So. Mamas who have already had their babies- how's it going? Brags? Struggles?
I just got over the breast engorgement and a 6-hour milk fever scare. So happy to be done with that! Elliott is five days old now, full of sleep smiles and poopy diapers lol.
Things here are still going really well. Can't believe my babies are already 3wks old! Nursing is going well and they sleep really well at night, usually only up once around 3-4am. I've lost most of the baby weight and have been back in pre-pg pants since before 2wks pp, of course I still have a little bit of a belly I can't wait to get worked off. We still have some crazy days, usually from the older 3. Today is one of those days, the 2yr old took off his diaper at naptime and smeared poop everywhere in his room, ugh. Overall things have been great though :)
nak
my engorgement was really bad, cantaloupes on my chest. better now except i have a rash around my nipples. i think it might be from the disposable nursing pads i've been wearing. anybody heard of this?
been trying to go grocery shopping for about a week now. maybe tomorrow
Don't have a babe yet (come on, baby, you and Elliott had the same due date!!), but crashing this discussion to say that disposable nursing pads gave me a rash, too, and blocked ducts as well. I found these and they were amazing for absorbing my oversupply, although not great to wear in public if you're in a t-shirt and worried about the circle showing (I wore a lined/padded bra to help with that, because I couldn't go anywhere without them!): http://www.cottonbabies.com/product_info.php?products_id=229.
Sposie nursing pads were nothing but trouble for me. I switched to cloth a few months in with my daughter and will never go back. I still have the box of disposables from almost three years ago- those suckers are expensive!- and keep meaning to pass them on but honestly cloth is so much better that I'd feel bad for not showing them the light!
I've got teardrop shaped pads from Homestead Emporium and they're pretty discrete, but also really love my Lanacare wool pads which are bulletproof. I had a major overactive letdown last time and think I do this time too- I'll be using cloth pads at least through the first year!
Elliott's got his first pediatrician appointment today, 6 days old. Our doc is a 20 min drive from my house though, and I'm going without my husband. Me, the 2.5 year old, and a newborn in the car for a "20 min. drive". Any suggestions on how many hours early I should leave to make it there on time? 
Thanks guys. I am starting to wonder if it's thrush? I did buy some reusable bra pads today.
We are at four days old and its been one crazy week! DD has a virus and has had a fever since last Friday, DS1 has a cold and is snotting all over the place, DH also has a cold and then we got hit with that huge winter storm yesterday. We've got something like an inch and a half of ice covering everything. Luckily, our power lines are buried, so we didn't lose power at all! But the sick older two plus teeny baby plus recovering from delivery....I am very ready for another week to go by and life to get into a far more normal groove!
This delivery seems to have taken a lot more out of me physically than either of my previous ones, although given the circumstances I shouldn't be surprised by that, eh? I'm really glad that we planned ahead and talked with a postpartum doula and asked for extra help from family. Course that was to get some extra support to try to avoid ppd, but it works out for how drained I am.
I've wanted to look into reusable nursing pads for awhile now. I'll have to check those ones out! Thanks!! :)
BTW, what does "nak" mean??
NAK-- nursing at keyboard. It's a way of saying, "sorry for the typos but I've barely got two fingers to type with." 
I'd be worn out too, 3xMama!! Sounds like it was quite the birth. I'm still shocked by how gentle E's birth was, but am riding a massive tide of insane hormones and that's exhausting enough. I can't imagine trying to process a complicated birth too. 
I'm so, so thankful that people have brought us food to eat postpartum! I veered from the traditional baby shower and asked only for a bead for my birth necklace and a meal for my freezer. Some friends and family drove all the way from Oregon and packed a whole Igloo freezer for us! It's been so nice to just be able to pull things out without thinking, all the way down to cubes of pesto and poppyseed pancakes. I feel so taken care of, even from afar. Beats a pack of outgrown-before-he-ever-got-here onsies any day, if you ask me!
So the trip to the ped. was amazing. I take my kids to the same doctor I saw as a child and he is by far the most gentle, empathetic, loving man I have ever met. Never questions us about vaccines or cosleeping and is always quick to comment on how smart my daughter is. I thought maybe I'd get a little flack about homebirth though- the receptionist seemed baffled when I explained that our son had never been in a hospital- but when the Dr. walked into the room he grinned and said that my midwife's notes on the birth and postpartum were more complete than any hospital birth he'd ever seen! YEAH!
Elliott's looking great- 8lb6 at birth, 8lb1 two days ago, and now back up to 8lb3. That kid can eat.
The car ride was shockingly easy- my daughter hated her carseat until we turned her from rearfacing when she met the height/weight requirements and screamed nonstop, no matter what. I was bracing for something similar but he sleeps! I took my daughter out to lunch after the doc. appt and he slept in the sling the whole time while we ate, and then back to sleep for the drive home. I could have peed my pants, guys. Having a high-needs child first has really made me expect the worst out of babies, to be honest. I'm starting to think I should have but Karma in Elliott's name somewhere- he does seem to be such a delicious reward after Iris' first year. That girl was tough.
Oh man, cluster feeding. I laughed at the nurses last time when they asked me if my daughter was nursing about every two hours- I never did snap by bra back up that entire first year! Looks like this one is going to do the same. Talk me away from the edge- my baby knows what he needs and that doesn't necessarily line up with "every two hours", right? Because I am THIS CLOSE to losing it. Ah, hormones. 
