Postpartum Support Thread - How Are We Doing? - Page 2

[Baby_Cakes]

nak

Nora lost her cord yesterday! It was a little sad. We also haven't bathed her, not ready to lose that awesome nb smell yet. I just wipe her neck clean every so often, it gets all curdly, lol.

Thanks for the bf'ing supprt, everyone. it means so much right now.

[ibusymomto5]

Ds's cord fell off on day 5; he's a week old today. Today was the first day that I couldn't really smell the nb smell. Well, I can smell it really faintly on the back of his neck, but it's not strong. I'm sad about it being gone. He didn't have hardly any vernix on him when he was born, and what little he did have was mostly in his diaper area which gets washed frequently anyway.

[ibusymomto5]

Just thought I'd share a few cloth dipe pics I snapped a little earlier.

Kissaluv 0 - They're kind of big on him, and he's sort of inbetween in the snaps right now. They contain the bf poop very well though and are snuggly soft.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...ssed/006-7.jpg

Snappied infant cpf angel wing fold - love these
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...sed/003-11.jpg

X-Small Thirsties - love these too
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...sed/005-10.jpg

[janasmama]

nak

carrie - i'm glad nora didn't have to get more tests.

we haven't bathed dd and won't for at least 2 weeks unless one of the kids spill something on her.

she's onle 3 days old but her cord is drying up fast...we're using goldenseal powder.

i'm starting to feel sleep deprived now which affects my patience w/ nursing. i only got 2 hours of sleep last night and 2 this morning...i'm wishing we had cable tv.

i'm just hoping milk comes very soon b/c i know dd is getting hungry and frustrated at the breast.

how are everyone's LO's doing for the car rides? we haven't left yet but will have to in the next couple of days for the birth cert. we have to drive 1 hour each way and descend 3500 ft which can take a toll on little ears

[NotTheOnlyOne]

thought I would pop in too! Phin is 19 days old now!!

We are nursing pretty well... my 2 yr old picked up nursing again like a newborn. My nipples are SORE from all the over use.... but on the up side, I am already down to my pre-pregnancy weight! Making milk for 2 must use a lot of calories Maybe it will help me lose even more? I am still over weight

[Baby_Cakes]

Originally Posted by janasmama

i'm starting to feel sleep deprived now which affects my patience w/ nursing. i only got 2 hours of sleep last night and 2 this morning...i'm wishing we had cable tv.

i'm just hoping milk comes very soon b/c i know dd is getting hungry and frustrated at the breast.

how are everyone's LO's doing for the car rides? we haven't left yet but will have to in the next couple of days for the birth cert. we have to drive 1 hour each way and descend 3500 ft which can take a toll on little ears

So sorry about the sleep deprivation! I know how I get with nursing when I just need some shut eye. I get so frustrated and so does Nora.

Nora did okay with her first car rides. She screams a little when the car stops moving, but once the light turns green she is peaceful and usually falls asleep! Good luck with your long ride. I'm sure it'll be fine.

Originally Posted by NotTheOnlyOne

thought I would pop in too! Phin is 19 days old now!!

We are nursing pretty well... my 2 yr old picked up nursing again like a newborn. My nipples are SORE from all the over use.... but on the up side, I am already down to my pre-pregnancy weight! Making milk for 2 must use a lot of calories Maybe it will help me lose even more? I am still over weight

Back to your pre-preg weight?! Way to go! My body is definitely on the mend. I mean, I'm only 6 days PP but I look about the same as I did when I was 5 months pg. I weighed myself yesterday (I think, the days run together) and was down 11 lbs so far. Nursing is really helping, I think. That, and I completely cut out eating all the junk that I was letting myself have during pregnancy (chips, ice cream, soda - especially the soda). I was able to wear non-mat shirts out and about yesterday which felt awesome! I just look at little chubby, but my face has definitely gotten it's shape back. I'm happy about that!

In other news, I got Nora to latch for 3 feedings on the left boob yesterday! Huzzah for little victories! This morning, of course, said boob was engorged again and she kept slipping off so I just pumped 3 oz on that side and threw it in the freezer. Nora is going to have a great stash of BM saved up for her bottle days. I just have to keep thinking positively about the situation.

