11/20 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:
Getting through growth spurts okay?


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


GTKY: do you decorate your home for seasons & holidays?

[lily]

CoachTsWife replying over here so I don’t bump last week’s check in
I agree to enjoy the sleep while you can. Your supply will adjust. LO will likely nurse more during the day to get the intake he needs.

Speaking as someone with an early sleeping baby, it likely won’t last forever, and your supply can adjust to night wakings again as needed.

Also if you feel sleeping all night is dropping your supply overall, or causing you mental distress, you can always add in a dreamfeed or pump. But I’d try sleeping a few nights first

[danvers]

How old is LO? 7 weeks

How's everything going? Good!

Questions/concerns/cute stories to share? Met a colleague at work and totally nursed (with a cover) like a champ. I never nursed DD1 in front of others except for H and my mom so I feel like this was a big step for me! 

Gettin through growth spurts ok? Maybe? I know we got through the first one at 7 days or so but I didn’t remember when the others occur so we may not have hit another yet
 
If you're pumping, how is that going? When are you return to work, or are you SAH? I’ve built up quite a stash since I have to pump the left side but DD2 is sort of trying more on the left now so maybe I won’t need to pump as much which would be nice - currently I pump the left side 3x a day but would love to drop one or two or all of it if DD2 can go back to nursing proficiently at the left breast. 

GTKY: do you decorate your home for seasons & holidays? Yes! I love decorating for Xmas! im really excited to decorate this year as DD1 mostly gets its and I can’t wait to see it through her eyes.

[CoachTsWife]

Nov 20, 2017 9:51:25 GMT -6 lily said:

CoachTsWife replying over here so I don’t bump last week’s check in
I agree to enjoy the sleep while you can. Your supply will adjust. LO will likely nurse more during the day to get the intake he needs.

Speaking as someone with an early sleeping baby, it likely won’t last forever, and your supply can adjust to night wakings again as needed.

Also if you feel sleeping all night is dropping your supply overall, or causing you mental distress, you can always add in a dreamfeed or pump. But I’d try sleeping a few nights first

Thanks lily. I know it won't last forever. I'm sure it'll stop at least by the time I go back to work, lol. I think it is mostly causing mental distress at this point, because I struggled to pump enough at times. I always made it through, with my stash or extra pumping sessions, but it was stressful and I'd like not have that issue this time if I can help it.

I'm not as worried as I was about him not getting enough. He's so big....! And the fussing while nursing is getting better little by little. The MOTN and first AM feedings are virtually fuss free, which is so nice.

[grumpycat]

How old is LO? He will be 6 weeks on Friday!

How's everything going? Good. Pain is less and my glider is now my favorite place to nurse. His latch is better as he's gotten bigger.

Questions/concerns/cute stories to share? How many oz should an almost 6 week old need in a bottle? He's EBF and only had two bottles in the hospital to get his blood sugar levels regulated so I have no idea how much he eats!

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


1-3mo:
Getting through growth spurts okay? We just hit the 6 week one. I feel like he's been on my boob all day. I know it's temporary so I'm holding onto that.


If you're pumping, how is that going? When are you returning to work, or are you SAH? I pumped yesterday for the first time. I got almost 4 oz between both sides. I EPed with my first so I wasn't concerned. DH will try to give him a bottle this week.


GTKY: do you decorate your home for seasons & holidays? I tend to focus on fall and winter decorations. I'm looking forward to decorating for Christmas.

[ssm]

How old is LO? 9.5 wks (4 adjusted)

How's everything going? Soooo much better! We have transitioned to exclusively nursing! I've not pumped since Saturday morning!!!!!!

Questions/concerns/cute stories to share?
Just the usual supply paranoia that comes with weaning the pump. I have/had such an oversupply that not pumping was a scary concept. But I started dropping daytime pumps and then nighttime. I still block feed though. It was working quite well so I haven't tried more. He's gaining great and doesn't always finish a side. So I'm not really worried. Just the paranoia.

BUT! Two/three issues.

I need dairy free ideas. I'm pretty sure I've pinpointed that as a big issue. He's doing much better dairy free. (This is such a bad time to have to be dairy free.....)

