Postpartum Mamas - Page 4 « Back to Group Discussions

[activealli]

I just started taking motherwort. I bought the tincture and just taking a dropper full 2x a day, but I am just guessing. It tastes nasty... but so far feeling a little more even keeled and I just started today.

Feeling a little better now that I am starting to get back into a routine and starting to work out again, which is a HUGE mood booster for me. I starting doing baby bootcamp 2 days ago and started running on the treadmill, along with a walk a day with the kiddos and husband, and going out to ground work the horses (not riding yet... with stitches... eeek) Mon/Wed/Fri. Yes, its a lot, but its what I am used to. Its been my anti-depressant most of my life!

Baby Annabelle is starting to get on a routine as well. I eliminated 99.9% of wheat, dairy, chocolate, vitamins and she seems much less fussy. She still has this aweful witching hour(s) from 6-10 pm where she screams and screams. Not sure why... my son was never that way.. but he has down syndrome, so kids with down syndrome are known for being much more mellow babies (but he isnt now! he is loud and stubborn!)

[MissE]

Allie: glad to hear you're doing a bit better. Hugs to you on your road to recovery.

AFM: we're doing good over here. Audrie still latches weird and seems a bit fussy on the breast (actually just taking it) but once she's got it, she does great. She has those crazy blowout periods, poops like a duck and i go through four/five diapers within minutes. I might just hold her over the toilet tomorrow. She's a good sleeper though, very laid back baby.

My episiotomy is still giving me some troubles. I can finally do kegels again...but the area is still very tender.

[Carson]

Originally Posted by domermommy 


I'm also freaking out about how I'm going to handle a 2.5 year old and a newborn once my husband goes back to work in a week. I realize how lucky I am that I have had him home, but I hate feeling that panic set in every so often during the day...

Ack, me too. DH has been at my side for 4 weeks and next week is his first 24 hour shift. I know we will survive, but know it will really be a challenge. Any BTDT tips?

Evening time is totally cluster feeding time here. I have introed a bottle of pumped milk which is great to move my morning oversupply to evening when I or DH/DS can feed him when he is soso hungry.

[activealli]

The biggest thing I find when she is cluster feeding is to make sure to have snacks readily available ahead of time. Hungry momma and hungry baby makes for a disaster.

PS- So proud of myself for using the jogging stroller tonight to perform actual jogging! Use the double bob to jog dog and kiddos down to the doggie park to catch up with our doggie park friends!

PPS- Made a great batch of lactation/ hormone balancing tea... will post recipe later when I dont have a fussy baby (6pm-10 pm for some reason is a mess of unavoidable fussiness).

[MissE]

Another projectile vomit episode. At least she puked on dh and not me this time and he took the opportunity to give her a sponge bath. Now baby is sleeping in Oma's arms .

[activealli]

Sorry to hear about your projectile puking. Annabelle went through that for a week before I changed my diet. Not sure yet if she stopped puking because of the diet change, or her digestive system just matured enough.

On that note- I just realized I never changed my shirt yet from our jog to the doggie park where annabelle burped/spit up on my shoulder. No wonder my husband has been looking at me like I need a little help!

[Worldshakerz]

Originally Posted by hyde 

Do we have the same baby??! Wow, that was great to read.. this is Rocío exactly. (I will say- she's apparently hit a growth spurt today, is doing some crazy cluster feeding, and the latch has been a whole lot easier with less-full breasts. A bit apprehensive about what tonight might bring..)

How are things going with Rocio? I hope her latch has continued to improve. I think Benjamin is slowly getting better at it. He is still a very sleepy baby though. I went to his 2 week check up with the pediatrician yesterday and he is above his birth weight but on the "low side of normal" according to her. He was 7 lb 4oz at birth, 7lb 2oz at the pediatrician at 5 days old, and then yesterday at 2 weeks old he was up to 7lb 7.5 oz. She is recommending that I pump after feeding Benji and then feed it to him with a cup or dropper. I'm trying to do a little research before I do that, I'm just not sure its completely necessary. I found some great stuff on Kellymom.com about sleepy newborns/slow weight gain and I think I want to try that first - it actually does recommend the pumping after baby feeds but only if other things don't work first. Its a strange thing for me because I never had this with my first two babies. 

