In our 30s with Our First Babe - December - Page 3

[Grace24]

Good to know I'm not the only one who can't stand the crying. I think I was traumatized by babysitting screaming infants when I was too young to know what I was doing... I have memories of holding my neighbor's baby for three hours or more while it cried and cried and cried and cried... I was only like 12 or 13, how was I supposed to know what to do!!!!

One thing that helps us... have you ever heard of Dunstan's Baby Language? It's a DVD set (she was on Oprah last year) about five sounds newborns make when they cry... there's a sound for hungry, sleepy, need to be burped, uncomfortable (hot, cold, need a dipe changed), or... my fave... "I have gas". So we can always tell what he needs... the gas sound is the cry I dread because those are the times that he can really go on for a while... but the DVD shows different positions to help move the gas along until he gets some good farts... then he quiets down. I'm so grateful for this system... it's supposedly good from 0 to 3 months. If you know anyone who's about to have a baby, tell them about it! It's changed the kind of mother I'd be from stressed-out and crying and frustrated to confident and secure (unless I hear the dreaded gas sound... then I call DH...)

Uh-oh, my son is chewing on his arm. Guess I won't wait for the hungry cry this time! Julia

[acp]

DD loves her baths too. I'd say she started loving them around 4 weeks old. Our ped suggested skipping the baby bathtub and just getting in an adult tub with her, and now that's what we do every night (either DH or me). She definitely doesn't need a bath every night, but she loves them so much it's become part of her bedtime routine. She splashes and kicks, and lately has become totally enthralled with her rubber duckies and wooden boat, with the water coming out of the faucet (when we get in while the tub is still filling), and with her reflection in the faucet.
She also likes her baths warm - almost as warm as I'd make it for myself, and I'm a hot bath gal. I figure she'll let us know if it's too hot.

BTW, one thing that helped early on when she wasn't so entranced with the idea of baths (or when she liked the bath itself, but HATED getting out of the tub) was using a bigger, adult towel in addition to her hooded baby towel. I realized part of what she hated was the transition from warm water to cool air (who wouldn't?). First I tried heating up her hooded towel in the dryer, which helped, but now we just put it on top of a big fluffy adult towel and really wrap her up, and she's happy as a clam.

As for the no schedule, no time for yourself, anxiety-ridden aspect of the first few weeks..... My guess is that we've all been there. You're definitely not alone. And yes, it does indeed get much much better. At 5 1/2 months I actually have a hard time remembering back to how crazy those first few weeks were, and it wasn't THAT long ago. Things just seem so much more sane now... It's a special time, though - enjoy it! I miss the newborn-sleeping-on-my-chest days already....

[dctexan]

Originally Posted by MajorGroover

I met w/ the LC again on Thursday. She saw that both my nipples and I are a wreck so she advised pumping & letting someone else feed the baby so I can get some rest. I'm also sad to report that I've been supplementing w/ formula for the past couple days, just to keep her full b/c I didn't have a BM stash. It's been emotionally gut-wrenching, especially after what I put my nipples through to avoid formula, but it's not bad for her and it's so nice not to tense up with dread every time she wants to eat. There's a little comfort in knowing that I'm mixing my BM in with the formula and that I couldn't have gone on BFing w/o risking long-term nipple damage.

Dee - I hear you on the gut wrenching decison to give formula. The nurses in the hospital ended up giving Benjamin formula 24 hours after I gave birth because they convinced me he was starving (which was probably true, I couldn't get him to latch on and he was sobbing inconsolably). It sucked so much. I was crying and crying over that. So sorry that breastfeeding is tearing your nipples up. I had a similar experience (raw, cracked nipples...the idea of putting the baby on the boob made me want to die). Benjamin ended up being tongue tied - have you checked into that for Mathilde? Once we found that out and had his frenulum snipped (which a lot of ENTs are reluctant to do, but I pushed for it because I knew there was no way I would be able to continue to breastfeed if he didn't improve his latch), things got much better. Nipples heal surprisingly fast (lots of Lanisoh and application of refrigerated Soothie gel pads to my boobs between pumping/feeding sessions). Breastfeeding still hurt (but no obvious signs of damage) until about week 5/6. Just remember to get in a pump session everytime Mathilde gets formula so that you can keep up your supply. I found that pumping hurt a lot less than breastfeeding (because I could control suction and speed). I also made sure that DH gave Benjamin at least one bottle of EBM each day so that my nipples and I could rest.

