1-3 month check-in 10/18

[hurricanerek]

Hi everyone! I haven't seen this check-in for a while so I assume the old poster has graduated. I'll be happy to take it on while my LO is this age :-)

How old is LO?



How's it going? Getting through growth spurts okay? How do nights look at your house?



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



Questions/concerns/AW?



GTKY: What do you do to pass the time while BFing LO?

[hurricanerek]

How old is LO?
1 month last Saturday

How's it going? Getting through growth spurts okay? How do nights look at your house?
Actually it's going really, really well. She's gaining weight beautifully, doesn't seem to have much trouble latching, and I'm having no nipple soreness at all. She's been sleeping a lot and cluster feeding when she's awake, which is totally fine with me. I'm just following her hunger cues.

Nights are also going well. Generally she goes down sometime from 8-10pm. I usually get a 5-6 hour stretch, followed by a 2-4 hour stretch, and then maybe another 2 hour stretch depending on timing and our schedule. In general, we feed on one side, change diaper, feed on the other side, and then burp. Usually by that time she's fast asleep in my arms. The total awake time on my part is usually 30-45 minutes. Basically the newborn phase is a dream right now. I'm just praying the 4 month sleep regression doesn't screw it all up.

If you're pumping, how's that going? When are you returning to work, or are you SAH?
I actually haven't pumped since we got home from the hospital (DD was in the NICU so I pumped just in case I couldn't be there when she was hungry; REALLY tried to avoid formula). I SAH so no plans to return to work. I do plan to add a pumping session within the next two weeks provided that my girls give me enough time in the morning. I'd love to have a freezer stash that I could eventually donate to a mom in need in my area.

Questions/concerns/AW?
Nothing today.

GTKY: What do you do to pass the time while BFing LO?
I'm usually on my phone at night. I have an order of the apps I check while I'm breastfeeding. Certain things keep me awake more than others. If it's daytime, I'm usually reading to DD1 or she's nursing on the other side.

[LadyNymeria]

How old is LO? 5 weeks

How's it going? Getting through growth spurts okay? How do nights look at your house? Pretty good I think! DS has been eating more frequently the past couple days so growth spurt maybe? Hope so since he's gaining a bit slowly so far and dropped from the 20th percentile to the 12th for weight. Dr wasn't concerned because he is gaining, but I'd love to see him chunk up a bit before his 2 month appointment.

Nights aren't horrible actually. Usually 3 3-4 hour stretches between 9pm and 6am. Then hopefully another couple hours until I'm really to get up.

If you're pumping, how's that going? When are you returning to work, or are you SAH? Only pumping once or twice a day at most right now. Just enough to have some in the fridge for when I can't nurse for some reason and slowly starting a small feeezer stash. I will be going back to work after 12 weeks so I'll be starting to work on my stash more soon so I have some saved up in case I struggle pumping at all once I go back.

Questions/concerns/AW? Nothing I can think of right now.

GTKY: What do you do to pass the time while BFing LO? Watch TV. I had planned on trying to use the time to get through the rest of the Game of Thrones books, but most feedings still require both hands at some point so I haven't tried the Kindle while nursing yet.

[jennybeans]

How old is LO? 6.5 weeks

How's it going? Getting through growth spurts okay? How do nights look at your house?
Going well now! I think we got past the 6 week growth spurt without too much drama (I only broke down crying a couple times..) so now on to the 12 week one. At least I won't be just starting work through that one.. Nights are hit or miss. We had a couple great ones that seem to have come on the tail end of the 6 week growth spurt and now seem to be back to 3-5 hours. 😪

If you're pumping, how's that going?
When are you returning to work, or are you SAH?
Pumped a couple times but nothing too much so far. I will try to pump 2-3 times a week going forward and start practice bottles a couple times a week. Returning to work January 3 at ~16 weeks.

Questions/concerns/AW?

GTKY: What do you do to pass the time while BFing LO? I've been binge watching homeland during the day. I need another show to watch soon! During the nights I play on my phone or close my eyes to try and rest.

[pttomato]

How old is LO? 9.5 weeks



How's it going? Getting through growth spurts okay? How do nights look at your house?

I'm so tired. DD still eats every 1-2 hours during the day and hates napping. The only thing that consistently puts her to sleep is wearing her and walking around. She eats 3-4 times a night but she gets so uncomfortable by the end of the night that I spend the last few hours holding her upright so she can sleep and isn't so tired all day. Her pediatrician says it's normal as long as she's gaining weight and not crying a lot but the lack of sleep is really wearing me down.


If you're pumping, how's that going? When are you returning to work, or are you SAH?
I'm SAH so I've only been pumping sporadically.


Questions/concerns/AW?
So I gave up dairy for a little over a week and then had cheese on Saturday. Sunday morning I noticed a change to greener mucusy poop but she wasn't really acting different. Monday evening she seemed fussier than normal and Tuesday her stomach was clearly bothering her and lots of whiny crying. Poop has gotten greener and very mucusy. But I haven't had any dairy since Saturday so I think it's too long of delay for it to be related to the cheese and is probably something else.