[MadiMamacita]

Jude is 6 weeks old today! I cant believe how quickly time is passing

[hyde]

Originally Posted by crystal_buffaloe 
Hyde - I have no real advice, I'm just glad my MIL isn't staying with us. Do you get along? Asking for a
break between visitors is a good idea, as is 'here you hold the baby while I take a shower is she the kind of person who will clean and cook for you? Do you want her to? Will your DH take any days off while she's here? Good luck!

Thanks, Crystal. :) We get along, but we're not really buddies, if that makes sense. She's saying she plans to come to help with cooking, etc.- in my mind as long as she's prepared to not be entertained it's going to go a long way. What we ended up doing was overlapping her visit with my brother's, and also planning a surprise visit from my brother-in-law for one of the weekends she's here.. buffers are my strategy. It's going to be an intense three weeks but ultimately I think it'll be better than spreading all these visits out over time. I hope.

Originally Posted by Worldshakerz 

How are things going with Rocio? I hope her latch has continued to improve.

Things are going pretty well.. she's getting it on the first try much more often, but it seems like a lot of it has to do with the state of my breasts. If it's been a few hours since the last feeding and they're fuller than normal, the shape/fullness makes it harder for her to get on and that combined with the amount of milk leads to the multiple-false-starts thing. We had a check-up on Friday and she's half a pound over her birth weight now, though, so whatever she's doing (liiike demanding boob every hour) is working for her.

I'm glad to hear that Benjamin is gaining weight and getting the hang of things! Waking my sleeping baby for feeds is not a favorite activity of mine.. hope those tips are working out!

Originally Posted by MadiMamacita 

Jude is 6 weeks old today! I cant believe how quickly time is passing

Madi, I am in total denial mode about the passage of time. Rocío is two weeks old tomorrow.. today we watched her birth video and I realized how different she looks already! I thankfully did not get hit hard in the first week by pp hormonal shifts, but the one bout of weepiness I did get the day my milk came in was about this exactly.. I was just crushed thinking about the little changes I'd already seen and how fast this would all go by. I have a feeling that's always going to be there, from now on, like my experience of time in the world has just been totally reconfigured.

MamanF, how are things going?

AFM- husband is going back to work tomorrow. While he was on pat leave his team started to work nights and weekends to meet a big deadline.. I'm a bit freaked out about what his boss is going to expect from him. We've done well as a team, not sure I'm ready to do this completely by myself.. wondering if this is going to be the other shoe dropping after a relatively easy first couple of weeks. :\

[Carlin]

I can't believe DD is almost 6 days old already. These days have gone by so fast!

After a pretty mellow first couple days, the baby blues set in on Friday once my milk came in. I've had some real weepy, sad episodes, but I'm trying to get out in the sun a couple times a day and take my fish oil and it seems to help a bit. I still have my placenta in the freezer and I'm toying with the idea of making a smoothy or two, but haven't looked up a recipe yet. I'm also looking for a place to buy Motherwort. I wish I'd put a little more effort into preparing for these first few week and the hormone fluctuations. I know I had problems with it last time too but somehow the memory had faded a bit.

My milk came in Thursday/Friday and yesterday I was ridiculously, painfully engorged. It seems to have leveled off though so I'm hopeful that that was the worst of it. DD's latch did some damage over the first couple days, but she seems to have things straightened out now, and other than some pain when she first latches on, we're doing pretty good. I think as soon as the initial damage heals up we'll be fine.

DH left this afternoon for a 3 day work trip. :( I'm sure we'll be fine, but I'm worried about getting both kids to bed and getting enough sleep now that nap times aren't an option. Plus, adding in the post partum hormones and I'm just feeling weepy and alone. DH has been such a good dad to both the baby and our 3 year old over the last few days and a great support for me, and I'm just really missing him already. When older DD woke up in the middle of the night last night, she called for him instead of me for the first time ever. It's been great to see them developing a closer bond and I wish he was around for another week or so to consolidate that. I know in a lot of ways, the anticipation of him leaving and these first few hours will probably be the worst of it, but I'm counting down the hours until Wednesday afternoon when he's back. After that, he'll be involved in a pretty heavy duty project that will have him working pretty long days, but at least he'll be home at night.

