mamas with babies - Page 3

[Baby_Cakes]

I prob only have half a min with two hands but here goes!

We are doing great!  Taking Finn tmw am to the ped for his first visit.  He had his PKU and assesment today.  My mw was a little concerned with a rash he has, and wants the ped to take a look.  She's just not comfortable saying it's nothing but doesn't exactly think it's anything either.  Have to take him regardless so might as well be tmw.  Should be fine.  I'm ready to leap in front of anyone that wnats to touch his penis!  Ha!  That's what I'm most nervous aobut, silly isn't it?

When he was born they collected his blood for his genetic testing and it's all been sent out.  The PKU test should cross and we'll prob get results from that before the genetic test are even done.  We shall see.  He has a 75% chance of flagging the galactosemia screen.  If we don't hear from the state at all...well, then we know he's in that 25% chance he's not even a carrier!  HOping for good news all around there. 

Finn is amazing.  I'm absolutely in love.  He's nursing great and my milk is already starting to tingle in.  He's had 3 meconium poops so far and a few pees, and some stinky farts so I think things are processing well.  I'm happy with how that's all going.  He's got a few moments of alert time during the day which is fun.  Gives Nora a chance to see him not on the bewb or sleeping! LOL!

His skin is very very dry.  MW rec massaging him with grapeseed oil.  I think it's b/c he was so well cooked and had NO vernix when he was born.  He's just so so dry!!  It's heartbreaking.  LOL!

I started taking my placenta capsules today.  So far....so good.  Everything is just falling into place and we are grooving.  

[noorjahan]

I gave birth exactly 3 weeks ago from today on July 28 th and still bleeding. I heard it stays typically about a month!?
As for baby blues, I really thought I would get hit with ppd badly. However, I only had it bit bad first week post partum. I would cry everytime I looked at my hubby's pic ( he's out of the country)... and there was added sadness that I was having problem with b'feeding. Baby was on formula first few days, and then slowly it was 80-20 formula-breastmilk for next few days. After much effort I'm happy she is now exclusively breastfed!!! But for once I thought she probably wont be b'feeding, which made sad beyond belief!

[Baby_Cakes]

Originally Posted by noorjahan 

I gave birth exactly 3 weeks ago from today on July 28 th and still bleeding. I heard it stays typically about a month!?
As for baby blues, I really thought I would get hit with ppd badly. However, I only had it bit bad first week post partum. I would cry everytime I looked at my hubby's pic ( he's out of the country)... and there was added sadness that I was having problem with b'feeding. Baby was on formula first few days, and then slowly it was 80-20 formula-breastmilk for next few days. After much effort I'm happy she is now exclusively breastfed!!! But for once I thought she probably wont be b'feeding, which made sad beyond belief!

Yay for EBF!!!  I'm so glad your hormones are mellowing out, mama.  It is a very emotionally trying time, and with your DH out of the country I couldn't imagine how lonely it must get.  You are doing awesome!  

I took Finn in today to the ped, and OMG.  I like our ped, I do.  I was taking him for a RASH.  It felt like they were looking for something to send me over to the hospital for, and kept asking these insanely dumb questions (his blood type which I do not yet have and his blood sugar level which was, of course, not checked at birth) and saying, "if it'd been a hospital birth, we would have had these tests done automatically," etc.  GAH.  So, now this afternoon I have to take him to get his bili level checked and have a possible heart murmur listened to.  I'm calling BS on both.  My mw would have heard a heart murmur in the 3 times she's checked his heart in the 2 days since he's been born.

Was just hoping to avoid this bs this time around!

[elove]

carrie, i would trust your instincts wayy before their scripted health check up list..  but you know that already 

noorjahan, PPD or not I would cry too if DH was out of town yet along out of the country! you are doing great and big big kuddos fr turning the tide around w bfing!

[mareseatoats]

Originally Posted by Baby_Cakes 

I took Finn in today to the ped, and OMG.  I like our ped, I do.  I was taking him for a RASH.  It felt like they were looking for something to send me over to the hospital for, and kept asking these insanely dumb questions (his blood type which I do not yet have and his blood sugar level which was, of course, not checked at birth) and saying, "if it'd been a hospital birth, we would have had these tests done automatically," etc.  GAH.  So, now this afternoon I have to take him to get his bili level checked and have a possible heart murmur listened to.  I'm calling BS on both.  My mw would have heard a heart murmur in the 3 times she's checked his heart in the 2 days since he's been born.