I too am glad her jaundice is clearing up! She barely looks yellow at all now. She is just so gorgeous!

Hope everyone has a great day!

[Kim919]

I'm so glad you started this thread. KatieSue is 3 days old now and everything is going really well. Every day we seem to get to know each other better and things keep going smoother.

But....

My breasts hurt so badly. The first 30 seconds of latch are as painful as any part of labor. I knew it was going to be uncomfortable but I really didn't expect this much pain. I've had both of my midwives and my mom check her latch, and they all say it is good. They all say it will get better in a week or so. I'm really hoping it will soon. My milk started to come in the night before last and I'm not sure if i've reached the worst of the "engorgement" phase but I seem to have plenty to keep her belly full which is wonderful because she is much more content.

Her cord seems to be healing good, I went the "do nothing" route of cord-care and that seems to be doing well. I haven't given her a real bath yet because of the cord (and she hates being undressed) so I just kinda washed her up with a washcloth yesterday (actually my mom did it)

I haven't gotten on the scale yet, but I will when I get a free second!! I look like a deflated ballon though, so I'm not exactly thrilled either way.

Swelling seems to have gone down and stitches aren't super painful. I'm definatly still tender but I think i'm healing pretty good. I'm still bleeding but it was never really heavy and its about normal period flow now.

The midwife is coming over tomorrow to do PKU and she has her first dr. appt. on friday.

I had fancy all in one cloth diapers made up, but they don't have any real allowance for the cord and they're a little big for a newborn so I knew I wouldn't be using them for the first few weeks. I had planned on using sposies and bought a box of them, but I haven't been able to bring myself to put one on her yet. For some reason all I can think about is the chemicals. I had bought a package of cotton-pre folds for spitup cloths and so far thats what I've been putting on her bottom. It really isn't a big deal to use them just with pins. If I had known I was going to use them I would have gotten a snappi. I can see where pre-folds would be a huge hassle once the child is on the go, but I can't understand why people kept telling me they would be so terrible for the NB stage.

Sleep....? well, we cat nap, does that count?. I haven't gotten much real sleep the past few nights I truely can't beleive i'm not falling over tired. I must have some new-mama angel helping me out.

The car rides are wonderful! She loves it and is quiet even if she wasn't happy when we put her in. She HATES the car seat if its not moving though and just screams. I need to go grocery shopping today and I know there is no way she is going to sit in the car seat in the cart for me so I'm hoping to figure out how to wrap before we go.

I love hearing about everyone else's LO's and I'm glad things seem to be going well all around. Janasmama - I know your a pro so I am hesitant to even suggest anything to you, but I was getting super discouraged with no milk and hungry baby and my mom told me to load up on fluids, just drink as much as I possibly could. I don't know if it was a coincidence but I started drinking as much fluids as possible about 8pm and around 2am when I was getting her to latch on was the first time I actually saw milk, and it seemed to come in pretty quickly during the next 6hrs or so. Either way the fluids can't hurt.

[Baby_Cakes]

Originally Posted by Kim919

My breasts hurt so badly. The first 30 seconds of latch are as painful as any part of labor. I knew it was going to be uncomfortable but I really didn't expect this much pain. I've had both of my midwives and my mom check her latch, and they all say it is good. They all say it will get better in a week or so. I'm really hoping it will soon. My milk started to come in the night before last and I'm not sure if i've reached the worst of the "engorgement" phase but I seem to have plenty to keep her belly full which is wonderful because she is much more content.

Her cord seems to be healing good, I went the "do nothing" route of cord-care and that seems to be doing well. I haven't given her a real bath yet because of the cord (and she hates being undressed) so I just kinda washed her up with a washcloth yesterday (actually my mom did it)

Sleep....? well, we cat nap, does that count?. I haven't gotten much real sleep the past few nights I truely can't beleive i'm not falling over tired. I must have some new-mama angel helping me out.

