PS Mommy Thread-Newborn to 12 months!

[Mara]

steph...our creature is in full fussenstein mode lately. last nite he went down at 9pm like a champ, totally comatose, and slept til 12:30...but after we fed and changed him he was wide awake. and we were not engaging him at all...and he still was wide awake BUT tired..kept yawning. i tried to soothe him for 30-40 min with rocking and walking, and he was always SO close to sleeping but not quite. so i finally put him down hoping he'd lull off, and he eventually fussed himself into a huge tizzy and cried for 30min. i was soooo exasperated, esp since Greg snored happily through it all! jealous, yes!! turned out he had a hugely wet diaper at that point, so we changed him, and then Greg stayed outside with him rocking him on his legs til the next feeding at 6am at which he went down again like a champ and slept til 9:50. but wow that 2am thing was painful. i am like seriously you are so tiny, how can you cry like that for so long without passing out??? i know we have been spoiled so far with him, but every day he seems a bit more fussy for a little bit longer in the day/night and it is hard to hear him cry, esp knowing he ISNT hungry and IS tired but just can't let himself fall asleep.

i talked with a girlfriend last nite who has a 6 month old (also named Julian so funny and she lives 3/4 of a mile from us so our kids will prob go to the same school!) and i felt so much better after bending her ear about what stage he was in. she was telling me what worked for her Julian (and he sounds similar with how he responds to things like touch and sound etc) and even though you know that you're not 'alone' in the situation it is always nice to hear other moms say 'yep don't worry that is just this stage'.

i think my supply is upping slightly thankfully since i have been eating crazy oatmeal and drinking 1/2 a belgian fruit beer every night haha. steph... are you going to try some of the suggestions for supply increase?

i woke up last nite with a sore throat so i loaded up with vitamins so hopefully i will not get sick. i've been mostly in the house so i feel like almost whenever i go out i am just primed to pick up a germ.

oh and tonite we are going to dinner by ourselves, which we are excited about. my mom and sis will take any opp to watch the creature, thankfully!!

cdt, love the photo.
blen... lol the eye patch, so cute.

 

[sunkist]

Blen, such a cute eye patch! Did you make it or find it on Etsy or something? Is he getting more used to wearing his glasses? Such a cutie

 

[steph72276]

Didn''t get one in yesterday, so here''s this weeks pic. We are outside on the back porch enjoying this beautiful day in the 70s!

 

[gingerB]

hello ladies! big milestone here -- first official post in the new born thread! first things first, i already posted in the preggers thread but i''d like to formally introduce ya''ll to our darling little gingerbaby - aiden

 

[gingerB]

i''m going to apologize ahead of time but my first few posts are very likely going to be me-centric. one cuz i''m brand new, feeling so lost and have tons of questions. and two i am unlikely to be able to be helpful (refer to one

)

so birth story posted on preggers thread (page 915 i think) and i mentioned i tore A LOT. recovery is going slow and the pain had a brief spike after the adrenaline wore off. my mobility is slowly increasing, but hubbs is still playing a HUGE caretaker role for both me and baby A. right now my biggest concern is his nutrition. due to a bunch of variables and a ton of drama involving more than i want to think about because it''s going to make me start bawling again right now

i am pumping breast mlk and supplementing with formula

-- using a slow flow nipple and hopefull eventually transitioning back to breast feeding.

if any breast feeding/pumping gurus could please help here:
my milk was slow to come in and although it''s increasing slowly and i am madly researching other ways to increase flow, i can''t seem to pump more than an oz a session. i keep reading that i shouldn''t pump for more than 20 minutes at a time. does anyone know why? i am trying to pump every 2-3 hours (best i can time it with a new born around). i can''t even keep up with his demand now, nevermind storing.

what can i do?!?! i am forcing myself to eat and drink more, i try to relax and think of him and look at his pix while pumping. i''m going to start oatmeal as soon as we find a second to get some. any other ideas?

 

[Mandarine]

Blen, G looks ADORABLE!!!!!!!! Love the new eye patch and love that you're trying to make it fun for him

Steph that is an adorable picture!!! How sweet!!!!!

Ginger

welcome!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Aiden is just absolutely adorable!!!!!!!!!! COngratulations mama!!! We're here for whatever you need, so welcome to this side

Mara Babies are just.......weird!!!. This happened to us too a few nights...BUT thankfully it wasn't the norm!....so hang in there. I think after mine were about a month, they would wake up only to eat...not so much for no reason at all.

CDT Love that picture!!! He's just so cute!!! I hope your great sleeper comes back (and comes back with tips for my guys! hehe)

Sunkist Sorry about the ILs. I know exactly what you mean though!!!!. MIL is waiting so anxiously to start making baby food. She dreams of this like everyday! Thing is I know she's going to want to try to put weird things in there (like wheat grass!) so this has me a little concerned and it annoys me when she talks about all the food she will be making for them. I know I should be happy that their grandma wants to make them food...but it annoys me that I know she'll sort of imply that her food is better than what I will make for them (she's nuts sometimes).

**

So today DH and I went to look at Jewlery stores to get an idea for what he could give me as a gift for the babies (push gift, or whatever). I'm erally leaning towards a right hand ring. They were born in October, so their birthstone is Opal (me no likey)....but their sign is Libra and Libra's stone is the Saphire

(me likey!). We saw a 5 stone band with 3 saphires and 2 diamonds. I loved it!. It was a little much than what DH wanted to spend...but ohhhhh it was so nice!. I need to get on the internet to see what I can find online....

