Postpartum mamas - How are you doing? - Page 2 « Back to Group Discussions

[kateaton]

So happy to be able to post in this thread!  Has anyone had a problem with their uterus not shrinking back down to size?  At my 5 day pp check my mw said that my uterus should be down near my pubic bone but that it was only 2 finger breaths below my bellybutton.  She was pretty concerned and really emphasized that it's necessary for me to massage my uterus.  I'm going back in on tuesday for a recheck.  I have no signs of infection or heavy bleeding.  This is making me nervous.

[ananas]

We are 6 days PP here. For the most part everything is going very well. My milk has been in for a few days and Adelaide LOVES to nurse. We had a few issues- painful latch on one side, refusal to latch on the other due to a flat nipple, but we figured out the sore latch and after trying a few things, we went to a nipple shield for the other. I really think she'll have no problems weaning off of it but I'm not going to stress about it at all for a couple of weeks- for now, I'm so grateful that my baby can nurse and be satisfied on both sides and that both sides are making a great quantity of milk now. I'm also really grateful because Adelaide and I seem to be fairly skilled at nursing in absolutely any position, which helps so much. We've had side lying down since her first night and I am so grateful because I know it's the reason I'm not sleep deprived. In the sleep aspect, I feel pretty great for having a newborn. I can also get up and walk somewhere without her nursing being disturbed if needed. The Ped was a tiny bit concerned about her weight (went from 7.3 to 6.9 at her first appointment, but she was only 3.5 days old. My milk had barely come in. She's having plenty of pee and poop diapers and they all look normal. She'll get reweighed on Monday and then I will be switching her care over to a ped who I've heard is very accepting of not vaxing.

Emotionally, I am well. I can't say for certain since this is my first baby, but I think my place ta capsules make a big big difference. I'm not nearly as weepy or emotional or moody as I thought I may be. I'm just kinda loving life with our sweet girl.

Physically, I am sore. Very sore. Mostly in my tailbone- it took a beating during birth and I've always had problems with it anyway. A couple of nights ago I finally called my midwife and she prescribed vicodin. The prescription calls for 4 a day...I've been taking one in the morning. I don't want to get that dependent on it, plus I don't want to take a narcotic anywhere near bedtime with a co-sleeping newborn. My bleeding is down a lot, using a regular size pad now. I bled more yesterday, but it seemed reasonable and the few clots I had were no bigger than period clots. My uterus is crampy but I'm also constipated from the vicodin and also the iron they put me on, so it's kind of hard to tell when it's uterus cramping or gas crampiness.

[franjapany]

kateaton - luckily I never had any problems with my uterus going back to normal size and this time around my belly and insides went back to almost normal so quickly it is almost hard to believe it myself. I must say the first few days of nursing really did a lot in that respect. I hope you are worrying in vain and your uterus just needs a little more time.

ananas - I am three weeks pp now and i can reassure you: things get better rapidly after the first week. at least that was it like for me. about one week pp was probably the worst for me in terms of pain. I also had really bad pain in my tailbone and my scar where I had torn. certainly also due to the fact that I hadn't been resting much because I felt so fit already a day after the birht and I had been on my feet most of the time or sitting down but hardly ever lying in bed with my feet up. and the sitting and standing didn't really take the strain off those areas.

so, just be gentle on yourself. maybe rest a little more and in no time this will hopefully be over for you too :)

we are doing fine here - I don't recall feeling that 'normal' so soon again after my other births. a fast birth really does wonders for your recovery time, I guess. <but this feels like a completely new experience altogether. nursing is going as easy as expected, but we are still working to get our demand and supply balance worked out. I sometimes still wake up and hope he gets hungry soon because my breasts feel like they are going to burst. ouch! I had my last mw's visit today which feels a bit like the end of an era. it not like we have been doing a lot of baby related stuff on these last visits, mainly we have been sitting and chatting while drinking tea :) but this woman was present at the birth of my son and she went through this incredibly intense time with me and now I probably won't see her for quite a while. So, time for the beginning of something new :)

We also have a weird situation here because we have just moved in mid october and DH does everything himself and has been working nonstop to get everything done (mainly building and installing the kitchen, but also plenty of other stuff). so our home is still in chaos and we have several 'building sites' around the place. and since dh has been doing all the building/fixing/installing stuff, I have been with the kids a lot with hte baby latched to my breast or strapped to me with a sling, since he really doesn't like sleeping alone. so there really was very little time for exclusive baby-swooning or postpartum rest as in lying in bed and being served. All the more I am grateful that I didn't desperately needed rest but after a few days already felt rather together again.

