Stupid Questions Thread

sking72

ok good, i have the quilted ones and the normal ones. i like the quilted ones better

mandacann

MrsMeatball41 said:

Where do you get raspberry leaf tea. I don't have a midwife and can't seem to find it

I got some at my grocery store. It was in the medicine/pharmacy section though, not the tea/coffee aisle. 

patunia7321

MrsMeatball41 said:

Where do you get raspberry leaf tea. I don't have a midwife and can't seem to find it

Got it today at Target by the rest of the teas. On sale for $3.99.  

BiggerinRealLife

Sorry if this was asked, but what does red raspberry tea do?

Bluebird2318

kcp913 said:

With regards to preemies and adjusted ages (I.e. I've seen my 2 year old daughter who is technically 21.5 months used on here and on other boards I look at). What is the difference and at what point do you stop referring to the adjusted age of your child? I'm assuming it could possibly affect development in the short term, but since I don't have experience with it, it confuses me. For example, I follow BLW on Facebook and one of the women was told to wait until her daughter would be 6 months from her due date instead of using BLW now(so she was told to in essence wait until the baby was 7.5 months to BLW instead of at 6 months because that is her adjusted age) Sorry if this confuses anyone.

My daughter was due September 12, 2012 but was born June 27, 2012 (at 29 weeks gestation). Her actual age is her age based on a June 27 birthday, and her adjusted age is her age based on a September 12 birthday. By the time we reached my due date, my daughter was already 2.5 months old. However, a 5 pound 2 month old doesn't make much sense to most people, so I almost exclusively adjusted for the first year of her life.

Pediatricians like to look at preemies based on their adjusted age until they are about 2 years old for developmental reasons, but preemie moms in general just stop adjusting when they are personally ready to I think. DD is about 1.5 years old and I've already stopped adjusting for the most part (her age in my siggy is her actual age). I think once she finally starts walking comfortably I will feel good about dropping the whole "adjusted" thing completely. She is a late walker either way, but it eases my mind to think of her as a 17 month old late walker as opposed to a 19.5 month old late walker if that makes sense.

BiggerinRealLife

aviola329 said:

Spin off of the preemie questions/answers....what's BLW?

I know this one! Baby led weaning.

michigancam

ImnAtari said:

Ok, so Im super paranoid about the idea of the "slow trickle" membrane rupture. How different is amniotic fluid compared to thinned discharge? Even with a slow trickle, would it saturate your undies like if you peed yourself? Is amniotic fluid one of those "you know it when you see it" kinds of things, or is it more tricky than that?

My dischage is classicly really thin and watery... Im scared Im going to miss something important!!

I struggle with this during each pregnancy. The amniotic fluid is supposed to smell "sweet". I have no idea if I have leaked before or not and at each dr appointment when they ask "are you leaking any fluids?" I stare blankly at them thinking "are you f'n kidding right now?? I can't bend or sit without something happening, how am I supposed to tell?!"

JNova78

I've asked my doctor at least twice about discharge vs fluid because I, too, am do paranoid. She said that fluid could be a gush, or could be constant (i.e. filling up a pad, not a pantyliner). The way she put it was if you "clean up" and then you're "really wet" again and that cycle repeats, then i should call. Basically, she said that changing pantyliners once or twice a day is okay, soaking actual pads is not. Even a slow leak will be heavier than discharge.

I hope that helps!

nikki912

Check out the leaking fluid PSA thread.

Also there's the cork method. If you put a clean pad on and immediately lay down for half an hour then get up and feel fluid come out (even if its just a little) then it would be good to go in.

selina1113

Do you use a flashlight app for motn changings, or a portable night light? Or something else?

ksulli

MrsStanton87 said:

What things am I supposed to be running while LO is asleep? I.e. A fan, humidifier, heater if it's cold?

DD was a summer baby, so we ran the ceiling fan- plus air circulation *may* help reduce SIDS risks. Humidifier is great when baby is congested.

ksulli

@selina1113 said:

Do you use a flashlight app for motn changings, or a portable night light? Or something else?

When she was in our room I kept a night light. When she was in her own I would just hit the hall lights on my way there and then change her in the semi-dark, hallway light spilled in enough.

SoulTermination

I plan on running a humidifier in LO's room at first, since DH is notorious for dry-nose nosebleeds at night and even I'm having dryness issues in our apartment now.  If she starts sounding congested, I'll try maybe alternating nights with it on and off, or shut it off altogether.

