Post partum chat - Page 3

[pacifica]

Wanted to update on my baby girl. After being sick for 2 days with no fever, we woke up Tuesday morning and she had a low fever. I unbundled her and later her temp was back down, so it could have been that. Anyways, took her to the doctor and all her vitals were good, lungs sounded good, so doctor didn't order any blood work/tests and we went back again yesterday to check on her stats....again all good. She's now getting fussy about things again and starting to act herself again (wanting to nurse constantly, lol). She got a much milder version of the illness than my 2 sons. I'm soo happy she's feeling better.

On a lighter note, she was born 5lbs 13ounces and yesterday she weighed 6lbs 10ounces!! What an eater!! And she was even sick! She also really likes to ride in the car, unlike my sons when they were babies. It's nice!

[foodmachine]

Hi girls! Day 4 with Teddy. Nice to be here! 4 in the bed and little one said roll over ,roll over. Do you know that song? That was last night when DD came in at 2 am. Our bed is not THAT big. I think I'll using the cosleeper more this time...maybe I can fit in there.

sarah - I know you went back to the ppd thread but i hope you feel better.

jules09 - how's the ec going?

pacifica - I'm so glad baby girl is feeling better. It's so scary when these little ones are sick.
My fav carrier for NB time is my Kangeroo Korner Adjustable Fleece Pouch. So easy, comfy, cozy and really supportive. Takes about a minute to pop him in and he's so snug. The site seems to be gone but I got mine on Ebay or you can probably find one at www.thebabywearer.com trading post. This carrier is great through toddlerhood too. I love the hip hold. Perfect for when they can't decide if they want up or down.

Re: scary germs. I researched this a lot last winter with the "swine flu scare" and what I decided on was:
1) increased vitamin D for the whole family
2) thieves oil (very diluted in olive oil) on the families feet (to avoid contact with hands, eyes, mouth).
3) I also burn thieves oil in an electric oil burner in the house. I bring a little bottle for inhalation if we travel on planes, etc.
4) I have honey, apple cider vinegar and elderberry on hand if someone starts to go down.

laurski- I heard good things about The No Cry Sleep Solution. I think if you follow your child's need you can't really mess up. There will always be times that one feels, "I've done/ am doing something wrong", but something that seems like a problem today can be gone by the time we find a solution. ykwim? Follow your heart, respond with love (sleep when you can!) and you'll all be fine. Good luck!
Re: big boobed BF'ing laying down. Someone mentioned a rolled up towel or something under baby. I put a rolled-up something under my boob to bring the nipple up to right level. Whatever works.

Litchick-

Carrie - I hope you get to chill and rest.

I hope I didn't leave anyone out. It was a bit to catch up on. My HB MW will be over soon to check on us. I hope DH makes it back. He had to take our 13 year old dog to the energency room. He's on pain killers already and his back legs stopped working yesterday.

[100%mom]

Just wanted to update on my baby girl. I haven't had time to be online very much so I haven't read through this whole thread. I will have to later.

Baby was born Sunday night. My milk came in Tuesday. She's a great nurser. Last night she only woke up twice to nurse. I'm not expecting that to keep up, but it was nice to wake up feeling rested this morning. She sleeps in bed with me, but normally after she eats she poops so I have to get up with her anyways.

I don't have very much bleeding at all. I haven't even filled a normal period pad in the last couple of days. I hope that it doesn't get stronger now that I'm starting to do more around the house.

I'm so in love!! Now I need to go shower and get dressed before she needs fed again.

[Laurski]

Foodmachine--wow! I'm so impressed that you had time to read through and respond to everyone's posts with a 4 day old! Thanks for your suggestion--I'm guessing that the No Cry Sleep Solution is a book? I'll have to look it up...

Today's Ellie's 2 week birthday! This has to be the fastest 2 weeks on record. DH has to go back to work on Tuesday (I know, I'm so spoiled that he's gotten to stay home so long!) and I'm dreading it. Having 2 adults to wrangle a baby has been so helpful...

Ellie still pretty much refuses to sleep if she's not being held. We had one night of some success a few nights ago, after we tried putting her in a sleep positioner in the cosleeper, since she's still superactive even when we swaddle her, and I think she felt somewhat more comforted. I think she might have slept for about 1/2 to 1 hour at a time before freaking out and needing to be held. I still haven't been brave enough to try laying-down breastfeeding again (although definitely appreciate all the tips!) so I've been taking her to the living room to eat, and we've been falling asleep together, which has been hell on my neck, but helpful for me getting some sleep.