I liked the idea of the two diamonds (to represent the two babies)...DH said diamonds is not their birthstone...I said "well, it's mine!" (April birthday!)....and well, they are my little diamonds

ETA: The ring was similar to this, but the other way around...but mybe this is better:

Saphire diamond ring

 

[snlee]

Date: 2/20/2010 7:37:43 PM
Author: gingerB
if any breast feeding/pumping gurus could please help here:

my milk was slow to come in and although it''s increasing slowly and i am madly researching other ways to increase flow, i can''t seem to pump more than an oz a session. i keep reading that i shouldn''t pump for more than 20 minutes at a time. does anyone know why? i am trying to pump every 2-3 hours (best i can time it with a new born around). i can''t even keep up with his demand now, nevermind storing.

what can i do?!?! i am forcing myself to eat and drink more, i try to relax and think of him and look at his pix while pumping. i''m going to start oatmeal as soon as we find a second to get some. any other ideas?

ginger, it''s only day 5 for you right? My milk came in around day 4 and in the begining you can''t really pump much. Keep doing what you''re doing. If you can, try to nurse, as that''s what''s really going to simulate the milk to come in and your supply to go up. I''m not much help since it was so long ago but I''m sure others will have some good advice. Hang in there!

 

[fieryred33143]

Welcome Ginger! Aiden is gorgeous! Don''t apologize for the me-centric posts. We''ve all been there!

An oz pumped at this point is normal. Getting him on the breast as much as possible is what will help increase production and flow.

To increase I ditto your idea of oatmeal, lots of water, apple juice, more milk plus, lots of food. A warm cloth on the breast and then massage from the top towards the nipple helps stimulate the letdown. If you are pumping and have time (haha), try pumping multiple times a day even if hardly anything comes out. That will teach your body to produce. But nothing is going to work as much as baby on breast. If he falls asleep after eating on the breast and you aren''t too tired, let him hang out at the breast too.

GL mama! You''re doing a great job!

 

[NovemberBride]

Steph, Mara, Ginger and others posting about low supply - very, very few women actually have supply issues, although most new moms worry that they do. In the first few weeks, babies don''t need that much milk, so your supply will grow with their needs. If your baby is gaining weight and producing 5-6 wet or dirty diapers a day, you do not have a supply issue. If they are still crying after eating they may want to comfort suck, so you can let them stay on the breast or offer a paci.

From month 1-6, breastfed babies need around 25 ounces a day, so that''s only 3 ounces a feeding if you are feeding every 3 hours. Prior to 1 month they need even less. If you are really worried, you might want to see a lactation consultant. I had one that came to my house after we came home from the hospital and she was awesome - I didn''t even really have problems, but it was nice to have some reassurance that I was doing it right and that Olivia was getting enough milk. My insurance paid for it, so check your plan.

Also, if you are pumping, you will get less than baby is getting because they are way more efficient at removing milk from the breast.

 

[Blenheim]

mara - lol re fussenstein. love it. hopefully he's giving you less trouble tonight.

ginger - he is just adorable! congrats. you've gotten a bunch of good supply advice, and please don't feel bad about your supply or supplementing. pandora's supply didn't even really come in for something like three weeks and she was eventually able to transition to ebf. one other thing that hasn't been mentioned - lots of skin to skin contact. there were some days when we were figuring out the whole latch thing where i just didn't even wear a shirt.

mandarine - that sounds beautiful! (two diamonds for two babies?

)

steph - they are so cute together! A looks like such a proud big bro.

eye patch - i sewed it up last night, using a pattern that i found online. i love it! when i take the sticky ones off, it's like taking off a bandaid and he cries and his skin looks irritated underneath. he doesn't seem to mind this one, and it's making the whole patching thing a lot more fun - for us at least, i don't think he notices that it's cute. plus comments we've been getting when we're out when he's patched up have been getting to me (people asking us 'what's wrong with him', a girl pointing out to her mom that 'the baby has a bandaid on his eye' when i'd like for people to see him and not the vision issues) - not that a new patch is going to make that get better necessarily especially as it's not skin colored and is quite noticable, but i think it should help turn it into something more positive. if that makes any sense. quite possibly not.

 

[Kaleigh]

Date: 2/20/2010 4:59:54 PM
Author: steph72276
Didn''t get one in yesterday, so here''s this weeks pic. We are outside on the back porch enjoying this beautiful day in the 70s!

Awwww Steph, love this pic of your boys.. Cuteness times 10!!!! How are you doing??

 

[phoenixgirl]

Ginger, congrats! Aiden is a cutie.

So sorry to hear about the difficulties with BFing. So many of us have been there! I''ve tried oatmeal, beer

, and Fenugreek capsules to help up my supply. In the end, though, I had to stop taking the Fenugreek because it was making me nauseated. It really works, though.

I hadn''t heard that you''re not supposed to pump for more than 20 minutes. My SIL was pumping 40 minutes at a time (feeding the baby exclusively with expressed milk due to latching issues). But that definitely seemed crazy! Maybe you are supposed to keep it to 20 because if you''re feeding 20 minutes per side now (that''s what I was doing at first), then pumping more than 20 minutes is overkill? Maybe RPS can chime in -- she knows a lot about BFing.

Good luck!

 

[taovandel]

Hi ladies (and babies!)!

Nothing to really report.

My parents took Evan last night because they wanted to....I didn''t even ask but I definitely said yes! So I managed to get a nice full night of sleep and then went to breakfast with them. Seems to be our new family tradition...meeting every Sunday at this little diner near my mom''s job....Evan loves it there--so far.

All the baby pictures melt my heart!

Well I think I''m going to break out the stroller and take E for a walk later on today...it''s been in the upper 50''s the past two days...I definitely need to take advantage of it.

 

[E B]

LOVE the rest of the BPF photos.

(Does anyone type 'BFP' instead? I do every. single. time. Habit from TTC, I guess.)

China- Happy belated six months to O!

Mara- We use Dr. Smith's Diaper Ointment. We chose it because it got awesome reviews on Amazon. We haven't had many rash issues (a couple very minor red spots near "the center") but it works well.

sunkist- If I remember correctly, Henry had signs of teething a good month before anything popped through.

cdt- Thank you so much! And no, not weird at all. I feel the same way about Lex. Before I had Henry, when I saw or got to hold an adorable baby, I'd get this urge to smooch all over its cheeks (but couldn't). Now, we have babies we can smooch whenever we want. Isn't it the greatest?

