Post Partum Thread - Page 2

[Brisen]

Awaken -- ouch, I hope your engorgement is better soon. I think that's the worst part of the post partum stage. Have you tried anti-inflammatory meds? I had never heard of it before evinmom suggested it.

[nannymom]

subbing now that i'm pp

[milimama]

Screen Name: milimama

Baby's birthdate: 12/10/09

Weeks post partum: 1 week, 2 days

Symptoms: my c-section isn't as painful as the first, but I'm still bleeding which sucks. My tummy has all but gone away, minus some extra skin, which I'm psyched about because I gained more weight than most.

Thoughts: What a happy baby mine must be. She spends her nights cuddled up and nursing and her days being held and nursing. I am pretty sad this is my last one, honestly. I love this.

Baby updates: She weighed 7lbs and 4 oz at birth and she's already 7lbs 11oz. She nurses ALOT. She had a bit of jaundice, which is going away. All of my blonde babies had it, including one of my twins. Weird. She's also a bit crabby with everyone but me, just like my other blonde babies. My husband thinks it's because she wasn't ready to come out. He might be right. I would've much preferred a natural birth, but I do have a healthy baby! Either way she's got a great environment now from what I can tell. Snuggle, nurse, sleep, repeat.

[ithappened]

Baby's birthdate: Dec 14

Symptoms: my boobs are like yellowstone, i am so engorged they shoot out a foot and saturate 5-6 shirts in a night (pads do nothing). I am wrapping towels around my chest and have to change them out 1-3 times a night because they soak throw. I recovered fast from labor but my physical endurance is shot- I can walk about 10 mins before feeling like I need to lay down. The PPD feels like its creeping up but Im not sure if thats from lack of sleep, the upcoming holidays or if its actually PPD...

Thoughts: I want my mom. I'm having a lot of trouble not overdoing it now that were home. I really wish I had stayed longer at the birth center- if only because it forced me to do nothing but baby care, eat and lay in bed.

Baby updates: hes been super easy, super mellow and great until tonight... he's been crying since 8pm (its 430 almost ) I have tried everything 2-4 times over and he just wont stop. violent screaming cries I feel like a terrible mom. I'm so exhausted and feel like i need a break already

[carmel23]

Originally Posted by ithappened

Baby updates: hes been super easy, super mellow and great until tonight... he's been crying since 8pm (its 430 almost ) I have tried everything 2-4 times over and he just wont stop. violent screaming cries I feel like a terrible mom. I'm so exhausted and feel like i need a break already

I have the towel problem at night. I hate it!

I hope your little guy has settled down, but if not, have you tried bundling him up and taking him outside for a little fresh air? This works wonders with my little guys.. hang in there!

[ithappened]

its been freezing here at night (like well below 0) so I haven't but if it happens again tonight I might just try .. anything.

I finally got him to quiet last night about 630am for about 3 hours of sleep after a massive gas/burp festival, a diaper change and my maya sling.

Is there some sort of growth spurt that happens, or return policy, if he's less then 2 weeks?

[milimama]

Ithappened: It's okay!

This is YOUR baby. YOU made him and you are the expert on his care. Stop, breathe and listen to YOU, his only mommy. Most of the best answers are from instinct.
I teach child development at the college level. Babies sense insecurity and it makes them insecure. One of my twins let three people hold him until he was 9 months old: my friend who had a very dominate personality and 4 kids she was very strict with, his great grandma who cared for newborns for 10 years and myself. He screamed with anyone else. He needed people he felt secure with.

Wear him and nurse him as much as possible. Change your birth affirmations to mothering affirmations to reflect your own competence. Don't worry about being a 'good mom', worry about being HIS mom.

Do you have any Dr. Sears books? I LOVE the Baby Book. I also recommend a book called 'Our Babies, Ourselves'. Both are great reminders that parenting is instinctual.

You'll be fine. This too shall pass. And don't let your fil bully you about your newborn care or I'll fly there and bop him one!

[ithappened]

thanks milimama, I should never be online when Im so tired and dramatic.

tonight is a new night ( i hope )

[Tattooed Hand]

when my baby is gassy and cranky, I stick a boob in her mouth. she may only suck a few times, but it calms her. being held up right against daddy's chest while he is talking to her also works. Rassa screamed for the first 8 hours after birth and I know how scary and demoralizing it can be. I hope tonight is better for you!

