Weekly Catch Up

mamaelle27

Starting one more thread to see if we can liven things up...

How's it going? Give us the stats on your little one or pregnancy and anything you want to share. Also, any questions for the group?

kdanjou

I keep checking but this board seems to have slowed down just as I finally had my baby.  Little one is 11 days old today!  We were dealing with some jaundice but that is getting better.  Her cord stump just fell off so hopefully that will stop oozing now.  Other than that we have been great. 

MrsCaliRN

I'm basically in the same boat as @kdanjou, DD's cord fell off yesterday during a diaper change and I got a smidge emotional because she is growing up so fast! Already 10 days old today! BFing is going great and my boobs are HUGE and all I can think about is shrinking this waistline for a wedding on Labor Day. 

DS who is 2 has been a nightmare and kicked DD in the head twice during her newborn photoshoot. Although it was by accident, I was horrified and had to excuse myself so I wouldn't yell at him. Hoping this transition with DS gets better soon because we're starting to lose it over here!

lovesclimbing

We're doing pretty good. Took a 6-hour road trip over the weekend, when she was 2.5 weeks old, and she did great! She falls right to sleep in the car, and she slept the whole time only waking when we stopped at the halfway point for a feed and change. Also, went hiking during our trip in the rain and she just snoozed in a wrap on Dad's chest. It was awesome!

She's getting a little fussier it seems like. She'll feed and then fuss for a while and act like she wants to nurse but then only nurse for a few minutes or not at all if I offer it. Breastfeeding is still painful. I use the nipple shield for a day or so, they start feeling better so I stop, and then it gets painful again so I'm back to using it. On one side, she just doesn't seem to latch good. Every few sucks, she makes this loud smacking sound for a couple sucks and then the next suck, it's super painful. It feels like she's getting air or something and losing the latch and then sucking the nipple super hard into her mouth. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I hope it gets better soon. 

She has started smiling! Supposedly, three weeks is too young for real smiles - it's still reflex - but I don't believe it. Her smiles are definitely in response to me smiling and talking to her and she smiles with her whole face, which are both supposed to be signs of the real deal. She's also way ahead of the game in holding her head up, from what I've seen from googling. She will lift her head off my shoulder or off the floor when on her stomach for up to 10 seconds at a time. She also, when on her stomach, is able to turn her head from one side to the other and typically does it several times. And she's been doing that for a week now. FWIW, both the dentist who did her lip and tongue ties and the midwives have commented on how strong she is. 

JennMof3

My DD is 2 weeks and 5 days today. She is still really sleepy and has been struggling to gain weight. Last Monday she was 8lbs 8oz and we're still trying to get back up to her birth weight of 9lbs 3oz. She has been making a loud clicking noise while breastfeeding for a while. The lactation nurse finally thought it was an issue and sent us to see the dr. Turns out she has a posterior tongue tie and we're now seeing a ENT specialist on Monday. Breastfeeding has been really painful and I feel like she never gets enough. Due to weight issues the dr has told us we need to supplement with formula which I think is working against my milk production. Feeling really frustrated because I wanted her to be EBF but it wasn't in the cards I guess. 

Yesterday I took 3 of my 4 kids to the park and baby slept and/or nursed the whole time. My DS 2.5yrs is still being super sassy and struggling to listen. This of course makes all outings a challenge. We're trying to reward good behavior and work through the challenges. He is also fighting naps which we both desperately need him to take. 

This was my husbands first week back at work so I've been really worn thin. I'm hoping next week will be better. 

redheeler

@lovesclimbing what you describe about nursing sounds like it could possibly be symptoms of a lip or tongue tie, I would have a look into it 

Eta: read the whole post, it sounds then as if they haven't been released properly or she hasn't learnt to use her tongue yet. Look into an osteopath or chiro and hopefully you may see some improvement. The ties can cause tension which needs to be released, which may be why she's only having trouble on one side.

mamaelle27

Baby girl is 7 weeks old and slept 5 hour stretches the past few nights. Woot! I'm finally feeling healed down there and was brave enough to put on a swimsuit on the 4th. I had to treat myself to a new one but it was worth it to enjoy the pool with DD. Except now my husband thinks I'm healed so we should DTD, and I'm totally not ready for that. Anyone brave that yet?

@MrsCaliRN For us, the toddler-baby relationship got better every week. The first couple of weeks I was on high alert that the toddler would hurt the baby or do something crazy when I wasn't looking, but now she's mostly adapted to the baby and helps rock and sing to her and can occupy herself fairly well when I'm busy with the baby. We still have our tough moments, but they're not nearly as trying as they were early on.

@lovesclimbing Kudos on the road trip! And, I'd totally count those smiles. 

@JennMof3 Can you pump while she's taking the formula? Maybe help keep your supply up? If EBF is your goal. Otherwise, no shame in giving a little formula, or all formula, you've gotta do what works, especially with 3 other kids to take care of. I breasted my first and am formula feeding this one and the decrease in my stress level is huge, happy mama = happy babies.

lovesclimbing

PartiallyDomesticated said:

@lovesclimbing what you describe about nursing sounds like it could possibly be symptoms of a lip or tongue tie, I would have a look into it 

Eta: read the whole post, it sounds then as if they haven't been released properly or she hasn't learnt to use her tongue yet. Look into an osteopath or chiro and hopefully you may see some improvement. The ties can cause tension which needs to be released, which may be why she's only having trouble on one side.

I sincerely hope this isn't the case considering how much we paid. It was expensive and I would be seriously upset! Supposedly, this dentist is really great and does them all the time. My midwifery recommended her. 

