New moms - 6/5 daily updates, issues, questions, accomplishments

btm013 · June 2015

Let's hear them!

(I will update later. Mama needs a nap!)

obryana6219 · June 2015

I'm having a nervous breakdown because Ellie isn't gaining weight. In fact she's losing it. She's lost 2 ounces since Monday. Now they're telling me to stop giving her breast milk and to give her only high calorie formula. And somehow I'm supposed to MAKE her drink 90ml every 2 hours. She drinks about 30ml every 2 hours, how do I make her drink it? She was in the NICU for 2 weeks and she is 8% under her birth weight as of today (3 weeks 1 day). I've been doing research and from what I've found being diabetic and I had an IV for hours before my cesarean that could attribute to her weighing so much when she was born. Is anyone else familiar with this idea?

dancegurl1118 · June 2015

@obryana6219 I'm not familiar but I'm so sorry you're under this stress. It's hard not to feel defeated that your body isn't doing "what it should" for your baby. Hang in there mama, you are doing everything you can and are taking great care of her. I'll be thinking about you guys!

Slowly but surely my milks coming in...nipples are still so bad that I can't even wear a shirt or bra (thankful for no visitors today, HA!) but happy that I can hear her swallowing and she's still pooping and peeing all day. Will get the true test of weight gain/loss at her appt tomorrow. Not too worried because even if she's losing we will figure something out...I feed her whenever she makes any cue even if it's been 20 minutes so, we'll see.

klkonwi · June 2015

90 ml every 2 hrs is excessive.
90 every 3-4 would be a lot more successful. But I'm not your pediatrician. Can you get a second opinion from a diff healthcare professional ? That amount seems crazy to me every 2 hrs..... Esp with formula. @obryana6219
There is absolutely nothing wrong with a second opinion or someone who can give you more reassurance at this point.

frankengibbs · June 2015

It sounds cocky, but I feel proud of myself for being able to take care of my baby. DH works two jobs and isn't home much so taking care of the baby primarily falls on me and it feels like this is what I was meant to do. She truly is my rainbow baby.
As for my body, I decided to forgo bfing, but now my milk has come in and I'm doing my best to get it to stop, but it's kind of miserable. I'm happy about my choice because I feel like this is what really is best for DD, but it sucks to constantly be leaking milk and be worried about mastitis.
But we're taking one day at a time and I'm doing my best to be kind to myself and soak in all of these precious moments while I can.

So Q: Any STMs have advice about stopping your milk supply? So far I just use cold compresses to ease the pain and stop the leaking. Also, has anyone had success with the sage tea for suppression?

klkonwi · June 2015

Cabbage leaves. It's gross but that's what we recommend to patients! @frankengibbs

janat1717 · June 2015

I delivered Sunday and milk hasn't come in yet. I know it can take like 5 days but I'm getting all paranoid it won't happen. My breasts do feel heavier and are achy if pressed on so maybe a sign? It took a couple days for little man and me to hit a stride with latching and feeding and still have our struggles but at least getting something almost every two hours with a longer stretch. Any experiences with gradual symptoms of the milk and of it taking longer? DH's sister keeps asking if it's happened every time which is not helping (BF'ing was super easy for her)

esampson1983 · June 2015

We had our 2 week appointment yesterday. Baby boy is gaining weight nicely so the doctor is pleased. They did the second part of the newborn screening so they pricked his foot and squeezed the blood from it. Poor little guy was so fussy yesterday afternoon. I felt so bad for him! I hate it when I can't soothe him! So not looking forward to him getting shots at his 2 month appointment!

Yesterday was also the first day I had worn make up and did my hair since LO was born. I felt human! I also went shopping and left LO with DH. First time away from LO. It was nice to get out for a little bit. But I did check in frequently.

knwilliams01 · June 2015

@obryana6219 I'm not a pediatrician but that seems like a lot! My 4wk2day old just now will take 2-3 ounces and that's only if it's been 3-4 hours since her last feed. If she decides to feed every 90min-2hr then she only takes 1-1.5 ounces. And she is gaining weight.

We had some weight gain issues at first, make sure formula is at least room temp so LO isn't using calories to get the food up to temp.

mindaa · June 2015

frankengibbs said:

It sounds cocky, but I feel proud of myself for being able to take care of my baby. DH works two jobs and isn't home much so taking care of the baby primarily falls on me and it feels like this is what I was meant to do. She truly is my rainbow baby.

You should totally feel good about yourself - that is awesome!

The hospital staff had warned me that day 3 could be rough, and I thought I had breezed through it... only to fall apart last night. Was extra sore every where and had my first meltdown. The good news was the DS ended up sleeping great, so I actually got, not consecutive, but about 6 hours of sleep. Felt amazing!

