January Jellybeans 2013!...

[DittyByrd]

Happy Valentine's Day!

 

[DeedeeBeester]

Happy Valentines Day!

 

[La Mere]

Happy Valentine's Day, my lovely ladies! Hope y'all.are having a love-filled day!

 

[brieri1]

So this morning I got up and said to myself, "my baby is five weeks old today. I need to start working her out of requiring us to sleep if I'm ever gonna have my bed baby free again." So I decided to start with getting her to nap alone. I laid down with her in our bed, one step at a time, and nursed her until she fell asleep. Then I left her there. The first time I did this today, she slept 50 minutes by herself. The second time, 2 1/2 hours! And I left her just over an hour ago for her third nap of the day! I was expecting a really hard day of cranky, not sleeping baby from her waking up every time I left! Maybe she was ready all along and it was us wanting to cuddle her all the time while she was sleeping. Next step will be getting her to sleep in her co-sleeper during the day and then, dare I say it, at night.

 

[mellywelly]

Ladies I need some expert advice! We seem to be in a never ending circle of snacking and napping and I'm about at the end of my tether! Despite seeming to be constantly on my boobs, where he feeds up to an hour, I don't think he's actually taking a lot of milk. This, I think is resulting in him only catnapping, and creating this snack nap cycle. My boobs are so sore, I'm tied to the house and so bloody knackered!!!! I'm feel like I'm about to stop bf, it was so much easier to ff ds, but I know I'll regret it later and feel like I failed again. Any advice please????????

 

[ARuppe716]

Is it just recent and is a growth spurt or always like this? The only thought I had is to top off with formula at some point to see if he will sleep longer and break the cycle? Hopefully it will resolve itself... Hang in there!! The sore boobies are the worst!!

 

[jrowenj]

Good job brier!!!!

Melly i hope its a spurt. I dont have any advice sorry

 

[Lilahbear]

Eva goes through stages of doing this, but it doesn't last. I think its related to her growing. Have you tried expressing and giving a bottle to give your breasts a break. Thats what was suggested to me by the nursery nurse at my breastfeeding group. Hope it eases for you soon and in the meantime keep slapping on the lansinoh.

 

[Lillian33]

Melly I was going to say the same thing as Lilah, perhaps express a bottle & see how that goes. Harry fed what seemed like all day yesterday & did the cat napping thing too, but if its everyday for you I understand you must really need a break!! Goodluck!

 

[mellywelly]

Thanks everyone, its been like this for the best part of a week. Last night he had both boobs and was still rooting for more. Luckily I had some expressed in the fridge, and in the end he had both boobs plus an extra 6oz! Poor lad must have been starving. He then slept from midnight til 5am. Maybe I'm just not making enough milk for him?

 

[Lilahbear]

I think the more the feed the more they stimulate your body to make more so if he is going through a growth spurt maybe this is hus way of asking your body to make more. If it continues and is making you concerned or too sore might be worth speaking to your health visitor or local breast feeding support expert (if you have one) to see what they say. X

 

[Soniamillie01]

Melly - hope you get some rest soon. I've posted that cover

I need some advice too please ladies - Archie was given some junior gavisgon for what they thought was reflux, he was good for the first day and night and now back to the same. When he feeds he is ok to start and then frantic half way through but seems starving and then gets really frantic, arms and legs all over the place and screams. I've tried different teats, different flows, different positions, winding every oz - what am I missing? He doesn't seem like he has colic but I have some gripe water to try, was thinking I'd give this half way through and see if it settles him. Also he has dropped from happily taking 5oz to now struggling with 3oz, and feeds take up to an hour as I have to put him down to wake him up or settle his frantic phase

 

[DittyByrd]

Melly - hope you get some rest soon. I've posted that cover

I need some advice too please ladies - Archie was given some junior gavisgon for what they thought was reflux, he was good for the first day and night and now back to the same. When he feeds he is ok to start and then frantic half way through but seems starving and then gets really frantic, arms and legs all over the place and screams. I've tried different teats, different flows, different positions, winding every oz - what am I missing? He doesn't seem like he has colic but I have some gripe water to try, was thinking I'd give this half way through and see if it settles him. Also he has dropped from happily taking 5oz to now struggling with 3oz, and feeds take up to an hour as I have to put him down to wake him up or settle his frantic phase

Is he FF? Sounds like it. Perhaps it's a lactose sensitivity?

