Post Partum Thread

[evinmom]

Since there are a few of us post partum mamas already, I figured we could start a post partum thread. Fill in whatever you feel comfortable sharing.

Screen Name:

Name:

Baby's birthdate:

Weeks post partum:

Symptoms:

Thoughts:

Baby updates:

[SilvanaRose]

Name: Sara

Baby's birthdate: Dec 5th, I found out this little guy is all fire signs lol. Sun in Sag, moon in Leo, Aries rising and a bunch of others. I wonder how it's going to be when DH and I are both watery lol.

Weeks post partum: first week

Symptoms: Still feeling a bit weak but my type A OCD cleaning personality wont let me rest. God the laundry needs to be done!

Thoughts: I love love love this little guy!!! We are still having some bf issues but my mamas group has been sooo supportive and I'm going to a LLL meeting tomorrow and they are going to watch me and hopefully help me lol. I have felt like a failure for the past 5 days

My emotions are all over the damn place. I thought pregnancy was bad lol. I have also developed an incredible 6th sense around Orin. We co-sleep and he sleeps in the middle and twice now I have woke up seconds before DH was about to roll over on him. It's kinda weird, my arm just goes out and I'm like "Whoa....baby here!" Or the other time I was having a nap with him and all of a sudden I woke up feeling like I was going to puke but instinctively picked him up and he woke up not feeling well and puked all over me lol. Poor little guy has been having the worst time with gas. My heart absolutely breaks when he cries. His bottom lip quivers and omg...... I'm a big sob fest right now.

On monday I thought I was the worst mother on the planet because I didn't know that you had to wake the baby to feed him. I thought they just woke up when they wanted food and he went almost 10 hours with nothing in his tummy and his temp dropped way too low and he went limp. I don't think I have ever cried so hard in my life. I beat myself up about that all week. Omg I just feel so bad. My poor baby.

Baby updates: Orin was 6lbs 15oz and at our 3 day check he had only lost 2oz. My milk is pretty plentiful which is nice. All I have to do is think about his little toes and literally it starts dripping LOL. It's actually kinda annoying lol.

He's really starting to open his eyes and look around. Sometimes he looks up at me when he's feeding and it's the most amazing feeling in the world. I never knew how much love I could have for someone. DH is such a great daddy too. We both can't wait till Orin can smile. We are starting to see what traits he got from each of us too and it's so amazing. He's got daddys lips and my nose. It's just so neat to see a bit of us in him. I could go on and on but I will end it here lol. I don't have as much time as I used to......hmmm...

[evinmom]

The first baby is always a brand new learning experience. There are many things I wish I had known or done differently when Gavin was born. Gavin also had a lot of latch issues and was extra sleepy because of it. I made the mistake of letting him sleep too long as well. He was born at 7 lbs 14 oz and by his 2 week appointment was down to 6 lbs 4 oz. I felt terrible. Are you pumping? If not, I would suggest you start until Orin's latch is better. Pumping will help maintain your supply, help you avoid mastitis, and you can use the milk to supplement in a bottle or other feeder instead of formula. I hope you can get some hands on help at your LLL meeting. I understand what it is like to feel like a "failure" at breastfeeding. I ended up exclusively pumping 9 months for Gavin before he could latch. I cried so much those first few months. I blamed myself for his inability to nurse. We didn't find out til he was 2 years old that he is tongue-tied. A posterior tongue-tie that no one could diagnose when he was a baby. That is why I acted super quick to resolve Everett's tongue-tie. I never want to go through what I endured when Gavin was a baby ever again.

Screen Name: evinmom

Name: Di Linh

Baby's birthdate: December 1, 2009

Weeks post partum: 10 days

Symptoms: Still a bit sore and have lingering pregnancy symptoms I was hoping would go away by now.

Thoughts: I'm okay emotionally about 90% of the time. Right now just constantly irritated by my older children who can't stop fighting and being very demanding even in circumstances that they can easily resolve on their own.

