The "Newest" Moms Hangout...

[harleyquinn]

another BF question...

jake will suck hard for only a short while then its a really weak suck. anyone esle had this with a newborn? ill go to ake him off and he picks up sucking only to go real slow again. is this normal or do they suck vigurously like with a bottle??

also he seems almost intoxicated when he takes a bottle. Its like his belly gets full all at once, whereas when i breastfeed hes constantly feeding and never has his belly all full at one time (or so it seems).

sorry im one handed right now. looking forward to feedback..

also hes eating all the time just weak sucking... for 1 hr plus (lots of pauses though)....normal?

i pull him off he starts suckinghis hand. i dont hear much swallowing after the first bit although the latch seems good...but i pull him off and my ****s have milk and he will have a lil in his mouth.

this bf thing is hard-lol esp to fgure out. seems like jake is a lazy eater. but he sucks those bottles dry quick. he did this before bottles too.

got the madela in syle pump last night will try it tonight

If there is one thing I have learned after bfing for almost nine weeks--just about everything is "normal" and every baby is different...and most importantly--it WILL get better.

My advice would be to let him stay on each breast for 20 minutes with you stimulating him to suck every minute or 2...gently pull your breast away and he should suck to get it back. I think it sounds like he just wants to suck and get comfort. Lily had a paci in the hospital bc she has a major desire to suck a LOT.

Lily was a sleepy eater--it took every trick in the book to keep her awake long enough.

Sarah, again I will be no help. Katie sleeps with me. The first night home, I was determined to make her sleep in her bassinet, but she screamed all night. After that, we gave up (she won) and she has slept with me for 4 mos. She sleeps great most of the time, though. She will take short naps in her crib, but never over an hour.

You make me feel less evil. everyone is like OMG she will never leave your bed and you're going to roll over and smother her! LAst night she went 4 hours sleeping on the bed next to me instead of on top on me, so I call that progress! lol

my favorite.. This is the face Vinny makes when he first wakes up. I can just see him going... WHAT IS GOING ON!!!!!!!

I LOVE that one too cute!!

 

[harleyquinn]

So where did you all find the best advice for going back to work while bfing?

I'm blessed to be only part time through the end of the year, but I'll still have three 8 hour days...I plan to pump 3 times. I get 2 breaks and a lunch, but it's going to to be really rough. I pretty much always get enough for 2 feedings at each pump, but thats with me only pumping 1 a day.

I think I'll try for 10 minutes at my breaks and 15 at lunch....

crap, lily's hungry be back in a second .lol

 

[yellowfish78]

OMG! Jasmine's eyelashes are so long!!! They are both cutie pies!

Patsy - thanks for the info on the Huggies! Oddly enough I really like the newborn diapers - the Pampers I have don't have the fun "color changing line" that Huggies do and I really like that right now.

Alex is a week old today and his stump fell off this morning. The belly button doesn't look bad but it looks really raw and has a slight ooze to it...but not bad and it doesn't smell. I don't know if I should be concerned or not. Plus his ring fell off too...he's getting so big!
(PS - I found the flyer on the ring...it's called Plastibell.)

Alex is hungry so looks like I got to get going!

 

[harleyquinn]

OMG! Jasmine's eyelashes are so long!!! They are both cutie pies!

Patsy - thanks for the info on the Huggies! Oddly enough I really like the newborn diapers - the Pampers I have don't have the fun "color changing line" that Huggies do and I really like that right now.

Alex is a week old today and his stump fell off this morning. The belly button doesn't look bad but it looks really raw and has a slight ooze to it...but not bad and it doesn't smell. I don't know if I should be concerned or not. Plus his ring fell off too...he's getting so big!
(PS - I found the flyer on the ring...it's called Plastibell.)

Alex is hungry so looks like I got to get going!

That's funny the Pampers I had had the line and the Huggies didn't--I haven't been able to figure it out from the package.

You'll learn pretty quick to do things without the line--basically you change them at every feeding in the beginning.

The belly button stuff sounds normal to me.

 

[Piecey]

That is weird, both the Huggies newborn and the Pampers newborns we got had the line. Lucas was in those for like a week, lol.

The only Size 1s we had with the line were the package the hospital sent us home with. They'd already started putting size 1's on Lucas by the time we left. Now he is in 2s.



