PAIF Graduates - New Mommies - June 2018

byrneme · June 2018

Holy cow where did the month of May go?? I cannot believe that Zoey will be one next month (granted - END of next month but still!) I'm in full birthday planning mode which basically means buying things off the internet b/c this mom? Not crafty! What are your ladies' plans for the summer months with your LO(s)??

MMD1986 · June 2018

What are you doing for a party theme, if any?

Polythene Pam · June 2018

Aw can’t believe it’s almost birthday time!! You’ll have to share your plans.

We are excited for a low key summer. Graham gets dragged to big sisters school pick up/drop off, swim lessons, etc so I’m excited for lots of backyard time, walks, farmers markets. We just put him in the stroller next to big sis (vs in the car seat adapter), they both LOVE it, I’ll see them grabbing each other tickling. So lots of walks I think

byrneme · June 2018

OMG @Polythene Pam that's so cute - bonding already!! I think our plans are pretty similar - I enrolled Zoey in swim lessons, just to get her used to the water, we love going to the farmer's market and for walks. I'm hoping our hot as hades May leads to a pleasant June!!

As for birthday, I opted to go for colors and spelling out 'one' instead of a true theme. I figured there will be plenty of time where she will want to choose her own

Plus, since we didn't find out the gender I never got to do all the fun pink stuff so I chose pink and gold glitter.

PoeMasque · June 2018

Oh man, we missed last month on here because I went back to work and, holy crap, there just aren’t enough hours in the day!

I cant believe Henry will be 6 months old next week!! He is definitely more of a social/intellectual guy and not so much of a physical kiddo. He rolled over both ways months ago, but won’t do it anymore (as if he’s “been there, done that”!). I raised the white flag a while ago on co-sleeping and just went with it during the last sleep regression because, in all honesty, it just feels right for us. Although now that he’s in daycare full time he sleeps in his crib for 4-5 hour stretches - but likely because he refuses to nap at daycare.

I did wonder if anyone else on here has a kiddo with strabismus (one eye that tends to turn in or out)? I know it’s normal in younger babies, but can signal vision issues in babies over 6 mos. Henry’s right eye definitely turns in still and I’m going to ask the pediatrician about it, but I can’t help but worry that he’s inherited our horrible vision and will need glasses already.

Our summer plans are to hike as much as possible and to host regular backyard movie nights. Not super exciting, but like I said, there’s just no time these days!

Here’s my little love bug

omarismyhomeboy · June 2018

@PoeMasque he's so cute! June is similar in that she smiled super early, has been waving/clapping for a while but she's about to be 9 months and isn't crawling. I worry about it a little but from what the other PAIF moms have said, its no big deal and all babies are different! For what its worth my niece developed strabismus when she was about a year and a half- hers was pretty extreme and she wore an eye patch and glasses for a bit but she finally got it fixed with some very minor surgery. She's 6 years old now and you would NEVER know the difference! She's perfect.

Holls214 · June 2018

Question- did anyone feel bouts of dizziness after labor? I just feel a little off and I’m not sure what it is... not sure if I haven’t caught up on sleep yet or something else.

Holls214 · June 2018

I think it’s just the baby blues. Been crying on and off for the past hour. I don’t think anyone ever tells you how hard the first week or so is.

MMD1986 · June 2018

@Holls214 you've got this. You are an amazing mother.

Are you drinking lots and lots of water? That's my first thought on why you'd be dizzy.

persnickity · June 2018

@Holls214 in addition to lots and lots of water, make sure you're eating enough too. It might sound crazy, but I ate more post partum than pregnant. It's easy to get dizzy if you're low on water, food, or sleep and as a new mom you're likely low on all of them.

The change in hormones is rough! It's okay to cry and not know why. Just try and take care of yourself the best you can. Anytime he's napping, your priorities should be food and sleep for yourself.

mtpbadger · June 2018

@holls214 I hope the dizziness goes away. I agree, drink tons of water....I’m drinking and eating more than I did pregnant, its insane. Abigail came home today so I’m sure I will be feeling a whole bunch of different emotions. While she’s almost three weeks old, I will just be figuring her out and dealing with sleep deprivation in the next few days. I’m so excited for her to FINALLY be home but also scared sh!tless at the same time.

Polythene Pam · June 2018

@Holls214 drink and eat, and let things go- lay on the couch with baby, or take a bath. I cried over brushing my teeth. If it keeps up dont hesitate to ask your doc but those hormones are no joke!

@mtpbadger glad everyone is home!! You've got this!