Originally Posted by acp

I don't think you read it wrong (at least not as I understand it), I think people just meant that because this thread is in the "Life With a Babe" forum there are probably fewer mothers of toddlers on it. However, there are certainly some people in this forum who have both babies and toddlers (and many who still consider their 15-month-olds "babies"), so I'd think there should be at least a few other 30-something mothers with older kids who find this thread!

Thanks Amanda - This is exactly what I meant!

[dctexan]

Originally Posted by ~minnow~

Thanks! I did talk to the ped. As I suspected, based on my careful description she thinks the pupil thing is just "normal variation," like when your boobs don't quite match. I only got worried because my HUSBAND got worried. And because, you know, I'm superstitious.

Lane - So glad everything checked out okay!

Originally Posted by hazieluna

...with my nipple still in his mouth pulls away. What does this mean? Is he not getting enough milk? It's usually at the end so I know it's not him dealing with my letdown.

Natalia - Benjamin will do this too. I think it can mean different things at different times. Sometimes it means he wants more milk (usually he is a one boob per feeding guy, but if he is feeding frequently & I have recently pumped, I may need to give him both...although this usally ends with giant spit up and vomiting) and other times it means that he is tired and that he wants to suck to sleep. I find that if I put him down for a nap and give him paci, he falls right to sleep.

Originally Posted by hazieluna

Also what is everyone carrying in your diaper bags - that is aside from diapers?
I've got an extra outfit (I learned the hard way that diapers are not always reliable in containing pee and poop), a blanket, an umbrella, a water bottle for me, wipes, and some chinese prefolds. Just wondering if I'm going to be surprised again and realize I should be carrying around something obvious that I'm not.

We carry around diapers (4-5), changing pad, an extra weather appropriate outfit, a onsie (in case the extra outfit gets gross), wipes, plastic bag (for soiled clothes, diapers, etc.), 2 bibs, an extra spit up cloth, sling, hand sanitizer, motrin, extra paci, nursing cover, water for mama, protein bar for mama, cell phone. I know I should also be carrying around an extra shirt/outfit for myself but it just doesn't fit. My wallet also doesn't fit so I usually grap my ID, cash, & debit card and stick them in my pocket (this is what I always did in high school because I hated purses). I think we are going to have to upgrade to a bigger bag once we need to start carrying around toys.

Originally Posted by PiePie

em: http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=800830

Thanks Pie!

Originally Posted by rock_dr

lo slept 9-3 am last night.
too bad I was up 2-4... it takes me a few days to get used to a new pattern.

I think we're officially deswaddled. doesn't seem to make much difference anymore. I did buy one of those lovesack things that zipper up like a sleeping bag.

CJ - Wow! Yay for sleep. We actually aren't doing so well with sleep at our house right now. Benjamin had a cold (thank you daycare...gah. Probably going to have a sick kid all winter) and is up every two hours. Of course I also have the cold too, so this up every 2 hours is NOT working for me. Hopefully things will go back to normal once the lo can breathe again.

Originally Posted by jpiper0430

De-lurking to say hello to everyone!

Hi Jenn! Love the pictures

Originally Posted by Grace24

Oh yeah, one more thing... the ped recommended supplementing with Vitamin D. Something called Trivisol. Breast-fed babies who aren't out in the sun (it is winter after all) can supposedly be deficient. Is anyone doing this? Our ped seems pretty mainstream so I'm kind of wary.

