@shaylalr Want to share your advice on engorgement? My milk came in yesterday - I have been dealing with some serious engorged boobs and a very sleepy newborn. I've just been pumping once a day to get some relief but I'm not sure what else I can do to help. Any advice would be great! TIA
@shaylalr FX everything starts improving for you! Lactation consultants are kind of amazing.
I'm still terrified of pooping. Sometimes it'll catch me off guard and it almost makes me want to cry. It doesn't even hurt as bad anymore, I just have this irrational fear of tearing my stitches.
How is everyone doing with friends and family? Man we have been inundated with people wanting to come over. I've done a good job at spacing them out so she's not over stimulated but it's a lot for us too!! It has been nice that they're bringing meals and snacks, lol. My mom is coming over for a few hours today to sit with her so we can take a nap, do things around the house, etc. she's driven me crazy with how much she wants to be over, but not going to lie it's been nice to have those free hours to catch up on life!!
I had one "good" friend come over last night with a couple of our other friends. I'm not sure how to handle her. I think she's incredibly jealous!!!! She never once asked me about my pregnancy. Whatever. I didn't really care. But hope she knows why she wasn't on the short list of people we told when we made personal announcements. She found out through FB. Then she came over last night and of course didn't bring anything, showed up seeming a bit distracted until she had a couple glasses of wine. Again whatever I don't care but then she took her photo and posted it on Instagram with a sweet message about her excitement, blah blah. Like she's been so involved all the while. Wtf?!? Weirdo. She is dating a very nice guy but no ring yet. After a couple glasses of wine she said she thinks they're going to start trying for a baby in October!! LOL Just so bizarre. I
I'm still waiting for baby to make an appearance but keep creeping this thread! Did any of the hospitals you used, use "Mom 365" for pictures? Can anyone shed light on their pricing and care to share any of their personal pictures? Trying to decide if they're worth it. Do you pay at the hospital or online? Cash/check/card?
@LDSJM123 yes we used them last time. I had no idea it was something that was available but they just stopped by our hospital room and asked if we wanted some pictures. The pictures came out very well and I think we got about a dozen shots or so? The price was very reasonable although I don't remember the exact cost -- just that it was a lot less than doing a newborn session with a private photographer outside of the hospital. And I bought the CD with the digital images on it and we got to take it home with us from the hospital. So fast and convenient!
@LDSJM123 sorry I didn't answer the whole question -- yes you can pay at the hospital and then there is an option to buy more prints/products online later. I bought the digital images so I could choose to get the prints done elsewhere.
@LDSJM123 we skipped them, but she left a price pamphlet I peeked at. I believe it was right around $200 for the CD of all images which is what I would have chosen. Not sure about individual print costs or anything..
@chelseakae07 she told me to take hot showers and put hot compresses on my breasts to help relieve the pressure. If I'm uncomfortable, she wants me to try pumping/hand expression after that. If I'm not uncomfortable but just have hard boobs, then she wants me to massage the breast before I feed her and express a little and rub it into my nipple. It'll help relieve pressure and get her interested.
@TiffRox81 Ugh, so frustrating! People sure are strange.
My mom came with the intent to stay for a month but it's not working out so well and she says she's leaving this Friday. Part of me is relieved, but the other part feels incredibly guilty, like I'm a bad daughter and making her feel unwelcome. She just doesn't seem to have any maternal instinct! She isn't helping the way DH and I expected her to. It's making it really hard to deal with the baby blues because I am trying to hold it all together but I'm incredibly frustrated. I'm scared to be alone with baby next week when DH goes back to work, but at the same time I think I've done a good job with the "trial by fire" art of baby-raising. I keep telling myself that the first time I take her out of the house all by myself will be the hardest time, and after that it will feel more natural.
Anyway, my emotions are just all over the place right now. I feel like I've driven my mom away, but at the same time I'm like, "Well then let her go!" And like I said, I'm afraid of being alone starting next week, but at the same time, I'm excited for it too. Damn PP emotions!
July BMB Siggy Challenge: Weird Hot Dog Situations
@LDSJM123 the hospital where I delivered DD had someone come in and do photos. They also put together a birth announcement that is posted to the hospital's website (it just has first names, no last names) that was pretty cool. Though I didn't buy it with DD, I may buy it with the new baby and see if the photographer would do some sort of deal if I buy DD's pics too, haha. They let you pay cash or card in the hospital. We had the option to think about it and purchase all online as well.
