2016 May Miracles

[NZKiwi]

Good luck em, I hope baby turns, and how exciting that you are meeting your lo so soon!!!!

I have two outfits for baby depending on his size, one in newborn and one 0-3 months, I like your idea em of using it as a keep sake for him

Drjo that's adorable and such a sweet tradition!!!

AFM my birthing pool and accessories got delivered, my just in case hospital bag is packed, now it's really just a waiting game, been getting braxton Hicks and feeling more pressure but that's it

 

[TTDuck]

Quick update. Water broke and am now at the hospital. Was dilated to 3.5, 70% effaced. Having regular contractions that are just a little uncomfortable.

 

[mrsmax]

All is well, I'll write a huge post soon!!! Been having a hard time with vomiting and then they gave me Phenergan iv and I've been in and out all day hallucinating and such..
So she is beautiful and healthy, born at 8:13am 7#5oz and 19" long!!!

Popping in to see if any of lovely may momma's have had their babies. Congratulations Pinknshebis gorgeous!!! So pleased for you xx

 

[Em260]

TTDuck - yay good luck!! Wishing a smooth and speedy delivery for you!

Baker - thanks for the tips I will definitely give that a try. I keep forgetting that you are team yellow! So exciting!

Drjo - that is so sweet! I would love to have what I wore home from the hospital to put the baby in. Hope you're feeling well.

NZKiwi - isn't it a great feeling to have everything done and just be waiting for baby? We're so close!

 

[bakerh518]

Drjo that is so sweet,

NZK: awesome you have everything ready to go!! Won't be long now! I definitely have noticed an increase in bh and pressure as well!

TTDUCK I hope you are progressing well and you lo will be here soon!!

Afm we thought maybe last night was the night as I had just an over all sickly/movement feeling but nothing! hopefully it was baby getting into a better position! Laundry & yoga ball bouncing today

 

[Spiffynoodles]

Congrats, Pink, Flossie, and Cookie!

TTDuck, I hope labor is progressing and you meet your little one soon!

Em and Baker, I hope your babies get into better positons!

As for me, Levi is 2.5 weeks old now, and doing great. He still sleeps a lot, and loves to be held whenever he's awake, which can be tricky with my other kids!

 

[NZKiwi]

Awww hello little Levi! He looks so snuggly!

Good luck ttduck! Look forward to an update

 

[TTDuck]

Bridgit arrived at 6:30 this morning. She was 7lb 15oz and 20". Her big sister came to meet her and was a bit overwhelmed by everything but was talking about it later after she left the hospital! The active part of labor was only about 2 hours and my DH came close to passing out she's sleeping lots so I'm working on catching up in zzs!

 

[bakerh518]

TTDUCK congratulations!! She is lovely!! definitely catch those zzz!

Levi is just so cute!! Can't believe he's over two weeks!

 

[sugargully]

TTDUCK and Cookie congratulations!! Over the moon for you both!

Spiffy Levi looks like he loves snuggling his mama!

Afm: feeling nausea at least once a day. And feeling a lot more low pressure. Sometimes I can feel baby near my pubic bone when I put my hand in that area. I think the doctor will definately say there's been some progress on Thursday if we make it that far.

 

[ja14]

The babies are coming fast now!

My LO will be 1 week old tomorrow- Crazy!

Not sure if I mentioned the breastfeeding issues here, but I think he's wasn't really getting anything. I made the decision to pump yesterday morning and start feeding him bottles. Glad I did, because when we weighed him today at his appt, he's lost nearly a pound.
I'm continuing to give him bottles, to make sure he eats, but I'm also working with him at the breast too. Now that they aren't engorged, he actually seems to be doing better.
Now my concern is my supply. Hoping it increases soon.

 

[drjo718]

Ja, I also have breastfeeding issues. First my LO had a tongue tie, which we fixed at the hospital. She was 7lb5oz at birth, and then didn't pass any stool for 4 days. I called the peds office twice with concern and was wrongly told it was fine. When I was readmitted to the hospital the following Monday we weighed her, and she was down to 6lb1oz, a 20% loss. I started supplementing her with formula at the breast via a feeding system, and she was up to 7lb1oz at her 2 week appointment. I did a weighed feeding last week and still have to supplement bc I just can't produce enough. I'm taking fenugreek to increase my supply, and am going to try lactation cookies. I also pump after daytime feedings and hand express to try to stimulate production. If you have any suggestions or find something that works for you, please share!

