The Battle of Pacifier Point

Historical Note: The Battle of Pacifier Point is commonly held to be the turning point in the long-running conflict between the rebels and their Motherland.  Prior to the Motherland's crucial triumph in the fields of Pacifier Point, the rebels were frequently seen exhibiting the behavior pictured below.
 
However, after their defeat, the rebels could be more easily subdued through the use of specifically engineered bits of rubber and plastic, as seen here:
Although the Conflict is ongoing, the Battle of Pacifier Point reenergized the soldiers fighting on behalf of the Motherland, and their war cry can still be heard throughout the land: "I'M DOING THIS FOR YOUR OWN GOOD!"

On Saturday, January 26, 2013, Charlotte was successfully quieted and dissuaded from a full-on meltdown through the use of a pacifier.  There are an awful lot of milestones that have occured over the past 12 weeks, most of which I'm pretty hazy on the specific dates, but I will never, ever forget this past Saturday.

Like most parents, initially we were mostly against the idea of a pacifier.  Nipple confusion!  Overbite!  NIPPLE CONFUSION!!  Then we met Charlotte and Annabelle.  Perhaps these girls have a stronger and more insistent sucking instinct than most babies, or maybe Colby and I are weak, but by the time they were two days old, we were begging the nurses in the Mother & Baby ward for relief in the form of a baby plug.  Both girls accepted the pacifier, and were fairly easily calmed with it for the first couple of weeks of life.  By a little over a month old, Annabelle was a raging pacifier addict, but Charlotte would have nothing to do with them.

It's not that her sucking instinct had waned, it's just that she preferred to "self-soothe" on my boob.  We tried three or four different styles (of pacifiers, not boobs), but she would have nothing to do with them, and her screaming rage knew no bounds.  For the past three weeks, I have been completely unable to put her down for a nap for longer then 10 minutes.  She would fall soundly asleep in my arms, snoring and sleep-smiling, but the second there was a gap between us large enough for a slight breeze to pass through, her eyelids would snap open, she'd glare at me reproachfully, screw up her face and let loose a howl of unspeakable fury.

So.  That was fun.
Then, this weekend I noticed that she was trying to stick the bill of her little duckie lovey into her mouth, and she seemed to want to suck on it.  So, I grabbed Annabelle's spare pacifier, and stuck it in Charlotte's mouth.  At first, she used her tongue to angrily thrust it from her person, but after a little persistence on my end, she started sucking.  And then she fell asleep.  In her Rock n'Play.  ON HER OWN.  And stayed asleep!  It was nothing short of a miracle.

Things have gotten a lot easier in the past couple of weeks.  I've been feeling more than a little overwhelmed by the responsibility for caring for two babies on my own for the majority of the day, but things get infinitessimally easier day by day.  It helps that both girls have started smiling at us intentionally and responsively now, rather than just smiley muscle spasms.  It's awesome to go get them out of bed or give them a big smile, and see that toothless, gummy, open-mouthed grin in response.  We've even gotten a couple of little laughs out of them.

I'm also trying to get back out into the world of functioning humans.  Last week, I took the babies to a doctor's appointment on my own, and had a friend over for tea.  This week, I'm flying solo to another couple of doctor's appointments (at what point will I stop feeling like I LIVE at the hospital??), and meeting a couple of friends for lunch and coffee.  So, basically, I feel like Wonder Woman.  Oh, and did I mention that both babies are asleep right now?  At the same time?  Photographic evidence--check it:
Now, if only they could figure out their arms and stop spastically slapping themselves awake after 20 minutes, all would be perfect in our world.

Comments

[Elise Fournet]

You are superwoman. Wesley didn't latch, so it was after two weeks of that fight that I dug out the pacifier. He uses it, but isn't an addict. Swaddling kept him from twitching and waking up, but at about 7 weeks he decided that wasn't fun anymore. So I now spend a lot of time leaned over the side of the crib trying to use the force to keep his arms still. Not sure it's the force, but he seems to be spazzing out less. The girls are too cute!

[The Incubator]

Charlotte is just her sweet little mommy all over again;) And Annabelle is just that added bit of sugar and spice! You are Superwoman because you brought forth these 2 little spits of fire and can handle it! What a powerful combination of energy Colby has going on in that house:)

[Kate]

Sawyer wouldn't take a pacifier for the first few weeks. Then all of a sudden he loved it. It was weird. I still have to swaddle him up tight (he's strong so we're at a triple swaddlers at this point. He can still break out sometimes but his best sleep is always swaddled)) so he doesn't hit himself in the face or claw himself to death (holy razors for fingernails, which, of course, are impossible to cut). I did a bunch of research, fearing I was stunting his growth or making him a cripple by doing that, but it seems fairly common to swaddle some babies for a long time.

I do believe you are superwoman, getting out with two kids. I still barely get out with one!

That are gorgeous girls. You guys do good work!

And it seems I like parenthetically today. Good times.

[Kate]

Ohmygosh typing on my ipad is never a good idea. Forgive me

[Old Warrior]

So, I'm thinking Charlotte's nickname is starting to point to"Angela - except for you weren't interested in a pacifier at all.

[Solange]

Your girls are precious! I just want to hug them and kiss their little cheeks!!!
You are definitely Superwoman. Just thinking of having two babies at a time makes me want to throw up and hide under a rock. I know I couldn't do it.
I LOVE pacifiers. I don't care what people say about them, they are a God send. And it really isn't that difficult getting rid of them later on. Oliver has been on one from the beginning too and there's never been any nipple confusion.
I think you are doing a marvelous job! Do they not like to be swaddled? That would help the crazy slapping arms, maybe. Also, they'll outgrow the slapping soon and hopefully nap longer stretches!

[Christina]

SWADDLE! Some babies love to be swaddled. Any baby that fights it? Just needs a tighter swaddle. If you can get your hands on a copy of the Happiest Baby on the Block, I strongly suggest it!

[Chelsea]

You ARE Wonder Woman! And your girls are beyond adorable! Obviously I dot have a whole ton of experience getting babies to sleep, but I watch my friend's 4 month old, and Gripe Water then a binky right aftet helps soothe and get her to sleep like MAGIC. Anyways, you're doing an amazing job!

[thoughtsappear]

Awwww....=)

[Kate P]

That's a great shot of them both conked out--it IS possible! :)

[erin - heart in ireland]

So adorable! You are absolutely doing an amazing job :)

And YAY for them both sleeping at the same time!

And I love the military analogy!

PS Yay for blogging again - I've missed you!

[Hotpotatokate]

Chip was also a super suck-y baby, and we succumbed at 4 weeks (at the advice of my midwife). It took a couple of tries, but luckily he took the first type we tried. You have my sympathy and admiration- dealing with ONE baby who wanted to stay latched all day long was hard enough. For us, the paci meant we could finally swaddle him- he just fought it too hard before. Paci + swaddle was lifechanging for a few months (but we're now dealing with the consequences!)

[Hotpotatokate]

....PS: despite the pacifier and swaddle, he still wouldn't nap away from me from about 12-16 weeks!

[Jessica]

I literally cannot believe how big the girls are getting! They are so gorgeous! So cute, cannot handle it.