As far as nightlight... well, honestly, I kind of wanted to put a small string of soft Christmas lights up in her room, but I'm not sure what I want to do in our room while she's in her bassinet.  I have a hard time sleeping with any sort of light on. =/

haziedaze

aviola329 said:

Spin off of the preemie questions/answers....what's BLW?

I know this one! Baby led weaning.

Got it!! Thanks

AKA the lazy mom's method of introducing solids ;-). Seriously, best decision I made, not because I think it is superior but because it was so freaking easy!

MapleLeafMama

selina1113 said:

Do you use a flashlight app for motn changings, or a portable night light? Or something else?

We turned on the hallway light. It provided enough light so we could see what we were doing, but it was still dark enough not to wake DS completely. No need to spend money on something fancy.

snmetz7

I've been washing all of baby stuff in tide free an gentle. But I just got a load of hand me downs that stink! Do you think free and gentle will get ride of the stale smell or should I just use regular tide on this load?

irisheyez7

Maybe do a double wash? Once in reg and one more in free in clear?

snmetz7

@irisheyez7 and @mamrotu73 duh don't know why I didn't just think of that. started to load of reg tide to be followed by free and gentle

ksulli

ImnAtari said:

Just found mold on my windowsill of my bedroom window... don't know how long it's been there (last cleaned the sills last spring, and I don't remember seeing it there 2 weeks ago when I was cleaning around there...), and it wasn't a TON. My mother cleaned it with vinegar and bleach for me. Have the windows open to air it out.

Should I be concerned?

I wouldn't be- the kind that pops up on window sills is usually for exterior moisture, and not the sign of a real problem. Has it been wet where you live lately? My grandparents beach house gets moldy every few weeks just from the humidity, but it's not the black kind that has spores, because we wipe it down regularly.

avidkeo

Anyone else getting exhausted in the afternoon even though they had a decent night sleep and haven't done much in the day?

ksulli

@avidkeo said:

Anyone else getting exhausted in the afternoon even though they had a decent night sleep and haven't done much in the day?

Wait- you get a decent night of sleep? Share your secrets.

avidkeo

ksulli said:

Anyone else getting exhausted in the afternoon even though they had a decent night sleep and haven't done much in the day?

Wait- you get a decent night of sleep? Share your secrets.

I said decent, not perfect! haha! Decent means only getting up once to go to the loo, and only being awake for about an hr after going to the loo, and being able to sleep in till 830 am.

actually reading the above, that's pretty perfect ATM!!!!

MrsMeatball41

embear22 said:

I know we can lose parts of the MP but I've always heard of it being brown tinged. Can it be clear though?

Have you ever had a bad sinus infection and a big snot rocket comes out when blowing your nose. Some is clear and it has steaks if red and brown. It looks like that. Or mine did at least:

Steaks= streaks. Bahaha I need a steak

bacorrea

Ok I know we aren't supposed to be cleaning out the litter box right now. Does that rule stay the same when we are beast feeding? I'm not super worried about it because Phoebs is an indoor cat, but I keep forgetting to ask my midwife.


Also I'm thinking of just buying a changing pad and putting it on top of one of the dressers we already have. Is this safe? Should I be concerned that there aren't rails or anything? I mean it's not like I'm going to walk away from a baby on a changing pad.

mrsB68

bacorrea said:

Ok I know we aren't supposed to be cleaning out the litter box right now. Does that rule stay the same when we are beast feeding? I'm not super worried about it because Phoebs is an indoor cat, but I keep forgetting to ask my midwife.


Also I'm thinking of just buying a changing pad and putting it on top of one of the dressers we already have. Is this safe? Should I be concerned that there aren't rails or anything? I mean it's not like I'm going to walk away from a baby on a changing pad.

I'm wanting to do the same with the dresser but looking for a universal changing station topper. They screw into the back of the dresser so there's security. Similar to how dressers at target work- if you have one by you check it out. PBK too. For me it's a little more security than just a changing pad on the top, which could slide around.

mrsB68

bacorrea said:

Ok I know we aren't supposed to be cleaning out the litter box right now. Does that rule stay the same when we are beast feeding? I'm not super worried about it because Phoebs is an indoor cat, but I keep forgetting to ask my midwife.


