Rebekah Jo - short version + pertinent questions - Page 2

[Qerratsmom]

Congrats Mama, I'm so glad you are holding your baby now! Don't try to find a rhythm or a schedule yet, just *be* with your baby and things will work out!
Peace!

[*Karen*]

I gave birth at Sacred Heart in Eugene!!! They were really great with cosleeping info. I'm glad everyone is happy and healthy now!

My LC there were really great with helping me to get DS to nurse. He didn't have suck swallow. They gave me an SNS because I refused bottles. I pumped every two hours round the clock until he could latch well and didn't have to have it poured in his mouth. I wouldn't use bottles at all if you can help it.

[Anna GS]

I don't have any answers to your questions as I'm about to be a mom for the first time, but I did want to say CONGRATULATIONS! It sounds like you and your husband really responded smartly to the turn of events.

[DiannaK]

Originally Posted by mousebandit

TOnight, however, a few questions from the shell-shocked!

1) Do newborns usually make a lot of little fussing noises during their sleep periods, and do they wake up and cry and need to be comforted (not hungry wake up, just fussing), or do you just give them a minute (or two, or 3??) to let them try to work it out themselves? I'm trying to get a few things done, she's stuffed full, and should be totally out in the basinette (out here in the front room with me), but as soon as I make a new noise or something (which is, of course, EVERY noise I make!) she's making whimpering sounds or something. I did let her ride them out, and it seemed to be okay, but I still ahd to run over and peek at her every time, making it very hard to get these other things done (like washing the breast pump stuff, etc.)

2) Anyone deal with the NICU/ pumping issues?? I"m totally rum-dum from trying to pump (to save my milk supply), feed her (both pumped milk from bottle, and now trying to establish nursing), and feeding myself, and oh yeah, sleep would be nice! All on a 3-hour schedule that the NICU set. The logistics are wasting me, and I'm too tired to even try and think it through. Basically, how did you switch over from the NICU routines to the routines you had planned before *the event*??

3) If you are co-sleeping, what do you do when baby needs to sleep, and you have stuff to do??

4) Please direct me to websites for a quick and dirty way to jerry-rig a sling appropriate for a newborn, with minimal or better yet NO sewing, just maybe simple cutting and tying etc. I will NOT have time for a few days to sew anyting, not even a sling, but I'm thinking that I MUST have one NOW. I don't know that much about slings yet, but I know I want one. SHe is so little (4 lbs. 13 oz as of today), and I don't know which kind would be most appropriate. I need to be able to move about the house, fix food snacks, do a little laundry, and of course, get on the computer! I also need to find a way to occupy her so I can pump my breastmilk, but in a sling, I'm thinking she's going to be blocking the units!!

5) I know there's more, but my brain just fried, and I need to eat again.

Thank you all for the help and support - you just don't know how badly I've wanted on here this week!!

Gonna catch an hour of sleep, then back up for pumping and feeding, LOL!

THANKS!

Tracey Mouse

Much love to you, and I'm glad Miss Rebekah is doing OK!!

My answers to your ???s

1) Mine tend to make a bit of noise while sleeping .... you'll learn the difference between fidget noises, and "HEY MOM" noise ... make sense.
Of course, for me, there are times when one of mine simply has to fuss while I am cleaning the other ones' butt, etc.

2) Pumping .... it helped me tremendously to have a few sets of horns/membranes, etc ... this way, there was always one clean. It was DHs job when I came home from work to take my milk, store it, and clean the pump parts while I nursed Rachel.
Do you have an LC?? Perhaps call the one at the hospital, or one you know. I'm not sure how to switch over from their NICU routine to the one at home.
What I've noticed with my boys is that they seem to tire easily at the breast ... perhaps because they are so small. I nurse pretty much around the clock .. stressful at times, but I keep saying to myself ... this will not last forever. I can't recall if this is your first baby or not ... but I would just nurse on demand, and not stress so much about the clock factor. Since she is so small, you don't need to stretch it past 3 hour feedings.

3) Well .... I'm not really doing any work around here, so I'm not much help. Basically, I sleep when I am tired, and take the babies in bed with me.

4) Can't help you with the sling sewing .... but as far as the pumping goes, I would suggest nursing her first ..... then hand her off, and pump both breasts to empty/save for later. This works well IME.