Alright, I don't actually belong in this thread yet, but I have to say that I went through the exact same thing when DD was born! I actually didn't love our Ped and ended up switching to a Nurse Practitioner the birth center recommended, but regardless the Ped wanted to send DD to have an ultrasound of some valve because she was a projectile spit-upper. She didn't do it a lot, but when she did it was like a fire hose! She was only 9 days old, I think, and they didn't want me to nurse her until they'd done the ultrasound and we waited hours and hours and finally I just left. I knew she was fine, and I wasn't willing to starve her just for some bogus test. And I got the same feeling, that they were just searching for something that could be wrong with her.

[Peony]

I have the opposite, my pedi is SOO laid back that when she actually suggests something, then I take her seriously. 3 out of the 4 (crossing fingers that this one is normal!!) have issues of some sort so I feel like my pedi is my best friend. We haven't gone in yet with this guy.  I usually take my babies in by 2 weeks but umm, he is 3 weeks old and I just called today to get an appointment. The lady gave me a date 3 weeks out and I thought about complaining but then realized I really didn't care. I was shooting for almost 2 weeks away because 2 of my kids would be in school then, so what is one more week anyway. My pedi loves HB babies, there are so many here that we've never had an issue. Dominic was born the 27th and I haven't bleed all week, so I guess that would of been 2 weeks of bleeding. I thought it would of been longer this time since I'm not resting but it didn't seem to matter after the first couple days. 

He is just getting over his first cold, poor guy. My 2y has been one sad boy all week, I think he finally realizes he isn't the youngest anymore. He isn't very verbal (severe speech delays) so he just keeps whacking the baby on the head, pointing to the swing, and yelling, like get him off of you and put him there. Then he tries to climb on top of the baby and sit on him. Fun times. 

Now that my very last baby is here, and I know what the gender is, all I what to do is get rid of all the clothes I do not need! My youngest girl is almost 5, I have bins and bins of clothes in the garage. I've been sorting through them slowly while the other kids play in the driveway. I already dropped 5 bags off at the consignment shop and I have another 6 or so ready fro next week. I am really, really looking forward to having all that space back. My two boys are the youngest two kids and only 2 years apart, and my girls are are only 2 sizes apart despite being almost 4 years apart so no need to store things for years and years anymore. Benefit of having 2 girls followed by 2 boys I guess! 

ETA: Think rice is bad to bring to a potluck? DD1's dance team is having a potluck lunch at the hot springs tomorrow to kick off the dance year, and I am barely feeding my own family these days. I think I could manage a pot or two of rice cooked in chicken broth with lemon and herbs so it isn't *just* plain rice. We seriously have ate ice cream and cereal for a meal twice this week because baby is always crying  in the afternoons and I can't cook. 

[Baby_Cakes]

Originally Posted by Peony 

ETA: Think rice is bad to bring to a potluck? DD1's dance team is having a potluck lunch at the hot springs tomorrow to kick off the dance year, and I am barely feeding my own family these days. I think I could manage a pot or two of rice cooked in chicken broth with lemon and herbs so it isn't *just* plain rice. We seriously have ate ice cream and cereal for a meal twice this week because baby is always crying  in the afternoons and I can't cook. 

I think rice is fine!!  And I want ice cream and cereal now.

We officially have breastmilk poo!!  Huzzah!!  

Im wiped out and for the first time my stitches are sore.  Overdid it bw the ped and THREE hours at the hosp.   I only did the cardio, i was feeling too weak to spend any more time out of the house.  Good news is after an EKG and u/s, his heart is just fine. whew.

[Baby_Cakes]

Engorgement sucks.    I thought I was doing really well but it hit hard today, probably b/w all the running around.  I'm sitting here now having cluster fed the babe for 2 hours, pumped a bit, and now I have frozen peas in my bra.  Ouchies.

[Stephaniqua]

noorjahan, you give me some hope! I was so upset when I found out I had to give my babe formula, but now the ped is having us cut down to only once in the morning and once at night!! So hopefully my supply gets going and by next Friday he will be EBF! My family doesn't get why giving him formula is a big deal, so it makes it even harder to handle. At least my husband understands.