Baby updates: We had our 1 week checkup yesterday. Everett is back to birth weight despite our earlier struggles with tongue/lip tie. He is having more alert periods. His eyes opened for the first time on day 4. He lost his cord on day 5. Overall he's a very content baby right now. He loves being slung, and I haven't put him down much. It's been so long since we've had a newborn in the house. I am loving all the little newborn sounds and soft newborn cries. Makes me wish my 4 year old still had a soft cry compared the th full high-pitched scream she has been making for the past few years. LOL

[nina_yyc]

Baby's birthdate:Dec 1

Weeks post partum:1.5

Symptoms:Still healing on my tear...can't get off Tylenol/Advil cocktail. Otherwise GREAT...obviously tired from the night shift with Elliot, but DH has been off work and I am getting tons of help. I am used to being 'on' 24/7, working f/t and running the home and parenting solo for days at a time, so this is like a vacation. Maybe I need to make some life changes before I go back to work...which is luckily not for a year

Thoughts:HOW am I going to do this by myself??? DH goes back to work in a week and it's going to be the usual combo of evening shift, overtime, military commitments on evenings and weekends, and the occasional all-weekend exercise...then a military course for the full month of July and probably deploying in September.

DD has needed to be disciplined several times this week over the course of adjusting to the new sibling...I really hope this calms down soon. I am definitely the 'bad cop' in the family.

Baby updates:Elliot was already up 7oz at his appointment on Monday! I feel pretty justified in the 1 million calories I seem to need every day He is starting to fill out. He has had his eyes open long enough for a little tummy time the past couple days and I can't wait for him to be old enough to play. He's also liking the Maya Wrap..yay, because I don't know what I would do if he didn't!

Originally Posted by SilvanaRose

We are still having some bf issues but my mamas group has been sooo supportive and I'm going to a LLL meeting tomorrow and they are going to watch me and hopefully help me lol. I have felt like a failure for the past 5 days

You are not a failure! You are trying so hard to do the right thing for your little guy and you're seeing the right people. A lot of people have BF challenges especially on the first baby, so you are definitely not alone. With my first it took us 2 weeks to get into a good groove for BF (mastitis anyone?) but it lasted for 2.5 years.

[Lexi_029]

Screen Name: Lexi_029

Name: Lexi

Baby's birthdate: December 1st.

Weeks post partum: 10 days.

Symptoms: Waiting for the lochia to stop, that's about it.

Thoughts: Feeling surprisingly good. Sad that breastfeeding failed yet again but other than that, I feel fabulous.

Baby updates: Lila is finally gaining again with the formula. She lost almost 2lbs because apparently I don't have enough milk to feed her. Same thing happened with my first daughter and I was so scared that it would happen to my son that we tried to do breastfeeding and formula feed from the start. I was going to try to avoid formula with Lila but now she's on it full-time like the other two because my milk supply and nipples suck. Other than the scary weight loss and bad jaundice, she's doing beautifully. She's a great baby and rarely cries, sleeps well. She's a total snugglebug too which I love.

[thelocaldialect]

Name: Jessica

Baby's birthdate: Dec. 1st

Weeks post partum: almost 2 weeks

Symptoms: Still a bit sore, especially my feet. My stitches from where I tore have also not completely healed yet so it is a bit sore down below.

Thoughts: Since this may well be our last kid, I'm really trying to savor the newborn stage this time around. With my son I think I was impatient for him to become more interactive, to see what kind of person he'd develop into. This time around I'm just trying to enjoy her being so little, because the time goes by so fast. I am also trying to be aware of DS and his adjustment to becoming a big brother. He's doing well so far although there's been a bit of acting up at times. While I'm usually not one for visitors, we had our neice come in from Yunnan to take care of DS while we were in the hospital having Annika, and I've been really glad she's here to give DS the attention that I can't really give him at the moment. My parents and brother will be coming next week too, so he'll not be wanting for attention for the next month or so, which is good I think.