Julia - My ped (who is more crunchy than mainstream, but not 100% crunchy) also recommended the vit D supplement. She also recommended probiotics. DH and I have done neither because we are too lazy to get ourselves to the natural food store (plus Benjamin isn't a huge fan of having anything other than breastmilk put in his moouth) : The way I look at it, babies have been surviving for years without those things so they must not be completely necessary.

Originally Posted by veganone

Need some support... Finally had the thrush under control, felt it coming back and went back on Diflucan in time (I think) to catch it really early. Well, last night I felt feverish all night and this morning noticed big red blotches on my boob. Mastitis - lucky me. I'm so scared the ABX will aggravate the thrush. I'm bummed... It seems like as soon as we get a hang of bfing something else goes wrong.

Elizabeth!!! I am so sorry you are struggling with all of this breast stuff. Kudos to you for sticking with the breastfeeding despite tough times. I am not sure I would be able to do it! You are awesome.

Originally Posted by Grace24

The sponge bath tonight, though, that was another story... oh, the trauma...

Yeah, we have pictures of Benjamin's first bath (a sponge bath). OMG, the screaming. Obviously we were torturing him. To be honest baths were not much fun for the first 4 weeks or so. He always hated the sponge bath (thank god the cord fell off at 6 days) and was not a big fan of baby baths either. Finally I got him to be happier with baths by getting in the tub with him (so the water was pretty hot...much hotter than I would recommend for a baby, but I needed it to be comfortable for me!). I would "swim" him around in the water to keep him warm. We did this for about 2 weeks. Then I moved him to his infant tub. The key to a successful happy bath...
1). Really warm water (just a touch below what I use for my own bath. He kind of makes a face when I first put him in...like it this to hot for me?...then he relaxes).
2). Two wash cloths. One that I dip in the water and place across his chest & shoulders to keep him warm (redipping as necessary) and the other I use to wash him.
3). Doing everything in the same order (so I wash his legs, followed by boy parts & bottom, then tummy & chest, then arms, then wipe face, then hair, and finally the back)
4). Having a grownup size towel right there that I can completely wrap him up in. He isn't a big fan of things on his head so no hooded towels for us
5). Following bath time with a massage (again I keep body parts covered unless they are being worked on).

Benjamin now loves, loves, LOVES his bath and massage. He does the kicking baby legs thing, smiles & coos. Bath time is tons of fun now. Hang in there!

On really cold nights I prewarm his towel and PJs. Being cold still makes him fussy.

Originally Posted by Grace24

Anybody deal with post-partum anxiety? You always hear about the depression, which I don't have, but the anxiety... I just feel so overwhelmed at the thought that this little one is relying on ME... I look at him with such fear sometimes. That, and the fact that I have NO schedule... day is night, and night is day... man, I feel all floaty and nervous and weird. Am I alone in this? Does it get better? Between the anxiety and not having time to eat, the post-partum weight should drop right off...

I'm happy, though, just scared. Happy and scared. It's strange. Just wondering if I'm alone there.

Not alone. I feel anxiety too. It wasn't a specific fear of anything (well, other than the public meltdown and the feeling that I would be trapped in the house forever) but I felt like I had WAY too much adrenaline. It was hard to sleep and relax. It supressed my appetite too. It does get better, MUCH better. I started feeling less anxious around 3 week PP and it was significantly better at 6 weeks PP. Now (13 weeks PP) I have very little anxiety.

Becky - Thinking about you & hoping the child care situation is working out!

[veganone]

Thanks Emily - the mastitis is already responding to abx, so now I just need the thrush to stay under control.

By the way on the probiotics... Our LC recommended mixing them (it's a powder, Primadophillus) with a bit of ebm. I do one ML or so of BM and mix it up and give it to her in a medicine dropper. She loves it and when I taste it I can't taste the probiotics at all. I don't think all kids need them, though, just ones who are on meds or are getting formula.

On baths - we don't actually have a bathtub, but even if we did I don't know that I'd want to bathe with DD... She has been known to poop in the tub! It's one thing when I get some on my finger or something, but I don't think I'd want to be immersed in it.

