January 2007 Mamas Welcome to Life with a Babe!

[leomom]

Hi Mamas!

How are things going with the new babes? Isabella was 4 weeks on Friday. She already has her first little cold thanks to big sis, but she seems to be doing ok.

BFding is finally not hurting.

Sleep. What's that???

[wendyk]

Thanks for starting this! Corryn is now 2 weeks old. Big sister has an awful cold right now, so it's probably just a matter of time...

Nursing is going. It feels like it'll never be easy, though I know it will.

I have to echo the "what sleep?" sentiment. I remember weeks 3-5 being the hardest w/ DD1. At least I have help this time around.

Mentally, I'm feeling down a lot, especially in the mornings. These cold, windy New England days aren't helping at all. I'm doing things each day to help combat the blues, but it's still a bit of a struggle.

It hard to tell how DD1 is coping- she feels awful with this cold, so there's more crying in general from her. She keeps telling me she's getting used to having a sister, so maybe she really is adjusting ok.

[leomom]

I can relate to the mental struggles, Wendy. But for me, it's the afternoons that are so hard. I've always been a morning person, but by 4:00 or so, I feel really low. Have you tried fish oil? It has helped me in the past, but I have been too lazy to remember to take it lately.:

I think it's growth spurt time b/c I seem to be nursing every hour!: At night I am just doing the nursing while sleeping. Lay down, nurse, flip, nurse, etc. So I really have no idea how often she's nursing at night.

Isa has this acne all over her neck. It has the white heads. It is covering her neck. Could it be some sort of rash, or is it just the normal acne from hormones? I do not want to take her to the dr. b/c she caught a cold at her 2 week visit.:

Also...since she has been nursing so much at night and I've been sleeping through it, I haven't been changing her diaper every time I nurse like I had been. DH has offered to do it, but he completely wakes her up and then I spend an hour lulling her back to sleep.:

[Shenandoah]

Troy is 3.5 weeks old. He also had a cold and is getting over it. His baby acne is just starting up in earnest. I remember his older brother had is so bad between 2-6 weeks I was actually embarassed to show him to people. Troy's isn't quite that bad and I hope it doesn't get there.

He sleeps better than his older brother ever did but not quite as well as his sister, Ms. Rip Van Winkle. He wakes about every 3 hours overnight to nurse, but it's the 1-2 am wakeup that's killing me. He's AWAKE then and doesn't want to go back to sleep for a couple of hours. Ug. Haven't figured out how to rid him of that habit just yet.

Nursing, especially the initial latch, is unbelievably painful and I don't know why. I've got some spots that look like blisters but when I've tried to pop them with a sterilized needle I've had no luck. Wish I knew what to do about it.

[miguelsmom]

Hi all! Lily is 3 weeks and 2 days and is doing well. She is still so tiny, but I'm not sure if she really is or it's just because her big brother has just gone through a HUGE growth spirt and in comparison makes her look tiny.She is an around the clock nurser, but night sleeping is getting better, slowly but surely. We've been lucky in avoiding the cold season but I think that's because we were all sick right before she was born.
I too have had my share of bad days. I've also been told I have a bit abit of a short fuse when it comes to interacting with the outside world (who me : ) Really I think people should try and be a little more patient with me I only had my c-section 3 weeks ago, I'm not super human. I think that adds to my frustration because I'm already having a hard enough time because my body can't keep up with me. My ds is be very patient with me since I can't lift him up (he's 31 pds). Poor guy just wants his mommy.

[doublesnap]

Great thread! Nicolas is 8 days old and bf'ing is going well. It's not painful yet but it is slow going. He's a preemie at 35 weeks so during nursing he falls asleep a lot and it takes 4-5 attempts to get him fed.

I also echo the "what sleep" sentiment. I've never survived on such little sleep and I'm missing out on my daily showers. I'm lucky if I can shower every 36 hours! Eating well is another luxury right now, I barely sneak in a bite here and there.

