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Just a quick update, even though there is nothing quick about it. I have been at the hospital for almost 24 hours. I am still on pitocin and am only 2 cm dilated. Having very minor contractions only. This baby really doesn't want to come out. I haven't eaten in what seems like forever and I am starving! Currently watching dr Phil as my husband snores next to me.

@Magilnyc: Sorry to hear things aren't moving along quickly. Did your water break?

@bpcmarj: I breastfeed Nico in the wrap sometimes. I have done a position where his feet are near my belly button and he is upright on me and I lean back a bit. I have more often put him in a cradle position. I say give it a try sometime at home. Once baby is in the wrap and he gets hungry, just try to get your shirt/bra out of the way without taking off the wrap and move baby's head to the right place. It is tricky if baby hasnt learned a good latch yet, but if that is cool it should be no problem. I don't have a nursing cover yet, so I actually put him into the wrap to bf in public.

@bpcmarj: lol dawsons creek! I have been watching a lot of hgtv and DVR this week - including teen mom. I'm a terrible person but watching that show makes ne feel like I can do this!!!

Tyler has been nursing every hour and a half since yesterday - for longer stretches than normally too. And he has stopped boycotting right boob. I feel like all I have done today is feed him an man my nipples are sore. BUT i know it means a growing boy and that makes me very happy!

@duckduckkristen: Nico used to pass a lot of gas too but doesn't anymore. I didn't do anything to change it, it just stopped.

@winniebee: ha! teen Mom makes me feel good too!!

So it turns out Nico was actually a bit sick. He slept a ton today and when he was awake he was all upset and then would spit up, and he had diarrhea too (another projectile poop, and I noted that it was extremely watery, more than normal baby poop...and he spat up at the same time). When we got home from Mom and Baby group I took his temperature and it was a little bit up. So since then, he's been on my chest sleeping and eating. I'm not taking him to the doc unless he seems to get worse or doesn't improve tomorrow. It made me sad to see him in pain with his tummy ache. (He would cry and look distressed). He's not getting dehydrated so I'm not too concerned, and the temp isn't very elevated (though I'm not confident about my infant temp-taking technique).

@Ms.Mini: maybe you can tell me I'm doing the right thing?

I've been up all night even though he's sleeping; I just feel like I want to watch him to take care of him, but I should get some sleep too. I'll give it a try. Goodnight all.

10 days old today.

Today Gabriel is cluster feeding, but I think my forcible waking/feeding him yesterday all afternoon was really helpful--he slept from 4am to 7am this morning! WIN!
My poor boobs are sooooo sore today. I'm afraid I'm going to dry up because he is eating EVERYTHING in sight--I even had to feed him some bottled milk. I guess I need to drink more water!

@msmini: Glad little Sawyer is finally getting better!

@mrsdaredevil: I have my first psych appt tomorrow. We'll see how it goes. I've been all over the place. AND I have a history of bipolar disorder, so I'm already on all their watch lists. All considering, I think I'm doing really well, but I know that compared to normal I do cry more than the average person. How are you handling the emotions--is anyone helping you?
And for the cluster feedings, do you have a chance to eat and drink for yourself?
I think you should try to change it--I used a cold cold washcloth and it took 30 minutes to wake him by running the cold washcloth over his whole body (no onesie, just a diaper). Then he woke up and fed IMMEDIATELY. I had to do it 3 times, but last night I got to sleep from 4am to 7am. Awesome.
It sucks Willa has no "schedule" and is probably contributing to your emotional fragility. We're still trying to figure out how to get Gabriel on more of a schedule.

@volksgirl64: Congrats on the weight loss!! I am down 25 pounds, and have 19 to go. I'm a little worried that I have 19 to go, because I think all the water weight and weight of the actual baby/water/placenta is gone, so the rest will go much slower. Nothing fits and I can't wear pants BUT I have nice little ankles and feet again! I should talk to a lactation consultant again, too--pretty sore again.

@cvbee: Glad you and Nico are well. Thanks for the tips about foremilk/hindmilk. Love the burping tip. Gabriel has the hardest time burping!
I have got to get some yoga!
@Magilnyc: Good luck! I hope you and baby are doing well!

@blushink: I ALWAYS put Gabriel down in his travel bassinet if we;re in the front room, or the crib if we're wandering around/busy/not just in the front room. I only let him fall asleep in my arms if I am feeling bummed out, or if he wakes up and refuses a diaper change, and doesn't have gas, and isn't cold, and won't eat. It works because when we had so much company, people would play with him while he was lying in the bassinet, so he got used to it as a place to "hang out" even if he isn't tired.
I tried to take my own newborn pics today, but he was NOT SLEEPY. I will try again tomorrow, probably.

