Okay March Mamas!
Though the pregnancy journey has ended, the REAL journey has JUST BEGUN!
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I saw on the other thread y'all are all using nipple shields. What are they for?
Also at first did your LO cry every time y'all put them down. She will be passed out cold and we out her down and 9 out of 10 times she wakes up and starts crying.
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@smurfette: We are using one because of some latch difficulty but I think they also are useful for flat or inverted nipples. Plus I think it helped with some of my initial nipple pain. I am trying to nurse without it now... with very limited success.
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@Smurfette: I haven't used a nipple shield at all, though I'm betting it might've saved me some pain from Xander's poor latching. After two weeks though, I think we're FINALLY getting the hang of this nursing thing. His initial latch on one side is still bad, but I now know how to correct it so it doesn't hurt when he's actually drinking.
@dojo: Has your LO gone through that growth spurt at 2-3 weeks yet? I think mine is going through one now, but I'm not sure. The last two nights (and tonight probably... still waiting to see), Xander's been staying up for 3.5 hours to eat in the evening! There's no satisfying him! I'm curious if you experienced anything similar.
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Babies who have arrived:
Dojo - February 20 - Liam Harrison (ODD: March 8)
Mole - February 22 - Baby Boy (ODD: March 3)
Adira - February 26 - Alexander Michael (ODD: March 4)
NaturallyCathy - March 3 - Emma Rose (ODD: March 4)
Shopaholic - March 6 - Kaitlyn Irene (ODD: March 9)
Smurfette - March 11 - Reagan Claire (ODD: March 17) -
@Smurfette: I have not tried the nipple shield yet for feeding, which I think most people use it for. Kaitlyn has always had a good, strong latch, but my nipples are sore and cracked (which was already a problem with just my normal eczema). I am just using it as a barrier now in between my nipple and the nursing bra. It's so irritated, but it's felt better today since I've been using it.
And on the crying when putting her down thing, YES! OMG! The first 4 nights were BRUTAL! I mean, I was delirious at the hospital, even the nurses kept coming in to check on us. The first couple of nights home, I'll admit to cradling the baby in my arm/armpit for an hour to sleep, and also letting her lie on my chest to sleep for an hour. I just couldn't get any rest! I tried out the Baby K'tan one night too while she was sleeping and that seemed okay, but I only tried it for a few minutes. Since Day 5 though, it's been a little easier, she can sleep in the SnugaBunny swing and in her bassinet for a decent amount of time.
P.S. Can I just say we have some of the best named babies in our month! Loving everyone's choices!
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@adira: It's hard to tell for sure but I did noticed a few nights recently where he did seem to want to eat all a lot more than 'normal' (then again I have no idea what normal is!) The second night we were home he was wanting to nurse constantly all night long! It's have no idea what to expect each night!
How is everyone doing with sleeping? I am struggling with getting Liam to sleep much during the night between feedings. For the first week or so were swaddling him and setting him in his cosleeper next to me and he would wake to eat about every 2-3 hours. That was going alright but lately he seems to hate being swaddled and doesn't seem to be able to sleep for more than 20-30 minutes on his own. I've been letting him sleep on my chest and hoping that this is just a temporary thing and he will let us swaddle him again soon...
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@dojo: R is only three days old now but she seems to have her days and nights messed up. It was 330 last night before we could get her asleep and down so we could get some. She wants to be held all the time.
So I think my milk might have come in. I squeeze my boobs and it is a thin watery sort of cloudy mix that comes out. But she spit up after her latest feed and it looked like milk. Is this it?? My boobs are huge and parts feel really hard.
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@smurfette: That sounds like milk - awesome!
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@dojo: yay!!!!
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@Smurfette: Yep, definitely sounds like milk!! And babies spit up all the time, though it's definitely frustrating when you feed them and then they spit up, because they're hungry again sooner!
OMG, Xander will not sleep!!!! He was up ALL DAY yesterday acting like he was STARVING TO DEATH. He was just attached to my boob all day and only slept 30 minute stretches. He kept me up until midnight and then FINALLY slept for a few hours only to be WIDE AWAKE from 2:30 to 5:00 a.m. I miss sleep!!!
