Queer and Newborn! - Page 4

[Scalpel]

Hey its so not crazy because that is exactly what DP and I are going thru. Right when DD was born we knew we wanted them close in age and it just felt to start the process ASAP....this time with me in the drivers seat. Congrats on your lil girl!! The more babies the better!!

[Raene]

She's gorgeous!!!! Congrats!!!

[MujerMamaMismo]

: Awesome news S&D! So glad you had such a positive experience. Congratulations.
Welcome Esme!

[2happymamas]

Hey, everyone! I posted some new pictures of Coco on the blog. She's so freaking cute that I can't stand it!

[Raene]

Aww, she's such a darling, 2happymamas!!!

[smartycat]

2HM, CoCo is adorable!!! But you better watch out, S+D's daughter, Esme, is going to give her a run for her money

How has new mother hood been going? Have the first few weeks been about what you imagined? Worse? Better? Anything unexpected?

Oh, and MMM... your son is a cutie too! Is the weather there any better? I was reading your blog about how crazy hot it was.

[MujerMamaMismo]

Actually, it's kind of like hell here at the moment. Saturday was our hottest day on record (46.4c) and with it brought horrific bushfires that have burned half the state, killed over 100ppl and destroyed hundreds, maybe thousands of homes. We've lost one of our sources of income but that's incidental compared to the real tragedy.

DP's parents are currently trapped on their property with fire on all sides and all roads closed. They tried to leave on Saturday but the roads were already closed. We're very scared. Poor DS has had to deal with such intensity in heat and in emotion and is pretty highly strung right now. Our content little soul is not so content right now. I'm trying hard to put all my energy into calm for him.

[JenInMpls]

MMM, that's super scary and they will be in my thoughts.

[smartycat]

Oh my gosh, MMM, that is so scary! I hope DP's parents get through this OK. I wish I could send some MI snow your way.

You are very much in my thoughts.

[starling&diesel]

Oh, MMM ... many chilly Canadian prayers coming your way from me!!! :

As for us, we just found out that DP's restaurant will be closing. :

With the economy the way it is (even in Canada ...) we've decided to take her company's offer of a transfer to one of the restaurants in the city. So we put our house on the market, and are trying to stay optimistic, although moving with a newborn is not my idea of a good time. We'll miss our little mountain village ... but on the plus side, Esmé and I can go to the pool! No pool here. AND we're looking at real estate in the lesbian gaybourhood, which means other queer mums! AND my sister lives in the gaybourhood (along with many friends) so we'll have a lot more support.

Look at me, trying to play the glad game!

[tigermiep]

wtg, pollyanna. :

MMM, we are thinking of and praying for everyone in Victoria....

[simcon]

MMM--how scary--I hope all cools off and calms down soon!!

S&D--way to look on the bright side! I'm sorry you'll have to leave your little mountain village, but glad there are some positives. We also moved with a lo (2.5 months and again when she was 6 mos., 18 mos., and 3.5 yrs.), and it wasn't bad. At 2.5 mos she wasn't attached to where we lived, wasn't mobile and slept a lot during the packing and moving--all in all, not painful. We'll probably be moving with a 3 month old this time (and his 6 y.o. sister)--and I hope that'll be the last one for a while!

[KnittingTigers]

MMM- Thinking safe and healthy vibes for you.

We're doing well here, and for anyone who's interested, I *finally* posted my birth story on Ocean's blog.

[2happymamas]

Has anyone heard from MMM? I have been reading the news reports and am thinking about her and her family.

[2happymamas]

Originally Posted by smartycat

2HM, CoCo is adorable!!! But you better watch out, S+D's daughter, Esme, is going to give her a run for her money

How has new mother hood been going? Have the first few weeks been about what you imagined? Worse? Better? Anything unexpected?

No need for anyone to run for their money...They are both absolutely beautiful. Just beautiful.

Motherhood. Wow.

