3:30 in Cali. Just finished pumping and feeding Rowan. I'm snacking and taking my Motrin before trying to sneak in an hour of sleep before the next round.
This is the last night with my mom here helping . I don't know what's gonna happen when MH and DS are back in the room with us (they've been sleeping downstairs so my mom could sleep in our bed and help me with Rowan). Toddlers are sooooooo unpredictable.
EP is not for the weak of heart, @kns1988 and @mrsrep123 - we're still nursing some but definitely pumping more. I actually sorta prefer it to exclusively nursing since I have more control over when and can hand baby to DW with a bottle of breastmilk and feel good about that. I think Isaac has a little nipple confusion since his suck is sometimes shallow to the nipple and he gets frustrated when he can't latch or get letdown right away like he does from bottle.
If there are a lot of us who are pumping a lot/EP, maybe we should start a thread for support?
@chailife34 I just want to start off by saying I'll be a FTM and haven't dealt with this before, so I'm definitely not an expert and not trying to sound like I know it all. Also, I don't know how you're going about feeding with a bottle. But, in case this is helpful, I just wanted to share some things I learned in the breastfeeding class I just took since it's still fresh in my mind. Our instructor explained to us that we should mimic breastfeeding as much as possible when bottle feeding (this is assuming you're also breastfeeding). So, for instance, you'd wait until your baby's mouth was completely wide open before putting the nipple in, you'd have them suck for a minute before tilting the bottle enough for them to get milk, and you'd pace the milk out (so maybe stopping once in the middle and having them start the process over again). She explained that some babies start preferring the bottle if it's easier for them, so making them work a bit helps with the continuity of going between breast and bottle.
@nda_roxybabe, were you induced last night? How did things go overnight?
Yea, I checked in at 8pm. I've been in triage and on my 3rd iv and 3rd whatever the pill is to help soften the cervix. It's now 3:30am
Omgoodness sweetie how cruel I hate when they miss and bruise the heck out of the arm. Hopefully you progress
Oh, I took that to mean she's on her 3rd IV bag, meaning, she's been there awhile... playing the waiting game... not that they couldn't stick her 3 times!
@nda_roxybabe, were you induced last night? How did things go overnight?
Yea, I checked in at 8pm. I've been in triage and on my 3rd iv and 3rd whatever the pill is to help soften the cervix. It's now 3:30am
Omgoodness sweetie how cruel I hate when they miss and bruise the heck out of the arm. Hopefully you progress
Oh, I took that to mean she's on her 3rd IV bag, meaning, she's been there awhile... playing the waiting game... not that they couldn't stick her 3 times!
Oh! My bad totally read that wrong then D; oops. Brainfarts
(Edited) oh okay I went back and re read she said it was still bugging her that they need to redo it I beleive.
Midnight feed. So ready for these babies to sleep longer at night ... They take an epic 3 hour nap in the middle of the day. I know they can do it! Thankfully that gives me the chance to sneak in a nap too. I cant complain too much. Both babies sleep quite well in their crib without a lot of extra help (rocking, patting, etc) beforehand. One good thing to come out of a 5-week NICU stay, I suppose.
My stomach is so upset!! My husband apparently can't figure it out without me so he hands me a screaming baby while i try to poop and then got so upset bc i was taking too long ( what could i do, i couldn't finish while holding her) meanwhile my boobs are incredibly engorged and I'm so freaking tired. Then dd1 woke up and of course wants me....
For mother's day i just want sleep and my milk to go away!
@mrsrep123, that's a healthy snack! @Jkp7749, he handed you a screaming baby while you were pooping?! Is nothing sacred anymore?
I'm annoyed with myself because I threw our feeding schedule off tonight. I was supposed to feed DS at 2:30 AM and I accidentally slept until 3:15. He's fed now, but I have to turn around and feed him again at 5:30 AM, so I don't see the point in going back to sleep. It's going to be a long day.
