2014 April Rainbows

[Lisa85]

Lindsay, we have Elena in a bassinet in our room at night and i just wheel it in and out as required. I move it out into the lounge room during the day. She really only sleeps well in there. She doesn't seem to want to sleep with me.

Klmenke, I think you are the only one left pregnant!! hopefully that does the trick and you'll be a mummy very soon! Do you know approximately how big she is??

Vietmamsie, my OH isn't much of a complainer but he has started to get used to the disturbed sleep at night. I think he's learning to sleep through the noise. He seems to wake up briefly when i come back in the room at night but he doesn't seem to be as tired anymore. Hopefully your DH will adjust to. Do you feed her in your room at night or take her out?
I go out into the lounge room to feed her and then go back in once she's nearly asleep. I use that time to check this forum.

We are some of OH friends here atm... makes me a little uncomfortable looking after Elena while they are here. She keeps waking up... I'm assuming because of the unfamiliar voices in the house.

 

[ebonymama]

hi ladies,
i'm jus stopping by to say hi.....i am so so exhausted...no rest in the night...kinda jus getting 3 hr sleep here n there.....

congrats on the arrival of the new babies......

lil one sleeping now so i goin n join her now for much needed as well....

 

[Kasey84]

Thanks ladies! We're finally home from hospital today and sooo glad!

Second night in hospital was really rough. Luke was not latching well so we supplemented with formula. Unfortunately he wasn't taking that well either...gagging, vomiting and diarrhea. Nurses and doctors all had different opinions on what was wrong and I was so emotional and overwhelmed. Nothing worse then seeing your baby hungry but unable to keep anything down anyway, I've pumped colostrum and made some changes to formula feedings (smaller amounts, slow flow nipple) and he's doing so much better thank god! I think it was all made worse by the fact that I can't jump up and comfort him like I want due to the c-section.

Any tips/advice for c-section recovery? Best sleeping position? It's going ok but I hate that I can't do much. OH has been a saviour and has been taking care of us both. I feel so guilty but he's reassuring and doesn't complain one bit. He's loving fatherhood and can't get enough of Luke!

He's a very happy baby. Generally only cries when he's hungry and being changed/washed. He loves to snuggle but will also sleep in his bassinet on his own.

KLMenke- Sounds like things may be progressing for you at last! Hoping you have your baby in your arms soon. Keep us posted!

 

[vietmamsie]

kasey - that was the hardest part about the first few day... not able to be the mom i had hoped to be. I hated that i couldn't really comfort her when she cried. Or pick her up... but it gets better! by day 4 i was much more mobile and by day 6 DH was back at work, so i was doing everything.

I am glad you are starting to figure things out with luke. in the hospital i had really sore nipples and it made feeding really hard, but things got better quickly! coming home was a major turning point. Everything was just magically better!

As for sleeping - i have a small flap of skin/fat hanging over my incision which still makes side sleep uncomfortable. It feels like it is pulling too much. I slept sitting up until about a week ago. now i like to lay flat on my back, but its hard to get back up from laying down! I have to grab my knee and rock my body up.

AFM, feeding frenzy over here... we seem to have an every other day thing going on... one good night of sleep followed by an easy day, then BAM - fussy feeding baby all day ad night long. going off three hours of sleep right now... Dreaming of the 8 hours i got the night before!

 

[Lisa85]

Ebony, hope you can get some more rest soon!

Kasey, i didn't like the hospital much either... getting so much different advice was so frustrating. Glad it going better now. are you still mix feeding or is luke starting to latch better?
i think i was sleeping on my side and back straight away after the op. Biggest tip from me is get some shape wear the goes right up to the under the boobs. I lived in it days and night for weeks. Makes life much easier.
He's such a cute boy... congratulations again!!

Vietmamsie, that flap at the incision goes away. i had it on both outer sides and its pretty flat now. The incision in the middle is completely flat and looking pretty good already. The sides are taking a bit longer... i think the stitches on the outer corners are still dissolving because thats where they knot them.
If lucy can get long blocks of sleep every now and then i bet it won't be long before she is doing it more and more. Elena is going 7-9 hours between feeds at night now from about 7-8pm.

