I didn't want to post over in the LWAB forum yet, but I need to kinda...talk out some of the adjustments...
Victoria is such a peanut...we anticipated an 8+ pound baby, because my older daughter was that big, and born earlier. So, we only have 2-3 "newborn" clothes, and everything else is 0-3 months - well, even the newborn clothes are WAY too big for her! I ended up buying a couple of "preemie" outfits yesterday just so she'd have something to wear that isn't completely baggy and falling off...but it makes me wonder, if my TERM baby is in preemie clothes, and she's actually pretty close to average size, what on earth do the parents of actual PREEMIES do???
Then there's the engorgement - oh the engorgement. I was engorged almost immediately after the birth, with what the nurses/midwife called "transition milk" - it's like bright yellow skim milk, very different consistency than colostrum, but also not really newborn milk. So, I thought I was getting off lucky, cause that engorgement wasn't so bad. Well, my real milk came in this morning, and my boobs are bigger than my head...Dolly Parton, Pamela Anderson, don't have anything on me!!! Bra shopping today!
My 2 yo has decided that my milk is hot stuff again, but I'm hesitant to let her completely drain a breast, because I don't want to overstimulate. It is neat, though, watching her with "Toywia"...I had thought Serenity would be jealous when she saw Victoria on HER boobs, but she immediately pointed to the side Victoria was on and said "Baby boob", then the other side was "Senity boob!" She's very quick to remind me which side Baby needs to nurse on, and which side Senity gets.
All in all, I'm thrilled with how well Serenity is adjusting to the baby - I really thought there would be some jealousy issues, because Serenity is a major prima donna/attention hound, but she's just fascinated by the baby - almost to the point of it being a problem. She's tried to share her cheerios, pop-tarts, juice, and popcorn!!!
Last night, DH and I were both downstairs in the basement for a few minutes - when we went back upstairs, Serenity had one of her dolls wrapped tightly, like Victoria gets wrapped, was nursing it, and then buckled it into the swing and sat in front of the swing talking to her baby and rocking it. Such a little momma!!! I'm going to have to make her a sling, too, I think.
Also, it's strange - I find myself worried about co-sleeping this time around. Serenity started out in a bassinet in our room, then after about 2 days, ended up in our bed, with no special changes made or anything - her head was in the crook of my arm, mouth at boob height, and that was that for the next 7 months. This time around, we decided to just start Victoria out in our bed, and use the bassinet sparingly; well, she won't sleep in the bassinet at all, and I'm feeling very paranoid for some reason about having her in our bed. So the last 2 nights, she's slept on my chest, and I've slept flat on my back, stiff as a board. I suppose I'll relax as she gets a little bigger.
One question I have - Victoria spit up last night for the first time; it smelled really really really sour; I seem to remember someone telling me that sour spit-up meant reflux, and fresh smelling spit-up meant overeating? Or maybe it's the other way around?
ALSO, I just remembered this too (god my brain is scattered!); we went back for a 2-day weight check on Friday morning, and she is already regaining her birth weight (yay Boob milk!!
) - she lost less than 15 grams total!! But it wasn't all good news - they found a heart murmur. The pediatrician said she's not overly concerned right now, that it's fairly common with newborns, and usually clears up in a week or two, but she did ask us to go back in on Monday, and also to make sure they listen for it at her 2 week check up. I'm a little concerned, because my DH was just diagnosed with a heart murmur in December - but the ped seemed pretty confident that it was NOT the same condition.
Victoria is such a peanut...we anticipated an 8+ pound baby, because my older daughter was that big, and born earlier. So, we only have 2-3 "newborn" clothes, and everything else is 0-3 months - well, even the newborn clothes are WAY too big for her! I ended up buying a couple of "preemie" outfits yesterday just so she'd have something to wear that isn't completely baggy and falling off...but it makes me wonder, if my TERM baby is in preemie clothes, and she's actually pretty close to average size, what on earth do the parents of actual PREEMIES do???
