I have had some caffeine most days this pregnancy...either some tea or a small can of Coke. I don't feel bad, because both of those have very low amounts of caffeine and I'm not a martyr, even when pregnant. :)
Sometime in the first few months after birth, I'm going to go out with my husband and share a mixed drink of some sort. I can't wait.
I figure if it's good for my mental health and the effects on baby are minimal, baby benefits more from having a sane Mama. First pregnancy I cut my daily cup back to 8 oz (instead of 12), but this one I just couldn't do it - plus I've got two in there so that means I could drink twice as much, right? ;)
Even as a newborn, DD never reacted to that one cup of coffee at all - she was pretty mellow. And I figured, if anything, it would help her keep her days and nights straight to have a little cafe' con leche every morning :)
that's a fantastic way to put it. I've never felt like "omg I'm an awful mother for drinking coffee", I've just subscribed to various dietary lifestyles over the years that really frown on it and so I never really get over the guilt of consuming caffeine, pregnant or not. then again, I'm Catholic so I'm good at guilt. ;)
That's great idea to get a special bottle of wine for when the time comes! As much as I love good wine, I always feel guilty spending over $10 a bottle. This would be a good excuse to treat me (and a girlfriend or two) to something super fancy.
The wine was actually a FANTASTIC gift from my former employers. In future, if I can swing it, I plan on treating pregnant girlfriends to something special just for them (like the bottle of wine, a custom roasted coffee blend, spa stuff) because it was a huge boost to have someone think of me in this pregnancy! Two of my other girlfriends gifted me with a lovely lotion + bath set and a Williams Sonoma gift card, which was also really thoughtful. I love love love how much attention people have been paying to my in utero nugget, but it felt really good to be recognized as someone deserving of a little treat.
i drank 1 cup of coffee a day during my first pregnancy. i was in grad school, and read (mainstream) that coffee was safe, so didn't quit it. and in the 3rd trimester, i had a glass of wine (usually not all of it) 1x a week when i went out w/ my husband. my mother had 5 healthy pregnancies and consumed wine by prescription in Greece w/ my youngest sister, so i was less paranoid about alcohol than many americans. I had also been a raw-foodist, so all those foods that are banned in pregnancy? yup, ate many of those as well! i didn't drink coffee while breastfeeding as DS1 did turn out very sensitive to caffeine and dairy in the breastmilk. and habaneros. picky kid! 
second pregnancy, no coffee- i was off of it by then. but i did have 1/2 a beer after the mid-second trimester, and took it w/ a large meal w/ my husband a couple times a week. i didn't have an appetite, and this seemed to really help my food digest. DD1 also came out beautiful, though w/ teeth. i don't think i can blame the teeth on the occasional beer. never got back on caffeine and gave up beer and wine for a season for spiritual reasons.
third pregnancy, raw foods enter the scene again, no caffeine of any sort, no alcohol, no sugar, nothing bad in the least. DD2 was my 44 week baby by LMP. so longest pregnancy and healthiest based on what i DIDN'T consume. and i nursed throughout the pregnancy her sister and then tandem nursing for the next 10 months, when i got pregnant again.
DD3 was another alcohol and caffeine free pregnancy (still on spiritual journey) and did have some natural sweeteners in the diet, but no sugar. DD3 was only 7lbs and a small wiry thing. tandem nursed and when she was about 7-8 months old, coffee and alcohol came back into my life.
So, I think there's a level of comfort for each woman. This pregnancy, i have had coffee occasionally (though i'm currently off of it again) and had the occasional gluten-free beer. i had cravings for a while, then they faded, and i don't want anything now. i'm less worried that these little things will wreck my baby, and more focused on being balanced and healthy and making sure my diet and lifestyle are healthy for the baby, which may sometimes include a beverage that isn't PC. 4 beautiful, strong and healthy children seem to support that. i am honest w/ my MW and she also is direct w/ me. i won't be drinking dairy, caffeine and alcohol again for a few months as i intend to pump and share and also find that my new babies do best when my diet is very clean. and i do better too! i want to heal and rest deeply, and for me that means grain-free, dairy-free, chemical free foods for the next season. starting now actually!
i didn't have the diagnosis of flat nipples (and after nursing for 7 years, they're nothing like they were before) but before nursing they were completely smooth/flat. i have full/large breasts, and they were always pretty unmentionable. I was also worried about how they nipple part was going to stay in the babies mouth b/c they were just not hard or forward facing nipples. they changed. they work fine. my grandma had inverted nipples and never tried to nurse, my mom HAD one inverted nipple, and nursed 5 kids on both breasts. so it could affect things, or it could change and not be a problem!
