Oh Kel - Jemima sounds delightful
...and Nat - Hooray for Beau
...and new ladies from the other half of Feb buddies - WELCOME to you and your precious ones too!!
Ok now I don't like to brag - but more to give some of you a boost that it is possible - my nipples are great!!! haven't had a problem with them so far... but Chloe does have reflux - so we always seem to be playing catch the spew! Had the health centre check up yesterday and they aren't worried about the reflux cos the little chubber has put on over 700g in 3 weeks.
I am typing one handed again, so much for the deep relaxing bath theory.
I haven't been around as I have been having a terrible time lately.
Firstly, I will let you know that everything here with Harrison is great.
On Sunday, we went out to the beach for brunch and checked out the local markets... I got an SMS from my youngest sister telling me to call her asap as my Mum was in hospital... she was visiting my Uncle (her brother) and having a BBQ, went to get something out of the car, and fell into the well on my uncles property (which is apparently just a bl00dy big hole in the ground)
Anyway... she landed on a grate inside there, face first. Thankfully one of my cousins friends went out the front for a cigarette and he heard Mum crying out for help... she was bleeding badly, and was airlifted to Royal North Shore hospital... she has emergency surgery done on her... she has broken her forehead, and had to get a plate put in, she has broken her nose (snapped it where her eyebrows are), fractured her eye socket, and has a huge gash on her forehead also... and she has a chipped bone in her neck. She is sooooo lucky to be alive!!!!
So, that has been my major stress... I can't get down to Sydney to see her, thankfully my sisters are both down there with her, and she is now staying with my Nan whilst she heals as she needs to be near the hospital for a while. They say it will take her around 8 months to recover!!!
Yesterday was Noahs birth/angel day... it passed with a few tears, but not as many as I was expecting... there was actually more tonight.
Harrison is just gorgeous... I have had all the nipple problems, but am going great guns now with the nipple shields... we are doing every other feed per breast with no shield... I can't wait to find a Dr to snip his tongue tie so we can start feeding normally.
I will hopefully come on again tomorrow and do personals
Oh Lisa that's awful, my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family while your Mum is recovering, how awful have Noah's special day in amongst everything else and teeny tiny Harrison too! You are so strong, at the moment I am all about Jemima, I cant imagine what I'd be like if I had to think about my Mum so hurt and then have to struggle through a day like Noah's special day.
Jemima is asleep, lucky me only day 5 that is all she does! I should be asleep too I guess I should be too as she will be up in an hour or so and has had a big day so is not feeding as well as all the other days.
BUT we just had the most wonderful moments when I was bathing her, I will be getting a website for her up and running soon - until then email your email address and I will email you some photos of our precious one - (benjiandkel@optusnet.com.au) - she looked at me and basically said this is nice Mummy, it's been a long day this feels great look how I can move my legs - she is amazing.
BUT again, I am also afraid of having some serious depression/ pnd/ who knows/ issues in the next couple of weeks or maybe i'll be strong the next couple of weeks when people are helping me recover from the c-section and then just crumble after that.... I told Benji today that I dont feel like I have given birth, I feel like Jemima was just taken out of me, Clare and when you get here Nat can you help me?
Cant wait to see what tomorrow brings.
Brooke, poor you dealing with reflux baby, does that make her cry more?? That would be awful!
Last edited by smylie; February 22nd, 2007 at 10:01 PM.
Kel, thanks so much for sharing your story. While you feel it didn't go to plan, of course you've done the right thing by listening to your ob. I know when my first DD was born, I was on the verge of having to have a C section, but was lucky the ventouse worked - at the time I was prepared to do anything for my baby to be born safely, and that's what you did. Of course us telling you that doesn't mean you're not going to be upset by it, but I hope it helps. By the way, if your nipples aren't killing you by now, then I doubt they will. I had cracks and scabs (sorry, TMI!) after day 1! You are definitely a great cow! lol
Lilaussie - glad to hear you're having "fun" with breastfeeding too! I'm so glad I'm not alone in this!!!