Evan is extremely sweet and loves to be carried in a wrap. I wore him to go grocery shopping yesterday and got a lot of odd looks from people, but my baby was happy and I could function with a toddler and a newborn so I just kept smiling at all the people staring. I am so happy he is finally here.

baby_cakes, I hope the engorgement gets better. I almost wish I had to deal with that instead of formula though...but I know I'll be eating my words if it happens to me!

[earth-mama]

Engorgement is no fun. It took me a little over a week to regulate--no engorgement now

[*Jessica*]

I'll echo Carrie.....engorgement sucks!  I didn't even buy a pump this time, because I never used it with the boys past the engorgement period.  I figured it would be a waste of money this time.  Now I'm regretting it!  I can't seem to hand express enough for any real relief.  As long as it doesn't get any worse I'm sure I can manage, but if it does get worse I'm sending Marc to Wal-Mart for a hand pump even if it costs $50 and I only use it for a few days.  I wish I had a nursing toddler in the house again, that was so convenient for the engorgement when Nate was a baby!  lol

[cakemama579]

i've been using my manual pump and it is working great to ease the discomfort a bit-- also helps Millie not to choke on the strong letdown and helps get a stockpile going in the freezer. 

Maybe consider just getting a manual pump Jessica if you dont think you'll need it after a while?

[earth-mama]

Jessica--yay, having DD around to empty a breast as necessary is nice. DP calls her hoover .

This morning DS just nursed on both sides and then went back to the 1st side for a little bit. He has just completed a marathon session!!

[Baby_Cakes]

Breast shells are also my best friend right now.  My nips are just so sore!!  I have one flat nip and with the engorgement it makes it near impossible for Finn to get a good deep latch.  I don't think anything serious/horrible is happening, I only have that initial latch on pain that lasts for like 45 seconds to a minute and then the rest of the feed is fine.  Well, mostly fine.  I know it's not comfortable but it isn't painful either.  LOL.  I've been calling him Shark Bite (DD watches Nemo and you know how they dub him Shark Bait? LOL, it's funny to me anyways, ha!).  Anyhow, rocking the shells b/w feedings gives such RELIEF, and I'm hoping it'll help draw out my left nip a bit more.

Ok, so is anyone else using a cosleeper for the first time?  I think it's going well.  Sometimes he does end up in bed with us if I fall asleep nursing him side lying.  Especially if it's the 3rd or so wake up and I'm just beat and don't want to risk moving him and waking him to put him in the cosleeper!  But then part of me feels a bit like I need to get him used to the cosleeper so he doesn't completely reject it.  What's a good balance?  I suppose at least if he naps there and goes in there for the majority of the night, it's a success right?

I still can't believe I gave birth to him in a kiddie pool in my living room.

My emotions are all over the place.  Last night was bad.  I was sobbing so hard b/c I miss Nora so much.  I'm so happy with Finn, and I love that everything I worried about (bedtime, bathtime, everything) hasn't been an issue at all.  But part of me just misses how it was.  I think it's the change that's hard, b/c Nora is super happy and is besties with DH now.  I love it.  I love seeing them be such good friends, and I am so happy I don't have that stress at all.  I'm free to take care of Finn 100% with no issues at all.  So why on earth am I so SAD!?  UGH, gotta love hormones.  I'm hoping as I continue to take the placenta pills it helps even things out.

[egmaranian]

Hugs to all of you with engorgement and supply issues. There's nothing worse than worrying about your milk production when you're a hormonal new mama!

My issues with bf'ing go back to when ds1 was a newborn. He had a very weak latch/sucking reflex and as a result, I never established a good supply. It was several weeks before I finally realized that the poor boy was nearly starving and we got help from a ped/IBCLC support group. This time, ds2 is a really good nurser and I very likely won't have the same issues as before, but I'm seriously traumatized and keep freaking out that he's not getting enough to eat. He gained 14oz in one week, so I KNOW he's not anywhere near starving! But he has a fussy period every evening where he acts like he's starving and is totally not getting enough to eat. On top of that, I haven't had ANY engorgement at all and my boobs are nearly empty by late afternoon, so of course my mind goes to the dark place where I'm starving my baby and I'm in tears every night. I seriously need to figure out how to relax about this before I completely lose it. I've started taking fenugreek and a lactation blend pill three times a day to be sure my supply doesn't tank and ds1 helps out by briefly nursing a few times a day to empty the boobs and trigger more production.