How does everyone feel about starting a separate thread for newborn photography? I know we had one for maternity pictures and it would be cute to see the bumps out the outside. ☺
@joleri23 you have too much going on to worry about your mom and her feelings. Don't feel bad. When my husband went back to work I left with E the same time he did and drove to my favorite coffee place and got something. My focus was on going out and getting a coffee for myself and driving with a baby rather than the focus of my husband leaving me alone at the house. I recommend it if you are able to do that! And actually being home alone wasn't so bad. I could focus solely on him and nap easier than when my husband was home too. Keep an eye on your baby blues and take care of yourself!
My milk came in full force on day 4. Currently going through day 6 with baby and no matter how long he eats, my boobs stay rock hard. This nurse was telling me that if I leave them full for a while I could get a really painful infection. She didn't mean to but she scared the crap out of me! I pump afterwards but even then they're still pretty hard.
How does everyone feel about starting a separate thread for newborn photography? I know we had one for maternity pictures and it would be cute to see the bumps out the outside. ☺
@TiffRox81 the visitors can definitely be overwhelming. We ended up staying in the hospital an extra day just because of the holiday weekend so way more people came to the hospital than I was originally wanting. It was nice because most people brought food like you said but it did make it hard to stay on top of feedings. Now that we are home we've had quite a few visitors as well but I've been better about spacing them out and not letting it affect our feeding time. This is particularly difficult with my MIL who just wants to hold him the entire time she's here.
I'm also starting to feel really nervous about my husband going back to work. He's working this Saturday because they made a mistake with his leave and then he's off again for another week before he goes back to his regular schedule. He's been so incredible this last week I just don't want this time to be over.
@LDSJM123 We got pictures taken with them and got 9 sheets of pics, a USB drive, birth announcements and some random other things they threw in for free for $180 with tax (in CA). The pictures came out really well for the most part, but there are some that I dislike because the baby lo-jack is visible and I feel like that's such an atupid oversight that could've been avoided. On top of that, our chick kinda rushed us through the ordering process, so one of the 8x10s we got is of said picture with baby lo-jack... So, the plan to gift that to grandparents is out. Idk, kind of annoying, but if you're on the lookout for that kinda stuff and get a person who'll take their time with you, I think it's great! I'm on mobile so I can't share at the moment.
@theshannondee I love that idea, of leaving in the morning to go do something nice when husband leaves. I'll definitely be taking that advice
Thanks for all the input everyone! We have already hired a newborn photographer but was contemplating getting a small hospital package just for the sake of having them.
@DarkCat i would love to share newborn photos! I was also looking through the birth announcements thread and some babes are already 1 month old and a couple are 2 months! On my other bmb we shared monthly photos of the babies w stats, likes and dislikes and what not! Think that should be started also everyone?
YES!!!! Add me to the list of moms terrified of when hubby goes back. Abd terrified to drive. I planned to try the coffee outing, as Starbucks is 3 miles and it's been part of our daily routine right now. I told my mom (as much as she annoys me, lol) maybe every Wednesday she comes for s few hours in the middle of the day so I have some time to nap if that's been an issue, etc. ahhhh!!!! We'll see how it goes.
Right now now I almost feel like I have the flu!!! I'm terrified I'm getting that breast infection. Anyone else have this? First thing tomorrow, I'm calling the doctor.
@joleri23- I'm sorry things didn't work out with your mom. My parents came to help yesterday and it wasn't as much help as I was hoping.
Are there any parent-baby classes you can go to? My hospital offers them for free for 0-3 months old and I loved them with DD! It was good practice for going out on our own for the first time (everyone else there is learning too), plus it was great to bond with other moms, learn about different baby care topics and to discuss how I was doing. Many places also have PEPS and MOPS groups which are similar.
Right now now I almost feel like I have the flu!!! I'm terrified I'm getting that breast infection. Anyone else have this? First thing tomorrow, I'm calling the doctor.
Do you have a red warm spot on your breast? Is it swollen/painful? If so, it could be mastitis. I had it twice with DS... Once was mild and once was much worse (at Christmas, blah). Take some pain reliever, keep nursing on that side and point the baby's chin in the direction of the pain/swelling, and use warm compresses... And yep, call the doctor about antibiotics. Mine didn't even make me come in to see her.
@WVUPetunia A girlfriend warned me about that!! I haven't been able to find the red spots tho. I will keep on the Tylenol tho. That's a good idea!! I plan to call first thing tomorrow!! That would be awesome if I didn't have to come in.
Sorry if this was brought up already, but is anyone else getting swelling in one foot?? I had no swelling the entire pregnancy. Noticed today that my right foot has ballooned! No pain though.
@shaylalr I haven't had much swelling at all... the one day I did both of my feet swelled, but then the right foot swelling stayed a lot longer than the left. My ob said it was probably just more pressure on that side.
