June '07 Moms *July Thread* - Page 3

[willoLevin]

Kier-- Not everyone believes you need to wait until the cord is healed to have a bath! Dont' beat yourself up!!!

Wombat-- I was going to suggest you look for another mommy to swap kids with or do some kind of trade with. Sounds like you are thinking along those lines already.

As for being a SAHM, I'm terrible at the housewife part of it, and I do go a bit batty without the intellectual stimulation for me, but I do plan to stay home at least almost full-time until my kids are at school. It helps a lot that my husband says to other people, "My wife stays home with my kids. Who else could I trust them with!?!" (Makes me feel like I'm still at least kind of important. )

--willo

[brittneyscott]

Having a supportive husband definitely helps with staying at home although I find it very hard not to have some kind of adult time. My job is very social so missing out on that kind of stimulation is a big adjustment. Also the 1st hour I'm at work I'm pretty much alone and have nothing to do but sit. It's my downtime. The only time I'm alone to think or breathe. It's hard missing out on that but I'm loving every minute of my adorable little man. It makes me want to cry to think that he's going to grow up.

I'm so glad everyone is doing well. Jillian your stories are heartbreaking. I'm just glad your little one is so strong. He obviously gets that from you because I'm not sure how I would adjust to what you've been through. Congrats for you and baby!

All the low supply moms are amazing too. I dealt with that with DD because we had to wait to start nursing. It was awful and I only lasted about 3wks before I gave up and went to formula fulltime. I wish I hadn't given in so easily but I was working 2 jobs and just needed to be able to de-stress some.

[wombatclay]

Savvy- don't worry about the stump getting wet! If you're worried, just keep it dry from now on. But it should be okay.

If you're worried about ppd though, talk to your care provider. And you're very recently post-partum...don't forget your hormones are going to be having a field day for the first 2-3 weeks. And if your babe is crying a lot an you're not getting sleep...well...that doesn't help you feel good. So hang in there and be easy on yourself, but let people know if you think the ppd is back.

[herbmama3-7]

I feel I should add that for us, me staying at home is a huge financial sacrifice!! We have even talked about me getting a job on the weekends and evenings, but then don't want to sacrifice our relationship and never be able to see eachother either. Oh it is so hard!! I live in an area that it is nearly impossible to have a one income household, I am still amazed we do it! It is not easy: .

[AdInAZ]

Isn't it wonderful to see you child completely relax when he is nursing? It always warms my heart. o great to hear how everyone is doing

Like many other mamas, I'll say, its so great to read about how everyone is doing, even if I haven't posted as regularly, I'm still reading.

brittanyscott - my babe is one month old tomorrow, and I decided to try a bottle today. I think he gagged down half an ounce before he became irate. You might think about starting soon, because it may take awhile before baby accepts it. Fortuneatly I don't go back to work until after Labor Day so time is on my side.

vannienicole - Congrats on the birth of your son! My baby is named Sean too! There are several Seans on this thread. I never knew it was so popular a name.

dara00 - Pack your swimsuit when you visit grandma in Scottsdale. Its hot! Have you visited Scottsdale before?

Well, we braved the fireworks last night. Fortuneatly we live close to a big show so we didn't have to drive anywhere. Popped baby into the stroller at 9pm and walked down the street to a clearing so we could see the show. DH had to carry dd#1 home while Sean slept the whole time. In fact, I missef the 4 hour sleep stretch he does at the beginning of the night so I'm running on empty now. Darn!

Question...when does the constant poop stop! I'm ready for some plain old wet diapers!

[willoLevin]

I forgot to say earlier, about working, that I will go back to work on a very part-time basis once this baby can go four hours without a feeding. I was an engineer back in my pre-children days, but I work in a local bookstore now (well, not RIGHT now) for as few as three hours per week. I had worked my way up to about 12 hours per week as DS#1 got older, but I'll resume at three hours per week in a few months.

It does help me tremendously to get out even that little bit and be in an adult environment. It's nice to talk to grown-ups. It's nice to be somewhere I'm very unlikely to be spit/pooped/spilled upon. The best part of working just a few hours a week is that, every time I'm there, I can remember why I miss being with my son(s). (Same reason I like to go visit my family without DH a couple of times per year. It really does help me put daily squabbles and differences into perspective and remember how great he is.)

Anyway, I also must say, Medela "Special Needs" sized containers are my new favorite product ever. They are 2.7 oz/80 mL, so almost exactly how much I pump at my max. I feel SO MUCH MORE PRODUCTIVE as I fill these little containers than when I look at the big (6 oz?) bottles that come with the pump!