How is this so hard when I've BTDT already?

[mamamerle]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peony 
Now that my very last baby is here, and I know what the gender is, all I what to do is get rid of all the clothes I do not need! My youngest girl is almost 5, I have bins and bins of clothes in the garage. I've been sorting through them slowly while the other kids play in the driveway. I already dropped 5 bags off at the consignment shop and I have another 6 or so ready fro next week. I am really, really looking forward to having all that space back.

I am doing this right now with both baby clothes and maternity clothes. It's nice to have boxes of stuff leave my house! 

[Beckily]

We saw our midwife yesterday which started a rather hellish day. She's awesome and catches everything. One smug thing - from her feeling his head, she said there was no way he was only breech as long as they thought. He has a strong groove - so the day after she left for her vacation, early July, he went crazy and I was confused about his position. I even asked for a check outside of an appointment. I was told at my appointment that he was fine, but then I never felt another big shift. Meaning I was right! I love being right ;) He was breech he last month. We had time to try to do versions and things, but missed it. As it was, there was no way he'd come out without a section the way he was. She had to really pull to get him out. His face is on a bit crooked, too, but we'll get it fixed. Nothing dramatic.

The dramatic part came with the news that he'd lost 16% of his weight since birth. That's certainly more than the acceptable 10%. I didn't get my milk for five days, so that happens. So! Last day and night have been hellish. We're pumping and bottle feeding so we get an accurate measure of what he's ingesting, making sure it's enough. I have plenty of milk now, but it only came in fully yesterday. He was really not okay yesterday. After the first big feed (and big was 40cc, from breast - yay graham scale!), he went pretty much comatose and it was very very hard to wake him at all. But we had to every two hours and try to get 45cc in him. Didn't succeed in more than half an oz (and 45cc is 1.5oz) until the 230 feeding. I got him to take it all. And he just finished his 830 with a flourish, so he's good. Still sleeping, but so are we all :P I'd get up at 20 after, pump, wake someone up to help and we'd start feeding at 30 after. In the beginning it was really hard with the having to wake him - water on his head, loud noises, diaper changing, jostling, poking, ect) and he was really weak and not understanding bottles, so he leaked and gagged and puked a lot. 

It's very strange to have boobs weighing, I estimate, 6 tons, and sit there feeding your baby a bottle.

Two more feedings like that and then we go back in for weighing, timed breast feeding and weighing. The we'll see! Probably have to do it again, but she said we could do breast feeding at night if we do so that's SO MUCH BETTER.

Until this happened, things were good. He's awesome and we adore him and he poops and pees like a champ! I just didn't get milk in fast enough and he was big enough that it was a problem.

And sigh. Time to pump.

Odd thing - she loaned us a double electric pump and I hated it - couldn't get milk hardly at all. Less than an oz combined after more than half an hour. We went and got the cheap hand pump and it's very fast. And really amusing. Stretches the nipples so much it looks like little penises in there :P And if needed, we used these bottles and really like them (not for when he was weak, but when the baby can suck!) http://www.amazon.com/Nuby-SoftFlex-Silicone-Nurser-color/dp/B001Q2XQSO/ref=br_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I2MGZG3QLZ9S77&colid=W4HQZ99K6QNK

[Beckily]

Yay! He did so well! We went in early because he was crying for food - after a day of force feeding, I couldn't stand to tell him to wait an hour. So we went in and weighed him - she was shocked. :D He'd gained 10 oz. She said she'd never seen anyone do that - and that was after a HUGE poo. So. He's at a 6% weight loss from birth weight :)

And then we got out a crane and hefted out a boob to nurse him - yeah, milk isn't going to be an issue. He was assigned to eat 45ccs every two hours, right? And he got 60ccs just from my right boob. Heh. He whined a bit because it was a lot harder to nurse a boob than a bottle, but then he was happy. He only got about 4ccs from the second, but he was pretty much asleep by then. We had a use a shield on that one because I had so much milk that my nipple would suck in. Heh.

We're doing another day of the pumping and measuring, but I get to nurse when it's dark.