Also I'm thinking of just buying a changing pad and putting it on top of one of the dressers we already have. Is this safe? Should I be concerned that there aren't rails or anything? I mean it's not like I'm going to walk away from a baby on a changing pad.

I'm wanting to do the same with the dresser but looking for a universal changing station topper. They screw into the back of the dresser so there's security. Similar to how dressers at target work- if you have one by you check it out. PBK too. For me it's a little more security than just a changing pad on the top, which could slide around.

AcaAwkward

bacorrea said:

Ok I know we aren't supposed to be cleaning out the litter box right now. Does that rule stay the same when we are beast feeding? I'm not super worried about it because Phoebs is an indoor cat, but I keep forgetting to ask my midwife.


Also I'm thinking of just buying a changing pad and putting it on top of one of the dressers we already have. Is this safe? Should I be concerned that there aren't rails or anything? I mean it's not like I'm going to walk away from a baby on a changing pad.

I have no clue on the cat litter (although my initial reaction is no, the rule no longer applies when you're no longer pregnant)...

As to the changing pad: both our changing "tables" are just regular pieces of furniture (one dresser, one desk) with a standard pad on top. We've never had a safety issue (as you said, we're right there the whole time -- it's not like we walk away from her while she's up there). You can screw most standard pads to whatever furniture you're using as a base, but we never even did that (nor have we ever used the strap around the baby).

hordol

I took a breast feeding class at the hospital today and something the teacher said got me wondering--she said that some people think their husband can help out with middle of the night feedings by giving a bottle, but that the mom will have to get up anyway to pump at that time to keep her supply up and prevent engorgement, so it kind of defeats the purpose for most people. Now I'm wondering if there will ever be a point in that first year when I get uninterrupted sleep (assuming the baby sttn at some point.) If the baby is STTN, will I still have to get up to pump? Or will my body/supply eventually adjust so that I don't need to get up in the night?

Also, when I go back to work will I have to pump as often as I breast feed? (Assuming every 2 hours). I'm a teacher and that's not going to be very possible...heh. If I can get one other time to pump during the day besides lunch, will that be enough? Or will my supply go down?

Airynn Chica

hordol said:

I took a breast feeding class at the hospital today and something the teacher said got me wondering--she said that some people think their husband can help out with middle of the night feedings by giving a bottle, but that the mom will have to get up anyway to pump at that time to keep her supply up and prevent engorgement, so it kind of defeats the purpose for most people. Now I'm wondering if there will ever be a point in that first year when I get uninterrupted sleep (assuming the baby sttn at some point.) If the baby is STTN, will I still have to get up to pump? Or will my body/supply eventually adjust so that I don't need to get up in the night? Also, when I go back to work will I have to pump as often as I breast feed? (Assuming every 2 hours). I'm a teacher and that's not going to be very possible...heh. If I can get one other time to pump during the day besides lunch, will that be enough? Or will my supply go down?

I was told that if you don't feed LO at night and DH always does it your milk supply adjusts to not be full during the night but you would then be full and need to feed LO or pump when you woke up.

By 6weeks-2 months your LO should only be eating every 3-4 hours so you would need to pump that often yes. Can you pump once you get to work before your kids arrive, then at lunch,  specialist lessons/prep and after school before you drive home?

sking72

Ok this made me think of another breast feeding question that I'm sure was answered in my class but is in none of my handouts.

I know you're supposed to switch boobs everytime to keep things even, and I know you're supposed to offer the other one but one will get milked more each feeding right? But that's ok for milk supply?

thomas930

sking72 said:

Ok this made me think of another breast feeding question that I'm sure was answered in my class but is in none of my handouts. I know you're supposed to switch boobs everytime to keep things even, and I know you're supposed to offer the other one but one will get milked more each feeding right? But that's ok for milk supply?

Both my kids only ever ate from one side at each feeding. Eventually my boobs figured it out and evened out, if I was engorged in the beginning on the side they didn't eat from then I expressed just enough for comfort. 

CalinAZ

Okay, another question. I've read that breasts get about a size bigger once your milk comes in for breastfeeding, so you should buy nursing bras a size up. Will breasts grow any more between now and then, or am I safe to purchase a nursing bra one size up from my current size?

AcaAwkward

sking72 said:

Ok this made me think of another breast feeding question that I'm sure was answered in my class but is in none of my handouts.