The downside is that it happened because he's in our bed. I swore up and down that there would be NO co-sleeping! Of course that was before I realized how difficult it would be for me to get in and out of bed. DH helped move him at first, but that got old. So, hopefully we'll be able end that within the next couple weeks, and we're not sending ourselves down the slippery slope towards sleeping with our 4-year-old, like too many first time parents I've known.

First pediatrician visit today, all good. Well, except that DS had his very first explosive poop on the way there. First parking lot diaper change, done.

btm013 · June 2015

Last night wasn't so bad. My husband and I are getting into a rhythm and I hope it sticks. Of course baby could change things tonight since he holds the power.

I'm still only producing 2oz a breast per pump but for now it's keeping the baby sustained without having to supplement too much. DS had his second weigh in. He was down 11% when we were discharged from the hospital b/c my milk supply was taking it's sweet time coming in. They plopped him on the scale and lo and behold, the little bugger gained 6oz in 2 days! I asked if that was good and the pediatrician said he would have been thrilled with 1/2-1oz so he exceeded all expectations.

The LC and pedi recommended I eat oatmeal, take fenugreek and drink 3-4oz of Guinness each day. They are all proven to increase your milk supply. Hopefully it works. I have a follow-up with the LC on Monday to discuss any progress. If my supply doesn't increase then I may have to decide how much longer I should do this. I'll be bummed if it doesn't work out but at least I know I gave it my all and was able to do it as long as I could.

rklinge0 · June 2015

@btm013 way to go and glad he is gaining weight!
@frankengibbs that is something to be proud of, its hard work taking care of a newborn!

henrytviii · June 2015

Maybe for next week we should make this a weekly thread to get more discussion. I always feel like by the time I have time to chime in or ask for input the day is gone and thread is dead. Chasing a toddler and caring for a week old is nuts, I know people have done it since the dawn of time but its new territory for me. There should be a medal ceremony or something at the end of every day. And every was telling me how great it would be to have the summer off. "Off" my ass. This is way more work than work people. Speaking of which, I am due back at work after the 4th. Might be hormones speaking but the idea of trading time for money right now rather than caring for my boys seems ridiculous. My bills might have to figure out a way to pay themselves.

henrytviii · June 2015

@btm013 The 2oz per breast per pump session stills seems like a lot to me at this stage. I breastfeed for 11.5 months with my first and never pumped more than 2.5 ounces per breast that whole year. My LO was healthy and plump though he did nurse more frequently than some babies. We didn't have to supplement with formula until about 10 months and that was only because I decided to cut a pump session at work right as he decided to take a larger bottle, up to 5oz from 3.5. Most breastfeed babies never move beyond a 5oz bottle so if you are pumping 4oz at just a week or two I feel like this is excellent output. And your LO is now growing quickly. I am missing something? It seems like you are doing great.

btm013 · June 2015

henrytviii said:
Maybe for next week we should make this a weekly thread to get more discussion. I always feel like by the time I have time to chime in or ask for input the day is gone and thread is dead. Chasing a toddler and caring for a week old is nuts, I know people have done it since the dawn of time but its new territory for me. There should be a medal ceremony or something at the end of every day. And every was telling me how great it would be to have the summer off. "Off" my ass. This is way more work than work people. Speaking of which, I am due back at work after the 4th. Might be hormones speaking but the idea of trading time for money right now rather than caring for my boys seems ridiculous. My bills might have to figure out a way to pay themselves.

What does everyone think? Should we do this daily or weekly? I'm up for whatever!

btm013 · June 2015

henrytviii said:
@btm013 The 2oz per breast per pump session stills seems like a lot to me at this stage. I breastfeed for 11.5 months with my first and never pumped more than 2.5 ounces per breast that whole year. My LO was healthy and plump though he did nurse more frequently than some babies. We didn't have to supplement with formula until about 10 months and that was only because I decided to cut a pump session at work right as he decided to take a larger bottle, up to 5oz from 3.5. Most breastfeed babies never move beyond a 5oz bottle so if you are pumping 4oz at just a week or two I feel like this is excellent output. And your LO is now growing quickly. I am missing something? It seems like you are doing great.

All excellent points!! You are right. Hmm...then why is the LC concerned? This gives me hope. I was unaware most bf babies don't consume more than 5oz. I thought it would be more come a certain point.How often did you pump? I am doing it every 4hrs now.

Edited - @henryviii - the LC and pediatrician considered me a "low producer" at 2oz a pump. I was pumping around the clock every 2-3 hours but found I got .5oz more if I pushed it longer.

henrytviii · June 2015

Yeah, seems strange that LC is worried. But i am certainly no expert. I say the 5oz from friends and family experience and limited internet research!

