Amanda, so sorry to hear about J! I hope the meds work quickly and you're able to get him off the motrin/tylenol at least. :(
Becky, I totally second the hand me down recommendation as well as setting up a meal train for her when the baby arrives. You can also suggest small tasks/chores on the meal train for helping out around the house.
Avery did not sleep well at all last night- even for his low standards. I think we slept from 1:30-3ish and I passed him off to dh at 5am and I slept until 7. Yeah, great. I didn't dawn on me that maybe he was sore/hurting until this morning. But he's walking around fine, eating, moving his head side to side, so I don't know. Post traumatic stress? He actually has a well baby this morning, so I'll ask the doctor if he sees anything concerning.
I've got another question for you ladies! My good friend just had a baby about 1.5 weeks ago. The labor was very hard on her and ended in a very unwanted c-section. Breastfeeding was fine at first, but she was very anxious about it b/c her sister had recently had her first baby and has been struggling from the beginning with bad latch, nipple shields, and recurrent mastitis. I tried to alleviate her anxiety, especially when it appeared that nursing was going well. Then baby got a mild case of jaundice and then she started to worry that he wasn't getting enough milk. Baby had a .5 week and 1.5 week appointment and only gained 1 oz in that time period. She nursed him at the office with before and after weights and apparently he got a little less than 2 oz in a 45 minute session. The doctor and the LLL leader she called are both telling her to pump between sessions and feed baby with an SNS and if she cannot pump enough to supplement, to give him formula. She is exhausted and overwhelmed, of course!
I'm calling her this morning to give her some support (support she asked me for) and I asked her if she wanted any advice. I think she'll say yes and if she does, I need some pearls of wisdom and concrete things to try to say to her. I figured I'd start with encouragement and remind her that her milk supply is still regulating. I can recommend some Mother's Milk Tea and fenugreek, oatmeal, blessed thistle, etc. I would recommend putting him to the breast frequently and listening for gulping sounds and feeling a let down. I also wonder what other signs she should be looking for in terms of his weight being an issue? I know they want babies to regain their birth weight by 2 weeks, but he was a healthy 8lbs9oz at birth and is currently 8lbs. He gained an ounce in the last week, so I see no reason why he wouldn't continue on that trend now that he's over the jaundice and her milk has come in, etc. So I guess, my gut tells me that he'll be fine if she is offering the breast frequently day and night. She doesn't have any pain with nursing, suggesting his latch is fine and he's always had plenty of wet/dirty diapers. Do you think it folly for me to suggest she not worry about pumping and using the SNS until his next appointment? I honestly think that she will give up anyway and then think she must supplement with formula instead. If I suggest just holding him and nursing him day and night until his 2 week appointment (or whenever her next one is) it's possible this strategy would feel more feasible to her than pumping/SNS and she might get her supply up and he might start gaining just fine. I would recommend increased baby wearing to facilitate his desire to nurse. They are co-sleeping and bedsharing sometimes. I would reiterate the benefit of bedsharing for breastfeeding.
I would love to hear your thoughts before I call her in a couple hours!
He is pretty miserable. I've missed three days of work now, so dh will be taking off the next two.
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