Edited to add... I haven't had my baby yet and totally forgot which thread I was in when posting this, but I'm glad someone else asked their OB about after birth swelling and posted!
Sorry if this was brought up already, but is anyone else getting swelling in one foot?? I had no swelling the entire pregnancy. Noticed today that my right foot has ballooned! No pain though.
Yup! Talked to my doctor and she said it's normal for one foot to swell after birth. Just keep an eye out for headaches, dizziness, seeing spots. Basically signs of high blood pressure.
Hey hey part of the postpartum crew now! Haven't slept yet, Finn will only sleep if he is touching one of us and so I am letting dh until the next feeding and then it is my turn to get some sleep. I am tired but not super tired because I just want to hug on this sweet sweet babe.
@shaylalr I also noticed swelling of both ankles and feet yesterday. When I would curl my toes, it would feel tight across the top of my foot. I laid down and elevated my legs overnight and that seemed to help. Definitely more swelling now than when I was pregnant.
I've been doing a lot of pumping to build my milk supply for Maggie for the NICU and I have large and painful lumps in my armpits that showed up when my milk came in. The right one seems to come and go as I pump, but the left one is incessant. They are about the size of ping pong balls and hurt more the longer it is between pumping. Are these milk ducts or swollen lymph nodes? I've read where people say both. I'm going to see if I can meet with the lactation consultant when we go up to the hospital today but wanted to see if anyone else has this and what they did for it.
Me: 31 DH:35 Started TTC in June 2014 Started seeing RE in June 2015 HSG in July 2015 = normal, started Clomid/Ovidrel/IUI cycle in August 2015 Cycle #3 in October afforded 1st month of mature follicles - underwent IUI BFP on 10/27/15 - EDD 7/8/16 DD#1 born on 7/1/16
TTC #2 in September 2018 BFP on 12/2/18 - EDD 8/16/19
Team Green!
@MollyH1987- my lactation consultant said that near the end of a feeding (or pumping session) start with your hand at the outer edge of the breast and massage/push towards the nipple and to especially do this where there are any bumps. She said this will help get extra fat to loosen up and get into baby's milk. I go around my breast doing this 4-5 times.
Sorry I don't really know the answer to your question, but maybe for now massage your breast (outside edge towards nipple) while in the hot shower and then while pumping afterwards should help some.
Night 2 with Camille was rough in the hospital and I'm super emotional about it today. The nurses kept her in the nursery all night except for feedings so I could rest. She was so fussy and cluster feeding and my milk hasn't come in yet. I'm feeling pretty crappy about sending her to the nursery last night and concerned about our first night home tonight. All the tears.
Night 2 with Camille was rough in the hospital and I'm super emotional about it today. The nurses kept her in the nursery all night except for feedings so I could rest. She was so fussy and cluster feeding and my milk hasn't come in yet. I'm feeling pretty crappy about sending to the nursery last night and concerned about our first night home tonight. All the tears.
Hang in there! It'll be okay! Being home is a million times better than being at the hospital. You'll be in your own comfy environment without being interrupted every hour. You'll get the chance to get into your new routines and your new "normal."
So comforting to read that others are struggling as well.
We are home (6 days old) and she has been doing well but breastfeeding has been a rocky road. The nurses and her pedi said she has a very strong and aggressive suck and also gums things very hard. She has given me two blisters on my nipples. She rejected one boob for 2.5 days; finally got her back on it. Now the other boob is literally ON FIRE and the nipple is extremely sore and sensitive. I'm watching for signs of mastitis or a yeast infection (which burning can indicate) but neither yet. I've had problems with this breast before and the breast specialist found no issues, so it might just be weird pain as far as the burning goes. But the poor nipple. A strong breeze on it makes it hurt at this point and when she latches I almost scream. UGH! Going to the lactation consultant today.
Hand in there ladies.
09/12/14 BFP (EDD 5/15/15)
10/06/14 US #1 showing baby at 6W1D w/ no HB (rather than 8W4D)
10/13/14 US #2 confirming miscarriage
10/28/14 800mg oral cytotec (very good experience)
oh and just to share my pooping situation (vaginal delivery)
i've been taking stool softeners and fiber gummies. had 2 good poops, but i feel one that's been in there for about two days now and it's not budging. sorry if this has been mentioned, but i read online that one tip is to take a folded in half pad and hold it under your vagina area / on the stitches when you're trying to poo - it will make you feel more supported down there so hopefully you can relax a bit more. I tried it and while it did feel better, still nothing came out. thought i'd throw it out as a suggestion.