Sorry to make this all about me! I've read everyone else's posts but don't seem to be able to put together coherent responses, so I'll just send hugs to those who need them. I'm so glad we have this virtual support network of other moms in exactly the same situation. It makes a world of difference. Just getting to vent a little has helped so much!

[MamanFrancaise]

Things are going pretty good!

DH went back to work last week and I was terrified it was going to be really hard but it was actually better being by myself with the baby. I got out of the house just the two of us (I had/have anxiety about leaving the house). Dexter is a dream baby. He lets me sleep in 4 hour stretches at night and never cries. I just adore this little guy so much. He's so laid back. He must get that from his father because I am way too high maintenance for him to be like me. LOL

I have an appointment with a counsellor for October 11th but I've actually been feeling much, much better this past week. I've only cried about once or twice and besides not wanting anyone around or anyone holding the baby, I'm doing really well. I will still go to the appointment though.

[MIrandaM]

Maman, no crying and sleep in four hour stretches?!!!!!! I'm crazy about my baby but he's been a handful these last couple days. I'm jealous! We went to bed at 8pm last night because I'm just too tired to last any longer.

Ds is three weeks old now! He's getting chunky and has much more personality. I love it. Breastfeeding has become so much easier recently, and my cracked, scabbed nipples healed but I am still in some pain. I have some nipple blanching, a painful vertical crease down the nipple, and the dreaded lipstick shaped nipple after feeding . . . everything is ok during the day but nights can be awful. So I went to a LC today, she said our latch is perfect, positioning perfect but he latches on and then pulls back because the milk is coming out super fast - she pointed out a clicking noise that is him breaking the suction. She suggested that I feed him in a laid back position and give it a couple weeks to improve as he gets used to it and my supply evens out. The crazy thing is that I've been focusing on my latch so much, and the left has been less problematic so I often do a laid back position there and keep with a strict upright cross cradle on the right, and that's contributing to left working smoothly and right being a nightmare. I'm so glad to hear that the latch is not the problem so now I can stop obsessing on that. DH even said that his hobby is chess and mine is my latch! Ha.

I find myself feeling kind of lonely when I'm nursing. Especially when DH is home and sitting in the other room while i'm feeding the baby. I love watching a show while I nurse but feel guilty about exposing the baby to the noise of the Tv (his eyes aren't facing it) and not giving nursing my full attention - so I usually allow myself one nursing session per day in front of the tube.

My stitches are healed, strangely the inside stitches took longer to stop hurting but feel 100% healed now, really just like normal. But the outside stitches were less painful earlier but still feel a little bumpy and a little tender. Still struggle to go to the bathroom- I guess it's a mix of constipation, proximity to my stitches, lack of free time, and knowing that baby could need me at any time, or DH could knock on the door needing help with the baby at any time, just hard to relax and go.

Love reading everyone's updates!

[Ava's Mama]

Hi Ladies -

First off I want to just say how much I admire those that are home with a newborn and toddler (or any other kids for that matter).  My DD is in preschool full time, so I have yet to be home alone with both DD and DS and I have to admit that I am petrifide!  Not so much with daily stuff but mostly morning and bedtime stuff.  Bedtime especially since that is when DS cluster feeds.  He isn't fussing, but wants to nurse every 15-30 minutes.

Physically I am feeling much better.  I got the go ahead from my midwife to do light walks, but of course it was a total wash out this weekend.  I am planning on taking a nap after lunch and then taking DS on a walk around the neighborhood.  So, I have been going a bit stir crazy.  DH and I went on a date on Friday (with DS) and that went pretty well.  DS only nursed twice and slept the rest of the time and I was so proud of myself for nursing him in the mei tai wrap!  I never even knew that I could do that with DD!

Nursing is going well.  It has probably been a week where he latches on pretty quickly (instead of 30-45 minutes at night).  Generally Brody is really mellow.  He has a little cold right now and last night we used simply saline and he didn;t even cry.  He also falls asleep often times without nursing, which is amazing to me (DD was an AWFUL sleeper).