5) Same diet as when PG, really ....lots of protein, plenty of water


Please keep us posted ....

[aswbarry]

Don't have any advice but wanted to say congratulations! Hang in there mama!

[Jazzmin]

Congratulations!!

[mousebandit]

Update - We're still plugging away! I'm just so scared with the nursing that she's not getting much or anything out of me. I can't seem to get her to truly latch on in any position with the left breast, and the right one, she pops on, takes a few swigs (maybe - she makes sucking motions anyways), and then falls in and out of sleep. It has never lasted more than 10 minutes - and that includes lots of sleepy-closed-eyes time in between each set of 2-3 sucks (and hopefully a swallow that I guess I should be able to hear, but can't). I'm still pumping, and still feeding using the bottles, but at least have avoided the freaking formula that they insisted on sending home with me (GAG!!). I think we're going to call the LLL ladies in the next town over (they don't have any here that are officially *with* LLL) - we're hopeful that someone will drive all the way out here (30 miles) to help me. Since Bekah's still so little and not even 36wks yet, the doc and hospital both advised (to put it nicely!) that we not take her all over, and don't let everyone come to our house just yet. So, the regular meeting is out for me this month.

I think maybe my boob is just too big for her tiny little mouth, plus she gets tired so fast, and just sleeps forever. She NEVER wakes up for the 3hr feedings - I always have to work hard at getting her even slightly conscious (take off her sleeper, rub her up, change diaper, etc), and even then she's barely there for the first half of each feeding. Usually after the half, she'll poop pretty good and we change her diaper again, and then she's much more with it. Sometimes we can even get 20 minutes or so of quiet alert time out of her after a feeding. Tonight, we tried letting her sleep, just to see how long it would be before she woke up hungry, and it was over 4 hours - we couldn't take it anymore.

I'm afraid if I tried the on-demand thing, she'd never hardly demand, and would fall asleep during, and would starve to death before we realized. Hubby said to find a medical supply place that rents those digital baby scales and rent it for a few weeks or a month, just so we can get some feedback on how things are going. That's a project for tomorrow.

Today the doc said that it could be possible to get the switch made in as little as 3 wks. but that 6 weeks was a realistic outside time frame. Does that sound right to those of you who have had to do this???

Also, my milk hasn't "come in" yet - today was the 7th day. It's now "milky" but the quantity just does seem to be there - nor is it consistent from pumping to pumping. Go a little over between pumpings, get 115cc. Closer together, get 65cc - big difference. I'm pretty certain it's the lack of sleep holding things up, as I've been really good with my nutrition all week - even in the hospital. I'm getting 1-2 hours naps about 3-4 times per 24 hours - nowhere near enough. Hubby re-did my schedule for me tonight in hopes of getting me more streamlined and back in bed regularly. At times I feel great, but at times I feel totally brain dead. Ha, the one thing that tells me I *am* doing something normal with the bf issue, is thatwithout fail, every time I feed Bekah, bf or bottle, the prolactin surges and IMMEDIATELY start to fall asleep - no matter what. It's kind of funny, although it wouldn't be if I actually dropped her or something. Good thing she's so little and lightweight and easy to hold, LOL!

Thansk again for the support and advice ladies. Keep it coming. I just can't get on here much it seems during the day - the nighttime hours have become my little private haven. I probably don't make much sense in my posts - rambling I guess. I hope that you all know how much this community helps me - where else could I turn at 11:30pm for advice and sympathy!! THANK YOU ALL!!!

Tracey Mouse (off to pump again, then feed, then I have to check the list to see what comes next!)

[newlywaaz]

great advice everyone, it's so nice to "know" so many knowledgeable, supportive, and just plain friendly women.

Congrats on your baby girl, Tracy! It sounds to me like you are adjusting amazingly well to life with a newborn, especially after a birth experience that was far from what you were anticipating. Your H sounds wonderful. I have no advice for you that hasn't been given before, but I will second the advice to get a wrap (even ripping a sheet to the right proportions will do the trick) and wear your baby (esp skin-to-skin) as much as possible. I have read over and over how much it benefits both mom and baby, especially a preemie, and you can actually get things done without having to stop and check on your DD every two seconds. Also, if you can get a LLL consultant to speak to you or come visit, be sure to ask about a SNS, it seems to me like it would be really beneficial in your situation.

