Hellobee Boards

@Mae: I have never used a pillow, so I have no idea what that is like!

Omg I live for the ouchy nipples to end!

@Mae: I guess so? I haven't even thought about how I do it before, but yah! Sometimes my arms do get tired and I prop on the arm of the chair or lift my leg up and lean on that, or grab onto my other arm.

@cookie_dough: wow I can't even imagine dealing with all that you have recently. Love the photos of your little guy. He's so cute!

@Mae: The feeding situation sounds frustrating but at least it seems like you're getting into a better place. Must be such a relief to finally have a content baby! I think the nursing in public and without a pillow will just come with time. At this point with W there was no way I would've even considered doing it and this time I've been nursing in public since the first week with just a blanket.

@Beebug: how fun that you went to the zoo! Our excursions have been limited to walks, the playground, and stores. I will have to be more adventurous soon. Sorry about the knee. That doesn't sound very good.

So we got through our first week alone although my step mom stopped by on Thursday and helped with nap time. It was a lot easier than I expected except G was screaming while I tried to put W down for his nap yesterday. Today has been tricky getting him to nap too so I hope this is not just a new thing. Tomorrow G will be one month old. We had his appointment and he's up to 9 lbs 11 oz and 22in. He seems like a giant baby compared to W! I think he was 7 lbs something and 20 in at this point.

Just because... I love it so much and wanted to share!

You are all such wonderful mothers!
I quickly just tried to catch up and can't really respond individually, but it's so beautiful how everyone is making the transition and learning about their babies and what they need - figuring out the reflux and supply issues and sleep preferences and balancing our partners (and ILs) at the same time! Seems like you're all such heroes!

I never really told our birth story, so I've been wanting to share - we were kind of in a similar situation to you, @junebugmama: where they were thinking we might be > 11lbs, and throughout the pregnancy we'd been given all this stress about the weight, the weight, the weight! Different for us, I suppose because it was my first pregnancy. Anyway, our last sonogram on my due date estimated only 9lb 2oz, which was a pound less than the one two weeks prior had estimated. But for some reason everyone was willing to just go with it, so we had our chance at a vaginal delivery. They put the pressure on to schedule induction right at 41wks, so we did, but the night before I called and said we're not coming in, doesn't feel right, let's push it back a few days. As soon as we hung up the phone, I had a newly interesting strong contraction!

Was able to sleep through them that night, but in the morning they picked up. I had NST/BPP postdates testing scheduled since I'd postponed induction and we went in to the hospital. Even though I'd already told the nurse I thought I was in latent labor, she called the attending MD in when she saw the contractions on the monitor. He called my midwife, who came over to check me - no change from the office days prior, 2cm/50%/-3. She wanted to admit me to break my water and give an enema. I said, no thanks, I want to labor properly, and went home.

They picked up in the car on the way home, around 4pm one made me cry. Started to really believe this was labor. By 6:30pm I was really working and we called my parents to drive up (5hrs away). We labored all night long - contractions were long, like 2-3min in duration, but still spaced, like 6-7min apart. We didn't get much sleep except a few minute intervals between then overnight. In the morning, they slowed down a lot, like 10-12min apart. We got me some food and drink, then tried sexy stuff and nipple stimulation to pick them back up, but as soon as we stopped, they'd slow down again. By 4pm (24hrs after the first strong contraction) we were frustrated and exhausted and went into the hospital. I was shocked to hear I was 5cm/90%! No descent since the day before, and contractions were still spaced, but it was so satisfying to know my work had done something.

Baby was having some decelerations with the contractions, so we had to be continuously monitored, but I was still able to move around a fair amount. We waited a few hours and my cervix still made no change. My bag of waters was bulging so we decided to break it. Contractions picked up a lot and we were hopeful. Four more hours (around midnight) my exam was the same, still no descent. Baby was having more, longer decelerations especially when I had these whopper 4-5min long contractions. The labor pattern was pretty dysfunctional and midwife thought baby felt asynclitic (like coming down crooked), and despite hours of lots of position changes and being upright and active, it wasn't changing.

