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Weekly Post-Partum thread, April 25-May 2

post #1 of 154
Thread Starter 
Is there anyone NOT dealing with sleep and/or feeding issues? Ah, the "joys" of the early months.....

OTOH, Sprout laughs in his sleep (when he does sleep) and it's adorable.

Took him to the Great American Pie Festival in Celebration, FL yesterday. It was hot -- high 80s. It makes me wonder how we're going to manage taking him out at all this summer. Even the light jersey sling I made seems too heavy, and the sunscreen for babies is sticky, nasty stuff that does not want to come off, even after multiple days and a bath.
post #2 of 154
I've heard a few ladies here say that they have gauze wrap carriers to keep things cool in the summer. Riverbeauty made one, I think. Hey, haven't heard from her lately??
post #3 of 154
Riverbeauty is very active on fb. I'll let her know that she's being asked about

last night was rough. Anna was fussy for about 4 hours until she had several burps, a poop then settled in to nurse and go to sleep. Of course I was tired, sick and had a headache but dh was awesome and walked with her.
post #4 of 154
We're on day 4. So far all my baby does is nurse 24/7, unlatch to be peed over her little potty, nurse more, and poop 40 million times a day. She's a perfect squishy baby!!

She had her first ever fussy period last night for about 15 minutes, but when I held her upright against my knees she let loose some monster farts, pooped more, and was content again.

I can't wait until my body feels normal again--I have lots of slings and wraps to wear her in while she snuggles and nurses constantly.
post #5 of 154
Quote:
Originally Posted by Oliver's Mama View Post
I've heard a few ladies here say that they have gauze wrap carriers to keep things cool in the summer. Riverbeauty made one, I think. Hey, haven't heard from her lately??
I've got a gauze wrap from Wombfruit. I love it!

Cecilia's doing a lot better gas wise, although not totally back to normal. The only thing I've changed is not taking galactagogues for milk supply. I've heard fenugreek can be hard for some people, so I'm assuming my Cece's sensitive to it. Sucks, but I'd rather supplement her with donated milk than have her be uncomfortable and me have a larger supply.
post #6 of 154
Things were going well here, and DS was settled into a somewhat routine of eating every 3 hours (I wish it were longer...but at least it's consistent). But our house is on the market, and we've had some showings and an open house over the past few days - don't get me wrong, I'm grateful to have people looking at our place, but it completely throws off our routine and we paid the price for it last night.

We tried to go to bed by 9:30 , but he wouldn't fall asleep until around 10, then he was up 30 minutes later crying...I got him back to sleep quickly (or so I thought), and then he started crying again after about 20 minutes. He fell back asleep quickly, then started crying, etc etc. We repeated this until about 1am (with feedings in between), at which point he finally settled down for good and slept until about 4:30, and is now back on his 3-hr schedule.

I'm beginning to think I have a foremilk/hindmilk imbalance. He is so incredibly gassy and his stomach gurgles a lot and he looks really uncomfortable sometimes. Initially I was attributing it to an immature newborn gut, since it's common for them to be gassy given that their digestive tract was pretty much inactive for 9 months. But over the past few days his poops have had a greenish color to them rather than the yellow. I thought I was doing a good job following his cues - waiting until he pulls away from one breast or falls asleep, burping him, and putting him to the other breast - but I guess I need to try something new. So starting last night (after we all suffered for several hours) I am trying to keep him on the one breast for the entire feed (so burp, then put him back to the same one). So far it seems to be working ok and he is still eating when put back...time will tell if it helps his poor tummy.