Also, DS was so fussy last night for the first time ever. He just wanted to be held constantly, and he seemed really hungry. I've upped his food by half an ounce per bottle, so hopefully that'll help.
Me: 29, DH: 31 Married: October 2014 Began TTC: April 2015 BFP #1: 9/18/15. EDD 5/18/16. MC 10/26/15. (9w) BFP #2: 2/27/16. EDD 11/7/16. MC/D&E 4/20/16 (11w) BFP #3: 9/22/16. EDD 5/29/17. DS born 4/24/17 BFP #4: 5/20/18. EDD 1/23/19.
Agreed. Babies do eventually sleep (longer). Fussy times will come and go.
@mrsrep123 I'm 97% pumping and 3% nursing the one baby (Claire) who is able to latch - but mostly just to clear out plugs when my pump output wanes or to calm her down whenever (or calm me down). Hoping Owen will latch someday to make comfort nursing a possibility but I don't have the goal of tandem exclusive at-breast feeds anymore. My maternity leave isn't long enough and my sanity isn't worth the trouble (i.e. worrying that they continue to get enough milk, perfecting their latch, etc etc).
@heath313 Right there with you! Sleep is so cruel and evasive these days. @Jkp7749 Sorry! I'd definitely talk to DH. There are some moments where you're just need to be human, and the bathroom is one of those. @kns1988 How frustrating that your schedule is thrown off, but don't beat yourself up! I can't imagine how hard it is to stick to a schedule.
All of you mamas are doing an awesome job. Don't forget to give yourselves credit!
@mdlorenz - your attitude re: time and sanity is awesome. I feel like with DS I ruined maternity leave trying to make EBF work. This time I want to enjoy it.
@Jkp7749- how is anyone supposed to concentrate on pooping with a baby? I don't think they understand that it's more difficult to do for a while after giving birth. Hope you're feeling better.
tonights a mess. I forgot to refill my snack bin so I'm starving and nothing is in arms reach. Yesterday I put clean sheets on the bed, and took a nice long shower so I felt great. Well I don't know what I was dreaming about but I woke up to boobs that leaked through nursing pads and soaked the bed. I'm trying to figure out the least gross way to go back to sleep without hauling my ass upstairs for new sheets!
@ChristinaWild maybe just put a towel down? I am all for sleep over hygiene, no judgement here if you leave the sheets tonight.
Its 4:30 and I'm wide awake. I finally kicked DH out of bed for snoring. Poor guy has got a sinus issue so it's been bad tonight. He felt bad and I felt bad for kicking him out, but I'm sure he'll sleep fine in our guest bed. I on the other hand may be up for the night. My plastic surgeon removed my drains yesterday but he also put 100 ccs in my expanders and they are so freaking painful. Not sure I am going to get any more sleep. I can't wait until this baby is out so I can take Advil with my fills.
@mdlorenz thanks for answering my question. I was imagining how you were doing it (or any other twin/multiple moms). Major props for even doing or considering comfort nursing. Like you, I definitely went with my sanity and spared myself as my maternity leave isn't long enough to meet my original goals (although Rowan is still getting breast milk and I'm happy about that).
It's 5:44am. I'm so tired but I'm trying to let my husband sleep a bit. He's doing diaper changes for all of us since I can't move around much yet and he kept the baby happy for 4+ hours this morning so I could sleep. He's such a trooper.
Sooo it's no longer the MOTN but I have a stupid MOTN logistics question. We plan on rooming in with baby in a bassinet right next to my bed. Logistically, what do MOTN feeds look like for you guys? Do you turn lights on and get up all the way? Keep lights dim? I know often babies are wet when they wake up and also need to be changed after eating... so do you do two diaper changes in like 30-45 min or let them be wet during feeding...? I was thinking about this lying in bed and realized how much I don't know! I'm sure it's different for every baby and every family just interested in your routines!