Traveling. Ugh ugh ugh. I'm not super worried about thanksgiving travel. It's only 3.5hrs. It's a little longer than he goes during the day, but I rearranged my schedule a bit so it will be closer to 3 instead. That's not a huge worry for me. BUT Christmas has dh and I fighting and me panicking. It's an 11-12hr drive on a good day. Now we have an infant. I want to die inside. Last time we had to stop every 2 for 30min. We don't have to stop every 2 as long as he's content. But daytime feeds are closer to 2.5hrs apart right now. And still take 20min or so. The trip has me stressing. Even if we just stop every 3. It is going to add an extra 2-3 hours. Dh is not happy. But what else do we do?

0-1mo:
What positions/props are working for you? What are you struggling with?
Technically not my age, but... I'm thrilled we are getting better at latching. I think he is finally outgrowing some of his weak latching as he has grown. And getting better positioning has helped a ton.

1-3mo:
Getting through growth spurts okay?
Idk? He cluster feeds every evening. So I'm not sure what to expect or how these would go. I just don't know what to expect or how to know if we are in one. Ds1 was FF. I never really noticed a difference or I don't remember.


If you're pumping, how is that going? When are you returning to work, or are you SAH?
I'm just thrilled to be able to quit!!

GTKY: do you decorate your home for seasons & holidays?

Yes. Ds1 and dh buy our Christmas tree as a surprise for me every year. It's a fun tradition.

[grumpycat]

ssm kelly mom has a great cheat sheet on foods to avoid and some more info about going dairy free.

kellymom.com/health/baby-health/food-sensitivity/#dairy

I eliminated dairy due to lactose intolerance and switched to coconut milk or almond milk products. Vegan products and recipes are going to be helpful too. You can always add meat.

[ssm]

Nov 21, 2017 9:50:47 GMT -6 grumpycat said:

ssm kelly mom has a great cheat sheet on foods to avoid and some more info about going dairy free.

kellymom.com/health/baby-health/food-sensitivity/#dairy

I eliminated dairy due to lactose intolerance and switched to coconut milk or almond milk products. Vegan products and recipes are going to be helpful too. You can always add meat.

i already keep almond milk for ds1. So I have that. My concern is what do I replace butter with? I haven't researched much yet. Thanks for the link and ideas. I forgot that I could search vegan and then add meat.

[grumpycat]

ssm no problem! Earth Balance is a brand that makes vegan "butter" it's plant based and is decent. It's more like whipped butter or margarine.

[lily]

grumpycat general rule for babies 1+ month old is 1-1.5oz per hour. Usually tops out around 3.5oz per bottle if paced fed. This doesn’t much change until they start decreasing milk in favor of solids. Breastmilk just goes up in calorie per oz as baby gets older.

Another way to look at it: average daily intake is 25oz (range of normal is 19-30oz) so divide by how many feeds in a day. Not that LO necessarily drinks exactly the same at each feed, but it’s another starting point.

kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/pumping/milkcalc/

[lily]

ssm congrats on ditching the pump!!
And, yes, a newborn can and will add hours to a car trip. It totally sucks, but it is what it is. It’s a short phase of life. Having been there, stopping frequently is WAY better than an overly hungry screaming baby in a car, IMO.
Plane tickets for Christmas gifts an option? Make it a two day trip?

[snuff9861]

How old is LO? 43 hours

How's everything going? I’m honestly not sure. We spent the first 18 ish hrs in hospital for blood sugar checks because of her size (10lbs 5 oz at 39 +5). Feeding well with a good latch according to the nurses all day, peed and pooped so many times. By 9pm discharge she’d already lost 6%. Struggled to get good feeds overnight, gave 1 oz of formula and got some 1 or 2 pees and poops overnight. Sleepy today but got a couple of decent feeds. One pee only early this morning and one poop. Gave 1 oz of formula and another poop. Still sleepy. Weighed on my home scale and she’s lost another pound ( so in the neighbourhood of 14%). MW didn’t weigh her today.

Questions/concerns/cute stories to share? Starting domperidone tonight (I haven’t been able to bf my other two). What am I doing wrong?

