9/4 Newborn-3mo Check In

[lily]

How old is LO?

How's everything going?

Questions/concerns/cute stories to share?

0-1mo:
What positions/props are working for you?

What are you struggling with?


1-3mo:
Nursing in public: questions, experiences, anecdotes?

If you're pumping, how is that going? When are you returning to work, or are you SAH?

GTKY: what was something you did to take care of yourself last week? If you can't think of anything, what can you do this week to take care of you, even if just for five minutes?

[jexxa]

How old is LO? 3w3d

How's everything going? Good!

Questions/concerns/cute stories to share?

0-1mo:
What positions/props are working for you? I only ever do the cradle hold. I love my Boppy.

What are you struggling with? Yesterday DD was fussy and cluster feeding most of the day. Must be the 3w growth spurt. Today hasn't been too bad so far.

GTKY: what was something you did to take care of yourself last week? If you can't think of anything, what can you do this week to take care of you, even if just for five minutes? I've been making sure that I get a shower every day and trying to keep up with beauty regimens like shaving, tweezing, etc. It's done wonders for my mental health. I didn't do that with DS and I definitely notice a difference in myself.

[muscari]

How old is LO? 15 days

How's everything going?

Mostly fine though I have to admit there are times I find this whole newborn stage and esp breastfeeding / pumping rough and a bit of a struggle. D. is a pretty easy going baby but sometimes just seems insatiable and I feel stuck in baby jail nursing her for hours in end. Which in itself isnt a problem but just limits my activities to where I get nothing else done..? And I guess I wonder whether I am doing it right.

Questions/concerns/cute stories to share?

So I try to feed on demand.. and I basically have been clusterfeeding at least a cple hours every afternoon and several hours in a row in the evening/at night. Baby naps on the boob sometimes but generally doesnt really sleep longer stretches since she keeps giving cues she is hungry and wants to nurse. Doesnt endless cluster feeding wear her out to where she gets too tired to sleep?

Alsp, I try and pump after feedings (when she isn't clusterfeeding) and we supplement on occasion with pumped milk when my nipples need a break. She then does sleep for longer stretches. So we were thinking of giving her a bottle pumped milk around midnight to hopefully get her satisfied and tired enough to sleep for a longer stretch - which seemed to work the past 2 nights. She then wakes once halfway the night and I nurse her and she goes back to sleep for another 2-3 hours usually. Is that an okay strategy or does this influence my supply since I go from cluster feeding to nothing for a few hours then nursing and pumping two or three feedings in a row then back to clusterfeeding?? Does my question even make sense?

0-1mo:
What positions/props are working for you?
As I had a c-section I wasnt able to try many positions at first so we currently only nurse in the madonna position I think it is called? I make do with a bunch of pillows but ordered a nursing pillow which should arrive tomorrow yay! We had issues latching properly which was super frustrating but with the help of a nipple shield it has been going like a charm.

What are you struggling with?

If you're pumping, how is that going? When are you returning to work, or are you SAH?
I lost my job while pregnant so will be a SAHM for the foreseeable future.

As babygirl was in NICU the first day she was started on formula and I pumped every time she was fed to try get my supply going. My milk came in after 6 days and at first we needed to supplement with formula still. I now pump after some feedings in hopes it helps boost my supply and also to build up a bit of a freezer stash over time. Currrently any pumped milk is used to supplement. I was planning in pumping after every feeding but when there is just 30 mins in between feedings I just cant make myself pump 15 of those precious minutes I get to do something else...

GTKY: what was something you did to take care of yourself last week? If you can't think of anything, what can you do this week to take care of you, even if just for five minutes?

I managed to take a proper shower twice these past days. And I sat outside reading for 30 minutes earlier this week while D slept.