I'm so sorry about your job and Lex's pink eye/congestion. I hope the pulmonologist can help give him (and you!) some relief.

Blen- Thank you! CUTE eye-patch on an even cuter kid! And you made it? How cool.

Re: Sleep schedule...I was afraid of that.

I agree with you- it's probably smarter to wait and see if he doesn't take the transition well. We'd definitely need nighttime sorted before naps.

Steph- What a precious photo. Such handsome boys.

Ginger- What a beautiful baby boy! Welcome, Aiden!

Mandarine- Have you browsed ID Jewelry's website? They've gotten great reviews over in Rocky Talky and have several cute, affordable stacking bands with blue sapphires and diamonds. Maybe one for each boy?

Something like: this? or this? Oooh, maybe this? Another, ANOTHER another, and just one more!

Phew! This post took me forever to put together. H is a little cling-on today. Hope everyone else has a relaxing Sunday.

 

[Mara]

thanks ladies for the tips on the diaper ointment...i picked up butt paste at walgreens the other day since i was there and we are trying that as well as burt's bees. i also have desitin and some aveeno one someone gave us. oh and something that starts with a B. he doesn't have a crazy rash or anything, but outside of his buttcheeks he is a little red in a few spots, i am sure it's because the kid poos like every hour! hoping that when his crazy digestive tract starts slowing (hopefully in a week or two around a month) that it will clear itself up but for now just trying to keep it protected and let him air out a bit too a few times a day.

ginger re: supply issues... we had to supplement at first too, don't freak out. you can get the kid totally onto BF'ing...i know you don't have time to read all my posts in the last few weeks, but we supplemented at first and i pumped to get my milk in because he had jaundice and they wanted him to eat regularly. they were even talking blood transfusion if he didn't clear the jaundice in a few days. at first i was hardly pumping anything as well, when they say 'milk comes in' i think we assume it's going to be like 10 oz or something, but it can be slow at first. so i def couldn't keep up with him. we supplemented and i pumped for about a week and a half, i want to say, before i had enough milk to give him BM exclusively. don't worry, the kid won't be irreparably scarred with formula for a few weeks.

and at least you know he's getting the right nutrients, the formula nowadays is so powerful PLUS it made him sleep like crazy since he was so full. then i had some issues with trying to get him on the boob because he loved the ease of the bottle. i used shields at first and he just did not like my regular nipples. i was thinking i might have to shield it forever. but i just would keep trying regular nipple in between shields and finally he took it and then he would take it like one more time a day until finally one day he just went on both without shields and we've been shieldless since but still 'perfecting' the feed and latch. this has all taken almost 3 weeks. so give yourself time and be patient with him and yourself. it is totally overwhelming when you are in the thick of it, but don't worry about it. i think my best advice to you starting out where i was 3 weeks ago is just take it one hour at a time and really try to enjoy the positives because before you know it he'll be different and you will be different and you don't want to miss anything because they change so fast. and take care of yourself, healing is NO FUN esp with a tear, i had only a minor tear but i feel like healing has been my biggest challenge, just not FEELING WELL isn't fun esp when you are trying to care for a newborn and make your body work like crazy on the milk front too. the mom's really have it rough!! oh and as you know RPS is a LC so it's sooo helpful to have that expert advice and the advice from the other moms here who have been through it too!

also re: the kid not needing much at first, the prob with formula feeding them is they get used to eating more as opposed to if you were just giving them the colustrum at first. so you can't really go from giving them 1-2oz of formula per feeding to 'hey you should be fine with just colustrum and the little i am producing' ... so i totally feel you re: keeping up with them. but don't worry, you'll be fine soon enough. J would scream if we didn't feed him on time after getting used to eating regularly. oh and pumping, i never read that about 20 min max, i have done 30 when i needed to, mostly in the beginning.

november, i def want to be producing more but i know i am lucky to be producing what i am in general (but doesnt stop me from wanting more!). i think my prob is that most of my friends in real life who have kids had crazy supply so i am like JEEZ why can't i pump 15 oz in a sitting? hahaa. when RPS said that people producing .5 to 3oz per session is average i was really surprised.

so last nite we went to SF for dinner while my sis watched him. of course he was pretty good for her hehe, since she LOVES to carry him and just hold him til he falls asleep. we got him down for bed at 11:30, it took about an hour since he kept passing out on the boob and i kept popping him off only to have him wake up when i tried to put him down and fuss. finally i fed him in the bed til he passed out and stayed out and then i was able to swiftly move him the few feet to his bassinet. success! so i think i might do the last feeding in the bed with him rather than in the LR. i joked to greg that this was first step to co-sleep, which are are both not interested in, and he laughed. haha. while i def don't want to do CS...i do admit to thinking 'gee this is so easy', i could just nap right here, haha.

then he slept 5 hours after that--actually at 3.5 he was fussing a tiny bit but i got up and saw his eyes were still closed (eyes open is when it's all over for us!), so i just laid back down and he slept for another 1.5. greg woke to do the next feeding at 4:30, and then i woke to do the following one at 8am. so it was not bad last nite, except that i am still fighting this cold and it just makes me feel a bit more tired and cranky than normal. and i have a headache. i hope the kid is getting my antibodies.

sunkist...sorry about the IL's...boo!!

mandarine...ooh diamonds!!! we are thinking about a birth present...i want something that he can inherit later for his SO, but something i can wear too but that is not TOO trendy. the idea i like so far is a DBY 16" necklace but with sapphires instead of diamonds. i saw this at Joe Escobar recently and it was pretty affordable and the sapphires were a beautiful color. and they can make it in any length and space the sapphires out how you desire, etc.

blen...you are so creative re: the eyepatch!! love that you made it!

steph, love the photo!!!

in the NYT today there is an article today about 'the breast whisperer' about an LC in brooklyn...in case anyone wants to read it.

oh one more thing... re: breastfeeding (and supply in a way)...i know that people tell you to eat a lot but was anyone else not really hungry at first? and does anyone feel 'nauseated' (for lack of a better word...) when either pumping or BF'ing in the beginning? it is hard for me to eat a lot because i am not that hungry and sometimes the thought of food just grosses me out...and then when i am pumping my stomach feels really weird. i kept meaning to ask this and forgetting but Ginger's post re: pumping reminded me. and if you did feel this way, does it go away eventually and/or do you get more hungry??? i see people posting about eating two dinners, i can't even imagine, like i have to force myself to eat dinner at all. WELL except when we go out to eat because i could eat filet and garlic fries all day long hehe.