*Eta*
Anyone with a Krogers--- their 2pack of Playtex Insulator cups are $4.99 right now. Normally $7.99. They were Cars and Princess themed.

They are running a deal that if you spend $25 on select Playtex products (the cups are part of it, plus some Energizer Batteries, any Wet Ones product and some Playtex feminine hygiene products, too) you get a $5 off your next purchase coupon.
Coupons for Wet Ones and Energizer are printable on their websites

 

[Maggimus]

Thanks everyone from all of the BF advice.

Jake has now gained all his weight back and is 7lbs even. He will be 2wks tomorrow. I went to see the lactation consultant at the hospital that I delivered at this morning. Jake ate like a champ- completely made a liar out of me-lol. He's ate well all day and now I can stop supplementing.

Breastfeeding is so draining though. Literally-- i feel like my blood sugar drops after every feeding. Also now that he is eating well- my nipples are starting to hurt and they havent hurt since the beginning and Jake will be 2 wks tomorrow. Is that late in the game to be hurting? Ive been applying the Lanolin cream so hopefully that will help.

I wish I had more time to respond to everyone but the majority of the time im on im feeding Jake. I do read everyones posts though.

Patsy- so good to see you are still couponing! Love all the help and will share mine once things calm down a bit.

Lisa- cant believe Luca is 7 months. WOW. Where has the time gone?

OMG the twins are GORGEOUS!!

I have so much more to say and will find the time soon- promise!

 

[TiggerStac]

What ring thing?

We think Lucas' circ looks funky. Our pediatrician said "it's the new way of doing things" or something. I plan to ask more specifics because it just looks funky to both of us. He still has some foreskin left.

CJ didn't have the "ring" either. the NICU nurses said my OB did it a new way and they liked how he did it. there is a little foreskin that you can still see. My pedi said to just make sure you pull it back to clean and that as he grows, it will fix itself. The samething happend w/Brady, but he had the plastibell. The forskin isn't there anymore. he's 2.5 now...pedi had said the same thing about his.

 

[Piecey]

CJ didn't have the "ring" either. the NICU nurses said my OB did it a new way and they liked how he did it. there is a little foreskin that you can still see. My pedi said to just make sure you pull it back to clean and that as he grows, it will fix itself. The samething happend w/Brady, but he had the plastibell. The forskin isn't there anymore. he's 2.5 now...pedi had said the same thing about his.

Okay, that makes me feel a lot better. Our pediatrician didn't say anything one way or the other on liking it/not liking it.

Thanks

 

[december]

Sarah, this is how I work out breastfeeding and working:

I set an alarm for 5am and 6am. Katie is in the bed with me of course. At five, I turn the alarm off and wake her up to nurse. She is usually starving (sleeps all night) and I just go back to sleep while she nurses. When the alarm goes off at 6, I put her on the other side to nurse, then get up and get ready whenever she is finished.

I have my planning period at around 9 (50 min total), and pump two bottles then (about 10 oz, sometimes more), rinse off the pump parts, put them in the steam bag, and microwave in my room.

I get a grand total of 25 min for lunch. My kids get to my room at 12:03, I check roll and send them to the cafeteria at 12:05, grab my pump, lock the door, run to the teachers' restroom, pump one bottle (2-3 oz in 2 bottles that I pour together into one), rinse everything off, drop it in the steam bag, run bag to my room, microwave the bag, grab my lunch or lunch money, go to the cafeteria and eat, and head back to the room at 12:30! This is the hardest time for me!

I pick her up at around 4, and she is nursing again by 4:15 most days (even though she gets a bottle at 3).

***As far as the co-sleeping, many studies have shown that it is safe as long as you don't drink or take medication before bed. The baby actually picks up on your breathing patterns, and that lowers the risk of SIDS.

 

[Linzybrooke]

Can I pop in a couple of weeks early? I have a question for you ladies.

For those of you that had a c-section, what do you recommend as far as things I need to bring to the hospital that would otherwise not be necessary? My doc and a specialist have decided that my little guy is too big for me to deliver and have scheduled a c-section for next Friday. Any recommendations? Advice? Etc? I'm a bit on the nervous side about all this!

Thanks ladies!!!!