I would try to swaddle him during a feed and see if it helps keep him calm?

 

[brieri1]

So, having napping success, I decided to give the co-sleeper a go at nap time today. The first two times I put her in it, she woke up immediately and cried. I did some research online after that. I swaddled her before I started nursing her, I put her boppy in her co-sleeper so she'd be propped up and feel like she was being held, after she fell asleep and broke her latch, I held her for an additional 20 minutes to ensure she was asleep, and then I'd put her in her co-sleeper and cover her with a shirt I'd worn already so it would smell like me. She slept for almost 2 hours in her co-sleeper!!! Now we're giving it a second go with my husband having put her to sleep. Hopefully it goes smooth. Its almost our bedtime and I wouldn't mind so cuddling with the hubby.

 

[jrowenj]

Way to go brier! Im gonna try that tmrw!!! Thanks for the tip

 

[snowangel187]

Melly - hope you get some rest soon. I've posted that cover

I need some advice too please ladies - Archie was given some junior gavisgon for what they thought was reflux, he was good for the first day and night and now back to the same. When he feeds he is ok to start and then frantic half way through but seems starving and then gets really frantic, arms and legs all over the place and screams. I've tried different teats, different flows, different positions, winding every oz - what am I missing? He doesn't seem like he has colic but I have some gripe water to try, was thinking I'd give this half way through and see if it settles him. Also he has dropped from happily taking 5oz to now struggling with 3oz, and feeds take up to an hour as I have to put him down to wake him up or settle his frantic phase

Does he throw up mid feed? Or it's just the screaming and flailing? Odd question but are you burping mid feed? I know some babies need to burp several times during a feed and if they're not burped they scream and move all around and eventually throw up. :shrugg:

 

[snowangel187]

Hey ladies!!!! How's everybody?? Look at all the precious babies!!! So sorry it's been forever since posting. I've had a lot going on. Last time I posted I was talking about how I was waiting for my inlaws to leave. Well they were delayed a few days because a storm up north so they were grounded. They finally got out of here and I was soo stressed and overwhelmed by just giving birth, the lack of help and added stress off visitors, no sleep etc. that I found myself really down. I don't know if it was the baby blues or mild post partum depression. I felt like crying and felt like there was too much to do and was so overwhelmed with things to do dishes, laundry etc that I did nothing. I went for my final post partum check up ready to consider going on meds (really tho meds would be last resort as I want to nurse and won't take meds while doing so whether they're "safe" or not) I told him my situation and he basically said welcome to life with two kids and a husband who needs to help out more. I asked if I could get that in writing. he basically told me to take it easy, take it one day at a time and REST. So I started to slow down. I honestly hadn't slowed down or relaxed since having the baby. I was out running errands the day I was discharged. (Baby stayed in car with fil) anyways. I started napping when baby napped. (Which I knew u were suppose to) but i started making me a priority. And basically begged my husband for help. It's not that he's totally unhelpful. He just has to be motivated or asked to help. he started driving dd to school in the mornings and taking her out for a few hours on the weekends. I would have thought I could rest while I had family here to help, but really they were no help besides mil attempting to feed dd. her idea of dd eating was letting her eat three bites and then rewarding her with candy. So really no help and more stress. I basically had to micromanage them watching her. Needless to say, I think I'll invite nobody to the next birth.....

