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@Pumuckl: He's starting to be content for longer (around 12 nursing sessions a day), but this night has been rocky. I don't think I've had more than 30 minutes sleep in a row all night and it is nearly 4 am... Yuck.
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Thanks for the good thoughts everyone, I think we've turned the corner and L seems better today / is just coughing a lot instead of having trouble breathing in general. We ended up braving the snowstorm to drive to urgent care on Monday to get him rechecked because he was really struggling, thank god for Subarus! We got another 14+ inches of snow and I am SO DONE with winter and sicknesses!
DD is doing better this week too, so I think maybe she was acting crazy because she was sick last week, fingers crossed anyway.
Is anyone's baby sleeping in their crib at night yet? And what time are you putting them down for the night? I've been putting L down around 9/9:30 every night but he is in our room in the RNP so I just go to bed at the same time. I'll probably try it next week if he is healthy by then, I hate messing with a good thing but I seriously can't wait until we reach the early bedtime in his own room stage and I feel like I get some alone time back in my life!
I'm still EP-ing and making *just* enough to feed him and save about 3 ounces a day. It's honestly way easier when its just me and him during the week, when DD and DH are around it seems harder to fit pumps in. He's eating 6 times during the day and once in the MOTN.
Do you guys have a goal for BF-ing / EP-ing? I think I'm going to try to do it until 3 months and reassess then. I really killed myself trying to make it to a year BF-ing DD and once we added formula in and I stopped stressing it was so much better mentally!
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@Espion: Oh wow that night sounds stressful, hope the rest went smoother. Our night sucked a little too might have been the full moon, I don't know.
@HappyBaker: glad to hear you're all doing better. Hopefully the positive trend will continue. Concerning BF goals: I don't have any set goals but then it comes pretty easily for us so far, so I guess we'll try to make it to a year and then see if I'll wean her or if I'll let her self wean. But you know what they say about the best laid planes, we'll just take it the way it works out.
Currently she's nursing 6 times in 24h. She sleeps 50/50 on me or in the crib in our room at night. I don't have a bedtime for her yet. Usually I'll take her when I go to bed at around 11pm-12:30am. But like you I'm really looking forward to having a part of the day for myself again. -
@HappyBaker: Glad everyone's feeling better!
I'm thinking of starting to put A in her crib around 8 weeks but I'm so ready. She's out of the bassinet in her PnP and I want her to get used to it a bit more before putting her in her room.
My BF goal is currently 4 months and then reassess. Things have been going well and I honestly thought it'd be worse than it is.
@charmed: I have been wearing A in a soft carrier for a while and she loves it. It's the best when I'm working. She naps like a champ in it.
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@SleepyMonkey: sorry to hear your baby needs the treatments, but I'm glad you have a plan!
@Espion: ugh, hope your LO starts sleeping longer!! Hang in there
@HappyBaker: that's great your LO is doing better!
Our baby is sleeping in the Rock N Play next to our bed (she's almost 3 weeks). I can't imagine moving her to the crib for awhile (I'm not ready to let her out my sight yet
), but I'm going to try to switch to a bassinet this week.My original goal for BFing was 6 months. But with the trouble I've had, now I'm thinking 6 weeks and reassess then.
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@HappyBaker: I hope all the sickness is on its way out for good.
B has only ever slept in her crib at night- I sleep on a twin bed in her room. Usually, put her in around 8, but she is only a week old so I am just taking it day by day right now.
Assuming no issues arise, I plan on breastfeeding until 1 year at least. I made it 15 months with LO1.
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@Pumuckl: @charmed: I'm doing okay. A little punchy, but good. I'm definitely pumping for a goal of filling a bottle for DH to try and give me a solid 3 hours tonight, though! Poor DH, but I kicked him out to the couch so he could actually get some sleep last night!
I'm going to BF/pump as long as I can. I made it to 7 months with E, but he was 2/3rd formula fed.
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@SleepyMonkey: I meant to reply to your update earlier, but got distracted. I'm glad you have a course of action and that being proactive about it is allowing for the best possible outcome/effectiveness. That's awesome that you don't have to worry about much pain involved as well.