Kirsten - I went and saw the child health nurse today and she suggested I express for the next 24 hours and "rest" my nipples to let them heal. I'm going back there tomorrow to get her to check that I'm getting Isabella latched on properly. A friend of mine took her DD there last week and she said she's had little pain since then, so I have high hopes for tomorrow!! I've also been offering formula as a backup because my little piggy gets very hungry sometimes and I find I've not expressed enough.
Netty - I'm doing the same thing and letting it all hang out. Glad the neighbours can't see in otherwise they'd be getting a good show! DH says I look like I've got huge fake boobs! The midwives also told me to cover them in EBM and let them dry. I'm also using Lansinoh nipple cream, which has helped by ensuring I don't stick to my breast pads. OUCH!
Brooke - Glad to hear your nipples are great. I will aspire to have mine feeling like yours after tomorrow! Glad Chloe continues to put on weight despite the refulx. I suppose that's the most important thing!
Lisa - Your poor mother! I hope she recovers quickly. Her injuries sound PAINFUL! I hope Noah's birth/angel day gets easier for you as each year passes. I still can't even comprehend what it must be like to go through that. You've had a lot on your plate lately and I'm so glad for you that Harrison is doing so well. I was thinking of using nipple shields, but will wait until I see the nurse again tomorrow - it might be what saves me!
Well, it's 1am and no I'm not feeding my baby who slept from 4.30pm through to 10pm then had a feed (EBM) then went straight back to sleep and is still sleeping! She's a legend!! I'm sitting here watching the US stock market. FUN!!! I have been trying to coordinate this with feeds, but this time it's just not worked because she had a big day today and didn't get much sleep, so is making up for it tonight! Oh well, at least I'm making money.....!
Isabella had her first appointment at the doctor today and her head is fatter (2cm)! Still the same length and now weighs 3210g. I can't believe how quickly she's growing!!! Of course everything else is wonderful and she's still very cute.
Have a great Friday everyone!
Last edited by Impatient; February 23rd, 2007 at 12:18 AM.
Hello everyone! It is a little hard to get on the computer with tiny babies, isn't it! My little Sophie is going very well. We had her at the paediatric chiropractor this week as I ended up with a forceps delivery and I was worried she might have problems because of it. Lucky we did because her neck was out. She is all good now though.
I have a question for you all! How do you go with the milk when going commando with your boobs? Any time I have my boobs out, especially after a shower, they just drip all over the place!!
I hope you are all getting some sleep. My mum is staying with us at the moment and I was able to go back to bed for 3 hours this morning which was just bliss. My DH went back to work today which I am pretty upset about...I was loving having him at home.
Does anyone else cry when they realise how fast their baby is growing? Sophie is 2 weeks old today and I feel like it is going too fast! The maternal health nurse came today and Sophie has put on over 500g. My little baby is growing so quickly.
Hi girls
I am not too happy atm,,,,,,,
last night in the shower i discovered my scar had sprung a leak,,, so i went to the docs to get it checked out,, and she told me there are 3 spots on it about 1cm long each where it has reopened,, and more patches that look like they are going to do it too. She only steri stripped it as the registrar at the hospital didnt think stitching it would help,,, but i dont think they are going to stick,, it is oozing way too much!!. To top it off, tonight i have a 39 degree temp . So am off to the emergenct dept and see if they can help..... seems like one thing after another.
will let u know how i go
Karen - I find that walking around with a face washer to catch the drips works well! I've read that all this dripping should stop soon. I hope so!
Lil - I hope everything is ok?? How frustrating, springing a leak like that! I hope it doesn't hurt too much???
Me - My breastfeeding issues have been SOLVED!!! Went to see the child health nurse today, and she has saved my life (or at least my sanity!). She gave me tips on how to get Bella to attach, and also to reduce the pain (it's all in the thumb!). She got me to feed her while we were there, and I was amazed that I didn't feel any pain whatsoever when putting her on the right side, which was the most damaged and usually the most painful.
I recommend to ANYONE who is having BF issues to seek professional help with it - you will be sooo glad you did! I feel like a huge weight has been lifted.