My midwives also mentioned the thing about chiropractic, but I kind of don't want to keep throwing money at it! Money is tight and getting the ties done helped some, but not a ton, so I kind of don't want to keep paying money for something that's not a fairly immediate and drastic improvement (and maybe chiropractic care would be, I just don't know). And part of me just thinks it'll get better eventually, just wait it out. My mom was in pain for a month with her first. 

huzzahuzza

HA! I started this and then never finished... is that a sign of how Im doing?
Josie is 3 weeks as of yesterday. We weighed her via bathroom scale the other day and she's at 7 lbs 12oz which is up 6 oz from birth weight. We're struggling with poop and gas and I always wonder how much gas/struggling to poop is normal. I feel like this is a common mommy struggle but no one has ever said it was a common mommy struggle so I guess I don't know. The pedi suggested gas drops and taking dairy out of my diet but there was no mention of how common this is....
DH went back to work this week and I was thankful it was for only 3 days. 2 kids is no joke! We tried to leave the house once and before we got in the car both kids were crying. It wasn't terrible once we got out but it was such a struggle to get there! My mom offered to come and stay with us for awhile and I literally cried from joy. 

shmarpler

huzzahuzza said:

HA! I started this and then never finished... is that a sign of how Im doing?
Josie is 3 weeks as of yesterday. We weighed her via bathroom scale the other day and she's at 7 lbs 12oz which is up 6 oz from birth weight. We're struggling with poop and gas and I always wonder how much gas/struggling to poop is normal. I feel like this is a common mommy struggle but no one has ever said it was a common mommy struggle so I guess I don't know. The pedi suggested gas drops and taking dairy out of my diet but there was no mention of how common this is....
DH went back to work this week and I was thankful it was for only 3 days. 2 kids is no joke! We tried to leave the house once and before we got in the car both kids were crying. It wasn't terrible once we got out but it was such a struggle to get there! My mom offered to come and stay with us for awhile and I literally cried from joy. 

DD1 had tons of gas problems. Gripe water was my best friend until we figured out what caused her upset tummy.

And my parents are here right now and my mom had been a huge help. She's been making dinner and taking care of DD1 while I take care of the baby. 

huzzahuzza

@shmarpler did you figure out what upset her tummy though? 
I did a lot with DS1 including taking out dairy and eggs but I'm still not totally convinced that taking those things out really helped him. I'm starting to wonder if it was just normal gut development. 
We use gas drops quite a bit with Josie. They help tons!

shmarpler

huzzahuzza said:

@shmarpler did you figure out what upset her tummy though? 
I did a lot with DS1 including taking out dairy and eggs but I'm still not totally convinced that taking those things out really helped him. I'm starting to wonder if it was just normal gut development. 
We use gas drops quite a bit with Josie. They help tons!

Yes, we did. Breads upset her tummy and she still can't eat them.

Were there any foods in particular that bothered you while pregnant?

mcvgal

@huzzahuzza, May mom here, just wanted to mention a few other tricks to help with gas and struggling to poop. You can try a little belly massage, rub in circular motion for 20 seconds then lift legs, bending knees towards the belly 5 times. Also moving LO's legs in bicycle kick motion can help them poop easier.

huzzahuzza

@mcvgal yeah We're waaaaay past those tricks  but thank you!!! 

@shmarpler everything seemed to bother me while pregnant this time around... except Doritos! I should probably eat more of those!!!

 Just kidding I'll start with dairy and see if that helps. 

kdanjou

@huzzahuzza Right there with you on the gas/pooping problems.  Haven't tried gas drops yet but I will ask at our next appt.  Seems to always bother her more in the evening.  She also needs a lot of burping.

ladylolly89

@huzzahuzza DS1 was really gassy/burpy. I ended up having to limit dairy and couldn't have milk at all, but it did help.
Milk triggers DS2's reflux, so I've cut it out and am limiting dairy this time around as well. It's worth a try! 

WeddingNotes13

For us,  gas drops were most effective when given round the clock every two hours. We did this for several weeks until we figured out the root of DS1's tummy trouble. 

redheeler

lovesclimbing said:

PartiallyDomesticated said:

@lovesclimbing what you describe about nursing sounds like it could possibly be symptoms of a lip or tongue tie, I would have a look into it 

Eta: read the whole post, it sounds then as if they haven't been released properly or she hasn't learnt to use her tongue yet. Look into an osteopath or chiro and hopefully you may see some improvement. The ties can cause tension which needs to be released, which may be why she's only having trouble on one side.

I sincerely hope this isn't the case considering how much we paid. It was expensive and I would be seriously upset! Supposedly, this dentist is really great and does them all the time. My midwifery recommended her. 

My midwives also mentioned the thing about chiropractic, but I kind of don't want to keep throwing money at it! Money is tight and getting the ties done helped some, but not a ton, so I kind of don't want to keep paying money for something that's not a fairly immediate and drastic improvement (and maybe chiropractic care would be, I just don't know). And part of me just thinks it'll get better eventually, just wait it out. My mom was in pain for a month with her first. 

Some places will only release the anterior not to posterior part of the tie, so that may be the issue too, but BFing only became pain free for us around 4-5 weeks, so you could be onto something with that too.
i hope it all resolves quickly for you!

lovesclimbing

Thanks! It is getting better, slowly. I still use the nipple shield for a few feedings when it gets painful, but I definitely feel like it's starting to be farther between those. 

In other catchup news, at our appointment yesterday, she gained a pound over the last two weeks. She's over 10 pounds already, and I think I'm going to need to remove the infant insert from the carseat within the next few days!

wife-and-mommy

@MrsCaliRN any tips or tricks for shrinking the waistline? I'm so afraid none of my shorts or pants will ever fit again! 
Edit:tagged the wrong person the first time

wife-and-mommy

@huzzahuzza I am on the same page with not knowing whether this gas pain and trouble pooping is within the normal range or if I need to take steps to try to ease his pain!