The Wright Balance: 7/15/13 Back To Work

It's been a while. Coming home from Hawaii, then prepping for the Epic Relay, and getting ready to go back to work kept me all kinds of busy and unbalanced. I could just focus on one thing at a time. I am working on getting a balance back again and back in a routine of logging my thoughts and activities as a new mom. I have a lot I want to say about the time I didn't blog, so if I find a day particularly boring, then I'll just do a blog about the past.

Getting back to work has been a smoother transition than I thought it would be. I am enjoying it to some extent. I got oriented to the new computer system and I don't feel completely lost. It has been a stretch of my organizational abilities to try to cram in all the breaks for pumping and still use the bathroom, eat, hydrate and get all my work done, but somehow I am doing it. I am already back to being in charge and up at the desk a bunch as well. I miss Josiah a lot when I'm at work, but not uncontrollably. I don't have any trouble with milk let down happening when I think or talk about him, and I don't have any trouble with pumping. It's just if I were able to choose who to be with, I would pick Bryan and Josiah every time over work. But, because of the way we live our lives, someone has to work, it's a good thing that I love my job and I love being a nurse. It helps that Bryan sends me pictures of Josiah sometimes throughout the day and updates on all the little things that are somehow very important to me.

Our biggest struggle with me going back to work has been Josiah reverse cycling. Reverse cycling means eating the bare minimum throughout the day and wanting to nurse all night long. One day he only ate 12 ounces of milk total for 14 hours and then wanted to nurse every 2 hours at night. I was pretty sleepy the next day! It has been a bit better since Bryan has been giving Josiah 5 oz. of milk on a schedule at 9, 12, 3& 6. Then Josiah will sleep 3 hours at a time instead of 2, but still not getting his long sleep at night. Bryan is wondering if the night time diaper system I have been using makes Josiah uncomfortable so we purchased some fitted over night diapers to try. I am excited for them to arrive. Judy tells me that with time Josiah will just get used to the change and it'll be ok. I hope that is true, but as long as I work 5/7 days and then only 1/7 days every two weeks I fear he'll never get used to it. However that schedule may change after August when we go though a new scheduling system.

One of the biggest blessings going back to work has been my mom helping out. She comes over every morning at 6 on my work days so that Bryan can sleep in. She helps out around the house: weeding, doing laundry, dishes, mowing... anything and everything really, and watches Josiah till around noon usually. That splits the load up, she watches him for 6 hours and Bryan does 8 hours, and nobody gets horribly burnt out or overwhelmed by it.

Here's some photos of Bryan and Josiah. Some that he sent while I was working, and then just some cute ones of the two of them.

Learning about Looney Tunes.

The Michelin Man

Bryan and Josiah playing at the doctor's office before getting shots. He did really well. He was hardly fussy at all the rest of the day and the next day!