Fantastic news about the breastfeeding Michelle,,, wish i could get it right!! as it is all the attachment that is our problem here,,,,,, i have followed all the tips i can get,,,, but he is so stubborn. Can you relay the "thumb" technique here? i am getting desperate,,, feeds take like 1.5 hours for both sides at the moment,, and he still wants more after he has finished!! But my poor boobs ache like mad deep inside after he has mangled them, so any advice while fresh in your mind would be invaluable
And yes,, these darn "leaks" are soo painful,,, yestereday i was out shopping feeling great,, today i can hardly walk at all from the pain!!
Kel - as Michelle said hun,, as long as your baby arrives as safely as possible,, then the delivery was a success,,, dont be too hard on yourself hun,,,, you did great!!
Brooke - 700 grams in 3 weeks is impressive!! sounds like Chloe is loving mummas milk
Lisa - My second DS had a tongue tie,, right to the top of the tip of his tongue,, if he triee to stick it out,, he got a sharp "V" shape to it kind of like a snakes tongue lol. I too had to use sheilds,, and successfully used them for the whole 16 months i fed him for. He needed to ave it repaired at 3 though as it never tore or stretched while feeding like the early childhood nurse was hoping.
What a shock about your Mum,,,, she is soo lucky, bt it must be terribly painful for her!! She really must be a fighter to have survived that.
Karen - that is so nice of your mum to help out so you can get extra rest!!
Anyhow, i need to get some sleep before Griffen wakes up again to feed
Lil, they told me to hold my boob like a hamburger, believe it or not, with my thumb right near the part of my nipple which will be in contact with Bella's top lip. (I hope that makes sense???) The rest of my fingers are well away from the bottom part of the nipple and that allows bub to take more of the bottom part into their mouth. The nipple is the last part to go into bub's mouth. Also, I wasn't holding Bella far enough over - it's supposed to be like she's going to overshoot my boob! I wish I could draw a picture as it would be much easier to explain! lol
Have you tried talking to the Australian Breastfeeding Association? I believe they have a free counselling line where you can get help. I'm not sure my description will help or not, but I sure hope it does as the agony of not having bub attach properly was getting unbearable for me and they explained that as she wasn't attaching properly, she wasn't draining the milk ducts efficiently, therefore causing me to stop making enough milk so I had to feed more often and be in even more pain. Vicious circle I tell you!!!
I cry all the time when I think about Quinn growing up - he is over 3 weeks old and I don't like it one little bit - he is growing out of his clothes! I also carry around a face washer to wipe up the leaks - or just rub the milk into my nipples!
I'm getting better at breastfeeding - have been doing it all night and all day today...I have a blood blister on one nipple and that is getting better now - it doesn't hurt so much when he is feeding but more so afterwards and I'm walking around with hurty nipples!
Lisa: That is awful about your mum!!!! How scary for her! Glad to hear she is recovering though.
Lil: The ABA suggested I rub breastmilk into the nipples a lot and also to get everything lined up properly before they latch on - like Michelle said have their nose level with your nipple so they look like they are too far over, they need to have their head tilted back a little bit like they are skulling a drink. Hope these descriptions make some sense.... And I hope your "leaks" heal quickly for you!
Quinn slept for 7 1/2 hours last night!!!! I was very happy with that - that's the longest stretch of sleep I've had in I don't even know how long!!!!!! Maybe months!
Anyway time to have a shower - Quinn is having his first trip to the races today! He had his first restaurant adventure last night and slept the whole time (It was DP's birthday).
Hope all is good with you all and all nipple issues vanish!
a couple of things that have been helping me breastfeed is thinking about making Jemima reach for it not just having it near her mouth so she gets her mouth big enough.
the other thing is that it is called 'breast' feeding not 'nipple' feeding so i am sure to give her breast not just nipple.... bit hard when breast are getting so big so hard to manuever.