The car rides are wonderful! She loves it and is quiet even if she wasn't happy when we put her in. She HATES the car seat if its not moving though and just screams. I need to go grocery shopping today and I know there is no way she is going to sit in the car seat in the cart for me so I'm hoping to figure out how to wrap before we go.

What you're experiencing with bf'ing and soreness sounds like what I'm going through. I knew it wasn't going to be comfortable, but I didn't think I'd have to breathe and close my eyes to try to get through the pain of the initial 30 seconds to a minute or so. It does get better. Yesterday (5 days pp) I realized my nips were a little "scabby" with tougher skin, and the pain is much less intense unless she latches wrong. It's still a little hard to be distracted or talk through nursing, though.

We did the do-nothing route for her cord as well.

I think cat-naps are fine. I try to sleep when she is sleeping, even if it's an hour after I got up. It helps so much even to just get 20-30 minutes at a time.

GL figuring out your wrap! I have a Moby D and I can't get it figured out enough to put a stuffed animal in it, let alone put Nora in it! I need to practice much more before taking her out in it!

Question - my feet and ankles are so swollen. More swollen then they ever were when I was pg. Is this normal? Should I be concerned? I'm drinking at least 5 32 oz bottles of water per day, probably more than that, so it's not dehydration. What on earth is going on?

[Qestia]

hey, baby f will be 2 weeks tomorrow. she's basically in arms all the time so it's hard to write. things are good, she lost more wt after we left the hosp, down to 7lb 1 oz from 8, but gained 4 oz in the last week so our ped was happy. bfing is going great, so much better than with my 35 weeker (her bro) but it's allowed me to release a lot of the guilt I had about being unsuccessful in bfing him. I def know what you're talking about--that initial minute is painful. And I had gotten some nip damage when I was engorged, but that seems to have healed. I'm just so thankful for mothering, this whole thing has been so different than with DS, the birth, the bfing, cosleeping from day 1, even slinging her a bit! With DS I never even heard of AP till he was 4 months. In terms of my health I've lost a lot of weight--25 lbs--but had gained almost 55 so there's a lot of junk left!

[casemnor]

Great news from our house...Lili went for her follow up to the pedi this morning, and she's back to just up over her birth weight (which is a relief to me because last thursday she'd gotten all the way down from 7lb8oz to 6lb13oz). The doctor is pleased as punch with her and confirmed that those aren't just gassy faces she's making...she actually smiles at us all the time. (She also giggles in her sleep which makes me want to swallow her whole due to the deliciousness).

Other great news...she slept 2 x 4 hour stretches last night! She'd had a big day as I took her to meet her great grandmother...so she'd had lots of awake time...which meant a good solid night of sleep for both of us.

Life is good!

As for the intial pain on latch....I call it the shark bite.....gaping mouth...gaping mouth...MUNCH! Yow!

[Baby_Cakes]

Shark bite! Nice!

I just ordered a bunch of nursing tops and a bra so I'm happy. I realized I don't have more than one tank that I can wear underneath things and if I want to venture out in public or even have someone over, I need some clothing! LOL.

Is anyone going to do, or is already doing, belly binding? I'm thinking about it, but not sure which sort of thing I want to get. Any advice?

[janasmama]

Kim919 - just b/c I have 3 now doesn't make me a pro I do drink lots of water though....actually, we just noticed that dd has tongue-tie. My nipples are okay but she does click her tongue a lot. I'm hoping it doesn't cause a problem...nursing has always been a challenge for me just b/c of the sit still, nurse a lot and have patience factor. It's just a season though and like all else things...'this too shall pass.'

Carrie - IMO, the swelling is not normal. I actually read a thread in the Sept DDC a short while back about a mama who had swelling and it kept getting worse. It was a life threatening thing at the point she had waited but the fix is pretty simple. You need to call you MW ASAP and make sure she doesn't just blow you off... maybe call your family HCP if you have one also just to get two opinions.

What are we doing to take care of ourselves and keep spirits high?

Some people are automatically overjoyed at the birth of their babies but I always get a little emotional and blue. I feel good right now...I think the transition from 2 to 3 has been the easiest one thus far.