Baby updates: Annika is starting to fill out more already. She has a good latch and I've been pumping to keep my supply up. I did not do a good job breastfeeding with my son and gave up completely when I went back to work when he was 3 months because I couldn't pump enough to sustain him while I was away. Looking back, I think I was just really unprepared for breastfeeding taking as much effort as it did, and my supply was never what it should have been. This time I'm working hard on keeping my supply up and I got a new pump which is much much much more effective than my old one. She is enjoying the milk a lot -- she was up 200g already when we left the hospital on her 4th day of life! Her umbilical stump also fell off today, although the spot still seems a bit raw. She is starting to be alert for longer periods of time these past few days too. Her first week of life she was sleeping pretty much all day waking just basically for feeds, but now she's hanging out a bit more and observing things.

[Mi_LuBelle]

Sara - Hang in there Hun, you'll make it past the BF problems together. Hold him close and whisper how much you love him...and take a deep breath... remind yourself and him that you're both learning. You're at about the same time I was when my "sob fest" hit too. Can you say hormones?? That will pass too, although I still get bouts of feel good tears... wouldn't change that for the world though!

Everyone - I LOVE the names! All beautiful...


Name: Leah

Baby's birthdate: 11/23/09, Whew this house is going to be fun - T is a Sag/Scorp, I'm a Sag and DH is a Bull Anyone know if they've discovered a way to bottle patience for resale?

Weeks post partum: 2 wks 6 days

Symptoms: Still healing a bit from the 2nd degree tear. Stomach muscles are weak and my legs are still sore, but I think that's mostly from using them to get myself up and out of our nursing chair. Nipples still sore on occasion, but as we try new nursing positions we're both improving and finding our rhythm.

Thoughts: How do I put the feelings I have for Tegan into words? Nothing quite goes far enough. I've never felt so much love and anxiety in my life. When she cries - truly cries, not just those wonderful little baby complaints - my heart feels like its being ripped out of my chest. Every fiber of my being screams to pick her up and wrap her in my arms... it's irresistible and so completely satisfying once she's there and I can feel her breathing against my chest. Her little noises are captivating, as is the milk induced smile that breaks across her face when she's full and ready for a snooze. Every time I look at her I'm amazed all over again that I did this - we made this little creature - I birthed her... she's perfect.

What I'm calling the, "Crazy Post Partum Dragon Lady" is gone now. There at the end of the first week I was either balling my head off or biting someone else's off. That hormone surge is - well WHEW - glad it's over. It has its purpose, but I like being a little more in control of my senses... although I did tell a few people exactly what I thought without reservation during that little window

I'm still incredibly anxious and probably over protective, but I'm trying to do what feels right for the moment. I figure if my body was smart enough to grow this child and birth her, it probably knows what is right and wrong and if I listen to it closely enough... I will too. I'm still not good with certain people holding her for too long and if I go more than a few minutes without her in my arms, I have this compelling need to steal away into our room (aka cave) for some skin to skin time. That paired with some sunshine I've discovered is the best medicine in the entire world

Baby updates: Tegan's jaundice is pretty much gone. She's nursing like a champ now, although the first week and a half was pretty rocky. My nipples were flat and she had the worst time latching. We've got it now though and are testing out different positions to see what she and I are most comfy with. Not sure how much weight she's up, but she's definitely gaining. We're moving into her 0-3 clothes and leaving behind the NB stuff already. She's a pretty easy going little lady... as long as you don't mess with her hands. Whew - that is a lesson we learned quickly - do not try to mess with her hands. This little girl likes her freedom. Mmm. That also made BF challenging. She's discovered our mouths and when I sing to her, she's captivated. Also saw her hand yesterday and was staring for quite a while. Oh and Daddy is wrapped so tightly around her finger... I woke up to no T and no DH yesterday, but heard talking in the other room... so I go out and hear this uncommonly high pitched guy voice coming from my DH as he sings, "Do a little dance, love a little baby, get down tonight..." while he's dancing and spinning T around the living room.

[evinmom]

Originally Posted by Mi_LuBelle

I woke up to no T and no DH yesterday, but heard talking in the other room... so I go out and hear this uncommonly high pitched guy voice coming from my DH as he sings, "Do a little dance, love a little baby, get down tonight..." while he's dancing and spinning T around the living room.

