Just When It Started to Feel Easy…
J just climbed on to the coffee table for the first time. He was up all night every 90 minutes crying and neither tylenol or teething tablets seemed to help (though he seems to love tylenol, go figure.) Both twins cry whenever I cuddle or nurse the other. I’ve had someone on the boob almost all day between jealousy, hunger, a sudden refusal to eat more than a bite or two of solids and comfort for bumped heads caused by their increased mobility. J has been turning into a high needs “hold me all the time” child in the past few days. And I’m tired, which makes it all less doable. Oh, and F pulled up to standing for the first time. Of course, it was so she could try to eat my newspaper, which was on the table.
I’d say “mama said there’d be days like this” but, honestly, she never warned me about 9 month old twins, especially when one is a high needs teething climber.
Stumble it!
Donate to the Zoë and Lennox Simpson Memorial Fund
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April 1st, 2007 12:39
LOL.. I can just imagine my life in another few months when my twins get to be this age.
Thanks for linking to me in your weekly round up
April 1st, 2007 15:35
I am not looking forward to that.
April 1st, 2007 16:51
Oh man…9 months is one of those “rough” patches: growth spurt, teething, learning to motor around and increasing separation anxiety…geez what more could they go through! Hang in there. For us, this phase only lasted about a couple weeks. Now there’s just the occasional restless teething night. Knock on wood.
April 1st, 2007 18:26
I don’t understand why you promote yourself on being this big breastfeeding guru and then turn around and complain about it.
Just wondering, not that you will respond.
April 1st, 2007 19:20
As usual, you’ve posted amazing photos. So beautiful. I want to hear more about what it’s like to have twin babes on the beach as we’re considering a summer beach vacation, but we’re also very, very afraid.
Sorry about the latest phase of challenges. It sounds incredibly exhausting and draining. I hope that they get through this phase very quickly and that you are soon at a phase of great sleep, low fussiness, and loads and loads of joy.
April 2nd, 2007 06:08
“Anonymous” -
1. I’m not quite sure why you think I consider myself a breastfeeding “guru.” I’m not. I’m someone who is nursing twins on demand, meaning nursing is a huge part of my life. I write about things that are a part of my life, so nursing gets a lot of play.
2. Demand feeding twins can get old, even for someone who thinks it is important, a good choice for her, and generally wonderful, especially when combined with other forms of fussiness and exhaustion. Am I not allowed to admit that?
April 2nd, 2007 09:29
There are lots of things in life that I’m committed to that are hard, both as a parent and not. I’m committed to helping my children feel secure and loved most of the time even though it can be exhausting. I’m committed to being kind to strangers even though sometimes it would be easier not to be. I especially complain about things that I’m most committed to because sometimes thinking something is very important makes it more exhausting to do it right. And breastfeeding twins is the most physically and emotionally exhausting thing I’ve done in my life, even though it’s also one of the most amazing things I’ve done. I keep meaning to blog about it myself but it’s so exhausting I don’t have time to do it justice.
So when Stacie complains about it, I think, more power to her, to be committed, to be willing to express the negative as well as the positive, to give hope to women like me and countless others who are trying to do the same thing.
Sorry to go on Stacie, just wanted to voice my perspective here.
April 2nd, 2007 11:16
You gotta love those snarky anonymous commenters! Such bravado!
One of the most beneficial things that I ever derived from going to nursing moms’ support group meetings is the ability to gripe from time to time about breastfeeding without either getting flack about the griping or being asked why you even bother nursing “if it’s so awful”.
Most nursing moms “get it” that breastfeeding is really great, even though sometimes, breastfeeding can wear you right out!
There’s no denying that breastfeeding requires some effort, some patience… etc., but then again, so does being a mother, period. Moms who aren’t breastfeeding have the right to gripe too, and it doesn’t mean they don’t like their kids if they do!
In my experience most of the moms I know who breastfed loved it OVERALL but even so, of course there are times when we feel exhausted, or overwhelmed, or perhaps we have some rough times (like those early rough days when many have sore nipples, or when we just don’t get a lot of sleep, or whatever).
In my opinion, Stacie has the right to complain about breastfeeding any old time she feels like it, and she can do so because she’s secure in the knowledge that she is breastfeeding because she knows it’s the right choice for her and for her incredibly gorgeous babies.
Whoops, jumping down now, from my smug lil know-it-all soapbox.
April 2nd, 2007 13:17
I think it is great that you have a place to vent with or without supportive viewers. Seems like about 95% are supporting you anyway. Yes, parenting is wonderful and also very tough for all the reasons that you name. Thankfully you have found a forum in which to express your feelings without having to leave the house with two wee ones in tow. Keep up the great work and don’t forget an occasional nap.
April 2nd, 2007 23:27
OMG! We are in exactly the same spot (even down to the 9 months old, clingy, climbing on things and teething). The only difference being that I never made it as far as you have in terms of breast feeding so my 2 have had to get used to getting food from elsewhere.
Sometimes when I’m in the thick of it I find it very hard to see that it is ‘normal’ and that there are other parents out there who are going through exactly the same thing - some of them have far harder problems to deal with.
Thank the gods (or insert personal deity here) for the t’internet is all I can say
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