Since I never wrote a birth story I'll write what I can remember w/o searching for my notes. My labor and delivery was much different from my first. The dr wanted to put me in the hospital the night of the 26th originally. I was induced with my first dd an that labor/delivery was less then 9 hrs. So I didn't want to labor throughout the night and deliver in the middle of it. I wanted to be able to "sleep" and plus I wanted to actually deliver on the 26th as its my step mothers birthday. So dr agreed but said I had to be in the hospital at 4am. I had planned on driving myself so everybody else in the house could sleep for a few hours. I mean what's the point of th coming to watch me get an IV and answer 9000 questions. but my fil or really is a gentleman insisted he drive me so up at 3 (I ate breakfast cause I knew they wouldn't feed me. ) and on to the hospital at 3:30am. I got there at 4 and the nurses aske why I was scheduled so early. I said I have no idea. so they put me in a room and said the nurse would be in shortly. I sat there an waited.....and waited.....watched the sun come up and waited......decided I'd sleep while waiting...nurse came in at 6am. They were so busy the night before and short staffed they called somebody in to work until 7am until shift change. :shrugg: so she hooked me up did my IV and drew blood. Asked if I was suppose to have pitocin as the dr only wrote no food and can have epidural at 4cm in his orders. :doh: so I told her unfortunately I was suppose I have the pit, so they started running the "devil" through my veins. And we were off. Shift change happened. I had two nurses one was a sweet old black lady who has been a nurse for 30 years. Her name was Daisy. The other nurse I'm not sure of her name. but they were both great!!!! Anyways. The dr had checked me on Christmas Eve and i wasnt dilated or anything. Made my husband bd and i stayed very active christmas day and when i went in on the 26th and the nurse checked me, i was almost 2cm. The day was pretty uneventful. I was contracting pretty regularly but my monitor wasn't picking them up, they kept upping the pitocin to the max they were allowed w/o the dr coming to check me. I looked at magazines, played on Facebook, played cribbage, almost called security on my husband. (He thought it'd be cute to bring his lunch up to eat in front of me rather then eat in the cafeteria. ) dr finally came around 3 in the afternoon. I was contracting regular they were about ever 2-3mins. They didn't "hurt" yet and the monitor wasn't giving me credit for them all. just as dr arrived the intensity was getting to be more. He checked me and I was 4cm. he broke my water. He walked out the door and the fun started. Contractions were crazy intense. The nurse said I could get up as long as I could stay monitored. I told her I knew my water was just broken but I feel like I need to pee am I allowed to go. Se said yes. So in we went. Then I told her I kinda felt like I needed to go #2. She said well you can't do that. I told her it felt like really I had to go #2 not that I was about to give birth. Still she said no. so we went back to the bed, she wanted to check me since "I had to go #2" I was still only 4. I then informed her with my first daughter I went from 4-10cm in less then an hour. She said well that's good to know. so I got up and stood by the bed all of my pain in pressure was in the lower front. With my first dd it was all in my lower back. To be honest I preferred the back labor. Anyways. The pain and pressure were so intense it was making me nauseous. I started dry heaving. The nurses gave me alcohol swabs to sniff. they worked. But I went through a lot of them. I couldn't stand anymore as I wasn't getting any relief during contractions. As i was standing there huffing alcohol swabs i was chanting in my head "epidural" "epidural" over and over. The only way I could get any relief while standing was to lift up on the bottom of my belly. Which kind of defeated the purpose. so I lay down again. Baby's heart rate dropped and my blood pressure was super low. Don't even remember the exact number but it was somewhere around 70/55 I started to panic thinking I was about to go for an emergency section and I didn't have an epidural so they'd have to put me out. Nurse try to reassure me we were not to that point yet. And helped me find a position baby was happy in. They backed off the pitocin some and decided to see how things would go. Baby's heart rate and my bp stabilized. After moving from one side to the other for baby's heart rate I had a very weird sensation all of a sudden there was like a gush my water was already broken so I was confused. I said to my nurse I think I just peed the bed. and almost immediately after I said and now I think I'm gonna crap. she said don't do anything, don't push she said the "pee" was probably my mucos plug and she would check me. It was my mucos plug, I told her I had to push she said no the dr isn't ere and there's nobody to deliver the baby if I was ready. She checked me and said breath don't push you're 10cm baby is right there and dr isn't here. She yelled down the hall to have dr come stat. He was a couple buildings down at his practice. I kept saying I couldn't not push and obviously they encouraged me to breath through it til dr got there. In the meantime the nurse could see it was no joke I was gonna start with or without him. she told me to wait we was gonna check to see how long before the dr would be there. And in my 20second break between my contractions I asked dh for my phone. I had to do a Facebook status update.....obviously. I posted "About to push" basically my way of telling family who didn't make it and I hadn't been in contact with it was almost time. The nurse came around the corner and said seriously? I thought you were about to have a baby and ur on ur phone. I said no I really need to push. I was begging her to let me push. I told her I was gonna start I explained I didn't have to wait for the dr because my first daughter I pushed for two hours. Dr arrived after what seemed like forever. Literally 2&1/2 pushes and dr told me to stop... Cord was around baby's neck. He removed the cord and she was born at 5:10pm. The whole room was in total shock I felt as tho I hadn't even started with delivery and it was over!!! They set her on my chest. Her eyes were open but there was no crying. I kept freaking out saying she not breathing (because she wasn't crying) and then I said she was turning blue. (She wasn't) dr stuck around to find out how much she weighed. 7lbs 1oz. He said he couldn't believe it and had no idea where I carried all that baby. I called fil within minutes of delivery and told him to bring dd. I checked my Facebook post to see what time it was posted. It was at 5:00. So less then 10minutes and 2&1/2 pushes. My baby girl was in my arms. I'm so thankful that she is healthy and perfect.

