Calling all the Pregnant PS''ers

[FireGoddess]

Congrats to all the expectant and recent mommies! These little children are so precious! Just want to squeeze all of their little cheeks.

 

[jadeleaves]

Fran Fine, hope everything goes well! And yes the full anatomy scan was so exciting for hubby and I - that''s when it hit home that I have a little person in my belly. Button was so funny and waving his arms and legs everywhere and then kicking himself in the head with his feet.

Thank you for your kind words about Button!

 

[VegasAngel]

Congrats Fran Fine! Seeing your baby for the first time during your ultrasound is wonderful isn''t it?

 

[flutterby]

hey ladies! thought i would join the forum, some of you read my other post, (the one about me finding out i was unexpectedly pregnant when i quit my job) So here i am, it may be too early to tell people, but i''m really excited(and terrified) I''m only 7 weeks now. I''m sure i''ll be back with a hundred questions!

 

[curlygirl]

msflutter, congratulations!!!!! The first few weeks are definitely scary and exciting. Just take it easy and don''t get worked up over anything. Hope you''re not having morning sickness--it''s not fun! Keep us updated!

 

[jadeleaves]

Congrats MrsFlutter!!!

 

[Kaleigh]

Congrats again. Ask away, that''s what this thread is for. How are you feeling???

 

[NYCsparkle]

Congratulations and good luck msflutter...remember that everything happens for a reason and it was probably good timing that you quit.....good luck franfine and thank you for your compliments on my son. pregnancy is a wonderful time and i look forward to doing it again...in a few years. enjoy and pamper yourself. wishing you happy and healthy pregnancies.

 

[jadeleaves]

Calling Demelza!

How are you doing? You must have had your baby already? We haven''t seen u for awhile here!

Hope everything is well.

 

[Demelza]

Date: 1/17/2007 6:33:27 PM
Author: JadeLeaves
Calling Demelza!


How are you doing? You must have had your baby already? We haven''t seen u for awhile here!


Hope everything is well.

Aww, thanks for thinking of me. Congrats to you on your beautiful baby boy AND your beautiful new wedding set. WOW to both!! How have you adjusted to life with a newborn?

Yes, I did have my baby girl at the end of October. The first couple of months were HARDER than anything I''ve ever done (breastfeeding in particular!!), but things are finally starting to get easier. It sure does help when they start smiling and seeming more human. I can''t wait to see how she changes and grows in the next few months. Isn''t it crazy how much we love these little people?

Congrats to all the newly pregnant PSers!

 

[curlygirl]

Yay, Demelza! I was wondering about you too. Glad that things are finally settling down for you and your little princess. You''ll have to post a picture of her when you get a chance!

 

[jadeleaves]

Date: 1/23/2007 1:14:02 PM
Author: Demelza
Aww, thanks for thinking of me. Congrats to you on your beautiful baby boy AND your beautiful new wedding set. WOW to both!! How have you adjusted to life with a newborn?

Yes, I did have my baby girl at the end of October. The first couple of months were HARDER than anything I''ve ever done (breastfeeding in particular!!), but things are finally starting to get easier. It sure does help when they start smiling and seeming more human. I can''t wait to see how she changes and grows in the next few months. Isn''t it crazy how much we love these little people?

Congrats to all the newly pregnant PSers!

Thank u! Congrats on your baby girl!

I am coping a lot better now that Button is almost 4 months old (on sunday!). In the beginning it was hard, as Button had jaundice and had to have phototheraphy for 2 days and we couldn''t take him out to breastfeed him. I was in tears the first day he was in the incubator, but when I saw how happy he was in there, I felt a little bit better. Breastfeeding was very hard after he was allowed out, because we had to feed him from a bottle whilst he was in there.

We went to a few breastfeeding clinic and I engaged a lactation consultant to come to our house for a few days to get breastfeeding established, but Button just wouldn''t do it anymore. My technique was right, but he just didn''t want to stay on. I was really distressed because I felt like he was rejecting me, but hubby was really good and I got over that. I have been expressing breastmilk since, and Button is thriving.

I look forward to pics of your little one Demelza!

Hope everyone''s pregnancy is going well!

 

[mrssalvo]

Jade, that's interesting that they wouldn't let you breastfeed while button was in the incubator. My Lily had Jaudice too, we had to stay an extra day at the hospital for her to be in the incubator too but they just took her out every 3 hours or so and brought her to me to nurse. this reminded me of a picture my hubby took of her while having one of her *tanning sessions* I think it's a pretty cool shot..

 

[chrono]

Congratulations Msflutter!

Here's to a happy and healthy nine months.

Where's the pictures, Demelza?

Baby jaundice seem pretty common. My first had mild jaundice and could get away without any intervention. My second though needed treatment, hence the grey wrap-around blanket with the hose in the last picture. That's his biliblanket that he had to wear for 48 hours straight. It required some gymnastic moves for us to nurse with that blanket on.

 

[jadeleaves]

That photo of lily is precious. I get a lump in my throat when I see babies lying in an incubator now.

Button had high levels of billirubin (sp?) and the paediatrician wanted him to get intensive phototheraphy under double lights and they did blood tests every 6hours. It was heartbreaking watching the nurse take so much blood from his little feet.

