Weekly Chat 11/22-11/28

[mamanurse]

Hey ladies! I thought I'd start a new thread. Kinda weird not putting postpartum in the title, but I think we're all postpartum now.

Old thread

[Amber Lion]

Addie is 4 weeks old today! Oh my god, how did the time go by so quickly? And is there something about a month old that turns them into fusspots? My normally mellow sleepy baby has been awake for hours and hours and hours the past 2 days. Last night she was unhappy unless I was bouncing on the birth ball... for hours; wouldn't do the sling, the wrap, the rocking chair, or standing swaying. Every time I'd stop she'd wake up again and fuss. And she was nursing every hour from 2:30 till about 11:30 that night. Dh was gone last night too, so I was VERY burnt out and am still feeling the effects a bit. At least Dh did take her from 11:30 till 2 am when she finally passed out completely after nursing. He tried to give her a bottle, but failed miserably, so he came to wake me up with her screaming bloody murder. I've been charged with buying a swing today b/c last night would have been a lot easier if something else could have kept her moving and content instead of me - my back is killing me this morning! We weren't going to buy any baby "gadgets", but I think this one is going to be the needed exception.

[iamleabee]

where do y'all stand in terms of pre-preg wgt? i'm still 10lbs up and nothing fits . it's veeerrrry depressing

[ferretfan]

Originally Posted by Amber Lion

Addie is 4 weeks old today! Oh my god, how did the time go by so quickly? And is there something about a month old that turns them into fusspots? My normally mellow sleepy baby has been awake for hours and hours and hours the past 2 days. Last night she was unhappy unless I was bouncing on the birth ball... for hours; wouldn't do the sling, the wrap, the rocking chair, or standing swaying. Every time I'd stop she'd wake up again and fuss. And she was nursing every hour from 2:30 till about 11:30 that night. Dh was gone last night too, so I was VERY burnt out and am still feeling the effects a bit. At least Dh did take her from 11:30 till 2 am when she finally passed out completely after nursing. He tried to give her a bottle, but failed miserably, so he came to wake me up with her screaming bloody murder. I've been charged with buying a swing today b/c last night would have been a lot easier if something else could have kept her moving and content instead of me - my back is killing me this morning! We weren't going to buy any baby "gadgets", but I think this one is going to be the needed exception.

nak, so forgive errors
just realized that dd2 is sensitive to dairy she was real fussy all of a sudden so i've cut it out fotr a few days and there is huge improvement. good for her, bad for me. i live in the dairy state and the thought of the next however manby years without milk is very depressing :

[Astrid1024]

Holy Yeast! Lars Oskar has oral thrush and I have it on my nipples. I have a yeast infection and I am pretty sure I am working on a UTI right now too. I feel like crying.

Here is what I've been doing so far...

1. Gentian Violet in his mouth at night, putting him to breast after application. I slather lanolin all over his face so it doesn't get all stained and that has worked really well.
2. Swabbing nipples with GSE (I mixed up a solution from the liquid stuff) after nursing and then applying coconut oil (good antifungal)
3. Taking GSE in capsule form, because the liquid stuff was just tooooo nasty.
4. Taking a high dose of Jarrow Probiotic powder
5. Giving Lars Oskar the infant dose of probiotic
6. Upped my dose of Vitamin C - yeast is inhibited by Vit. C.
7. Letting him hang out in a sunny spot by the window for 10 or so minutes when the sun is out and then on the changing table after a diaper change to air-dry his little yeasty-red rump
8. Changing the bed sheets everyday.
9. Washing my hands so I don't spread it anywhere else - my skin is geting really dry.
10. Cut out white food carbs and refined sugar.
11. Homepathic yeast remedy both oral and one for use vaginally
12. Cranberry and tons of water for the possible UTI

Anything else I'm not thinking of - I have to get rid of this - it's terrible.

Question - what do I do about the cloth diapers? Do I have to disinfect them somehow - how would I do that.

[abber]

Originally Posted by iamleabee

where do y'all stand in terms of pre-preg wgt? i'm still 10lbs up and nothing fits . it's veeerrrry depressing

I'm about 20 lbs above my pre-pregnancy weight...I'm really bummed that I can't exercise much because Finn only wants to sleep completely flat on my chest so I'm practically bedridden! I also have a stress fracture in my foot so that doesn't help either.

