Sounds like me Rosey. Lots to say just to exhausted to write and when I do have time I am trying to wash or tidy the house etc. The place is trashed with the older kids of school. So much to do. I have hardly had any time at home. Unfortunately the day before DS was born I had a dental crisis and have since had 4 trips to the dentist. The timing couldn't be worse. Its costing me my entire savings
Anyway DS has had a shocking day today poor darling. His finally asleep after hours of unsettledness and screaming. He had 20mls of formula yesterday when I was at the dentist as I didn't express enough. Not sure if that has anything to do with it but his exceptionally windy today and screaming just before he passes it.
hello ladies. I'm a little late to the party. Currently late night bonding with the breast pump!
Our little boy was born on 2nd December at 10:19pm. It was a beautiful birth, only 5hours active labour, born at home in a birth pool, in the caul.
Postpartum has been hard though. I had serious milk supply issues, by day 5 he has lost 16% of his birth weight and was very dehydrated. We were admitted to hospital, he was in the humidicrib fed via drip and a nasogastric tube for a few days. We found out he had a kidney condition which caused him to loose exess fluid. It was healed miraculously, and we could bring him home when he was two weeks old.
However, I still have milk supply issues, and we have had to give formula, which breaks my heart. My milk never came in, I'm sure the stress off hospital didn't help. We've tried all of the standard advice, fennelgreek, fennel tea, domperidome, malaxalon, supplemental nursing system.
Those first few days in hospital, before we knew about the kidney condition, mum txt me saying "belly belly has articles to help increase milk supply, if you can read them." They all said skin-to-skin, demand feed, don't schedule feeds, etc. It made me so angry, "I did all that, and we still ended up in this condition!"
Maybe I have insufficient glandular tissue, but I refuse to think that. Doing all I can to feed my baby boy, and praying for a better experience if we are blessed with another baby.
It's nice to read of other mums experiencing engorgement, etc. makes me sad I can't relate to it, but so good to hear of what normal breastfeeding is like. I wish I had educated myself more before baby arrived. I thought it would just happen!
So please keep sharing, I love hearing the stories.
Sounds like a beautiful birth Turtledove. Glad to hear the kidney condition has resolved. Sounds like you had a difficult few weeks with your hospital stay and supply issues. So many people would give up with the breastfeeding. You have to praise yourself for your dedication to doing everything you can to breast feed your son. How is your supply at the moment?
We have had some feeding issues but nothing like you. My baby has not been weighed since he was born. Well about 36hrs and he had lost 130grams. So I don't really know what his weighed is doing. I live in the sticks so over the Christmas/New Years break all services are not operating. DS has lots of wet and dirty nappies, demands to be fed between 2-5hrs and seems to be able to drain the breast quiet well so I assume he would be at least be back to his birthweight.
Mildez - how are things going at home with your DH and older children? Poor you having to have dental work done! Last thing you want on top of everything. How's DS today? More settled? How are you feeling physically after birth?
Turtledove - I'm sorry that your BFing journey hasn't been easy. You sound very dedicated to BFing but please don't beat yourself up. No matter how you feed your baby your still providing all that they need. Big hugs!
TT40 how are you traveling? How's being a Mummy of two going? Had any outings with both girls?
As for us. Our DS had been unsettled and wouldn't lay down comfortably without waking within a few minutes - co-slept. Just yesterday though he allowed us to lay him in his bassinet after each feed and wake. They are so unpredictable at this age. DS is feeding well, his above his birth weight and gained a lot the last week. I'm feeling physically better - breasts have settled, undercarriage healing. Mentally I feel soooo much better this time, I think it's the difference in births to be honest. I still can't believe I had him vaginally , must write a birth story before sleep deprivation zaps it. Hubby goes back to work Monday, bit nervous doing it solo!
