4/3 Newborn Check In

[lilyelayne]

Welcome! Please come in and chat about your new baby or babies!



How old is LO?

How's everything going?

Questions/concerns/cute stories to share?

How's your postpartum recovery going?

GTKY: do you have any pets? If so, how are they reacting to your new addition(s)?

[ellabee]

How old is LO?
12 weeks, so last "newborn" check-in for me!

How's everything going?
Pretty good, I think we've found a good schedule. B is down to 7 feeds a day usually, with one being motn. Today is my first day back at work (eek!) and pumping 3x while away from B. I did it with DD, so I'm pretty efficient, but it's a grind.

Questions/concerns/cute stories to share?
DD was so sweet with B this morning telling him that he didn't have to be afraid for his first day of "school" and that she'd be there to help him. ::heartmelt::

How's your postpartum recovery going?
Pretty much recovered. I would have liked to have lost a little more weight by now, but as soon as I pull back on my caloric intake just a bit my supply suffers, so it'll have to wait.

GTKY: do you have any pets? If so, how are they reacting to your new addition(s)?
No pets. DH and DD would love a dog, but I'm not ready to have to care for another living being right now lol.

[jellykat2]

How old is LO? 5 days

How's everything going? So far so good. She was born at 37 weeks so I was a little worried about latch, but she seems to be a natural. My milk is in so she seems to be slightly more content too.

Questions/concerns/cute stories to share? Nothing so far in the questions or concerns category. I forgot how much I love the drunk milk face 😊

How's your postpartum recovery going? It's going about as expected. I had a CS again, and I think overall things are going as expected or better than my first. It is hard not being able to pick up my toddler though.

GTKY: do you have any pets? If so, how are they reacting to your new addition(s)? We have two cats and a dog. The cats have been through this before and don't seem phased. The dog is doing well and seems to understand she needs to be gentle with both me and dd, which is good since she's only one.

[jellykat2]

ellabee GL being back to work. I hated the grind up pumping during the day. And so cute about dd being supportive of school for ds!

[ellabee]

Drunk milk face is the absolute best jellykat2!

[ellabee]

How cool is this! The pumping room at my work is sponsored by the onsite daycare now and they've stocked the place with Lactation cookies!

[lilyelayne]

ellabee hope being back at work is going well!

jennykat glad things are already getting better! Hopefully you can ditch the pump soon, as early pumping is more likely to cause oversupply than exclusively nursing in the early weeks, which can cause problems for both you and baby.

could LO be overwhelmed by the faster flow of milk? Or having trouble latching on engorged breasts? You might try laid back nursing so gravity is helping her get a deep latch as well as making your milk flow uphill so it's less overwhelming. Reverse pressure softening can help the engorged latch.

Remember if baby is having 6-7+ wet diapers in 24 hours and 3-4+ dirty diapers she's getting enough, and these early weeks you should have enough weight checks to be sure that's going in the right direction too.

kellymom.com/hot-topics/newborn-nursing/

Reverse pressure softening
kellymom.com/bf/concerns/mother/rev_pressure_soft_cotterman/

Laid back nursing
youtu.be/KYRg8DTbZCc

[moutonrouge]

How old is LO? 4 weeks

How's everything going? Really well - starting to sort out her usual routine and we're getting out and about. BFing is going well; she's a little gassy (probably from my letdown and gulping) but we're working it out.

Questions/concerns/cute stories to share? DH swears she social smiled at him yesterday and he's really cute about it.

How's your postpartum recovery going? Bleeding seems to have stopped, but I still have a decent amount of soreness.

GTKY: do you have any pets? If so, how are they reacting to your new addition(s)? We have a dog. At first he was super curious and trying to figure her out. Now he's interested in her whereabouts and I think enjoying having me home all day with him.

[flyinghorses6]

LO is 8 weeks old tomorrow.

Things are going well with breastfeeding. No issues with current feeding as LO latches and also will take bottle of EBM.

Question: my thawed breast milk has a smell to it. It's not a bad smell. Just very sweet smelling. My fresh EBM (not previously frozen) has no smell. LO seems to prefer the fresh EBM. I go back to work in a month and have a decent amount of milk frozen...is the milk bad? Why does it smell different?

PP recovery has been a breeze. I'm 100%.

Two pit bulls they absolutely love both my babies. The toddler drives them a little crazy.

[amandamh2]

Baby girl is 1 week old.

Things are going well so far. It's been a few months since DS stopped nursing and while I've enjoyed the break it's nice to be feeding a baby again.

No questions this week.

PP recovery is going well, a touch sore but only if I get too ambitious and don't take enough breaks.

No pets for us. We'd like to get a dog eventually but it will be after Dh is done training since I'm not doing the bulk of the work for a puppy and kids at the same time.