I think I may have thrush My nipples have been really itchy and pink, nursing has been hurting and there has been a lot of shooting pain. Bah Finn doesn't seem to have it, thank goodness. His tongue is white, but it comes off so that doesn't sound like it? Should I give him some GSE as a preventative measure since I have it?

sarah.astrid - I read on Dr. Gordon's website that you can put GSE in laundry to kill any sneaky yeast!

[Amber Lion]

I actually don't have a clue how much weight I gained in total, b/c the last time I was weighed was at like 34 weeks or something. But at that point I'd gained about 22 lbs. I do know that immediately post-partum I bought size 14 jeans... and now they're falling off. A friend lent me some size 12s, but they are a style I absolutely cannot wear (the waist is actually at my waist... ick! ), but at least I know I went down a size! I haven't done ANY exercising except going for a walk every once in a while, so I'm pretty stoked. Dh says the nursing is sucking the fat off.

I'm googling tips for introducing a bottle right now... if anyone wants to throw in their wisdom I'd appreciate it! I'm going to be gone from Addie for about 6 hrs on 12/2 and I need her to be able to eat the milk I've pumped! Tips I've found so far:

*Get Dh or someone else to try, not Mommy
*If possible, get Mommy completely out of the house
*Don't hold baby in any nursing position, or any position resembling a nursing position
*Once they are eating, give them a 1/3 of the bottle, switch to a pacifier, for a bit, then back to the bottle for another 1/3, etc. to mimic the length and rhythm of a nursing session.

[mamanurse]

Originally Posted by Amber Lion

And is there something about a month old that turns them into fusspots?

Yes!!! I think it's normal for a baby to get fussy sometime during the 3-6 week mark and then possibly stay fussy until they're about 3 months old.

Originally Posted by iamleabee

where do y'all stand in terms of pre-preg wgt? i'm still 10lbs up and nothing fits . it's veeerrrry depressing

I'm 3 under my pre-preg weight, but nowhere close to my pre-preg shape.

Originally Posted by sarah.astrid

1. Gentian Violet in his mouth at night, putting him to breast after application. I slather lanolin all over his face so it doesn't get all stained and that has worked really well.
2. Swabbing nipples with GSE (I mixed up a solution from the liquid stuff) after nursing and then applying coconut oil (good antifungal)
3. Taking GSE in capsule form, because the liquid stuff was just tooooo nasty.
4. Taking a high dose of Jarrow Probiotic powder
5. Giving Lars Oskar the infant dose of probiotic
6. Upped my dose of Vitamin C - yeast is inhibited by Vit. C.
7. Letting him hang out in a sunny spot by the window for 10 or so minutes when the sun is out and then on the changing table after a diaper change to air-dry his little yeasty-red rump
8. Changing the bed sheets everyday.
9. Washing my hands so I don't spread it anywhere else - my skin is geting really dry.
10. Cut out white food carbs and refined sugar.
11. Homepathic yeast remedy both oral and one for use vaginally
12. Cranberry and tons of water for the possible UTI

Anything else I'm not thinking of - I have to get rid of this - it's terrible.

Question - what do I do about the cloth diapers? Do I have to disinfect them somehow - how would I do that.

Do you have a sanitary cycle on your washing machine? Maybe boiling them. However, I don't know if it's necessary.

Originally Posted by abber

I think I may have thrush My nipples have been really itchy and pink, nursing has been hurting and there has been a lot of shooting pain. Bah

Originally Posted by Amber Lion

I'm googling tips for introducing a bottle right now... if anyone wants to throw in their wisdom I'd appreciate it! I'm going to be gone from Addie for about 6 hrs on 12/2 and I need her to be able to eat the milk I've pumped! Tips I've found so far:

*Get Dh or someone else to try, not Mommy
*If possible, get Mommy completely out of the house
*Don't hold baby in any nursing position, or any position resembling a nursing position
*Once they are eating, give them a 1/3 of the bottle, switch to a pacifier, for a bit, then back to the bottle for another 1/3, etc. to mimic the length and rhythm of a nursing session.

