Sept 08 - newborns, milk, nappies and all the rest ....

[Sassafrass]

Hope noone minds me starting our post natal thread now that the babies are arriving so quickly.

Arrivals!
28-May - Johnworf ? Katherine, 1lb 8oz
30-June ? KashaSarrasin ? Felix, 1.39kg
26-July - Jenbot - DD, 3lb 6oz
11-Aug - Crabby - Lilah 2.34kg
13-Aug - Sassafrass - Katie Rose, 7lb 2oz
20-Aug - Sunshinemummy - Effy Marilyn, 6lb 3oz
22-Aug - Talia1 - Anna, 6lb 2oz
26-Aug - Jenpet - Samuel, 3.166 kilos (about 6lb10oz?)
28-Aug - Potxola - Lorea, 7lb 6oz
31-Aug - Digitalgirl - Alfredo, 7lbs
1-Sept - Debithescot - Andrew, 8lb 10oz

[DebitheScot]

Hi, just quickly checking in so this is on my 'threads I'm on'

We need some more babies, surprised I'm the only Sept one, don't suppose it'll last long though.

Off to hosp now for Andrew to have his checks as we didn't stay in long enough for them to be done there.

[Sassafrass]

I had completely forgotten about the marathon feeding sessions you get with newborns when you breastfeed. Yesterday I fed Katie almost constantly from 4 in the afternoon until 8 in the evening. She'd fall asleep at the breast only to wake up 10 minutes later wanting more. At least I know my milk supply will be well stimulated and I got to watch lots of trashy tv programs =)

[Sassafrass]

Hope it all goes well Deb, must have been lovely not to have to stay in long at the hospital.

Btw, Katie was quite jaundiced but I just breastfed as usual and tried to take her outside a lot for walks so she'd get some natural light. It cleared up after about a week but I've read that it's normal for it to take a couple of weeks to clear up.

[digitalgirl]

Just popping this on my threads I'm on list too!

Has anyone got any tips for coping with all the sore bits down there? Have taken to pouring cold water on during a wee, but still feels so sensitive. Wondered if there was anything else I could do to help the healing process?

[carrieon]

Put a few drops of tea tree oil in a bath and sit and have a splash!

[jenpet]

Hi all - found you! Not got long today as expecting more visitors any minute & DS1 has no school on Wed. Am really looking forward to tomorrow - DH at work, DS1 at school, No-one due - just me & Sam all day! Does that sound mean?! Hope not...anyway, Digital Girl it's horrible coping with sore bits, I was much worse last time, but in hospital they had a shower attachment by the toilet - have a wee and then have a good squirt!! It was really nice and I feel like I've got less sore a lot quicker this time...I'd forgotten about the feeding marathons too Sass, though last night he fed almost constantly from early evening til about midnight, but I don't mind a bit as he slept til 3am, quick feed on one side, then through til 6, then another quick feed and we both woke at 9am!! Only trouble is the sheets were soaking this morning as I'd leaked everywhere!
btw Does anyone else feel like bursting into tears every 2 minutes or is that just me??

[Sassafrass]

Jenpet, I am like that a bit as well. Worst was a couple of days after the birth but I'm still quite emotional.

We had some bad news today, fil's cancer has come back with a vengeance and is in his skeleton now, so only a matter of months. I feel quite upset, particularly for my eldest daughter who loves her granddad so much. And for Katie who won't even remember him.

[digitalgirl]

jenpet I wish I could leak everywhere. As I suspected I'm really low on colostrum. And poor little Alfredo is jaundiced and sleepy and not waking up to feed at all. Thankfully the midwife who came to visit today had a good look at my positioning and latch and said I was doing everything right. But she had a good old squeeze of my boob and not a single tiny little drop came out. So my poor baby is struggling to get anything, although he doesn't reject the breast and will quite happily sit on the breast for hours if I let him.

DH is off to buy a breast pump to help stimulate the flow and encourage my milk to come in. Alfredo is too weak and sleepy to do it himself.

Also - felt most vulnerable in hospital and had a good old cry there. Feeling a lot better at home, but expecting the baby blues to be as delayed as my milk coming in.

Having to wake up every two hours to spend a heartbreaking hour attempting to put Alfredo on the breast - and then feed him top up after an hour of that. Plus he doesn't really like being put down so tends to wake up after an hour of sleeping anyway. Thank god my mum was here last night to take him so I could get an hour and a half of uninterrupted sleep - my longest session yet since he was born!

[jenpet]

Sorry to hear about your fil sass it's happened at a horrible time for you - is he near you? DH'S brother died just before DS1 was concieved and we've talked about him so much I'm sure he feels he actually knows him and he just doesn't see him that often - I think children need to be told what is happening though. Sorry you're having to go through it now though.
Digital you're milk will come in fine I'm sure - it's still really early days. With babies I always think what seems like the worst thing in the world actually passes really quickly - then there is some fresh horror waiting!! No, but just keep going. It will be worth it, then you'll remember when he was all sleepy and undemanding and not believe he was ever like that. Also, with the jaundice, over here they try & "treat" it. So Sam had to go in this horrid tube thing for 3 hours on the night before we left hospital - like a sunbed but with special lights that suck out the jaundice or something, he was all wired up to moniters and had to wear little goggles. He screamed the place down as you would imagine, but they do it with most babies over here and he didn't look particularly yellow to me either..I kind of thought all babies had it to some degree & it does no harm unless it gets very bad?