 

[Spiffynoodles]

Ja and Drjo, I've been feeding Levi formula from the get-go because I have productions issues, and I don't want to put myself through that torture again, just to end up feeding formula anyway. He was 6lbs 10oz at birth, and at his 2 week appointment he was up to 6lbs 15oz, so even though I felt some guilt for not breastfeeding, at this point, I'm just glad he's actually getting as much food as he wants. Breastfeeding is so much harder than people make it out to be.

 

[bakerh518]

We welcomed William James this morning! First contraction was at 1:38am, we got to the hospital around 6am and I was 5 dilated, at 8:12 I started pushing and 8:33 he was here!!
https://i1081.photobucket.com/albums/j351/baker_h/6698F52C-CF02-4D8C-84BB-4ECB49F4C9B6.jpg

 

[Spiffynoodles]

Congrats, Baker! He's adorable! And look at all that hair! Were you and DH surprised that it was another boy?

 

[ja14]

bakerh518- He's a cutie! Congratulations!

Breastfeeding is defiantly the hardest part! I was prepared for labor, delivery, and recovery to be hard so it actually seemed easy after it was all said and done. Wasn't really expecting breastfeeding to be hard though, because I feel like I "know" a lot. Knowing it and doing it is not the same though. :/
Another surprisingly hard thing is the fact that he sleeps through the night! I would have never imagined that would be a problem So today and yesterday he missed we missed out on a feeding/pumping session, because I didn't wake up from my phone alarm.
Also, my husband offered to wash my pump parts last night, and ripped one of the valves, so I can only single pump until my replacements come in in two days. So it takes twice the time day. Stressful!

I defiantly don't feel like giving up, but it is frustrating.

 

[NZKiwi]

Wow Baker congratulations, he is adorable!! Sounds like a nice speedy labor too!

The babies are coming fast! AFM I have had loose bowel movements and vomiting then is started getting contractions that were 25 mins apart but I went to sleep and they stopped, I'm hoping it still might mean labour is close but who knows

 

[TTDuck]

Congrats baker! He's a cutie!

 

[ja14]

For those of you who are interested in all the details, I posted my birth story on my blog. Click here for the link!

 

[Em260]

Baker - congratulations!!! He is so cute! Look at all of that hair!

Ja and Drjo - I found breastfeeding to be so much more difficult than pregnancy, labor, and delivery. It really was the toughest part of the whole journey for me. Hang in there it does get easier. I feel like 3 weeks was a turning point for me and 6 weeks was even better. My daughter was such a sleepy newborn so I had to pump a lot too because she wasn't emptying my breasts enough. I feel like pumping so much in the beginning really set me up to have a better supply. Get one of these hands free pumping bras if you don't already have one. I used this one: https://www.amazon.com/Simple-Wishes-Hands-Free-Breastpump-X-Small-Large/dp/B00295MQLU

It actually holds the flanges on tighter and made a difference for me in how much milk I could pump. Plus having my hands free made pumping less annoying for me. Also, massaging my beasts while pumping increased the amount of milk I could pump too. This is a really good video to demonstrate how to do that: https://newborns.stanford.edu/Breastfeeding/MaxProduction.html

I bought a couple of extra sets of pump parts so I could just soak them in a bowl after using them and then wash them all at once at night. That saved me time during the day instead of trying to wash them in between each feeding/pumping session.

Lactation cookies are good, mother's milk tea, and I ate a big bowl of oatmeal every morning. Also hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! I noticed a big difference when I made sure to drink a ton of water each day.

I supplemented with formula the first few weeks until my supply regulated and my daughter got the hang of breastfeeding. Supplementing doesn't mean you won't go on to be able to breastfeed so don't stress too much. I was so scared that giving her formula and bottles would mean she would never breastfeed. But that wasn't the case for us at all. What matters most is that your baby is being fed.