 

[staley7580]

Thanks guys!! i think they are cute too! They are getting WAY huge. Im affraid Vinny is going to be heading into size five diapers before too long. Jasmine is still good in the fours, but Vinny is just too chunko.


On the blood sugar dropping when you nurse... make sure you have some juice and a snack on hand when you feed. It will help out tons.

 

[DannysMom]

Can I pop in a couple of weeks early? I have a question for you ladies.

For those of you that had a c-section, what do you recommend as far as things I need to bring to the hospital that would otherwise not be necessary? My doc and a specialist have decided that my little guy is too big for me to deliver and have scheduled a c-section for next Friday. Any recommendations? Advice? Etc? I'm a bit on the nervous side about all this!

Thanks ladies!!!!

I don't know that you need to bring anything in particular. The best advice I got was to stay on top of your pain meds post op. Don't wait for the pain to escalate before asking for more meds. Find out from your nurses how often you can take whatever your doc prescribes and take it on schedule for the first few days.

 

[Piecey]

Can I pop in a couple of weeks early? I have a question for you ladies.

For those of you that had a c-section, what do you recommend as far as things I need to bring to the hospital that would otherwise not be necessary? My doc and a specialist have decided that my little guy is too big for me to deliver and have scheduled a c-section for next Friday. Any recommendations? Advice? Etc? I'm a bit on the nervous side about all this!

Thanks ladies!!!!

I'm weird, but I hate feeling dirty. I got a sponge bath the first day but the other two I made DH bring me one of those loofahs on a stick.
I couldn't twist in the shower to get my back so having one of those helped me get clean.

I also liked having my own nightgowns. It's a slower process getting out of bed with the c-section so I liked that I didn't have to worry that I was flashing the people in my hospital room because my gown had gotten opened up.

Best thing I can think of is to ask for extra pillows or bring your own.
It really helped me to have lots of pillows (they recommended that I try to lay on my side a few hours a day) and all of the extra pillows helped me to prop myself up seemed to cut down on the pain probably because I was letting the pillows do all the work...

I also found it a lot easier to get up and down if I had a pillow to hold against my stomach. Again, that could totally be me being weird but the extra pressure when I was trying to get up really seemed to help. Once I was up it was fine... it was just the getting up that sucked until I figured out it didn't hurt so bad with a pillow.

HTH!

 

[Piecey]

So, one of the local radio stations is doing a radiothon to benefit the WVU Children's Hospital (in Morgantown, WV)... they keep having people call in to tell their "Special" moments and they play it back with a Rascal Flatts song interspersed with their words.
It's actually making me cry. Babies born too early, babies with defects, babies who can't breathe.
So I'm crying in the shower when they start talking about how a 14yr old girl from MY town is there and how she could be the listeners daughter, gdaughter, neice, etc. and how we should all donate as an "insurance policy".

The 14yr old girl is my cousin. And it bugs me that they're kinda "using" her. They mentioned her like 15 times! I wonder if I'm the only family member that heard it and thought it was tactless. I would imagine they'd have her name if they had permission to talk about her from her parents.
....they just mentioned her again!

Maybe I'm weird but it made me even sadder when they said "she could be in your family" well, she is. blah.

(she was in a jet ski accident. her boyfriend thought it would be funny to "bump" the back of her jet ski with his but instead of bumping her he rode up her back.)

 

[DannysMom]

I'm so proud of myself, I made it out of the house alone with both babies! Of course it was to go to the pediatrician.......

Katie has had blocked tear ducts AKA "goopy eyes" and there is a cold running through my house, older DS has it, MIL has it, DH has it, so the babies may have a touch of it as well. Well Katie's eyes have been goopier than usual & the eyelid on one eye has started looking red & puffy, just not good, so off we went to the ped. He thinks the blocked tear duct has gotten infected & prescribed some antibiotic drops.

So after the ped appt I had Taco Bell for lunch in the car, while they slept in their carseats. Then we all went to the pharmacy to pick up the RX -- everyone stops to oogle twins, fortunately no one attempted to touch them, so I didn't have to go all ninja-mom on anyone.

 

[Adi12982]

popping in a few weeks early to share. . .