[lilyelayne]

jennykat was the LC and IBCLC (international board certified LC)? Did they tell you why they thought your LO is a "lazy eater"? Is she just sleepy?

My pedi told me to count dirty diapers as wet diapers too because it's super rare for a newborn not to pee when they poop. You can always double check with yours about the guideline. If you're using disposable diapers with the wetness indicator, that can help a bit, though they're not necessary.

Normal for breastfed babies to lose up to 10% of birth weight before gaining again. Your LO is within that normal range. Sometimes it's hard to pinpoint the lowest weight / when weight gain actually begins again because sometimes the lowest weight happens between checks, so LO has started gaining but is still lower than the last recorded weight. If that makes sense.

If you had IV fluids during labor, you want to calculate that 10% from her weight 24 hours after birth.
www.nancymohrbacher.com/articles/2011/10/31/newborn-weight-loss-and-iv-fluids-in-labor.html

All that to say, it sounds like things are going well and normally. If side lying works best, nurse side lying.

Some babies are sleepy at first - show hunger cues and then fall asleep immediately when presented the breast. If this sounds like your baby, some strategies to keep your hungry baby awake long enough to eat include:
-strip her to just a diaper
-rub her cheek/shoulder/arm to keep her awake
-tickle her feet
-cool washcloth on her feet or her side or up and down her arm/leg
-change her diaper when she slows down or falls asleep after nursing, then offer again (or the second breast if she's finished with the first)
For the first week or so, this was my kid. He'd start smacking his lips, turning his head, trying to wave his arms, but if I put him straight to the breast he'd zonk out without nursing. I'd have to unswaddle him and lay him on a flat surface for a minute or two, maybe do a diaper change, to get him good & awake before I nursed.

You're likely coming up on the first growth spurt, typically around 7-10 days old, which is when a lot of those sleepy babies suddenly perk up and want to nurse alllllll the time so keep nursing on demand and watching those diapers.

[lilyelayne]

Oh and if you do give a bottle, be sure it is pace fed to prevent bottle flow preference, which is more likely the younger the baby is.
youtu.be/UH4T70OSzGs

kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/feeding-tools/bottle-feeding/

Or use non bottle options
kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/feeding-tools/alternative-feeding/

[lilyelayne]

flyinghorses6 all breastmilk contains lipase, which helps to break down the milk. Freezing slows this process but Milk still changes some over time. So the smell can be different. If LO takes it, nothing to worry about. Spoiled breastmilk smells and tastes about as terrible as spoiled cows milk.

Some women have a high level of lipase which causes a metallic smell/taste at a much faster rate. Some babies refuse expressed milk because of this. If that's the case, you can scald freshly expressed milk to stop the lipase from breaking down the milk. But it's not worth the hassle if your kid is still drinking it.

kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/milkstorage/lipase-expressedmilk/

[flyinghorses6]

Thank you lilyelayne she take it's just usually less. So I will track it and see if the scalding helps. Thank you so much for the info!

[littleredfish]

How old is LO?
7 weeks tomorrow

How's everything going?
Great! He won't take a bottle, but DH is away on deployment so I think his hesitation is knowing the "real thing" is right there and he's not falling for it. Oh well, I'm with him 24/7 anyway.

Questions/concerns/cute stories to share?
TMI poo description: last night DS had a really thick dark poo and then today had a really stringy poo like a diaper full of green silly string. What is up? His BMs have been all normal since the day he came home basically. Foremilk/hindmilk imbalance? Possible allergy? I haven't eaten anything different. I started taking Biotin yesterday for my hair, but would that have any effect or an effect that fast?

How's your postpartum recovery going?
Basically recovered. I have my appointment tomorrow to get cleared for the sex I won't be having for months. Boo.

GTKY: do you have any pets? If so, how are they reacting to your new addition(s)?
2 dogs and 2 cats. 1 of each love him and are obsessed with all my kids. The other half are generally indifferent to all of my kids.

[lilyelayne]

littleredfish if LO isn't acting upset or ill, I'd personally just watch today and see if poop returns to normal. Blood in stool is the classic sign of food intolerance. Unless you have a massive oversupply or you're scheduling feeds or limiting time at the breast, turns out foremilk/hindmilk imbalance isn't really a thing.

www.nancymohrbacher.com/articles/2010/6/27/worries-about-foremilk-and-hindmilk.html

You don't want hard pebbly poop at this age because that could be dehydration & would be a good time to call your pedi's nurse line just to check in.

[lilyelayne]

seeingstars welcome! Glad things are going more the way you want them to with this baby!

