Tuesday, March 11, 2008

My Super Duper Rubber N!pple

(I am spelling n!pple this way because of the weirdos out there. I figure if p*rn is a word we need to mispell, then n!pple is too.)


Yesterday, I posted about our nighttime routine. This is something that we have been doing since the Princess was about 4 weeks old. We all three love this time, and I think my favorite part of it is nursing the Princess to sleep. It is a beautiful experience to lie there and watch my baby drift off to sleep, knowing that I am her source of nourishment, nurture and comfort.


Until recently!

Let me explain to you what has happened in the last few weeks.


We lie down together on our sides facing each other. It is easier to do this. The Princess wakes up easily, and this way, I don't have to move her. I can just slip away after she falls asleep.


In the past, the Princess would nurse vigorously at first, and then slow down as she fell asleep. Sometimes it took her only a few minutes to fall asleep. Sometimes it would take up to a half an hour of nursing.


Lately it's been taking a lot longer. And here's why: The Princess has found a new ritual before falling asleep. She will nurse vigorously for a few minutes. Then fall backwards on to her back to take a "break." Then she will lean back up to nurse again. And she repeats this many, many times until she is too tired to try anymore.


Yes, in itself, this ritual is a little irritating. Usually by this time of night, I am exhausted and want to get some sleep myself. And her ritual is prolonging this for me. But is is obnoxious for another reason: She won't let go!


When the Princess flops on to her back, she is still latched on. She takes my n!pple with her! Apparently she thinks it is rubber and can stretch that far. To complicate matters further, the Princess has developed a "twiddling" habit at night (only, thankfully). While nursing to sleep, she reaches up and plays (pinches rather) with my other n!pple! So while one is being stretched (literally) to its limits, the other is getting pinched.


I realize that this is a phase, and we are implementing some ideas to break these habits of hers. But still, I wonder if my n!pples will ever be the same!

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

that is halarious! i hope she changes that habit for your n*pple sanity!
Cute blog!
~The Bargain Shopper Lady

Anonymous said...

It is definitely a phase...all of the kiddos in our group have been pinching, flicking, stretching and generally treating our nips like they are toys. M likes to stiff-arm me and arch her back, then nibble back towards me like she's eating spaghetti (which is what she will be eating at night if she doesn't start treating mama's nurseys with some respect! lol)

Allison said...

It'll pass. My son did this. I just say "Hurts mommy!" firmly and remove his little fingers. He learns quickly not to do it anymore.

I just have a question (since this is often how we would nurse our son to sleep) but WHERE do you nurse your princess to sleep? You said you lay down with her...obviously not in her crib. On your bed? On the blanket on the floor? I have trouble nursing and then trying to move him to the crib once he's asleep, whether he was in my lap or on our bed-- he always seems to wake up and we start over again. It's like a dance to see how we can get him into the crib without waking him!

Anonymous said...

Their right, Jenn! It will pass, but my nips still hurt when I think about it. I had to get Ella to hold my finger when she started pinching. Now...if you nurse past 1 year, she will catch on that it hurts and my laugh while she's doing it---then you have to change the behavior big time (trust me on this one). I could never lie down and nurse so I always had to sit up in a chair and then make myself lay her down so my neck would be able to move the next day.

Anonymous said...

"They're"....oh, dear! I'm stuck in the house all day so my grammar gets weak now and then!