That is so cute! I have barely put Everett down. DH is the only other person who I've allowed to hold him for any length of time. When I'm not holding him against me, I have mini panic attacks.

[AimeeandBrian]

Name: Aimee

Baby's birthdate: Dec. 11

Weeks post partum: 29hours

Symptoms: some muscle soreness. but i had no tearing or trauma, so down there is good. the afterpains are AWFUL.
The worst part has been borthing while fighting a cold. I could have had a wonderful night's sleep last night, but i was up coughing while baby and husband slept.

Thoughts: i have an INTENSE need to postpartum nest. i want to dress him up, have a photoshoot and organize and make our home pretty. but I am stuck in this bed! argh!. DH tries to help, but he's also on jealous toddler duty.

Baby updates: he is perfect. reeeeeally likes to eat.

[Tattooed Hand]

Name: Mana

Baby's birthdate: 12/9

Weeks post partum: 5 days

Symptoms: I have two stitches on my inner labia and they really hurt. Everytime I pee and any time I sit in particular positions. I also had a mini crash tonight when my mom arrived and I grieved for the loss of my babymoon. She is here to help and has already been a real life saver and I know it's hormonal. Breast feeding made me feel a little better. Other than that, I am in pretty good shape. My bleeding is fairly light and things are shrinking back.

Thoughts: My grades are due tomorrow and I still need to write two of the evals before I can send them off. Bleh. It's cold outside and I want my stitches to heal.

I am really paranoid about my baby losing too much weight (she was 6lbs 2oz at birth) and so I am sticking a breast in her mouth if she shows even the slightest bit of interest. I am also paranoid that I won't have enough milk. My midwife really thinks it's a bad idea to pump at this point because then I'll be perpetually engorged (my breasts were rock hard and painful last night, I had to massage them into a bowl of water) and that I should just let them adjust naturally to the baby's changing needs. I'm not sure what I think of this...

Baby updates: I lovelovelove Rassa. She is small and exquisite. She is also a very good baby, mellow and calm and hardly cries. Our latch issues have improved vastly. I've been detaching her if she gets a bad latch and trying again. The good latch is coming more often on its own. My nipples are way less sore. My milk came in with a vengance yesterday and she's been nursing much more and filling more diapers and it is a huge relief. I was in tears and ready to give up Friday night because I couldn't get her to eat much and it hurt when I could.

I'm a bit worried about combating PPD without being able to exercise (even take walks). The stitches don't feel less sore yet. WHEN?!

OK, I have to go sleep while I can...

[evinmom]

Mana - Definitely sleep while you can. Getting enough sleep is very important for keeping PPD at bay. I agree about not pumping too much. If you already have abundant supply it will just encourage it. Use cabbage leaves or anti-inflammatory meds to help with engorgement. Engorgement is only part milk. The bulk of it is endema so an anti-inflammatory really helps. Keeping the areola soft will help with better latch as well. If you need to relieve engorgement try hand expressing. It won't overstimulate your breasts. Although if you need to draw out your nipples due to engorgement, you can try pushing back the edema with firm pressure using your fingers or pumping just enough to draw out the nipples. Feeding baby on cue is great for maintaining your supply. Just keep following your instincts mama! Your supply will stablize soon.

[Brisen]

Baby's birthdate: Nov 23

Weeks post partum: 3

Symptoms: Lochia very light, occasionally engorged a bit but mostly my supply seems to have worked itself out, abs still useless

Thoughts: Things have been going fairly well, I think. I was a weepy, emotional mess when my milk came in. I've started taking a B vit and fish oil to help my mood, and it seems to be working. I'm still feeling very introverted, and like I just want to sit with the baby all day long. My older kids are doing the typical acting up reaction to a major change, and it is so incredibly irritating. My 5 yo dd especially is in looove with the baby and constantly in his space, patting him or jiggling him (like I do when I'm burping him) or hugging him or trying to pick him up.... aaaarg.