0-1mo:
What positions/props are working for you? What are you struggling with? FootbLl and cross cradle. Struggling with staying awake for most feeds and if I should be topping up more.





GTKY: do you decorate your home for seasons & holidays? Just Christmas

[thechickencoop]

ssm woohoo on ditching that pump!

And remember..Christmas is still a month away; your LO will be spacing feedings out farther by then so, yea, you'll still have to stop but I doubt it would be every 2 hours.

I've had to cut dairy too (and what a freakin difference it has made!!) We drink almond milk anyway, and I've found that looking for vegan recipes is an easy way to find stuff I'm looking to make.

ALSO, for breads, you can look for kosher brands. Those will not have dairy in then as they don't believe in mixing dairy and meat (which you could put on your sandwich potentially).

[ssm]

Nov 23, 2017 11:09:08 GMT -6 thechickencoop said:

ssm woohoo on ditching that pump!

And remember..Christmas is still a month away; your LO will be spacing feedings out farther by then so, yea, you'll still have to stop but I doubt it would be every 2 hours.

I've had to cut dairy too (and what a freakin difference it has made!!) We drink almond milk anyway, and I've found that looking for vegan recipes is an easy way to find stuff I'm looking to make.

ALSO, for breads, you can look for kosher brands. Those will not have dairy in then as they don't believe in mixing dairy and meat (which you could put on your sandwich potentially).

arnold country white is dairy free!
Someone else mentioned vegan recipes. I hadn't ever thought about it....and it's sad I didn't, I'm a professional cook. Duh. I should know better.
I found a vegan pumpkin pie recipe. It smells DELICIOUS. I can't wait to eat it!!
Yeah I am definitely borrowing trouble by fretting about Christmas. Although. Between traffic, baby, and a stupid slow Starbucks, our 3.5 hr thanksgiving trio ended up being 6 freaking hours. Kill me now. I hope it isn't that bad heading back home. I may never leave my house again.

[lily]

snuff9861 congrats on your new little! I hope the domperidone makes a quick difference. Lots of skin to skin to raise your prolactin levels, get your milk to come in, and keep the breast readily available anytime LO wants to latch. Until your milk comes in, you’re looking for 1 wet and 1 dirty diaper per day of life.
kellymom.com/hot-topics/newborn-nursing/

I’m sorry breastfeeding is such a struggle for you. I’d absolutely look for an IBCLC (international board certified lactation consultant) to evaluate what’s going on & get some strategies for nursing this LO. May be thyroid, may be insufficient glandular tissue, may be different issues with each baby and not something with you at all.

This link is for the US but IBCLC is an international certification, so they’re available in many countries uslca.org/resources/find-an-ibclc

In general, 10% weight loss is the point at which most pediatricians recommend supplementing with formula. If you had IV fluids in labor, this 10% should be calculated from weight at 24 hours old, not at birth.
www.nancymohrbacher.com/articles/2011/10/31/newborn-weight-loss-and-iv-fluids-in-labor.html

You should be pumping any time LO gets formula, so your body knows how often she is feeding & sets up supply accordingly.

Be kind to yourself. You’re doing great.

[snuff9861]

Nov 23, 2017 19:02:38 GMT -6 lily said:

snuff9861 congrats on your new little! I hope the domperidone makes a quick difference. Lots of skin to skin to raise your prolactin levels, get your milk to come in, and keep the breast readily available anytime LO wants to latch. Until your milk comes in, you’re looking for 1 wet and 1 dirty diaper per day of life.
kellymom.com/hot-topics/newborn-nursing/

I’m sorry breastfeeding is such a struggle for you. I’d absolutely look for an IBCLC (international board certified lactation consultant) to evaluate what’s going on & get some strategies for nursing this LO. May be thyroid, may be insufficient glandular tissue, may be different issues with each baby and not something with you at all.