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@Smurfette: 3 - 8 am is the most brutal and hardest part of every day for me! K wants to cluster feed like crazy, won't sleep long, and wants to be held the whole time. Each night has gotten progressively better though, with last night only 5-7 am being the worst. I think I was told it takes them about a month+ to start to re-adjust to when night and day are, because they are most active at night in our tummies. And that definitely sounds like your milk is coming in! Hope you have some breast pads handy!
@Adira: Maybe going through a growth spurt! I had to feed K 3 times in less than 2 hours this morning/last night! And it wasn't even like she was snacking! It was about 12-15 min. each time! I almost passed out while she was nursing on the last one!
AFM - I went to the OB this morning. Pretty sure I had at least one clogged duct on one breast for a few days. But the advice I got yesterday for hot compress seemed to help A LOT! I might still go see a LC today just to double check everything we are doing is good. I am also SOAKING through breast pads now. I don't know if I have too much milk coming at once or what. But if I pump, I only get milk coming out for about 5-7 min.
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@shopaholic: Yep, definitely a growth spurt. Hopefully he'll start sleeping again because we've been doing this constant feeding for three days now! This mom is tired!!
Oh my gosh, you've pumped already?? I've been afraid to do it because I don't want to mess up my supply or introduce a bottle yet (although now I'm at my wit's end, so I think it might be time).
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@Adira: yeah they got me started pumping at the hospital to help get some colostrum and to get the milk going. We still had to supplement a couple times at the hospital and the first day at home with formula. Now I just try to pump once a day to help relieve some of the engorgement.
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@shopaholic: Do you pump in the morning? I've heard that's when it's best to pump, but I wasn't sure. I want to start but I'm nervous!!!
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@Adira: I don't have a good schedule set yet as I'm feeding on demand. I've just been trying to squeeze in a session if she didn't feed very long and I feel engorged. Usually this is sometime in the late afternoon. For me, the milk comes out pretty fast and basically stops within 5-7 min. Which might be why K is such a fast nurser too.
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@shopaholic: I think mine comes out fast too. He often has to take breaks while feeding to catch his breath and milk is just dripping down his chin. I think I'm going to try tomorrow morning to pump because that's when I tend to be the fullest. I don't know why I'm so nervous about it, haha!
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@Adira: yes! K gets it all over her face too and has to stop I think it comes too fast right in the beginning.
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@shopaholic: So nice to know that someone else has a similar experience to me!
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So we had our two week well visit today and Xander's back up to his birth weight!!! So glad to know that he's been getting enough to eat and I don't have to worry about supplementing. The pediatrician wants us to give him vitamin D supplements though. I tried after I fed him, but he just spit it up... not really sure what to do about that...
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Just sterilized all my pump parts! I'm going to put it together tonight and maybe tomorrow I'll try pumping!! I'm excited about the possibility of Hubs helping with feedings.
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@Adira: Great news he is back up to his birth weight.
DH and I are a little frustrated tonight. R doesn't like the swing, glider or anything. She won't let us put her down when awake. If she is sleeping, and we put her down, 90% of the time, she then wakes up. I know it is normal, right? Just frustrating, cause I feel like I don't know what she wants to make her happy. I have broken down crying twice today.
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@Smurfette: aw, I bet all of you are so exhausted! How does she do with swaddling?
@Adira: nice work feeding, mama!
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@aprk: She likes the swaddle. We haven't done it much during the day today, just at night. I called a friend to tonight and she advised doing it more. So we are going to do it more during the day.
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@Smurfette: good luck! I hope it helps.
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@Smurfette: I cried ALL THE TIME in the beginning and Xander is a relatively easy baby! You'll get the hang of it - things will get easier.
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R gained .5 since we left the hospital. She is at 7.11 and was 8.4 when born. So I feel better knowing she is getting milk and gaining weight. Doctor said she looks great and doesn't need to see her till a month old. She has been great today. We were able to take two hour naps, so that was nice after only 3 hours sleep last night. Had a couple blow out diapers today. She is really fussy tonight, wondering if it was the Mac n cheese I ate for lunch.
So my left boob, on the one side is really hard and it hurts. Been massaging them, and it helps some. After she eats on that side it feels better but it is still hard on just that one spot. Could this be engorgement?
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@Smurfette: Glad to hear that R is gaining!!! I felt soooooo much better after finding out Xander was gaining - I had been so worried my milk wasn't going to be enough. What visit was this for you guys? We had our two week well visit on Thursday and don't go back until two months!!