09/12/14 BFP (EDD 5/15/15)
10/06/14 US #1 showing baby at 6W1D w/ no HB (rather than 8W4D)
10/13/14 US #2 confirming miscarriage
10/28/14 800mg oral cytotec (very good experience)
@Heathereaddy- I'm sorry your night was rough. It sounds just like my experience with DD. She cried so much night 2 and 3. DH and I were exhausted, emotional and wondering what we got ourselves into. Then my milk came in and things got much better! We still didn't get much sleep, but DD didn't cry as much. Don't feel guilty. Do you have help when you go home? Even a friend that can come walk baby for an hour while you nap in the day?
Also, there is hope. DD2 hardly cries and sleeps much better. We can't believe the difference between our 2 girls and DD2 is only 1 week old!
Thanks @WVUPetunia & @holly142DH and I are out here alone (our families are 1000+ miles away) but we have some friends in town who would be willing to help. DH tried but all she wanted was to feed and be swaddled to sleep, which we're struggling to learn how to do. Yeah I'm hoping once my milk comes in things will get better but I'm feeling like a pretty crappy mom after night 2 lol.
I'm lurking in this thread, but I wanted to say that during my breastfeeding class, the LC talked about the "Second Night Feeding Frenzy", which can actually last a few days. Basically, she said babies will be extra fussy and want to be at the breast constantly, kind of forcing you to hold them constantly. This is apparently an evolutionary adaptation that helps your milk come in just from the constant proximity.
I'm sure it's hard to not be exhausted and feel guilty that your baby seems upset, but looking at it like a weird step in the process might help a little.
Peter did great at his weigh in today after my milk came in yesterday! Yay! I was so worried he wasn't getting enough! I've been nursing with a shield since day 2 since I was already bleeding after day 1, but I would really like to wean off the shield so I don't have to always have it around in order to feed him! I tried yesterday and though he latched and seemed to feed ok, by the end of the day my nipples were on fire and I about cried every time he latched on. Has anyone else had to use a shield and is there any hope of getting off of it? I'm thankful it allows me to nurse easily, but it's a nuisance and I think it's making him suck in more air. He is soo gassy and it makes him so uncomfortable! Our pediatrician said we could go ahead and start using gripe water when he's really hurting, any experience with this?
Married 6/1/13
BFP #1 7/2013 MMC 9/17/13
BFP #2 5/2014 MC 6/15/14
BFP #3 11/13/14 (Found in ER with ruptured cyst) Diagnosed MC 11/15/14
BFP #4 4/2015 MC 7/1/15
BFP #5 10/21/15 EDD 7/3/16 Praying for our rainbow!
Ladies- another helpful community (aside from the one we've built here) and aside from Kellymom.com, is the leaky boob. You can find them on Facebook. They have great information and are a very knowledgeable group of resources. Just wanted to post the info here (I put it in with the U/O's, but fear it could get deleted depending on how the day goes) in case anyone may need it or find it useful!
@Heathereaddy hugs! The second night was definitely the hardest! He wanted to feed literally the entire night and I didn't sleep at all. It got easier after that though! You're doing great!!
@Heathereaddy hang in there! E was cluster feeding from day one, made even tougher by the fact that she wouldn't take the boob when we got home. We used the hospital's nursery, too-that's what it's there for! Don't feel bad. Hope your first night home goes well!
Re: Newborn/Postpartum Thread
I'm still terrified of pooping. Sometimes it'll catch me off guard and it almost makes me want to cry. It doesn't even hurt as bad anymore, I just have this irrational fear of tearing my stitches.
I had one "good" friend come over last night with a couple of our other friends. I'm not sure how to handle her. I think she's incredibly jealous!!!! She never once asked me about my pregnancy. Whatever. I didn't really care. But hope she knows why she wasn't on the short list of people we told when we made personal announcements. She found out through FB. Then she came over last night and of course didn't bring anything, showed up seeming a bit distracted until she had a couple glasses of wine. Again whatever I don't care but then she took her photo and posted it on Instagram with a sweet message about her excitement, blah blah. Like she's been so involved all the while. Wtf?!? Weirdo. She is dating a very nice guy but no ring yet. After a couple glasses of wine she said she thinks they're going to start trying for a baby in October!! LOL Just so bizarre. I
@LDSJM123 yes we used them last time. I had no idea it was something that was available but they just stopped by our hospital room and asked if we wanted some pictures. The pictures came out very well and I think we got about a dozen shots or so? The price was very reasonable although I don't remember the exact cost -- just that it was a lot less than doing a newborn session with a private photographer outside of the hospital. And I bought the CD with the digital images on it and we got to take it home with us from the hospital. So fast and convenient!
