[Shlify]

history--what is your diet like? What are you eating? b/c i lost about 15 lbs just from breastfeeding no exercise at all. If you are eating a lot of "white carbs" try cutting that back. It may be water weight as well, so flush yourself with TONS of water everyday. Also, eat lots of snacks throughout the day, like a piece of fruit or nuts (if you can) something with fiber to help flush your system. Hope this helps!

[Hopefulmommy09]

Shilfy the weight is normal. They wanted Brea to at least gain 1 oz a day or we would have been back in the hospital (this is when she was first born). I wouldn't worry about weight gain it is worrysome if they are not gaining.

History: I have had trouble with baby weight also. I am still up 15 pounds from my prebaby weight. I haven't to loose it yet. I start work tomorrow and I went out and spent $500 on clothes it was fun, but I did have to buy a bigger size and they are still tight. I am hoping that it will just come off.

I am nervous to start work and I am unsure of how this pumping thing will go? I emailed my boss to ask if there was a private room and a fridge and I got no response

I have a hospital grade pump that I rent and I don't want to haul that to work. Does anyone know of a cheaper small pump that may be battery operated?

I am getting period cramps but no period anyone else have this?

[Roxy]

History- I think sometimes it just takes longer for some people to lose weight. I have been on medicine that makes my stomach upset so I am not eating enough which I think caused me to lose weight quick but I know my mother breastfed and walked and struggled to lose the baby weight.

Shilfy-the lactation specialist told us a baby should gain 2 lbs per month for the first 3 months so the weight gain is great.

Hopeful- I am sure returning to work must be so hard. I couldn't imagine.

AFM...Leah and I had a great first day. She smiled for the first time. I did find myself overwhelmed when Adam got home. She wanted to nurse the entire time so he didn't really get anytime with her and I got no time to myself. Then she screamed from 9-2. She won't sleep in her bassinet so I have to sit in the rockng chair with her. Adam did end up getting up and holding her and getting her to sleep. I feel bad having him do that since he gets up for work at 4. He wants to help but I feel guilty-I have to get over that.

[waiting..patiently]

Hopeful, I have the Madela Swing pump and it is battery or electric - works great and relatively fast. I can get 4-6 ounces in 15-20 minutes depending pn my supply. I cannot imagine going back to work, here in Canada we get a year off of work...maybe you all should consider moving this way for the next ones...just kidding, but I am not sure I would feel ready just yet.

Good luck with the pumping I really do love mine, also it comes with a bag to carry it in which might be nice for work.

Kim

Originally Posted by Hopefulmommy09

Shilfy the weight is normal. They wanted Brea to at least gain 1 oz a day or we would have been back in the hospital (this is when she was first born). I wouldn't worry about weight gain it is worrysome if they are not gaining.

History: I have had trouble with baby weight also. I am still up 15 pounds from my prebaby weight. I haven't to loose it yet. I start work tomorrow and I went out and spent $500 on clothes it was fun, but I did have to buy a bigger size and they are still tight. I am hoping that it will just come off.

I am nervous to start work and I am unsure of how this pumping thing will go? I emailed my boss to ask if there was a private room and a fridge and I got no response

I have a hospital grade pump that I rent and I don't want to haul that to work. Does anyone know of a cheaper small pump that may be battery operated?

I am getting period cramps but no period anyone else have this?

[RosieB]

Thank goodness I am not going back to work until Feb...at least, and maybe later. I will start back part time too. I won't get paid past October..but we have prepared for me to be staying home for a while and possibly permanently, depending on how I feel. If I had to locate daycare right now I would have a meltdown.

Roxy - that is awesome that Leah smiled!! I can't wait to see that first smile. Sorry she is cranky though. It happens, and it is so funny, because the same thing happens at my house. DH comes home...and I am trying to get dinner together, and then Olivia is wide awake and wants to nurse non-stop. DH has taken her from me and gotten her to sleep too. I feel bad also b/c he gets up at 5am for work as well...but sometimes I think Olivia does not know what she wants...and having different arms to hold her than the ones that held her all day is just the ticket. Thank goodness DH has patience.