[DebitheScot]

digitalgirl lean as far forward as you can when you pee, that helps a bit.

[foxytocin]

"Plus he doesn't really like being put down so tends to wake up after an hour of sleeping anyway."

DG, please don't let that get you down. (And i hope you don't think I am stalking you with unwanted 'advice'. ) it is normal even if he wasn't jaundiced. A midwife squeezing your nips to get out colostrum is not best practice. No, actually, it is poor practice. What she has done is undermine you. I promise you. repeat after me. You. have. colostrum.

A pump is not the best way to get it out either. Hand expression is better. Properly done, not having a MW squeeze your nips as seems to have been done to you. I doubt you have a syringe handy so collect in a teaspoon instead. But dh can pop down to the chemist and get a tiny syringe, i hope.

Also, if he is 'hard to wake up' after trying a couple mins, then don't keep trying. Try again in 20 mins or half an hour. Newborn babies have totally different sleep patterns than older children and adults. they move from one stage of sleep to another much more often. If you touch him and his arm flickers, then he will be easier to rouse.

good luck. phone a helpline and don't worry about pouring your heart out. these ladies are trained to listen and give advice.

[foxytocin]

ps, I only came here to mark the thread so it comes up in my history.

[foxytocin]

just to be clear DG, I posted the link to show you how to hand express. if you are worried about him not feeding often enough, you can try this technique and syringe or spoon feed what you get out. believe me, if you get out 5ml, you are doing great. lots of women will take half an hr to get 5ml of colostrum by hand expressing. it will literally come out in droplets, but on day 1 your baby's tummy is the size of a shooter marble and can only hold 5ml of fluid at a time anyway.

pg 14/15 has pics of colostrum and hand expression

[Sassafrass]

Digitalgirl, Katie is still glued to me, three weeks after the birth, she wakes up within 10 minutes if she's put down anywhere. Just try to go with the flow. I can recommend co-sleeping for the first couple of weeks then the baby can just feed while you sleep. I've been taking fenugreek to improve milk supply and it really seems to be working. Remember as well, that how much you can express doesn't have any bearing on how much the baby gets.

[digitalgirl]

Thanks foxy I've just followed the hand expressing link and managed to squeeze a few drops of colostrum out! The left boob (which is bigger) seems to take a while. I picked up Alfredo as soon as I saw the drops and put them directly on his lips.

The midwife today said that because he's jaundiced and it hasn't cleared up yet (BR levels were rising when we left the hospital) I have to be careful not to let him dehydrate. She said that I HAVE to keep him on formula for at least the next couple of days to allow him to build up his strength and until my milk comes in. So in the meantime I'm to express as much as possible in order to encourage the milk supply. Can anyone tell me how much expressing I should be doing to makeup for the amount of breast-feeding Alfredo isn't doing?

sassa are you taking fenugreek in tea or as a supplement? I might try that.

The MW really put the wind up me today because she pointed out how orange he was and how sleepy he was. So I'm bound to give him formula (despite knowing that I could be harming my chances of successfully establishing breastfeeding) - as I'd rather get his strength up over the next couple of days.

Speaking of which I think I need to go and lie down for half an hour while DH has got him.

[Debs75]

Digitalgirl try using warm water instead of cold it feels so much better

[Sassafrass]

Digitalgirl, I'm taking capsules with poweder in them, bought from Holland and Barrets. I take 9 a day, the recommended dose is 6-12 a day.

I would express everytime you give him formula and maybe one or two times extra to make up for the lack of stimulation. Could you perhaps put him to the breast first and then offer the formula after he's done feeding at the breast. I always found a nappy change after a feed wakes them up nicely if they aren't completely full up.
Have they checked his bilirubin levels or is the midwife just going with how he looks? A newborn is very very sleep naturally anyway.

[digitalgirl]

sassa I offer him both breasts before and after a formula feed. Sometimes he has a little go on it (5-10 sucks) other times he just latches on and falls asleep and other times he pointedly refuses it at which point I try and move on quickly to something else as I don't want him to start associating my breast with me forcing him onto something he doesn't want.

ta debs

[foxytocin]

DG In order to express colostrum, you want to do it as often as possible. IE every 3 hrs and give it a 30 minute go each time. You will really need someone to do everything else for you except maybe give you a bath at this time.

Please please do skin to skin contact tomorrow, in bed, even if he is 'only sleeping' on you, all day if you have the help. Nappy on him, maybe nursing bra only on your top. your presence will rouse him.

