March PAIF Grads- new mama's

capps42613 · March 2017

This thread is for those of us who graduated from pregnant after infertility that now have our babies ! We can discuss all the joys and struggles of being new mommies

capps42613 · March 2017

@mskeenan I hope you don't mind I started a new thread. I'm 20 minutes early to work after dropping him off to daycare so figured why not? Lol

AandDM2014 · March 2017

Hey ladies! I finally get to join here! Babies were born on Sunday morning and wow is it awesome having them here! Now we just have to survive being in the nicu, which hopefully won't be a long time for us.

I am hoping to breastfeed but wow oh wow is pumping difficult! At least this morning I've been able to do it without bawling! I still haven't gotten any milk, but they're early and PCOS can affect supply, so we're still trying.

Griffin5413 · March 2017

@AandDM2014 congrats!!!!! So happy for you. Hopefully your milk will come in soon. Do whatever is best for you and those babies!

tvh1982 · March 2017

Yay, happy to see you here @aanddm2014. You're triplets are adorable!!
Pumping is tough, I gave up after day 12.
Try to hang in there, it hopefully gets better for you like it does for most women.
We have quite a few ladies here that do brilliantly at it.

AFM, I'm getting pretty nervous. Will have my first flight with Pia tomorrow. Not sure I'm dreading driving to the airport or the flight or that I haven't packed all that I need!
But Pia has been doing fantastic lately, so let's hope she does wonderful tomorrow!

dragonfaerie · March 2017

@AandDM2014 congratulations!! Pumping is hard, for sure. I had a c-section so my milk took longer to come in too. I think it was over a week before I really had a steady flow. You can do it!
@tvh1982 Woo, what a big day for both of you! Best of luck!

AFM - I'm mildly freaking out in the best possible way: Riley pushed himself over from tummy to back three times today! I can't believe it.

mskeenan · March 2017

@capps42613 thank for starting the thread . I totally didn't realize it was a new month yet lol .

@aanddm2014 congrats !! So glad you can join us . Hope your little ones are doing well. Hang in there with the pumping . I have PCOS as well and my milk took longer than normal to come in but when it came in boy did it come in . I hope things get easier !!!

@dragonfaerie holy cow !! Riley !! Already rolling over ? Vince hasn't rolled over again since he did for the first time . They are growing up to fast on us

capps42613 · March 2017

@dragonfaerie wow! That's cool. Early bloomer! Cason still hasn't mastered that art yet, maybe because I suck @ giving him "tummy time". lol

@tvh1982 Ahh! Sending positive vibes for Pia-girl to be on her best behavior, and comfortable, of course. I don't have to worry about that til he's almost 9 months. Safe travels!

@AandDM2014 wecome! congrats again! I couldn't imagine trying to pump for all 3 babies. Hope it works out well for you.

AandDM2014 · March 2017

Thanks ladies! The LC was able to express a small bit and said the tissues were definitely there!!! I hope to express a bit more before each pump today and have enough to give a small taste to each baby!!!! I'm definitely feeling more encouraged after seeing her and getting a for sure bit of milk!

chicandbubbly · March 2017

@AandDM2014 Congrats! Happy to see you here! My milk didn't come in for maybe 3 days after birth so don't worry, i am amazed you are planning to breastfeed three babes- super woman!!

AandDM2014 · March 2017

I finally got my computer out so I can do a more thorough update!

My milk is finally thinking about coming in! I was able to hand express a little bit and I'm bringing it with me to the NICU when I go in just a few minutes for the 5pm feeding. I'm feeling much more confident that I'll be able to provide at least some milk for them, and I will most definitely be continuing to pump every 2-3 hours.

I found out this afternoon that my hospital has a "motel" type room for parents of NICU babies and I'm going to ask the nurses about it when we go see them. I'm hoping it'll be available for us to use on Friday night since I get discharged tomorrow. Sure I don't come with room service, but it's not a 45 minute drive from my babies! I definitely plan to ask to use it as often as possible, even if I have to stay overnight by myself. DH is waiting to use his leave until they're home with us, so it could be several weeks before he takes any. He's been lucky so far in that no one at work has really needed him, so he's gotten away with staying at the hospital, but that could change at any time and he could need to go in.

@chicandbubbly Thank you! I've always planned to breastfeed my babies, I just didn't plan to do three at once! Hopefully I can find some good tricks that work for me to get my supply up!