We decided to get me an epidural, hoping maybe a little relaxation would open my cervix. The epidural was totally insane (I cannot believe that technology exists. I could feel my baby moving and move my legs and maneuver myself easily, but couldn't feel contractions. So weird.) but didn't affect my cervix. My blood pressure dropped with it and baby stressed out some more. We were all really feeling like probably I was headed for cesarean.

After two hours with epidural, and more decelerations, and no change in my cervix (over at least 8hrs at that point), we made the call and went for surgery. Apparently the boy was super wedged in my pelvis and the surgeon hurt her shoulder trying so hard to get him out, and the pediatrician said his head was dented (temporary thing!) from where he was mashed up against my sacrum.

He was 9lb 11oz and 22in long - now at two weeks he's already 11lb 6oz! So we think he really likes to grow. Meanwhile at my incision check I'd already lost 25 of the 30lbs I gained, so I finally have some peace of mind that his growth wasn't the result of some excessive indulgence on my part.

My emotional and physical recovery from cesarean have been smooth, I've been really really lucky. I feel like I was really given a reasonable chance at vaginal birth, which I appreciate. Nursing is going pretty well (evidenced by his weight gain!) but I do seem to have an overactive let-down or maybe oversupply that makes him really angry at my breast and sometimes we're really fighting at the start of feeds. Got some tips from pediatrician and lactation consultant that hopefully will help over the next days. Wish I could share with you, @Mae: !

All our guests have left now, and DH is back at work this week, so it's about to get real! I agree @Glitter: that I'm ready for things to quiet down so we can really feel out who we are as a family. I'll probably have some friends pop in through the week for short visits, but no more house guests for a while.

Hope that wasn't too long! I really enjoyed reading others' birth experiences, so hopefully somebody enjoys ours

@Glitter: I forgot to say earlier - that photo is soooo sweet!

I just had to throw away 5 ounces of breastmilk because I did not know it couldn't be thawed in the refrigerator for over 24 hrs I could cry right now.

@Beebug: just had my second and final post partum check up at 5w 1d pp and I'm all healed yay! My bleeding was trickling for the last three weeks or so but it finally came to a halt about three days ago.

Got the depo. Doc is convinced we'll want another baby before 2016. Ha, we'll see. DH is happy the wait is (almost) over. I do feel excited for sexy time again.. Not sure how we're gonna work it out with G in our room yet tho!

Also my latch pain fluctuates. When it seems to be getting worse I apply lanolin cream multiple times a day and that helps. Or I use pumped milk and give my nipples a break. Or both.

@Beebug: It's been about 4.5 weeks for me and the bleeding is mostly gone. I'll go a couple days with nothing and then feel almost like a gush and have a tiny bit of pink. It's been like this at least a week. Last time I think it stopped by around 4 weeks and then I had a couple days of light spotting just before my 6 week appointment. As far as nipple pain, I think because I never stopped nursing I avoided it this time but I remember how awful it ws. Ouch, hope it starts feeling better soon.

@Mae: I hear you on too much activity because of house layout. Ours is 3 stories and we don't have a bathroom on the main level so my bleeding got a lot heavier once we got home. Plus DH was not as helpful as he could have been and I was carrying the laundry and a fiesty toddlet up and down all 3 levels. Not nearly as big an issue as you, healing from a c sec so I cant really complain! How is the incision? Almost fully healed?

@Glitter: How long until the Depo kicks in? Do you think you feel different or notice any side effects?

@skipra: We've given our LOs pacifiers from the beginning. I just had to because Alice was inconsolable in the hospital and I had no milk which would cause her to scream and scream. The paci was the only thing that kept us sane! Now of course she's ambivalent about the paci (would prefer to be pacified by the boob constantly!) but Blake is crazy for his pacifier. I wouldn't force your LO to take it, but I'm glad mine do!

@twodoghouse: I was hoping for the mini pill too but it's not available anywhere in my country! #thirdworldproblems

Just got a 3.5 hour stretch of sleep, omg I feel like a new person. Most sleep stretch since he was born!

Nip felt a but better too, maybe needed the break?