Following formula after a few sucks at the breast means that he is filling up with formula. Is he actually drinking at least some of the formula? If he is, no wonder he wants to sleep. Is he weeing and pooing? That is the best gauge of whether stuff (bm or ff) is going in.

Have you rung a helpline? If your midwife is so concerned, she should be not be recommending you to revisit hospital. I am sorry but I still cannot trust her judgement. Either he is well enough to be home, without lights and formula, or he should at least have his bilirubin levels tested and / or taken to hospital for monitoring.

Another problem with what is happening, if he is getting formula and that is satisfying him at the moment is that he is not stimulating your breast often. Breast stimulation will help your milk to come in. Alfredo is not getting a fair chance in doing that.

Ask the helpline for when and where is the nearest breastfeeding group you can go to. she will probably know one in your area with an accredited counsellor.

I really appreciate that you are scared because of his jaundice and I hate to contradict someone who is in a position of authority. Especially one who I have never met but nothing from what she has told you is going to actually help you breastfeed. I had a 'mare of a time with the same issues and dd and I left hospital after 8 days but the 'care' we actually had was appalling, I now know in hindsight. I have done a lot more research into jaundice because of this experience as a way of getting over the psychological trauma of her and my post natal experience.

Link to show you stomach sizes.

[Sassafrass]

Got mastitits again and feel awful. Feverish and got a nasty headache. The breast doesn't hurt too bad though, but got a big red patch. been feeding Katie on that side all day to relieve it. Not sure if I should go back to the gp again as I've just finished the antibiotics he gave me last time..

[digitalgirl]

foxy thank you so much for your advice I really do appreciate it. I've been trying to express some colostrum before each bottle feed session and at least dab Alfredo's lips with it. I also put a call out to my NCT group and a couple of ladies have come back with similar stories, so it helps to know I'm not the only one who's been 'topping up' to get through jaundice but they've come through the other side and are now dealing with issues like sore nips and engorgement.

Despite my better judgement, paranoia got the better of me this morning (started to feel really emotional re: BF and that on day 4 my milk still hasn't come in) and I cracked open the electric pump. It hurt and managed to express a bit more colostrum than I could manually - but now have fears I've started something I'll regret i.e. engorgement. Boobs definitely feeling a bit sore now perhaps it will be tomorrow.

Have had loads of skin to skin today, my mum has been brilliant and encouraging (and good at fetching me drinks and making me lunch). Almost feel a bit guilty for hogging him all day and not letting DH have a go. Will do the same again tomorrow.

Isn't it great when they start to open their eyes a bit more!! That's the highlight of my day! That and when he snuggles on my shoulder making little clucky chicken noises.

It's good to have those moments when I can enjoy my baby and not just be worrying about stuff. DH got peed on again today mid-nappy change, he laughed his head off! My mum saw the puddle on the kitchen floor and the patch on DH's trousers and thought it was the funniest thing she'd ever seen.

[digitalgirl]

sassa sorry to hear the mastitis has come back. hope you get some relief soon.

[foxytocin]

Sounds like things are starting to turn around DG. Keep doing skin to skin tomorrow. and don't feel guilty for hogging your baby. Look at it from your baby's POV. Less than a week ago your body was the only environment he ever knew. It will take him a little while to 'let go'.

Now that your milk is starting to come in skin to skin is the best thing to encourage his nursing. If you find yourself getting too engorged, pump off a little bit which will soften the tissues around your nips and let your nips become more pronounced (as engorgement flattens them) so that he has breast to latch on to. Thereby avoid cracked/sore nips. Reminds me of the saying that babies breastfeed, not nipple feed.

Here is wishing you lots and lots of feedy snuggles to come.

[hopefully]

For all you busy new mums, just thought I'd update your list - Barnpot had her little boy Elliot on the 2nd. unfortunately it was emergency CS and he's being tested for any ongoing damage today (more details on her post on ante natal), but he was strong enough to yank out his tube when they put it in!

Arrivals!
28-May - Johnworf ? Katherine, 1lb 8oz
30-June ? KashaSarrasin ? Felix, 1.39kg
26-July - Jenbot - DD, 3lb 6oz
11-Aug - Crabby - Lilah 2.34kg
13-Aug - Sassafrass - Katie Rose, 7lb 2oz
20-Aug - Sunshinemummy - Effy Marilyn, 6lb 3oz
22-Aug - Talia1 - Anna, 6lb 2oz
26-Aug - Jenpet - Samuel, 3.166 kilos (about 6lb10oz?)
28-Aug - Potxola - Lorea, 7lb 6oz
31-Aug - Digitalgirl - Alfredo, 7lbs
1-Sept - Debithescot - Andrew, 8lb 10oz
2-Sept - Barnpot - Elliot James, 4lb 7oz

[jearund]

Sassafras sorry about the mastitis. I would go back to the doctor, you may need a second course or perhaps a different antibiotic. Better safe than sorry - I don't think it's likely to clear up on its own.