[didkisa]

Originally Posted by Grace24

Oh yeah, one more thing... the ped recommended supplementing with Vitamin D. Something called Trivisol. Breast-fed babies who aren't out in the sun (it is winter after all) can supposedly be deficient. Is anyone doing this? Our ped seems pretty mainstream so I'm kind of wary.

Ours suggested the same thing and I bought some. Only recently started giving it to her b/c she had a cold and it has vitamin C in it, too.

[cornpicker]

Hi, everyone. I've been MIA from this thread but it is great to see you all. I turn 34 this week-- wow!

DS is almost 16 weeks and doing great. He is battling his first cold, poor muffin, but it doesn't seem too horrible. I hope he kicks it soon. He also pooped across the room at 4 am on Sunday. LOL! I was mid-diaper change and suddenly he just blasted it. DH is called it Mount Saint Butthole. There was poop all over. We had to laugh.

My labor was hard, but manageable. I do remember thinking mid-labor "I can't believe some people do this more than once!" I also remember thinking that in the thick of the newborn exhaustion. But things do get better.

I have also survived many breastfeeding challenges, so big hugs to those of you dealing with the same. I'm basically down to one functioning breast and looks like that is working for us.

What else? Just wanted to say hi to all and I'll pop in when I can.

I meant to say-- DS also does the pulling off, relatching during feeding. I know it is after his initial hunger is sated. I think it is b/c he is more easily distracted now. Like if I start talking to someone, he pulls off and looks at me like "WHAT JUST HAPPENED?" ha ha ha. It is irritating, I admit. I try to get him to focus but if he just keeps pulling off, I'm like, "ok, you're done." and we do something else.

[Grace24]

Originally Posted by dctexan

Dee - I hear you on the gut wrenching decison to give formula. The nurses in the hospital ended up giving Benjamin formula 24 hours after I gave birth because they convinced me he was starving (which was probably true, I couldn't get him to latch on and he was sobbing inconsolably). It sucked so much. I was crying and crying over that.

OMG I had to share that happened to me too... only we weren't having trouble breastfeeding. What happened is that on my second morning in the hospital the LC came in at 5:45 a.m. (they don't watch the clock in there), I was percosetted out of my brain and sleep deprived cuz I was already EBF all night long and recovering from surgery. She was just doing a routine visit, I know now, cuz we were doing fine. She takes his shirt off, puts him in the "football hold" and takes my hand, grips his head, and shoves my entire breast in his mouth. With a mouth full of boob he looked around wildly for a moment before starting to cry. I couldn't calm him down enough to feed him after that, even though we were fine before she came around. Then the nurses who came in after that convinced me that cuz my milk hadn't come in yet (haven't they ever heard of colostrum) he was now TOO hungry and had to be given formula. So I tearfully watched as they fed him formula despite his little squeals of confusion. Apparently one of them must've seen "history of depression" on my chart (important word being HISTORY) and called in a case manager because I was crying. So I'm still crying, watching them feed my son formula and feeling incredible guilt, and a strange woman comes in and asks when I went off my medicine, and starts telling me of the dangers of PP depression. !!!! She stopped by every day for the next two days I was there but DH had put a "do not disturb" sign on the door. He was furious that he wasn't there when this happened. He was Papa Bear guarding the door from that point on. I hated the hospital.

Then a day later they decided his jaundice was out of control (though I later read that the levels he had are within the norm) and insisted on giving him formula WITH my breast milk all night while they stuck him under the light therapy thing.

Both times they supplemented it caused confusion cuz it was too soon and it was tough getting him to latch again... but then he was only a day or two old.

Just had to share my experience with that, you reminded me

[Grace24]

Originally Posted by cornpicker

DH is called it Mount Saint Butthole.

OMG it still hurts to laugh but I couldn't help it!

And happy 34th!

[Dee-Groovy]

Frannyo!

