New Baby Chat Thread - Page 3

[starling&diesel]

As for us ... it's been a hard few weeks but not because of Esmé.
DP's job is ending and we're looking at a big move that neither of us want to make, away from our dear wee mountain village to the big bad wretched city.
I've been so sad to have to move ourselves and our dogs and cat to a little iddy biddy condo or apartment and away from our house and garden.
We might not have to after all, as DP has a lead on a chef job here.
Wish us luck!

As for Esmé ... our big focus right now is nursing. That's it.
And holding each other close during the "fourth trimester" ... the Dr Karp book has been a life saver. Swaddling gives us long, restful nights with two short times of nursing, with her not even fully waking up (or me either for that matter).

The only thing I'd like is to introduce the pacifier to her as she is super duper sucky and will just hang out on my boob for ages. The midwife wants us to wait until 6 weeks, and so would I ... three more weeks to go. And maybe by then we won't even need it!

We're loving our Ergo carrier, but she's not so much into the ring sling AT ALL. The moby she's still undecided about.

[firefly mama]

Originally Posted by starling&diesel

heinz... I've been struggling with supply issues and am taking fenugreek and blessed thistle capsules, domperidone and pumping with a hospital grade pump. I'm also block feeding and switch feeding. I think the domperidone has us finally turning a corner at last!

Ahh, this sounds like me with my first two kids. The domperidone has been a life-saver for me. It works so well. Too bad it is such a pain in the arse to get in the US. Stupid FDA...

Anyway, my supply concerns and my babies' weight issues have been further complicated by them not pooping, sometimes for more than a week. It seems to be okay for my babies to do this (behavior is fine, wet diapers are fine, even gaining okay), but it is still very stressful.

Now with this 3rd baby, we're watching very carefully again. She lost 13 oz in 3 days, but is gaining now. We'll check her weight again today (1 week old). Like my other kids, her poop schedule is not what they say it should be. But she's content and peeing fine. I haven't started domperidone yet, so I still have that tool in the closet if I need it.

She's such a sweetheart. I can't believe she's only been here for 1 week.

[Vegan Princess]

Starling: I am right there with you taking the supps and pumping like mad. How much domperidone do you take? I am still considering ordering some. I was told you can order it from inhousepharmacy.com since it's hard to get in the US. Any idea how much it has increased your supply? I don't want to take meds but if it can help significantly I will try it.

Firefly mama: My DD didn't poop for an entire week...in the midst of my just starting to stress over supply issues. But the pediatrician never worried since her diapers were wet...he said she was likely using everything and didn't have waste. Now she poops every other day or so. It's like she saves it up and when I change her she just keeps pooping and pooping...I have to wait and wait for her to finish. It's like a little playdoh spaghetti factory. LOL.

I got some in person advice on how to tie the moby wrap yesterday from a local store since mine had been given to me with no instructions. I was doing it slightly wrong. Now that I have it perfected Makenna seems to really like it. She's sleeping in it now and letting me eat my lunch.

Cindy

[starling&diesel]

Originally Posted by Vegan Princess

Starling: I am right there with you taking the supps and pumping like mad. How much domperidone do you take? I am still considering ordering some. I was told you can order it from inhousepharmacy.com since it's hard to get in the US. Any idea how much it has increased your supply? I don't want to take meds but if it can help significantly I will try it.

My midwife prescribed two 10 mg pills 4 times a day for a month.
I used to get nothing when I pumped after feeding her, and now I get about an ounce combined. For me, that's a lot!
Also, my breasts feel fuller faster and more often. And she's gulping at the left breast, which she didn't do before. My right breast is a lot more sluggish, but catching up. Most importantly, our wee girl gained about 15 grams a day since I started taking it.
My midwife says that there is no evidence that domperidone is necessary long term, but that it is more for helping to establish your supply at the beginning.
I am sooo sorry that it is so hard to come by in the states. : So unfair.
I highly recommend it.

[Vegan Princess]

Starling: Thank you! I'm glad it's helping you. I'm getting about an ounce right now as well. I just tried 2 things that are helping a little..I got the large size flange for the pump and I finally tried nursing her while pumping the other side.