Any other suggestions? I can't handle more nights like last night...I am one of those people who needs 8-9 hrs of sleep (ideally uninterrupted) to function during the day. This newborn period is hard enough without dealing with the hours of red-faced screaming. <sigh> I know it gets better, and this morning I feel fine (and he's no worse for the wear), but in the heat of the moment it is SO incredibly frustrating and disheartening to have your baby cry like that and feel like nothing you do is working.
post #7 of 154
Well we're past the "honeymoon" week here. Rowena was basically up from 3-6 nonstop, fussy with gas, etc. I had a hard time sleeping due to thunderstorm (I have tornado paranoia) and gun shots heard fairly close by. Then when I finally started sleeping, little one woke up. I know that once we get past this week, things will settle down a bit but not looking forward to it! Luckily she's so adorable I'm just in love Dh spent some time with her this morning so I got some sleep in.

Oh and they're going to start working on our house next week

I'm going to get a wombfruit for sure. My Mei Tei was really uncomfortable outside when we went to the park. I'm going to need something much lighter once the heat really hits.

Luckily I'm feeling great physically. The bleeding is almost done and never heavy. I've been going out a lot, taking slow walks in the park, bringing the kids to play dates. I'm really thankful for this as I can't imagine being laid down with three older active kids. I can't wait to hit the Y again, and get back on my eating plan. I have a lot of weight to lose!
post #8 of 154
On the bright side, he's 4 weeks today. Plus over the past few days he's started to look at me and smile. It's only happened a few times, but it seems to be increasing in frequency. I got 3 of them yesterday, and it melted my heart.
post #9 of 154
Quote:
Originally Posted by SuzieQ3417 View Post
On the bright side, he's 4 weeks today. Plus over the past few days he's started to look at me and smile. It's only happened a few times, but it seems to be increasing in frequency. I got 3 of them yesterday, and it melted my heart.
The first smiles are so adorable!

My baby has been asleep pretty much since 12:30 last night. She's nursed and and peed and pooped in that time frame, but she hasn't really woken up! She's been out cold all day long.

I woke her up twice to pee in the potty, and she went and then fell right back asleep while still naked and everything.

Yesterday she nursed absolutely non-stop all day. I wonder if it's possible to have a growth spurt on day 4 of life!? That's what it reminds me of...
post #10 of 154
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by SuzieQ3417 View Post
Any other suggestions? I can't handle more nights like last night...I am one of those people who needs 8-9 hrs of sleep (ideally uninterrupted) to function during the day. This newborn period is hard enough without dealing with the hours of red-faced screaming. <sigh> I know it gets better, and this morning I feel fine (and he's no worse for the wear), but in the heat of the moment it is SO incredibly frustrating and disheartening to have your baby cry like that and feel like nothing you do is working.
No suggestions, all I've got is commiseration. I'm another one who needs a LOT of sleep, and so find the newborn phase terribly draining. DH works weekend nights, so I've had the nighttime parenting to myself, and for me that's a recipe for feeling lonely and hopeless. When he wakes up, takes 90 minutes to get back down, and then is up an hour later, I start to lose it. And having no one else around to hold him for a few minutes while I collect myself is hard.

I was pretty miserable this morning. But I called my mom and had her take DD, finally got DS down for a nap in his crib, and slept for 2 hours. I feel so much better, so much more human.

I can't wait until we can get nursing figured out. Once he can actually get a reasonably sized feed in and do it without taking in endless amounts of air that then take forever to get him to burp up, I think we'll have more hope of better sleep.

Oh! I got my first ever formula sample in the mail yesterday! Since DD was a homebirth, none of the companies ever got my address. But DS's visit to the NICU must have put us in the system, and out of the blue some Enfamil showed up. I jokingly gave it to DH, who took it right out to the trash can. He's also going to call them and give them a piece of his mind, I believe. That should be an interesting conversation to overhear.
post #11 of 154
Quote:
Originally Posted by jenfl View Post

Oh! I got my first ever formula sample in the mail yesterday! Since DD was a homebirth, none of the companies ever got my address. But DS's visit to the NICU must have put us in the system, and out of the blue some Enfamil showed up. I jokingly gave it to DH, who took it right out to the trash can. He's also going to call them and give them a piece of his mind, I believe. That should be an interesting conversation to overhear.
All my kids were homebirths, but somehow they always get our address. We donate it to the local food bank*. DH has learned not even to jokingly put them out on the kitchen counter, because I end up going off on a tangent about aggressive marketing, etc. He probably stands behind me and mouths the words while i rant, he's heard it so many times. Did you read the little book they send along? It plays along with "breast is best", but somehow stresses how hard it is, and how a "strong mom" will always have a backup plan. I read it while pooping one day, which felt suiting. I have a backup plan for that book! heh.