@winniebee: he's a newborn and you're an AWESOME mom. His schedule has no bearing on how good of a mom you are (otherwise we're all bad moms seeing as how all our babies are pretty much the boss of us right now).
Congrats on Tyler gaining so much! What a relief!!
You can walk for an hour? I can make it 30-45 minutes (walking pretty slowly, too) before my scar aches. And... a few more days and my steristrips will fall off. I can't wait to see the darn scar.
@winniebee/bcpmarj: I agree--dad is better with the bottle. When Gabriel looks at me with the bottle, he looks at my boob and purses his lips to the bottle nipple. He loves when daddy feeds him.

@nskillet: Gabriel used to do that--drink for 2 minutes. We now undress him to feed him and keep a wet washcloth nearby. Whenever he stops sucks, I rub his cheek. If that doesn't get him sucking again, I tickle his feet. If that doesn't work, I use the wet washcloth on his feet. If that doesn't work, I use it on his body. I also am concerned my supply is too small, but all my books say that baby can suck better than a pump or manual expressing, so even if you think nothing is there, baby sucking can stimulate more milk. I really hope this is true!
Initially I was topping off with formula, and now I have a little pumped milk in the fridge, but haven't pumped today because he keeps draining me and I don't think it would be worth it.
Yes, Gabriel nurses like he's chewing gum. And I ALWAY squish the boob to try for a deeper latch--still have issues with latch some days.
@LAGS: we're exhausted, too. 10 days of family, and my FIL left today--we're alone! AND.... DH and I are getting a cold. Ick. MIL comes tomorrow--but then it's just her (and her boyfriend, but he'll sightsee in DC during the day and DH will be at work, so it will be just me and MIL and Gabriel. A little more relaxing than before! Sweet silence (except for baby)!
Sorry Addie is getting more difficult! YAY more weight loss! I hope my LO cluster feeding helps with my weight loss--that would be AWESOME..

I did finish my mother's day gift for my mom and MIL. I'll see if I can post it.

Is everyone leaking? I'm not. And I never felt "engorged" -- I'm a little afraid I don't have enough supply.
And, anyone else getting night sweats? I'm about to start sleeping on a towel...

How long does your baby feed? If baby feeds for an hour, every 2 hours, how do you get any sleep?

Well, shockingly I'm a may mom. My son, Brennan was
born this morning at 6:35 am at 34 weeks. My water
unexpectedly broke wendesday and the attempts
to delay labor failed. But he's doing great! He's been in NICU one day and already breathing on his own without any machine help and they are looking to feed him formula tonight.

We had Cooper's 1 month visit to the ped yesterday. He is doing fantastic and has gone from 7lbs 9oz to 9 lbs 6oz. He has been spitting up so much, so the Dr told us to add some rice to the milk. We did that with his bottle feeds today, and he didn't spit up once! I dread nursing him. I love the closeness, but he screams every time he is finished. It's like he can never be satisfied from it. I still nurse him, but I expect to give him another ounce or so in a bottle afterwards. It sucks.

I'll reply to everyone soon since I am on here using my phone atm.

@pastemoo: My yoga routine just came to a hault. To cut back on our budget DH got our tv boxes replaced and now I can't record TV anymore (until we buy an external hard-drive), so my yoga is not taping. I can try to do it at the right time on tv, but as we all know, with an infant, Mommy's breaks cannot really be scheduled. I'm feeling uncomfortable in my back already, so I think I'm going to try to just lead myself through some sun salutations. (Would follow something on the net, but I try not to watch videos so that we don't go over on the bandwidth).

@pastemoo: Your description of waking up Gabriel is bringing back memories of Nico's first couple of weeks. I totally had to do the cold washcloth thing. I would have it in one hand and touch his back, he would take 10 more seconds of eating and then stop, then I'd touch him again, he'd eat for 10 seconds, and it would go on and on like that. And yes, trust that so long as Gabriel is gaining weight that you do have enough milk, and the more he feeds, the more you'll produce. Trust the mammary gland's perfect system, which has been feeding all mammals perfectly since the start of time.

@pastemoo: The night sweats will go away. I remember those first couple weeks where I would have to change my pajamas several times a night and always felt so gross in the morning. IT was cold in the house, but I was sweating, so I'd feel all clammy. It does go away as the hormones even out. Speaking of hormones, first of all I love that they have you on 'watch' to support your emotional health. Glad you are in good hands.

@pastemoo: Sleep when baby sleeps, even if it's just for one hour stretches. In the beginning I would 'sleep' from 8pm to 10am, and with all the feedings in between (and yes, my guy would feed for like an hour too) I would at least get 7/8 hours of sleep. Now these days (at 6 weeks) he sleeps for much longer stretches and I am able to get up super early. Those early weeks will make the later weeks seem like a piece of cake!
@Nskillet: ha! love your 'paranoid for the next 18 years' question. It's so true.

