When does it get easier?

sdb421

My girls are 6 days old and I'm not doing well. I feel like this is never getting any easier and like I just can't continue to do this. I haven't slept in days, I'm struggling with some definite symptoms of PPD and anxiety, which is preventing from being able to sleep even when the girls are down. BF is not going well and I'm not producing very much milk. One of my girls is primarily bf, but I don't know if she's actually getting anything and she hasn't pooped in 24hours. I can only pump about a teaspoon full of milk at this point and I give that to my formula fed girl a few times a day. I'm only surviving with the help of my mom and DH. My mom leaves this week and DH goes back to work and my MIL will be here to help as needed, but I don't feel like I'm EVER going to be able to continue doing this. Please tell me it gets easier soon!??!

Shaina

Day 6---remember you are still in a pregnancy fog, have not recovered from birth yet.  Your body is all hormone wacked and you have 2 newborns to contend with.  It IS hard.  It will take some time but it will gradually get easier week by week.  We had a major turining point at 6, then 8 weeks and then 4 months when one baby sttn.  Take it ONE HOUR at a time and all the help you can get too. 

I had serious PPD (my mom had died a year earlier so I was/am still mourning her death) It was a bad scene for me and I was a mess.  Talk to your doc--I was on Zoloft for a few months and it helped me SOOO much!  Please talk to your doc to get help on that end.  Sleep (yeah, I know, it is SO hard to) when you can and KNOW it'll get easier and easier and the weeks go by.

This is a great board too.  You are not alone!  Hang in there hon. (Also , I am in NO way telling you to stop BF'ing.  MANY women on this board are and have successfully BF'd their twins for a long time.  See how it goes and if it something you want to stick with, then consult a LC for help.  I will be honest with you, I only BF'd for 6 weeks and was happy I lasted that long.  It was not for me and I was 1,000 times happier when we decieded to FF.)

meldoo2002

I think it was different for me because my boys spent the first 5 weeks of their life in the NICU and were on a pretty good schedule by the time they came home.  It does get easier.  And I have to be honest, but giving up breastfeeding was one way that helped me a ton.  I pumped the entire time they were in the NICU and put them each to breast twice a day, I continued that when they came home, but I was also supplementing with formula because I wasn't making enough milk.  It was taking me forever to feed them.  I decided to stop putting them to breast... I was going back to work 6 weeks later anyway so I knew I'd have to pump then.  It was such a good decision for us.  I still pump so they get 1/2 breastmilk, 1/2 formula, but I can feed them at the same time now and that gives me more time.

You're only 6 days pp and your hormones are all out of whack, but you should talk to your doctor if you continue to feel depressed.  Feeling overwhelmed seems pretty normal to me at this stage.  It is hard.  Try to take all the help you can, but know that you can do it too.  Just take it one hour/one day at a time.  Some days are better than others and that will continue for awhile.  As always post away and we'll be here to support you!

SNL0605

oh sweetie...day 6 is a very stressful time....once you get a hang of things and get a schedule things will get back to an easier schedule

you CAN do this!!!

SNL0605

dont worry about your BF baby not pooping...that is pretty common....my exclusively BF babies occassionally went a few days w/out pooping...

as far as worrying if she is getting enough...she IS! She IS getting enough! I promise!

MarcieCasavant

Oh dear, I'm sorry. The begining is so hard. You still have so many hormones in there controlling you. I'm a postpartum nurse and sometimes I'll go in a room and my pt. will be crying because she is overwhelmed. Then I get teary because I remember how very hard it is. Then I give a hig and remind her about how big of a chnage her body is going through, not to mention her life.This will pass. Plus, you have TWO babies, not one, TWO. That is an insane amount of work.

I would think you would have a little more milk by now. Maybe your LO's aren't sucking hard enough to rev up your production. Could you pump every other feeding just to get thinsg going? Even though you're not pumping much yet, if you keep it up, you should be soon,

As for the PPD symptoms, it is very common to get the baby blues and they can be confused. You are still fresh. But in any case, talk to your doc about the way you feel. It also normal to feel anxious. if someone with two babies wasn't anxious, I would be worried. But you may need a little something to help you along the way. Either way, I hope you find some peace soon. Good luck, Marcie

jd0614

I remember those days.  It DOES get easier - I'm not sure exactly when b/c it was a long time ago - but I swear, it does. 

Also, sounds like your BF/pumping is getting you down.  Not everyone on here would agree with me, but it is not the end of the world if you stop.  I had to stop pumping 2 weeks after they were born - they were in teh NICU, couldn't breastfeed, and my body did not produce enough for them.  Once I stopped pumping and went to formula, it did get a whole lot easier - no more pumping, washing pump, feeding, etc.  If its not working for you, it really is okay to formula feed.  The first few days of breastmilk are key, so you've already given them alot of what they needed from the BM.

AlpacaBunny

Oh my gosh, on day 6 I was feeling exactly the same way.  I cried for hours every day and felt like i could never do this.  I still feel that way sometimes, but not as bad.  BF was not going well for me either to begin with and I was so frustrated.  I felt so guilty for giving them formula when we had to or for getting frustrated with them when they wouldn't latch on.  I had DH home with me for 1 week and since then I've been on my own most days.  An occasional day here or there someone comes over to help me, but for the most part I've been on my own.  I'd say take the help of your MIL as much as you can.  it helps so much just to have someone else there with you to pick up one of the babies when they are crying or to keep one baby occupied while you feed the other.  I think the first 3 weeks were pretty rough for me, I'd say in the past 2 weeks I haven't been having as many emotional meltdowns and my hormones feel like they have evened out some, I don't cry at the drop of a hat anymore.  It's still really hard, but most of the time I feel like I can handle it.  As far as the sleepign goes, I'd say in the past week our babies have started to get better about going down at night, so we get to sleep for 2-4 hours at a time depending on when they wake up.  It still isn't much, but it's a lot better than the first week or two.  Hang in there.  It is so hard, you are doing a great job!  ((HUGS))

ccctwins

I haven't had my babies yet, but I just wanted to tell you good luck and us moms-to-be are rooting for you!!