Lane I'm so glad Ada's eyes checked out as normal! Phew! I know what it's like to freak out on a Friday evening too. Mathilde's middle name is my maiden name, which is not exactly pretty but honors her heritage. I wanted to give her a pretty MN & even thought about 3 names (2 pretty & 1 family name) but we wanted to keep it simple.

CJ those pics are amazing! They'll make great fun Christmas presents.

Natalia I've read that it's normal for your breasts to stay the same firmness after you milk supply regulates. No worries! Sorry Aiden's pulling off - that sounds excruciating. Thanks for sharing your post-birth anemia experience too. Sounds like it really knocked both of us for a loop. At least I don't feel so alone and can explain my lack of ability to cope. DD's crying stresses me out too. She screams bloody murder whenever I change her diaper, then immediately stops when her clothes are back on and she's back in my arms. Sometimes I laugh b/c she's so melodramatic but mostly I tense up and try to hurry. I hate snaps!

Elizabeth I can't believe what you've been through with breastfeeding. I'll keep my : that the abx clear up the mastitis without causing thrush. Thanks for recommending probiotics to go with formula. I actually got the fomula w/ probiotics included, and one of my main reasons for wanting to BF so badly is my history of food allergies.

Cornpicker it's good to hear from you! Mount Saint Butthole, lol! I hope your DS feels better soon. Do you mind sharing your experience BFing and how you're functioning w/ 1 breast? I have a small defect on the nipple of the breast that gives more milk when I pump. It makes it difficult for DD to latch on w/o hurting me but the other breast doesn't provide enough milk when I rely on it while I give the defective one a break. I guess supply will eventually increase in the non-defective breast?

[Grace24]

Originally Posted by MajorGroover

DD's crying stresses me out too. She screams bloody murder whenever I change her diaper, then immediately stops when her clothes are back on and she's back in my arms. Sometimes I laugh b/c she's so melodramatic but mostly I tense up and try to hurry. I hate snaps!

Me too... it helps me to remember that he's not actually crying cuz he's in pain... he's just uncomfortable or confused or whatever. I notice too that there are no actual tears most of the time... he only cries actual tears if he's been crying for a long time. I just try to imagine that it's his way of saying "Hey, cut it out that's annoying!"

Man this little one is sleeping for a long time this evening! Does this mean I'm in for it later when I try to sleep? :

[PiePie]

julia, babe's real tears come later -- totally heart breaking. i feel u on historicsl conditionsd in your chart coming back to bite u. the hosp sic'd a pub health worker on me for a home visit to check for child abuse! :

[Dee-Groovy]

Emily thanks for posting the results of your BM experiment. I never heard of scalding BM but it seems to work beautifully for you. Thanks also for the info on tongue tie. I haven't been able to check DD's mouth for it but I don't think she's the one with the problem. The LC said she has a beautiful latch & I'm putting her on properly. I'm just exasperated and almost ready to quit BFing. : Apparently I just have super-sensitive nips. I've been pumping on the lowest speed on my Pump In Style b/c it hurts to pump any faster, and even pumping is hurting my nips and leaving a ring of damage on my nip no matter what size flange I use. I've BFed once or twice in the past 3 days and my nips actually feel more sensitive than they did before. There's not enough Lansinoh and Soothies on the planet to make it better. Even the LC said "normally I'd say not to use so much lanolin but in this case it's ok." Sorry they sneaked in formula at the hospital. I was actually lucky to hold them off at the hospital by getting DD to BF right before they brought formula.

Julia sorry they forced formula on you while you were drugged out at the hospital. The LCs at my hospital seemed really rough too. They didn't teach me anything, just shoved my boob in her mouth and said "ta da!" I like the baby language idea & I need to look into it. I think your anxiety is normal too - I can be dead tired but not sleep b/c my mind is running a mile a minute. I don't know anything about vitamin D supplementation but it's probably not a big deal here in the Sunshine State.

