~~Postpartum check-in: 5/11-5/17~~ - Page 3

[cj'smommy]

Originally Posted by Galatea

I just started getting a little sad and overwhelmed tonight (36 hours after she was born.) I am so very tired, as she didn't sleep last night, and I am having some down feelings. She doesn't look like what I expected, and I didn't have time to get used to her name (dh's choice) before she was born, and I miss my boys, and I miss my freedom, and ability to do things for myself. I know these all are transient, but it helps to get them out. It also helps that dh is also feeling out of sorts, so I know it is normal.

Do blood clots form a skin over them? I passed a clot today about the size of an egg yolk, and it had a skin over it, and when I tore into it, nothing gushed out. I would know if it were placenta, right?

I also got very cold and shivery and weak and I know it is my milk coming in, but it was a weird feeling.

Your post about clots caught my eye...I passed one after I had Holden that was the size of a small plum, and it did kind of have a skin on it. It was solid yet not if that makes sense. This is going to sound gross, but the nurse held it in her hand and showed me and it didn't ooze or run in her hand.

I would call just te see if your symptoms are considered ok.

More

[Beeblebrox]

Hi all! Just thought I'd do my first check in. It's been about 4 days since I gave birth here at home in the birth pool and I'm doing very well. I had a rough couple of days starting out though. No one told me about afterpains!! I cried for about two hours after giving birth because I thought I was "done" only to continue feeling contractions from afterpains. Naturally much more manageable, but I was tired! I still have them, but not as frequent or as strong.

I'm healing very well. I had about 4 stitches from some light tearing and that's just fine. My milk has come in and nursing is going great. In the beginning because of the afterpains I was not very thrilled with it as it increased the contractions, but since that's mellowed out it's been enjoyable again. I missed nursing a newborn.

I've had some meltdowns here and there but that was mostly due to just exhaustion. Baby didn't sleep well on night 2 and 3, but did so much better last night. She wasn't letting me lay her down at all those other nights for a moment. DH actually sat up through the night on night 3 for me and woke me every two hours to feed her. He's so awesome.

My baby girl is beautiful! She's at her birth weight right now so she's eating like a champ. No complications or issues. I just couldn't have asked for a better birth.

I was feeling really emotional last night and today because I "miss" my 2 year old. It's like she suddenly grew up overnight. She used to seem so small to me and now she's just this BIG girl. She's still my baby, but she suddenly seems so much older. I miss her and geez I'm going to start crying as I type this. She's just being so awesome with her sister and I'm so proud of her.

[Galatea]

Originally Posted by Beeblebrox

Hi all! Just thought I'd do my first check in. It's been about 4 days since I gave birth here at home in the birth pool and I'm doing very well. I had a rough couple of days starting out though. No one told me about afterpains!! I cried for about two hours after giving birth because I thought I was "done" only to continue feeling contractions from afterpains. Naturally much more manageable, but I was tired! I still have them, but not as frequent or as strong.

I'm healing very well. I had about 4 stitches from some light tearing and that's just fine. My milk has come in and nursing is going great. In the beginning because of the afterpains I was not very thrilled with it as it increased the contractions, but since that's mellowed out it's been enjoyable again. I missed nursing a newborn.

I've had some meltdowns here and there but that was mostly due to just exhaustion. Baby didn't sleep well on night 2 and 3, but did so much better last night. She wasn't letting me lay her down at all those other nights for a moment. DH actually sat up through the night on night 3 for me and woke me every two hours to feed her. He's so awesome.

My baby girl is beautiful! She's at her birth weight right now so she's eating like a champ. No complications or issues. I just couldn't have asked for a better birth.

I was feeling really emotional last night and today because I "miss" my 2 year old. It's like she suddenly grew up overnight. She used to seem so small to me and now she's just this BIG girl. She's still my baby, but she suddenly seems so much older. I miss her and geez I'm going to start crying as I type this. She's just being so awesome with her sister and I'm so proud of her.

Yeah, and the afterpains get worse each time! Yay!

I also miss my 2 yr old and he seems like such a big boy now. Though for the past 2 nights, he did get in bed with me in the early am and that went a long way towards making me not miss him as much.

[Shanana]

s Galatea. It is a little disorienting to enter into the world of a newborn again, isn't it? Not sure on the clots or weak feelings. Are you feeling any better now?

snazzy_mom, kudos to you for being on your own so quickly! DH goes back to work on Monday after 2.5 weeks at home, and I didn't even have a c/s. I'm a little frightened . Sorry to hear about all the scar tissue .

MamaJ, how is the gas treating you? Any better? Sorry to hear you were on your own for a few evenings. I feel very lucky that dh isn't usually busy in the evenings, and hardly ever travels for work.