Then there's the engorgement - oh the engorgement. I was engorged almost immediately after the birth, with what the nurses/midwife called "transition milk" - it's like bright yellow skim milk, very different consistency than colostrum, but also not really newborn milk. So, I thought I was getting off lucky, cause that engorgement wasn't so bad. Well, my real milk came in this morning, and my boobs are bigger than my head...Dolly Parton, Pamela Anderson, don't have anything on me!!! Bra shopping today!
My 2 yo has decided that my milk is hot stuff again, but I'm hesitant to let her completely drain a breast, because I don't want to overstimulate. It is neat, though, watching her with "Toywia"...I had thought Serenity would be jealous when she saw Victoria on HER boobs, but she immediately pointed to the side Victoria was on and said "Baby boob", then the other side was "Senity boob!" She's very quick to remind me which side Baby needs to nurse on, and which side Senity gets.
All in all, I'm thrilled with how well Serenity is adjusting to the baby - I really thought there would be some jealousy issues, because Serenity is a major prima donna/attention hound, but she's just fascinated by the baby - almost to the point of it being a problem. She's tried to share her cheerios, pop-tarts, juice, and popcorn!!!
Last night, DH and I were both downstairs in the basement for a few minutes - when we went back upstairs, Serenity had one of her dolls wrapped tightly, like Victoria gets wrapped, was nursing it, and then buckled it into the swing and sat in front of the swing talking to her baby and rocking it.
Such a little momma!!! I'm going to have to make her a sling, too, I think.Also, it's strange - I find myself worried about co-sleeping this time around. Serenity started out in a bassinet in our room, then after about 2 days, ended up in our bed, with no special changes made or anything - her head was in the crook of my arm, mouth at boob height, and that was that for the next 7 months. This time around, we decided to just start Victoria out in our bed, and use the bassinet sparingly; well, she won't sleep in the bassinet at all, and I'm feeling very paranoid for some reason about having her in our bed. So the last 2 nights, she's slept on my chest, and I've slept flat on my back, stiff as a board. I suppose I'll relax as she gets a little bigger.
One question I have - Victoria spit up last night for the first time; it smelled really really really sour; I seem to remember someone telling me that sour spit-up meant reflux, and fresh smelling spit-up meant overeating? Or maybe it's the other way around?
ALSO, I just remembered this too (god my brain is scattered!); we went back for a 2-day weight check on Friday morning, and she is already regaining her birth weight (yay Boob milk!!
) - she lost less than 15 grams total!! But it wasn't all good news - they found a heart murmur. The pediatrician said she's not overly concerned right now, that it's fairly common with newborns, and usually clears up in a week or two, but she did ask us to go back in on Monday, and also to make sure they listen for it at her 2 week check up. I'm a little concerned, because my DH was just diagnosed with a heart murmur in December - but the ped seemed pretty confident that it was NOT the same condition.
So he was a big surprise(his size). I didn't even buy many "newborn" things as I figured our baby would be too big for those, so I mostly have 0-3 months stuff which is huge. The pants yesterday went right up to his arm pits!! 
It was scary having such a tiny baby after having 7-8 pound babies. We're adjusting though. He's up to 6 lbs. 2 oz as of yesterday(Yeah for mama milk!! 
s. Things have been so different with me this time around too (my third son). Sore nipples, incredible afterpains, body soreness beyond anything I have ever had. My milk came in with full force on day three. Yesterday was the first time I was able to pump with relief. Got a full six ounces in less than twenty minutes. My breasts didn't get as big this time around (I had a bunch of G cup bras waiting for me) but they were much sorer, and my nipples are just now starting to not hurt. My 2 1/2 yr old weaned just before I got pg this time around but he's very much enjoying drinking the expressed milk!!! He swishes it all around him mouth like mouthwash until it's all bubbly. Then, when he's done drinking mommy's milk he asks for "his" milk from the fridge. SO funny. I asked which he liked better and he said "um." 