Even though the pediatrician isn't worried about her, I feel like I have to try everything to make her feel bettter and get a few more hours of sleep.


GTKY: What do you do to pass the time while BFing LO?
Usually I'm on my phone or reading a book. I'm trying to make an effort lately to be on my phone less so I've been talking and singing to DD sometimes instead.

[NJgirl84]

How old is LO? 8 weeks on Friday



How's it going? Getting through growth spurts okay? How do nights look at your house?

It's not going well. He is eating every 1-2 hours during the day and 1.5-2.5 at night with the occasional longer stretch. During growth spurts he was eating upwards of 17x a day. He is gaining like a champ but I'm exhausted and cranky and my 2.5 year old is getting upset by the lack of attention. I've started supplementing and we are looking to wean him to formula earlier than anticipated. Even with supplementing he eats 12-13x a day.


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

I've started pumping 2x a day since we are giving 2 bottles a day and I'm mixing breastmilk with formula so he adapts to the taste. I also don't want my supply to drop just yet to make sure the transition goes smoothly. I don't go back to work until 5 months which was my original goal for breastfeeding but my new goal is just day by day.

Questions/concerns/AW?



GTKY: What do you do to pass the time while BFing LO?

Rewatching gilmore girls so I'm caught up for the special Netflix episodes in November. And when DS1 is home trying to read or talk with him so he gets some attention.

[NJgirl84]

pttomato it can take 2 weeks for dairy to leave your system. And if she is very sensitive hidden dairy can affect it too. I've had to eliminate all dairy and hidden dairy. Cookies, certain breads, cooking with butter, etc. it took just over two weeks for his poops to go back to normal. We were also seeing small streaks of blood, have you had her diapers tested for blood? It's usually microscopic and that would be indicative of an allergy.

[pttomato]

Oct 19, 2016 7:31:48 GMT -5 NJgirl84 said:

pttomato it can take 2 weeks for dairy to leave your system. And if she is very sensitive hidden dairy can affect it too. I've had to eliminate all dairy and hidden dairy. Cookies, certain breads, cooking with butter, etc. it took just over two weeks for his poops to go back to normal. We were also seeing small streaks of blood, have you had her diapers tested for blood? It's usually microscopic and that would be indicative of an allergy.

I did eliminate hidden dairy too. I'm on a restricted diet for IBS so I already have to cook everything from scratch for the most part. I think I'm going to try the elimination again but for 4 weeks. How long would you expect a reaction to show up? It seems like there was too long of a delay between me eating dairy and a change in her behavior to really link the two.

We haven't had her diapers tested, pedi wasn't concerned at her appt last week because she is gaining weight and doesn't cry a lot. I'm not sure if the changes I saw yesterday would be enough to convince her to look into it more.

[hurricanerek]

pttomato I think it can take up to 2 weeks for dairy to exit your system, so your dd could definitely still be reacting to the cheese. Has your ped officially diagnosed a dairy intolerance?

ETA: I see this has been covered. Ignore me!

[pttomato]

Oct 19, 2016 10:34:37 GMT -5 hurricanerek said:

pttomato I think it can take up to 2 weeks for dairy to exit your system, so your dd could definitely still be reacting to the cheese. Has your ped officially diagnosed a dairy intolerance?

ETA: I see this has been covered. Ignore me!

Pedi thinks it's just gas. I figured it's bothering her enough to impact her ability to sleep so can't hurt to try especially since I don't eat a lot of dairy anyway.

[hurricanerek]

Oct 19, 2016 10:43:20 GMT -5 pttomato said:

Oct 19, 2016 10:34:37 GMT -5 hurricanerek said:

pttomato I think it can take up to 2 weeks for dairy to exit your system, so your dd could definitely still be reacting to the cheese. Has your ped officially diagnosed a dairy intolerance?

ETA: I see this has been covered. Ignore me!

Pedi thinks it's just gas. I figured it's bothering her enough to impact her ability to sleep so can't hurt to try especially since I don't eat a lot of dairy anyway.

I tend to agree with your ped on this one. Babies at this age just get really gassy and it's very difficult for them to resolve it on their own because that is a new bodily function for them. We don't even think about the muscle functions that have to happen for us to pass gas but babies are painfully aware of everything going on in that process. The main sign of a dairy intolerance would be blood in the stool.

It's probably not a big deal to cut out dairy, but a lot of women end up quitting BFing because of an incorrect dairy intolerance diagnosis. They get frustrated by having such a limited diet just to feed their kids and decide to just turn to formula instead. I don't want that to happen to you!