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@Pumuckl: @SleepyMonkey: If I pump first thing when I wake up after I feed her, I usually get about 1-2oz. If I pump at some point during the day or evening, its usually only 0.5oz or maybe not even that much. I'm not sure if I'm doing it right though.
How long do you guys usually pump for? Do you just wait and wait until another let down happens? How the heck do you know when they are empty??
@charmed: @mfa_lady: Its actually easier by myself than I thought it would be. She usually lets me get a few things done while she hangs out in her swing. I actually find that I enjoy her company more when I'm by myself with her. And DH doesn't go to work until 4:00pm so I have most of the day with him.
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@MrsHansen82: glad you're feeling that your doing good on your own! You could always wait for a second let down to happen. I used to stop at 20 min at the latest though. I can't really remember how much I pumped if I did so after a feed. I haven't pumped with/for J yet.
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@MrsHansen82: i usually pump for as long as she nurses. So 10-12 minutes. I don't wait for another let down. That usually happens at 17 minutes and that is too long and i don't want to have an oversupply. Your boobs will never truly be empty but they should feel soft and lighter if you are getting all the milk out. 1-2 oz after you feed her is actually pretty good. That makes sense that you arent having a ton of milk when you pump because its after you feed your baby. Technically that is your second let down so you shouldnt have a ton of milk coming out.
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@Pumuckl: That's a great idea! For now, I'll probably have to use our Ergo--I think with winter coats, etc, the wrap might be too complicated.
@HappyBaker: E is in her crib at night--but not until sometime between 10 and midnight. We try to keep her awake for a few hours before that time, so that she'll sleep in a longish stretch when we put her down. It works most nights, but not always. You know, babies.
As for a BF goal, I'd love to make it to a year, but I may reassess on that once I start back to work and know how pumping day-to-day goes. I'm pumping already, but I'm really just doing it to keep her used to taking a bottle and to freeze any leftovers. It will be interesting to see how my supply changes when I'm not around her all day. @MrsHansen82: So glad it's going well!
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This might be a stupid question, and I know I'm only a month postpartum, but is anyone else still feeling like they have absolutely no bladder control? I'm trying to do pelvic floor exercises when I remember, but I can't even stop the flow when I'm peeing, even though I squeeze my little heart out. Sorry if that's TMI...I just would like for my lady parts to return someday to something semi-normal, and right now I'm feeling like it'll never happen. (Feel free to tell me I'm an idiot and it's only been a month. Haha.)
ETA: I'm haven't bled in days but I'm still wearing maxi pads...in case I laugh or sneeze. If you catch my drift. Ha!
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@mfa_lady: JUST today it is like a switch turned on and I have no bladder control. Probably a combination of lovely constipation and having a nearly 9 lb baby sitting on my pelvic floor.
Do a jillion Kegels and do squats when you feel up to it. You can only strengthen those muscles isometrically, so you can't do enough.
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Thanks everyone for the support about our upcoming treatments
i am nervous but hopeful.I don't really have a breastfeeding goal in mind right now. I made it to 14 months with dd1 but i seriously hated pumping when i went back to work and she hated the bottle so i felt like i had to continue breastfeeding. Its been pretty easy so far though so i guess if that continues then there is no good reason to quit.
@mfa_lady: i am not sure but i definitely still pee a little when i cough hard. I am trying to do more kegels too but i can stop the flow of pee when i try. I do have to try harder than i used to though. I would bring it up with your ob when you go in for your postpartum check up. I think they actually have physical therapy exercises for this problem!
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@mfa_lady: I'm not having a problem with bladder control, but if I stand up too long or walk too far I have a ton of painful pressure down there and it starts to hurt like my uterus is falling out. It seems to be getting better as time goes by, but I'm still definitely healing.
Anyone else get rid of their pooch yet? Mine is slowly going down, but I still look 3 months pregnant. I'm hoping it will be gone completely by the time I go back to work. I looked like this when people started asking me if I was pregnant, so not looking forward to those awkward conversations if people start to ask again... I was considering getting a belly band or just some spanx. I'm wondering if that would actually help it go down, or just hold it in when I'm wearing it. I actually feel a space like two fingers wide between my abs when I'm laying down. Its so weird!