I'm wondering whether to look into trying/renting a Medela Symphony pump instead of my current rental Lactina... That's got their "more like baby" dual phase technology. It looks like I'll be pumping long-term. Has anyone tried one?

I do have a Pump-in-Style that I got from my insurance when DS#1 was first weight-challenged. When that didn't work, I had to rent a Lactina anyway. I haven't tried a manual pump (like Wombat mentioned), but I'm getting tired of buying so many parts.

That said, I really want to buy at least one, and maybe two, more sets of connectors and flanges for my pump. It is better this time because I now know it is okay to store your pump parts in the fridge between uses (so you don't have to wash everything every time!), but I don't like even that for more than a couple of uses. I have two pairs of connectors and two sets of flanges (one "soft" set that I prefer, and the original hard ones that came with the pump) right now, but sometimes the washing still sucks. Since the 80 mL containers came in a 12 pack, I'm great on storage bottles now (and, really, the milk is used up at the next feeding after I pump it) but those extra parts... Hmm...

Never mind the closeness of all you lucky exclusive breastfeeders--you are saving SO MUCH MONEY!!! Grr! :

But I am really regaining my equilibrium, I think. I can't say that I enjoy the pumping, but it is "under control" this time and not a huge burden as I remember it being the first time. (Top reasons it is better: 1) I have more milk so it doesn't seem like a waste of time. 2) I have extra pump parts and don't have to wash them at night. 3) I made a hands-free pumping bra out of an old sleep bra so I can look at the computer or change the channel or get a drink of water while pumping. 4) I'm less exhausted as this kid sleeps better.)

I guess it really is easier with a second child...

That said, HOW DO YOU GUYS DO IT who don't have someone helping you every day?!? I am so impressed by you all! Seriously, when my mom goes somewhere, I feel completely at a loss. I can barely handle the 2-3 hours in the morning before Mom wakes up where I'm trying to nurse the baby, help DS#1 go potty, get some kind of snack for DS#1 so he doesn't starve, and pump after nursing DS#2. Sheesh. Never mind getting myself fed (imperative for my supply!) and washed. God bless you all who can manage is alone.

I do have to wonder, with all this pumping I'm doing, if I will ever be able to leave the house again. Feeding + pumping takes me about 1 hr 15 minutes, and we start over every three hours. How much can I get done in 1 hr 45 minutes between? Oh sigh. I'm so lucky Mom is here, but she's already driving me a little batty at times! It was SO SMART of me to make my "sitting room" upstairs in the nursery. I'm SO GLAD I splurged on a cable box with DVR for myself. It really helps make the pumping sessions go by quickly, and I can entertain my big boy with a show much more easily when I need to.

Okay, must go eat before the next feeding session begins.

--willo

[savvybabygrace]

just wanted to send support to the pumping moms! i was there with dd#1 and it really took a toll on me. in fact, every pump i tried hurt so much that i resorted to getting up extra early and doing it manually - yep, hands only. people thought i was insane, but for awhile when emma went on a nursing strike and then my nipples were like raw hamburger meat, i had to. you pumping moms are amazing!!!!

Willo, I am with you in a amazement over the mamas who do it all alone! thank goodness DH is home until 4:45pm, then my mother comes over and sleeps here - until next week, that is. then i'm on my own (but i doubt for very long; mom is an angel and loves being here). But at this point in time I would be sunk if i was alone!

oh, and thanks for the reassurance about her cord. you know, these pp hormones are the worst. sometimes i am so sick to my stomach with anxiety that it's like having the flu. very strange, since i didn't recognize it as anxiety for a week - just felt like i was sick!

[Jilian]

I used a Medela Symphony while DS was in the hospital and I LOVED it. It has the 2 min letdown simulation that helps get the milk flowing then it kicks on to regular pumping mode. It comes with automatic settings but I had to turn it down a bit. The LC told me the most common problem she sees is people pumping on too high a setting. It shouldn't hurt, it should just be a little uncomfortable. Too much pressure can cause nipple trauma. Have you seen the Medela microwavable steam sanitizing bags? They work really well for cleaning pump parts. You can use each bag 20 times

[dara00]

wow, I got really behind after being offline all day! had both kids today, so I went to a friend's house in the morning and my parents' town pool with my dad in the afternoon. it's much easier to entertain gabbie with someone else there to help! zachary is still nursing constantly - shouldn't his growth spurt be over? it's been almost a week!

adinaz- yup I've been to AZ a few times and I love it there!