My mom came with the intent to stay for a month but it's not working out so well and she says she's leaving this Friday. Part of me is relieved, but the other part feels incredibly guilty, like I'm a bad daughter and making her feel unwelcome. She just doesn't seem to have any maternal instinct! She isn't helping the way DH and I expected her to. It's making it really hard to deal with the baby blues because I am trying to hold it all together but I'm incredibly frustrated. I'm scared to be alone with baby next week when DH goes back to work, but at the same time I think I've done a good job with the "trial by fire" art of baby-raising. I keep telling myself that the first time I take her out of the house all by myself will be the hardest time, and after that it will feel more natural.
Anyway, my emotions are just all over the place right now. I feel like I've driven my mom away, but at the same time I'm like, "Well then let her go!" And like I said, I'm afraid of being alone starting next week, but at the same time, I'm excited for it too. Damn PP emotions!
I love this!
I'm also starting to feel really nervous about my husband going back to work. He's working this Saturday because they made a mistake with his leave and then he's off again for another week before he goes back to his regular schedule. He's been so incredible this last week I just don't want this time to be over.
@theshannondee I love that idea, of leaving in the morning to go do something nice when husband leaves. I'll definitely be taking that advice
Right now now I almost feel like I have the flu!!! I'm terrified I'm getting that breast infection. Anyone else have this? First thing tomorrow, I'm calling the doctor.
Are there any parent-baby classes you can go to? My hospital offers them for free for 0-3 months old and I loved them with DD! It was good practice for going out on our own for the first time (everyone else there is learning too), plus it was great to bond with other moms, learn about different baby care topics and to discuss how I was doing. Many places also have PEPS and MOPS groups which are similar.
keep on the Tylenol tho. That's a good idea!! I plan to call first thing tomorrow!! That would be awesome if I didn't have to come in.
Edited to add... I haven't had my baby yet and totally forgot which thread I was in when posting this, but I'm glad someone else asked their OB about after birth swelling and posted!
I've been doing a lot of pumping to build my milk supply for Maggie for the NICU and I have large and painful lumps in my armpits that showed up when my milk came in. The right one seems to come and go as I pump, but the left one is incessant. They are about the size of ping pong balls and hurt more the longer it is between pumping. Are these milk ducts or swollen lymph nodes? I've read where people say both. I'm going to see if I can meet with the lactation consultant when we go up to the hospital today but wanted to see if anyone else has this and what they did for it.
Started TTC in June 2014
Started seeing RE in June 2015
HSG in July 2015 = normal, started Clomid/Ovidrel/IUI cycle in August 2015
Cycle #3 in October afforded 1st month of mature follicles - underwent IUI
BFP on 10/27/15 - EDD 7/8/16
DD#1 born on 7/1/16
TTC #2 in September 2018
BFP on 12/2/18 - EDD 8/16/19
Team Green!
Sorry I don't really know the answer to your question, but maybe for now massage your breast (outside edge towards nipple) while in the hot shower and then while pumping afterwards should help some.
We are home (6 days old) and she has been doing well but breastfeeding has been a rocky road. The nurses and her pedi said she has a very strong and aggressive suck and also gums things very hard. She has given me two blisters on my nipples. She rejected one boob for 2.5 days; finally got her back on it. Now the other boob is literally ON FIRE and the nipple is extremely sore and sensitive. I'm watching for signs of mastitis or a yeast infection (which burning can indicate) but neither yet. I've had problems with this breast before and the breast specialist found no issues, so it might just be weird pain as far as the burning goes. But the poor nipple. A strong breeze on it makes it hurt at this point and when she latches I almost scream. UGH! Going to the lactation consultant today.
Hand in there ladies.
i've been taking stool softeners and fiber gummies. had 2 good poops, but i feel one that's been in there for about two days now and it's not budging. sorry if this has been mentioned, but i read online that one tip is to take a folded in half pad and hold it under your vagina area / on the stitches when you're trying to poo - it will make you feel more supported down there so hopefully you can relax a bit more. I tried it and while it did feel better, still nothing came out. thought i'd throw it out as a suggestion.
Also, there is hope. DD2 hardly cries and sleeps much better. We can't believe the difference between our 2 girls and DD2 is only 1 week old!
I'm lurking in this thread, but I wanted to say that during my breastfeeding class, the LC talked about the "Second Night Feeding Frenzy", which can actually last a few days. Basically, she said babies will be extra fussy and want to be at the breast constantly, kind of forcing you to hold them constantly. This is apparently an evolutionary adaptation that helps your milk come in just from the constant proximity.
I'm sure it's hard to not be exhausted and feel guilty that your baby seems upset, but looking at it like a weird step in the process might help a little.