RPS...one question for you, re BF and iron. does BF'ing take a fair amt of the iron from my body for the baby? i ask because the last week my lymph nodes are swollen and i have had issues with iron and anemia previously. in the past i just take an iron pill so i started doing that again and it definitely helps me, when i don't take it i feel really tired even if we got a lot of sleep. i know i am supposed to be taking more calcium for BF'ing but i didn't read anything about iron in our paperwork. thoughts?

 

[Pandora II]

Date: 2/20/2010 7:37:43 PM
Author: gingerB
i''m going to apologize ahead of time but my first few posts are very likely going to be me-centric. one cuz i''m brand new, feeling so lost and have tons of questions. and two i am unlikely to be able to be helpful (refer to one

)

so birth story posted on preggers thread (page 915 i think) and i mentioned i tore A LOT. recovery is going slow and the pain had a brief spike after the adrenaline wore off. my mobility is slowly increasing, but hubbs is still playing a HUGE caretaker role for both me and baby A. right now my biggest concern is his nutrition. due to a bunch of variables and a ton of drama involving more than i want to think about because it''s going to make me start bawling again right now

i am pumping breast mlk and supplementing with formula

-- using a slow flow nipple and hopefull eventually transitioning back to breast feeding.

if any breast feeding/pumping gurus could please help here:
my milk was slow to come in and although it''s increasing slowly and i am madly researching other ways to increase flow, i can''t seem to pump more than an oz a session. i keep reading that i shouldn''t pump for more than 20 minutes at a time. does anyone know why? i am trying to pump every 2-3 hours (best i can time it with a new born around). i can''t even keep up with his demand now, nevermind storing.

what can i do?!?! i am forcing myself to eat and drink more, i try to relax and think of him and look at his pix while pumping. i''m going to start oatmeal as soon as we find a second to get some. any other ideas?

Hi Ginger, first huge Congrats on gorgeous baby Aiden!

Second, hugs to you. I had a lousy time having Daisy and whilst I didn''t tear I had an extensive medio-lateral episiotomy. They gave me 20mg morphine for the first 2 days and the nurse warned me that I would be in pain when I stopped getting the morphine. Boy was she right - I remember crying everytime I sat down for the first 10 days it hurt so bad. I was talking to my father about it and his comment was that he thought nasty tears or episiotomies could much nastier to recover from than c-section incisions. There are a LOT of nerves down there!

Lots of sitting in water helps, plus pain meds (taken regularly so you don''t get break-through pain) - and sitting on rolled up towels or one of those donut cushions!

As Blen mentioned, my milk took nearly THREE WEEKS to come in. Eight days after the birth I recall trying to hand-express... after 30 minutes I managed to get a whole 10ml - and as I picked the container up to give it to DD I dropped it. I was pretty much hysterical.

I supplemented for 5 weeks and by pumping and trying to feed I gradually got my supply up enough to EBF. Daisy''s now 9 months and is still breast-fed on demand with it probably being around 80% of her calorie intake. So, you can DEFINITELY do it!

My nipples got so massacred at the beginning that after the first week I pumped one day and breast-fed the next so as to give them a break. Knowing that D was getting food from the formula also helped me calm down and relax a bit more. It sounds to me like you are doing fine and to just keep doing what you are doing.

As long as Aiden has heavy wet diapers then he is getting what he needs. Trust me, when a baby is not getting food it is pretty obvious - D didn''t have a wet diaper in 5 days in the hospital and had all the signs of dehydration by the time I got them to give me formula (the nurses saw me trying to bf and ''assumed'' that I was being neurotic when I told them I had no milk. The neo-natologists weren''t too happy when they found out) - sunken fontanelle, dry lips and mouth etc etc

As I''ve always fed Daisy when she wants rather than to a schedule I''ve never had engorgement or needed breast-pads or anything - I''d probably still think I didn''t have enough milk if I didn''t know that my boobs have managed to grow a 20lb+ person! I''ve never had enough to store any - but also haven''t needed to so didn''t really try.

Anyhow... I think you are totally doing all the right things (the 20 minutes thing is new to me - I did pump on one side till it seemed to slow to nothing, then switch to the other and back and forth which tended to be 5 minutes or so each side. I was using a hand-pump though). Just staying in bed with the baby for a couple of days doing skin on skin can help a lot as well.

 

[lizzyann]

Hi all! I am new to this thread and have read some posts and thought I could share a little about myself here!

I have an almost 10 month old son and I nursed him exclusively for 8 months. Once he started eating solid food my supply started to dwindle and he eventually weaned himself completely by about 9 months. I had to wear a shield the whole time unfortunately because I had one nipple that just would not cooperate. I enjoyed breastfeeding and had an excellent experience with it.

Mara, I read your last post about not feeling like eating and sometimes feeling a little nauseous when pumping or nursing. I went through the same thing. Being a first time mom, I was so busy caring for and worrying about the needs of my son that I would sometimes forget to eat enough. So I made sure to drink plenty of water and try to at least eat a small meal three times a day. I put my hubby in charge of reminding me. I used to feel nauseous sometimes when I pumped and I started drinking cold cold water while I pumped to make me feel better. My husband would literally be holding a drink with a straw for me to drink out of while I was pumping. That worked for me.

