Day 37:

Photo © English Mamma

This is the second time in the past week or so that I’ve spotted this taxi in the city centre. How great is this? He seems to charge the same as most other taxis. The only disadvantage that I can see is that it might not be quite as warm as a modern taxi (he is wearing a woolen hat after all). I’ve always had a bit of a soft spot for the Citroen DS, so I was pretty excited when I saw this.

Day 38:

Photo © English Mamma

After a long day… although I really, really longed for something a lot little stronger at that point.

Day 39:

Photo © English Mamma

Back at Karolinska hospital for the fifth time in 18 days – this time back to Amningsmottagen – the breastfeeding clinic. I feel as if I know the place pretty well by now.

Day 40:

Photo © English Mamma

Every few days, after I collect Little O from preschool, we head to the Central Station and wave goodbye to the 15.17 train to Gothenburg. I found this train by accident but I like the fact that it has only four carriages: 1st class, 2nd class, a restaurant car and the one nearest to me when I took this photo, which, according to the symbols painted on the outside, is a cocktail and piano bar.

Day 41:

Photo © English Mamma

On Friday, we hit the 2-3 week growth spurt. I took this picture of Baby E finally (!) asleep after a feed. However, he had other ideas and woke up about four minutes after this was taken. Sleep was not the theme of the day…

Day 42:

Photo © English Mamma

Husband found a great new cafe not so far from us and so we decided to check it out on Saturday. Although it was small inside, we found that if we uncoupled the carrycot from the stroller and left the stroller outside, we could sit at the bar stools in the window with Little O on Husband’s lap and Baby E safely sleeping in the carrycot under the counter. The brunch was delicious – and I’m sure that Little O would agree!

Day 43:

Photo © English Mamma

Little O sometimes takes a very casual approach to drinking his bedtime drink!

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

The Boy And Me has set up a great linky each week, so head on over there and check out some of the others’ pictures too:

So far this morning, Baby E has been anywhere between three hours and an hour between feeds and he has now not really slept for about four hours. Ah, yes, the randomness of the growth spurt with all its sleeplessness and fussy behaviour.

The worst thing is that, looking at him, you can see just how tired Baby E is, but he just cannot seem to sleep more than a handful of minutes at a time before he wakes and starts fussing again. He slept for maybe 35 minutes this morning in the stroller while we went to preschool with Little O, so I am going to take him out in the stroller again in a little while an hope that that knocks him out for long enough for him to get some rest.

You can read more about growth spurts on a number of sites – these are ones that I have found most helpful: kellymom, What To Expect and Breastfeeding Problems.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

[I know that it might seem like I am being a bit of a Moaning Minnie at the moment but I have realised that the blog posts from when Little O was this age paint a much rosier picture than was actually the case. At that time, I know that I was tired, emotional and struggling to come to terms with the responsibility of becoming a mother to this fragile little creature but I don't know what happened between feeling this and actually writing my blog. Did I think that it would reveal my life to be less perfect than I wanted to portray it as? I don't know. What I do know this time around is that I want a record of how things really are, warts and all, so that I am not left wondering if I just breezed through these weeks and months without a care.]

Photo © English Mamma

…one giant leap for Mamma and Pappa.

Baby E has taken what we consider to be a massive step forward in the past couple of days and is now going FOUR WHOLE HOURS between feeds at night. Sorry for the shouting but those extra minutes of sleep are just wonderful, refreshing, revitalising, perfect! (Let’s hope that I have not jinxed this by writing it down here…)

So, yesterday we had our return visit to the breastfeeding clinic to see the lactation specialist (who I refer to in my head as the boob nazi). Boob nazi said that it’s all looking good but what the hell was I doing waking Baby E every two hours during the day, where did I read that I should do that so late on (err, he’s only two and half weeks old? Late?) and that that was only the recommendation until your milk came in. Well, from what I’ve read, you cannot feed your baby too much and that until you feel breastfeeding is established it is good to wake them every couple of hours for feeds during the day. I certainly did not really feel until now that breastfeeding was established as I was still having problems getting Baby E to take a good feed on the left.

I took her advice yesterday and followed his lead a little more and he seemed content to feed every three hours. However, content was not something you could describe me as being by the end of the day when I discovered blocked milk ducts. Oh joy… A very hot and very long shower (while constantly checking for the telltale little green lights on the baby monitor) later and I think I’ve managed to ease them somewhat.

Breastfeeding – two steps forward, one step back. Really, if they told you all this beforehand, would you really believe it?