How much is anyone getting out of the house? I'm feeling OK, but it's a huge ordeal to get us all anywhere. We've taken Anders to a check up, ILs once, and church once. I felt like it was more than enough; dh seems to think it's weird to be so much at home (he and the kids have been out regularly). I started thinking maybe I was staying in too much, and made the effort to go to church yesterday. But then I had people commenting with surprise that I was up and about already.

Baby updates: Anders mostly eats and sleeps, with a couple of stretches of awake time and a couple of fussy periods each day. He wakes regularly (every 1 - 2 hours) to eat at night, but goes right back to sleep. And he poops every time he nurses. Every diaper change is poopy. Poor guy is getting a bit of a rash.

He was 5-14 at birth, 5-10 on day 5, and 6-15 on day 16, when we went in for a check up. I'm eating constantly, too.

[evinmom]

Everett poops all the time too. LOL Well we've only been out to places I've been forced to go. For example the ENT for Everett's surgery when he was 2 days old, the pediatrician for his first check-up on day 3, and then the probate court to apply for his birth certificate on day 6. We did end up going out for a short trip to a Christmas store on Sunday (crazy idea I regretted once we arrived). I haven't taken all 3 kids by myself anywhere yet and don't plan to until January. The only other place I might go before January is out to lunch next week with DH and some friends while a babysitter watches my older two kids. I don't really want to go out in all honesty though. It's cold and flu season. I'd rather just sit at home and let my boobs hang out. LOL

[Lori1604]

Name: Lori

Baby's birthdate: Amanda Nicole was born Tuesday, 12/8 at 8:25 a.m. and was 8 lbs, 1 oz and 20 3/4 inches via c-section.

Weeks post partum: 1 week

Symptoms: Heavy, somewhat engorged breasts; ever-decreasing lochia; some residual c-section incision pain that gets better every day since last Tuesday; some insomnia/inability to stay asleep (not baby-related, more mommy-anxiety-related)

Thoughts: I am SO GLAD to be home from the hospital. The first five days were pretty hairy. I was unable to fall asleep/stay asleep starting with the night at home before my c-section (last Monday night). I was so stressed about it that when I got to the hospital for the procedure on Tuesday morning, my BP was 190/100. Luckily, the procedure went well and there have not been any complications except for the expected abdominal tenderness, which has been improving daily. It has been pretty cold here lately, but today was milder and I went for a short walk around my cul-de-sac for the first time since before the baby got here. It felt good to get outside for even 15 minutes or so.

Baby updates: Amanda Nicole will be one week old tomorrow and is just the light of our lives. I cannot stop staring at her. She is beautiful and seems to be fairly mellow so far. We have been having some latch issues, and there was a lot of initial concern about jaundice and her lack of interest in eating, so I started pumping several times a day while in the hospital and have been pumping exclusively since then. I have been a milk machine! LOL. Have already started freezing bags of milk as of yesterday. Amanda is doing much better, has much more interest in eating, her jaundice is gone and she has gained weight. Also, the exclusive pumping has allowed my husband to become very involved in feeding her himself, as well as allowing my parents to bond with her while feeding her. Also it gives me a much-needed break. I think everyone wins. She seems to be hungrier between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. than she is during the day.

[Mi_LuBelle]

Originally Posted by evinmom

That is so cute! I have barely put Everett down. DH is the only other person who I've allowed to hold him for any length of time. When I'm not holding him against me, I have mini panic attacks.

Did that too the first week and a half.. an still have tiny bouts of it where we both have to go topless and I can feel her against me. It makes all the world come into focus

[Mi_LuBelle]

Originally Posted by evinmom

I'd rather just sit at home and let my boobs hang out. LOL

Ok you killed me w/that 1 cause it's totally how I feel. I get urges to go out, and then really just revert to wanting to keep "the twins" out and ready

We've gone to the ped twice, great grandma's house and the chiro. I stopped at Target too, but DH drove around the parking lot w/ Tegan while I ran in. Anywhere we go I'm wiped afterward though and usually end up regretting it to some degree.

[nina_yyc]

Originally Posted by Brisen

My older kids are doing the typical acting up reaction to a major change, and it is so incredibly irritating. My 5 yo dd especially is in looove with the baby and constantly in his space, patting him or jiggling him (like I do when I'm burping him) or hugging him or trying to pick him up.... aaaarg.