I know you're supposed to switch boobs everytime to keep things even, and I know you're supposed to offer the other one but one will get milked more each feeding right? But that's ok for milk supply?

DD always drank from both but I made sure to log which breast I offered first at every feeding and I'd switch the "starting breast" every time. You'll be a little lopsided at first, but your boobs figure it out after a while.

And, like @thomas930 said, some babies only drink from one side at a time. Kinda depends on your supply and baby's hunger.

AcaAwkward

Airynn Chica said:

hordol said:

I took a breast feeding class at the hospital today and something the teacher said got me wondering--she said that some people think their husband can help out with middle of the night feedings by giving a bottle, but that the mom will have to get up anyway to pump at that time to keep her supply up and prevent engorgement, so it kind of defeats the purpose for most people. Now I'm wondering if there will ever be a point in that first year when I get uninterrupted sleep (assuming the baby sttn at some point.) If the baby is STTN, will I still have to get up to pump? Or will my body/supply eventually adjust so that I don't need to get up in the night?

Also, when I go back to work will I have to pump as often as I breast feed? (Assuming every 2 hours). I'm a teacher and that's not going to be very possible...heh. If I can get one other time to pump during the day besides lunch, will that be enough? Or will my supply go down?

I was told that if you don't feed LO at night and DH always does it your milk supply adjusts to not be full during the night but you would then be full and need to feed LO or pump when you woke up.

By 6weeks-2 months your LO should only be eating every 3-4 hours so you would need to pump that often yes. Can you pump once you get to work before your kids arrive, then at lunch,  specialist lessons/prep and after school before you drive home?


-----------------------------------

Your milk supply will adjust, yes. However, it's not typically recommended you skip out on those feeding sessions, especially early on, because your body will adjust to making LESS milk that what your baby needs. Basically, by skipping night feedings, you're signaling to your body that your baby isn't eating at night anymore. If that's not the case, you're potentially screwing your supply.

And, hate to break it to you, but a lot of 6 week olds are still eating more than every 3-4 hours, especially during the day. Hellooooo developmental milestones and cluster feeding! Unless you just have a rockstar supply, you start messing with fire if you let others tell you how often your baby "should" be eating that early on.

hordol

AcaAwkward said:

hordol said:

I took a breast feeding class at the hospital today and something the teacher said got me wondering--she said that some people think their husband can help out with middle of the night feedings by giving a bottle, but that the mom will have to get up anyway to pump at that time to keep her supply up and prevent engorgement, so it kind of defeats the purpose for most people. Now I'm wondering if there will ever be a point in that first year when I get uninterrupted sleep (assuming the baby sttn at some point.) If the baby is STTN, will I still have to get up to pump? Or will my body/supply eventually adjust so that I don't need to get up in the night? Also, when I go back to work will I have to pump as often as I breast feed? (Assuming every 2 hours). I'm a teacher and that's not going to be very possible...heh. If I can get one other time to pump during the day besides lunch, will that be enough? Or will my supply go down?

I was told that if you don't feed LO at night and DH always does it your milk supply adjusts to not be full during the night but you would then be full and need to feed LO or pump when you woke up.

By 6weeks-2 months your LO should only be eating every 3-4 hours so you would need to pump that often yes. Can you pump once you get to work before your kids arrive, then at lunch,  specialist lessons/prep and after school before you drive home?

----------------------------------- Your milk supply will adjust, yes. However, it's not typically recommended you skip out on those feeding sessions, especially early on, because your body will adjust to making LESS milk that what your baby needs. Basically, by skipping night feedings, you're signaling to your body that your baby isn't eating at night anymore. If that's not the case, you're potentially screwing your supply. And, hate to break it to you, but a lot of 6 week olds are still eating more than every 3-4 hours, especially during the day. Hellooooo developmental milestones and cluster feeding! Unless you just have a rockstar supply, you start messing with fire if you let others tell you how often your baby "should" be eating that early on.

Thanks for the replies everyone! Don't worry--I'm not trying to figure out how to night wean a 6-week old. I'm thinking more along the lines of down the road when LO is 6-8 months or so. I fully expect to get up in the night early on, especially since breast milk digests so fast. I was just wondering if at that 6 to 8 month mark if it would mess up my supply to night wean.

sherks11

bacorrea said:

Ok I know we aren't supposed to be cleaning out the litter box right now. Does that rule stay the same when we are beast feeding? I'm not super worried about it because Phoebs is an indoor cat, but I keep forgetting to ask my midwife. Also I'm thinking of just buying a changing pad and putting it on top of one of the dressers we already have. Is this safe? Should I be concerned that there aren't rails or anything? I mean it's not like I'm going to walk away from a baby on a changing pad.