This thread probably has already given suggestions to get babies to sleep thru the night, but this is a LONG thread so I figured I would ask. My son usually goes to sleep on the late side, anywhere between 9:30 and 10pm. We have a routine in place - dinner, bath, play, bottle, bed. He ALWAYS wakes up within an hour of going to sleep and demands me to go in there by yelling his head off. Then he usually sleeps for anywhere between 2-4 hours, then is up again, and that continues till he wakes up around 8:30. Lucky for me, I am a stay at home mom so I don''t have to get up and go to work in the morning but it is exhausting. Some nights though he can sleep for 6 or 7 hours in a row so I know he can do it. We have tried a modified ferber method of letting him cry for a bit and he gets better for awhile but then he falls right back into the same pattern. Any advice?

 

[phoenixgirl]

Mara, I get nauseated when I pump (and also when I BF, but less so) too. I'll feel hungry, and then I'll start pumping and think, "Ick, no way I could eat right now!" But it's obviously important to be eating enough calories -- 200 or so more than when you were pregnant.


So, good weekend. I ran yesterday for the first time in a month (darn snow!) and worked out today. I can't do hour runs or workouts most days, but I felt like crap when I was only getting in two workouts and no runs a week, so I've got to up that. That's my new goal.

I pumped like a crazy woman this weekend -- every cycle I was at home. So I've got 4.5 bottles going into tomorrow (and only need 3, maybe only 2). I know I won't pump enough if she takes 3 bottles most days, so this is giving me a head start.

We took Claire out to dinner Friday and lunch yesterday. She is such a "well behaved" baby, which is nice.

But now I'm trying to finish Heart of Darkness, which my sub left for me to do. He's really getting on my nerves. He's so pompous, but he taught my classes for over three months and didn't do a single work of literature with my AP literature classes! He had them watch a Jane Austen movie, and that's it! And then he lectures me on what parts of the (required!) curriculum he thinks are worthwhile. Um, thanks, man with no experience. I'll take that under advisement. But Friday he crossed the line -- he interrupted class (again!) to leave one of my students a note. I made a comment about how sometimes the kids think they turn things in that they didn't, but that they're not lying, just confused (I was trying to make him feel better about all the grade complaints he's been getting), and he was like, "Oh, sure, these kids would NEVER lie to you" all snarky and sarcastic, in front of the kids! I'm sure some of this is getting lost in translation, but I am livid. I don't even care that he didn't do anything with my students, that my remedial students didn't have a single test or paper in three months. I accepted that if I chose not to micromanage from home, I didn't know what would happen. But he keeps showing up and "helpfully" telling me how the kids are "nervous" to lose their "Daddy," like I am the Big Bad Wolf and the kids are scared of me. Yeah, maybe they're "scared" because they know I'll manage to require them to read more than ZERO books. I just want the dude to cut his pompous crap and go away. And stop accusing my kids of lying! I'd lie to a pompous jerk who, according to the kids, listened to HEADPHONES in the middle of class too! Apparently he went around the department telling all my colleagues that he and I had different teaching philosophies and that he was more "laid-back" than I am. Apparently expecting kids in a College Board approved literature class to actually read literature makes me an uptight taskmaster. So anyway, this guy doesn't know what is coming to him. I exude a placid exterior, which I think idiots like him sometimes mistake for naivete or weakness. Well, wrong. I take no prisoners. That's why the world's laziest janitor cleans my room better than everyone else's. That's why the technology guys do my publication's bidding but always put off the yearbook's. That's why I got a transfer after one year when the required wait is three years. I am she who should not be crossed!

OK, deep breaths, deep breaths. This is why I'm quitting the darn job in three months. Not worth the aggravation!

 

[steph72276]

Hello! Hope everyone had a great weekend. It was so beautiful here this weekend, I got lots of walking in. Didn''t do much of anything else except FEED this hungry boy of mine. I guess he is just going through a major growth spurt...he is already getting too long for the newborn outfits (5-8 pounds) we had to go out and buy. Anyway, of course he has been sleeping for the past few hours and I can''t get sleepy, but I''m sure he''ll be wide awake in the middle of the night when I''m wanting to pass out. Oh well, I keep telling myself to just enjoy every moment...he will be big soon and I will miss those moments of rocking him to sleep.

GingerB, congrats! Gingerbaby is sooo darling!

Mandi, thank you and woohoo for the sapphire band

Fiery, thanks for the tips on getting the supply up.

Nov, thanks for the advice about the supply issues. We def. don''t have a problem with wet or dirty diapers!

Blen, thank you...your little one is so adorable with his eyepatch, I can''t believe you made that yourself!

Kaleigh, thank you so much. We are doing great!

Tao, yea for a full night''s sleep!

Ebree, thank you!

Mara, thank you. Oh and I''m with you on not feeling that hungry...I have to make sure I am eating enough although oddly enough I haven''t lost a pound in 2 weeks or so...I think my body might be holding onto the weight since I''m BF.

Pandora, thanks for the signs to look out for with dehydration.

Hi, Lizzy!

PG, yea for running...I can''t wait to slowly get back into running...just have to wait 2 1/2 more weeks to get clearance from the doc!

 

[gingerB]

omg you ladies are so awesome. i swear, i just got more useful info on here with one post than i did googling the net for 2 days.

mandarine - pretty pretty! did you see vesper''s pp? she posted it on the preggers thread -- also diamonds and sapphire and oh so gorgeous.

snlee - yeah, it is day 5 (now 6) and i''m prob anxious. it is increasing. i''m trying to be patient.

fiery - hadn''t heard about the apple juice. will def add that to my regimen

november bride - i''m trying to contact the local la leche league, hopefully i can get someone who can come to the hose and help. didn''t think about insurance paying for it. will def check it out.

blenheim - i LOVE the pirate eye patch and how you''re making this into a fun thing for him. and george''s grin is a heart melter for sure!

phoenix girl - i''m in your sister''s category right now as i''m exclusively pumping due to latch issues. after talking to some other mommies, i think you''re right about the 20 minutes apply to post breast feeding pumpers and the exclusive pumpers can go longer? it def takes me 30-40 minute to even get close to emptying. question: does your sil work? how did she keep up with EPing if she does/did?