* Realistically, I know that low income mothers are less likely to have an extended maternity leave, and are more likely to go back to jobs which do not encourage pumping. I wish those babies could be exclusively breastfed, and so do their mamas, but shelter>ideals, and formula is sometimes a (very expensive) necessity.

As for us - I think i just have really low expectations for my newborns, because while she wakes up constantly, wants to be held any time she is awake, is gassy/fussy at 3am, won't go to anyone else (including DH) for mroe than 30 seconds, etc, I just don't expect anything else I can't say I enjoy all of those things, but i think having a 2 year old who still wakes up, wants to be held, and is always hysterical about some invisible owie makes it easy to accept how little and helpless Becky is. (And now that I think about it, i want all of those things as well, I just don't have my mama here. )

3 weeks out and still bleeding. It will taper off for a few days, and then I'll do something wild and crazy like give the big girls a bath, and then we're back to red blood. Other than that, I'm pretty much back to normal. I reallyreallyreally want to start yoga/walking again, so I'm trying to be patient with the bleeding, but GAH. Just stop.
post #12 of 154
L slept so well last night. i was up puking and with diarrhea. as much as i hate that i missed that chance for sleep, i'm glad i didn't have to deal w/ her crying and a stomach bug
post #13 of 154
bwing - as far as sunscreen - typically not recommended in children < 6 mo old. you can buy UV wash from RIT dye company and wash your wrap in it. so your wrap is like sunscreen. i have a solarveil RS that is of similar concept. its great, but its not a long term sling because the fabric texture imprints on baby's skin. can't wait to BW - my nether regions are still swollen and i'm not walking well

dani never cries, but we never put her down either ds was difficult about that, and thats how i came to find attachment parenting and we learned to go with it. now that i know its okay to enjoy their cuddles all day, i do. this is my last baby & i want to savor every moment. she does sleep better than ds did, but again, i think its only partly temperment and the rest because we are cosleeping from the start.

nursing - very engorged here - trying to decide whether to pump and store a bit or just grin and bear it til things self regulate, but dani gets a lot of air as a result. i can't burp her well at night, and in the AM, she threw up all over me. she has a lot of regerg too - more than i remember ds having, and i wonder if its just a supply thing or i will have to go dairy-less.

c'smama - maybe other supply boosters won't have the same gassy effect, like oatmeal? or i guess there's always the diperidome..

i have a water jug and a quart ziploc full of trail mix on my tray table at all times - coconut, almonds, pacan, walnuts, granola and a few choclate chips... mmmm.

today i contemplated stray boob hairs while nursing - do they annoy her? should i pluck? i also wrestled with whether or not i enjoyed my mil visit this weekend. she brought my niece with her to occupy my son, which worked well, but intensified a migraine this AM. she was sometimes helpful and did vacuum and help make dinner, but it more canceled out the extra guests we had to entertain rather than truely helped us, but it was better than last visit... well those are my ramblings for the day...
post #14 of 154
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Carita View Post
bwing - as far as sunscreen - typically not recommended in children < 6 mo old.
I've heard this as well, but from my reading the recommendation is mostly because the AAP doesn't want kids < 6 months to be out in the sun, and they think that if you make sunscreen off limits, then people won't think that it's ok to take their kids out.