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@mfa_lady: I didn't have any bladder issues but I second kegels. I know they helped me a ton!
@MrsHansen82: Get plenty of rest.
You deserve it momma!My pooch was mostly gone last week and this week my stomach is back to normal for the most part. I've heard drinking water helps, especially if you're still healing up.
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Regarding breastfeeding goals - before I delivered my fantasy goal was always two years...easier said than done. I'm now realizing its a lot more difficult than I thought it would be. We are still practicing and getting better, so hopefully it will become second nature and I'll be able to realize that goal!
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Not sure as far as a BF goal. Since my experience with the boys was so unsuccessful, I'm really trying to just be happy with how well things are going on that front right now. In a perfect world, I'd go to a year, but I'm not going to beat myself up if something happens that causes us to quit earlier. I guess my goal right now is shooting for 6 months of being exclusively breast fed. If we could get there, I'd be thrilled and then we can reevaluate and see how things are going. Our biggest issue has been a suuuuper strong suck that makes things a bit painful and an over active letdown, which we are working to manage.
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@Mrs. Blue: Sometimes K has that problem too, she starts to fall asleep and keeps sucking then ends up with a huge mouthful that spills everywhere!
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@MrsHansen82: my pooch was gone within a week. Don't know why it happens so quickly for me. All I know is that drs. and midwives are always amazed at how fast my uterus retracts so that probably is part of it. Been back in normal jeans for over a week now.
@mfa_lady: I don't have any issues with my bladder this time except for a couple of drops when badly coughing or sneezing. I did last time though and it took over a month to get better. With the peeing my midwife told me to breath out making an f sound and to stop when your done. Sounds pretty weird but it actually helped. The stopping part pulls the pelvic floor together. Another exercise besides kegels is to lay down and to shift your hip back (making a flat back) and pull your pubic bone towards your belly button. Hold for 3-5 seconds and repeat 10 times and repeat to do a set of 3x total.
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@Pumuckl: thanks for the reply! I will have to try that exercise--and good to know it took you over a month last time. I'm going to get aggressive with trying to make it better!
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@mfa_lady: I felt like I had no bladder control until just this week,so hopefully it comes back soon for you!
My pooch is also very sad looking, I'm still in maternity jeans but just ordered a bunch of sizes from Old Navy so hopefully something will fit!
DD just got sent home AGAIN from daycare. This time with a fever, even though we are on day ten of antibiotics. These sick kids are killing me, I really hope they are healthy soon! So I'm doing my first solo outing with both of them to go to the ped!
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@Pumuckl: that's awesome!
My pooch is slowly going away. I have about an inch before I can button my pre preg jeans again. Not stressing about it too much.
I'm hoping to BF for at least a year again. I nursed L until 15 months and would like to do the same for C.
I think we're on the verge of the six week growth spurt. C is sleeping a lot and had a couple of fussy cluster feeding evenings followed by long sleeps. She's only been nursing for 5-10 minutes at night feeds lately and my boobs have not gotten the memo yet. It's so uncomfortable!
@HappyBaker: I hope DD gets better soon. I guess that's the one good thing of having L home with me, fewer germs.
C is still in bed with me. I'll move her to the cosleeper when she becomes a more active sleeper and then the crib when she mobilizes. Our nursery is off of the master so she'll still only be like ten feet away.
@mfa_lady: I haven't had any pee issues, but I didn't have any while pregnant. And I've had some whopper babies in there. I may have mentioned bladder control is my super
power.@Mrs. Blue: are E&F getting more comfortable with the baby? You post was touching. As a singleton mom I forget that twins aren't two of the same person; of course they'd have different reactions! Duh!
@sleepymonkey: DH has a birthmark across his eyelid and the bridge of his nose. He had the treatments when we were in grad school. The derm said that they'd have been more effective if he'd had them as a youngster. He didn't end of finishing treatment because we moved countries and now six years later the mark is back, not as dark as before, but it flares up when he's mad. He says the treatment wasn't painful, but was uncomfortable. For a week or so after he had very heavy bruising like black bruises, so be prepared for her to look much worse for a little while. She is a beautiful girl and lucky to have you.
Am I caught up yet? Probably not. Hope every mama and baby I missed is doing well. Hugs ladies!