mara - thanks for posting your story. it makes me feel better to hear someone i "know"

who went through something similar and is working things out. i am def trying to take it a day at a time, one problem at a time. right now i''m focusing on increasing my milk supply and making sure i have good let down and flow. BFing was so traumatizing for both me and him i''m really scared to strat trying again. i''m also trying to save my nipples for the pump as i''m going at it around the clock and part of the latch issues involves him tearing up my nipples. hopefully i can wrap my mind around trying again soon with a good lactation consultant''s help. and knowing he''s adequaely fed will def lessen the pressure and anxiety and hoepfully will help us both relax and make it a positive experience again. right now i''m just enjoying feeding him my BM from a bottle and knowing at least he''s getting the breast milk and we are both enjoying the time together. i''m curious about these shields. the LC at the hospital never mentioned them. i wonder if this could help me. ditto on the not feeling well and trying to deal with all this. multiple time i''ve thought that if i was physically feeling better, mentally i could handle the BFing issues more easily and move faster on that front. oh and i have the same pumping/lack of appetite thingy. i''ll be starving, but then have no desire to finish my meal despite knowing i''m prob still hungry. weird.

pandora - thanks for commiserating on the down-there damage. healing slowly and the sitting in water def is helping (when i can find the time to do it that is!) wow, 3 weeks...that must have been so tough. it makes me teary just reading that you spilled that milk, i spilled just a portion of some yesterday and it just KILLED me to see all that work and nutrtion seeping away. i like the idea of trying switching between bfing one day and pumping the next. will def try that. oh and ditto on the hospital nurses/LCs. i kept telling them that A was not peeing and that is mouth is bone dry and i have NO MILK. but all they kept saying was i''m not trying ENOUGH. talk about destroying a new mother. it just got me more and more anxious and freaked out and resentful. i kept letting him chomp on me to no avail and i got torn up, he got NOTHING and we were both crying.

steph - LOVE that pic of your two handsome boys!!

========================================

i''m starting to see my supply pick up. he had his first feeding today where finally he got more BM than formula

. i thought i was finally starting to catch up to him, but his last feeding he just upped his intake again. my little piggy

.

he''s doing this thing now where it looks like he''s working on his smile muscles. its'' so fascinating seeing their neuro systems develop. his startle is def less pronounced now. initially he was doing only these snide smirky thing and frowns with his mouth that made him look like this angry little old man (so cute!) but in the last two days, he progressed from this one-sided mischievous smile thing to a two sided stop-a-mama''s-heart smile and occ i catch a full on heart-melting-i-would-do-anything to see again grin. i know it''s just muscle twitching/practice and it''s not a REAL smile yet, but oh my goodness it just turns me and hubbs into a puddle.

 

[Pandora II]

Date: 2/22/2010 2:51:07 AM
Author: gingerB

pandora - thanks for commiserating on the down-there damage. healing slowly and the sitting in water def is helping (when i can find the time to do it that is!) wow, 3 weeks...that must have been so tough. it makes me teary just reading that you spilled that milk, i spilled just a portion of some yesterday and it just KILLED me to see all that work and nutrtion seeping away. i like the idea of trying switching between bfing one day and pumping the next. will def try that. oh and ditto on the hospital nurses/LCs. i kept telling them that A was not peeing and that is mouth is bone dry and i have NO MILK. but all they kept saying was i''m not trying ENOUGH. talk about destroying a new mother. it just got me more and more anxious and freaked out and resentful. i kept letting him chomp on me to no avail and i got torn up, he got NOTHING and we were both crying.

Oh gosh, you sound just like I felt the first weeks. I remember very vividly sitting there with nipples chewed to pieces desperately trying to feed a screaming baby through the pain and just sobbing. Euugghhh!

Trust me, it WILL get easier and better and in a few weeks time it will all seem like a bad dream!

Getting some nipple shields might be a good idea - they really help with the pain of chomped-up nipples. They didn''t work for me as I still had no milk, but at least they made the attempt a lot less painful!

I do wonder sometimes about the people who advise on breast-feeding. Most of the nurses in the hospital didn''t have kids and seem to have been conned into believing the whole "it''s pain-free as long as you get the latch right" b*llocks! I reckon most of the girls on this thread would make pretty darn good LCs!

 

[rockpaperscissors67]

Hi ladies...

We had a crazy weekend and so far today is shaping up to be more of the same!

Ginger, congrats on Aiden''s arrival! He''s a cutie! Everyone has given you such good advice re: breastfeeding so far. I''m going to give you a list of things you can do to increase your supply -- please ignore that I will probably repeat some things that have already been posted.

What kind of pump do you have? A good one will make a huge difference, so if you have a Medela or Ameda, that''s great.

Your pumping output now is great! It''s NORMAL to be able to pump between .5-3 oz. in a pumping session that''s in place of a nursing. You also just started pumping and it can take a bit for your body to learn to respond to the pump. I''m not sure why the recommendation is to only pump for 20 minutes, but IME, not much happens after 20 minutes. Another method you could try is pump 10, rest 10, pump 10.

The things you''re doing to prepare for pumping are great! You can also try: before hooking up, lean forward and shake your boobs back and forth a couple of times; do massage and breast compression during pumping; smell some clothing that Aiden has worn.

Don''t forget to drink lots of fluids. This is a huge problem for a lot of women in the post-partum period because they just flat out forget to hydrate with everything else that''s going on. Try to pour a drink for yourself every single time you sit down to nurse! I don''t believe it only has to be water (although water IS good for you!), but I think it''s good to limit caffeinated drinks just because it could dehydrate you and some babies can be sensitive to too much caffeine.

Supply boosters:

Oatmeal -- A bowl of steel-cut oatmeal once a day works to boost some women''s supply. I also have a recipe for oatmeal cookies that supposedly boost supply and can post that if you want.

Fenugreek -- Can be found at GNC. Dose starts at 3 capsules 3 times a day but you can go up to 4 capsules 3 times a day. You should take enough so that your sweat and urine smells like maple syrup.