[babychak]

When do you all go in for post-partum check-ups? I'm not going until 5 weeks after the birth - is this normal? I find it strange that they don't want to see me sooner since I did have a second degree tear, but I suppose I would just call if I thought anything were wrong... just curious what schedule you all are on.

[Dahlea]

Anyone else having postpartum headaches? I thought it was due to my
Placenta pills so I stopped taking them but I haven't noticed an improvement. They come around the same time every night and nothing touches them. I get headaches a lot normally but I hadn't ever had any like this postpartum.

[ananas]

babychak, I will be seen at 2 weeks PP and again at 6 weeks PP.

[finnegansmom]

I've only ever gone back at 6 weeks postpartum, which each midwife I've had.

I'm surprised that no one even bother to call or check up at all, since I had such a bad hemorrhage. 

I've kind of always had the feeling that maternity care ends at birth, at least with the midwives I've seen.

I'm still bleeding, and often it's bright red.....

No headaches but the nightsweats are driving me insane.  So awful, and combined with nursing all night long, I'm exhausted.

Poor Baxter finally passed his newborn hearing test yesterday after we were referred to the audiologist for testing.  He had flunked it 3 times, in the ear on the side where he suffered some injuries during birth (bruising, broken collarbone).  They think maybe he just had some swelling or fluid on that side.  Glad to have that over with, it took 2.5 hours of me trying to hold him still (without nursing since the sucking affects the test). 

Hope everyone is doing well!  I can't believe it's been 3 weeks...he's growing too fast.  Needs to stay little for a while longer.

[babychak]

Glad Baxter passed his hearing test! Must be a relief. I didn't know night sweats were a postpartum thing - I've been really sweaty too but assumed it was because we gave the heat turned up more than usual for K's sake.

[kateaton]

My mw does a check 24 hours after you go home, 5 days postpartum, 3 weeks pp, and 6 weeks pp.   So a lot of checks.  I keep thinking that if I had this baby at a hospital, like my last 2, no one would know where my uterus is right now, since they don't see you until 6 weeks.  So maybe she's just be way over cautious and unnecessarily concerned.

[Thyme Mama]

Hi mamas! Our baby is one week old today. I feel *incredibly* blessed. This has been my roughest pregnancy physically and emotionally, but the smoothest birth-wise, postpartum and baby-wise. I am still in awe of how amazing the birth was and how well baby and I are doing! Postpartums for me are usually pretty rough, between how craptastic I feel and the whole milk-allergy horribleness.

The afterpains were gone by day 3. I took ibuprofen the first 2 days, but it was giving me horrible heartburn, so I decided I would brave the pain, and it wasn't even as bad as my normal menstrual cramps. Bleeding has been mild, with very few tiny clots the first couple days. My stitches have already healed up nicely. The herbal peri wash my midwife prepared for me has a lot to do with the speedy healing, I'm sure of it. My perineum feels almost back to normal today as far as soreness and swelling. My milk came in about 12 hours after the birth. Engorgement has been nowhere near as bad as with the other kids. Emotionally I feel happy, and on top of my little kingdom here. The house is running smoothly, due in part to my mad pre-birth prep work and my mom being here to help out.

Baby is mellow and happy! He was smiling and cooing at 3 days old. His sensitivity to my milk is not as pronounced as the other kids and he is nursing tons. He had gained a 1/2 pound from his birth weight at my Day 3 Homevisit! He is just an absolute bundle of joy and I am grateful to be his mama.

I have been having a few random headaches here and there, but I think they are related to dehydration. Drinking a huge glass of water makes them go away.

kateaton - I think the more babies you've had the longer it takes for the uterus to go back down. And everyone has a variation of normal for them. Like you said, no one has checked your uterus this soon after birth before. Follow your instincts, if you don't feel like anything is amiss, probably nothing is.