Hopefull - I have the Medela Pump in Style. My SIL's both used this one and then handed it down to me. I just bought the pieces I need. It works great and is easy to use and carry.

Jaime - Congats on the 9-5 sleep that is truly awesome. Olivia gives me a max of 5 hours...but that is rare! I use the NUK too. She loves it. She is a sucking machine and if I did not give it to her I would have no nips left. I don't give it to her at night though. Right now she is sucking away in it, in her swing...but as soon as it drops from her mouth...she cries...so I can not nap with her...UGH!
It would not work at night. I did not want to start her on a paci either, and I worry that I might create a bad habit...but she just loves to suck...and now with her cold..I just want to comfort her and that nuk does the trick.

Amanda, I am really sorry about your BF situation. At least you can still BF and do both. I hope that things are working out and that you can feel better soon that you did everything you could.

So Olivia has her first cold, and it STINKS! She is congested...but no fever and she is nursing and pooping/peeing so the nurse said just to use the saline drops and the aspirator and the humidifier. She also has a blocked tear duct....nice double whammy for her 1 month birthday! Her left eye keeps gunking up. I think these things can resolve themselves so I will just keep it clean and hope it does in a few days. I just feel so bad for her. I also feel bad for myself b/c she is more fussy than usual and I would just love a little nap...just a little one :-(

[historyteach]

rosie - sorry olivia is not feeling well, lyla has a clogged duct as well, and i am constantly using a warm cloth to clean it, i feel so bad for her because her eye gets glued together

shlify - thanks for the advice on the weight, i do need to change my diet but i thought since i am now exercising and breastfeeding that i would be able to loose weight

hopeful - i also bought a medela because the lashinoh broke within the first week of buying it and i get about 3 to 7 oz in 10 minutes, i really like it

roxy - glad that you made it thru the first day and now each day will get a little easier!

AFM - Lyla went to the doc and gained 3 lbs and is now in the 85% from the 43%, and she also grew a 1/2 inch, so the doc said not to worry that we just have a big kid.

[Roxy]

Leah has had awful clogged ducts with both eyes. The doctor said to massage the corner of her eye towards her nose. we do that whenever her eyes get gunky and we seem to have cleaned out most it. yesterday the poor thing had an awful day with it and we spend most of the day trying to clean it. But she woke up today and it was great.

[AdaRuts]

History - I am having issues with the weight loss too. I am still up about 12 lbs and it doesn't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. I have been wearing my maternity jeans up until today, b/c i went out and bought 3 new pairs of jeans. I am now officially a "double digit" girl as my husband so eloquently advised me of. But no biggie, I will wear my jeans with pride (until I lose this d*mn weight) this is my "baby weight" as in 'I actually got to be pregnant and bring home a baby and nothing matters but that' weight I need to start working out, even if it is just walking with the baby. Unfortunately I am so lazy during the day and it is freaking HOT HOT HOT, so the thought of going out walking is not tempting at all.

On the formula front.... yeah I using it, but yeah, I'm still hating it. We take him back to the doctors on Thursday and I can already tell that he has gained some weight, so that is good. I also talked to the lactation lady and I am now taking 12 capsules of Fenugreek a day, which is something like 7,000 mg!!! Still not a whole lot of results, but I will give it a little while.

Ugggghhhhh I go back to work in a week and a half..... yuck yuck yuck, I'm moving to Canada!!!

Have a nice night Hot Mommies!!!!