Guilt is really killing me atm. My dd has been pretty much amusing herself. How do you stimulate your other children enough while tending to a newborn? :'(
How old is your DD Rosey? I don't think I can offer much advice as I am struggling with mine too. Although in some ways I am lucky mine are so spread out. My poor eldest DD gets a lot of chores. I am making a huge effort to reward her for all the help she gives us. I am often screeching at her to do this and that the poor girl. My 2nd DD is been really challenging. I took the 4 to a party today. Big mistake. DD2 argues and picks constantly on DD1 or DD3. I am really fed up with it. DH often takes her but that doesn't really help as I find he rewards her all the time which is nice for her but is having a very negative impact on my relationship with her as I am the one constantly disciplining her.
DS is been a delight. He has had some unsettled days and today he has been on the boob way more then is comfortable which gets a bit tiring but apart from that he is lovely and not a difficult baby. He has also started eyeing me of which is nice. Its taken up until yesterday to really feel he is looking at me. But now he stares at me which is so cute. He definitely knows his mummy and I am his favourite He hardly tolerates anyone else yet. DH feels a bit left out. Said he can't wait until he is older and he can make him happy. He said he really struggles at this age as nothing he does helps him settle. It gets a bit difficult when anything DH does makes him scream the house down.
As for how I feel physically I feel much better today although I still look like a freak. My eyes have bags to match an 80year old. I am not happy with my blood loss. Its still heavy. I have a very dark prune coloured discharge most of the time and still have several gushes of fresh red blood every day. I am worried about it actually. See not sure if I mentioned it before but had an APH which is why I was induced/augmented. They couldn't locate the area of the bleeding although they think it was from my cervix. They were even tossing up a malignancy which freaked me out. I know its extremely unlikely but I am freaking out because 1 I havent had pap smear for ages and 2 because the fresh bleeding is still going on. I am sure I am been paranoid. Just wish I had normal postpartum bleeding and not this bizarre shiat going on.
My DD is a few months off three. She is happy to play on her own but I just feel very guilty as I had all the time in the world for her before DS. Now I keep having to say, 'Mummy will soon', 'just let Mummy do this first' etc and she has stopped asking me :'( I feel really awful. I'm crying just writing it.
DS is a champ also. He has unsettled days and seems to have a lot of tummy pains still which means he is loving being held. He is trying to be a sleepy boy, but his tummy is holding him back. I popped him in the HAB yesterday and he loved that - I think that will be my saving grace with hubby heading off to work. He has began smiling, though none at me all at Daddy. He happily accepts cuddles and settling from Daddy, which I am thankful for.
I am feeling physically much better. I've been getting a weird feeling when I stand up though. It's like I feel something come down. Not blood. Hard to explain but I will keep an eye on it and keep doing my pelvic floor. Maybe it's just my stitches pulling. My stomach has gone down a lot and I already have a waist but the rest of me is still pudgey ha ha. I'm getting use to the sleep or lack there of, but come three o'clock everyday I would kill for a nap.
Mildez I'm sorry to hear your struggling too, babies really are a beautiful blessing and I don't wish the time away but it can be hard. I'm sure your eldest is loving the rewards that helping brings. How is your DD3? Yay for DS being a delight. I love when they really see you, they must love it also. My DS has fed more frequently last two days also. How's nappy changes at your house? I was changing sooo many but it has settled somewhat now. The prune coloured blood is old blood isn't it? I still get some fresh blood here and there, my MW said that's normal. I hope all is well with your bleeding! Is there a chance you can still have bleeding from the APH? How's your DS sleeping?
I think we may have some more time for our older kids when ours bubs can be entertained a bit by others. Right now DS usually wont last in his moses basket (its in the lounge room) for more then 5 mins without cracking it. Even when DD 2 and 3 hold him h wont last more then a few mins. His a bit better with DD1 as I do let her carry him around (she is 14 and has a lot of experience with young children and babies).
Yes I have been doing my pelvic floor too although I must say I haven't noticed much of a difference from before the birth which is nice. With my 3rd it took several weeks before I could even tell I was doing them if that makes sense. I'd do the squeeze and I couldn't feel a thing.