Steph, I cannot even imagine how tired you must be right now! And that's just awful about the BC drying up your milk (although I can understand your reasons for wanting to be on it!!!). I hope you are able to get your supply up. Also, CST can help with a weak suck. You can look for a practitioner here if you're interested.

Becky, is Lane gaining okay? My mw said up to 6 hours without nursing is okay at night. You are so lucky! Sophie is up every 2-3 hours. I wouldn't really mind it if it weren't for the constant wiggling from the gas.

BB, I'm wrestling an octopus too . Sophie won't sleep in the co-sleeper but sleeps great in the pack 'n play bassinette .

LaffNow, sorry to hear you'll be w/o dh for a month ... I hope things go fairly smoothly for you.

Kara, welcome to the other side . It's good to see more people migrating over here!

athansor, don't know on the headaches; hope you're feeling better soon.

Beeble, the afterpains sucked!! I think mine were gone by about day 5, so hopefully you're through the worst. My dd1 is 2y9m and seems HUGE! All arms and legs akimbo in my lap. And she has been nursing a little here and there. Wow, it's crazy to look down and see that huge head compared to Sophie .

We are doing okay. Seeing some improvement with the gas, but it still isn't great. DH is saving my butt right now, taking her and putting her down in the bassinette, and bringing her to me to nurse. I would be getting no sleep if not for that. I haven't gone to bed this early since I was a kid.

DH goes back to work on Monday and I'm a little nervous. I think we'll do okay, though. DD1 is so darn cute, she really sees me and Sophie as a unit, always saying Sophie's my baby. We stopped at a friend's on the way to a playground yesterday, and my friend was holding Sophie when I asked dd1 if she was ready to go to the playground. She yelped, "Yes!!" Then said, "Take your baby mama, and let's go!" It was so cute .

Sophie is just over 2 weeks old and already growing out of 0-3 month sleepers :. I remember dd1 doing this, but not quite so soon! She can't straighten her legs and her feet are too big for the footies! I just finished washing all of dd1's 3-6 sleepers and need to start putting her in those instead. Will need to buy her some clothes too. DD1 was born at the end of July, so most of her 3-6 month clothes are for fall and winter. Sophie will be needing summer stuff in that size. It will be easier after the first year or so, when the growing slows down. Then their wardrobes should overlap well.

Well, Sophie is snoozing in the bassinette, so it's time for me to get to bed if I hope to get a decent amount of sleep.

[StephNelson]

Shanana: Thank you for the link there are many in the Austin area I see. Would you be willing to tell me more about what they do and how it helps? I am going to make some phone calls today to see if I can find one that works with young babies. I am willing to try anything to help him get the most milk he can without getting so tired.

As for my suppy it is coming back up, I had major issues last time since I have had many breast surgeries due to lump removal. I was told it is amazing I make any milk at all, but so far this time when I have my "full" for now supply he is getting most of what he needs. So now to keep raising the suppy and work on his suck. We did get the latch down!!!

I am still super tired and it feels like I might die soon (LOL) I hurt my tail bone and I am in a SUPER amount of pain 24/7 and was told there is nothing that can be done for it and I might hurt for a year or more, that really scares me...
We are going to call an aucupucturest and see if there is anything there that can help with the pain, but I do not have much hope.

~Steph

[Shanana]

Oh Steph, as if you didn't have enough things to deal with . CST is kind of hard to explain . You can read some more about it here, but that really doesn't even begin to describe it. It can work on both a physical and emotional level (I've written a fair amount on my blog of the emotional work I've done with CST, and how it manifests itself physically; you can read a few of those posts here, here and here).

I find that the two -- physical and emotional -- often go hand in hand, although sometimes it truly just is physical work the body needs to do. But CST is what we used to heal my dd1's birth trauma, as it allowed her to process and release all of the emotions she had stored in her body.

But regardless of whether the source of the problem is physical or emotional (or both), CST should be able to help. My CS therapist worked on Sophie the day she was born, and it definitely improved her suck (it had been weak before). It is a very light touch therapy, and the practitioner will probably put their finger in baby's mouth. They can very slightly move the bones, palate, etc., to make sure everything is aligned and working properly. Actually, saying they move things is wrong ... they assist the body and follow the body in allowing it to do what it needs to do. They can also help with things like a short frenulum (my tired brain isn't working properly, so I can't think of the right term), and get the body to release restrictions in the surrounding soft tissues that may be preventing the mouth from moving properly.

You definitely need a practitioner with the peds training (you can see the coursework they've had when you do the search in your area). They should have CSI, CSII, SERI and CSP (the peds class) at a bare minimum. Once you identify those who have that training (or more), you can start making some calls. Another thing you could do is go to the MDC Finding Your Tribe area for your region and ask if anyone has a recommendation.