(i also sing the playschool song to her... "open wide come inside..." which is weird with her being named Jemima.
she is a piggy wiggy though she is always overflowing with milk i guess that will settle down when all my milk works itself out too.
the nurses told me to rub breast milk in to sore boobs too, one of them is borderline going to have probs but i am heaps more careful how i let her latch on to that one hoping like mad to keep it good.
how much weight are babies supposed to put on after they leave hospital? she was over her birthweight at discharge and i'm thinking she has put more on as well but i need better scales i only have digital ones and i hop on and weigh me (which was pleasant surprise this morning) and then i go and grab her and weigh us together and it looks like she is going well, i'll have to make an appointment at the clinic but i hate the way she sooks a little when she has to take all her clothes off (which i wont hate when she is 15 years old)
just heard the washing machine go off so i am going to attempt to hang some washing out, dont think i'm supposed to as i am so sore, but am hating feeling so helpless cant imagine how women recover when they have other children to look after!
jemima still hasnt worked out how to scream i am so lucky!
Last edited by smylie; February 24th, 2007 at 11:57 AM.
Have been really busy with MIL and Nan the Great here....Tenny is doing great...Put on 500 grams last week. Had a look at the photos of the boys yesterday and we ended up spending $465 on photos!!! Bit more than we wanted to but that gives photos to all the relies!!
I found out yesterday that Russell Crowe's son is Tennyson too!! DH and I thought we were picking something uncommon. Names him after a winery from a wine we liked *lol* that we had on dinner when we first met...oh well!!
No time for personals...Gotta get organised. Going out for dinner tonight. Have EBM on hand, think I might have a few drinkes since I haven't in AGES!! The boys are coming with us...I bet Tenny will sleep though as was awake 5 hours straight this morning.
Michelle - thanks so much for the description,, i have tried it for the last 2 feeds,, and i can really feel the diference!! Also to everyone else with the advice on attachment,,,,,my nipples are in alot better shape, and not aching like mad betwen feeds,,, lets hope that things get even better
Kirsten - 7.5 hours in one go,,, that is absolutely brilliant!!!!!! Lets hope that he is setting a pattern there so you can get good sleep at night
Kel - i am not sure how much weight they were meant to have gained,, as little Griffen was still losing weight when i got discharged 6 days after birth. All i know,, is they are allowed a 10% loss in the first 5 days post delivery, and should have gained back to birth weight by 14 days old...... Griffen lost more than the 10%, but then again he did have a very rough start so the paeds were not too worried.
Spiddles - i hope dinner was great for you tonight,,,,, and that is such a lovely story to tell little Tennyson when he is older on the origins of his name!! Very romantic indeed
Anyhow, gotta go get some sleep before the feeding starts again
Love Lil
Lil - OMG at your scar!!! I hope everything gets worked out for you. Are you ok now? Sending you some major healing vibes.
Kel - I know what you mean about having huge breasts that are hard to manouver!!! Mine are way over the top huge... I can't see Harrisons mouth most times to know if his mouth is open properly! The best thing I was taught to do is to roll up a terry nappy and put it under my boob so I can see better.
Kirsten - I cry thinking about Harry growing up too... it is such a huge reality for me because my first baby boy is turning 13 in April... he is sooooo grown up... having another baby boy in the house is a reminder to me that time truly does fly and to enjoy every single second of them. I am lucky that James is still a Mumma's boy and isn't too embarressed by me yet
Michelle - I haven't had a chance to see the LC yet... she is coming tomorrow... the midwives at the hospital were shockers with putting Harrison on for me... I would end up sooooo upset and annoyed because I didn't think I would be able to do it before I got home... it was only when I was leaving the hospital, and Harry got checked over by the paed did I learn he had a TT... that is his main reason for not latching properly. It will be fantastic if the LC can show me better ways to help him attatch, TT and all.
Karen - My BB's leak everytime I am commando, think about Harry, look at Harry, or hear Harry or another baby, or something that sounds like a baby!!! lol
I have found the best way to stop my leaking is to give Harry a little suck, express a little, or catch it with a facewasher.
Me - Harrison is having an ultrasound done tomorrow morning to check his kidneys and bladder... just a precaution because of Noah's abnormalities... fingers sooooo tightly crossed that everything will be perfectly fine.