Motherlove''s More Milk, More Milk Plus and More Milk Special Blend -- These are all herbal concoctions for boosting supply; they contain herbs like fenugreek, nettles, blessed thistle, goat''s rue. I think they can only be ordered online and are sort of expensive, but seem to work for the majority (but not all) of women. You can get either capsules or tincture. I''ve used both and prefer the tincture.

And then there''s the mother of all boosters: domperidone. It''s not available here in the US unless you get an rx and have it filled at a compounding pharmacy -- and if you do that, it''s very expensive because most insurances will not cover it and you need a pretty large quantity of pills. The usual dose is 3 10 mg. pills 3 times a day but some women need to go to 4 10 mg. pills 3 times a day. A lot of women that use this order it from an overseas pharmacy.

The US "twin" of domperidone is reglan, but I recommend that women stay far away from this, especially if you''ve ever had problems with depression because one of the major side effects is depression. The other major side effect is tardive dyskinesia.

Since you do want to work toward breastfeeding, I highly recommend seeing an IBCLC. You really need someone who can work with you and Aiden in person.

Some of the things you can do to encourage him to latch on without actually trying to latch him on are: lots of skin to skin contact (strip him down to the diaper and take your shirt and bra off, then cuddle up together), wearing him in a sling, taking a bath together.

I would keep trying to latch him, too, but make sure to do it when he''s not really hungry because you''ll both get more frustrated. It''s easier to work with them when they''re in the light sleep phase.

I hope that helps some! I will keep thinking about things you can try and I''ll be back to post more later!

I''ve been up since 4 a.m. and have only gotten KID things done! I fed Ben several times, pumped twice, got the teenagers off to the bus stop, got the toddler dressed and out the door with Dad, got the 9 year old ready -- including braiding hair, which I''m terrible at, changed Ben''s clothes...and now I have to get ready to take my older daughter to the orthodontist! I did listen to our staff meeting this morning and am thankful for the Mute button because during that 1/2 hour, I was feeding Ben and pumping at the same time and then had to run off to the bathroom. Sheesh. I''m going to end up working late tonight to make up for this morning.

 

[phoenixgirl]

Ginger, no, my SIL does not work. I actually think she has created a sort of vicious cycle with the pumping, though. We visited them when Claire was 12 weeks and their LO was 5 weeks. She was pumping 5 ounces at a time every three hours, so 40 ounces a day. So all the pumping she was doing seemed to upping her supply so much that her body thought she had twins! I guess you should just pump enough to have about 25 ounces per day?

Off to pump!

 

[NovemberBride]

RPS - great advice on pumping and increasing supply. I do feel the need to comment though and advise everyone not to order anything from an overseas pharmacy. I worked with the FDA in pharmaceuticals for a number of years and some of the cases we saw of drugs in overseas pharmacies would turn your stomach. First, you have no idea what you are getting - there are tons of counterfeit drugs out there, it is a much bigger problem than the public realizes. We had cases of pills that were made from all sorts of things other than what they were supposed to be. Second, the manufacture of drugs is tightly controlled in the US (sterile conditions, etc). We saw cases where drugs were manufactured in filthy conditions, in barns, rodent infested factories, etc. Of course, this is not to say that all overseas pharmacies are bad, of course there are reputable pharmacies throughout the world and other countries have their own equivalents of the FDA. But any pharmacy that will fill a foreign prescription submitted via the internet is not likely to be following all the guidelines or obtaining their drugs from reputable sources. Sorry to get on my soapbox, but I have seen how dangerous ordering drugs online can be, and I''d hate for any of the women here to take that risk, especially those that are nursing newborns.

 

[fieryred33143]

RPS-I cannot imagine waking up at 4am to do kid stuff

.

****

We took Sophia to a park for the first time this weekend and decided to do her birthday there. I loved it! 150 acres of land, 15 pavilions, two adult pools and one massive kiddie pool, ponies, a train station, a bunch of outdoor activities. Awesome place. We''d probably rent a large pavilion (am I spelling that right? LOL) and just do a bbq for 2 to 3 hours and then everyone can go off and do their own thing. It''s only $50 to rent but we have to book now because the summer weekends are almost all gone. I was planning for 4th of July weekend but now I''m thinking either the weekend before or a couple of weekends after.

Here''s Sophia on the swing. It''s the only smile we got out of her. The rest of the time she was trying to figure out how to climb out of it

:

 

[gingerB]

rps - i am so unbelievably gratefull you're on this forum! i have the medela freestyle and i think it's doing ok. i'm pumping 30 to forty minute right now, basically aiming to empty my boobs plus about 5 more minutes to trick them into making more. i'm getting about 2 oz per session right now pumping 7-8 times a day. i confess that hydrating has def been a problem. the thought of using the bathroom right now still makes me tense up and subcosciously i avoid fluids. but i'm willing to do this for my baby so right now i'm a'chugging as i type.

. question, what is IBC? i figure LC is lactation consultant. oh and yes please for the oatmeal cookies recipe. i am doing the breast massage and the picture thing and the sniffing of his yummy little head. i'm going to start the skin to skin thing when he's in that sleepy food coma phase. thanks for all the advice, i will def try them.

pandora - i agree. i've goten better advice here than i did with the official LCs at the hospital

phoenix girl - omg, i can't wait until i can pump 5 oz at a time

november bride - thanks for the heads up on overseas pharmacies. that's really scary.

fiery - what a cutie!! i love love big open wide mouthed grins

 

[Mara]

re: LC''s at the local hospital etc... yeah i have heart stories about how nazi they can be about bf. we were very lucky to have an LC that was excellent both in her advice and her attitude. i think a lot of times they have similar advice but if their attitude is horrible (aka you aren''t trying hard enough or you are doing it wrong or you shouldn''t be doing THIS etc) then you just don''t want to listen to them or it frustrates you because you aren''t being heard. ginger does your hospital have any type of newborn club/lounge/area where you can go specifically for breastfeeding? most of the hospitals around here have some version of this and typically it''s included and almost required (aka we had to make an appt at the newborn lounge for 24 hours after we left the hospital, it was required for discharge)... Greg thinks they really just want to be sure that everyone (mom, dad, baby) is doing ok and screen for any warning signs etc. if you don''t have this option, i''d def get an LC that will come to your house and pay for it. we would have def gone this route if we didn''t have the hospital option.