[praying4peanut]

Ok ladies, time for some catch up...sorry it's been a few days, it's been insanity and I use all my time for sleeping, cleaning, eating...
Amanda - so have you switched totally to formula or are you still giving it a go? I too am now on the Fenugreek since Sunday morning. I take 9 pills per day. I was down to 1/2 oz or less per boob Saturday and it was awful. I'm still not back to the 4 oz per boob but it's somewhere around 2 and that seems to satisfy Payton for now. I dunno what happened when I pumped for two days, it just stopped for some reason I hope the best for you and AJ - and yes, they are definitely seperated at birth...maybe we can meet in like Virginia or Ohio or something - no clue what's in the middle, but these kids have got to meet someday! But I definitely know what you're experiencing, I finally went ahead and set up my appt with the counselor for my ppd, although with PJ getting better, I see no need for it...oh well.
Roxy - that's great that your DH encourages you to bf your little Leah. Mine was the same way. He knew it was a tough fight last week on the formula and he just keep saying how proud he was that I'd bf'd this long...I just wanted to keep going. I actually have a bruise on one of my nips from feeding and pumping so much. It sucks, but I press on! I'm so glad that little Leah picked the perfect day for a smile, I'm sure that made things all worthwhile for you with DH back to work!
Anabel - don't you just love the smiles? Payton is like borderline giggling and has been for a few days. I want it so bad - it's great! I'm glad Iker is doing so well - that's gotta make things better for ya when you do schooling and stuff. And I'm pretty sure from what I've heard and read and saw last week that they sleep a LOT better with the formula in them...
Jamie - WOW lady! That's amazing! 9-5? On boobmilk? I am impressed!!! I would have totally been in there constantly checking her out (I did when PJ slept a ton on the formula!) I'm so happy he did that for ya - what a rest! They just know sometimes I think! And with the weight, I dropped the first 30 pounds pretty quickly, with the infections I wasn't eating much to start and breastfeeding as well. However, these last 15 pounds are here to stay and aren't going anywhere. I finally conceded and went and bought some size 12 jeans last week. It was traumatizing as I was a size 4 pre-pregnancy. Oh well. A girl's gotta wear normal clothes after a while. I would love to work out and exercise more than just walking him, but I'm so freaking lazy, it's just not gonna happen for a while.
Rosie - sorry Olivia got the whammy for her bday :P That sucks! Hopefully you don't catch the cold and pass it around the house! I do think the tear duct thing does resolve itself from what I remember - thank the Lord, that is one thing that we haven't experienced. When PJ's crying,tears come falling out of his eyeballs!
AFM, Payton is definitely colicky, possibly with a touch of cow's milk or protein sensitivity when I eat it. He has been getting better, but his prime time to scream is night and man, he belts it out. DH and I have worked out a schedule for the most part - he gets PJ to sleep,I get up in the middle of the night for the feeding and then I get up with him when he wakes up when DH gets up for work. It's nice for the most part. He slept very well last night, but since Im trying to increase my milk supply, I needed to get up and pump but was passed out and didn't budge for 6 1/2 hours! YIKES! I am still feeling kinda emotionally run down, but with him getting happier day by day, I can tell it's making me feel happier too. I love him so much and it's hard to see him like this. I've had him freak out in public lately and I've started to tell people he's colicky. I just can't take the 'she's a bad mother' looks that I get - it drives me insane. I'm not a bad mother! In fact, I'm a great mother for bringing my colicky baby out to do things instead of locking us in the house terrified of when his next breakdown will be...I just can't believe after 1000s of years of colicky babies that they don't have a cure, solution or diagnosis for this. It truly is so very difficult. I hear about babies that never cry unconsolably and I wonder what the smell? But he's still so perfect to me and I love him the same no matter what. My best friend came down today with her kids and we had our first play date. It was so intense, I'm not used to being away from my comfort level of home except for running errands. I wasn't a huge fan, but know it was something I needed to do. My dad's taking me PJ clothes shopping this week, I told him he needed to start doing motherly things for us, kinda strange but the boy needs clothes! He's not even 2 months yet and is sporting 3-6 month onesies...He's a little chunky. Shlify - if it makes you feel better, PJ went from 9lbs15oz to 11lbs2oz in 2 weeks. And I don't really care if he's putting on too much, as long as he's healthy, I'm happy.
And I still have that stinking boob clog I'm pretty sure. It's still super sore, but the infection is gone. Not sure how to get rid of the clog, PJ's just not doing the trick and the pump I have (Medela Pump in Style) isn't reaching it either - any ideas ladies? I took my first bath with PJ tonight - he was in his colicky mood and I had just laid down in the bath. So I fed him in the tub...quite interesting, not nearly as relaxing as my normal baths, but very bonding. He's finally pooping that formula out. He was constipated since Wednesday except for one poo Saturday until this morning. He's now gone like 4 times today and it's all nasty formula poo. DH cracked me up - he went to change what he thought was a normal pee diapee and found the formula sh**ts. LOL Sooo funny. He started gagging, so I grabbed the diapee and took charge, mom style.