@ShadeofGreen816, I turn lights on to feed DS because I want to force him to wake up. Sometimes DH falls asleep on the couch - if he's in bed, I'll take DS to the living room so that I don't wake DH up. I let DS eat while he's wet and change him afterwards because he always pees and poops while he's eating. He just recently started getting fussy when his diaper is dirty, though, so every once in a while he gets changed before and after depending on whether he's refusing to eat. I also have to get myself out of bed or else I'll fall asleep while I'm feeding him, and I'm terrified of doing that.
Me: 29, DH: 31 Married: October 2014 Began TTC: April 2015 BFP #1: 9/18/15. EDD 5/18/16. MC 10/26/15. (9w) BFP #2: 2/27/16. EDD 11/7/16. MC/D&E 4/20/16 (11w) BFP #3: 9/22/16. EDD 5/29/17. DS born 4/24/17 BFP #4: 5/20/18. EDD 1/23/19.
@ShadeofGreen816 I've been changing him before he eats to really get him woken up otherwise he doesn't eat fully. But every single feed lately he's been pooping during the feed. So new plan is to not change and just try to stimulate to keep awake, change him in the middle and burp him, then relatch to finish the feed. I bought a little dimmer switch that our bedside lamp plugs into so I have a little light for poopy diapers otherwise I do everything else in the dark.
@ShadeofGreen816 for MOTN, I do everything nursing. DH does everything else. DS wakes up. I nurse him, attempt a burp, and hand him to DH to change. DH brings him back. I see if DS is interested in nursing anymore. If not, I lay him down. If he's a bit fussy, DH soothes him to sleep. During the feeding I play on my phone to stay awake or ask DH to talk to me. It's been working very well that way.
@ShadeofGreen816 We'll have baby sleeping in our room, but everything else MOTN we'll do in the nursery. It's right across the hall from our bedroom. So, we'll feed him in the rocker, and changes will take place in there as well. I don't have experience will the logistics yet (diaper before, after, etc), so we'll be working all of that out as we go. But, I personally like having "spaces" for certain things, which is why we didn't set up the chair or changing table in our room. I'd rather do that in the nursery and then whoever is in the bedroom can remain sleeping with the lights off. We do have a tiny nightlight in our bedroom, though, in case we need visibility while putting the baby in/out of the cradle.
I think we are going to do something similar to what @starphish18nia going to do. The bassinet will be in our room but everything else will be done in the nursery unless of course that doesn't work lol we have a nightlight in our bathroom right now that I use when I get up in the night to pee so I don't wake up too much so I'm guessing we'll use that for some light. All of this in theory of course! We'll see how it all goes once he's here!
"A day without laughter is a day wasted." ~Charlie Chaplin
@ShadeofGreen816 what a brilliant question. We have the bassinet set up and ready and I guessed at what to keep in the caddy but otherwise know nothing about what the process is actually like. I didn't know they often pee and poop during feeding! our nursery is immediately next to the bedroom so I think I might also try keeping that as the changing & feeding space. I guess I'll find out when we get there. Thank you for asking this Q!!
@sweaterboots, my pediatrician said that pooping is a reflex tied to sucking, which I thought was kind of funny. It explains why baby always poops when he eats!
Me: 29, DH: 31 Married: October 2014 Began TTC: April 2015 BFP #1: 9/18/15. EDD 5/18/16. MC 10/26/15. (9w) BFP #2: 2/27/16. EDD 11/7/16. MC/D&E 4/20/16 (11w) BFP #3: 9/22/16. EDD 5/29/17. DS born 4/24/17 BFP #4: 5/20/18. EDD 1/23/19.
Everything is set up in our bedroom. I have a salt lamp with a dimmer on it that stays on low all night. I crank it up when I need to change E. Usually I change either half way through a feeding to keep her up, or at the end of a feeding. If I do it at the end, I usually have another 10 minutes or so of snuggling to do to settle her.
I've learned she's sensitive to light and won't settle if I watch tv or turn on lights that are too bright. Our feeding time is kind of boring lol.