I feel a little down from time to time.....I was on bedrest for 3 months prior to delivery and now that I'm recovering from a c-section it feels like bed rest all over again. I'm stuck at home all day while Dad works/goes to school and it's just a bit exhausting. I can't wait until the weather improves so that Nic and I can go out on nice walks.

[leximom]

good "see" some familiar people again!

Little Emma is 11 days old. She's a little teeny one, but she's going to chub up fast the way she eats around the clock! I'm just releived that nursing was so much easier this time around. Now I'm just trying to juggle my toddlers fits with Emma's needs. Oy :

[leomom]

Originally Posted by Shenandoah

Nursing, especially the initial latch, is unbelievably painful and I don't know why. I've got some spots that look like blisters but when I've tried to pop them with a sterilized needle I've had no luck. Wish I knew what to do about it.

Could it be a milk blister?
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/mom/nipplebleb.html

All I can say to those Mamas that are dealing with bfding agony, it does get better. It felt like pins and needles to me or the first 3 weeks and I've already had mastitis twice. Now, in our 5th week, things are getting so much easier.

My babe HATES the car. It is driving me crazy. She screams bloody murder anytime we stop the car at a red light or something. Taking my older dd to Montessori is maddening b/c of this. Any tips?:

[eli janine]

Wow, my little guy seems so old! Avery is 7.5 weeks old already!!! We're doing great, despite a kidney stone (my first--god, ten thousand times more painful than natural childbirth!), thrush (mine and his--OUCHY nipples!), and DS1 running a temp of 102 for the last week ("Stay BACK from the baby, honey. Cover your MOUTH when you cough please! Elliot, PLEASE stop putting your fingers in his mouth!").

Avery is smiling, which I have been looking forward to SO much! It just melts my heart every single time! He also really started to enjoy "standing" on my lap and looking over my shoulder, complete with grabbing a big chunk of my hair and squealing like mad! And he's finally chubbing up a little, starting to fill in that loose skin. I can see why, since he's been eating nonstop for the last month and a half. At night, he usually goes one streak of 3.5-4 hours, and then after that it's up every 2 hours. During the day it's every two.

My emotional state has been steadily improving, so hang in there, those of you with baby blues. Now the only time I cry is when contemplating going back to work in a few short weeks.

Mmmm...I could spend hours just smelling his little milkbreath self.

[kylatay]

I have an Isabella, too. She's 12 days old and beautiful! I'm recovering from a C-section so that is hard but babyhood is going great!

[meggles]

Molly is 3 weeks old today, which feels like a short time considering it feels as though she's been a part of our lives forever. We're doing well. I'm feeling a thousand times better and started venturing out into the world this past week. She is pretty much sleeping through the night--she'll do one 5-6 hour stretch, and then another 3-4 hours after nursing. She nurses constantly when she's not sleeping, though. Nursing is going well, but it still hurts for a few seconds when she latches on. My milk let-down hurts a little, too. She seems to have painful gassiness, so I've cut a bunch of culprit foods out of my diet, and she's doing much better. I try to take a shower every day and get dressed in real clothes. Just doing that makes me feel a lot better. Tomorrow is my first real day alone with her (I've had my mom or dh around every day until now) so we'll see how that goes. We're still trying to get the hang of taking a baby out in public and wearing her in the wrap, etc. Taking her out on my own seems overwhelming at this point, and it'll probably be awhile before I do it.

FYI~ I've had good luck clearing up the baby acne somewhat by putting breastmilk on her face.

[wendyk]

Originally Posted by eli janine

thrush (mine and his--OUCHY nipples!), and DS1 running a temp of 102 for the last week ("Stay BACK from the baby, honey. Cover your MOUTH when you cough please! Elliot, PLEASE stop putting your fingers in his mouth!").

This sounds like my house. I feel so bad for constantly shooing DD1 away from touching Corryn, but I can't help it!