Holls214 · June 2018

Thanks ladies!! I’ll definitely up my food and water intake and hope that makes a difference. Yes these hormones are no joke and they don’t talk to you about these feelings much and just kinda send you home with your baby. You all are so helpful.
@mtpbadger you got this Momma! So happy she’s coming home.

mbradfo2 · June 2018

@Holls214

Dizziness could also be the wearing off of all the adrenaline and stuff surrounding baby's arrival, maybe? Sorta feel like you're coming down. That also contributes to the baby blues. But do make sure you're taking care of yourself - drinking, eating, etc! I don't know what your set up is like at home, but also make sure you get out at least a little every day and get some time to yourself. I was feeling stir crazy by the end of the first week.

@mtpbadger
I think it must be so scary to have so much time to contemplate the reality of having baby 24/7 at home! Our baby was early (5 weeks) but went home in 48 hours so the whole thing was so fast that I didn't have time to process "baby is here; everything is different". I wasn't expecting to see her for another 4 weeks when I went to get my scan! I remember thinking about 48 hours after she arrived home, "Holy crap. This is real."

I'm facing the "Return to Normal?" this upcoming week: my husband returns to his work which has pretty long hours (7 am to 6 pm, sometimes working nights or weekends from home on projects). I'm going to more gradually slide back into a work schedule myself; I work remotely most of the time with flexible hours (just deadlines to structure my work, occasional meetings) but I'll need to figure out which half days I'm going to leave her with my mom to go into the office. It's exciting and scary to think I'll be completely on my own! I'm going to attempt to structure our days with a schedule, but I know babies are ridiculously prone to screwing up schedules. The funny part is I switched to this more flexible schedule w/ more time at home 5 years ago when we wanted to start our family; funny how life goes!

We need to work a bit on tummy time since the doctor wants us to increase to 10 minute spurts instead of 5 minutes. She completely has a meltdown when I put her on her tummy and will just sorta give up after a minute or two of flailing. I don't know what to do to encourage her to work her neck more! Any ideas or am I just way overthinking this?

doubleblessings1124 · June 2018

@mtpbadger I just posted on the May forum to you because didn't see the June one until now whoops! Congrats on your daughter coming home! How much time will you have off work? I am getting to spend 8 weeks instead of 12 with my twins which stinks. It's already flying by.

@mbradfo2 good luck with being on your own- you got this! My husband went back to work right away so I have been on my own with my twins for awhile now. I was pretty scared but it's going well and we have a good routine down. My twins just hit their due date so they are only awake for feeds basically. I have tried tummy time on the floor but they sleep through it! Otherwise placing on your chest or wearing baby all count! Mine love to be held and we have a twin carrier I wear which they also love

Question for pumping moms- how much milk do/did you keep frozen on average? Did anyone donate? I am so grateful for donors as my twins received donor milk at birth until my milk supply reached enough for them.

omarismyhomeboy · June 2018

@doubleblessings1124 I tried to freeze one 6 oz bag of milk per day when my supply was good. It has made a HUGE difference in June continuing to have breastmilk at (almost) 9 months. I am weaning now but she wouldn't have gotten half as much milk had I not frozen a lot when I could. Because I barely make 6 oz total at this point. I never donated but I follow a girl on instagram who is an over-producer and she has donated a lot. I think its a wonderful thing to do if you can 'afford' it

@Holls214 I didn't really have dizziness (beyond the first 2 days) but I did have tremendous baby blues for the first week. It was a crazy experience and I was sobbing on and off and it freaked me out! I also ate way more than I ate during pregnancy (an animalistic hunger basically) and I had night sweats like CRAZY. Postpartum is a really really hard time. Definitely try to give your body all the breaks it needs!

MMD1986 · June 2018

@doubleblessings1124 I pump 7 times a day and can only get about 17.5 ounces, which currently is enough for 5 of Brooks's 7 bottles, I supplement the other two with formula.

I don't have much of a freezer stash as I can't keep up with him, but I figure some breast milk is better than none so I just give him what I'm able to pump each day. I almost gave up pumping this weekend, it's frustrating not being able to keep up with how much he needs but I decided to keep at it for a little longer.

mtpbadger · June 2018

@doubleblessings1124 thanks! We survived the first night! I’ll take a total of 18 weeks off ( as long as it gets approved)...12 unpaid Fmla and then 6 weeks of my annual/sick leave that I have saved up. I’ve already built up quite the frozen stash since Abigail is only up to 1.5oz and I’m pumping anywhere from 2-4oz each session (8-9 times/day). The nicu also had a bunch frozen that they gave back so that helped a lot too. I’m hoping to have a good amount frozen when I go back to work so I won’t have to pump as much (or at all) and can get her to at least 6 months of breast milk.