@ShadeofGreen816, we have baby in a bassinet in our room. We are bottle/formula feeding in the middle of the night--our routine looks like this: baby wakes, DH feeds a bottle while I pump, DH changes the diaper mid way through, baby goes back to bed and I rock her bassinet a little if she's fussy. We do the whole thing in the dark with the light in our adjoining bathroom on as a dim light. We also have a white noise app playing on my phone all through the night including feeding and we try to stay quiet. We have a little changing basket with a very large changing pad that we spread on our bed and use for diaper changes.
I would actually love to start doing this stuff in her nursery, but my son's room is right next door and I'm not yet ready to test his ability to sleep through the whole thing.
Thanks for sharing everyone!! I see us being more "stay in our bedroom" style but the nursery is just outside our door. I'm sure it'll take some trial and error!
I've pumped for the first time! My pediatrician recommended that I started. Got a full 3 ounce yield after feeding the baby (well like an hour later). Now my husband can feed him too! So exciting!
This night has been a mess of screaming and nearly constant feedings when we run out of other options. My boobs are killing me but it's the only way she'll calm down. I swear she grew retractable little razor vampire teeth or something oowwww.
@ShadeofGreen816 it's only our second night home so our routine is hardly a routine yet, but we have barely gone into the nursery at all. We have a station set up in our walk-in closet in our bedroom and that's as far as we go for MOTN.
Re: MOTN thread
aww @Jkp7749 I hope you can get some sleep
1st Baby 5/12/17, Henry
Married: October 2014
Began TTC: April 2015
BFP #1: 9/18/15. EDD 5/18/16. MC 10/26/15. (9w)
BFP #2: 2/27/16. EDD 11/7/16. MC/D&E 4/20/16 (11w)
BFP #3: 9/22/16. EDD 5/29/17. DS born 4/24/17
BFP #4: 5/20/18. EDD 1/23/19.
1st Baby 5/12/17, Henry
This is the last night with my mom here helping
@sweaterboots
@nda_roxybabe 3rd IV? Ouch, ask for the veteran IV starter!
@Jkp7749 I hope you get some much needed rest soon. You're Superwoman!
DS1 7/24/15
DS2 5/7/17
Married: October 2014
Began TTC: April 2015
BFP #1: 9/18/15. EDD 5/18/16. MC 10/26/15. (9w)
BFP #2: 2/27/16. EDD 11/7/16. MC/D&E 4/20/16 (11w)
BFP #3: 9/22/16. EDD 5/29/17. DS born 4/24/17
BFP #4: 5/20/18. EDD 1/23/19.
(Edited) oh okay I went back and re read she said it was still bugging her that they need to redo it I beleive.
I cant complain too much. Both babies sleep quite well in their crib without a lot of extra help (rocking, patting, etc) beforehand. One good thing to come out of a 5-week NICU stay, I suppose.
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@mdlorenz curious, are you nursing both, pumping for both, or combo?
DS1 7/24/15
DS2 5/7/17
For mother's day i just want sleep and my milk to go away!
@Jkp7749, he handed you a screaming baby while you were pooping?! Is nothing sacred anymore?
I'm annoyed with myself because I threw our feeding schedule off tonight. I was supposed to feed DS at 2:30 AM and I accidentally slept until 3:15. He's fed now, but I have to turn around and feed him again at 5:30 AM, so I don't see the point in going back to sleep. It's going to be a long day.
Also, DS was so fussy last night for the first time ever. He just wanted to be held constantly, and he seemed really hungry. I've upped his food by half an ounce per bottle, so hopefully that'll help.
Married: October 2014
Began TTC: April 2015
BFP #1: 9/18/15. EDD 5/18/16. MC 10/26/15. (9w)
BFP #2: 2/27/16. EDD 11/7/16. MC/D&E 4/20/16 (11w)
BFP #3: 9/22/16. EDD 5/29/17. DS born 4/24/17
BFP #4: 5/20/18. EDD 1/23/19.
@kns1988 don't be too hard on yourself, and try to nap today!