OMG...I thought I was the only one with a crazy child at home who was doing this. On one hand I'm glad she doesn't hate the baby, but it's soooo annoying. DH and I have had to give out more than a few 'timeouts' since DD is not nearly as gentle as she thinks she is(we don't really do TOs but we remove DD from the situation and sit her down for a talk, under much protest.)

Originally Posted by Brisen

How much is anyone getting out of the house?

We took Elliot to the mandatory public health nurse and 1 week doctor checkup and to the grandparents for Hannukah. I've been on a few quick errand runs between feeds but that's it. DH and I had the greatest date night the other night...sent Libby to a kids' Hannukah party at the synagogue with my parents and watched a movie with Elliot in our laps and heated up leftovers. I am NOT a homebody and our apt. is tiny and I can't wait to get OUT, but I don't want to take Elliot to public places because of flu season and can't really go out for walks since it's been below -20C every single day. We haven't had many visitors either since the roads have been awful and lots of people are sick. Looking forward to January...planning on signing DD up for some programs at the library and starting back at the gym.

[cloudbutterfly]

Screen Name: cloudbutterfly

Name: Cloud

Baby's birthdate: 11/21

Weeks post partum: Almost 4 (wow)

Symptoms: Bleeding is almost over, thank goodness. Or at least it's slowed to a small amount every day, since I have no idea how long it will be before it's really over. I'm getting pains in my side and hip on my right side, seemingly from sitting on the couch all day (and night). That makes me feel like exercising, but I can really feel it in my abs even when I just stretch a little, so I guess I should hold off.

Thoughts: I feel like I'm being torn apart inside, because on the one hand, I never ever want him to get bigger and stop being this perfect armful of adorable cuddles, but on the other, I'm looking forward to certain thing, like him being able to hold his own head up so I can stop worrying about it. I'm an awful worrier by nature to begin with. For instance, today I'm making myself wear him in my Moby wrap because I've only done it twice so far because I'm not absolutely sure I have the head position right in the newborn hug hold and I feel compelled to check on his breathing every 15 seconds. I keep fussing with him because I'm nervous about getting it wrong, which probably annoys him because he's quite comfortable sleeping in his favorite place, up against Mommy's chest. So I need to get more comfortable. I won't put him down in the swing or the reclineable high chair we have because I worry that the position is like what he'd be in with a infant car seat carrier, and I've read about the oxygen issues with those, and since I don't know if the same would be true in the swing I end up carrying him constantly...you get the picture. My mom has been great for calming my paranoia about a lot of things, but she didn't have swings or Moby wraps, so she doesn't know any more than I do about those things, probably less.

I kind of wish I didn't know that the baby stage passes so quickly, because it upsets me to think about only having this version of him for such a short, short time. But on the other hand, at least it reminds me to be present in the moment more often than I might be otherwise, and to memorize everything about him. I've been trying to find little bits of time to write the long version of my birth story and a free form list of all the things I don't want to forget, but usually if I'm awake, I'm feeding him or trying to eat, or on the couch watching TV between cluster feedings in the evenings.

At least the "baby blues" stage is in the past now. Our breastfeeding/weight gain issues made the first two weeks very stressful for me, even though I had him gaining more than an ounce a day by the time he was six days old at the very latest. The worst was the day we got home from the hospital, when suddenly breastfeeding no longer worked in the one position I'd gotten comfortable in. I couldn't seem to make it work no matter what, and he was still in his sleepy baby stage, so I had limited awake time to try with him, and when he fell asleep for a few hours I felt like such a failure that I couldn't stop bawling into my bowl of pasta when my father-in-law showed up to help out around the house. Later, I realized my shirt had been unbuttoned the entire time (which I find embarrassing despite the fact that I breastfeed in front of just about anyone who comes over...I figure if they choose to come into my space during the babymoon, they have to accept that the little guy needs to eat pretty much all the time, and I don't have the energy to do it modestly!). I felt like such a failure, and even though I knew the "I can't feed my own child" was a common thing to get so upset about, I couldn't help it. Fortunately, DH got me to try breastfeeding with a My Brest Friend once Nimbus woke up, and *bam!*, it suddenly worked again. Of course, now I'm stuck needing both a breastfeeding pillow and a nipple shield to feed him, which makes going out in public more difficult for the forseeable future, but as long as he's eating plenty and it's all my own milk, that's the important thing. The rest we can work on. He doesn't absolutely refuse to nurse without the nipple shield, so I assume we'll move past it as he gets bigger and his jaw loosens up more.