@mskeenan That's good to know! I've heard that PCOS can cause an over supply sometimes, and I'm really hoping that's the case for me!

dragonfaerie · March 2017

@mskeenan I will be interested to see if it was a fluke for us, or if he'll keep it up. Definitely growing too fast!
@capps42613 Milestones have really wide ranges of what's "normal", and they get there when they are ready

@AandDM2014 That's very encouraging!

Griffin5413 · March 2017

@dragonfaerie - that's so crazy that Riley is rolling over! Eli has rolled from his back to his tummy but it was in his sleep. He is not showing much interest in tummy to back at all yet. Lol
@AandDM2014 - FX for a great milk supply. I've been told it's demand dictates supply so hopefully with all 3 that means your demand will tell your body to definitely overproduce

AandDM2014 · March 2017

It's just about 1am and DH just made a delivery to the nicu...

This is from 2 14 minute sessions. Yeah, it isn't a lot, but this is for the third baby! Second baby got just about this much, and I'm hoping first gets this much by his morning or second morning feed! This took so much effort and patience and I am DAMN proud of myself. I was so close to giving up. If I can do it, any of you ladies reading can do it too!

dragonfaerie · March 2017

@AandDM2014 You go girl!!!
@Griffin5413 That's really interesting that he rolled back to front, since that takes more muscle than front to back. These kids are nuts!

Griffin5413 · March 2017

@AandDM2014 that's a great amount! When they are that small their stomachs are less than a teaspoon big so that was plenty. Keep it up!
@dragonfaerie - I know. That's why I'm sure it was bc he was sleeping. When he is awake he would be thinking about it too much and trying to do too many other things.

AandDM2014 · March 2017

@Griffin5413 I've seen how much they've been fine feeding them and holy cow is it a lot compared to this! But I'm giving them something, which is what is important right now. I've only been pumping for like 80 hours, so I feel like I'm doing good!

mskeenan · March 2017

@aanddm2014 way to go !! That's amazing !!! Isn't it crazy how just a little bit is such a huge accomplishment ? It's liquid gold !

Is anyone else's hair falling out ? Mine fell out during our treatments and continued to fall out during pregnancy but I had a lot of new hair growth to compensate for it . Now postpartum it's coming out again . Ahhhhh. Thank god i have a thick head of hair but I don't want it to thin

Griffin5413 · March 2017

@mskeenan oh my gosh I am losing so much hair. Bc we don't really lose much hair while we r pregnant I think our bodies make up for it once baby is here. It's crazy though. I feel like I just pull out clumps every day!

dragonfaerie · March 2017

I didn't seem to gain much hair while I was pregnant, but it did grow faster. Knock on wood, I don't seem to be losing anything.
I took Riley to a breastfeeding group today where they weigh them before and after they eat to make sure he was getting enough even when I cut him off at 20 minutes. He got 5 ounces in that amount of time, so I think we're good. Lol.

Tulips29 · March 2017

@AandDM2014 congratulations! I remember reading your update that you were expecting triplets and here they are! Time is flying by so quickly. Huge props to you on breastfeeding all 3 of them, that's definitely super woman skills in my book. I'm exhausted pumping/feeding one and worrying about having a stash saved up for him when I go back to work. And I also have PCOS, so the struggle is real.

@tvh1982 I hope your flight with Pia went well!

@dragonfaerie man, 5 oz in 20 mins?! That's amazing! Are you pumping as well? I have a scale at home so I weight Aiden before and after feedings too to see how much he eats and he's always getting anywhere from 2-3 oz per feeding. Even when I feed him with a bottle he won't take more than 3. Once he ate more and then spit up a lot so I figured he over ate. So even when I pump I never get more than 3 oz per session from both sides combined.

For anyone else BF whose babies are a few months older, do you bottle feed as well and if so did you increase the amount of oz your babies drink per feeding? I keep reading that BF babies eat 1-1.5 oz per hour so the amount they eat shouldn't increase, but then I keep thinking does that mean I'll continue feeding him the same amount when he's 4 months for example and he'll still wake up every 2.5-3 hours at night to eat?