Just keep telling yourselves this is a short time. The babies will eventually sleep. Coffee all around.
@Jkp7749 with you there. I'm hoping to pump enough that DH can do a couple of bottle feeds on Sunday and let me sleep.
@mrsrep123 I'm 97% pumping and 3% nursing the one baby (Claire) who is able to latch - but mostly just to clear out plugs when my pump output wanes or to calm her down whenever (or calm me down). Hoping Owen will latch someday to make comfort nursing a possibility but I don't have the goal of tandem exclusive at-breast feeds anymore. My maternity leave isn't long enough and my sanity isn't worth the trouble (i.e. worrying that they continue to get enough milk, perfecting their latch, etc etc).
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@Jkp7749 Sorry! I'd definitely talk to DH. There are some moments where you're just need to be human, and the bathroom is one of those.
@kns1988 How frustrating that your schedule is thrown off, but don't beat yourself up! I can't imagine how hard it is to stick to a schedule.
All of you mamas are doing an awesome job. Don't forget to give yourselves credit!
@Jkp7749- how is anyone supposed to concentrate on pooping with a baby? I don't think they understand that it's more difficult to do for a while after giving birth. Hope you're feeling better.
tonights a mess. I forgot to refill my snack bin so I'm starving and nothing is in arms reach. Yesterday I put clean sheets on the bed, and took a nice long shower so I felt great. Well I don't know what I was dreaming about but I woke up to boobs that leaked through nursing pads and soaked the bed. I'm trying to figure out the least gross way to go back to sleep without hauling my ass upstairs for new sheets!
Married:09/14/13
Baby 2 - Due: 5/4/17
@Jkp7749 so not cool. I hope you talk to him.
@ChristinaWild maybe just put a towel down? I am all for sleep over hygiene, no judgement here if you leave the sheets tonight.
Its 4:30 and I'm wide awake. I finally kicked DH out of bed for snoring. Poor guy has got a sinus issue so it's been bad tonight. He felt bad and I felt bad for kicking him out, but I'm sure he'll sleep fine in our guest bed. I on the other hand may be up for the night. My plastic surgeon removed my drains yesterday but he also put 100 ccs in my expanders and they are so freaking painful. Not sure I am going to get any more sleep. I can't wait until this baby is out so I can take Advil with my fills.
@RainyDays86 I'm glad the drains are out! Yay! Sorry for no sleep.
DS1 7/24/15
DS2 5/7/17
@christinawild yes, towel!
DS1 7/24/15
DS2 5/7/17
Married: October 2014
Began TTC: April 2015
BFP #1: 9/18/15. EDD 5/18/16. MC 10/26/15. (9w)
BFP #2: 2/27/16. EDD 11/7/16. MC/D&E 4/20/16 (11w)
BFP #3: 9/22/16. EDD 5/29/17. DS born 4/24/17
BFP #4: 5/20/18. EDD 1/23/19.
May17 Siggy Challenge
Labor
"A day without laughter is a day wasted." ~Charlie Chaplin
Married: October 2014
Began TTC: April 2015
BFP #1: 9/18/15. EDD 5/18/16. MC 10/26/15. (9w)
BFP #2: 2/27/16. EDD 11/7/16. MC/D&E 4/20/16 (11w)
BFP #3: 9/22/16. EDD 5/29/17. DS born 4/24/17
BFP #4: 5/20/18. EDD 1/23/19.
I've learned she's sensitive to light and won't settle if I watch tv or turn on lights that are too bright. Our feeding time is kind of boring lol.
Married:09/14/13
Baby 2 - Due: 5/4/17
I would actually love to start doing this stuff in her nursery, but my son's room is right next door and I'm not yet ready to test his ability to sleep through the whole thing.
@ShadeofGreen816 it's only our second night home so our routine is hardly a routine yet, but we have barely gone into the nursery at all. We have a station set up in our walk-in closet in our bedroom and that's as far as we go for MOTN.