We had a few blow out diapers, so I switched to the next size diaper and that seems to have contained them. You might want to try that if you're still using the newborn diapers.
Is she fussy after she eats, or just in general? If it's after she eats, she could be gassy or something, which could be because of something you ate.
Not sure about your boob issues though... I didn't really experience engorgement (probably because Xander was eating non-stop), so I'm not sure what it looks/feels like.
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@Smurfette: I totally want to cry in the early mornings! But I think I'm usually too exhausted even for that. Glad she is gaining well! Yup, sounds like engorgement! Massage and placing a hot water bottle on top of the breast helped me clear a clogged duct too. Try that if nothing else makes it better.
Oh ladies - K is going through her first growth spurt! She looks noticeably longer and has been feeding like she is insatiable!!! I mean 20 min sessions on average yesterday, even one over 25 min. And she'll want to nurse almost right after we just stopped! I couldn't get over it. Feed, burped, diaper checked, feed again. And she has been staying asks longer and longer. So when she is just awake, she wants to be held or rocked/bounced. Mama is tiiiiirrreddd. What do you guys do with baby when he/she is awake but doesn't need anything?
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@shopaholic: Sounds like a growth spurt to me!! Xander's last three days and then he went back to eating every 2-3 hours again, which was SUCH a relief!!!
With Xander, if he's just wide awake but doesn't need anything, I'll put him on his activity mat for both tummy time and to just hang out. Yesterday, he wasn't thrilled with that, so I had to carry him around while I picked up around the house and just talked to him. But last night, he hung out on the activity mat just staring at stuff for an hour!
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@shopaholic: we are still in the stage where we have to hold her. She doesn't like the swing or bouncy seat yet. We can't do tummy time since she still has the umbilical stumb
We got 3 2 hour stretches of sleep last night. It felt great!!! I am getting ready to head to BRU for more diapers. Looking forward to me time before the ILs get here, so not looking forward to that!
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Hey everyone! It's nice to have this thread; thanks to @shopaholic for starting it!
Baby boy is 3 weeks now, and he is already starting to seem more like a person. His likes: eating, being held, going for walks in the Beco Butterfly and his stroller, staring at his mobile, being shushed (Happiest Baby on the Block is awesome), taking a bath, doing tummy time, sleeping during the day. His dislikes: being changed, sleeping at night.
The last item on the list I am only somewhat kidding about. He generally wakes for feedings 2-3 times per night -- although there definitely have been nights when we've woke up more frequently. My husband is more of a night person, so he takes the early night shift (for changes and rocking) until 1 or 2am. I then take over. We are pretty tired -- but not as tired as we were fearing we'd be
I had been using a manual pump after some feedings, but I finally hooked up my electric pump yesterday. I got almost 3 oz in one quick afternoon session, which is significantly more than I was pumping before. Our plan is to have my husband give our kid one bottle per week -- both so I can get some extra sleep and so our kid doesn't reject the bottle later. (I'll be going back to work on a part-time basis in June 2 nights and 1 weekend morning per week.) We did that last night, and we had no latch issues today. Knock on wood!
My family is in town from out of state, so we've also been getting out of the house a bit more. Our kid has now survived 3 restaurant meals without any meltdowns! Again, knock on wood.
Hope everyone is having a great weekend!
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@Adira: Wow! I think it will be nice when we can put her down in the swing or tummy time for an hour!
We are in the same boat as @Smurfette: - she still has her umbilical cord stump, and the past few of days it has actually been bleeding (a tiny bit) onto her clothes and/or flaking of dried blood bits. I don't want to agitate it anymore than necessary.
@Smurfette: Yeah, last night I practically willed K and mentally begged her to just sleep for at least one hour continuously so I could sleep. Thankfully she slept for a little over 3 hours from 3:30 - 6:30 am about! I also managed to make myself sleep for 2 hours in the afternoon while she was sleeping...or so I thought. Apparently, she woke up crying and rooting shortly after I just fed her and went to nap. DH went out and my mom just gave her a bottle of pumped milk instead of waking me up.
My after-pains are still pretty bad today.