persnickity · June 2018

@mtpbadger I pump 3 times a day at work and right before bed. Each time is about 10-15 minutes worth of pumping. I end up freezing about a fifth of what I pump, some times more, each week. Every time my freezer gets full I donate. I've donated about 800 oz in total.

doubleblessings1124 · June 2018

Thanks everyone for the replies! I add about 40 or so ounces every couple days to my freezer. I know I need to rack up a ton for 2. I agree that some milk is better than none! I just keep doing my best and celebrate another week my babies were able to receive my milk. Had I not had a month of constant help and support from the NICU nurses and lactation I don't know how things would have been. I can totally understand people giving up. Can be so challenging and frustrating at times. Does anyone use a nipple shield? Both my babies do. I've heard some people are able to get rid of them over time and others use them for a full year

mtpbadger · June 2018

@doubleblessings1124 nipple shield user over here. Granted we’ve only breastfed about 2-3 times now but the nicu nurses recommended it, at least initially and she does much better with it. She tends to get frustrated easily without it. I’m hoping to eventually be able to do away with it but for now I’m just happy to be able to breastfeed!! She’s still on the high calorie supplement so it was recommended to only breastfeed 1-2 times a day for now and as she gains more weight to slowly increase it.

Question - since she doesn’t drink that much yet (1-1.5oz each feeding) and therefore doesn’t empty my breast when we do breastfeed, should I still be pumping after? I’ll also ask the LC tomorrow when we go for her peds appt.

MMD1986 · June 2018

Yes, if your breast isn't emptied they'll recommend pumping after.

mtpbadger · June 2018

@mmd1986 thanks! That’s what I thought (and have been doing) but then realized I have no clue what I’m doing lol!

persnickity · June 2018

@doubleblessings1124 I never used a nipple shield but I know some mom's swear by them.

@mtpbadger I would pump anytime you feed the formula, so that you trigger your body to produce more milk. If she's nursing and doesn't empty it, that's okay. Your supply will start to regulate based on what she demands.

Polythene Pam · June 2018

@doubleblessings1124 I used a shield till 7 weeks then got annoyed so I started pulling it mid feeding. Graham figured out the boob quickly. I know others used it all year but Graham also had slow weight gain, my pediatrician mentioned dropping the shield might help (supply might be better with a better latch, etc). Sure enough he became a tank right after and was waaaay more efficient at feeds. So for us, it was better without it, but again some have great luck sticking with it

stella_700 · June 2018

@mtpbadger Congratulations on getting to take your sweet Abigail home! Such a scary, wonderful feeling to leave the hospital, still crying but this time tears of joy/relief, with a baby in the back.

@PoeMasque Look at those big sweet eyes, he is beautiful! and sitting up already, mine are still figuring that out.

I exclusively pumped for the twins, my supply never kept up with their needs so we supplemented from the get go. They still get at least a feeding of breast milk from me per day, now that they have started solids (they love food) I might actually get some kind of freezer stash started!

, that's super exciting for me. I was also blessed from other Mom's donations so the twins could receive breast milk in the nicu. Such an amazing gift to give. @persnickity You have my thanks for donating like you have.

So my husband is left last night for a conference in Las Vegas. He'll be back on Wednesday night. This will be my first time alone with the twins like this. We got off okay this morning, but I forgot my phone at the house. Maybe I put it in their diaper bag.

wabash15 · June 2018

@doubleblessings1124 with my twins I had to use a shield with one of them but we were able to get off the sheild by around 7-8 weeks. Also with my twins I had to supplement with formula till about 8 weeks then I was able to build my supply up to EBF but I was a pumping fool... every 3 hours around the clock even if they were sleeping. honestly I would have given myself more grace to supplement and not push so hard with pumping.... I remember fighting for every ml... even now with a singleton I have milk hording tendencies... i could probably cut way back on pumping because I make more than she needs but I just have this fear my supply will disappear... supporting 2 is hard. Just hang in there, your doing great.
@mbradfo2 your probably over thinking it. I have always done tummy time when I think about it but even just a minute or two can make a difference. also doing tummy time with them laying on top of you counts...

persnickity · June 2018

@stella_700 I'm in awe that you're on your own with twins for a few days. I'm not sure I could manage with one! Thank you for your kind words about donating. I'm proud that I'm able to help others, but sometimes feel embarrassed that I produced that extra milk when others struggle.