and i know this might sound trite but stick with it however it works for you. i was totally where you are just three weeks ago and a lot of the ladies here told me the same things. at the time you think ''seriously i don''t know'' and def don''t feel any pressure to go faster than you are ready and make yourself cry...i totally am on board with what you said re: positive experience for you both. neither you nor he wants to be frustrated and having a bad experience. that is why when i got him to latch with shields, i was ecstatic and not all gung ho about giving it up, like you i just wanted him to get the BM however he could. btw the LC''s typically don''t mention the shields because they don''t really want you going that route. my LC just asked where i got it and made note of it on her paperwork (i saw it later, said ''friend gave her shield'')...and then worked to try to get him off the shield. but it took us maybe a good week to get him off the shield. and i know some PS moms have used them the entire time they BF. it''s not a bad thing at all, just do whatever WORKS and whatever is going to be fun and positive for you both. there is plenty of time later to learn how to perfect things.

i KNEW that BF was going to be hard just from reading about it here and in books, and it wasn''t as hard for us as i have read for other people, but i don''t think even if you know it''s going to be hard that anything really prepares you for being in the thick of it, esp with your mental state, hormones, your healing..and like you said...many times i thought ''gee if i just felt better or more mobile or like i could be more physical...this would be easier''.

and ginger, seriously re: not trying hard enough...even if it WAS true, that is YOUR perogative. as the mom you can determine what you want to have happen. i wanted to go with baby steps, none of this stressful ''lets try to make it perfect asap''. we had formula at first. ok, my first thing was ''get him on breast milk''. if pumping is the easiest/fastest, lets go that route. so we did. then we tried latching. not working so well. try the shields. really i think that moms have to work on their own timeline of comfort. all the amped up emotions and hormones that go into something like that, really people should just back off and let the moms come to their own conclusions in their own time. i am really sorry you had a crap experience.

on another note, RPS i wanted to report back on the Ameda PY. i used it for the first time yest. it seems just as good as the hospital pump, strength wise and the setup/system is the same. the only thing is that it has this irritating beep as it draws/pulls... i guess you get used to it but it''s def not a quiet machine. i do love that it''s really tiny and can be tossed into any bag basically. but yeah i am pretty happy for what i spent!

re: BF''ing and eating, i googled and apparently the nausea is from some hormone your body produces, thanks body! totally goes against eating more but ok hehee. and whoever said that they think their body is hanging onto weight (steph?) because they aren''t eating enough, i totally agree. i notice that when i have a huge meal the night before or eat way more then the next day i lose a lb or two. but if i don''t keep it up, then i am back up a lb or two. i have lost 22 lbs and still have about 15 to go, and i am sure that it''s lack of exercise and the not eating enough cals that is keeping the weight on. on a plus note my belly is almost totally flat again... but my HIPS and butt, that is where it''s all hiding. ay carumba!!! damn those latin genes! oh yeah and my **** star boobs.

on a baby note... J is more and more alert as the days pass. or he tries to be anyway. last nite he slept 3.5 hour stretches only... which is ok. it was also our last nite before greg returned to work (this morning) so we are trying a routine where i put J down, then G gets up for the 1-2am feeding, then i get up for the 5-6am feeding. i hope that this works for G because it really does help me to have to not get up for the middle of the night feeding (the hardest for me)...but he thinks he will be ok with it as he is used to operating on less sleep since he had some grueling 5am rowing schedule 2-3x a week (before baby). but we''ll see. i don''t want him comatose at work, esp since i can sleep during the day with J.

random Q but is it normal at this stage (today marks the start of our 4th week) for J to be awake/active alert for 30-45 min stretches only before becoming fussy and having to nap? i would imagine so but i feel like i am just moving him between bouncer and boppy and swing to keep him entertained and then put him to sleep. btw our kid has hardly any ''quiet alert'' time...he''s a mover and shaker..i know it''s karma from when i was a handful as a kid.

 

[gingerB]

mara - i think we were posting at the same time. your advice isn''t trite it is spot on, it took me a while to come to that realization. right now i am just grateful that i KNOW he is getting fed and that at least about 50% of his intake is breastmilk. this let''s me relax a bit and not feel that mad rush to get things just perfect right away. outside of continuously trying to increase my supply, my next step is to slowly re-introduce the boob under non-stressful situation. i do have to confess i am a little scared as my nipples are just now healing from his prior attempts. i''m going to look into those nipple shields. that may mentally help me prepare. i know that if i''m tense, he can feel it and tense up too, so i don''t want to feel scared. our hospital does not have any lounge thing and outpt LC visits cost money. i dodn''t really like the ones i me t while inpt, so unlikely i''d go with them anyhow. i''m going to just start calling around and see who i can find. no kidding about the not being prepared. no matter how much you tell yourself it''s going to be hard beforehand, nothing compares to the reality of it when you''re going through it.

 

[so cal girl]

Just jumping on with a real quick question. For those BFing moms whose babies STTN, does your milk to start to regulate itself so that you are not making as much at night? Does that affect your supply during the day?

Little E is finally starting to get the hang of this sleep thing. Last night he slept from 9:30 all the way thru to 6:00 this morning! I was ecstatic, but also a little bit in pain. I fed him at 6:30 this morning, and was already feeling engorged again by 9:30. I usually only pump every 4 hours at work, but I ended up needing to pump at 10:00 because I couldn''t handle it anymore. I ended up pumping 15oz! No wonder I was in pain!

Will this start to relieve itself naturally? I''m concerned that if the milk production goes down at night, it may also go down during the day, when he is still eating every 4 or so hours. Any input from the BTDT moms?

 

[steph72276]

Aww, Fiery she melts my heart...what a sweet smile! Aren''t you guys enjoying this great FL weather??