We got this ladies!! 🩵

i feel this so much!! baby is 4 weeks and suddenly has been crying way more, fighting his sleep, and can’t be set down at all or he will purple cry. it’s been super intense. im so touched out too, especially when he keeps unlatching and screaming while feeding, kicking and scratching me and won’t calm down. ugh

we have the owelet too!! It helped give us soooo much peace of mind when his breathing was more irregular right after birth and also co sleeping! I hope the sheet under the pillow works i may try that!

thats how mine were with pumping because the lactation consultant from the hospital had me used 3 sizes too big flanges 🥴 our little one will only to narrow long nippled bottles, refuses the wide ones so we found dr browns works well for us, plus for the colic. They have wide and narrow nipples so if your LO only likes one type and is colicky they help IMMENSELY

we do!!! We are not alone ❤💙❤

same! My little one has not found his hands yet but likes to grab whatever is near him, always my hair 🥴 and rip it out, as if pp hair loss wasn't enough 🙃 and I need to trim his nails because he's been scratching too!

Oh thank you! I’ll definitely keep that in my back pocket if needed. So far so good on the colic I still primarily breast feed but really trying to get more bottles into the day/night but trying to get over the mom guilt of him not needing me as much.

Wow! I’m still not sure if my flanges are too big? Sometimes it sucks my areola in as well but I get about 2oz with pumping after feeds so it’s doing its job I think.

I went from getting about 2-4oz a pump to getting almost double when I got the right flange size! If you get a nipple size card, my portable pump came with one but they're 3.29 on Amazon (I also found pretty inexpensive and comfy silicone edged flanges on amazon!) and/or could probably get one from your lactation consultant, you will find the perfect size. Best advice I can give too that the lactation consultant i saw out of th hospital said, measure your nipple 2+ hours after pumping or BF so you know what size they are normally.. I thought, and the consultant in the hospital thought that I needed a bigger size because they measured after I had pumped so of course they were swollen (almost 10mm extra!) My areolas were getting pulled in and getting friction sores but I learned I have elastic nipples so no matter if I have the right size or not my nipples stretch down the flange 🙃

yes!! I don’t think I would be as comfortable co-sleeping if I didn’t have the owlet. The little device watches him for me lol. Fingers crossed to us the sheet trick works to get the babies to sleep in their space.

🤞🤞🤞

I too have elastic nipples lol! From losing and gaining weight my breast are pretty stretchy lol. I’ll definitely try that! I want the right size. I need more ounces since I plan to go back to work in May.

same lol I lost 15lb in the beginning of pregnancy from "morning" (all day) sickness. Ended up gaining 45 after 20 weeks 🥴 I thought I'd hate my body after pregnancy but I am one of the lucky ones and am basically back at my pre-pregnancy weight, 6lb off, but damn close enough. I didn't realize how much the fluid, placenta, bigger uterus, weighed. Its insane. I have always been overweight though so I am hopeful to lose a bit more but with how much I am eating from lactating I am so surprised I lost what I did 💀🤣