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@oliviaoblivia: Thanks! They are both settling in. They still ignore him mostly, but I think it's because he just doesn't do anything they think is interesting. E tried to pick him up the other day and then wanted me to set him in between E's legs for him to hold. It last approximately 2 seconds, but I thought it was a big win.
You're not alone on forgetting the twins have different personalities and reactions. Mind are definitely two very distinct personalities!
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Hi everyone! Can't wait to read and catch up with the group. I had my mom in for a bit to help with c-section recovery and have been in the new baby haze.
Things are going pretty well. Our girl is a eater and has been gaining about 3 ounces a day! She's passed her birth weight. We seem to alternate between good nights/fussy nights. Lots of sitting and nursing. "Baby time" and "in arms" are two phrases I think of a lot. Oh, and "soggy phase," too, since I'm always feeling covered in some kind of liquid.
Breast feeding is going pretty well, but I'm so tired of the leaking. Let down gets flowing from one boob while nursing on the other--I put a diaper up to it this morning to soak it up. She goes on, pulls off, milk goes everywhere--oy!
Our pediatrician comes to the home for our visits. One more at home visit. It's really nice. He's a gentle soul who listens and loves babies.
Okay, going to try to shower and catch up on how everyone is doing! Yeah for January babies!
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@Mrs. Blue: I read your blog post and laughed. I was at the hospital and heard a grandparent instructing others to not let the older sibling into a room until the camera is ready. I told my husband that she was setting herself up for disappointment. Having watched many nieces and nephews meet a younger sibling, I'm well aware that it's rarely a magical moment!
@oliviaoblivia: when I read "pooch," I thought you were talking about your dog and was so sad for a minute! We dealt with a sick dog yesterday, so that's on my mind.
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@Pumuckl: mine is basically gone as well. I don't know if it was b/c I didn't gain much due to GD or what, but I certainly can't say it has anything to do with effort. In fact, I just ate two cookies for breakfast with my coffee. I can't fit into regular jeans though b/c my c-section area is too sensitive. I'm so over yoga pants though and feel frumpy all day long. Hate that.
I did go to our hospital's lactation corner and dropped $50 on a nursing bra. Why are they so expensive? I was ready to be in something with hooks and not just these tight sleeping bras. It did get leaked on within the first 10 minutes of wearing it.
@raindrop: does your baby show any signs of having been breech? Our girl had what the dr. called "bicycle helmet" head. ha! And she kicked her legs up a lot for the first week or so and prefers to sleep with her fists by her face. I find it really sweet. It was so strange to see her when she first came out and look at that head, knowing I had touched it so much when she was inside.
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@Pumuckl: I couldn't wait to get back into my jeans. I was in them by that Friday night after A was born. Having an actual zipper and buttons made me feel awesome.
@Happygal: lol my diet is all over the place. I had brownie bits for breakfast yesterday.
A is so much fun these days. Her 1 month appointment is tomorrow and I'm looking forward to see how much she's grown.
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Sorry been MIA. *Catching up*
@MrsHansen82: It's possible your flange. I added a picture to show what the correct fit is. The picture is confusing though... if you are not an expert... I guessed and experimented... then I went to my hospital's LC to double check. She confirmed that I choose the right one but it took me 3 different sizes to figure it out. The normal size that came with mine (24mm)... I had to go one up to (27mm) but I also bought the bigger one (30mm) and that was too big. So it's kind of a guessing game.. since your nipples enlarge when pumping also.
@Pumuckl: Wow you are amazing for wanting to take your kids out of the house!! I'm totally not that brave. *staying holed up in the house for now* Sounds like you are doing great. Don't stress out too much!
@mfa_lady: Me! I have been super emotional too. My mom has been helping me and it's great but she kind of says mean things to me a lot... normally I can let if roll off my back but maybe every 2-3 days what she says really upsets me and I cry because it's mean. DH usually has to step in and say be nicer! She doesn't get what she says is mean sometimes and she says it's just "talking". I know that's how the generation above me talks... because all my aunts and uncles do the same thing... they just say things in such a way that it comes out mean or rude but english is a second languange to most of them. Darn these after birth harmones!
@SleepyMonkey: Good to hear your birthmark appointment went well and that everyone was great!