Once I got him back up to his birth weight and had the go ahead to feed him only on demand, the stress went away. Not quite completely away, since he still has the occasional sleepy day and I have a hard time deciding when to worry and wake him and when to let him sleep, but I've been able to relax and enjoy the experience a lot more when I don't have to report to a doctor every few days.

Baby updates: Hmm...well, not much has changed in the last two weeks or so. Last week he started sticking his tongue out, which made me happy because I think it shows that things are loosening up and he'll be able to latch on properly soon. He's been holding his head up really well since he was first born, and now he's pushing himself up my torso when I give him a hand to push against with his feet. That results in him giving me a lot of accidental kisses on the cheek, which I love. He's a big fan of the black and white picture books we have. I "read" him one for the first time on Thanksgiving, and he paid complete attention to it the whole time. He still does now, and he reaches out to try to touch the pictures. He also really likes looking at the rows of books on our bookshelves, so he's hopefully going to grow up to be a bookworm like his mom is, or was when she had time to read.

He's started spitting up more this week, especially the last two days. He's always been a spitter, so I'm hoping that it's just him getting more and more milk. He's certainly peeing and pooping a ton, so at least I know more is staying down than coming up. It's just gotten more frequent and in bigger amounts, and I'm not sure when that warrants a call to the pediatrician. I'm hoping never, since I think it's still with in the normal range. It's only the increase that has me watching things closely.

[Awaken]

Baby's birthdate: 12/12

Weeks post partum: one week tomorrow! how can it be??!! I feel like it all just happened yesterday!

Symptoms: mainly horrible engorgement, which I feared it is soooooo painful. my breasts are like rocks almost all the time and feel badly bruised. I know all the tricks, but none of them seem to work for me. Sometimes it gets so unbearable I have to pump, but then I"m afraid that by pumping I'm just telling them to make more milk! Augh. It's so weird seeing my double A's as massive double D's!

Thoughts: So many. where to begin??It's been a great postpartum time so far. I have 2 weeks completely off with dh home, then he works part time, plus extra days here and there for the holidays. I am totally vegging out and only doing what I feel like. I am doing a little bit of housework meal prep, etc but 90% of the time laying in bed reading or sitting here online while I nurse. I'll never get to do it again in my life so I"m going to fully take advantage of it now!

I am still terrified of being alone with 3 kids. It seems like an insurmountable task. I have been alone with 1 kid + the baby and that is manageable, but in less than a month from now I'll have to be getting up at 7am, getting 3 kids ready and in the car, doing the school run, and then alone with 2 of them all day while homeschooling DS1, or all 3 of them on the days DS2 doesn't have school, for 12 hours every day. I just can't see how I'll do it.

Oh, and I am totally NOT leaving the house! My other 2 births I got right up and went for walks and grocery shopping, etc, but this time all I want to do is stay here in my cocoon! I have no desire to be out in the "real world"! It doesn't help that it's freezing cold here, I have no warm clothes that fit me, and a huge 2 -day snowstorn is expected tonight! It is also too hard with my massive boobies and leaking milk to think about managing all that in public, I have to be topless with cloth diapers soaking up the milk in order to feed her! Plus I am really sensitive to germs out there this year, and want to avoid public places. We did do the "mandatory" ped visit on day 3 but I did not enjoy that experience at all!