He's so good ;)

[Baby_Cakes]

Originally Posted by Beckily 

Yay! He did so well! We went in early because he was crying for food - after a day of force feeding, I couldn't stand to tell him to wait an hour. So we went in and weighed him - she was shocked. :D He'd gained 10 oz. She said she'd never seen anyone do that - and that was after a HUGE poo. So. He's at a 6% weight loss from birth weight :)

And then we got out a crane and hefted out a boob to nurse him - yeah, milk isn't going to be an issue. He was assigned to eat 45ccs every two hours, right? And he got 60ccs just from my right boob. Heh. He whined a bit because it was a lot harder to nurse a boob than a bottle, but then he was happy. He only got about 4ccs from the second, but he was pretty much asleep by then. We had a use a shield on that one because I had so much milk that my nipple would suck in. Heh.

We're doing another day of the pumping and measuring, but I get to nurse when it's dark.

He's so good ;)

Oh Becky I'm so sorry I missed your earlier post and didnt offer hugs!  But I'm so glad everything went so well!  Charlie is a CHAMP! Hooray!!!  How stressful.  

AFM - Really aggravated with my pediatrician.  So.  To catch everyone up, yesterday after the pediatrican, I took Finn to the cardiologist and then was planning to take him for the bili test.  Well, 3 hours later, we were done at the cardio, and I was WIPED.  I mean, my stitches were sore, I was bleeding red again, I felt dizzy and faint, and I was crying over nothing.  I was talking like a delirious person, seriously.  He had 2 EKGs and a heart u/s and they found nothing wrong.  Nothing.  NOTHING.  While I'm glad there's nothing wrong, I can't help but be really pissed off with my pediatrician for making it seem like there was really something wrong with his heart that i had to rush to get this done.

I blew off the bili test b/c I felt so weak, and came home.  Fuck it.  

This morning, I get a call from my ped complaining I didn't get the bili check done.  I got fresh on the phone a bit, and told the receptionist what was up.  That it took too long at the cardiologist, I'm dealing with engorgement and other pp things, and had to get home and rest.  She was annoying and said the Dr would want me to go today. I said no, I'm not going today, I need to rest.  I'm going to put him in the sun, give him lots of milk, and if I feel it's necessary I'll take him Monday.

I'm still torn if I"m going to take him or not, I don't personally feel like he's that yellow but what do I know, right?  

Anyway, I called my mw b/c the Ped also had all these other stupid questions that I think were just to bully me.  Things like his blood type which we just don't have yet b/c it's off to genetic testing, how many vessels his cord was (wtf do they need that for??) Something about a Coombs test?  And now this bili thing.  My mw is the best, she's going to fax them the nb exam to get them off my back.  And she gave me the name of a new ped!!

[karalynnskies]

That's awesome Becky! I am so glad he is gaining. 10oz is amazing!!

I hope everyone elses breastfeeding woes are getting better.

I struggled in the beginning before my milk came in with SUPER sore nipples. It looked like I had hickeys all over my areolas. It was pretty painful. But I nursed though that and then my milk came in on day 3 at night and I was so engorged I couldn't get a latch at all. It was awful and I don't know how many nursing sessions I cried through. But I started pumping off a little before each feeding and my engorgement went away within about 36 hours. Now most of my nipple pain is gone, sometimes when he initially latches on its tender but then were good. I don't have to pump any off except for when I wake up in the middle of the night because he will sleep 4 hours straight. By the time he wakes up I am super full. I was setting an alarm for every 2 hours but my lactation consultant told me as long as we were getting in feedings during the day to let him sleep at night. So I have been and I can't believe that I am getting between 6 to 8 hours a night. Its broke up into two blocks but still. He usually eats at 12 and then sleeps till around 430 and then I feed him and he usually gets back up around 8- 830ish. He is such a good baby and I feel so blessed. He eats ALL the time during the day but that is fine with me. He has already gained his birth weight back plus 4oz. I am sure when we go to the Dr. on Monday he will be over 9lbs. I just can't believe how skinny his legs are for being that big. I was so worried all of my cloth diapers wouldn't fit him cause their so tiny but I can't use half of them cause their to big around the legs. I am sure he will chunk up quickly though!

I hope everyone is enjoying their new babies and everything is going well!