The treatment doesn't sound too bad! @HappyBaker: Thanks for the update! I'm glad to hear he's doing better. I'm not sure what my EP-ing goal is yet... but last time I didn't try as hard.. and it was still tough... I gave up at 3 months with LO... I was less experienced though and knew a lot less about EP-ing so I was only making a few ounces a day when I "quit"... I hear you about adding formula and ending the stress though!
I think maybe 2 months and then reassess. @Happygal: Welcome to the group!
Lo is a great eater too... he is now way passed his birth weight. When we got him checked a few days ago he was gaining over 2 oz a day from the last appointment. The nurses said that's great! We were like really?! I think that's sweet your pediatrician comes to your house! We have to go to the hospital for everything... our first pediatrician appointment isn't even till 2/9 which will be 2.5 weeks old.
Hm... My little guy didn't really have signs of being breech that we know of... though I suspect his feet are a little clubed from being footling but I asked and everyone said I was imagining things and his feet are super normal. He does have have funny ears for being born early... they look a bit cawliflowered and we asked about that and they said it's normal even for babies that make it to term and it should self correct in a few weeks. You know that's so true.. it's weird to see his head after touching it so much when he was in the womb. Haha for me... I tried to push it down all that time!
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Today is DH's first day back at work. He's working from home for a week though so it's nice that he's still "around" just can't help out as much. When he goes back physically to work his commute is about 30-40 minutes so we will see if we can adjust to that. But honestly it's going to be more time than that... he usually gets sucked in late at night on random problems most days of the week and before we had LO #2 he would be at the office sometimes till 8pm. So we will see if he can try to manage to get out at a reasonable time at least for these early months.
I'm EPing about 1.5-2 oz per boob 7x a day. I'm trying to figure out how I can sleep more during the night but I tend to wake up when baby wakes up and pump while DH feeds baby. I think when he starts sleeping more I can pump a little less at night .... or maybe I'm crazy to think that?
Is anyone else doing confinement? I'm not doing the month long one... Thank goodness! I only did 2 weeks... so I got to shower today (man was that nice!) and I can eat things other than pork, ginger and rice now. Yay. Though my mom did say she is still going to make me eat ginger for the whole month... she promises to just sneak it in because I really dislike the strong taste of ginger. Also I still can't eat cold things like ice or raw foods which is fine.
Oh yeah is anyone going out for V-day? Since my mom is helping us, we can totally go out. We just booked our reservation last night. I don't know... kind of excited about it.
Though I'm worried it's going to interfer with my pumping... I guess an hour delay or two won't hurt my supply hopefully.I'll try to be better at catching up with this thread! Hopefully. Haha.
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@keepcalmcarrie: I'm going back on Mirena. I was on it before TTC for LO1 and had no problems with it. I was on the pill before that but had to switch to Mirena because the pill was causing migraines. I think we are done, a family of four feels right, but DH is still on the fence about #3. Two under two is keeping me busy enough that I'm not even discussing the option of #3 with him right now.
@Espion: Funny you mention breaking out the swing for naps. DH and I take shifts at night so we can both get 3-4 hours of solid sleep while the other is on newborn duty. Last night DD2 gave DH a hard time, she was so fussy, gassy, spittingup, wouldn't settle. This morning he got the swing out from the basement storage and said "it's time" lol.
@Mrs. Blue: @HappyBaker: I hear you with the stress from sickness. DH and I had raging chest infections when DD2 was born and I was paranoid. Today DD1 has the beginnings of a head/chest cold and I'm so worried about DD2 catching it.
Hand washing and Lysol wipes all day here. DD2 is sleeping in the RnP beside our bed at night. We kept DD1 in it until 3-4 months, although I'm not sure if I'll keep baby sister there that long. I'm not ready to move her to her crib in the nursery yet but maybe around 2 months? We'll see.
With DD1 I was EPing and supplementing with formula until 4 months. I stopped pumping because she was having such terrible reflux and pain after eating (which turned out to be food allergies). We ended up on prescription Alimentum formula. This time I plan on re-evaluating at 3 months and I'll see if I want to keep going to 6 months. I'm already starting a freezer stash so I will have BM to offer even if I stop pumping.