 

[Karinama98]

KASEY: Congrats! Sorry to hear you ended up having an emergency C-section, but now you have your baby in your arms. Here's hoping you have a fast recovery.

KLMENKE: Definitely let us know how your sweeping went. I know when I left the doctor's office I had a hard time walking straight (man it hurt), and I skipped taking the stairs at work because of it. I started experiencing contractions about 10 hours after having it done, but they only felt like cramps at that time. Then I realized it was probably contractions.

As for sleeping arrangements for our LO, we use a Pack N Play that we move from our room to the living room on a daily basis. It also has a changing station on it, so most of the time we change her there instead of her changing table in her room. It has been working out pretty well.

I know I posted on Facebook about my sleeping habits since she's been in our lives, and everyone changed the subject to suggesting we try cosleeping. While I give credit to those who do, it's something DH and I are not interested in doing. On a nightly basis I am constantly dreaming I'm feeding Amber or taking care of her. I wake up multiple times a night thinking I'm either 1) holding her, 2) feeding her, 3) looking for her in the sheets/blankets/etc. Two nights ago I actually picked up our smaller dog (who sleeps in our bed nightly), and was trying to feed him (thinking it was our LO). I woke my husband up asking him to get a burp cloth because the "baby" was spitting up - he thought I was crazy lol. I feel bad for him because at least two times a night he has to remind me that she's sleeping in her Pack N Play. Sometimes I believe him, sometimes I don't and actually go and look. If she were to be actually in our bed, I'd be afraid I'd hurt her accidently in my sleep.

As for the husband/significant complaints we all seem to be having, I did vent to LO's pediatrician about it when she asked if we're getting enough sleep. She went on to tell me a story about when she and her husband had their first child. She said after 3-4 weeks she reached rock bottom in terms of what she was capable of doing while he was off living his life the same before the baby. So even medical practitioners who know what it is definitely like can't prevent their significant others from slacking off.

But since my heated discussion with DH last week about things he has been a lot better about helping me at night. Granted, Amber is a perfect angel on a daily basis....until 10 pm every night. Lately she's been having huge crying fits from 10 pm to sometimes 1 am. In theory, I think it's gas, but it's so hard to know what's going on. It has been extremely frustrating at time, and sometimes she sounds like she's being murdered. Last night I had to walk away for a bit because I found myself getting angry about her screaming. DH took over for me at that point because I just couldn't handle it. Here's to hoping it gets better before it gets worse. It hurts me seeing her in pain.

Have a few friends stopping by to meet her today, so need to get my day started. Hoping all are well!

 

[Lisa85]

Karina, not sure if this is helpful but at about 3 weeks Elena started fussing a lot more and i thought it was gas pain to so i started with gripe water and started to give her a dummy to help sooth her when she was in pain which worked quite well.
A week later i worked out the gripe water wasn't making any difference. Im pretty sure in the end i wasn't burping her well enough so i started making sure i burped her a few times a feed and kept her upright for about 20 minutes after the feed and she has been much better. She hasn't been crying in what looks like pain since then.
I know people frown upon the dummy but really it does help and at this age thy generally aren't that interested in it. Elena only takes it when she is upset and then she spits it out after she calms down.

 

[Karinama98]

Lisa - we usually try to burp her a few times during feedings, and since her doctor visit Friday we are trying to keep her upright for at least 20 minutes as well. What I have been finding with her is I think her lower digestive track is where the issues are because once she has a BM during her fussing she's better (or if she belches).

And a "dummy"? Is that a pacifier? Not too familiar with Australian terms for things.

 

[Lindsay109]

KLMenke, any news yet?

Vietmamsie, thanks for describing your sleeping arrangement. I've been thinking if I'm going to have Rowan in our bed then I'll have to get a bed rail of some type. DH is a bit nervous about having him in the bed but I think I might try bringing him in after DHgets up for work and see if we can get a bit more sleep that way. We've got the "feeding frenzy" thing going on here too, I think he must be growing or trying to increase my supply.

Lisa, that's great that Elena will sleep well in her bassinet. Rowan seems to sleep best on or near a warm body. We have his crib by my side of the bed but he still doesn't like going back to the crib after night feeds anymore.

