Overwhelmed « Back to Group Discussions

[aruss]

Baby is a week old today. It's my 5th so you'd think I'd have some idea what I'm doing but I'm just feeling so overwhelmed. Pretty sure I'm having milk supply problems and I can't figure out why. I don't have any idea how I'm going to handle my life once my husband goes back to work on Monday. And I'm just so bloody tired. So tired. What was I thinking???

[organicviolin]

HUGS mama! Nurse and hydrate and lie down with that new babe. Also, drink mothers nursing tea - 4-5 cups a day. Also, oatmeal and a guiness beer (the darker the better). That will help with milk supply and anxiety ;-) plus do it before bed and babe will sleep all the better.

[JamieCatheryn]

*hugs* Do you have anyone coming over to help out while he's gone? Might need to call in some friends to pop in and keep up with things. Just do the minimum, give the other kids screen time or engrossing activities that are usually treats, and leave out easy snacks and sit or lie down and feed that baby and do nothing else. You don't have to be up to anything else yet, it's only 1 week out. I always take at least 2 to feel up to doing housework and childcare. Make sure you stay well hydrated and fed. How is baby's latch and suck? Could just need nearly round the clock feeding at this point to build the supply and grow baby quickly.

[Anilia]

Super hugs!!  I second oatmeal, water and add in pear juice!  Deep breathing helps too.  You can do it.  Call in all the help you can!

[aruss]

Thanks so much. It really helps to know I'm not alone in this. Took some of your ideas and was feeling a bit better, then last night I passed a piece of placenta!!! It was about palm sized. TMI but I felt it come out into the toilet and I wanted to know what it was so I fished it out and it was definitely placenta. Had some membranes attached. I know retained placenta can cause low milk supply and depression!!! Plus a load of other things if not caught. I called my midwife and she said not to worry about it but I think I'm going to request an ultrasound on Monday to make sure it's all out. I'm kind of annoyed that she missed it to begin with. Aren't they supposed to look at the placenta and notice if a chunk is missing? Anyways, feeling better emotionally already but doing the things for milk supply too so hopefully that helps. Off to drink some tea!
Thanks again mommas. ❤ to you.

[Clarasmama]

YES get the ultrasound to make sure all the placenta is out!!!  Retained placenta sounds like it was exactly the problem, hopefully that was the last bit of it and you'll be feeling much better soon! 

[organicviolin]

Yes! Do that ultrasound! I can't believe the mw missed that. They are supposed to check those things carefully.
Plan on resting a ton as well!! Xo

[rnra]

Originally Posted by aruss 

... last night I passed a piece of placenta!!! It was about palm sized.

 I called my midwife and she said not to worry about it

I am dismayed by your midwife's response.  I think it was more of an attempt to cover her ass than to provide sound advice. She should have noticed a palm-sized chunk of placenta missing. To fail to do so is negligent care.

How was your bleeding before passing the additional placenta?  How is it now?

Good luck!

[aruss]

It was really heavy before passing, much lighter now. I'm feeling a lot better too. I should insist in an ultrasound though eh?

[aruss]

I should say, I AM going to insist on an ultrasound.

[tiqa]

A) I'm really glad you're feeling better.

B) I'm not a litigationist or anything like that, but I would find some sort of reporting authority to make a formal complaint. No matter how much you liked your midwife, that is negligence, and for her to say "don't worry about it" when it could have had really bad consequences... that's not right. Is she licensed?

[Clarasmama]

Yes, insist on it, just to make sure.  A woman in a parenting group I'm in recently had to go back twice for D&Cs to get the rest of her placenta out (she had a VBAC in the hospital)!  Seemed ridiculous that they didn't get it all out with the first D&C, but at least it was all out the second time around. 

[tiqa]

That's insane... a SECOND D&C was needed?  Wowsers....  poor lady.

[aruss]

I talked to a doctor today who said an ultrasound is pretty inconclusive at this point because I am only 10 days pp and so everything in there is going to be a bit of a mess and it will be basically impossible to tell the difference between a bit of placenta and just the regular bleeding etc. He said if I am still worried they can do one in a couple weeks but if the bleeding dies down it is probably ok. I'm feeling a lot better and the bleeding has really tapered off so here's hoping. Still pretty bugged about my mw though.
Aaaaand 2 of my other 4 kids are coming down with something. Fever, cough. God help us.

[Clarasmama]

Ugh, good luck :/ Pump those kiddos full of vitamin D and C! I had an awful chest cold/sinus infection from 40 weeks to 41 weeks, and am still getting through the boogery nose part...thankfully DH and DD escaped the sickness!

I'm glad you're feeling better, I'd be bugged about the MW too.

[organicviolin]

oh yes and give them tons of elderberry syrup!!!

[Anilia]

we used occillo with great results for cough and fever last week.  Totally knocked it out for all of us.  You can get it at target or the grocery store I think.