I have to run as we're getting ready to leave, but let me know if you have any more questions. Also, it may help with your tailbone, too. I fell and hit my sacrum the day I gave birth, and it has been bothering me a lot. I'm getting both CST and acupuncture and feel that they are both helping.

Good luck, and keep us posted on how things are going. Glad to hear your supply seems to be rebounding, especially against the odds you have faced .

[ericaz]

Originally Posted by Galatea

Yeah, and the afterpains get worse each time! Yay!

nak

Is it ok to still post here?? I don't have a May baby like anticipated!
I was fully expecting them to be horrid this time since they were very painful with Isadora, but honestly I barely had any afterbirth pain this time! I also never got engorged this time and after Isadora my boobs were hard and painful for weeks. Such different experiences!

Graeme is 5.5 weeks old and doing great. He like to be held all the time (luckily my babyhawk came the other day!) and is not a fan of diaper changes - he screams bloody murder. Isadora never shrieked like that and truth be told, it really frazzles me.
He's a total boob man - loves his nursies. He's thighs are becoming adorably munchalicious

I'm feeling pretty good. I'm not losing weight as quickly as before and it;s bumming me out. Looks like I'll actually have to stop being lazy and work at shedding the lbs.

Burp time

[Galatea]

My boobs are still engorged and have been since Thursday. Is this normal? I let dd totally macerate my nipples, and the cracks are finally healing, but it still kills when she latches on. And when she is done, her lips are white and puffy from pressing so hard. This doesn't seem right. Any ideas?

[lovingmommyhood]

Originally Posted by athansor

Hi all,
We're doing well here, little Joshua seems to be doing great, and I'm starting to feel normal again (well, as normal as you can feel with a newborn!).
I'm wondering though, are headaches a common thing post-partum? I haven't gotten many headaches lately, but it seems like I've had a mild headache all week. I'm wondering if it's hormonal.

I don't know if it's normal but I am right there with you. I've been having terrible headaches that are usually limited to my left side. I'm also getting weird colors dancing around my eyes.

[blizzard_babe]

Originally Posted by cj'smommy

blizzard babe - how is your bathroom? I know you were worried about the state of it when you got home.

nak

it's ok. one cupboard is still down, but the toilet and washer are functional.

[thismama]

Originally Posted by Galatea

My boobs are still engorged and have been since Thursday. Is this normal? I let dd totally macerate my nipples, and the cracks are finally healing, but it still kills when she latches on. And when she is done, her lips are white and puffy from pressing so hard. This doesn't seem right. Any ideas?

dunno... is she sucking on the nipple itself, or the areola? i put my nipple in from the top if that makes sense, and make sure her mouth is open really wide so she takes a lot in when she latches. would that help maybe?

[Killick]

Kate has white lips after she is done nursing. A friend of mine who is a LC said that is from slipping on and off the nipple. Kate has actually developed a little blister that is finally healing in the middle of her top lip. I hope the engorgement goes down!

[Galatea]

Originally Posted by thismama

dunno... is she sucking on the nipple itself, or the areola? i put my nipple in from the top if that makes sense, and make sure her mouth is open really wide so she takes a lot in when she latches. would that help maybe?

Originally Posted by Killick

Kate has white lips after she is done nursing. A friend of mine who is a LC said that is from slipping on and off the nipple. Kate has actually developed a little blister that is finally healing in the middle of her top lip. I hope the engorgement goes down!

Well, it still hurts a little when she latches on, but my breasts have begun to soften anyway. The left one is almost normal and the right one is still a little hard on the outside, but not bad. I knew it was getting better when my nipples could actually get erect again. It is weird when the last person i nursed was 2, and it was automatic and easy, and then a break, and then this tiny little mouth with giant boobs. I wanted to keep nursing both my boys during the next pregnancies, but my body had other ideas. I think that would have helped a lot.

Now her lips are still white, but there are red wrinkles around her mouth from her lips flaring out, so that is much better. I think b/c of the size of my breasts and my tiny flat nipples, this is just what I have to deal with every time I have a baby.

On another note... this is very depressing... I can barely hold my poop. Pee I can hold all night, no problem, no leaks when sneezing. Last night I refused to get out of bed all night b/c I had a migraine, so when I woke up I had to go #1 and #2 sooooo bad, and when I got there, the poop came flying out before the pee. This is freaking me out, like I might poop my pants. I've been doing my kegels. Anyone else have this?

[thismama]

i have that galatea with the bm's,and had it worse with my first dd. it was a problem for the first few months last time but self corrected, and i'm expecting (assuming!! demanding!!!) the same this time.

i hear you too on nursing a newborn - holy crap it's different! i'm nursing my 4 year old and totally different world. i have huge boobs too... bought a nursing bra in 42J!! geezus! nak but wrinkles from flared lips sounds very promising. i used lansinoh last time and that helped a lot with nipple pain.