Living in Florida, though, sunscreen is a MUST. Even in a sling, parts stick out. And with the heat, you've got to take them out sometimes to let the breeze cool them off.
post #15 of 154
Quote:
Originally Posted by jenfl View Post
I've heard this as well, but from my reading the recommendation is mostly because the AAP doesn't want kids < 6 months to be out in the sun, and they think that if you make sunscreen off limits, then people won't think that it's ok to take their kids out.

Living in Florida, though, sunscreen is a MUST. Even in a sling, parts stick out. And with the heat, you've got to take them out sometimes to let the breeze cool them off.
So Jen are you using sunscreen on him? Any specific kind? Is aveeno baby okay? I was JUST wondering about this.

p.s. lets be friends in real life.
post #16 of 154
2000 posts!
post #17 of 154
Quote:
Originally Posted by Carita View Post
today i contemplated stray boob hairs while nursing - do they annoy her? should i pluck?
Warning: I've plucked my nipple hairs, and while most of them don't have issues, I have one that ALWAYS ingrows when it grows back. I'm leaving it alone now, perhaps it will destroy itself. The other hairs I'll trim down if it looks like they're bothering DD's nose, but for the most part I just leave them alone, even though they bother ME. I hate hair.

I've been having trouble with the sleep, too, but not because DD's been awake all night. I wouldn't care if she woke up every hour to nurse, honestly. She has a cold or some kind of upper respiratory thing that makes her FULL of snot, and I have a hard time sleeping because I can tell that she can't breathe. Nursing doesn't help, because she can't breathe, so we have to get up, take her into the other room, and suction out her nose, which makes her scream, which causes more snot...etc etc. It's a vicious cycle. I got DH to take both kids this morning for a few hours so I could get some alone-time naps, and it really helped.

I'm worried that I'm getting mastitis again, however. My left breast has an incredibly sore spot that I can't relieve with nursing or pumping. I even let my toddler nurse on that side as often as possible, since he's good about emptying out my breast, but it's still sore. Our latch is good and I don't have any blisters, so I don't know what could be causing it besides wearing a bra every day. Unfortunately, I have a full week of school ahead of me, but then next week is finals, and then I have the rest of May to chill out. I just need to make it that far.

Tomorrow I have a post-partum appointment with my HBMWs, where they're going to scold me for doing as much as I have been (I've had full days out of the house every day since Wednesday) but I don't know what else I could do, honestly.
post #18 of 154
nak i am not an outdoor person so i havent considered what to use for bw in the heat. probably the ergo....i cant spend more on wraps and even the wombfruit will be warm. besides prolly the time i do spend outside will be the park so it"ll be easy to lay him in the shade.

gosh you all are excited to stop bleeding for all the wrong reasons!! i cant wait to get back to sex! i was only having brown stuff but i started red bleeding again right before we left the hospital it better finish up soon although the stitches still have to heal...

can abx make his tummy and gut feel yucky? it is giving him diahhrrea (im amazed that i can tell a difference ). is it ok to dose him with gripe water 2x a day+ every day? we still have a week of abx to go and i dont want him to be hurting the whole time
post #19 of 154
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Amandamanda View Post
So Jen are you using sunscreen on him? Any specific kind? Is aveeno baby okay? I was JUST wondering about this.

p.s. lets be friends in real life.
We've tried the Johnson & Johnson stuff (actually branded as "Daily Face and Body Cream -- SPF 50) a few times, but it's kinda nasty. It just WILL NOT come off.

We're going to buy some California Baby or some such and give it a shot next.

p.s. I agree! Maybe we could meet up at Disney some day for lunch?
post #20 of 154
If you are going to put sunscreen in a baby, make sure it is the zinc based sort, not the oxybenzone kind. Zinc doesn't rub in as well, but isn't a hormone-disrupting toxin. The EWG has a neat site where you can search for your sunscreen and see what it has in it, and whether they recommend using it.

http://www.ewg.org/whichsunscreensarebest/2009report

(Aveeno is in the "use caution" category. We use California Baby, or Nature's Gate.)
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