We've resorted to a "breast bottle." My dd rejected two different bottles/nipples so I sprung for the Adiri. It worked! I had dh give her a bottle with 2 ounces in it this morning when I went to drop dd1 at my mom's and it worked. She drank all but less than a 1/2 oz.

We only plan on giving her a bottle when I'm working, but I need her to be able to take one now before it's "too late." I've heard if the bottle isn't introduced between 3-6 weeks, baby might not take one and then reverse cycle. This mama don't do reverse cycling. I feel there's something inherently unsafe about an extremely exhausted nurse injecting drugs into people's veins.

[Baby_Cakes]

Originally Posted by sarah.astrid

Question - what do I do about the cloth diapers? Do I have to disinfect them somehow - how would I do that.

Boil them. Boil your bras too if they come in contact with any milk! It wreaks havoc on elastic though, so do this minimally, if possible! So sorry to hear about all your yeastie issues. That royally sucks.

Originally Posted by Amber Lion

I'm googling tips for introducing a bottle right now... if anyone wants to throw in their wisdom I'd appreciate it! I'm going to be gone from Addie for about 6 hrs on 12/2 and I need her to be able to eat the milk I've pumped! Tips I've found so far:

*Get Dh or someone else to try, not Mommy
*If possible, get Mommy completely out of the house
*Don't hold baby in any nursing position, or any position resembling a nursing position
*Once they are eating, give them a 1/3 of the bottle, switch to a pacifier, for a bit, then back to the bottle for another 1/3, etc. to mimic the length and rhythm of a nursing session.

Make sure you're completely out of the room, at least at first. Nora will not take the bottle if I'm sitting next to DH or even across the room! It's so weird! But it works!

Originally Posted by mamanurse

We've resorted to a "breast bottle." My dd rejected two different bottles/nipples so I sprung for the Adiri.

See, now Nora completely HATED that bottle! I was pissed b/c I thought it would be the best, but milk just went everywhere. She could not get a good suck on it at all. We're going to try the Playtex VentAire next. We've got so many single bottles, just trying to find the best one for her. Hopefully the VentAire does the trick.

AAM - Chris's grandma died last night. It's sad, and his Mom and aunt are devastated. She lived a very long life, but was very ill. We are so glad that I took Nora to visit with her before her open heart surgery a week or so ago, because Grandma got a chance to meet her great-granddaughter before passing. So, now the wake is on Monday and the funeral is Tuesday. It will be hard.

I went out to Target today to find some black pants to wear (b/c all I have are 6's and that ain't happening) and I picked up a black shirt as well. I also picked up a firm king size pillow for behind my back during side lying nursing. My back KILLS feeding her this way. I had to take 3 advil last night when she was done eating it was so bad. Ugh, I think I need to start back up at the chiro regardless of what DH thinks (he thinks all chiro's are quacks...). I also got a larger sports bra and a pack of t-shirts for the gym. I NEED to lose this weight! ARGH! I'm weighing in tomorrow, but last I checked I was still a good 30 lbs over my pre preg weight. But I gained over 50, so I'm getting there.

What else...? Not too much new here since yesterday. Hope everyone has a good Saturday night!!

[iamleabee]

nak.

i have dh give ds one bottle a night of ebm. i go back to work @ 12w so i need ds to take a bottle. we use the playtex disposable system which has been going well, but we started at 2w, so who knows.

abber--e only wants to sleep on someone too. so far the cosleeper has been a total bust. i just bought a snuggle wool for it so here's hoping.

night nurse --lmao!

i'm concerned about thrush too. e's mouth is clear, but my nips are red, sore and i have occ. shooting pain when not nursing. i dont want to over treat, but dont want to get behind the 8ball with it either.

wonder when my girlie bits will start feeling normal again? will be 1 mos on mon.

[mamanurse]

Originally Posted by Baby_Cakes

AAM - Chris's grandma died last night. It's sad, and his Mom and aunt are devastated. She lived a very long life, but was very ill. We are so glad that I took Nora to visit with her before her open heart surgery a week or so ago, because Grandma got a chance to meet her great-granddaughter before passing. So, now the wake is on Monday and the funeral is Tuesday. It will be hard.