Emotionally I am up and down.  Today I felt pretty overwhelmed bringing DD to preschool (with DS in tow).  It is more the getting out the door that is hard.  Getting DD dressed, hair brushed, teeth brushed. fed, lunch packed.  Just about ready and of course DS wants to nurse AND has a poop-plosion.  Anyways, I know it will get easier.  I think I wil feel better once I get out and walk and get some fresh air.  It has been a long 2.5 weeks of being mostly indoors.   

Its great hearing how everyone is doing...sorry that I am so behind that I can do personals!

[judybean]

So glad so many nursing relationships are going well and thriving/improving!  Those early days of breastfeeding ARE tricky!!  This is my third breastfed child and I'm still constantly learning. Leo does *not* like flat nipples and won't/can't latch onto them.  So... I have to either twist/rub my nipples first or lick and blow on them so he can get a good latch ;)  Sounds kind of funny written out, but I was really quite pleased to have figured it out when I did.  His latch is also improving.. no more curling my toes and gritting my teeth ;)  He hast more troubles with the left breast than the right, but both seem to be going pretty well and it seems like supply is regulating (no more rock-hard, canteloupe boobs!). 

Physically, I'm feeling fabulous.  Like, truly amazing.  I have to remember that I just gave birth 10 days ago and still need to take things relatively easy.  I weighed myself at MILs yesterday (we have no scale) and I'm just two pounds over what I have recorded for my pre-pregnancy weight with my midwife.  Not too shabby.  I even pulled out 'normal' jeans today and tried them on.  I couldn't bear the thought of trying them on too early and having them not work out, so I've been wearing skirts and even a few pairs of maternity pants still.  My normal jeans fit.  They're a bit snug on the still-poofy belly, but they fit.  It feels kind of funny to wear pants with a defined waist now after months of stretchy waists!! 

Emotionally I feel pretty 'normal' or whatever... but in situations where I begin to feel overwhelmed I lash out quickly.  Like with my kids and homeschooling or bedtime or whatnot.  If the noise gets out of control or they start fighting or something, I just want to scream.  So... I'm trying to breathe in deeply before reacting.

I've had to parent alone quite a bit already with five kids.  DH is still off of work (but only until Wednesday), but has stayed busy with church activities.  So I've had to do bedtimes alone quite a few times.  One shining beacon of hope in all of it.... DD4 has slept through the night at least four or five of the past nine nights!!!  I cant' believe it!  The only really hard night was the very first night all the girls were home... and there were a few nights she woke up three or four times, but always went right back to sleep, which is HUGE for her.  She has been The Worst Sleeper EVER and I was nearly petrified with fear over bringing another baby into the mix with her sleeping so poorly... but she has turned an amazing corner and is sleeping so wonderfully!  I can't believe it!!

More on nursing:  We aren't tandeming.  After Leo was born, I felt I needed some Just Leo time on the boob and so dh helped keep her distracted and such.. and eventually she said boobies are for her "baby brudder" and she's a big girl.  It's quite bittersweet, truly.  She had a wonderful 2.5 year go at boobie milk ... but dd3 got 3.5 years, so I feel like I shorted her in some way.. but. I just couldn't do it.  So... I feel like that's my confession.  I cut Hazel off from boobie milk ... and now she sleeps wonderfully.  I do feel it was the right decision for our family at this time, but it's still a bit sad.  I make sure to try to cuddle her plenty and let her know how much I love her.

Miranda -- I could see how you'd get lonely nursing if you're always leaving the room.  Is there any specific reason you do that?  Is your ds easily distracted by other noises?  Are you just trying to keep things quiet?  Honestly, I think that just incorporating nursing into real life works the best.  In our house, there isn't a lot of quiet time ;)  We homeschool, so all kids are home all the time ... and they're noisy ;)  So, we nurse just as life happens.... because honestly, it's juts going to keep on happening!  Just re-read your post... and see that you want to give nursing your full attention.  That's admirable, for sure.  But.. I wouldn't stress out over it or isolate yourself over it.  Nutrition and love still happen whether your complete focus is there or only partially.  I figure all mamas deserve some slack and it's okay.  :)

I'd write more, but the two-year-old is now screaming.  Funtimes.  Life goes on.

[Princessjules]

Maman -Glad you are feeling less blue!

Miranda- glad  you are healing well

Ava'sMama - Gla you got a date w/ your DH and nursed DS in the mei tai! I never figured that out with DS1 maybe this time around...