• Little O really does love his new little brother
• you can feel more tired even after you start getting more sleep (I learned this but I still don’t understand it…)
• maybe I can start reintroducing some dairy products back into my diet – Baby E does not seem to have had a bad reaction again when I have accidentally eaten dairy
• I am a stronger person than I believed I was
• Little O is not ready to stop his daytime naps – he did not sleep at preschool today, fell asleep for 20 minutes on the way home in the stroller and was inconsolable for most of the rest of the evening.

So, here’s my entry for this week’s Gallery:

Photo © English Mamma

Now, head on over to Tara’s site and check out some of the other entries for this week!

This week was all about keeping Little O entertained, Baby E well fed and me as warm as possible!

Day 30:

Photo © English Mamma

Little O is so excited at the moment by lining toys up, balancing them on one another and making sure that everything is shipshape.

Day 31:

Photo © English Mamma

Baby E’s tiny little newborn feet.

Day 32:

Photo © English Mamma

Satisfied – Baby E catching a few zzzz’s after a feed.

Day 33:

Photo © English Mamma

Brothers – largely oblivious to each other at this point in the day!

Day 34:

Photo © English Mamma

Little O’s first successful sledge trip. This time last year it did not go as well as Little O was a bit too small and just could not stay upright on the sledge, and even with straps it did not work. This time, he squealed with delight for most of the time that he was in it. So much fun!

Day 35:

Photo © English Mamma

I think that this is one of the most attractive churches in the city centre. And against yesterday’s bright blue sky, I think it looks even more stunning.

Day 36:

Photo © English Mamma

A snowy scene on our way back from Little O’s swimming class today.

Photo © English Mamma

Well, the appointment that I had at Amningsmottagningen, the breastfeeding clinic at Karolinska hospital, on Wednesday was a very mixed experience.

On the one hand, I left there with some confidence that I could achieve a proper latch with Baby E and that, with some practice, we could actually have pain-free breastfeeding (woo-hoo!). On the other, I am glad that there was a delay in getting the appointment and that I had not gone a week earlier when I was in a much more fragile state…

You had to fill in a form on arrival that asked about how your labour had been, if were breastfeeding fully, partly or not at all, how many formula feeds you had given, whether you felt under stress etc. So I filled that all in but on some of the questions I did struggle to know what to put. Are you under stress – Yes / No. Well, it’s really not as simple as that, is it? Yes, I felt under stress: I’ve just had a baby, I’ve got the baby blues, I have a 20-month old as well and I am struggling with breastfeeding. However, although there are tears (Baby E’s and mine) every day, some days are definitely better than others and compared with some people, I know that I’m not really under that much stress. (Surely a sliding scale of how stressed you feel would be far more appropriate?)

So, I met the lactation consultant and handed over my form, She asked what type of stress I feel under – of course, that was the one question that she honed straight in on. Unfortunately, I got a little bit emotional explaining how it was hard at home with Little O as well and that the two days of the previous week when he’d been unable to go to preschool had been horrendous as he was upset about Baby E’s arrival and was tending towards hitting rather than stroking him. Her response was that it was good for me to cry but that my children were too close in age and that was the problem. Errrm, excuse me? Oh, okay then, I’ll just send one of them back then…

She then examined my breasts and told me that the sores that I have were really nothing and that they didn’t even need to be drained (? – is this an option? maybe something got lost in translation?). We woke Baby E and she showed me how to get a good latch. And, and, and… It worked and there was only minimal pain, caused by those (very minimal) sores. This felt like such a breakthrough. I sat in that chair for the next 20 minutes and fed Baby E and how glad I was about those happy hormones that are released by breastfeeding, otherwise I might just have stood up and clouted her during her discourse into why breastfeeding was the only option, why I should NEVER EVER again give Baby E formula, how that was most likely the cause of his evening crying, how he actually didn’t really even have colic as she’d had one woman whose baby cried 24/7 and had to be carried in a sling and the whole family had had to wear ear plugs, whereas Baby E “only” cried from around 4pm to 1am, and why I am stifling Baby E’s development by swaddling him (despite me explaining that this is a great way to minimise colic, as well as being very comforting for newborns). Oh, crazy lady.

But as I said, she taught me how to get a good latch and that has boosted my confidence considerably. And I’m just choosing to ignore all the other crazy that she came out with.

The only downside…? I have to go back next Wednesday for her to check that I’m following instruction correctly. Bracing myself already!