[lily]

muscari in terms of keeping up adequate supply when substituting some feeds with bottles, Nancy Mohrbacher talks about two considerations: your "magic number" or the number of times in 24 hours your breasts need to be fully drained in order to maintain the supply your baby needs and the longest stretch your breasts can go without being emptied without downregulating supply. Unfortunately it's a bit trial and error. To start, for the latter, she suggests no more than 8 hours without a full drain. We also know these first few weeks are the best time to get supply established by nursing on demand.

www.nancymohrbacher.com/articles/2010/8/13/the-magic-number-and-long-term-milk-production-part-1.html?rq=Magic%20number

The cluster feeding does get better. These first few weeks are the hardest. Remember the world is super new for your LO, and being at the breast is as close as she can get to being back in the womb - warm, held, a little movement, close to your heartbeat, never getting too hungry, comfort suckling. She's still adjusting and learning, as well as working very hard to grow. It'll get better.

In many babies, the typical growth spurt pattern is 7-10 days old, 3 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months. Another common pattern is about every 2 weeks for the first couple months. As you can see, the time between growth spurts does start to lengthen out, yay!

www.becomingmamas.com/life-in-the-fourth-trimester/

You may also like looking into to the Wonder Weeks (there's a book and an app.)

It's okay to not get much done other than feeding your baby and caring for your body and mental health. This is your job right now. It's a tough one, but you're becoming a pro.

Nursing on the go is slightly more frustrating with a nipple shield but it is possible. If you want you can look into babywearing - YouTube babywearing nursing newborn & see if anything appeals to you. Many c-section parents like a ring sling for the early days because the material sits well above the incision site. Newborns still need a good amount of support so even after you figure out nursing in a carrier, at 2-3 weeks old you may only get one hand free instead of two, but mobility and a free hand may be just what you want.

[wells2010]

I hope it's ok if I just jump in here. My DD3 was born 9/6.

How old is LO? 1w 2D

How's everything going? Overall ok, she was a BIG baby (9lb 13oz) and a CS baby, so she ended up with an 11% weight loss from her birthweight, so they had us supplementing for a few days. She's now gaining, and we are no longer supplementing unless I need a break or something.

Questions/concerns/cute stories to share?
Does anyone have advice on whether to get the spectra s1 vs s2? I've used a PISA with my last two and that was ok- I hated pumping though, which made it a big factor into why I stopped both times.

0-1mo:
What positions/props are working for you? Just the regular cradle hold. The LC at the hospital kept trying to get me to football hold, but neither of us were as comfortable.

What are you struggling with?
No real struggles right now, although it does get to be a lot with a baby on me all of the time. Right now ILs are here visiting and they don't really get it and everyone is a little uncomfortable. They won't sit in the same room as me and I'd rather not seclude myself in a bedroom or something for three days. I have a cover on too, so it's not like I'm walking around topless either.



GTKY: what was something you did to take care of yourself last week? If you can't think of anything, what can you do this week to take care of you, even if just for five minutes?

I tried to get my hair done before I delivered, but they were booked. I took DD1 out for fro yo instead. It was a lot of fun and I'm glad we got some one on one time together before the baby was born. Maybe a few days before then I got my nails done too.

[lily]

wells2010 glad weight gain is good! I have no personal experience with the spectra but I hear good things. I've heard the difference between the S1 & S2 is the S1 can be plugged into the wall and has a rechargeable battery pack, whereas the S2 just plugs into the wall. So if you expect to be pumping in the car regularly, for example, you may want the S1.

I know your ILs' reaction is common but I just really, really don't get it. I'm sorry things are uncomfortable.

[wells2010]

lily thanks for your input. I'll probably just get the s2 since free is best and I will be pumping mainly at work or home.

It's weird for me because I normally get along well with them and my mom drives me crazy. With BFing though she is supportive and knowledgeable and my ILs are the stressors!

[yourpaceormine]

wells2010, I was able to buy a car adaptor for my S2 off Amazon. (In case you ever need to pump in the car.)

[gimmesugar]

wells2010 I use the S2 for pumping at work and like it...well...as much as you can "like" pumping.