She nurses great and has just recently slept 5consecutive nights all through the night. And with that sleep I'm starting to feel a lot better. I've started to make a todo list and try to do one thing a day whether its dishes, sweeping or laundry etc. some days it's more and some days it's less. But I'm not being too hard on myself I remind myself I just had a baby. and besides my little emotional hiccup after having her recovery has been a breeze compared to my first. We are already thinking about #3.

Sorry it's sooo long. Now that I'm feeling better I'm hoping to check in more often.

 

[mellywelly]

Sonia, I've got the cover, thank you! It's really good, so much less fiddly than mine! Do you want me to send you some cash for it? As for Archie, what are his poos like? This sounds how ds started with his milk allergy, then we got explosive runny poos, and got to the point where he would scream just seeing his bottle! He would also arch his back right over, you could just hear the pain in his scream, but was frantic and trying to get back on the bottle as he was staving, but obviously couldn't take the milk. If its reflux, you need to make sure his Moses basket / cot is elevated to keep his stomach acid down. We didn't have much success with gaviscon, and needed different reflux meds.

Bf still isn't going well. Today we had major screaming fits again, he fed at 11 both boobs, at 12 he wanted more again, and had both sides again, but was still rooting so I gave him another bottle of expressed of 4 oz. an hour later he's looking for boobie again. I'm spending so much time bf him, that ds is bing left out, he's off school this week, and I flt so sorry for him. It makes me wonder if its worth it, as if I went on formula it would free up so much time that I could spend with him. I'm still thinking that I don't even make enough milk for him anyway. It's really starting to get me down now.

 

[ARuppe716]

Melly I'm so sorry that bf is getting so stressful!! Is there a lactation specialist you could talk to? With that said I think at the end of the day you need to do what works for you, your child, and your family. I hope everything works out for you and you find a solution that works!

 

[Soniamillie01]

Melly - Ah glad it arrived. No, don't worry at all, glad it will get some use. It's from eBay if you ever wanted anymore.

Been to HV today and she suggested we try the comfort milk. We've done this tonight and will see how it goes. Archie really scared me earlier - he was winding and started to really struggle to catch his breath. He then did 3/4 massive dry heaves and I thought he'd be sick, he finally caught his breath but I had to nip outside to the fresh air for him to catch it. I'm so nervous to leave him now, it was like something was stuck in his throat.

He took 6oz at 7 on the new formula but took an hr to do that and just wouldn't settle really, up and down for twenty mins or so every twenty mins. He was sucking on his dummy so hard like he was starving so I feed him again at 10 and he took 2.5oz. I've winding him for longer tonight because of the earlier incident.

It's so worrying.

Melly - could you express and bottle feed that solely? I know you want to continue with bf but if it's stressing you out maybe top up with formula?