Griffin5413 · March 2017

@Tulips29 Eli will be 3 months next week and he is still only eating 4oz every 3 hours. I've tried giving him more and he won't eat it. I think he's getting close to needing more though. When I was breastfeeding I was following up each feeding with 1-2 ounces. Babies won't eat if they aren't hungry. They don't have the ability to eat bc they are stressed. Basically you can't overfeed an infant. That's was the dr told me.

mskeenan · March 2017

@tulips29 Vince only gets a bottle when I am not with him - so if my husband and I go out and the two days I've gone to work he has gotten a bottle so he hasn't had many bottles but He usually takes anywhere from 4-6 oz per feed from the bottle . No clue how much he is getting from me . Prob about the same I'm assuming . During the day he eats every 3-4 hours but at night he's made it to 5-7 hour stretches . Hes 3 months

mskeenan · March 2017

@griffin5413 ugh I know the clumps of hair coming out are alarming . My hairdresser said it's common to shed a lot of hair once you stop breastfeeding but I haven't stopped so don't know what's up . Even birth control makes my hair fall out .. wtf . I need to look into special shampoos . I used one when I was doing treatments and it seemed to help .

dragonfaerie · March 2017

@Tulips29 I pump for 5-10 minutes just to start a stash. I am trying to pump on my right more because the supply is lower.
The chart I read showed that they need abt 4 oz per feed until about 4 months, but you should be able to go longer between feeds. Like @Griffin5413 said, they won't overeat.

Griffin5413 · March 2017

@capps42613 I remember you said you tried rice cereal in the bottle for Cason. I want to try this for Eli but I'm not sure how much to put in the bottle. I know it's less than what the box says. I'm thinking this could help with his reflux and maybe he will sleep a little longer. I know the reports say it really doesn't do much for extra sleep but I'm thibkinf more about the reflux anyway

Tulips29 · March 2017

Thanks ladies. I guess I'm more worried about under feeding than over feeding. But he doesn't eat more and 3 oz has been max. He's 2 months. He's gaining weight though and diaper output is good. At our 1 month checkup pediatrician said he's gaining well. Maybe he's just a smaller baby - he's 10 lbs at 2 months. I just see other babies eat more and he literally closes his mouth when he's done by 3 oz.

For those losing hair, are you still taking prenatal vitamins? I was told they are supposed to help with hair loss. I haven't experienced any yet.

dragonfaerie · March 2017

@Tulips29 that makes sense, but you are doing the right thing by offering more than enough and stopping when he is done. If doc is happy and baby is healthy, I guess that's all that matters, but it is hard not to worry as FTMs

And Riley was 10lbs9oz at one month, so he's a big boy comparatively:)

mskeenan · March 2017

@tulips29 yup I am doing prenatals still . Oh well . As for the feedings thing , Vince is just a big baby I think . He's a little piggie . He was 13 lbs 5 oz at his 2 month visit . If your doc is happy with weight gain I'm sure he's getting enough ! It'll prob increase over the next month too !

Tulips29 · March 2017

@dragonfaerie @mskeenan we have our 2 months checkup next week so I hope the doc will be happy with the weight gain. I got a few comments over the last week that Aiden is tiny and a small baby and it made me question everything. Now I'm doubting if I have enough milk for him, or maybe I'm starving him without realizing it, or maybe I need to supplement. Ugh! I also read that breastfed babies should double their birth weight by 3-4 months. So at the rate he's going now he should double it by 4 months. But I don't know. Just when I thought I got bf'ing down all these doubts have filled my head.

dragonfaerie · March 2017

@Tulips29 If you were starving him, he'd let you know. The doc will tell you if the weight gain isn't happening fast enough. He could be a little small, or those people just know bigger babies. God bless Dr Google for giving us all anxiety

You are doing great, Momma, don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

mskeenan · March 2017

@tulips29 he may just be a smaller baby ! That's totally ok !! Hopefully at the doc he is gaining the right amount of weight that is appropriate for him . I think people just like to make comments on baby size a lot ... people keep telling me that my baby is "gigantic " . Sometimes I'm like hmmm is he too big ? But then I remind myself that he's just the size he needs to be .It reminds me of being pregnant when any comment about size would have me questioning . If people said I was small I would worry they were implying my baby was too small .. if they said I was huge I would worry my baby was too big .

Does Aiden seem happy ? Is he super fussy when he eats or anything ? If he's stopping on his own and seeming content that's probably fine !!

anonellis · March 2017

I hope I'm not overstepping by jumping in here after I've only been posting on the March 2017 boards...I had twins two weeks ago after working with an RE for a few months. I was wondering what, if anything, people have done/are doing for their RE's office? I was going to send a heartfelt thank you card plus a picture of the twins but wasn't sure if I should send anything else (i.e. food basket for the nurses, etc). The doctor himself is the one who really went above and beyond for us, but of course I'm grateful to everyone there.