I had somewhat flat nipples, and no problems. (I mean no problems with latch - we had a few minor difficulties to work through with sleeping at the breast and over supply, but I was anticipating having to do SOME work.)
My nipples were flat-ish and sometimes inverted until I had my son. I didn't have any (abnormal) nursing trouble, and after 2+ years of nursing, they are never flat anymore!
Thank you so much for the positive stories! That makes me feel so much better!And I'm another lady with flatish nipples before babies. I'm sure you'll do fine!
Kat- nipples are the oddest thing. I had flatish ones before my son. As soon as I got toward the end of pregnancy, they popped right up, like they knew they had a job to do.
Now that we are expecting #2, my nipples popped up in the first trimester and havent gone back since. It is slightly embarassing, since they are at attention ALL THE TIME and I often go out in public having forgotten that fact..... but clearly they know they need to get ready to work. Maybe you will find the same??
I don't think she really needs them and have gotten her on without them a handful of times, but she usually gets really worked up and I fall back on the shields again. She's exceeding her diaper quota each day, and she *is* only a week old, so I'm trying not to stress too much, but I really want her off the shields! Should I try pumping before attempting to feed?kat do you feel like you're too engorged for her to latch-on? Pumping a little might help it that situation.
My babe has tongue-tie but nursing is getting better for us. We're working with a OT/LC who has been amazing and I think his tongue is stretching out because my pain has gotten better. We're gonna hold off on clipping him unless the pain/his latch doesn't get better.
I don't think she really needs them and have gotten her on without them a handful of times, but she usually gets really worked up and I fall back on the shields again. She's exceeding her diaper quota each day, and she *is* only a week old, so I'm trying not to stress too much, but I really want her off the shields! Should I try pumping before attempting to feed?if you're engorged, then yes, pumping can help. otherwise, it's not uncommon for baby to be annoyed w/ breast (and breast to try and drown baby in desperate response) when hungry. my little guy was tough for at least the first week. and i'm persistent and last night woke him up 3-4 times when he stirred trying to get him to nurse. but he's already shifting his sleep/eating schedule and just got annoyed w/ me. he still doesn't like nursing through a let-down and pulls off w/ a fuss when it happens.
it was almost 2 weeks before his latch got good and easy for us both- and now he can almost do it in the dark.
i've never used shields though so don't know how hard it is to get off of them.
i remember w/ my first i was shocked at how much of my breast was sucked up by this little mouth- but also that it wasn't the entire nipple/areola, like i had read in some places. he was also tongue-tied, but not enough to get it snipped. i didn't know it was harder b/c of that, but it makes sense looking back.
Any other mama's of 1 month olds (yes- we're already there!!!!
) or so that have noticed a shift in eating/sleeping schedule?
he's cluster nursing and sleeping for way longer periods. last night he only nursed 2x, and i kept waking up when he stirred, but he wasn't interested. this morning he came out to hang in his bouncy w/ daddy and kids and it was 3 hours or more before he wanted to nurse at all. maybe 4 (that dang time change has me very very confused). and this was after him NOT nursing since the early morning- though i didn't clock it, it was remarkable. he also didn't nurse nearly as often all day yesterday. plenty of wet diapers. my babies seem to get into a schedule of 1-2x a week bm's (i'd be weirded out except it's number 5) and they don't eat as much before they have a blow-out bm, then they got back to more often. i'm pumping when full- this morning was 10oz off my overactive breast, and 6oz off the other, and he seems to get quite full off of eating. he's also been nursing a TON right before bed, and then spitting up for a while. i think he must be expanding his belly b/c i can tell when he's overfull, but he gets agitated and wants to keep nursing to soothe- but that doesn't help an overly full tummy.
Wow, HoP, that's a LOT of milk!
DD is 5 weeks now and she always has weird nights. Sometimes her upset time goes from 10 to midnight, other nights from 2 to 4 (awful!!).
Yesterday was an odd day with nursing, shorter periods for her and I just felt full all day. Then last night she finished fussing at midnight and didn't wake to nurse again until 5 and then would only take one side! So I'm totally full and a little sore already at 5 and then my poor left breast had to wait till she woke at 8 to be emptied. I could have pumped it at 5 but sleep has been really bad and I needed it more than anything.
anyway, one day/night is not enough to set new patterns but I know we're headed in that direction.
took some lecithin this morning to help prevent clogged ducts after that and we'll see how today goes.
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