@mole: Glad to hear your full report. Sad to hear he still doesn't like to sleep at night! That's the most brutal thing so far isn't it? And YAY on 3 restaurant outings! Everyone is still pretty against me taking her out anywhere at this point. And in this growth spurt we're having, I'm actually a little terrified of taking her out anywhere where I won't have access to comfortably nurse her if needed. Also, did your LO go through a growth spurt around 9-10 days? And at 2 weeks?
Have any of you tried BF'ing with a nursing cover yet?
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@shopaholic: It definitely gets better in terms of sleeping at night! I went to bed around 1030 last night and woke up from 2-230, 530-615, and 730-750. From 750-930, he slept on my chest while I read/dozed.
He definitely has gone through some growth spurts. He had a growth spurt around 2-2.5 weeks. He also did gain a lot in the first 1-1.5 weeks, but he wasn't necessarily cluster feeding like this past week.
I haven't breast fed in public yet, although I've thrown an A&A swaddle blanket over me and nursed while my ILs have visited. We've timed our outings so we leave right after a full feed, and the longest we've been gone is 2 hours or so. I should practice with a nursing cover that I have, though, just in case!
Hope you get some good chunks of sleep tonight!
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@shopaholic: I used the cover when my SIL,brother and nephews were here. It wasn't bd at all. The ILs are here now but I have been coming into our room o nurse but mostly cause I want a break. I did BF in the car on Friday after the doctor while we were waiting for a store to open. Put a A&A blanket over me, but it isn't work as well.
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@mole: Gahh, I'm so jealous about how much you were able to pump!! I just started pumping and I can only get half an ounce out after our morning feed! Maybe I need to do it at a different time... how do you know when to do it? I've heard you're most full in the morning, but Xander's morning feed seemed to be getting the most out of me so there's not a ton left after... I'm not sure what to do.
@shopaholic: I haven't tried using a nursing cover yet, though I also don't have one. I have used an A&A blanket as cover up both in public and at home though, but it's definitely challenging keeping it on and us both covered.
I'm not positive if Xander went through the 7-10 day growth spurt they talk about, but he definitely went through the 2 week one. For three days, in the evening he would act STARVING and be awake for 3-4 hours wanting to nurse. It was HELL! But after that, he went back to his normal 2-3 hour feeds (with a couple cluster feeds), AND knock-on-wood, the last couple days have been really good with him sleeping longer stretches at night!
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My pump is supposed to be here this week. Hopefully anyway. They said it will be mailed by tomorrow, we will see. I want to start pumping so I can start her on a bottle a day and build a stash.
How often do y'all pump? Do you hate pumping?
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@Smurfette: @Adira: I will have to practice with a cover eventually because I love to get out of the house. But as of now, BF'ing is always a two-hand job (at least!) I wish I had a 3rd hand now!
@mole: Thanks. I keep reading each growth spurt gets worse with the sleeping and feeding. IDK what we're going to do! She managed to sleep about 1 1/2 hrs. in her bassinet last night (thank goodness!) but that was after almost a whole hour of holding her rocking in the glider chair. At least that is really comfortable for me, and I think will become a nightly thing now. IDK why I hadn't been using it yet for middle-of-the-night bouncing. Perhaps still too delirious from sleep deprivation.
@Adira: That definitely sounds like the 2 week growth spurt! Glad it only lasted a couple of days!
@Smurfette: Yay for the pump! Actually, I quite like the pumping. It's kind of crazy to see how much milk you get and nice to see a real #. It also does not hurt nearly as much as BF'ing (in my case at least). I try to pump 1x a day, but managed 3xs yesterday because my mom fed K a bottle in the afternoon and I was engorged.
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@shopaholic: Yes! Breastfeeding is a two-hand job for me as well. At least to start - I need two hands to get him to latch, but then I just hold him with one hand and my other hand is free. The challenge is keeping covered while trying to do that!
Gahh, how much milk do you get when you pump?? I feel like a pumping failure because I can only get half an ounce out (and that's combined from both breasts)!! It's after our morning nursing session, but I feel like the pump isn't doing a very good job... ugh.
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@Adira: Ummm, usually I get about 2 - 3 oz. combined from both breasts. My right always produces more milk though. And it's a lot less if it's after a feeding session. I tried to pump after our morning nursing today because I kept reading how there was milk then, but I couldn't even get 1/2 oz. so I stopped after 5 min.
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