This link is for the US but IBCLC is an international certification, so they’re available in many countries uslca.org/resources/find-an-ibclc

In general, 10% weight loss is the point at which most pediatricians recommend supplementing with formula. If you had IV fluids in labor, this 10% should be calculated from weight at 24 hours old, not at birth.
www.nancymohrbacher.com/articles/2011/10/31/newborn-weight-loss-and-iv-fluids-in-labor.html

You should be pumping any time LO gets formula, so your body knows how often she is feeding & sets up supply accordingly.

Be kind to yourself. You’re doing great.

Thanks for all the info!!

I know the basics of what is SUPPOSED to happen re #of feeds, diapers etc (I’m a postpartum nurse!!!).
We’ve done nothing but hang out skin to skin since birth. She’s sleeping on me essentially 24/7 which isn’t leaving me to get any sleep.

I’m seeking out help today to get her latch fixed. It’s super shallow. There is a potential posterior tie, but my MW doesn’t think that is the main cause of latch issues at this point. She’s SO fussy at the breast. I can’t even latch her without her screaming bloody murder. She will pop and pop off. I’m supplementing at the breast (or trying to) but because she’s so angry I essentially end up syringe feeding her the entire supplement and then she does minimal sucking at the breast which defeats the whole purpose.

I do have suspected IGT. Like I mentioned I’ve been started on Domperidone right away and will be taking some fenugreek and goats rue as soon as they arrive.

No pain meds or fluids in labour. I don’t own a pump. Ive never been able to produce for it and the nurse/supplement:pump routine gave me PPD with my first.

So in short I have a finicky milk supply. A gargantuan hangry baby who doesn’t empty what little milk I may make and no choice but syringe feed. Any tips on how to calm her down so she’ll eat?

[grumpycat]

snuff9861 ds1 was very angry at the breast so I know how awful the screaming, hungry baby at the boob feels.

Any indicator that she is hungry, put her to your breast. You want to get her there before she's crying. So look for rooting, mouthing, light fussing, spitting out a pacifier, etc. Eventually you'll learn her unique pattern to indicate she's hungry.

[danvers]

snuff9861 bouncing on an excercise ball with DD2 calms her down instantly - we this a lot during the witching hour. Bounce, nurse, burp, bounce, nurse, burp, repeat...

[snuff9861]

So day 5 and still soft floppy breasts. Shouldn’t milk be in by now?!

[lily]

Nov 26, 2017 1:01:00 GMT -6 snuff9861 said:

So day 5 and still soft floppy breasts. Shouldn’t milk be in by now?!

In general, yes, though some women experience a more gradual increase in milk production than the overnight huge engorgement.

kellymom.com/ages/newborn/when-will-my-milk-come-in/

Have you found a nearby IBCLC? You can absolutely delegate this task to your partner or another support person. There are also IBCLCs who will do video conferencing; not as good as in person support, but they may come up with some ideas or testing you can move forward with your midwife.

Another place you could start is free peer support, like your local La Leche League Leader or (if you’re in the USA) Breastfeeding USA Counselor. They’ll also know the professional resources nearby.
(For instance, where I live there’s an IBCLC 90 miles west, but 100 miles east there’s a neonatologist who has become a full time breastfeeding doctor. If I have to drive the same distance for help, it’s nice to know my options ahead of time.)

www.llli.org/webus.html (USA link but LLL is an international org)

You mentioned fenugreek in a previous post. Have you started it? If you have any thyroid or insulin/glucose issue (hypoglycemia, diabetes, pre-diabetes, PCOS) fenugreek may suppress milk production.

Domperidone can take a few weeks to kick in.
“After starting domperidone, it may take three or four days before you notice any effect, though sometimes mothers notice an effect within 24 hours. It appears to take two to three weeks to get a maximum effect, but some mothers have noted positive effects only after 4 or more weeks. It is reasonable to give domperidone a trial of at least four, and better, six”
www.breastfeedinginc.ca/informations/domperidone-getting-started/

I hope LO is gaining and y’all find a way to happily be at the breast as much as you both want. Are you interested in a supplemental nursing system, so LO can be at the breast for supplement?

[snuff9861]

Nov 26, 2017 9:33:11 GMT -6 lily said:

Nov 26, 2017 1:01:00 GMT -6 snuff9861 said:

So day 5 and still soft floppy breasts. Shouldn’t milk be in by now?!