And, we're going to the pedi this morning for suspected thrush. I had a horrible yeast experience w/ DD1 and am kind of worried about a repeat.

So is yours all clear?

[storychick]

We're doing scarily well. Ella is 18 days today and my big kids still fight over who gets to hold her. I am particularly pleased and surprised by my DS, who I figured wouldn't really care about the baby much being such a big guy at 6, but he is totally in love. So sweet. DD really wants to be able to play with the baby, and is frustrated that she doesnt really respond yet. A few more weeks will solve that, though.

I feel great. Much better than I did pregnant. I feel like me again, and I had forgotten what that was like. I am much more cheerful and capable of dealing with life. Not to mention mobile. I also find that I get to enjoy each baby much more, because I am so much more relaxed (and know how fast it goes, so I make sure I enjoy the brief time they are so tiny!).

It did take me awhile to recover from our hospital stay, though (we spent 2 days getting a full sepsis workup because Ella had a fever at 5 days... that turned out to be the virus we all had around her birth). I hold her a lot more tightly and had to spend some time grieving the loss of our peaceful babymoon and that lovely smell she had before. I'm also a lot more paranoid of germs than I was, because I do not want to go through that again (though the ped reassures me they wouldnt send us back to hospital). Unfortunately with 2 older kiddos and DH back at work now, life has to go on and with it exposure to nasties. I did buy Purell and a bathroom cleaner with bleach for the first time in my life though, if only to get us through this first 6 weeks.

But otherwise, its all lovely. I feel very in love with my family and so happy that we decided to do this, although I felt very conflicted during the pregnancy. She fits in and completes our family and its so nice to have shut that door and just be able to enjoy what we've got. DH and I are connecting again now that I've stopped being a crazy pregnant bitch lol and that is great too; we are enjoying the fact that my belly isn't in the way any more, too.

[swtpesq]

Congratulations leximom!!! Glad you're back!

[bleumoose]

Dermot is three weeks and a day old already. We're doing so well overall, especially when compared to this point with DS1. Breastfeeding is a dream this time around, such a blessing after 4 months of pain and sore nips with DS1. I'm actually concerned he isn't nursing enough, he's been such a mellow sleepy boy. But his weight gain is ok (up to 10#1, from 8#12 3 days post-birth, as of last wednesday!) so I'm trying not to be too concerned.

Dermot's had a bit of a cold but thankfully it wasn't as bad as DH or DS1's colds were. Yay breastmilk Unfortunately DS1 and DH seem to be coming down with another round of colds, so we'll see how it goes in the next few days. We're also dealing with a lot of "Hey Gavin get your fingers out of Dermot's mouth! Don't cough on your brother!"... soo much fun :P )

My recovery is coming along too. Physically i feel great unless I squat too deeply, then my perineum stretches a bit too much. Emotionally, I was doing great but have had a string of not-so-great days again. Not awful just not great. I'm feeling really isolated and lonely. DS1 is driving me nuts.

And tandem nursing...? How's that going for everyone? I'm really having a hard time nursing them both at once, even though it's so sweet to see DS1 loving on DS2 while they nurse together. In fact, I'm having a really hard time nursing DS1 at all, I just can't stand it right now. Hope this passes, as there is no way I can wean him anytime soon.

[hannah8ball]

Annan is 6 weeks old today - how time has flown! She is gaining really well and is growing like a weed! Breastfeeding is going much better, but I'm still experience some pain at latch on. Annan has also started to do the head yanking and pull thing, which doesn't make my poor nipples feel any better. : We've managed to avoid the winter colds (thus far) and are sleeping anywhere from 3-6 hours stretches at night. In fact, we had our first 6 hours stretch on Sunday night (WOO HOO!) but last night it was back to every 3 hours... During the day she's eating about every 1.5 to 2 hours. She's got to be hitting another growth spurt, right?