Sorry to hear that Carrie.

Originally Posted by iamleabee

i have dh give ds one bottle a night of ebm. i go back to work @ 12w so i need ds to take a bottle. we use the playtex disposable system which has been going well, but we started at 2w, so who knows.

We used those with my first. We inherited all the bottles from a friend.

AAM: We are going to a wedding tonight. Dd1 is at Nana & Papa's and Hazel is, of course, coming with us. I'm currently sitting here in my dress nursing with makeup on and my hair straightened. Thank G-d for Spanx. It'll be nice to have a semi-adult night.

[heidirk]

I'm under my prepreg weight, but I was overweight to start with. SO right now I'm just trying not to gain anything back.

I'm so sorry so many of you are dealing w/ thrush. Seriously, Monistat and nystatin worked for me and DS1.


On the subject of swings. . . they're an expensive purchase to make only to find out that your LO won't tolerate it. My swing was a present from Nana and Popop, and I think it's been used about 10 times total. . .that's over 2 babies! Last 2 times I stuck Milo in it, he just screamed his head off the entire time.


I had my six week check, and everything is healing nicely. I did have a skidmark up by my urethra, which noone had noticed, but I felt a little when DH and I DTD. Good to know there's actually something there, and it's ot just my imagination!


I got a Medela Harmony Manual pump, which I loved. I got it from the hospital whenI had DS1. I bought another one, for Milo, and I still love it. It came with little bottles and nipples, and Milo's tried them and was fine. I was even the one who gave it to him!

OOPs, the babe awakens, got to go!

[Amber Lion]

Originally Posted by heidirk

On the subject of swings. . . they're an expensive purchase to make only to find out that your LO won't tolerate it. My swing was a present from Nana and Popop, and I think it's been used about 10 times total. . .that's over 2 babies! Last 2 times I stuck Milo in it, he just screamed his head off the entire time.

Does it just depend on the baby? Anyone's baby love their swing? Any swing recommendations? I didn't buy one and looking around online hasn't been promising. Everything has bad reviews! She just seems to need to be in motion when she's over tired and I can't always be the one to provide that motion or I'll keel over.

On another note - she's taking a bottle as I type! : Although apparently she's gagging something fierce due to the fast flow - she's a very powerful sucker.

[heidirk]

yup, depends on the baby. . .although I was able to 'convince' him the swing was ok when I swaddled him, and kept popping is nuk back in. I needed a break that day, so I was kind of persistant. . . but that's too much work.

I have a graco luv'n hug. the swing is lovely, and functions quite well, my baby just doesn't like it!

Many manufacturers of bottles and nipples have a variety of flow rates available, maybe you can find a 'slow-flow' or newborn nipple. The regular ones for exclusively FF babies are too fast for most BF babies. (IMHO)

[Amber Lion]

Ha! Well Dh just brought her in to me saying "She's hungry". I was confused, considering a couple minutes ago he'd called from the other room saying she was taking the bottle... apparently that meant she took a couple sucks on it before spitting it out. He's back in there trying again.

[sonshine_rae]

On the topic of swings .... we have a fisher price ocean wonders aquarium cradle swing, got it with my first kiddo (in 04) and it still works fine. First kid liked it okay... used it off and on. 2nd kid LIVED in it..... seriously he slept in it at night for months, with his reflux that was often the only happy place he had apart from my arms. This baby 'sometimes' likes the swing, sometimes not.... could take it or leave it.

Thankfully DH's work bought the swing for us, but they can be handy, do you have any friends with young babes that you could give her a 'test ride in' to see if she likes swinging? I loved the cradle feature on our swing it seemed to really calm the babies much better then rocking back and forth did.

AAM: Today I've been married for 5 yrs... time flies.. yesterday my first child turned 4 yrs old.... I'm telling ya'll TIME Flies!!!!! So if you have your first babe now.. hug them tight.... and take LOTS of pictures.

Ugh my nipples hurt sooooo bad with the spasms thing.. owies....

[neveryoumindthere]

i'm just sitting here sobbing and sobbing hugging my sweet baby..i really need some support..