For those of you with PUBLIX supermarkets (or planning on shopping at one on a trip to WDW), I Wanted to share some coupons that I don't/won't have any use for:

(all these expire 12/26/09):
- Buy one package of huggies, get one pack of huggies wipes free
- Buy one get one free Huggies lotion, wash or shampoo
- buy one 25.7 ounce Enfamil Lipil Powder formula get one free 16 ct. Enfamil Lipil Easy one packets
- $2 off A&D ointment
- $3 off Ensure High Calcium Formula

(these expire 10/7/09):
- $3 off one box of Huggies (big pack, pull ups or good nights)
- $3 off one pkg of Enfamil 23.4 oz or larger

PM me with your address and I am willing to send you just certain ones or all of them

 

[staley7580]

I'm so proud of myself, I made it out of the house alone with both babies! Of course it was to go to the pediatrician.......

Katie has had blocked tear ducts AKA "goopy eyes" and there is a cold running through my house, older DS has it, MIL has it, DH has it, so the babies may have a touch of it as well. Well Katie's eyes have been goopier than usual & the eyelid on one eye has started looking red & puffy, just not good, so off we went to the ped. He thinks the blocked tear duct has gotten infected & prescribed some antibiotic drops.

So after the ped appt I had Taco Bell for lunch in the car, while they slept in their carseats. Then we all went to the pharmacy to pick up the RX -- everyone stops to oogle twins, fortunately no one attempted to touch them, so I didn't have to go all ninja-mom on anyone.

It will get easier!! I promise!! I am to the point where I can take all four kids out by myself with almost no trouble. Honestly.. my 4yo gives me the most hassle.

Twinerazzi- that is a bit of a hassle. Especially when you are in a hurry. Everyone still googles over mine... I get it, I do. Twins are neat! But sometimes I just want to get my shopping done. I find that if I am grocery shopping or something, I can throw one baby in the mei tai and have one baby in the carrier in the cart and people dont usually notice us. If I am out with the kids alone, people are MUCH nicer.. I always have people offering help...

It cracks me up with other kids though.. They LOVE looking at the babies. I take them to Alex's school with me, and all the kids just stop and stare at them. So cute!!

Patsy... I know that after I had Alex, ANYTHING to do with kids, babies... whatever.. being sick or hurt just broke my heart. I was watching CSI Miami, and there was an episode where a man killed his whole family except a three yo girl.. But included a little baby.. and I got so sick. I was puking and crying. I still cant watch that show.

 

[yellowfish78]

So I think I might have a blocked duct...it's feels like a lump but works itself out after BF. He's been eating great but seems to be having a problem latching on to my left side for some reason today and that's the side with the lump. Does that sound like what it might be or am I just engorged and I can't tell the difference? Any suggestions for working it out besides massage when he's BFing?

 

[Adi12982]

So I think I might have a blocked duct...it's feels like a lump but works itself out after BF. He's been eating great but seems to be having a problem latching on to my left side for some reason today and that's the side with the lump. Does that sound like what it might be or am I just engorged and I can't tell the difference? Any suggestions for working it out besides massage when he's BFing?

Just took a BFing class last night, and got a handout, here is what it says:

"Milk ducts can become plugged like the kitchen sink. A plugged duct will feel like a hard painful lump in your breast and can even cause redness of the skin on your breast and may be warm to the touch in the area. DON'T STOP NURSING! Feeding your baby will help the most to unplug your milk duct and get things back to normal. You can also help massage the milk through by pressing down hard on top of the hardened area and then pushing it downward toward the nipple"

 

[DannysMom]

So I think I might have a blocked duct...it's feels like a lump but works itself out after BF. He's been eating great but seems to be having a problem latching on to my left side for some reason today and that's the side with the lump. Does that sound like what it might be or am I just engorged and I can't tell the difference? Any suggestions for working it out besides massage when he's BFing?

Here's the kellymom link for plugged ducts: http://www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/mom/mastitis.html

When I had plugged ducts they hurt like a SOB, ususally caused by my not pumping enough (I'm exclusively pumping for my twins.) You can pump on the side w/ the plug, to empty it more, hot compresses before nursing/pumping & massage. Often if I have a plugged duct, I'll do hot compresses & then have DH massage it to try to loosen the plug before I pump. He seems to be able to do a better job massaging it loose than I can -- but it can *really* hurt. Some times I was in tears as he got the knot of milk loose. Good luck.