Oh! Nico is waking up. 10am just like yesterday. Cool. Oh, maybe he's sleeping again. Even though the crib is right beside my bed, I like to put Nico into my bed starting whenever I wake up for the day. I love how tiny he looks in there. I put his head on the pillow and tuck him in like a big person. (Don't worry, I'm watching him like a hawk, sitting right beside him, watching tv and doing my internet thing).

he's up. one hand typing now.

oh, pastemoo, also don't worry about 'not leaking'. doesn't mean you don't have enough milk. i research about this because i have the worst leaking problem, and apparently it has to do with tiny muscles that open/close the nipple openings. yours might just be really good. i've been trying to 'train' mine by pressing on the one that's not supposed to leak, but i kindof gave up and decided to just get good at remembering to keep thick pads in my bra.

@Mrsdaredevil: I'm loving the hot jacuzzi time too (mine is just my bathtub for 1). this may sound strange but i love watching my boobs leak underwater...i can see it well if i put them 'just' under the surface (jets off). i leak when i get out too. tell us how yor 2 week pp goes. I haven't had anyone professional look at my va-j-j since my first hospital stay, and won't til my 8 week pp appointment. I was surprised about that.

@krsmall: oh! wow! at 34 weeks?! so glad that Brennan (cute name!) is doing well. How much did he weigh? Congrats! How are you doing?

@marriedandlovingit: maybe he is screaming after feeding because of gas? Nico cries when he cant get his burp out, which is problematic because you have to relax to burp. feeding him more upright helps somewhat as he often burps while feeding that way. spitting up is my battle of the week.....burping and keeping him upright after feedings helps, but it is still an issue. In my opinion, you shouldn't need to give him another ounce from a bottle, just give him the other breast or back on the same one: there's always more getting made, and as pastemoo said, babies get the milk out better than a pump. Of course, do what makes you feel good, Mommy knows best, but I just wanted to state my opinion based on what they teach us in my town.

Tomorrow is a Welcome Nico shower at my aunt's house. (Was going to be a baby shower in March, but my grandma died so my aunt cancelled the shower as everyone was dealing with that). It is about a 3 hour drive for us: our furthest trip yet (so far just trips of about an hour or a bit more). I'm feeling more relaxed about packing for this, our 2nd overnight trip. I hope Nico isn't fussy: it will be everyone's first impression (other than my zillions of facebook photos).

@pastemoo: Occasionally I leak from the right side while I'm feeding Liam from the left, but it's not much and doesn't happen often. For the first 3 weeks I would wake up multiple times a night completely drenched in sweat! It finally stopped, so I guess that means my hormones are finally chilling out.
Liam feeds for 30-45 minutes then sleeps for 2 or 3 hours. Sometimes during the day he'll cluster feed and then take a 4 hour nap.
My diaper bag has two insulated zipper pockets for bottles, so I used those with an ice pack, but he usually drank the milk within a couple hours anyways. I actually didn't feed him the pumped milk in the car because I felt like he was too upright in the carseat, so we'd stop at a rest stop and I'd take him out to give him a bottle there, burp him, change him, and we'd be on our way again.

@krsmall: Wow, congrats! I hope your LO continues to do well.

How do you post pictures on here? Gabriel is adorable! Love his faces!

@blushink: Woo hoo! That's a great job with your weight loss. You must be excited. Very true, my Dr. said if I feel up to it, to be active but I doubt he meant full out workouts. I'm getting impatient!

@bpcmarj: The whole wrap/carrier thing has me totally intimidated. I have one of each and haven't used them yet. I attempted the wrap once, didn't have it on right and just haven't tried again since... so I'm no help at all with the feeding while wearing thing!

@duckduckkristen: I'm so happy to hear your trip went well. You've given me confidence! I think I'll go equipped with expressed milk and my pump too now. Happy belated anniversary!

@pastemoo: I don't usually leak and never felt engorged either, just uncomfortably full a couple times leading up to a feeding. I was worried about my supply when she started feeding non-stop, but the diapers reassured me. Ugh and I was totally sweating a ton after I got home from the hospital too... it was so gross. I'd get so hot too during feedings even my boobs were sweating... so attractive!

@krsmall: Oh goodness, so glad your little one is doing so well! Congratulations!

@volksgirl64: Oh I had no idea you had an Addison too! The short form was one of the big reasons we loved that name. I have to admit, if my LO already had a daycare routine established, I'd probably keep them going for the first weeks too. I don't know how women find the energy!

@LAGS: Thanks!

@MsMini: thanks! Nico definitely got better: phew. Just in time for the party! How are you doing?