There's a lot that could be going on. A visit with an IBCLC would be a great idea. link to find one they may have a support group you can visit, or a clinic, or do home visits. Insurance may or may not cover the cost. Finding your local La Leche League leader (link) is another good step. LLL is peer support that is always free. She can talk you through what's going on as well as point you toward local professional resources.

That said. If I had to guess from this side of cyberspace, I'm wondering a bit about oversupply. Especially with the hard spots remaining after a successful nursing session. How much is LO taking in each bottle? How much are you pumping in each session? Wanting to nurse every 1.5hr is totally within normal range, especially for a 5 week old.

[lilyelayne]

seeingstars remember that 6-7+ wet diapers in 24 hours means LO is getting sufficient milk! It is the best at home indicator of such.

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

[sterl724]

How old is LO?
1 month tomorrow

How's everything going?
Ok. See next question.

Questions/concerns/cute stories to share?
So we have been combo feeding. Baby was given formula in the NICU the first 24 hours. (I didn't see him until then - complications from labor.) I started nursing once he moved into our room. I was given a nipple shield at the hospital because I was told I have flat nipples. Baby nurses ok - I think latch is good, he is eating. But he takes a super long time (I don't know if it's me, him, the nipple shield...almost every feeding he'll nurse for an hour or more.) He's also a little lazy - likes to doze off, so lots of feet ticking, etc. Even though he nurses forever, he always still seems hungry. We often have to "top him off" with formula.
I'm now at a point where I feel like I need to decide on continuing to breast feed or going all to formula. I know breast milk is supply and demand, but at this point, I think I need to almost double my supply to keep up with him. (The amount of formula he seems to need to be "topped off" is increasing. And it already takes him so long to eat, that simply feeding longer at every feeding isn't really an option either. I could work in a couple more feedings (he usually sleeps 4-5 hours when we put him down at night that I could wake him to feed) but I'm worried we're too far down this road.
Suggestions on where to go from here? I am at least somewhat ok with going to formula...I'm just dealing with a lot of mom guilt that I'm failing him. (And his birth/delivery was long and ended with an emergency c-section, and I feel like between not having the birth I wanted, and now feeling like I'm failing st breast feeding, I have a lot off mom guilt. And it really sucks, because I have to make the decision. H is super supportive of whatever I choose, but I have to make the decision and it's hard.


How's your postpartum recovery going?
Decent. I had an emergency c-section, and the first week was pretty rough. I'm feeling pretty good now though.

GTKY: do you have any pets? If so, how are they reacting to your new addition(s)?
We have a four year old lab/hound mix. She was a little unsure at first, but she loves to give the baby kisses, and checks on him when he cries.

[lilyelayne]

sterl724 I think a great next step is to do a weighted feed to see how much LO is transferring. A breastfeeding support group (that has a very accurate scale) or IBCLC visit is a good place to do this, or your pedi should let you use one of their scales. Take off baby's clothes, put on a clean diaper, weigh baby. Nurse. Weigh baby again without changing diaper on the same scale. The difference in weight is what LO drank from you. Knowing if LO is transferring enough milk may help you move forward with either reducing/removing formula or reducing/removing nursing or continuing on in whatever middle ground works for you and your family. IBCLC would likely be the most helpful in coming up with a plan to move forward in whichever way you wish.

It's important to pace feed bottles, as even the slowest flow bottle is faster than the breast. It can be easy to overfeed, stretching LO's stomach and getting caught in a worsening cycle



You are a great mother. You will make the right decision because you are the person most qualified to make it. Be gentle with yourself.

[lilyelayne]

Apr 5, 2017 8:03:24 GMT -5 lilyelayne said:

Oh and if you do give a bottle, be sure it is pace fed to prevent bottle flow preference, which is more likely the younger the baby is.
youtu.be/UH4T70OSzGs

kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/feeding-tools/bottle-feeding/

Or use non bottle options
kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/feeding-tools/alternative-feeding/

seeingstars 3.5-4oz is on the high end at this age. The general rule for all breastfed babies over 1mo is 1-1.5oz per hour, topping out around 3.5-4oz. Are you pace feeding, links above?

[tex]

How old is LO? 11 weeks (almost not a newborn anymore!)

How's everything going? Really well! I need to start pumping to get ready for work again

Questions/concerns/cute stories to share? Got to get the hang of nursing in the carrier. And I've gotten a lot more comfortable NIP. And W is definitely on track with his weight gain. I've been EBF since shortly after his one month appointment and he gained 2 lb and a couple inches between his 1 and 2 month appointments.

How's your postpartum recovery going? Pretty well. Got my IUD put in, and as far as I can tell, no impact to my supply.

GTKY: do you have any pets? If so, how are they reacting to your new addition(s)? We have 2 cats and they love W. Any time he's crying, our girl cat comes running from the other room to comfort him. It's adorable.