Ebony, I hope you can get some more sleep soon!

Kasey, how are things going now that you're home? I found things really improved once I finally got home. As far as sleeping, I have found it most comfortable to sleep with a pillow in front of my tummy and lie on my side leaning on the pillow. Glad your OH is helping you out, it makes a really big difference doesn't it?

Karina, Rowan has been having some crying fits as well that I think are related to gass as well as they come and go quite suddenly and seem to get better after he passes gas or poops. It's hard to watch though as nothing I do seems to make it better, it breaks my heart. We've tried giving him gripe watert the last couple days and it seems to have helped a bit.

AFM, I'm continually surprised how I am still managing with so little sleep. I'm usually a person who needs a solid 8 hours in order to function and I'm not getting anywhere near that. DH is going back to work tomorrow so it'll be abit of an adjustment for both of us, gonna have to take more naps when baby naps rather than passing him off to DH for a couple hours. Rowan is doing well and is now up to 7 lbs . He's been more fussy the last few days which has been challenging, but he's also awake and alert a lot more than he was, and starting to be more interactive which is a lot of fun

 

[Lisa85]

Haha!! Yes sorry a dummy is a pacifier. I try to use US words where i know you're different. I thought dummy was a universal terms.

 

[vietmamsie]

Lindsay - Bring him in the bed! I am sure how we bed share isn't totally 'safe' but it works for us. She really sleeps best ON me.. Plus my life is so much better if she can just feed while I sleep. So she is usually just across my chest one way or another. I hold her there with an arm propped up on a pillow. I think when you are a mom you never really SLEEP... one little noise or movement and I am totally alert, so not really worried about her slipping or falling. We are both skin to skin as she usually just sleeps in a diaper and I am generally just in a bra, so our skin sort of sticks together anyways.

Totally feel you on the whole sleep issue. I don't seem to be sleeping much, but somehow have been holding it all together alright. Some nights are good, others aren't. Usually I get a nap in during the day to balance it all out.

 

[KLMenke]

Hey ladies, the past 32 hours have been quite eventful for me. I started having contractions at 1:30am yesterday morning that were consistent enough to time. I also had the wonderful "bloody show" at 6:30 (yuckkk). By 7am I woke up dh since the contractions were 5-7 mins apart for an hr straight, which the dr said I should go in at that point. So I showered and called labor and delivery. They told me the contractions should be closer to 2-3 mins apart and I should try taking a warm bath (pointless after just taking a hot shower), try some tylenol, and relax (I was laying down the entire time I was having contractions). Sure enough, they slowed way down to the point where I could take a couple naps throughout the day. I also drank 4 cups of red raspberry leaf tea, as ive heard good things about that helping bring on contractions. All night last night, I felt contractions getting more and more painful. I didnt time them since I was trying to sleep in between, and I knew they weren't close enough anyway. Since ive been awake, so 50 mins or so, ive had about 6 really painful contractions. I really hope my body isnt tricking me again! If not, i get induced tomorrow morning at 6am. Come on baby girl!

 

[Lisa85]

KLmenke, hoping the contractions get closer together and you're baby girl will be here soon. Good luck!!! Look forward to hearing your birth story.

Vietmamsie, the together time with Lucy sounds lovely. I know what you mean about any noise from LO wakes you up. Im the same.

Lindsay, i must admit although Elena sleep fantastically at night (8 hours last night) I'm jealous of all the cuddles all you ladies get with your LOs. Elena will very rarely fall asleep on me and will usually wake up not long after if she does unless i have her in the wrap.
Its so fun them getting more interactive. I love that Elena really looks at me now and looks like she is trying to work things out and i especially loves that she smiles at me when i talk to her.

 

[Kasey84]

KLMenke- Hope things are progressing! It sounds like you'll have your little girl in your arms soon either way keep us updated!

Lisa- That's awesome that Elena sleeps so well at night! I'm hoping Luke will be the same! It must exciting that she's becoming more interactive. I can't wait to see Luke's personality develop. He's not even a week old yet and he already loves looking around at everything and everyone. He's so curious!