[pttomato]

Oct 19, 2016 11:22:56 GMT -5 hurricanerek said:

It's probably not a big deal to cut out dairy, but a lot of women end up quitting BFing because of an incorrect dairy intolerance diagnosis. They get frustrated by having such a limited diet just to feed their kids and decide to just turn to formula instead. I don't want that to happen to you!

It probably is normal. I'm just getting kind of desperate to find something that will let me sleep past 3-4 AM. The early morning fussiness/crappy sleeping is really wearing me down, the thought of dealing with it for several more months is really depressing so I'm grasping at straws a little.

I definitely wouldn't give up breastfeeding either way. Between my IBS and my pretty bad GD during pregnancy, I'm so used to cutting things out of my diet, it doesn't bother me anymore.

[NJgirl84]

pttomato since you mentioned the green mucous poop was the next day that could be dairy, then it could bother her system for a few days. But as hurricanerek said if there isn't blood it most likely isn't an allergy. But if it makes her less gassy and you don't mind then it doesn't hurt. You could always try giving her some gas drops.

[jennybeans]

pttomato, no advice for the dairy concern but even though it's not ideal is there anyway you can set up a semi-safe sleep arrangement for those early morning hours that would allow you to get some sleep while still holding LO upright? I know it's against recommendations but I set us up in our rocker in a way that DD couldn't fall or have issues just to get through some rough nights. I also found DD would lay down and sleep ok in bed with me on a couple particularly rough nights when I couldn't get her to go back in her crib due to grunting and spitting up. While you are cutting dairy and just in case it's something she has to grow out of that could help you get through it easier and get some rest.

[pttomato]

Oct 19, 2016 18:13:34 GMT -5 jennybeans said:

pttomato, no advice for the dairy concern but even though it's not ideal is there anyway you can set up a semi-safe sleep arrangement for those early morning hours that would allow you to get some sleep while still holding LO upright? I know it's against recommendations but I set us up in our rocker in a way that DD couldn't fall or have issues just to get through some rough nights. I also found DD would lay down and sleep ok in bed with me on a couple particularly rough nights when I couldn't get her to go back in her crib due to grunting and spitting up. While you are cutting dairy and just in case it's something she has to grow out of that could help you get through it easier and get some rest.

Hmm.. we don't have a chair so I'm not sure. I'm terrible at sleeping sitting up but some sleep would be better than nothing. I tried co-sleeping but that didn't make a difference. The RNP helps some, she'll usually sleep an extra hour or so before getting too uncomfortable if I put her to sleep in that instead of the crib.

When do they generally grow out of the bad gas pains? I'm really hoping she'll grow out it and she didn't get my crappy digestive system. I'd feel bad if I gave her bad gut bacteria or something.

[jcrewgirl]

Hi everyone! I'm Jcrewgirl - mama to a May '14 DD and a 9 day old DS. I mostly play on my BMBs but I know nursing has its ups and downs and love the idea of a regular check-in. I nursed DD for 11 months before a 7 day business trip halted that - in hoping to make it 1 full year this time, but am taking things day by day.

DS is 9 days old.
It's going. I forgot how rough the first few weeks are - figuring out sleep and nursing routines then to add a toddler into the mix - it's been challenging. Nights are looking like a shit ton of cluster feedings and a few 2 hour segments in the cosleeper. Unfortunately, he prefers to sleep on me. Not cool.

Question- what do you do with a lazy/sleepy eater? DD was great at draining my breasts and DS prefers to eat, comfort suck and then snooze resulting in him waking up starving whenever I put him in the cosleeper. Help!

I am usually on Facebook, IG, and TCF to pass the time.

[hurricanerek]

Welcome jcrewgirl! How long will your ds actively nurse before it turns to comfort sucking?

[jcrewgirl]

Oct 19, 2016 21:22:11 GMT -5 hurricanerek said:

Welcome jcrewgirl! How long will your ds actively nurse before it turns to comfort sucking?

Depends on how long he's gone in between feedings. The longest is 12 minutes and the shortest is 6 minutes. We make it about half the time to the second breast but only for a few minutes before he conks out. I'm trying to remember if this is typical for newborns.

[hurricanerek]

Oct 19, 2016 21:44:45 GMT -5 jcrewgirl said:

Oct 19, 2016 21:22:11 GMT -5 hurricanerek said:

Welcome jcrewgirl! How long will your ds actively nurse before it turns to comfort sucking?

Depends on how long he's gone in between feedings. The longest is 12 minutes and the shortest is 6 minutes. We make it about half the time to the second breast but only for a few minutes before he conks out. I'm trying to remember if this is typical for newborns.

Yes it seems to be very common. You may find him starting to give you longer awake periods soon. I hope you're able to get some good sleep in the meantime! Don't be afraid to ask for help so you can nap!

[rufus426]

pttomato, my LC said if you have a carrier and can wear baby, it is a safe way to sleep on your back on a couch or in a chair with them because they are secure. I tried once and still was nervous so I only stayed that way 30 minutes, but maybe it could work for you?