So I went back to the ped today since DD has been screaming anytime she's not asleep for 2 weeks now. She's gaining well just over 6 oz a week to 9 lbs 14 oz at 23 days old. The doc said she has reflux or colic. She just recently started spitting up but not much, so I don't see how it's reflux. The doc wants me to switch DD to soy formula & cut all dairy out of my diet but insinuated that I should consider stopping BFing since it's making me crazy. I'm just not sure what's best for DD at this point. BFing is obviously upsetting me and preventing me from fully enjoying DD, but I know it's good for her. Can I just say soy formula stinks to high heaven too? I also worry about the phytoestrogens. Soy formula was the only thing that worked for me as a baby though. Ugh. I've been crying off & on all day b/c I just don't know what to do. Everyone says BFing gets better and easier but it's only getting worse for me. BFing even hurts with nipple shields now. Bottles are a PITA too. I feel so lost... I don't know what's best right now.

[rock_dr]

welcome FrannyO!

cornpicker: happy birthday! how funny about the long distance pooping
Ella managed to hit the dog square on the nose one time. poor jake, but you know I laughed so hard.

ella has been pulling off since about 3-4 months, and she's still doing it. I call it peek-a-boob. VERY easily distracted. But when she's hungry enough, she'll focus, so maybe just put it away and try again a bit later?

dee - a million hugs. It's so tough to be in pain and have a crying baby not know what to do about it. Did you LC mention newman's ointment instead of lansinoh by chance? I was told it was better - it's much less viscous and pasty. I wish I had more advice to offer you. did you post in the bf forum?

we have the same experience with baths as many of you - the water's fine but getting out is rough unless the towel is very warm and I'm right there ready to nurse.

we're getting ready for another big trip. MAjor conference in California next week, I am giving a talk and am coauthor on several posters. It's crunch time and dh just started a new job. not clear on how that's going to go next week when he's stuck in a hotel with ella for longer than he's ever had with her, trying to juggle a new job telecommuting.

OH, and we gave ella some banana to play with yesterday. She's not a fan - made the funniest face. Everything else in the world goes right into the mouth, but we gave it to her again tonight and she remembered the smell - wouldn't put it anywhere near the mouth.

[PiePie]

Originally Posted by MajorGroover

I can be dead tired but not sleep b/c my mind is running a mile a minute.

i had this too -- not sure when it stopped but it was definitely over by 6 weeks. i think it was the hormones from the birth? or the massiveness of the birth and the baby to process??

[PiePie]

cj, you rock on the posters!!!! is this pre or post baby work?

we are going away this weekend. or rather dh is going away on biz and i am joining him for the weekend because he's got another biz trip next week!! i am terrified of travelling alone with the baby. who has had 2 moderately fussy days in a row. sigh.

[rock_dr]

bump.

pie - most of the work we're presenting is either pre-baby or post (syn)-baby, but where I got the ball moving before and my student/colleagues have taken over. should be fun though, I love san francisco during holiday time. and hey, how could 15000 geophysicists in one place NOT be a party?! there's always a guy hanging out with a sign that says 'world created in 7 days. geophysicists go to hell!' I'll try to get a picture.

hope the travel goes well! just when I think ella is SURE to have a meltdown (like when she woke up at 4 am the day we left for texas then couldn't get back to sleep)...she does fine. the new noises/sights seems to help us, I hope lorelei too. I was also surprised by the large number of friendly and helpful faces I saw rather than scowls.

acp - nice changing table catch. phew!

on a somewhat similar note, I am dreading having to childproof. We live in a house built in 1923...there's just some stuff that can't be totally fixed.

and the nanny search continues...

[ldsmom06]

I just wanted to say hello to all! I stubbled onto this thread.

Bummer I missed being able to be in this thread by 8 months! I was literly the oldest 1st time mom at my church. I have gotten insulted before for not getting married and having children sooner(my husband was 37 with our 1st ).