I'm not sure about the litter box but I'm totally telling my DH that I still can't do it while breast feeding bc he NEVER scooped before I was preggo Time to even things out!!

MrsH2007

Once baby is sleeping through the night you are probably okay to drop that pumping session, unless you need it to keep your supply up. I was able to drop it and get by with the milk I pumped during the day, but everyone is different. I teach and was able to pump twice a day at work. I ended up exclusively pumping, and I was able to manage with a total of 5 daytime pumping sessions.

sking72

mummyofsix said:

hordol said:

I took a breast feeding class at the hospital today and something the teacher said got me wondering--she said that some people think their husband can help out with middle of the night feedings by giving a bottle, but that the mom will have to get up anyway to pump at that time to keep her supply up and prevent engorgement, so it kind of defeats the purpose for most people. 

Pumping is not a bypass or an "easier option" (not saying you think that at all, just in general). It just means that instead of BFing a baby, you BF a pump. But then unlike the baby, you have to clean it and clean bottles and make bottles and freeze stuff and defrost stuff and so on. 

Pumping is MORE work, not less. 

For night feeding, if you want to make daddy involved or get as much rest as possible, IMO the best thing to do is make him be a delivery service (if you aren't bedsharing). Get the baby, change the baby, bring you the baby and put the baby away. All you do is feed the baby. I honestly barely get out of bed when I have newborns, which is why breastfeeding works very well for my laziness. I pump verrrrry occasionally for the odd evening out alone or special circumstance, but there is not much easier than just cutting out all the middle men and just putting the baby to the boob. 

***NOTE: because everyone always takes these things so personally- this obviously does not include people who cannot breastfeed, do not want to breastfeed or hate to breastfeed. It is not an attack on formula, pumping, you, the whales, the gays, the gay whales or religion.  

haziedaze

hordol said:

I took a breast feeding class at the hospital today and something the teacher said got me wondering--she said that some people think their husband can help out with middle of the night feedings by giving a bottle, but that the mom will have to get up anyway to pump at that time to keep her supply up and prevent engorgement, so it kind of defeats the purpose for most people. Now I'm wondering if there will ever be a point in that first year when I get uninterrupted sleep (assuming the baby sttn at some point.) If the baby is STTN, will I still have to get up to pump? Or will my body/supply eventually adjust so that I don't need to get up in the night? Also, when I go back to work will I have to pump as often as I breast feed? (Assuming every 2 hours). I'm a teacher and that's not going to be very possible...heh. If I can get one other time to pump during the day besides lunch, will that be enough? Or will my supply go down?

After the first 2 weeks when it's really important not to interrupt the natural patterns of establishing your supply and baby's latch, I think it's ok to do this. Overall you want to keep your output meeting baby's demand in a 24 hour period, but it doesn't need to be session by session.

I had a monster supply from pumping my brains out while DS was in the NICU, but I was able to pump one side after his last feeding (he often just took a single side at a feeding because of my supply) and then DH gave that bottle 2-3 hours later, this bought me about a 5 hour stretch of sleep which became key for my sanity at times. Sometimes I wanted that middle of the night snuggle/reconnect after working and we didn't do this.

At work, for a full day I usually BF right when I left, pumped 2 times during the day and then in the car on the way home. DS was still able to get some after my pumping in the car when we were reunited. So all told, I think I pumped 1-2 times less than he ate during the day in the beginning. My supply would dip just a bit on Friday, sometimes to make sure I had enough for Monday I would pump in the morning on Sat or Sun after BFing to get 1-2 more oz.

I think every nursing/pumping mom figures out her rhythm and a lot of factors come into play. I was able to play around with things some because I was blessed with a really good supply. I think you'll just have to see what works for you when you get there and you'll know.

edit: typos, clarity

michaelad3

This thread just reawakened so many questions I didn't know I had. I feel so clueless now. Is it worth it to take a breast feeding class, or do you think just meeting with the LC after birth is sufficient. When should I start pumping if I'm planning to go back to work after 12 weeks? How do I pump on the way to work? Hands free pumping bra?