Even though I know the baby is so helpless, I'm making sure I'm taking care of myself which I haven't done before with my other babies. It's easy right now since DH is off work until Monday but he also works at home. I can't disturb him too much but if baby stays in sling he can work with her for a short time.

So, I'm making sure I'm taking a shower at least every other day and I'm shaving my legs too! I'm also not coming out of the bathroom (unless of course the baby is super fussy but I make sure she was well nursed before showering) until I get my teeth brushed.

Checking in here on MDC is fun b/c it's like my little group of 'friends' that are in the same place at the same time that I am which is hard to find IRL.

Alright for now, gotta take care of Annalise and the rest of the crew.

[mamabrandy]

Just wanted to post quickly that things at my house are going pretty well. Right now my NB and toddler are napping together. The first week was pretty stressful dealing with a sick/teething toddler and trying to take care of his new brother, but I think he is feeling better now and that is helping tons.

I have a 36 weeker and don't know much about what to expect from a slightly premature baby, but he does sleep way more than I ever remember his brother sleeping. He wakes up and nurses about every 2 hrs at least, even through the night. He was born at 7# and last Tues was weighed and was down to 6#9oz, but then my milk came in and by Sunday he was weighed again and was up to 7#4oz, and his little tummy couldn't be rounder so I bet he will be pushing 8# here real soon! This little guy is quite small to me since my previous son weighed over 9lbs at birth, he doesn't even fit into most of the clothing I had for him...oh well. He is a good nurser once we get him latched on, he is not the best at finding the nipple yet. All in all, I am just trying to really take things one day at a time. Emotionally I am doing much better than I was with my first baby, I think it is just a bit easier having done this all before. So nice to hear how everyone else is doing, hang in there..we'll all make it!

[justme&my3+1]

Yay, I am glad we have this here.

Teagan will be a month old on the 11th. He is waking up more often now and I get to see his eyes a lot more. He also was jaundice once home from the NICU. We too had to take him in for checks.

Babycakes- I wish I would have known they could have checked his billi levels with a heel prick They drew his blood in his elbow and held him down to fil 3, yes 3 tubes of blood while he screamed. Now I am angry! I too am having issues with him only wanting to nurse on one side, let me know if you figure anything out to fix it.

We are having to supplement with breastmilk the past couple of days because of a growth spurt and my production not increasing fast enough. He is getting some nipple confusion and is having a harder time latching on.

Does anyone know of a certain nipple that reduces nipple confusion? I havent had this problem before. I had an SNS for my daughter, but it's lost and I can't afford another one.

[ibusymomto5]

I switched to block feeding yesterday as opposed to offering both sides at every feeding, and I think that's helping us a lot. My engorgement is better, and ds seems to be getting more of the fatty hindmilk this way. I'm noticing letdown several times every feeding and before was only getting it once or twice because of switching sides.

Carrie - On the swelling, I had this happen to me a few days after birth. I didn't really have much swelling with the pregnancy and was surprised when this happened. It was mostly in my feet/lower legs but also in my hands. The funny thing is that at one of my last prenatals I overheard my mw telling a new mom how postnatal swelling happens sometimes due to fluid redistribution or something like that. I overheard her tell the mom to drink lots of water and eat cucumbers. For me the cucumbers and drinking more water did the trick. I also read the story of the mom who had the scary swelling episode that landed her in the emergency room. My swelling wasn't that severe though, and I didn't have any other danger signs like shortness of breath or high bp. It probably wouldn't hurt to call your mw to be safe, but I just wanted to let you know that I guess it can be normal and not always a danger sign.

I have this weird itchy rash on my belly that's driving me crazy. I thought I was allergic to the Depends type pull on pads that I used the couple of days after birth. On the 2nd day of wearing them I got real itchy right where the elastic was hitting and quit using them once I noticed it. That was several days ago and it hasn't gotten any worse, but it hasn't gotten better either. I've been putting hydrocortisone cream on it which helps. Ds also has an angry looking diaper rash that at first I thought was maybe from the disposable wipes, but now that we've switched to cloth it's still there. So, now I'm paranoid that maybe we have yeast. I'm going to try putting some lotrimin cream on both of us and see if that helps. I sure hope we don't develop thrush if it is yeast. BTDT with my 6th baby, and it was absolutely awful.