You can do it. You ARE doing it.

[Kylahroo]

Tracey, I'd be very, very careful about getting a scale and weighing Bekah often. This is not going to give you the information you necessarily need. Rather, it's going to freak you out and question your ability to bf her. You're not going to notice much growth on a daily basis. Rather, use your eyes. Watch her body for signs of dehydration. Are her cheeks filling out more? Is her skin pink? If you really feel the need to weigh her, bring her in to your HCP and do it. I've seen too many parents get hung up on "weighing" baby after every feeding. It stresses them out and they typically end up quitting nursing because of it.

Your breasts are not too large for her. But, if they do become full of milk or engorged, you may need to pump/express a bit before she nurses to soften them up and make it easier for her to latch.

I really think you need to dump the bottle. It's only going to confuse her. She should only be getting the breast. A baby stimulates the breast far better than a pump does - you'll increase your milk supply faster when using the pump, too, but that may not be what she needs. An oversupply is not necessarily a good thing for a tiny baby!

She's a very tiny baby that simply doesn't need much to grow right now. Remember, her stomach is the size of her fist! As your milk comes in and gets thicker, she'll fill up quickly. I agree that you may not be able to do "on demand" all of the time. Whenever she stirs or seems like she's starting to wake, nurse her. Undress her so she's a bit cold as this will help to "wake" her up. But, at this early age, she's simply going to want to sleep a lot.

Definitely talk to someone from LLL. They do phone consults so it shouldn't matter if they're in the next town.

[*Karen*]

I agree on getting rid of the bottle. If she is unable to take it from you, then use an SNS until her sucks are better. The more bottle she has, the less she will want the breast. The earlier you get rid of it the better. She will always do better than a pump.

I could never feed my early baby on demand. I woke him every two hours during the day and every three hours at night until he was two months old. Not only for his nutrition, but for my supply. I had to put cold wet washcloths on him and leave him naked. It was hard, and I felt bad for him. But he had to eat!

You could rent a baby-weigh and then know how much she is taking at every feeding. Your LLL may have one just to ease your mind. She is probably getting more than you think from your breast. Probably much more than from the bottle.

Normally no one wants to use a nipple shield, but I think it would be better to use a nipple shield make shift SNS than use a bottle. That way at least she will have to latch on to you but you can still control how much she is getting IN ADDITION to what she is getting from your actual breast. Once your milk comes in, it should get a lot easier. Please stick with it, it will be well worth it in the end.

[francesca]

Congratulations! Others have answered your questions, so I'll just leave it to them. Well done, mama. Try to rest, but don't be afraid to get *little* bits done.

[kltroy]

Sounds like you're doing great! To reiterate some other posts:
1. I agree - don't get the scale. Just look and see how she's doing, and make sure she has wet/dirty diapers. YOu'll just make youreslf nuts with a scale and fall into that whole "how do I know if she's getting enough?" trap that frequently causes moms to doubt their body's ability to feed their babies.

2. I agree about ditching the bottles asap. Try an SNS if you need to. Also try pumping just a little to get your milk to let down and then latch her on. This will take away some of the hard work that she needs to do so she should be able to get more without tiring so quickly.

3. As for feeding "on demand" yes, it sounds like maybe that should be revised to say "on demand or at least every 3 hours, whichever comes first".

Keep it up - things will get easier from here, I promise!

[blessedmom68358]

I'm a bit late seeing this, but wanted to add my "Congratulations" on your tiny, new, and sweet baby girl!

I'm 35wks today, so it sounds like we were close gestationally-speaking. I haven't had a preemie, personally, but I was one. I know nursing can be hard to establish with early ones, but good for you for giving it your all. I agree with the PP to pump less and BF more. I've rarely gotten much pumping but had satisfied babies. Don't let the pump be your measure. Your body can (most likely) supply your precious LO with exactly what she needs. FWIW, one of my babies was FT and still very, very sleepy and I couldn't even nurse him on demand early on.

Anyway...congrats to you and your DH and family again!