I promise I'm reading everyone's responses even if I don't reply to each post. This thread moves fast!
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@Raindrop: Ugh, had a reply to you and it disappeared when I hit submit. I haven't even thought about Valentine's Day. I totally agree with you about getting out. DH and I just went out to eat while my parents babysat the girls this weekend and it was fun to go on a date again. Can you pump in the car? I pumped on the way to the restaurant and again on the way home from picking up the girls.
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@MapleMoose: wow you just blew my mind! Such a good idea. :). I will do that!
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@Raindrop: My clients are doing a family date night on Thursday so there's those plans. We don't have a babysitter/any family in town so A will be coming with us whatever we decide.
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@oliviaoblivia: thanks for sharing your DH's experience with it! that is really reassuring to know that he thought it was uncomfortable, but not particularly painful. i am trying to prep myself and my family for how it will look post treatment...the doctor said it'll basically be a dark purple to gray color and it'll look scary for awhile.
@Raindrop: i didn't do confinement, but my mom fed me tons of ginger and made all these special chinese soups/dishes for me when i was postpartum with #1. there were also certain foods she forbade me from eating...daikon, napa cabbage to name a couple. This time she didn't stay with us because we have no room, so she wasn't able to stuff me full of special pp foods and watch what i ate as closely. she also forbid me to go outside with #1 for a month and she scolded me when i told her we went to Target the other day. i took a shower every day with #1 because it was the only thing that made me feel a sense of normalcy, but she was always nagging me to blow dry my hair immediately!
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Ugh, today was rough and these postpartum hormones are not helping at all. None of it had to do with DD2, though, just everything else about the day. She is still relatively easy going at the moment- for example she just spent the last 2 hours taking a nap in her crib which is something DD1 would have never done. Don't want to jinx things, though.
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@Radish:
I hope you get some rest, mama. Makes such a big difference. Because it sounds like my yesterday. After E went to bed, DH said he was going to get some work done. I must've looked awful, because he turned around instead, took H and made me go to sleep. Longest stretch I've had in two weeks. (4 hours) I definitely felt better afterward. Not great, but better.
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@Radish: I am sorry you had such a rough day. Hugs and FX tomorrow will be better.
@Espion: glad to hear your feeling better.
My daughter seems to have thought her mummy needed some sleep because she just slept for over 6h. And I kind of woke her now to feed her because my boobs didn't enjoy that long stretch as much
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@namaste: That still sounds like fun!
@SleepyMonkey: Haha my mom did the same thing today about my hair! I read a lot of confinement stuff online and I didn't read anything about getting your hair dry asap after a shower. Well I'm glad you are able to do a lot more without your mother watching you.
I think it's hard to balance culture with another one (aka non-asian vs asian). Though I think our moms are just watching out for us. Confinement is a big pain in the butt!@Radish: *big hugs* I hope tomorrow is better! Sorry about your rough day.
@Espion: That's very sweet of your DH! I'm glad you got some rest.
@Pumuckl: Wow 6h! That's amazing. Hopefully this means she will be a good sleeper!
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@Raindrop: That picture makes it look like my flange might actually be a little too big. I seem to be getting more milk in the last couple of days, but it still hurts after a little while. Pumping seems to be way more painful than nursing.
We don't have any set plans for V-Day, but DH's mom and sister are coming to visit right around there and they said they would watch DD while we go out to dinner. I'm actually really looking forward to it even though I'm definitely going to be nervous about leaving her with someone else.
@namaste: It seems like you guys are doing a lot socially already! I'm jealous!
@Radish: Sorry for the rough day. My hormones are up and down too. Sometimes I feel totally fine and happy and other times I just feel down for no good reason.
@Pumuckl: Hooray for 6 straight hours! That sounds amazing! We have a record of about 4 so far.
), but I'm going to try to switch to a bassinet this week.
As for a BF goal, I'd love to make it to a year, but I may reassess on that once I start back to work and know how pumping day-to-day goes. I'm pumping already, but I'm really just doing it to keep her used to taking a bottle and to freeze any leftovers. It will be interesting to see how my supply changes when I'm not around her all day. 
Hand washing and Lysol wipes all day here. 
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