Homebirth midwives around these parts do a 24 hour post-birth check, a Day 3 Homevisit, a visit at the midwives at 2 and 6 weeks. So 4 postpartum visits total. And they are still on call 24 hours a day until our last visit.

[tekcez]

I'll be 4 weeks out on Monday, and I've been having headaches at night, too. The night sweats are easing off a bit. Milk supply and demand have been really balanced. In fact, if it weren't for the great weight gain and prodigious diaper loading on Evie's part, I might be worried that I wasn't making enough milk, I've had so little engorgement compared to last time. I developed thrush again, I'm sure due to the antibiotics they gave me after the d&c, but it probably would have happened eventually anyway. I think my body chemistry just needs to get balanced again to fight it off. Last time I fought it with every remedy, prescription and natural, to no avail and it eventually just sort of went away on its own. Bleeding has stopped completely and the swelling and tears are all healed. I feel like I have my old vagina back! heheh.

Ds has been doing much better emotionally this past week. It probably has to do with the fact that he has had so much adult attention over the holiday, but I'll take a laughing boy over a tantrumming one however I can get him My mom is here until next Friday, so my house is clean and I'm feeling relaxed if not as rested as I would like. Ds starts mother's day out next Friday. I'm a bit apprehensive about it, but I know it will be good for all of us. Right now I'm riding high with lots of help from family. I'm hoping to maintain this mindset when mom is gone!

Be well, mamas.

[kparker]

Ugh. Guy is 10 days old and I'm not sure our breastfeeding relationship is going to continue - he got my nipples to insanely raw, cracked, bleeding profusely stages, and I had to switch to pumping to even be able to give him breastmilk, and we're currently trying things with a shield but it's incredibly painful to the point where it's severely affecting our relationship and I don't want to hate my baby for hurting me :( It's depressing, but I'm trying to push on through it so we can be successful. He's gaining weight well though, was up a half pound from birth weight at 1 week old so at least there is that!

Otherwise, we're not adjusting well to the lack of sleep. DH and I have to tag team him overnight and that will not be doable once he goes back to work in a few days. I'm not sure what will happen but I might be sleeping in the living room or baby's room with the baby from there on out, to minimize the distractions for DH since he NEEDS to work.

I don't know how all of you with more than one child do it! Heh.

[wendelberry]

Kateaton, I'm having the same issue though only 3 days pp.  My MW seemed concerned but didn't tell me to massage my uterus.  How does one do that??  Just mash your belly?

Thymemama, thanks for the encouragement, maybe it's just slow b/c this was baby #4.  I hope.

[kateaton]

Originally Posted by wendelberry 

Kateaton, I'm having the same issue though only 3 days pp.  My MW seemed concerned but didn't tell me to massage my uterus.  How does one do that??  Just mash your belly?

Thymemama, thanks for the encouragement, maybe it's just slow b/c this was baby #4.  I hope.

Wendelberry- she has me press in at my bellybutton and then push down until I feel a hard mass and basically repeatedly push down on it.  honestly, I'm not totally sure of what i'm doing, but she assured me i can't hurt anything.  I've been doing this everytime i pee.  i honestly can't tell where my uterus is right now.  i have a check with her tomorrow- I'll let you know what happens.  did your mw give any suggestions about how  to help it?

[wendelberry]

No, she just said nurse as much as possible and welcome the afterpains.  Which I hadn't been doing.  I'd actually been popping baby off too early for the first couple of days because I couldn't handle the pain (way worse than transition, IMO) and that's probably contributed to his jaundice.  Bad mama.

She said that since the bleeding had slowed so much there wasn't much to worry about, and now it's just a big muscle that has to take a bit of time to get back down to size.  I'm pretty well informed about labor and birth issues but not so much about what can go wrong afterwards and this DDC is kind of freaking me out!  /:)

I've been kneading my belly a bit too when I use the bathroom, just because it feels like everything might get back into place better.  But I'll definitely try your method, thanks for sharing!