Going back to work has been really difficult, but I have a fabulous baby sitter and Annan does really well with her, so I guess I can't really complain too much. Annan has really started to smile and interact with us, which is really fun. She's also getting very interested in moving around; every time we put her on her tummy, she's kicking her legs and every once in a while a foot will connect with the ground and she'll move forward. We are definitely NOT ready for a mobile little one... I thought we had a bit more time...

DH has been absolutely fabulous. He is very supportive and does a great job helping comfort Annan during those awful fussy hours. All in all, its great fun being a family of 3 : I know we're in love.

Pics

[RoadWorkAhead]

Finally joining this side. DD will be 1 week tomorrow : Nursing has been SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much better than with DS (who did 5 days in NICU and was never going to be able to nurse since I had BR surgery....yeah, sure, okay....). My milk was in at 48 hours and she's nursing every 2 hours pretty much round the clock though last night we had a 3 hour stretch twice (but not back to back LOL). DS is in love with her as is DH (his first NB since DS was 11 mos. when we stopped being just friends). I am almost over PP bleeding, my sex drive has returned fully : and things seem to be working out....Oh, except eating...No appetite and very little time to eat. HOw's everyone doing with weight from PG and such??

[kaspar]

so neck acne (i.e. a few whiteheads) is normal? i can stop worrying?

little harry is 3.5 weeks old, and doing great! bf-ing has been easy (except maybe for the amount... there have been a couple of days where he nursed for a solid 3-4 hours). and we're very tired. he's slept for 3 hours a few times, i hope that keeps up!

have had some blue days though... usually coinciding with the days where he won't stop feeding and i don't have time to eat (so the weight loss has been going well at least). i was trying to get out for a walk every day, and that helped a lot, but now it's gotten cold again (-12, -21 with windchill) so that's not an option

[Kayda's Mom]

Kayda--2 weeks today!

My daughter was born Jan 24th at home and is 2 weeks old today. Our webpage is on http://www.babysites.com/sites/melnyk
Things are going okay. Kayda is a slow weight gain baby. She seems to gain 1 oz. every 2 days. The midwife is coming Mon/Wed/Fri right now to watch her weight. Baby was born 7 lbs 1 oz and dropped to 6 lbs 5 oz. afterwards. She is showing steady weight gain...1/2 oz per day and looks healthy. She is doing the amount of diapers she should be. We started supplementing with formula last week (finger feeding) and I hate it. It stinks and I know it isn't the best but I know that she is getting my milk first and foremost. Hopefully this supplementing isn't going to happen for long.
I had a milk supply issue with my first daughter and had just enough milk for her and nothing more. Things may be the same with my second.
Just wondering if anybody else has had issues like this.
Our midwife will be weighing her again today and then she will consult with the pediatrician to see what his opinion is. Most likely he will tell us to keep on breastfeeding and be happy there is steady but small weight gain. He was an awesome breastfeeding supporter with Kayda's big sister.
Other than that one issue life is great. Kayda's daddy and I are so in love with our little girl. Big sister is doing really well considering she wanted to remain an only child a mere couple of weeks ago
Hope to hear from other new mommies out there. It is cold here (-40C with the windchill) so I am staying in the house almost 24/7.

[peaceful_mama]

nak
yay!

things are so much easier w/her! she nurses like a pro but it hurts sometimes sidelying

if u have 2, how do u get them to sleep at the same time? dd really needs to STOP spending 4:30-6:30 awake!! then ds gets up about 7:30.........dh goes to work 6, has to shower n stuff, really can't take her. nurse, poop, burp, coo.........repeat.

oh she is 3 weeks 5 days..........and yeah it seems like she's been here forever! ds loves her. everything is "fofee? Fofee cwyin'. Fofee banket. Fofee wing (trhat swing saves me at bedtime ds won't sleep w/her in lap too)

she hates the car too........and won't so far take binky. I have tried twuice just in the carseat.