[neomia]

Finally getting a chance to reply to this. Gotta warn you, though, I am a resource freak. So here goes....

First of all congrats! Sounds like you are hanging in there and really committed!

I remember the first day with my daughter and tripping at all the crazy noises she made! I am a believer in offering the breast first no matter what, even if you think she is full. She may just want to suck for comfort sometimes. But I also like alot of what Aletha Solter says. Reading this article in the early works seriously saved my life I think! Of course if she is just making some small noises and not really crying, I might try the patting.

Just as an aside, I got a son who wouldn't sleep at all unless he was right next to me. I agree with those who said to wear her as much as possible, even when asleep... if your back can take it. My back went out shortly after he was born, and I just couldn't babywear as much as I wanted to. Also, it took me awhile to bet used to sleeping with somebody on top of me, so I got severely sleep deprived in the beginning. I had to let everything go as much as I could. It got so bad that I realized I needed to try and sleep as soon as he nursed to sleep, so I was having my husband feed me during nursing time! Is there anybody else in your community you can reach out to for a little help, maybe with housecleaning and such?

I also reeeeally second all the suggestions to get off the bottle if you can. Moms I know seem to prefer the LactAid to the SNS, and then there are all sorts of other ways to get pumped milk in. If you don't know about Kellymom, it is a great resource. Here is their page about alternative feeding methods:
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/a...e-feeding.html
Scroll down past the bottle stuff!
And then their general premie page:
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/preemie/preemie-links.html
Interestingly enough, there has been interesting research showing that bottle feeding is actually more physiologically taxing to premies than breastfeeding!

Not sure if you have solved your sling problem, but I learned a really neat trick at a conference awhile ago. You can turn a sweater into a podegi type carrier by threading anything long and thin you have through the sleeves. That way it extends the sleeves into being like the straps of a carrier. Let me know if that doesn't make sense.

And finally, thought I would shoot this ABM protocol out to you just because it is interesting.
http://www.bfmed.org/ace-files/proto...adProtocol.pdf

Good luck!

[knitted_in_the_wom]

Originally Posted by *Karen*

I could never feed my early baby on demand. I woke him every two hours during the day and every three hours at night until he was two months old. Not only for his nutrition, but for my supply. I had to put cold wet washcloths on him and leave him naked. It was hard, and I felt bad for him. But he had to eat!

I'm jumping in here very late...and I'm not even in your expecting club...but I just feel very compelled to comment.

I have nursed 4 babies--all full term. I COMPLETELY agree with Karen...I fed them all at least every 2 hrs in the daytime for the first 6 weeks--this was so that I could get more hours of continuous sleep at night AND make sure to get in enough feeds in a day. With a 3 hr feeding schedule, you are only getting in the minimum number of feeds per day that a breastfed baby needs. My kids weren't down to 8 feeds per day until they were several months old--hard to remember exactly how old, but I'm thinking close to 6 months. As an adult, I eat 5-6 times per day, so I don't expect a baby to go long between feeds.

At night I went by a rule of thumb of not letting them sleep more than 4 hrs straight until they were 4 weeks old (that would be 4 weeks *corrected* for you), and then I would let a baby sleep for the same number of hours as weeks of age...not that I was usually lucky enough to get more than 5 hrs before they were many months old--LOL! I got the 4 hr limit from advice that was in the AAP breastfeeding statement that was current when my first daughter was born.

Also...on the pump thing...I pumped at work for all of my babies. After pumping at work I would just wash the pump parts with as hot of water as I could get out of the tap, and then set them to dry on a paper towel on a counter...waiting for my next pumping session. I took the parts home at night and ran them through the dishwasher. I'm not sure what you are doing to "label" bottles...but I think you might be able to cut back on that. I just put the new ones in the back of my fridge, and pulled the older ones forward. I knew how much milk I could use before it would spoil (7 to 8 days in the fridge), so if I had reached that point, I'd pour the freshest milk into Tupperware ice cube trays (they have lids) to freeze. Once frozen, I popped the cubes into quart sized freezer bags labeled with the month and year.

Hugs & good luck! I hope that nearly a month out here you are doing better. I read your post about loosing your FIL, so I know (having just lost my dear grandfather last week) how stressful that can be. HUGS again!

Jenn