Vietmamsie- It sounds like co-sleeping is working well for you. I'm nervous about doing it, but last night my oh took him in the bed when he would settle in the bassinet. I'm still sleeping on the couch so I didn't know until I went to our bedroom this morning. Apparently it went well and oh said he wasn't as nervous about it as he thought he would be. I'm still hoping he'll sleep mostly in his bassinet, but I guess when your desperate for sleep, you do what you have to do!

AFM- I ended up spending last night in the ER. I was feeling really sick yesterday and my temp spiked really high so oh insisted I go to the ER. Apparently I have a post-op infection. They're thinking endometritis due to my water being broke for 16 hours before the c-section. They aren't totally sure though as test results will take a few days. Either way, I'm on two different antibiotics and hoping this will clear it up quickly. I don't want this infection setting me back in recovering from the section!

 

[Lisa85]

Kasey, they thought i might have endometritis as well. It never got diagnosed officially but from the pain and extra bleeding i had after i came home pointed to that. Some antibiotics and time was all i needed.
I can't remember... are you breastfeeding? I believe having issues after the op was what caused my milk supply to stop/slow down. So keep an eye on it.
Hope you get better soon!

 

[KLMenke]

I'm at the hospital now ladies! 2-3 min apart contractions, dilated to 5, & 100% effaced! Will be back soon to post pics! Eeeeeek!

 

[vietmamsie]

KLM - Wow! Your up! So excited! Your the last one! Can't wait to hear the birth story!

Anyone seen Morgan around BnB? Curious if she had her baby girl yet..

Kasey - I am so sorry about the infection... that sounds awful. Thats the worst part abut c-sections - there can be so many complications after. I hope you get better soon. Are you still in a lot of pain? What kind of meds are you on?

I was lucky and didn't get an infection, but I sure had a major scare... Since I have a flap of skin hanging down over the incision, it was getting a bit moist in there. The cut has totally healed, but the sweat/moisture was causing a bit of a funk. Luckily it was gone within a day of properly cleaning it out and letting it dry. Now I have to make sure it is totally dried out and wash it many times a day. Now that I am wearing corsets and some shapewear tanks, the flap is pulled back allowing it to breath better. My mom is getting me the Belly Bandit as well, so hopefully a few weeks of that will really pull everything back into place!

More on bed sharing - The way I see it with babies is that they spent the last 9 months warm right inside you, so it seems totally normal that they would want to stay near you the first few weeks/months. It would just be more comfortable to hear your heartbeat and be so near to food. The best part is once your baby can actually manage latching on by him/her self in the dark... lucy doesn't have it quite down perfectly, but once I get her on, I can just go back to sleep and she just does her thing until she falls asleep. So go for it! Sleep with your baby on you!

 

[Lisa85]

I went and found Morgan... she's in labour at the moment sounds like--->
https://babyandbump.momtastic.com/pregnancy-buddies/1998023-ttc-beyond-952.html#post32429649

Vietmamsie, hope the flap heals nicely for you.
Sharing your bed with Lucy sounds lovely. It does sounds a lot easier for BF at night and lots of cuddle time.

KLmenke, hope you have your little one in your arms now!!

 

[Lisa85]

How is everyone going? Are you getting enough sleep?

I had my first mothers group yesterday... i was really surprised how lovely all the girls were. I went in thinking if i can connect with at least one woman i will be happy but everyone was really nice and i think its going to be a great group with lots of ladies i could make good friends with.

 

[Kasey84]

Lisa- I think I have more pain and bleeding then I should at this point so I'm thinking endometritis too. I was pumping, but between a low supply, the section and the infection, it became too stressful and he's now formula fed. Where did you feel the pain?

It's nice that you connected with others at the mothers group. I can't wait to get out and her involved with groups!

Vietmamsie- I still have pain. More then I think I should, though it is manageable. I'm taking two different antibiotics for 7 days along with pain meds and something to keep my fever down. I can barely keep it all straight! Hope your incision heals well!

I had the staples in my incision taken out today. Apparently there's an area that's not completely closed yet. The nurse out some sterile strips on to keep it closed and said not be concerned. It kind if freaks me out though and I'm afraid that it won't close properly. Anyone experience this?