Sorry for the super long post, I have a feeling it will be another few days before I can get on again, but I do read all the postings from DH's ipod as i'm in bed nursing, it would take me all day to type this on that tiny thing tho!
Love you ladies - keep doing great! I'm gonna try to put this little boobler to bed...

[Shlify]

Em--Just to let you know, you might want to look into this....we just took our girl to the dr. on Monday b/c of the crying and feeding issues. He told us she has reflux and that it is what our parents called colic back in the day with us. Maybe your little guy has reflux. What are his real symptoms? Ayden would get REALLY gassy, cry at eat feeding, pull her feet up like she was climbing and always be hungry and endless crying, well, more like screaming....does any of this sound familiar?

Another question...do you guys still swaddle? Ayden has been in her crib, swaddled since day one is like Houdini and breaks out of it all the time. I just tried putting her down sans swaddle and she was flailing around and then started screaming. How long do you swaddle for and how and when do you wean them from the swaddle? It makes me nervous b/c when she breaks out of it it covers her mouth or wraps around her neck!!! Anyone in similar situation or know about swaddling!?!

[praying4peanut]

Shlify, Payton has actually been on two different meds for reflux, neither helped a thing. Thanks though! Dh and I are just toughin it out til 3 months when it's supposed to be gone and yes we swaddle this kid like a mummy sometimes, dh is quite proud of his swaddling skills

[historyteach]

shlify - we are still swaddling lyla even though she hates not having control of her arms. i also have a problem keeping her swaddled, but i got the swaddle blanket with velcro and it works really well. i am planning on to continue to swaddle until it gets colder and then i have the blanket bag that zips up - but if you find out when we are suppose to stop please let us know

as for the reflux - we were told yesterday that Lyla has reflux because she spits up so much, i just thought she was a spitter so we now are suppose to keep her at a 30 degree angle for 30 minutes after she eats and then put a wedge under her mattress. the doc said something about meds, but i don't see the point because she doesn't get upset or fussy when she spits up, we just have to change clothes...

Em - i am so happy that you are feeling better and that pj is doing so much better and i am sure that you didn't traumatize him too much with the bath, just think of all the things they are exposed to, that is going to be minor unless you took a picture! I also have a medela pump, how long do you pump? i usually pump for about 10 minutes and then stop, how long are we suppose to pump?

and thanks for making me feel better about the weight - i have 10 lbs of baby wieght to go and another 20 from IVF meds and miscarriages so i have been in double digits for some time - but i will take it and love it because i have such a beautiful little girl!

amanda - glad that AJ is gaining weight and i hope that things continue to get better

[praying4peanut]

Jamie - yea, I don't really recommend the reflux meds either. And for us, PJ didn't have the reflux when he was on the formula but with boob milk he does. It's kinda strange. We do hold him still and upright for about 30 minutes or so afterwards but at times he can still yarf an hour afterwards. What I look for is if the spit up has curds in it or not. If it does, that means PJ or Lyla was digesting it and it came back up (reflux). If it's still watery, the little ones just ate too much and there was no room. I was also told that they grow out of the reflux after a few months, once they're little esophagus lid is stronger and closes better. So that's my story! As for pumping, I'm still trying to figure out a plan with pumping but it seems like with the fenugreek, my supply is higher from about 3-8am so now I'm feeding him football position on one boob and pumping the other at the same time for his middle of the night and first thing in the morning feedings. I was pumping randomly when he'd miss a feeding from sleeping but my nips were hurting even with lubing up the lanolin from pumping and nursing so much. So for now, unless I go out to eat and miss a nursing session, I'm probably going to just stick with the early morning and morning pumpings. It's funny though - Payton will give the pump the evil eye when he's feeding like "hey! That's my boob!" And he then proceeds to feed like it's going out of style - I think he's competing...however it always ends up the same, with PJ yarfing from eating too much...Oh, but when I pump, I usually am pumping between 10-20 minutes, depending. I like to pump for 2 minutes after the last drop of milk comes out but sometimes like last night, I get a double let down, so then it turns into a 20 minute event. Normally 10 minutes will do though!