Does anyone else's little one seem to have a meltdown in the afternoon? The past two days Ellie seems to be having a really hard time settling down (even though she's being held) starting around 3 and lasting for a few hours. DH swaddled her yesterday and it seemed to help...it's almost like she's getting overstimulated and needs something to help her calm down...

[Lit Chick]

All is well with us! Baby started nursing hardcore yesterday, like hour-long sessions. Not straight through, but an hour of suck, break, try to move him, nope, he wants milkies again...
and he's sleeping only about 45 min during the day now, then wants more milk. But last night he did lovely - long nurses then about 4 hours of sleep. I feel pretty damn good for now!

But he's mewing for milk again... off I go.

[jenifera2]

I have been online so little in the past 8 days! It's good to see so many with babies here though.

Laurski - Two nights ago we had a few hours when nothing would settle Caitlin. DH googled white noise and downloaded a track from http://www.babywhitenoise.com/ As soon as he hit play she was out like a light, and she didn't move for 5 hours.

I'm guessing she was over-tired, but it has still worked well for us to get her that last little bit to sleep when nursing, etc. isn't quite cutting it.

Three things to celebrate here - it's been a big 2 days! Yesterday I pooped for the first time in a week! TMI, I know, and OWWWWWW! but also hooray! I also nursed in public (resale shop) for the first time yesterday, and today I wore Caitlin for the first time. I love my Moby wrap and can't wait to try the other carriers I've collected.

Laurski - Our ped NP said she's found that a lot of babies seem to have a three-hour period every day when they just want to cry. For many it's the middle of the night (no good!) and parents can try to shift it earlier and earlier until it's at least evening. She said they do usually outgrow it in a few months.

[Kelly1101]

nak... time for a quick post

ozzy is so easy it's ridiculous, I almost feel guilty. he sleeps great, is quiet and calm when he's awake, is feeling much better from being sick (never ran a fever, just a stuffy nose that is going away now), all in all very relaxed baby, not a problem with him

my toddler is another story, but she's coping.

feeling a bit overwhelmed and dreading when I'll stop having help around here (husband and/or mom have been around since he was born)

nipples-- much better... seriously, lanisoh is no joke, best thing ever

carriers-- I tried out the mei tai and he is not ready for that, but he's all about the ring sling, carrying him in it upright not cradle hold

all in all very good, very busy, having some doubts/fears about having two under two but hopefully all will be well

and welcome to all the newcomers to this thread, yay!

[tribord]

Originally Posted by Lit Chick

All is well with us! Baby started nursing hardcore yesterday, like hour-long sessions. Not straight through, but an hour of suck, break, try to move him, nope, he wants milkies again...
and he's sleeping only about 45 min during the day now, then wants more milk. But last night he did lovely - long nurses then about 4 hours of sleep. I feel pretty damn good for now!

But he's mewing for milk again... off I go.

Yay!!!! Glad to hear it!

[foodmachine]

Laurski - Knock, knock, but Teddy is quite a satisfied customer. I also have DH at home to help with DD. Quite luxurious.

My nipples feel kinda bruised. Does lanolin work for that? Or is that more for chafing.

[pacifica]

Thank you foodmachine for kangaroo carrier suggestion. It looks super comfy for sure!

[Kelly1101]

Originally Posted by foodmachine

My nipples feel kinda bruised. Does lanolin work for that? Or is that more for chafing.

Can't hurt... I'd say slather it on.


Both babies napping right now, woohoo... husband napping, too... his birthday today. We may go out to dinner later with both babies, should be interesting.

I think I'm going to find or start a baby pics thread.

ETA: http://www.mothering.com/discussions....php?t=1261394 Everyone post some cuteness pictures!

[tribord]

Anyone else still mentally chastising themselves for laying back in a reclining position? After 5 months of trying to avoid a posterior baby it is hard to remember that now it is OK to lay back.

And what does everyone do about the whole diaper change when asleep thing? Like I wrote before, he eats, falls asleep, poops. Then I change his diaper and he wakes up again and to get him to sleep I feed him. Then he falls asleep, poops, and the cycle continues. It is annoying for me and I worry I am disturbing his sleep. DD is a terrible sleeper so it is one of the things I worry about (with her we were worried about her weight gain so it didn't matter to us that diaper changes woke her up since it was another chance to feed her.)