In general, yes, though some women experience a more gradual increase in milk production than the overnight huge engorgement.

kellymom.com/ages/newborn/when-will-my-milk-come-in/

Have you found a nearby IBCLC? You can absolutely delegate this task to your partner or another support person. There are also IBCLCs who will do video conferencing; not as good as in person support, but they may come up with some ideas or testing you can move forward with your midwife.

Another place you could start is free peer support, like your local La Leche League Leader or (if you’re in the USA) Breastfeeding USA Counselor. They’ll also know the professional resources nearby.
(For instance, where I live there’s an IBCLC 90 miles west, but 100 miles east there’s a neonatologist who has become a full time breastfeeding doctor. If I have to drive the same distance for help, it’s nice to know my options ahead of time.)

www.llli.org/webus.html (USA link but LLL is an international org)

You mentioned fenugreek in a previous post. Have you started it? If you have any thyroid or insulin/glucose issue (hypoglycemia, diabetes, pre-diabetes, PCOS) fenugreek may suppress milk production.

Domperidone can take a few weeks to kick in.
“After starting domperidone, it may take three or four days before you notice any effect, though sometimes mothers notice an effect within 24 hours. It appears to take two to three weeks to get a maximum effect, but some mothers have noted positive effects only after 4 or more weeks. It is reasonable to give domperidone a trial of at least four, and better, six”
www.breastfeedinginc.ca/informations/domperidone-getting-started/

I hope LO is gaining and y’all find a way to happily be at the breast as much as you both want. Are you interested in a supplemental nursing system, so LO can be at the breast for supplement?

lily,


The public health nurse who came to see me on Thursday is also an IBCLC. She obviously didn't have time to do a full on assessment but she set me at the breastfeeding clinic for Tuesday. There are a few IBCLCs in town, but a lot of them cost $$$ and I've gone down this road before and felt like I had wasted my money and their time. Ontario has a toll free number for breastfeeding support, though I'm not sure what kind of help they can offer over the phone. 

My fenugreek, goat's rue capsules (Mother's milk special blend) literally JUST arrived, so I will be starting those today. I dont believe I've any issues you mentioned, I've had my thyroid tested several times. 

One of the midwives weighed her yesterday, she had gained 1 oz in 2 days (they're most minimum weight gain) but that was primarily on formula supplement at the breast. We're using either the meddle SNS or a mcguivered version with a #5 FR feeding tube and syringe/bottle. Currently I'm supposed to be putting to each breast and using compressions. Switch between when she stops drinking (which is a very short time) then use the SNS at each breast. We're currently supplementing about 35 cc/feed every 2 hours (she's 9lbs 6 oz, down from BW of 10lbs 5oz). However overnight she's SO fussy, hangry whatever (and this me waking her every 2 hours) that it took me almost 45 minutes to get her latched. So by the time the feed is over, I literally have 20 minutes to clean everything and basically get ready for the next feed. So last night I'd bottle her the supplement and then do the breast. Not ideal, but feeds cut down to 40 minutes and I could get an hour or so of sleep (meaning so could she). 

I like the SNS over the mcguivered version because i can latch her with the tube in place, but it's sometimes SO finicky that I have to do it a couple of times to get it in the right spot. With the feeding tube she hates me poking around her mouth to get the tube in the right spot. 

[lily]

snuff9861 I’m glad you’re figuring out a routine that works for you and baby. I hope your milk comes in ASAP and baby decides latching is worth it.

You might consider meditating on what your ideal feeding situation is for this baby, and then approaching your breastfeeding support personnel (midwife, BF clinic, peer counselor, etc) with how to meet that goal.
Possible goals:
-baby gets exclusively breastmilk (knowing that donor milk and/or pumping may be involved)
-baby finishes every feed at the breast
-baby gets all her nutrition from your breast
etc

Just a thought exercise that may help you figure out where your priorities lie, what part of this whole feeding thing is most important to you. And it’s alright to feel however you feel that you haven’t gotten the textbook experience you learned as a postpartum nurse. You’re doing great, and LO is lucky to have such an adaptive mother.