How's it going, mamas?
wow nosce my LO is wanting to nurse constantly too! I'm glad I am not the only one. I have been questioning nursing on demand because she just seems to be a bottomless pit! At the hospital when she was under the bili lights they had me nursing every two hours for 15min on each side. I tried to stick with that when we got home because it worked well in the hospital....... but Aubrey has other plans. I hope it's just a phase because it's hard to get anything done when you are constantly nursing.
I have had a headache for 10 days now. I wake up with it really bad and it lasts all day, every day! Starting to really effect my life but I don't know what to do about it. My OB was no help at all. She said drink water, eat frequently, and try to rest. None of this helps! Other than that I am doing pretty well. My DH has six weeks paid time off through California paid family leave program. He has taken to being my personal chef and house maid! He's a keeper!
Not DTD has been an issue as of late. Even with a headache! DH and I are both excited not to have my big belly ackwardness turning us into acrobats, but alas the OB says I have to wait for SIX weeks. Torture!
Clara was born yesterday, so this is just day 1! she did give us a nice 7 hour stretch last night and has been eating every hour or so since. milk is not in yet but I am a little apprehensive about the pain and engorgement that are coming my way. last time I was tandeming and my son took care of any problems!!! i don't have that luxury this time.
I have been feeling really great and my bleeding is much less than with the other kids so far. I have to force myself to stay in bed but I look forward to returning to the world--and its only the first day!!!
sometimes i get little waves of anxiety, wondering how i will be able to handle 4, wondering if she will be a sleeper like DS and DD2 were...and the anxiety about if my milk will come in a regulate well.
10 days in here, and the cluster feeding is balancing out. I think he was just adjusting my milk supply, really. I got a cracked nipple sometime during the engorgement stage due to a bad latch and didn't notice it until my cups were back in the first half of the alphabet and so that's been tough to beat. I was so reluctant to nurse him on that side, so I almost wonder if he was countering it by nursing more frequently to build more milk in the other breast? I don't know. Anyway. I picked up a nipple shield yesterday and have only had to use it twice and we're already back on track. Hooray! He's gaining too, looks so round and full.
I didn't tear during this birth and it's amazing how whole and healthy my body feels. Last time I was almost afraid of touching myself because there was so much damage. I feel like if I wanted to, I could DTD right away. I don't think we're going to wait six weeks- my midwife didn't say anything about it but even if she had, I feel really good. Now, finding the time and energy to do so between a toddler and a newborn is a totally different story!
We're at that stage where the newborn gets super peely everywhere- his hands look like somebody took sandpaper to him lol.
My husband's taking the whole month off (we run our own business and have been working to afford this luxury all year) and it's been really nice to have him mind our daughter, run the laundry, and man the phone lines. It's kind of offsetting my getting into a routine, though. I have little reason to get out of bed and make do when he's already down there. I know I should be helping and the longer I laze around the more shocking it's going to be when he goes back to work. It's such a delicate balance- I keep thinking the lochia is ending but then after a very active day out of bed, it comes back full blast. And Elliott would just love it if I stayed in this bed forever in the endless loop of nurse, diaper, nurse, sleep, nurse, diaper, nurse...
Babe is cluster feeding around the clock. I'm guessing we won't be leaving the house for a while, since nursing a newborn while trying to keep my toddler busy seems really impossible. However, there was no "milk coming in" madness. It just slowly trickled in, no engorgement or anything. Baby is a great nurser though, for which I am SO thankful. My last two babies had issues that made those early weeks a nightmare.
The other good thing is that my perineum is amazingly untraumatized! I took stool softeners right after delivery in anticipating of pooping (lol!) and it wasn't an ordeal at all. I had no tearing either, so I feel pretty good. What hurts are my hips. They feel so loose and rickety.
For the afterpains, I've been taking ibuprofen and wearing a belly binder. They haven't been too horrible this time. Still uncomfortable though.
Well honestly things haven't been going very well , having trouble processing my disappointment in the birth as well as my milk is pretty much nonexistant and having to give the boys formula is literally making me a crying mess. They are healthy and well though so i guess I should be focused on that, but i feel like such a bad mom with my milk not coming in right that i'm just sad all the time, i feel like a total failure =(.
sorry for the vent/ whine.
Hugs, Chula. I am so sorry you're going through this! The first week postpartum is hard enough as it is- I know I'm struggling! It is okay to grieve when things don't work out the way you've been planning, you know? Give yourself some space- a few weeks at least- for things to change. I have to remind myself every day that things will look so, so different in another week or two. And I really try to remember that I've been here before--and survived it.
You're doing the best you can, mama. Your family knows that, and doing the best is all you've got, you know? Hang in there!
chula sorry you're having a tuff time girl. When were your boys born? I haven't been updating that much with a LO. I can relate to what you are going through. My first was an unplanned c section and we never got nursing down and wound up bottle feeding. Not sure exactly what your situation is but wanted to offer some support. Maybe see a lactation nurse?
I'm so sorry, Chula! I'm not sure what your situation is, but my last baby had feeding issues and my milk didn't come in right either. I was a crying mess for weeks and so sleep deprived from pumping and getting virtually nothing and having to formula feed. It was horrible. We made it out on the other side, though it took 4 weeks. Just take it one day at a time. And be kind to yourself. You ARE doing the best you can and you're giving your babies what they need most-- the love of their mom--and that has nothing to do with what they eat. BIG HUGS, mama!
Thanks ladies I really appreciate the support. I'll keep trying to nurse and just let myself go through this grieving process for the boys birth .
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