[ibusymomto5]

Originally Posted by janasmama

What are we doing to take care of ourselves and keep spirits high?

A few things I'm trying to do each day to keep myself sane...

Eating a good breakfast with coffee(1/2 decaf and 1/2 caf)
Shower, blow dry hair, brush teeth first thing in the am after ds is well fed
Taking 5min to straighten my room/bed afterwards
Eat at least one piece of fresh fruit and some salad everyday
Drink lots of water throughout the day
Catnap while nursing ds or when he sleeps a couple of times a day - even nodding off for 10 or 15min here and there helps
Stepping outside for a little fresh air and sunshine, even if it's just a few minutes to go get the mail

Originally Posted by mamabrandy

....Sunday he was weighed again and was up to 7#4oz, and his little tummy couldn't be rounder so I bet he will be pushing 8# here real soon! This little guy is quite small to me since my previous son weighed over 9lbs at birth, he doesn't even fit into most of the clothing I had for him...oh well.

Sounds like he's doing great! I love it when they get the little round toad bellies, so sweet. My baby seems small to me too. He was 8-2 at birth but I'm pretty sure he got down to 7 1/2ish midweek. I don't know what he is now, will go next Tues for a 2wk checkup and find out then. I just know none of the 0-3mo clothes fit him, only the nb ones. He seems like a little peanut compared to my last baby who was over 9lbs at birth and gained fast.

Originally Posted by justme&my3+1

anyone know of a certain nipple that reduces nipple confusion?

I had to supplement my 6th baby due to latch problems and had luck with playtex nursers. She was a super sleepy baby with a lazy suck and weak latch and was gaining slowly, so I had to express bm and follow up nursing sessions with a bottle sometimes in the early weeks. The nipple was called natura-latch I think. By the time she was a couple of months old we were able to quit the bottles altogether, and she never seemed to have any trouble going back and forth with that nipple. I guess it depends on the baby though. Hope you can find one that works!

[Baby_Cakes]

Originally Posted by janasmama

Carrie - IMO, the swelling is not normal. You need to call you MW ASAP and make sure she doesn't just blow you off... maybe call your family HCP if you have one also just to get two opinions.

What are we doing to take care of ourselves and keep spirits high?

Some people are automatically overjoyed at the birth of their babies but I always get a little emotional and blue. I feel good right now...I think the transition from 2 to 3 has been the easiest one thus far.

I definitely have a touch of the baby blues. Of course at times it feels like more than a touch, but overall I know I can get through this. Every day I take a shower and I do my hair and makeup. I'm also wearing t-shirts that aren't maternity! That somehow helps my spirits! I think fitting back into my old clothes is helping - even if they are just Hanes undershirts and what not.

I also have my cup of hazelnut decaf with my breakfast, which is delicious and helps me feel like myself.

I talked to my mw about the swelling. She told me to definitely put my feet up more (I've been sitting a lot, but not putting my tootsies up at all) and to keep drinking lots of water. She also mentioned that all the fluids are on their way out of places and it's probably all pooling in my feet and ankles. I also feel absolutely fine and don't have swelling anywhere else so I'm not uber concerned but I did want to bring it to her attention. She also said that the running around to the hospital was probably a bit much more activity than I should have been doing, and that probably increased the swelling.

Originally Posted by justme&my3+1

Babycakes- I wish I would have known they could have checked his billi levels with a heel prick They drew his blood in his elbow and held him down to fil 3, yes 3 tubes of blood while he screamed. Now I am angry! I too am having issues with him only wanting to nurse on one side, let me know if you figure anything out to fix it.

Aww, hugs for Teagan! Nora screamed bloody murder when they pricked her heel both times. It hurt my heart, too. I haven't found a "solution" for the nursing on one side, except for just pumping that side. I don't even know that I'm doing this "right", but the way I see it, if my boob is so engorged that it's leaking and leaking, and she can't latch, the only thing that makes any sense is pumping. Logically it's the only thing I can do. I guess we're lucky b/c sometimes she does get a good latch, but I think the letdown is so strong that she just keeps popping off and maybe only stays on for 5-8 minutes on that side. The other side she'll do (normally) 20-30 min and fall asleep.