Baby updates: OOhhh, she is such a squishy, adorable thing. We all adore her. She nurses so incredibly well- from birth she latched on with abandon and hasn't quit since. Even with my hugely overabundant milk supply she so diligently nurses away, rarely coughing, and dealing so well with the rush of milk coming at her! It makes me sad to think she is probably already well over her birth weight, and will be just huge soon!

Originally Posted by cloudbutterfly

I kind of wish I didn't know that the baby stage passes so quickly, because it upsets me to think about only having this version of him for such a short, short time. But on the other hand, at least it reminds me to be present in the moment more often than I might be otherwise, and to memorize everything about him. I've been trying to find little bits of time to write the long version of my birth story and a free form list of all the things I don't want to forget,

I know, I am totally trying to memorize everything about her at this stage. It all seems so fleeting and my other kids seem so big now (4 and 7). I don't want to forget her wonderful smell and baby noises. I am doing the same- just freeform writing down everything I'm enjoying about right now. I only started the pregnancy journal towards the end of preg. so this is just as much a postpartum journal. little things like, on the day after the birth I looked outside my window and the bluejays and chickadees were all sitting on a tree branch out there.

Originally Posted by cloudbutterfly

He's started spitting up more this week, especially the last two days. He's always been a spitter, so I'm hoping that it's just him getting more and more milk. He's certainly peeing and pooping a ton, so at least I know more is staying down than coming up. It's just gotten more frequent and in bigger amounts, and I'm not sure when that warrants a call to the pediatrician. I'm hoping never, since I think it's still with in the normal range. It's only the increase that has me watching things closely.

I think I read when my DS2 was a baby, that spitting up increases, and peaks around 8 weeks, then should decrease. That's when I realized he was sensitive to pastuerized dairy, because after 8 wks it actually increased instead of improved. So around this age I think it might just be normal. But trust your instincts if you feel something warrants attention!

[carmel23]

all of my 4 kids are asleep at the same time! :
Screen Name: carmel

Name: carmel

Baby's birthdate: 12/12/09

Weeks post partum: one week tomorrow!

Symptoms: ugh, I am moody and my boobs hurt. They're not engorged exactly, but still more full then they should be. I am trying to keep the milk flowing with a bit of massage to keep the mastitis away. My arms and neck and back are sore, mainly from poor posture from nursing weird. I need to get a nursing pillow! I've just been using whatever pillow or blanket is around and it isn't cutting it.

Thoughts: I can't believe he is here, and I keep thinking about his birth, which I am still writing his birth story. It was really great, and except for the horrid back labor, I loved every minute of it.

My big kids are adjusting alright. I'm glad no one has school for the next two weeks, and there are fun things for them to do. My dd who is algmost 3 *loves* the baby, my 5 year-old ds makes up the cutest songs to sing to him, and my big 8 year-old talks about how they will play together when he is bigger. OMG, I'm so in love with all of them right now! Even when the 3 year-old cries and screams (she is still adjusting to mama not being able to take her on fun adventures everyday). DH has been good about doing things with her.

I've been a total hermit, too and loving it. I've done some laundry and other things around the house, but mostly sit around eating and drinking and snuggling with my kids I am kind of freaked out about what will happen when DH goes back to work, but we'll be okay.

I'm freaked about people having colds/flu, too. My brother has a bad cold and my parents now have caught it.

They're good about not wanting to hold the baby, but man-- I want to ask them to wear a mask or something! I gave them a bunch of emergenC today and hopefully they'll take it and get rid of the cold. They aren't coughing or anything, and mainly just take the big kids places, but it makes it hard to relax, you know?

Baby updates: Nicolas is a sweet little guy. Nursing well, sleeping well (I totally stopped drinking coffee to make sure of it!). He loves to look at the Christmas lights on the tree and the other lights in the house.

He is super strong, and has really good head control and is just a solid little guy.
He hates sponge baths and his cord is pretty much healed so he can have a real bath, hopefully maybe tomorrow or the next day. I did soak his little bottom in the sink today, below the belly, because he really need it.

I'm enjoying reading all the updates and how all the babies are doing. I'm finding it hard to get to the computer every day, but like to read while nursing. There are so many posts I want to respond to, but can't because I'm NAK!