MMD1986 · June 2018

That's nothing to be embarrassed about at all @persnickity. It's great that you are able to do that and I'm sure very much appreciated by the recipients.

persnickity · June 2018

Thanks @MMD1986

Running into an issue with Mackenzie starting to refuse bottles at daycare. She's eating solids food and drinking water from a sippy really well and nurses at home just fine. Daycare is getting worried and doesn't want to give her more food or water because of it. There problem is that she's not having enough wet diapers at daycare because they're not giving her liquid. She's gaining weight still, so I'm not too concerned about her not taking the bottle and just want them to give her more water. I'm wondering if she's deciding to wean herself? Or is 9.5 months old too early for that?

Polythene Pam · June 2018

@persnickity can she drink the milk/formula from a sippy cup? I know kids are very particular (sippy cup = WATER ONLY! Haha) but worth a try? Random but my friends LO refused bottles all together but drank breastmilk from an open cup. Maybe just try a few different cups? Ask your pediatrician but ours was fine mixing cows milk and formula/breastmilk at 11 months, I’ve heard even earlier in cases like this, so maybe you’d be close to just moving to milk anyway. That my daughter drank from a straw cup (she totally did the sippy cup = water, straw cup = milk haha). I’ve heard you should limit water that little but I actually never knew why or if that was true.

persnickity · June 2018

@Polythene Pam I'll have to ask about limiting water. Our pediatrician never brought it up, but I never thought to ask. She's not interested in milk from a sippy. They try offering her the bottle a couple times, then switch to a sippy before they have to dump it. Apparently, she'll only take water at meals, not other times during the day at daycare. She's nursing just fine, so I don't know if she just doesn't want anything other than me or if she's starting to wean overall.

Polythene Pam · June 2018

@persnickity I was actually going to ask our ped the same. That was one of those facts I’d been told by friends but my daughter never liked water anyway so it wasn’t an issue. But my son loves his water cup so I can’t think why that’s an issue. I bet she nurses more from you, I’ve heard kids refuse bottles then nurse more from you (even if it doesn’t seem longer maybe she’s getting more). I wouldn’t worry, I’m sure it’s all fine

omarismyhomeboy · June 2018

June is 9 months old today! Thanks for all your kind comments about my weaning from pumping. I should be done by this weekend, and though its a process I am looking forward to having my own body back entirely.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5020794/uploads/editor/ii/fwf2sbb7xk1p.jpg

byrneme · June 2018

Ahhhh @omarismyhomeboy I can't handle the cuteness!! She's adorable and, again, congrats on how far you've made it. You're going to love being 'free' again

persnickity · June 2018

She is so adorable!!!

PoeMasque · June 2018

@holls214 I would get checked for anemia too, low iron isn’t just a pregnancy thing. I also had two days of random sobbing right when my milk was coming in, so many hormones right after birth! Be easy on yourself, you are doing an amazing job!

@doubleblessings1124 we used a shield from 1-3mos and it’s the only reason I was able to BF at all. Once per week I would try a feed without it and see how it went (we used it due to painful latch on my end).

@omarismyhomeboy thanks! Glad to hear the surgery is no big deal if a patch doesn’t work

June is adorable! Those eyes! I am thinking of weaning soon too....I just hate pumping at work and we are hoping to start TTC again, but my period still isn’t back. I’m sad and excited at the thought of stopping.

mtpbadger · June 2018

June is adorable!!!

Abigail has found her vocal cords and is figuring out how to cry. DH and I have been spoiled the last few days and things are gonna get real, really quick. DH also made the comment today “i didn’t realize babies ate so often” At least since she’s drinking expresses breastmilk, we are able to split the feedings but adding in pumping all the time makes it difficult!

persnickity · June 2018

@mtpbadger I was the same way as YH. Haha. Had no idea how often they ate. My daughter ate lots of small meals, so she was nursing like every hour some days in the beginning.

Polythene Pam · June 2018

Aw June is so cute!!

and @mtpbadger no joke! My daughter was formula and spaced out feedings early on. I know now she was a unicorn sleeper. Graham is a boob man and my husband joked he looked like an extra appendage. I would put him in a ring sling and he’d just nurse/sleep alllll day. Now at 7 months it’s much better (maybe every 4-5 hours as we do solids) but he started pulling down my shirt and grabbing. May need to break this a little! Ha!

MMD1986 · June 2018

mtpbadger said:

June is adorable!!!

Abigail has found her vocal cords and is figuring out how to cry. DH and I have been spoiled the last few days and things are gonna get real, really quick. DH also made the comment today “i didn’t realize babies ate so often” At least since she’s drinking expresses breastmilk, we are able to split the feedings but adding in pumping all the time makes it difficult!

Are you having to mix Neosure into your milk?

I know it's stressful to feed and pump. Keep it up though. You're doing awesome. I swear every time I try to pump before Brooks needs his bottle he senses it and melts down.

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