[tekcez]

kparker: sorry to hear your nipples are in such a bad way have you had Guy's latch looked at by a lactation consultant? I'm considering seeing one because Evie has a really pronounced click, and I think she is swallowing tons of air when she nurses. Don't know how to fix it myself. I've exhaustedy very limited bag o'tricks.

I know you've probably heard this a million times, and it doesn't help you right in this moment of physical pain and frustration, but it does get better. The worst part about starting bf relationship with ds was not knowing. Not know if we were doing it right. Not knowing when the pain would stop. Not knowing if my diet was contributing to his fussiness. He went through this phase early on when he would root around, obviously hungry, and then would start screaming as soon as I put him to the breast. It was so horrible, I just cried with him. No one had a solution that worked. Eventually it ended as abruptly as it began.

That's all to say, there are parts of bf that really suck and then suddenly those parts are over, and it becomes really good, really fulfilling, and really convenient. Hope you and Guy get more comfortable soon, and even if it doesn't work out, you're still doing a great job!

The sleep thing I cant speak to. We still haven't figured it out with ds and he is 18 mos old. You do kind of get used to it

[kparker]

tekcez:  I did have an IBCLC come by, said his latch was perfect but he does possibly have an upper lip tie. Might have that looked at if we're still suffering so badly in another couple weeks. He flares his upper lip best he can, but it's actually his bottom one he pulls in last second before I get him on so I have to redo it over and over until we get one satisfactory. So frustrating for us both. He also acts hungry and roots, and then pulls away screaming sometimes. At least a couple times a day. It's getting more frequent, and driving me nuts!  Guy also clicks off and on when he nurses, when it becomes constant vs a click or two then none, I break the latch and try again. Usually that helps keep it to a minimum.

Ha well, sleeping will happen sooner or later I guess. I sure love my 2 hrs at a time! Better than NONE. ;)

wendelberry: I was told to do what kateaton said - go to the navel, feel inwards and down for the hard mass, and massage on that. It was uncomfortable for me but doable, and I was told to only do that when my bleeding was picking up, but I did it nearly every time I peed, personally. I didn't bleed heavily for long, only 3-4 days of heavy, and now it's a slightly medium to light period which is much more tolerable. I contribute this to the uterine massage!

[kateaton]

Originally Posted by wendelberry 

No, she just said nurse as much as possible and welcome the afterpains.  Which I hadn't been doing.  I'd actually been popping baby off too early for the first couple of days because I couldn't handle the pain (way worse than transition, IMO) and that's probably contributed to his jaundice.  Bad mama.

She said that since the bleeding had slowed so much there wasn't much to worry about, and now it's just a big muscle that has to take a bit of time to get back down to size.  I'm pretty well informed about labor and birth issues but not so much about what can go wrong afterwards and this DDC is kind of freaking me out!  /:)

I've been kneading my belly a bit too when I use the bathroom, just because it feels like everything might get back into place better.  But I'll definitely try your method, thanks for sharing!'

So, I had my check today.  It was a different mw today and she said that my uterus is fine and where it should be.  She thinks the other mw was feeling a "muscle ridge" and not my uterus.  I told her that's what I'd been massaging all week :-/  She admitted that sometimes it's hard to tell definitively what's what by feeling in there.  Anyway, I'm relieved, but confused how a mw who's been doing this forever can't tell the difference btw a uterus and a muscle ridge  (whatever that is).  I hope yours ends up being normal.

[BibaDiva73]

Originally Posted by Dahlea 

Anyone else having postpartum headaches? I thought it was due to my
Placenta pills so I stopped taking them but I haven't noticed an improvement. They come around the same time every night and nothing touches them. I get headaches a lot normally but I hadn't ever had any like this postpartum.

I'm 9 days pp and the headaches have been intense. I've tried Arnica and it doesn't help at all. I have to take Tylenol to get some relief. This is baby #3 for me and I have two older kids. Husband just went back to work today-- before that, it was just us, my Mom wasn't able to come and won't be here until Christmas, no other relatives around to help, so it was stressful the first week at home. Thankfully, the jaundice/bilirubin bed drama is over.

[kateaton]

I've been having bad headaches too.  I don't remember this last time.  Is it a hormonal thing?