When Ethan came home from the PICU, we started our attempts at breastfeeding again. It was going OK, but pretty awkward and frustrating. I only tried a time or two per day because it just frustrated me. Pumping and fixing a bottle was much easier and less painful than pumping then breastfeeding then pumping again.

Well, Ethan was being a little jerk in the night time. He’d have his bottle then he’d fuss for hours on end. Not exactly crying, but fussy. I changed his diaper, burped him, dressed him warmer, dressed him cooler, swaddled him, gave him a pacifier – we tried every baby soothing trick we know. I had him in the bed, laying on me, and he was still really pissed off constantly spitting out the pacifier. Sometimes he would rip the pacifier out of his mouth and fling it across the room.

After a few hours of fussing one night, it was food time again. Aaron went to get the bottle and I decided to give Ethan the breast to keep him occupied until the warm bottle arrived. Well, he really enjoyed himself and nursed right to sleep. And he stayed asleep for HOURS.

The next night we decided that it would be a good idea to try breastfeeding him for all of his bedtime and early morning feedings. That night we actually got 4 hours of unbroken sleep because he slept so soundly without any fussiness. Its really nice to wake up to a calm baby sleeping next to you instead of a fussy baby who is ready to chew your face off.

Now the plan is that he gets bottles during the day and when we’re ready to sleep, he gets the breast. It doesn’t work every time, but it works really well. We are all sleeping so much better. Sometimes Ethan will eat a lot and sleep for 4 or 5 hours before he’s hungry again. Other time, like last night, he wakes up every 2 hours and eats just enough to go back to sleep. I really don’t mind waking up often as long as he’s not screaming.

Its nice to have him sleeping in the bed with us. I put his sleep positioner in the bed to keep him from moving around, and to prevent any pillows from getting too close. I tuck his receiving blanket around the sides of the sleep positioner to keep it away from his face and to further prevent him from wiggling away. And the body pillow is a barrier to keep Aaron from coming over to the other side of the bed. It really works out so well. He sleeps so well and he doesn’t have apnea. Prior to getting RSV, he would have 2 apnea spells per night. Well, we’ve been home from the PICU for almost a week now and he’s only had 2 apnea spells total. I had read that was one of the benefits of cosleeping with your preemie, and it really does seem to make a difference.

Another thing that is making life easier right now is Ethan’s new baby carrier. I bought one of the Infantino EuroRider carriers:
http://www.infantino.com/Carriers/151-578.html
This thing is fantastic!! It is very comfortable and easy to use. Even though Ethan is small, it still supports him very well. I wear him when he’s awake and I need to get some work done. I can sit at the computer and type while wearing him, and as long as I sway my chest a bit, he doesn’t know the difference. I even wore him to Sams and Walmart, haha. We can take him places, but he needs to be protected from people coughing and sneezing and touching him. The carrier is just what we needed!