Hellobee Boards

@Mrs D: Josh is down 9% today, too, in spite of round-the-clock nursing! I started pumping after feeds today to help encourage my milk to come in faster, and we are supplementing with a little formula as well. They weren't too worried, but we decided to take a more aggressive approach since (a) his constant nursing isn't doing the trick and (b) I'm exhausted from only getting a few hours of sleep in a day! DH is taking on all supplemental feeds so I can sleep a little more.

Any other STMs have surprisingly little bleeding/mess this time around? I've had periods heavier than this postpartum bleeding!

DD is sleeping about 3-4 hours at a time and eating 2oz at each feeding. I let her nurse then supplement with pumped milk since she's such a lazy eater at the boob. She suckle/nurse a few times. Rest. Nurse a few times. Rest. Then pass out. But when I pop her off, she's rooting like crazy. Or she'll keep passing over my nipple in search of it and do the latch on and off a few times before staying latched on to eat.

She has a very slight ear deformity that she may or may not outgrow. But if we want it fixed non-surgically, we had to decide before the end of this week! I can't decide!!

Meanwhile, we took our newborn pics yesterday and DS was uncooperative for big bro/lil sis pics. I'm so sad!!! Sigh.

@Mrs D: "drive by's" Hahahaha. I like that term. Totally using it going forward.

As for her ear, her hearing is totally fine and passed the hearing test. It's the top lil lip of her ear that's a lil smooshed down/flat and a bit pointy.

Josh gained 5.5oz overnight! AND I SLEPT. And I think my milk has finally come in! #winning

I'm having a rough time - yesterday when they got me up after my c section I fainted, so they did bloodwork and found that my hemoglobin had dropped. Two more rounds of bloodwork and it's stable but low. Ultrasound and CT scan today revealed that I was bleeding into my stomach from somewhere probably along the incision. It seems to have stopped but I have to stay a second night, get a blood transfusion, and monitor it. I'm heartbroken at not getting to go home and see Bennett, I miss him desperately, and so so dreading another night in this terrible hospital bed with people coming in all the time.

Ok, it took an additional 24 hours, 6 blood draws, an ultrasound, a CT scan, and a few medium sized tantrums, but I'm home from the hospital! I've parented two kids for almost 3 hours and it's HARD! B loves his little brother and keeps gently petting his back and saying "I want to look at him!" which is melting my heart, but feeling torn in two is going to take some balancing.

I'm also struggling with the two kids and the not sleeping plus hormones. It's been so tough!

Hubby went back to work (well he worked from home) for two days this week and I had both boys by myself. It went better than I thought but the days were long. I wore DS2 in the K'tan a lot and even changed DS1's poopy diaper and outfit while wearing the baby.

And the second day I took both boys to Target, everything just takes SO MUCH longer haha. My mom is around to help next week with outings and DH will be back at work. I just need more sleep to function. I hate this sleep deprivation.

DS is going three hours ish between feeds so we get about 2ish hours of sleep and hubby and I take shifts on the couch right now since are room is so close to DS1's room. But after today's appt we're thinking we'll move the bassinet thing into our room and attempt that. It's not like you can't hear him crying from the living room, it will just be louder once he's next door to big brother.

Our first son was an awesome sleeper and his chunks in between feeds kept getting longer and longer. I am scared we won't be as lucky this time. But my mom is trying to pump me up, we made it through the first two weeks, yay.

Does anyone else's baby take like an hour to go back to sleep at night after a feed? It happens more to my husband but I can't do every shift, he already doesn't have to wake up to nurse, ya know?

Sorry this is so long!

@Mrs D: that's what I thought too so I wasn't concerned till the pediatrician said something. The smooshed part is growing in, but she still has a bit of a pointy ear. Like an elf's ear! Lol!!!

Left pic is from birth and right pic is a week later.

@princessandthebee: DD has been sleeping in 3 hour stretches until two days ago. She sleeps great during the day but on Wednesday, she woke up at 2am and stayed awake until 5am! Wth. If I put her down, she get fussy after a few minutes. She keeps rooting around like she's hungry but when I nurse her or give her a bottle, she doesn't really take it so dunno what's going on! Last night, she was up at 9pm and stayed awake until 1am. But then slept until 7am. Hopefully she'll keep pushing back her long awake hours earlier in the day so we can all sleep at night. Or rather, so mommy can. Lol

Wth on ppl calling you out like that!! Both of my kids are IUGR babies so they're small. And we constantly hear about it. Even now that DS is 2.5! When ppl comment how small DD is right now, I'm like "she's actually bigger than her big bro at birth". And they all look at me like how is that possible. She's already itty bitty!! Plus, they're size, small or big, doesn't define them. Sheesh! Can't you comment on how pretty/handsome they are or how much hair they have, etc? Plus, who doesn't love chunky babies??? Rolls for days? Oh man, I die every time. Those rolls are just so yummy looking man!!

@momtimes3: Oh no, I am so sorry. I'm totally heartbroken for you. Thinking of you and praying for your family and your sweet daughter.

@momtimes3: I am so, so sorry for your loss.

Thank you ladies. She was truly a blessing and captured many hearts in her short life. I am thankful i have her twin brother to keep me going. This is my princess MacKenzie Cheyenne:

@momtimes3: I am so, so sorry for your loss. Words truly aren't enough right now, but I hope you know that you will continue to be in our thoughts and prayers.

Me again! I'm posting while Josh is up nursing, hence the 3 hour time gap. It's been a stressful week in my house. On Friday morning I had a 10:15 appointment at the midwives' office to check my blood pressure, then at 10:45 we needed to run over to the pediatrician for a weight check on Josh. Instead the midwife sent me to the ER to spend the day having my bp monitored and carrying out other tests. Apparently it was VERY high, and the fear was that I was developing post-partum pre-eclampsia. My husband had to drop me off and take Josh home, since the ER is no place for a week-old baby. My parents were supposed to fly out that afternoon so they postponed their flight to stay and help out, and my husband rescheduled Josh's weight check for that afternoon (he did great-- nearly back to his birth weight). As for me, thankfully all tests came back negative for pre-e so I was eventually sent home on bp medication. It does seem to be working. Apparently all of this excitement was too much, and I started bleeding again, but a few days of good rest should help. My parents left today and we are officially on our own. (Cue scary music!)

Edited because I posted too soon.

Also I spent part of the day getting Weston's newborn photos done, and our photographer has already posted a sneak peek!