[saratchka]

to Wombat and to everyone else wrestling with maternity leave/work issues and decisions.

While I was pregnant with DD1 my office went through some major layoffs, so now I'm a consultant. I work mainly from home, and charge them 50% more if they want me to come onsite. : But I wasn't getting my work done without some help, so when DD1 was about 6 months old I hired a nanny two mornings a week. She's fantastic, and spends the entire time interacting with the kids while I work. I love that they get to have a positive relationship with another adult in such a safe situation. It's perfect because I can concentrate on my work and still be available if I'm needed (for nursing, to kiss a bad booboo, etc), and I don't have to factor commute time into my childcare expenses.

I know childcare costs are high. In my area (a distant suburb of NYC) the going rate for 20 hrs/wk for an infant is $800/mo in a center, a bit less for an in-home daycare. I pay the nanny $20 per hour to watch both kids, but it's completely worth it! I don't know what I'd do if I had to go back into work in the office every day. :

I don't get much "adult time" out of my job, but it does give me a sense of purpose beyond motherhood and (usually) helps with the bills.

Is there any chamce that you might find another mom in your area w/ a similar situation and trade off? If you could get your schedules to match up you could both avoid paying for childcare...

And to the pumping moms as well. you guys are amazing!

[Jilian]

Way TMI question but here goes...

:

Is lochia supposed to have a smell to it? I ask because I'm paranoid that I may have some type of infection. I had a lot of clots around 2 weeks and had to go to the ER for it and I had 2 vaginal exams and one internal u/s while there. I started taking lots of acidohphlus and eating yogurt galore after that to fight off infection but my lochia (which alternates from yellow to brown to none at all) has kind of a weird smell to it. Nothing majorly noticeable, but I notice it. Sometimes I can't believe the things I talk about on here.

[wombatclay]

I know what you mean...nothing like an online forum to encourage "sharing". I think lochia is supposed to smell like your menstrual fluid. Is this smell unpleasant? Fishy, rancid, sulpherous, yeasty? Something that makes you think infection?

I hope you're healthy!

[Keeping up]

Wow - I was offline for a day too. Read all the posts not sure I can remember them all though (sorry everyone, my memory is shot).

Jillian - my discharge has a unique smell to it, not offensive but definitely has a smell. I would say unless you have pain (or itch) or it is really smelly, I am sure it is just normal

willo - I think it was you - could it be that babe's pulling off is related to the lack of let down/immediate satisfaction. Sean won't latch if the milk isn't right there so I express to get it all going and then try and get him to latch. He otherwise pulls off and won't even try to suck. He repeats that several times before the letdown occurs (if I haven't expressed). Shot in the dark but thought I would share.

I am Cdn and am always amazed at the American maternity leave policies (or lack thereof). I am home without my other kiddos for six weeks (during the day, obviously) and that is my holiday - then I get to be home with them for months to come (or at least most of them). Canada has an up to 52 week maternity leave policy - the employer has to guarantee an 'equivalent' job upon your return. Good luck everyone returning in the next few weeks!

working - with the option to be home for so long (I won't take a full year, I don't think), it makes going back easier. I also have had my kiddos in daycare in my building (we all went to work together). The downside was the sheer cost of having 3 kiddos in full time daycare. I will do a combo of daycare and nanny when I go back (because I love my daycare) which will make our lives so much easier to have a bit of balance.

bottles - I am thinking I will introduce a bottle in August. I am going to visit my parents so my mom can take care of Sean while I am out doing some really fun stuff with the older pair (the 18 month old is staying home with husband - 18 month olds are a trying bunch, love them, but a HUGE amount of work/supervision required). My dad has a motor boat but no way will I take a 2 month old out on a boat - scare me $hitless!! [I am repeating my feat from last summer - flying with three kiddos alone - it was actually easy last year so am hoping for a repeat performance.]