The midwife/child health nurse came yesterday. I was stoked bub had gained 560grams in 11days (from his discharge weight of 3110grams). At least all this feeding is doing something. I work with the lady that came and she thought I looked anaemic. My mother does too. I don't look myself. DS is going ok. He cluster feeds for 1-2hours which can be difficult with the older kids but then usually gives me a solid 3 hrs before repeating the pattern again. Overnight he usually doesn't feed that long but still having a good 3-4 feeds overnight. The nappies are settling too which is good. Only usually 1 change overnight now from 3-4. Bleeding is the same. I just wish it would go away already.
Our bub isn't keen on going down during the day. Blood curdling scream after 5/10 mins. Resettle and put back down only for the pattern to repeat. Night aren't a whole lot better. Seems he is having lots of trouble with his belly - trapped wind perhaps. Always grunting, pulling up legs and grimacing. Loves to be all crumpled up in the sitting position. Can eventually get like two two hour stints of sleep out of him after 10pm at night. It's very exhausting and I feel like I am doing it all wrong again.
Yay for that nice weight gain Mildez. What time of day does he cluster feed? Double yay for only one nappy change overnight. Hope your start feeling and looking like yourself again soon
DS seems to cluster feed all during the day. For example he had a small feed at 5am. Woke at 8am and fed on and off for 3hours. My boobs are killing me. He finally went to sleep at 11am and slept until 2pm. He fed on/off for 1hr and went back to bed at around 3pm. Then fed most of the next 2 hours and has now been sleeping for 30mins. His being doing this every day pretty much. He usually starts cluster feeding again at 7pm until 9-10pm and then will sleep until 2am. The times vary a bit. The longest I ever get out of him is 4hours but that seems to be only a stint every 2nd day. If you give him the boob he is happy. I try settling him other ways but he acts like his starving. Bobbing his head with his mouth open and tossing it side to side looking for the nipple. I've tried him with a dummy. Sometimes he will suck on it for 5-10mins but other times he just gags and cries.
I was in agony earlier today and then passed a clot. Pretty large and definite membranes and placenta looking material. The pain passed almost instantly although its come back now. I think I might have some retained products or something. Hopefully the bleeding settles now. The midwife that came yesterday thought I didn't have a good supply. She thought that his getting enough but is making the good weight gains through the frequent feeding more then a good supply and he needs to do that to get the volume. She is a lactation consultant so maybe she is right. I still have a lot of breast and nipple pain.
Sounds like your DS is been a challenge. I hope things get easier for you. Its hard when you have other things to do and need to spend time with your DD too but DS doesn't allow it. I a looking forward to school going back. Right now I feel the little time I have is spent chasing my tail repeating things Ive just done because the kids are so messy.
Hi Mama's. How are you all traveling? What is your December baby up too?
Mildez - have you passed any more clots? That doesn't sound good. How are you feeling about your supply? Is your DS still cluster feeding?
My DS has hardly slept today and has fed ALOT! Days he likes to be held but have managed the last couple of nights to get him to sleep in his bassinet. Longest sleep is three hours but mostly awake every two with a period around midnight to two that he's awake. Come 5 o'clock he's grunting and does that till 7. He's totally delicious though
TT40. We're in the same boat. Poor little man has lots of trouble. No sleep today, bar the odd cat nap on me, lots of crying and tummy pains. It's awful isn't it?
My hubby's gone already, though home for the weekend. Testing times.
Same TT40. I hope things go well when your husband is back at work. And your DD's wind eases for her (and you).
Rosey my bleeding is basically non existent now which is a relief as I was getting pretty sore from the pads. DS is still cluster feeding. Although does string together 3hours a few times in 24hrs so I don't think his starving. Last night I didn't get 2 hours from him. His a delightful little boy. He currently has the worst milk pimples. I wish they would hurry up and go.
Such a bad day yesterday, bad night last night and a shocker today. Baby boy isn't a happy camper. Seems in pain. Won't lay down, easily unsettled after he's asleep on us. Feel sad for him and my daughter cause she's amusing herself so much.
Re: Babies Born ~ December 2014
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, must write a birth story before sleep deprivation zaps it. Hubby goes back to work Monday, bit nervous doing it solo!
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