[dctexan]

Originally Posted by Grace24

OMG I had to share that happened to me too... Apparently one of them must've seen "history of depression" on my chart (important word being HISTORY) and called in a case manager because I was crying. So I'm still crying, watching them feed my son formula and feeling incredible guilt, and a strange woman comes in and asks when I went off my medicine, and starts telling me of the dangers of PP depression. !!!! She stopped by every day for the next two days I was there but DH had put a "do not disturb" sign on the door. He was furious that he wasn't there when this happened. He was Papa Bear guarding the door from that point on. I hated the hospital.

Yep, history of drepression here too. I got labelled as "troubled" and "at risk" because I couldn't stop crying over the breastfeeding/formula incident (the LC/nurses sucked for me too, shove baby on the boob & walk away. Of course baby pops off and I can't get him back on. Nightmare situation all around). Luckily they ended up getting me a really good decent nurse my last day who basically spent ALL of her time with me making sure that I was able to get Benjamin to latch on (of course then I was crying because she was being so kind after everyone else had treated me so horribly. It sucked that I had to completely lose it and basically become a blubbering mess before people took my asking for help (and by help I did not mean taking my baby away and giving him formula!) seriously. I hate the hospital too. Even though I had a sucky painful birth, my hate for the hospital (and I was at the "good" hospital, the one that supports b'feeding and natural childbirth!) is so strong that I think any subsequent births will be attempted at home.

Originally Posted by MajorGroover

Thanks also for the info on tongue tie. I haven't been able to check DD's mouth for it but I don't think she's the one with the problem. The LC said she has a beautiful latch & I'm putting her on properly. I'm just exasperated and almost ready to quit BFing. : Apparently I just have super-sensitive nips. I've been pumping on the lowest speed on my Pump In Style b/c it hurts to pump any faster, and even pumping is hurting my nips and leaving a ring of damage on my nip no matter what size flange I use. I've BFed once or twice in the past 3 days and my nips actually feel more sensitive than they did before. There's not enough Lansinoh and Soothies on the planet to make it better. Even the LC said "normally I'd say not to use so much lanolin but in this case it's ok."

Oh Dee. I am so so sorry you are in this much pain. Sometimes breastfeeding just doesn't work out and you really do need to do what is best for you as a mama. For what it is worth, both DH and his brother were formula fed babies (actually DH was given COWS MILK!!! because he was colicy and the ped said that formula was "too rich" for him. YIKES!) and they are both healthy well attached adults. Breastfeeding isn't what makes you a "good" mother or not. Making sure your baby gets the nutrition she needs and making sure that both you and baby are happy is what matters.

That being said, I am going to post a link about tongue tie for you. I KNOW your LC doesn't think it is tongue tie because the latch looks good, but honestly Dee, the LC cannot look through DDs mouth when she is latched on and see what her tongue is doing. I am sure DD's lips look great, but if her tongue is not doing what it is supposed to be doing, your nips WILL suffer. Benjamin's lips looked just fine when we nursed (nobody in the hospital suspected tongue tie and his ped thought things were fine - she watched us breastfeed because I was freaking out about the pain and my wrecked nipples - until I mentioned that he couldn't stick out his tongue as far as I thought a newborn should. Then she FINALLY looked at the frenulum and saw that it was attached fairly close to the tip of his tongue. Obviously Mathilde may not have tongue tie, but it is such an easy fix (the ENT we saw did a local topical anesthetic & one snip right there in the office), it might be worth investigating.
Tongue Tie Link

Originally Posted by MajorGroover

So I went back to the ped today since DD has been screaming anytime she's not asleep for 2 weeks now.

A link to the post I made when Benjamin was 5 weeks old (and I was seriously at the end of my rope with the nonstop screaming when he was awake). I didn't get a lot of great advice, but I did want you mto know that you are not alone in this!
My Baby Hates Being Awake

[PiePie]

Originally Posted by rock_dr

there's always a guy hanging out with a sign that says 'world created in 7 days. geophysicists go to hell!' I'll try to get a picture.

omg did you hear abt the texas offical who got fired for fwding emails announcing a book reading? yhe premise of the book is that intelligent design theory is creationism warmed over duh.