Ongoing birth drama--x-posted

[EStreetMama]

Hi mamas--I just got home from the hospital today! I had post-partum pre-eclampsia!!! On pp day #4, I couldn't stand my headache any longer and went to the ER in the middle of the night. The idiots there could not figure it out and I had to fight off spinal taps, etc until they finally consulted with an OB and got me admitted.

I think the pre-e kicked in with symptoms on pp day #3 with headache and abdominal pain, but we didn't figure it out since we had delivered the baby and thought pre-e was no longer a risk. Live and Learn!!!!!

It was really scary to be that sick--but I am just so grateful that the baby was at home safe with DH and not in my body.

So now we are dealing with the fact that we had to give him the bottle. We had absolutely no choice since he had lost over 10% of weight by day#3 and had spent one night in the hospital for jaundice himself.

I am pumping and bottle-feeding with supplemental formula. I just got home this afternoon, but am going to try to get him back on the breast tonight.

SO...otherwise he is beautiful and wonderful and gaining lots of weight now. I am glad to be home with him. It was AWFUL to leave him and go to the hospital. But, again, I am very grateful that he had been delivered when pre-e struck!! We did have a lovely and safe home water birth.

My mom flew in last night so I have good help at home, but I may be emailing for help with getting him back on the breast! I pumped the whole time I was in the hospital and REALLY don't want to lose breastfeeding.

Hope you're all doing better with a lot less drama!

--Adrienne

[carrietorgc]

wow, good luck getting him back to the breast! and if you aren't already, stock up on mothers milk tea and fenugreek - i would definitely take those to help make sure that your milk comes in nice and strong, esp. since you are supplementing now. there are TONS of safe herbs to increase milk production. www.kellymom.com has great info on them as well.

[Anguschick1]

Good luck in getting him back to your breast. Have you contacted LLL or an IBCLC (http://gotwww.net/ilca/) they can help. Ds ended up being supplmented in the hospital and had completely lost his latch by the time we got home. I ended up pumping off some of my oversupply, cup feeding him to take the edge off of his hunger and then dripping breastmilk down my breast so that he would taste the milk on my nipple, experience instant gratification and then latch on. It was a long hard road, but now I'm looking at tandeming!

You can do it Mama. Sometimes I had to take it one latching, one feeding at a time, but we did it and you can too. As soon as your baby is showing any signs of hunger (smacking lips, rooting, gumming his fist, eyes flickering (you'll figure out his cues soon enough)) get that boob in his mouth.

Oh and what helped me up my supply (because after battling oversupply I then went on bc at 6 weeks and almost lost my supply totally) was a combination of Mother's Milk Tea, Fenugreek, Blessed Thistle (you should smell/sweat like maple syrup) and oatmeal.

Good luck and you CAN do this!

[mtnsunshinemama]

Hope things are going well for you, Adrienne.