@marriedandlovingit: awe! you are not a slacker you are a good mommy! Hugs! Hey, that is amazing that your Mom is one of those nurses from the maternity ward; wow, I totally wish I could have one of those nurses at my house. Sounds like things are getting super intense over there.......wishing you the best! For the reflux, for us, keeping Nico upright for as long as possible after every feeding has really helped combat reflux. I'm holding him up right now actually....a bit annoying at night, as I need to stay up longer each feeding, but I really think it has helped. He only spat up a tiny bit yesterday. When I think back to reflux during pregnancy, sleeping with my head elevated helped, so I can see how it helps baby. Actually, that makes me want to share a theory of mine:
All the randomly painful and annoying symptoms of pregnancy help us to understand how baby is feeling PP. I am way more sympathetic to things my baby has had like reflux, gas, etc, because of my experiences of these things a few months ago!

@Magilnyc: Congratulations!
@cvbee: Brennan weighed 4 pds 8 ozs and was 18 1/2 inches long
thank you for all the welcome and congratulations! Our baby boy is doing well but still in the NICU. He's off the breathing monitors but currently being treated for jaundice and is having some slight issues with his feedings. But he's very alert but just wants to do everything on his own timeline. Such a boy! It's been the most stressful time of my life but fingers crossed he keeps up his current progress and will be home with us soon.

Does anyone have any recommendations for nursing tanks? I bought 2 Old Navy tanks and they are not supportive enough.

@duckduckkristen: Cool. Gabriel eats for 30-45 minutes usually, too.
My family left and now my MIL is here. I have a couple big things to do, and I feel like I can't do them. She's here to "help me" but really only wants to hold the baby. The only "help" I need is for someone to bottle feed Gabriel for one of his night feedings so I can get a little sleep. I swear he NEVER SLEEPS. He can lay quietly for an hour or two, but he looks around. He is way too alert for a newborn. He's awake all day except that one afternoon nap that I'm still forcing him awake from every 2 hours (to eat)--he doesn't seem to ever close his eyes at night, but generally will let me sleep a little while. Last night I got 5 hours of sleep over the time span of 8pm to 9 am. Yuck.

I read him a book today (The Jolly Postman) and he was quiet for the whole book.

@krsmall: I wear a bra with all my nursing tops. How are you and Brennan doing?

@bpcmarj: ditto. Sometimes I wear a regular bra and just slide the strap down my shoulder to nurse.
Yay for carseat napping and dinner out with DH!!

@Magilnyc: I feel the same way about my c-section and still haven't "come to terms" with it yet. Glad you and Michael are OK, and I hope you recovery quickly.

@pastemoo: I'm only pumping. We're feeding her breast milk from the bottle and also storing it for later. And we're mixing in some formula each day to make sure she gets all the vitamins she needs. I've already built up over 125 ounces of frozen milk to use later. My goal is to fill up the 60 6-oz bags I bought yesterday, in addition to bottle feeding her breast milk each day, then evaluate how much longer I'll continue to pump. I have a feeling I'll be done once those bags are filled, and will start to reduce my pumping time to slowly scale back my production (and get these DDs back to the lovely B/C cups I'm intended to have!).

The past few days have been pretty rough - bad baby blues - I was a little concerned it was morphing into PPD. Today is better. But I definitely had the thoughts of "why the hell did we think this was a good idea?!?" and "when do we hit the point where it becomes fun and you bond with the baby?!?"
I went for a facial yesterday - cried most of the way there, and then part of the way home because I just wasn't looking forward to going back to the house. Luckily, DH had taken Audrey to visit his parents and was gone most of the afternoon, so I took a walk, showered and geared up for the night.

We had a tough night last night - Audrey woke up every 2 hours to eat. Half way through, we realized she's probably going through a growth spurt and we need to up her bottle amounts. So we're trying that today, and hopefully tonight will go better (especially since DH goes back to work tomorrow). I'm definitely not looking forward to being on my own this week.

How does everyone handle the shower situation? I was planning to put her in her car seat so she could be in the bathroom with me.

Now, time to catch up on all the posts.

@Magilnyc: I just found this out (still on the phone with my cousin who had 3 c-sections, and then 2 vaginal deliveries): Check out ICAN from whatever state you're living in. Apparently they will help with emotional recovery from c-sections.
Here's my northern Virginia link: http://www.icanofnova.org/

@emahlee: Welcome baby Lucas and congratulations mama!!

@Goldilocks1107: copy the html link from flickr Congrats on the weight loss! I still have 18 lbs to go and I'm too scared to try on my prepreg pants.

That is a lot of stored milk!! I am impressed. I must have stored only 20oz or so--mostly I only get 2-3 oz, and we use 2-3oz/day. My boobs have actually shrunk an inch since pregnancy...