[Tattooed Hand]

Also, the last 3 nights we've tried a great new way to help her distinguish night and day (because the first week I only was getting 5 pr 6 hours of sleep total, in 1-2 hour increments and I was so jacked up on hormones and the shock of a new first baby that I couldn't sleep during the day when she was asleep). After her evening feeding (around 10 or 11) we change her, swaddle her tightly (the only time we do so) and turn out the light, not talking much to her (just soothing her if she needs it) and laying her down in her sleeping spot between the two of us. Between about 12 and 10 she's been waking only twice (at around 3 and 7). The key has been to make sure she doesn't fall asleep at those times before nursing her fill on both sides. We ensure this by making sure to burp her after she releases on one side and begins to doze and then to change her diaper. She wakes enough to want the other side. Then she sleeps for the longer stretch. I've been getting close to 8 hours of sleep in that span since we began and and feel tons better both emotionally and physically.

Just wanted to share - this is my first baby and DH and I have been figuring it out as we go along. Now if only I could figure out how to get in the shower before late afternoon. Any one else have tricks they have discovered to meet the needs of their baby without totally running themselves ragged?

[nannymom]

Henry is 6 days old today. He is a perfect peacful little guy.

Our only issue at all is that he has a lot of trouble with gurdging and spitting up. I think it might be reflux but I'm not sure how to know for sure. My daughter never spit up so it's new to me.

He and I are sleeping alone in our bed. I don't trust dh to sleep next to a baby until the baby is like 6 or 7 months old. The 1st night home he was awake a lot. The 2d he nursed nonstop all night. The past 2 nights he has slept in glorious 3-4 hour chunks waking up only to latch on and I am able to almost stay a sleep through it so it at least as much sleep as I was getting while pregnant. DD was a horrible sleeper so I am very pleased with how it's going so far.

My hormones are in full swing and I have had at least one period everyday of feeling really weepy and irritable. I'm starting to process the loss of the birth I wanted and my dd is (I feel bad even typing this) getting on my nerves a little bit. I had an episiotimy (sp?) and the healing is very challenging.

We had 18 inches of snow in the past two days and the being trapped in the house has been a mixed bag.

[nannymom]

Ithappened-I want my mom too. She was supposed to come back this weekend after having been here for the birth and the snow made it impossinble it was very depressing.
Don't be hard on yourself my first baby was like that and I did need a break right away. It is really really hard when they are unsoothable.
Do everything you can to take care of yourself. This might sound crazy but I used to pretend I needed to go to the bathroom lock the door and turun on the fan. It would give me a few moments of total peace and quiet.

Tattooed Hand- is your dh still at home or are you on your own during the day? What helped me with my 1st was to prioritize the activities most important to me. I found it really helped my emotions to be showered and dressed before dh left for work so i made sure I got up early enough even if it meant looseing sleep. It also really helps to remember this is a short moment in time. I know everyone is probably saying this to you but it is really true.

[Tattooed Hand]

I am lucky, my DH is still home. My mom is here too but she woke up yesterday stuffed up and with a sore throat and went straight to a hotel for the weekend to recover. It looks like it's just a cold and not the flu, so she'll be back tomorrow. DH goes back to work tomorrow, but it's just for 3 1/2 days because their whole research center closes down for the period of Christmas through New Year's. And my mom will be around.

So I'm pretty spoiled. No other kids and someone will be home with me until January (and even then, DH is only going back to work for 3 days a week until his mom shows up the third week of Jan, which is when I start teaching again (only need 8 hours a week on campus and the rest is prep that can done at home). That said, my mom is not a ton of help. She lives in LA and it's freezing here so she can't handle going out (we are pedestrians and she is a car lady so a 15 minute walk seems far to her). She can cook if we have the right ingredients and do some housework, but my OCD DH had a melt down last week because she didn't do things right... all she wants to do is hold the baby, which is helpful, but she hasn't so much as changed a diaper. I am afraid to leave Rassa with her because she has some weird ideas about feeding schedules and how it's good for a baby to cry. Hello, the baby is 10 freaking days old?!

Still, I'm lucky. And DH is super involved, changing diapers in the middle of the night so I can get back to sleep after nursing. The funny thing is that I am feeling pretty rested with the way she is only waking up twice a night, since it's like when I was pregnant, but DH is exhausted. Part of me is like, yes, this is what it was like for me and I was working...SEE!

[nina_yyc]

Originally Posted by Tattooed Hand

Just wanted to share - this is my first baby and DH and I have been figuring it out as we go along. Now if only I could figure out how to get in the shower before late afternoon. Any one else have tricks they have discovered to meet the needs of their baby without totally running themselves ragged?