[amylynn2]

Wow! My mother had thyroid problems and she couldn't produce either. She tried to breast feed me and had a horrible experience and refused to breast feed my sister. They check me constantly for my thyroid cause every woman in my family has thyroid problems. I wonder if thats why I didn't produce much either.

Originally Posted by Anavaz

Ada - I've also heard that yeast helps milk production. I was taking yeast pills, they didn't make a difference for me, but it doesn't mean they won't work for you, it's worth a try and can only help.

Em - I'm very happy you are able to breastfeed again, I know how important it is for you. I'll pray PJ gets better and that his joy of being back on the boob helps too.

AFM-
I have stopped brestfeeding all together. My milk was about 1/4oz and Iker would just take alot of air and get gassy. It has been very dissapointing but I tried averything to make it work and it still didn't, so I am content with that. I know I gave it my best and it just wasn't meant to be. I've done my research and I read thyroid issues can affect milk production. So I'm thinking that is what happened. My mother also didn't give any milk (less than me, nothing at all) and she has thyroid problems so I'm thinking my issue has something to do with congenital hormonal problems. I've made my peace with it. Plus Iker is doing well with his formula, he's 11lbs now. I wish thing would've been different but you have to work with what has been given to you and this is what we got. At least he got 1 month of breastmilk, even if it was less than 2 ounces a day.

[amylynn2]

Sorry I haven't been on in a while. DH has Fridays off and we go to the In-Laws usually on Thursday night and stay until Sunday. Well we came home to a broken AC for the 4th time! And Monday was the ol' B-day and dealing with the AC man. We thought Riley needed to be switched on formula because of being fussy. So I called the nurse and she gave me soy based Enfamil which he spit up all day yesterday! It looked like a waterfall! Riley rarely spits up and when he does it doesn't leave his mouth have the time cause it's so little. So I switched him back to his regular formula. I started putting rice cereal in his before bed bottle and he's sleeping all night now. Which is a relief. Well i went to have my IUD put in and my insurance doesn't cover so the clinic said I had to pay for it up front which was a little over $1000. I said no way I couldn't afford that so she gave me the company number that makes IUD's and said they do payment plans and are cheaper. So I called and they do a 4 month payment plan and it's $585. Big different. The clinic charges $220 to insert the IUD but my Dr. said she's not charging me cause of all the problems we've had. My Dr. and I have really bonded. She's tell my DH and I what a delite we are. She said she's never had a patient make her crack up laughing while she was checking them and breaking their water.

When I was about to have Riley I had just said I had to pee really bad and the Dr. came in to check me. The night in the hospital I woke up in the middle of the night a little wet but it was a trickle down my leg but the nurse said my water didn't break. So I was telling the Dr. this when she was checking me and I said I had to pee really bad. I was laid back while she was checking and pushing all around and then she says yea your leaking and I can't popped my head up and said leaking what!??? Am I peeing on you? She died out laughing and said NO! You're leaking fluid.

Anyway DH was also given the paperwork for us to move to Arkansas soon. I'm not upset about moving but I will miss my Dr. We've been through so much and she's been such a wonderful Dr. and really cared!

Em- Sorry about the breast feeding issues and the PPD. It will get better I promise. Just remember you always have us no matter what. Even though we aren't that friend that stops by or you call and talk to. We're always here for you. We all have a special friendship and lots in common.