Acne - Sean has acne all over his face, on his ears, his neck and some on his chest. Someone else mentioned a lot of acne - I am now wondering if this could be a bit of a rash. I will watch for a few more days. I am doubtful we have alergies as the little gaffer is pretty happy (despite the 3 wk growth spurt's arrival)

[mataji4]

oh my goodness...Bjorn is a month old today! I am feeling great despite only getting about 5 or 6 REAL hours of sleep at night! Things are starting to feel more normal around here, and we are all learning how to incorporate baby into mealtime, playtime, worktime. I am feeling the need to sort of wean myself off of checking this site several times a day!! I have really enjoyed following your pregnancies and sharing in the joyous news as your babies have come! You might hear from me now and again, but for now here are these photos of Bjorn taken today.

http://s135.photobucket.com/albums/q...t=DSCN7756.jpg

http://s135.photobucket.com/albums/q...t=DSCN7720.jpg

http://s135.photobucket.com/albums/q...t=DSCN7820.jpg

http://s135.photobucket.com/albums/q...t=DSCN7809.jpg

http://s135.photobucket.com/albums/q...t=DSCN7830.jpg

[Woodland]

Hi all

Been enjoying the babymoon for the most part. Nipple shields and a majorily itchy body rash has put a slight dampler on it though. But my little sweetie pie Woodland is 15 days now and such a joy to be around and I am soooo happy to finally be a mama.

We are still using nipple shields, the boy wont latch on without them!!!! My nipples are pretty inverted but will cme out after a little while, so I know this is not a permanent thing. I have seen a couple LC's and they both seem to think that we will get off the shields before too long, and reassure me to not worry about it. Its such a bummer to have to use them, I feel like my body is failing me in a weird way. I birthed my baby all natural and I am a strong mama, my milk supply is totally adequate, but my nipples are not cooperating.

I was kinda bummed at my mw response to tthe shiedsh, she was not so supportive. But she didnt even make the birth, so who cares about her opinion anyway. hah! Long story short, she didnt believe my labor was real...my dh and I practiced hypnobirthing for months and we were too calm for her to come over apparently. My water broke and it was pure meconium with no water, we called her..she told us to go to the hospital, and he was born totally healthy 20 min after arriving at the hospital. Boy was the drive there interesting!!!!

I had to go into the doc today to get a cortisone shot for this nasty rash, called PUPPPS. But boy is my little Woody worth it, such an angel!!!!

Isnt it awesome that we now post in Life with a Babe!!! Congrats to all you mommies, good job!!!!!!!!!!!

[Keeping up]

Having latch issues here and need help!!!

Sean latches nicely but within a minute or so drifts down so he only sucks on the nipple. I break the latch and start again but it is trying to do that every few minutes, several times each feeding.

How do I get him to stay on properly?

[vannienicole]

**

[firefly mama]

Wombat - I find the tv is on an aweful lot when I'm home too. So far DD (almost 2) has no interest in tv, which is great...except when you need to do something without her help.

Pumping - I just sold my Medela PIS. I hated that thing. I had the soft flanges too, and all they did was rub me raw where the soft part attached. I used the Lactina for the first month when I was renting and I liked that. I now use the Avent Isis iQ Duo. I like it. My favorite pump is my trusty hand-held Avent Isis - I get the most milk with it. But for my morning and evening pumping sessions I need them to be as fast as possible, so I use the double electric. My midday pumping session is when everyone is asleep, so I use my hand-held then. Yeah, getting that morning pumping in without help is really hard. DS needs nursed first, then I need to wait about 45 minutes, then pump. But DS always wants held...so it is hard to pump without him crying at some point. Plus DD gets up at the same time, needs help with the potty, needs breakfast...and she likes to repeatedly ask for help while I'm pumping. It is morning mayhem.

Bottles - We use Bornfree bottles - the ones without the BPA plastic stuff. We used to use Dr Browns, but I just sold those too. We intro'd the bottle at 3 weeks for both kids. No problems. DS now gets a nightly bottle of my milk from DH. We intro'd pacis at 2 weeks too. With DD we used the Avent paci at first, and it did mess up her latch for the next 2 months (grrr). This time we went with the Soothies and I haven't had any trouble. DS still much prefers to suck on me though...

[chinaKat]

Hi all --

I'm going to try to be better about posting this month than I was last month, now that we are getting our act together somewhat.

Here's a pic of Eliza.

Things are going well with Eliza and with her big sister. My c/s is healing fine. My only problem, really, is... I'M SO FAT!!!!

Seriously. I have no clothes that fit at all, so I'm wearing some non-summer maternity pants, ugh. My breasts are insanely enormous. I really look and feel gross... and I'm supposed to wait until 6 weeks to do any real exercise or anything, so I feel like I can't even do anything about it. It doesn't help that it's summer, I can't even hide under lots of clothes!

Yuck!

Other than that, things are great, though.

[dara00]

the babies are all so cute!

I have a question about let down. I get it at random times, when I'm thinking about something overwhelming or anxiety provoking. then I get this nervous feeling, and that is the let down. is that normal?