The first few days (first week, really) were unbeleivably hard. The lack of sleep was overwhelming and breastfeeding did not go exactly as planned. I could not get her to latch at all and she was not getting any food. I started pumping her colustrum and giving it to her on the very tip of a spoon. Once my milk barely started coming in, we were feeding her through a syringe. It was really, really hard. Then my milk came in when she was about five days old. I remember standing in the hallway, holding her, and we were both crying. She wanted to eat (but still could not latch) and my freaking boobs hurt so badly. We both just sobbed. There was concern she lost too much weight (one pound in less than three days) and I started giving her my pumped milk in the bottle.

She wanted to eat so much and I was not producing enough milk to keep her satisfied. I ended up supplementing about 3 to 6 ounces per days with formula. I really had no idea what to do -- my baby was screaming in hunger and I could.not.pump.one.drop. We finally bought nipple shields and she has been much happier. She can latch and LOVES the boob now. Man, she really loves it.

We saw LC's three weeks ago and Coco has not had any formula for a little over three weeks. All in all, I supplemented for a week and a half...maybe two weeks at the most. We went back to see the LC's last night and are now working on getting her off the shield and to latch properly. She likes to try to only suck my nipple.

The troubles with breastfeeding really surprised me. I seriously thought I would put her on my boob, she would eat, and everyone would be happy. I was so wrong.

Not having access to LC's immediately after her birth has been the only downside to homebirthing. I think a lot of these problems may have been avoided if we had easier access to an LC immediayrly after she was born.

Okay, that's the feeding. Baby crying now and I will write more about other things later.

[smartycat]

Wow, thanks for the update! Good to hear the breast feeding is going better now. We really worry that something will go wrong and we will just give up. Our biggest concern is raw nipples.

I too worry about MMM and have had her in my thoughts.

[MujerMamaMismo]

Fly by...
We're fine and so is our family who were eventually evacuated. Don't know about the house but given the human tragedy of all this, we don't really care. They are anticipating 300 dead. We know several of those who didn't make it and expect to know more. It's utterly horrific.
The fires are still raging.
Thanks for your thoughts and concern.

2hm- love your post. Great to hear all your experiences. Might try and write up something similar when everything settles down...

[smartycat]

MMM, glad to hear your family is OK and much condolences for those you have lost. I can't even begin to imagine...

[JenInMpls]

MMM i read a story on the beeb about the fires and I can't even imagine. I am glad your inlaws are safe but sad for your losses and the area as a whole. Keeping you all in my thoughts.

2hm glad you came out on the other side of nursing woes! It is not as blissfully easy as it's made out to be, and I think part of it is the fact that we aren't necessarily surrounded by natural built-in breastfeeding support in the form of moms, aunts, sisters, grandmas and friends.

AAU: Jo is sick with a cold and I got my period back. Plus all of T's friends are sick so we're just having a jolly good time.

[starling&diesel]

Ah, boobage issues.
Esmé also lost a chunk of her birth weight while we were waiting for the milk to come in. She mortally wounded my left boob with a poor latch at the beginning ... but a week later it's healed. And the milk is in and she nurses all.the.time. She's slowly gaining her weight back, and at two weeks old isn't back at her birth weight. But she's got lots of wet and dirty dipes, so the midwive isn't too worried. My left boob has been christened Parton, after dear Dolly as it is ample and jolly ... and my right boob has been christened Swank, after slender, wee Hilary ... as it is about half the size of my left one.

Esmé's wee belly button stub fell off today. She's growing up so soon!

As for us ... we're tired but blissful with her around. We have the added pressure of needing to move because DP's restaurant is closing so we're transferring to another restaurant. Which means selling the house, which in this climate ain't a bowl of cherries. It's hard to juggle selling this one, looking for one in the city three hours away, and taking time to just be with Esmé, sitting in the late winter sun and nursing together. We do that as much as possible.

Nights are a challenge ... she's sleeping with us, which is nice because I don't have to get out of bed to comfort her. We'd like her to transition to the side-car bassinet, but she won't have anything to do with it. She goes on hours long nursing marathons in the middle of the night and howls if I dare set her down.

Are you really supposed to nurse until they pop themselves off? Really? She'd hang out there all hours of the day and night. I think she's doing some comfort sucking ... but I don't want to introduce a paci until waaay later, if at all.