I only pumped at work. Sadly I did it every 2.5-3 hours because I'd often only get 1.5 ounces a side. Pumping is rough. Are you sure you don't want to return to nursing directly? Then you can just lie around and nurse all day to build supply instead of power pumping. I had to return to work at 5 weeks - weekend+3 weekdays - but I spent many hours Tuesdays and Fridays nursing as much as I could to keep my supply up.

seesea · June 2015

henrytviii said:
Chasing a toddler and caring for a week old is nuts, I know people have done it since the dawn of time but its new territory for me. There should be a medal ceremony or something at the end of every day. And every was telling me how great it would be to have the summer off. "Off" my ass. This is way more work than work people. Speaking of which, I am due back at work after the 4th. Might be hormones speaking but the idea of trading time for money right now rather than caring for my boys seems ridiculous. My bills might have to figure out a way to pay themselves.

^^^ALL OF THIS!!! @henrytviii I totally agree with you. Someone told me "well at least you're on vacation!" Ummm this is not a vacation.

@btm013 I'm down to do a weekly thread. I also think you're doing an awesome job with pumping. IMO 4oz is a lot.

henrytviii · June 2015

https://kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/pumping/milkcalc/#howmuch

This says 19-30 oz a day for 0-6 months. You are pumping 24 ounces!

There is also good info on Kelly Mom about slowing down the bottle feeding so baby is satisfied and it mimics nursing. Maybe once you are fully back to birth weight and getting plenty of wet diapers & poops your pediatrician will allow you to stop supplementing.

knwilliams01 · June 2015

Okay so growth spurts are no fun for sleep deprived moms. I don't know if it's because DD was a preemie at 36 weeks or what, but we are on our 2nd growth spurt. First at two and a half weeks, second now at just over 4 weeks. Constantly eating way more than normal more frequently, fussier, refusing to be put down - aka wants to be held all night long. Growth spurts a are no joke!

amabarne · June 2015

@knwilliams01
I am with you on the growth spurt! I just fed LO for almost 2 1/2 solid hours. He did not want to be put down or anything else. It's exhausting!

kkdb14 · June 2015

@knwilliams01 @amabarne thank you!! Growth spurts are awful! LO had one lasting 4 days right after turning a week old. We just came out of it yesterday, thank god. I am SO not excited for the next one. She barely slept at night, and when she did she ate every 1.5 hours. She also doubled her intake, from 1.5 oz to 3. I thought I was going to have to supplement to keep up with her appetite (and was really stressed about it) but right at the end it picked way up. I get about 9-10 oz per pump session, every 2-4 hours. Her 2 week appointment is on Monday and I'm hoping to see a huge jump on the scale. My LO never lost much weight honestly. Born at 5 lbs 14 oz, left the hospital at 5 lb 12 oz, and was still 5 lb 12 oz at her 2 day appointment.

glenwood82 · June 2015

I'd like to see this be a weekly thread instead of daily, seems like that might lead to a better discussion.

knwilliams01 · June 2015

@kkdb14 that's awesome that your supply picked up. Mine is still at 1-2 ounces total per pumping session. I've tried most of the ways to increase to no avail. So she gets about 75% breast milk, 25% formula and that's with doing a pumping power hour every day

karaelaine1991 · June 2015

I agree, weekly would work better for me. DD keeps me too busy to check the bump more than once or twice a day!

My update for yesterday (6/5): the nipple shield that LC gave me was working fantastically... until I lost it. I was extremely emotional while we tried to find it. We never did, so I gave in and started pumping so DD would at least get something in her belly. I wasn't pleased about it since I hadn't wanted to introduce bottles until she was at least a month old, but what a difference this has made for us! Eating is much less stressful for both me and baby, it takes much less time, and the work can be shared between me and DH. Pumping is going extremely well, apparently I have a ridiculous supply of milk - this morning I pumped a total of 8 oz (3 right, 5 left). Downside is I HAVE to pump least every 5-6 hours or my boobs HURT. The most clear sign that pumping seems to work best for us - LO slept through the night last night, aside from 2 feeding sessions at 1245 and 340! Hopefully today will be as successful as yesterday!

dancegurl1118 · June 2015

My pedi today said don't wake her to feed and don't feed on demand if she's rooting now that she hit her peak of weight loss. I was like welp okay because otherwise she's attached to my boob...good to know? But goes against every breastfeeding and LC advice. Who knows. I'm sure I'll do a combo but she hasn't lost any more weight in the two days since she was weighed so that's good.

janat1717 · June 2015

So pretty sure my milk did come in without me noticing. Lots of little signs I've added up. Everyone kept saying I'd know when it happened and wink.. Geez

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