Ask for help and accept it, and put yourself first sometimes. Take shortcuts - get takeout, use the baby swing - these things are not bad in moderation and you need to do whatever it takes if it saves your sanity. I really burnt myself out PP with my first baby trying to power through the newborn stage and guess what...it doesn't end. You have a baby now, and although you may occasionally get to catch your breath between bouts of teething and sleep regressions, you don't really get enough of a break to recoup from burnout - unless you make it happen or avoid burnout in the first place. What seems do-able for a couple weeks can get to be unlivable after a few months and by then you've set a pattern. I'm also assuming that you have and are using a baby sling...if not, do it...it's a life saver.

[ithappened]

I second nina_yyc. I found the following things have been lifesavers this week:

-a sling
- getting up slightly earlier, to go for a short walk and shower
- take out and/or frozen meals
- calling my sister/mom

[Awaken]

ithappened- ditto to everything millimama said. My first one was similar. I was even convinced that he hated me!

Re: being drenched with milk- this was me until about 2 days ago (I am 9 days pp now)- every night I'd be soaked with milk and it was dripping all day. I could not take the engorgement any more and was feeling almost trapped by it. What I finally did was wear cabbage leaves all day and all night and it seemed to work. I did do that last time as well and it didn't seem to make a difference, but the sustained usage of them seemed to work this time. It's still dripping, but not the massive, leaking DDD boobies that they were! I was even ready to start taking some milk-reducing herbs but thankfully it didn't get to that.

I've been completely housebound but today am feeling like I might want to start getting out...we just had 2 feet of snow, though! And, even though this is my 3rd child, I've never used an infant carseat before so I don't even know how to put it in the car to bring her with me! And the thought of juggling her, and possibly having to feed her while out is a bit much for me right now! I may try and make a quick trip to the grocery store with one of the older kids and leave her home with dh.

I haven't been able to get to bed much before midnight, and with the night wakings, I've had to sleep in until 10 every day! Next week the older kids are going to camp so I have to leave the house by 8:45am! it seems impossible! next wk dh starts working from home, (so far he's been off) so it's a good transition- he'll be here to help us get ready, and I can "practice" getting all 3 ready in the morning with him here, and getting them all into the car by myself.

[carmel23]

Originally Posted by Awaken

I haven't been able to get to bed much before midnight, and with the night wakings, I've had to sleep in until 10 every day! Next week the older kids are going to camp so I have to leave the house by 8:45am! it seems impossible! next wk dh starts working from home, (so far he's been off) so it's a good transition- he'll be here to help us get ready, and I can "practice" getting all 3 ready in the morning with him here, and getting them all into the car by myself.

I'm kind of freaked about getting everyone in the car off to school and picking everyone up .... DH is still home, too... after Christmas I'm going to have some practice days... but it still freaks me out!

I've ran to the store a few times without baby... once I took DD and once by myself. It was kind of nice, but man, exhausting! We finished our last shopping for Christmas... and I have a few stocking stuffer type things, but I think I'll ask my mom or sister to pick them up.

My parent's visit is going well... no drama so far which is nice, and they've been good about taking the kids out for fun trips .

So so far, babymoon has been super nice... we've watched waaaay too much tv--but mostly Christmas movies like Elf and Charlie Brown... which we kind of do every year. And there is no snow... and the sun even came out a bit today . It can snow on Christmas, though the kids reaallyy want it to snow.

anyway... ramblin' mama here.

[ithappened]

well I am guessing/hoping that Linos all-nigter was a fluke

The last two nights he has slept really well, he wakes up every 3 hours to be fed or changed and is sleeping until 11am

I am wearing him in the sling all day and we just switched to CDing today since his poops are starting to get more 'normal'. . .

My morning shower and brief dog walks are saving me lately. However, I am still really low energy and weak-- if I walk more then 20 mins my bleeding picks up and I feel sick the rest of the afternoon this should make for an interesting holiday week since we have a marathon of family obligations lined up.

[ears73]

So happy to be here ladies!!!
I have a 5 day old beautiful little guy balanced on my lap and am feeling pretty good after a perfect night of 3 waking/feedings... The night before he was up all night from midnight-7am... Awful! Plus, my nipples were wayyy sore and bleeding but lanolin is totally helping - as is time to figure things out... Now if only I could have a healed bottom I would be in super-good shape!

Best to all!

[evinmom]

Originally Posted by ithappened

My morning shower and brief dog walks are saving me lately. However, I am still really low energy and weak-- if I walk more then 20 mins my bleeding picks up and I feel sick the rest of the afternoon this should make for an interesting holiday week since we have a marathon of family obligations lined up.

I know you are used to being active, but take it easy! If you notice bright red bleeding after the bleeding has slowed down, you are doing too much. You will have plenty of time later to do all the things you were used to. For now, rest!