[Kelly1101]

I wait until he is good and zonked out before I change him, and he sleeps through the diaper change. I think that's just luck, though, my daughter would NEVER sleep through a change.

[Jules09]

Think Ella might be going through a growth spurt. She's suddenly fussy and wants to eat all.the.time. I hate seeing her fussing at my breast and not being able to soothe her.

[foodmachine]

Jules - Sorry perhaps I missed something. Why can't you soothe Ella at your breast?

Laurski - Yes, NCSS is a book. I've seen support threads for the method on MDC.

tribord- I'll don't always change right away if he's sleeping, but he sleeps a lot, so we end up waking him to change faily often. It makes him , but he get comfy again quickly. If he didn't get comfy again quickly, I probably be ok with waiting longer to change him. We like babies.
And yes, laying on my back is weird and great.

I'm on day 6 and my milk looks like milk now but I have no let-down reflex. No spraying all over the place. No gulping from Teddy's side. Shouldn't I have that by now? I think I'll xp this at the BF. Time to hang with Teddy.

[Jules09]

Fodmachine, I guess it's because she's crying but she wants something else and I can't figure out what it is right away!

[happyblessedmama]

I just loaded up this thread and hope I can participate too even if I've been an infrequent poster!

On slings: I like the fleece one from Kangaroo Korner that we have. I've used it for my past 4 babies, though I haven't tried it with Aidan yet because of the c-section; I haven't been up and around enough to need a sling. More of just holding him in-arms when he sleeps anyway!

On CIO advice: UGH! I'm sorry to hear that. If a pedi told me that that'd probably be the last time I went there.

On my PP experience... baby is 10 days old today! I'm not recovering from the c-section as fast as I'd like to have... still on pain medication but cutting down on one of the meds today. I had some fairly sharp pains (like cramps!) last night and today so I'm trying to take it extra-easy today.

We have also completed a move... we moved 400 miles to a much larger city on the 9th. (it was an airline flight, not a drive, thank goodness!). I've been "supervising" the unpacking process from a comfortable chair with my newborn. Puts more stress on my husband, but he is being amazingly understanding about it. He doesn't want me to do ANYTHING. I've had the older kids bring me laundry in a basket and I fold it and then they take care of it from there, but otherwise... I just help out with directing where stuff goes. It is kind of un-awesome that our new house has 4 different levels with tons of stairs. I hang out on the main floor.

[happyblessedmama]

another question - can anyone recommend a good site for ordering nursing bras? I'm not up to driving (post c/s, still) and it'd be awesome if I could just get something delivered to my mailbox...

[jenifera2]

Christine - I know nursing bras were discussed here not too long ago and RedOakMomma (I think) posted a link to some good ones.

Today was a fun day. I feel like Caitlin is developing a bit of a routine, but we'll see how much it varies day to day. We went to bed last night around 11 and I slept until 10 this morning, with Caitlin waking around 10:15. I think there were two wake-ups for feedings in the night. She was wide awake after getting up, then napped, then was wide awake for a while, then napped, then after that nap (woke up around 4 I think) she was still drowsy, so she ate for a bit then went back down and is still asleep at 6. Lots of fun time for pictures, though.

Last night we had an interesting experience - The University of Michigan Alumni Association was hosting an event for members at one of the local stores that sells U of M fan paraphernalia, so we decided to go and get a few things. When we walked in, the owner of the store was there and noticed Caitlin. He was blown away that we'd brought her in at 10 days old and showed her off to all the people he was talking to, then called over one of his sales clerks and told her to take us to buy Caitlin an outfit on him, whatever we wanted. Very sweet! And now she's set to watch football on TV when the weather turns cooler since we picked a long-sleeved outfit for her.

[Laurski]

Jenifera--Wow! I am envious of Caitlin's routine! I hope it sticks for you, b/c that much sleeping sounds heavenly!

After doing a bit of reading, I'm thinking that Ellie has many characteristics of Dr. Sears's definition of a high-needs baby. She literally won't sleep unless she's being held; yesterday I had her in a sling for almost 3 hours and she napped beautifully. Last night we made the big leap and had her sleep in bed on my chest; while she did wake 3-4 times for feeding (definitely hitting her 3 week growth spurt), she actually slept. She's sleeping right now in my arms. but if I put her down, it's meltdown city.

On a different note, DH went back to work today. Both of us were crying this morning. Not only will I miss having him as my daily baby-wrangling partner, but I feel so bad for him that he has to spend 12+ hours away from his little girl, and I know it's killing him to have to go... poor guy.