From the beginning I did one boob at a time feedings, rather than making sure she got "both" - only b/c she couldn't latch on the left side. But now I'm realizing that she's definitely getting the hindmilk that way and her weight should start increasing. It's better for her overall. If she's only getting 5 or so min on the left, it's all foremilk and I'd rather her get both since I'm limited to the one side.

[janasmama]

Originally Posted by justme&my3+1

We are having to supplement with breastmilk the past couple of days because of a growth spurt and my production not increasing fast enough. He is getting some nipple confusion and is having a harder time latching on.

Does anyone know of a certain nipple that reduces nipple confusion? I havent had this problem before. I had an SNS for my daughter, but it's lost and I can't afford another one.

have you visited the breastfeeding forum with your concerns? you can probably get lots of info there.

Carrie - i bet it was the extra activity...keep your feet up

[leurMaman]

Hey ladies!

I'm there with you on the nipple pain. Yes, it is as painful as parts of labor - and I use the same breathing technique for the first minutes. It has been like this with each baby I've nursed, and even with LLL and Lact. consultants, I have weeks and weeks of pain after each birth. It is a short time in the long-scheme, though, and worth it to get through to the painless breastfeeding as they grow.

I tore pretty badly, and I'm still sore sitting down. I haven't gotten as much help as I wanted. Elora is 3 days old, and I've been cleaning, sweeping, doing laundry, cooking meals, and just bathed two kids. It is hard work, but I tell myself that other women in parts of teh world don't get "postpartum doulas" or the luxury of too much help. DH has babysat the two kids most of the time. I wish he would do more, but you know we are still working through DV issues and a near-divorce. It is what it is.

My babe has a touch of jaundice, but the midwife said that if she is waking regularly to feed and having regular bms and pees that she isn't worried. Speaking of BMs, I had my first yesterday - it all went fine. It is more scary up until then. I feel for you c-section mommies. When I was hospitalized once with narc, I had the worst constipation of my life.

Well, I'll check in tomorrow. Hang in there new mommies!

[Baby_Cakes]

Originally Posted by leurMaman

I tore pretty badly, and I'm still sore sitting down. I haven't gotten as much help as I wanted. Elora is 3 days old, and I've been cleaning, sweeping, doing laundry, cooking meals, and just bathed two kids. It is hard work, but I tell myself that other women in parts of teh world don't get "postpartum doulas" or the luxury of too much help. DH has babysat the two kids most of the time. I wish he would do more, but you know we are still working through DV issues and a near-divorce. It is what it is.

Mandi, this worries me. Your body needs to heal. I'm not trying to put undue pressure on you b/c I bet you are doing fantastic with the other kids plus the baby, but is there no one else who can lend a hand? If you tore as badly as you say, you need to be off your feet so your body can mend. Maybe push DH just a little more to help out? I know you are doing the best you can and I'm sure you are totally rockin' it, but seriously, mama, your body needs time to heal.

AAM - Nora is like, a champion sleeper. Seriously. We did our normal routine yesterday and then she ate at around 11:30 pm or so. We all went to bed. She was up at 1 and then up at 4 and we nursed for about 45 min both times, and then boom - she's out like a light. She slept till 7:30, ate again, and now she's still sleeping (and it's 9 am!). I would worry if she weren't such a good nurser. She's taking the left side much more now, almost like she knows she has to work harder on that side. I'm glad we are working through our issues! Each latch on that side is such a huge victory!

Otherwise, we are running out today (hopefully, if I can get my Moby figured out) to pick up a co-sleeper. DH and I are just not as comfortable as we thought we would be with her b/w us. Neither of us feels like we are falling into a good enough sleep for fear that she's going to smother, and we can't roll over when we want, so we are going to get a sidecarred co-sleeper. I think it'll really help my peace of mind too, since she sleeps for such long jags at a time, I worry she's stopped breathing.

Ok, time to go nurse, I think I hear her awake.

Have wonderful days, mamas!