I had a relatively short stint at their office and never had to go to IVF or anything so I'm sure I wasn't the most memorable patient, but they changed our lives so I want to be sure to thank them properly.

tvh1982 · March 2017

Pia eats very little @tulips29.
She's 4 months and she eats 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7oz. But we have a lot of 3 and 4 oz during the day. She then will eat twice within the hour before bedtime, the dreamfeed she'll eat 6 or sometimes 7.
My little girl just doesn't has time to eat, and can carry on on 3 oz for 4 hours.
Shes gaining weight, so she just eats what she needs.

As for being afraid for not having enough. Pia has been underfed when I tried breastfeeding. She was lifeless and was almost impossible to wake up. It was one scary night and I knew that this wasn't good.
It doesn't sound that is Aiden at all, and as he's bigger now (Pia was only 10 days old) he'll ask for more food if hungry.

Our flight went well, even though we almost wouldn't be able to travel.
I packed everything, was very on the 'must bring Pia's formula' that when I got to the airport I'd forgotten our passports!
I cried and called my mum.
Luckily I had arrived very early to have plenty of time, and my mum has the key to my house. So she came to the reascue and drove 1hr45min to bring to passports.
I could check in with my driver license, but Pia didn't had any ID.
Nobody asked for it eventually, but if I wouldn't have it, they probably would!
It was nerve racking.
Pia slept 30 min in the car, then slept 30 min and got woken up by security and slept 30 min on the plane.
She only had a little cry before leaving as she really wanted a bottle during boarding.
She did amazingly.
And she slept from 8pm til 11pm til 4am and again til 9:30! She was knackered

mskeenan · March 2017

Glad the flight went well @tvh1982 !! I'm sorry the trip was stressful before it started . I would totally do something like that . Mommy brain !!

tvh1982 · March 2017

Mommy brain indeed! #williteverfunctionagain?

Hello @anonellis! Welcome on this board!
Yay for twins, hope all of you are in good health.
As I had two infertility clinics and both in different countries (at the time I lived in Norway, one clinic, and got pregnant with a donor in Denmark, another clinic, but moved a month before my little girl was born to the Netherlands) I only wrote them a lovely (or I think it was lovely) thank you email with a picture of Pia.

Tulips29 · March 2017

@dragonfaerie I hate doctor Google! There's always something I find online that gives me anxiety. Ugh! My mom always tells me the same thing, if he was starving he'd let me know. And he does when he wants to eat.

@mskeenan I hate when people comment on the size of anything or anyone. So annoying! And Aiden is typically content. He pushes off himself when he's done eating and just rests his head on my boob or falls asleep. Sometimes he fussed while eating but i think it's because he has to poop. There's pretty much always milk on his lips after he's done eating. I think I also stress myself out weighing him before and after each feeding to make sure he's eating enough. Today though each weight in is showing me a bit less than 2 oz. not sure what's happening.

@tvh1982 I'm glad Pia was so good during the flight. When I travel I always forget something, can't imagine what I'd forget these days with the mommy brains that's sleep deprived. I'm glad to hear Pia still eats smaller amounts, helps me think my baby just stops to eat when he's had enough even though it may be less than the "standard amount" he should eat.

capps42613 · March 2017

@anonellis congrats on your twins! I sent my RE's office a birth announcement and put a note on the back showing our gratitude for them. I'm sure they'll appreciate even just a picture of the lives they've helped create.

AandDM2014 · March 2017

@Tulips29 Thanks! It is going by quickly. In just 2 days they'll be a week old! I can hardly believe it! So far I'm not able to provide fully for them, but my supply seems to be increasing a bit, so I'm gonna try some tricks to get it up. I'm making a big ol tub of overnight oats this evening and plan to have my first power pump session.

mskeenan · March 2017

@tulips29 oh good ! Yah Vince will fuss when eating but usually when he has to get a toot out

Griffin5413 · March 2017

@Tulips29 Eli was 11.4 pounds at 2 months and dr said he was perfectly healthy. Just keep up the good work and go with what he is telling you!
@tvh1982 I'm so glad all of your travel went well. That's so nerve wracking about your passports!
@anonellis - congrats on your twins! I haven't sent anything but I was going to send a card with pics.

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