AFM: 2.5 days pp here and it's been pretty different so far. Milk started coming in night before last and I now have these amazing looking boobs lol! Being small chested for my whole life I really love this part about breastfeeding! David is a very strange nurser... My breast is soft when he finishes eventually but he just takes SOOO long to finish... He also doesn't sleep as well as DS1did but between the new baby high and being used to fractured sleep it's not too bad. I don't feel completely exhuasted yet We are staying at my parents' house for the week and it has been pretty nice so far. Mom takes really good care of me and even helped me with both boys last night when both were wide awake. She sent me to bed to lay down so that is what I am doing now... Stitches are starting to itch which is a good sign and am really not all that sore I had a sitz bath earlier but haven't used any frozen pads yet, those will come in crazy handy when the stitches start to itch even more toward the end of healing.. My hemogloben was crazy low so I am taking iron like a mad women, but really I feel fantastic comparatively speaking... I am so glad to have this baby on the outside although  I have thought a few times how "easy" i had it before he was born...lol oh well

Oh and DS is just doing AWESOME as a new big bro.. He is still sleeping well, pretty much through the night in fact night before last he didn't nurse once! I am totally on board with that if he is ready for it... Anyway he is just loving his baby bro and is always coming over to give him kisses or just check up on him

[ascher21]

Hi ladies, after a week of my mother being here and doing everything and making these amazing meals and giving me a pedicure (awesome!) the past few nights (she went home Saturday morning) have been far from stellar for me. Since I don't know what to expect with "the blues" I'm guessing i have them. I've been taking three placenta pills everyday for the last two, so not sure what it would be like OFF them. I seem to find that for the most part during the day I am feeling moments of guilt and for what I have no idea. I'll sleep for three hours and I feel like I'm overindulging myself (funny, right?) or I'll walk away from baby in his rock'n'play for 15 minutes and feel like a bad mom if he wakes up and I'm not looking at him. And then there's the crankiness towards DH, where his meals are nothing like my mom's, and I just wanted to cry. Baby barely ever cries, but I still think there must be something that's uncomfortable for him that he's just not vocalizing (which, again, is silly).

I guess anxiety is part of this, right? Man, I thought I was nuts before, but this is pretty darn nuts.

[MadiMamacita]

Originally Posted by judybean 

I have to either twist/rub my nipples first or lick and blow on them so he can get a good latch   Sounds kind of funny written out, but I was really quite pleased to have figured it out when I did. 

really funny visual here..

[MadiMamacita]

Originally Posted by Ava's Mama 

It is more the getting out the door that is hard.  Getting DD dressed, hair brushed, teeth brushed. fed, lunch packed.  Just about ready and of course DS wants to nurse AND has a poop-plosion. 

DS1 is in a pm preschool b/c I wanted mornings w/ baby to be as smooth as possible. and I can't handle sending a lunch. no way no how! his last preschool we had to send snack for all the kids a few times a month and that was almost too much for me!

[Flower of Bliss]

I'm 6 days out.  I've been following my midwife's instructions to take things super easy, not climb the stairs unless absolutely necessary for the first 5 days, not lift my big girls for the first 2 weeks, etc.  DH is doing just about everything, and I've spend huge percentages of the day sitting in my glider in our bedroom nursing and holding the tiny one   I have slowly spent more and more time downstairs with the family.  I've been missing my big girls and increasingly lonely.  I am atypically sensitive to their noise, and it's hard to sit and watch and not be able to do much.  I do think that this is really paying off with my healing.  I'm sure the placenta smoothies are helping too.  My bleeding, which was light to start with, has nearly stopped already!!!  My tiny tears sting when I pee, and my nipples hurt during initial latch (hard full breasts, tiny baby mouth, makes for a shallow latch at first, but we're working that out), but I'm otherwise in pretty good shape.  The after pains were beyond miserable the first couple nights, but they're mostly gone now.  I am more irritable than normal, which I'm hoping will pass as I heal.

Tomorrow evening I get to do our evening family walk again, and I'm hoping to get more and more active this week and do a few outings later in the week.  DH will return to work next Monday, and I don't want to go from doing nothing to doing everything in a big leap.