We have done some more calling around and found out that NO Dr's up here will snip Harrys TT at all!! They will circumcise, but not snip his TT... I am peeved that they don't see my baby not feeding properly more important than a circumcision. We can however get a referral to a Dr in Newcastle who will do it... so we are trying to get that info together to have it done asap... the sooner it is done, the easier it supposedly will be to re-teach him to feed.
i know this might sound a bit ridiculous girls,, but trust me,, it works everytime,,,,,
For leaking boobs,,, when you feel that tingle of a let down (which happens to me everytime i think about Griffen, or see him,, or even think about feeding him) place your hands over your boobs, so that your palm is over your nipples,, and apply firm pressure for aobut 20-30 seconds,,,, it sill stop the letdown so you wont leak milk. I got that tip with my first DS from a wise older midwife,, and it has been a lifesaver. And if you are in public when it happens,, just fold your arms over your chest, and use them to apply the pressure to your nipples, it is less conspicous than actually having your hands on your boobs.
Lisa - good luck hun getting Harrisons tonguetie fixed,,,,,,, i wish my second sons was done early too as he ended up having delayed speech from it,, and was so withdrawn from other kids in the end as he could not speak properly,, and was made fun of because he could not poke his tongue out...... very cruel to put a little kid through that. I wish you were up here,,, the local gps here do it without even a second thought,, they just put a squirt of anaesthetic spray in their mouth on the tie,, and snip it in the surgery.
I have heard that if I don't get his TT snipped, he could potentially not be able to poke his tongue out, lick ice cream, remove food from parts of his mouth (thus causing more tooth decay than necessary), talk properly or even eat properly when he starts on solids... I sooooo want to avoid any of these problems for my baby.
My Aunts little boy who is now 3, was born with TT and the Dr snipped it straight after diagnosing it in the hospital when he was only a few days old!!! It is times like this that I wish I still lived in Sydney!!! Grrrrr
Lisa - I live at Casino, about 1.5 hours south of the queensland border. My local GP here told me that if he was my gp when i had my 2nd DS,, he would have done him no probs,, but as he was already 3 when i started seeing him,, he said it was too late,, and i had to get into an ear nose throat specialist who then had to do a day surgery thing to fix it. They then cauterized the tie off, and fixed it that way. Only about 5 minutes in surgery,, but such a hassle to go through, as i was 7 months preggers then with my third son,,,,, so was quite an ordeal.
Lil - awful to hear about your scar, I really hope it heals soon. Most of my stiches have just fallen out after two weeks of super irritation and the new skin is ichy but I feel so much better. Hope you're feeling good soon too.
re: the leakage stopping technique, my ABA book recommends the same thing, but does warn against using it too often because overuse can lead to blocked ducts and mastitis eek!
Lisa - That is dreadful news about your mum! Hoping she gets better soon too. How frustrating about getting Harrison's TT fixed! It seems ridiculous that they will do circumcisions but not TT snipping!! grrr!
Kylie - What an awesome story about Tennyson's name!! Great to hear he is doing so nicely.
Kel - Thankyou so much for sharing your story Sounds like you did splendidly, but I understand your feelings, it's hard when it doesn't quite go to plan :hugs:
Kirsten - Woohoo for sleep LOL! It feels sooo good, it's the simple thngs now! Good on you for going to a restauant and the races!! It's great to get out huh!
Michelle - Great that the LC could help you so much! They are awesome! Here's to happy nipples! LOL!
Karen - Good to hear the chiro could help Sophie. Do they think there might be any ongoing issues with her neck? Hope not.
Brooke - Yay for your little 'chubber' LOL! Good to hear she's doing so well.
Me - Doing well, sore nipples again! Ruby was going nuts last night, on... wiggle.. yank... off... flap... on... yank... flap... tug... off... push.. pull... off...*ouch!* for hours so my poor nipples are suffering a bit this morning.
Ruby is not putting on much weight, she's still not back at her birthweight, but that apparently has something to do with my PPH, so she's being checked again tomorrow.
. So am off to the emergenct dept and see if they can help..... seems like one thing after another.
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