[mkmb129]

Both of my kids have loved the swing, and I thank God for that! It's just about the only time I get a break. Also both of my kids took bottles, then stopped taking them. Ainsley hasn't had one in a week, tried to give her one last night because I was helping with a niece's school fundraiser and she wouldn't take it. Oh well, guess I won't going far!

[casemnor]

Originally Posted by neveryoumindthere

i'm just sitting here sobbing and sobbing hugging my sweet baby..i really need some support..

So sorry Mama.....no words of advice...just sending some love your way.

News from our house: I am sad to say my boobs have been officially fired from food duty. Lilith was looking increasingly thin (despite shooting up 4 inches since birth)...and despite a strong start...my milk supply seemed to be dwindling. She'd spend an hour at a time nursing, and would just be exhausted. When she wasn't sleeping, she was increasingly PISSED OFF all the time. The weigh in at the doctor's office confirmed my fears...she'd only gained a pound since last check (1 week pp). So, I offered her some supplemental formula, and since then...my milk has just completely dried up. Seriously. I suspect the claritin I was taking to try to get some relief from this horrible cold virus thing we came down with bears some of the blame. The rest of it, and I feel pretty guilty about this, I think was my negativity about having to pump when I returned to work. I've never been successful at pumping and at my "best" with my first would get an ounce from each breast if I pumped for over an hour.

FWIW, I have considered fenugreek (did not help supply issues with my first) and perhaps even some prescription strength stuff to get milk back in/up...but ultimately decided that I was fighting a losing battle and that the important thing is that Lilith is getting sufficient nutrition.

So, I'm pretty sad about it...she seems to be happy with the situation...now that she's actually being satisfied she's a different baby. So happy and content, and able to stay awake to interact etc.....I feel terrible looking back and seeing how many cues I missed that she was actually just starving all the time.

[Baby_Cakes]

Originally Posted by Amber Lion

Does it just depend on the baby? Anyone's baby love their swing? Any swing recommendations? I didn't buy one and looking around online hasn't been promising. Everything has bad reviews! She just seems to need to be in motion when she's over tired and I can't always be the one to provide that motion or I'll keel over.

Ours likes her swing! We have this one. We didn't pay that much though, lol. She even started looking at herself in the mirror and talking to herself and smiling at her reflection recently. The only drawback is the music shuts off after 15 minutes, and sometimes she needs that music to fall asleep, so you have to keep hitting the button. It runs on D cell batteries, too, no AC adapter.

Originally Posted by sonshine_rae

AAM: Today I've been married for 5 yrs... time flies.. yesterday my first child turned 4 yrs old.... I'm telling ya'll TIME Flies!!!!! So if you have your first babe now.. hug them tight.... and take LOTS of pictures.

Congrats on your anniversary and your kiddos b-day! What a great time for you!

Originally Posted by neveryoumindthere

i'm just sitting here sobbing and sobbing hugging my sweet baby..i really need some support..

Oh, mama. You have my support and understanding. Do what is right for you and your children, no one deserves to be unhappy.

Cas - Aw, I'm sorry, Mama. Personally, I think you are doing the right thing for Lilith, though. In any case, if you did want to continue bf'ing, you could still try to do it a percent of the time so that you still get the closeness and bonding -- maybe it'll make the transition easier. But hey, you have to do what is right for you guys.

AAM - Things have been MUCH better since DH is sleeping on the couch and Nora and I have the bed. I'm wondering though, what are y'all's sleeping patterns like? Here is ours (usually):

Eats at 11 pm, sleeps till 1 or 2
Eats at 1 or 2 sleeps till 4 or 5
Eats at 4 or 5 sleeps till 8, maybe 9

Then we get up and she'll doze in her swing again (and I sleep a little on the couch) until about 10-11 am.

Keeping her awake (or only allowing a short 15 min nap) from 7 pm on seems to help. Last night we sang all kinds of songs. YouTube has classic sesame street songs, so we were rocking out to the Ladybug Picnic! I can't believe I didn't think to look there before, LOL! I even remembered my Animaniacs nations of the world and sang the whole thing to her! I knew I learned that song for something!

Ok, have to make a shopping list for DH to run to the store. Hey - what are everyone's plans for Thanksgiving?? :