[firefly mama]

Originally Posted by Vegan Princess

Firefly mama: My DD didn't poop for an entire week...in the midst of my just starting to stress over supply issues. But the pediatrician never worried since her diapers were wet...he said she was likely using everything and didn't have waste. Now she poops every other day or so. It's like she saves it up and when I change her she just keeps pooping and pooping...I have to wait and wait for her to finish. It's like a little playdoh spaghetti factory. LOL.

That describes my earlier kids exactly! Our ped stressed over it the first time it happened with my first, but once we realized she was gaining okay, peeing okay, and everything else, he kinda mellowed out. DD went 9 days (from day 2 to day 10), and that was his limit, but luckily she pooped at that point. Then she went every week for the next two months. DS did similar. Both are fine poopers now. So far this baby went on day 1, 2, and 5. We'll see what comes next.

[CandyApple]

QUOTE from LARRISA I put all 3 of my boys on their bellies to sleep. It was the only way I could get my oldest to sleep more than 40 minutes in a row. And my other two slept better that way too. I had a hard time doing it with my 1st son, but after that it didn't seem like a big deal. If you look at the list of possible reasons for SIDS, belly sleeping is one of theories among several. I always find it interesting that at the hospital they emphasize NEVER putting baby on their bellies to sleep . . .and say it again upon discharge . . . but they never once told me not to smoke around my baby. (no, I don't smoke, I'm just saying that smoking around a baby can cause SIDS too, so why don't they tell everyone not to smoke around their babies? Or why don't they emphasize that just as much?)

I agree with all of this. So far Milo is OK on his side, swaddled, for a while. We'll see how long it lasts, both of my other guys ended up on their tummies before too long.

On another note, my sweet, precious baby has the ugliest pimple right smack on his plump cheek. Call me awful, but I just want to pick the little white head. I won't, of course, and I know it is normal and temporary, but its just there - taunting me!

[tak]

Pelham is eight days old today and I can't believe how enamoured we are with him. He is seriously the best thing ever. He sleeps pretty well most of the time, but he HATES being on his back so he usually falls asleep in the bouncy chair and then we transfer him to the bassinet.

My nipples are flat and no amount of stimulation will make them latch-able -- they're really dense and my boobs are huge to boot. I'm using a nipple shield, but nursing has been really rough -- my milk didn't come in until day 5, I wasn't getting enough sleep and I really felt stressed out about feeding for a few days. On Sunday Pel nursed all day but on Monday he screamed at the breast every time I tried to nurse and he only latched on for one feed. I've been pumping and feeding him EBM and luckily my supply is really good, but it's tiring. Nursing with the shield is also hard -- he likes to swat his arms around and he can knock it off. I give each feed 15 minutes to try to get him latched on, and if he doesn't I give him a bottle of EBM. Those fifteen minutes of hearing him shriek and refuse to latch on are so, so hard.

My doctor got me in to see a doctor in town who's a lactation specialist so I will see her on Thursday and hopefully learn some tricks.

Other than the nursing, everything is going well. I love my little Pelham so darn much. :

[Jenivere]

Today we weighed ourselves with and without Wren and she weighs about 8.5 which is around a 10oz gain. Considering any weight loss she might have had and the fact that she is only 11 days old, thats about an oz a day so I'm happy.

[Everrgreen]

tak - do you mean he won't latch even with the nipple shield? We used a nipple shield in the beginning but have now weaned. While weaning him off of it I would give him time to try and latch on without it but once he got frustrated I would then use the shield. The LC and my midwife both said to not let him get frustrated at the breast to avoid a bad association. Another tip is to have a bath with your baby and try and latch him on there - this really worked for us!

re sleep schedule - Royce does not have one at all. If we're lucky we'll go to bed at 10 or 11 and he'll sleep until 2, then 5, then 8. But he had a night where he was up every hour, and another where he was up from 4 until 6 grunting away, it's really random most of the time. And he always sleeps on his side facing me as we always fall asleep nursing.

As for me - Royce is doing very well. He has a very sore looking rash around his anus which I'm worried may be allergy induced. It doesn't look like typical diaper rash and it's only right around the anus. I'm trying to keep it clean and am putting a diaper cream on it. I feel so bad for him though, it looks so painful.