I hope Button never finds out that I am posting this pic on the internet because he will be so horrified I'm sure

:

ETA: Oops sorry that came out so big! We had to flip him over every 2hours, and he kept sticking his bottom up in the air when he's on his front!

 

[jadeleaves]

Chrono, I was wondering abt the grey blankie!

Our doctor told me that babies with asian genes tends to get a higher incidence of jaundice. Button is eurasian, but I guess it is just the luck of the draw.

Some of the midwives were horrid though - they made me feel like it was MY FAULT he had jaundice because I didn''t want to give him formula whilst waiting for my milk to come in. Being a new mum, all the conflicting advice about feeding BM vs formula were confusing me and I thought I shouldn''t give him formula at all if I wanted to breastfeed. Having gone through this, I will have no hesitation about giving my baby formula before my milk comes in next time! Apparently the fluids will help flush the billirubin out of the system.

 

[chrono]

JadeLeaves,
It sounds like you had a really rough time the first few weeks.

My pediatrician is super nice and pro-breastfeeding. She told me to nurse as often as possible since colostrum helps remove the billirubin from the baby's system by changing the meconium poop to regular ones quicker. I'm surprised that you received conflicting advise from your doctor.

I also could not nurse my firstborn: he had suck issues and even with an LC (IBCLC), we never nursed successfully more than 3 times. So I decided to pump milk for him. I kept it up for over 18 months and built enough of a frozen stash (2 freezers full)to keep feeding him mother's milk until he was two. It was very difficult but over time I learned some tips to make it easier and quicker. Hang in there.

 

[Demelza]

My daughter also had to undergo phototherapy for jaundice! Like Jadeleaves, I too was heartbroken having to put my brand new baby in the incubator. I was such a mess those first few days. I had to have an emergency c-section after 3 hours of pushing (baby's head was turned), so I was recovering from surgery too. We started out using the biliblanket, but it wasn't bringing the levels down fast enough so we had to switch to the incubator. I was surprised how much she liked it in there -- I guess they really like being warm and contained; like being back in the womb.

Chronos and Jadeleaves -- I just want to say that I totally commend you guys for pumping in order to give your babies breastmilk. For a long while, it was looking like my daughter wasn't going to take the breast and I too would be an exclusive pumper. I developed mastitis twice and my milk supply dropped dramatically. It took nearly 6 weeks to get her back on the breast, and, thankfully, now she's breastfeeding like a champ. During that time, though, I pumped every 3 hours round the clock. It takes serious dedication and there were more than a few times I was ready to give up. So glad I didn't. How great, Chronos, that your first baby had breastmilk till the age of 2! I hope I can keep it up half that long!

I'll work on getting a picture up soon.

ETA Those pictures of the babies in the incubators are so cute. Button is hilarious with his tushie in the air like that! I'm surprised they put him in there without a diaper. Maximum exposure, I suppose!

 

[VegasAngel]

Breastfeeding started out rough for us to. It took 5 days for my daughter to start breastfeeding. Yvette also was a little jaundiced so we had to stay 2 days in the hospital. One of the reasons I think it was harder than need be is because of the nurses. They expect babies to eat every 2-3 days & if they arent meeting that then they force formula. Forcing formula/bottles make things harder. Bottles cause nipple confusion and formula stretches their stomachs out and digests slower than breastmilk. I had the nurses pushing formula and her pediatrician & my ob/gyn telling me not to give her any formula. My ob/gyn said babies can go 8 days or something like that after being born without food and in her exact words "Do you think women in Africa use bottles? No, your baby will figure out how to breastfeed." Man, in those 5 days I felt like giving up I dont know how many times, but I didnt. I was determined to BF and we did/still do. She did go on a few nursing strikes though because of her reflux. She is still nursing & is just shy of her first birthday. I am glad I BF for almost a year but I can not wait to wean her.

Edited to say Jadeleaves you didnt need to wait for your milk to come in to start breastfeeding your baby. All baby needs until milk comes in is the colostrum (Yellow fluid)

 

[jadeleaves]

Button was breastfeeding fine until they put him in the incubator. The paediatrician told us he wanted to get his billirubin levels lowered asap because it was quite high, which was why he didn''t want us to take Button out for feeds.

And yes they put him in there fully naked so he can get maximum exposure. We had to replace the changemat everytime he does a pee/poo (TMI!), and we didn''t mind because we get to touch him. We have some classic shots of him in the incubator which we''re saving for his 21st

. Talk about embarrassing pics!

Chrono it is awesome how u were able to give your first BM till 2yrs! I am taking it one month at a time - I''m determined to do it for at least 6 months, and my freezer has run out of space because it''s chockful of frozen EBM! I either have to get a bigger freezer or express less, but I don''t want my supply to dry up. What do u think I shld do? How long does frozen EBM keep? Everything I''ve read says keep them for a maximum of 3 months.

Demelza it is awesome that your little girl is breastfeeding like a champ! I gave up a month ago trying to Button to do it, because he would cry and scream and get really distressed and then he is really hard to settle afterwards, plus he was chomping where he shldn''t be chomping! I am still expressing every 3 hours during the day but not during the night anymore because Button is kinda sleeping through now and I am taking advantage of that so I can sleep too!

 

[chrono]

Jadeleaves,

I gave up trying to breastfeed Ryan when he cried everytime he saw my breast as I was getting ready to try to feed him. It broke my heart and we both cried together.

I purchased 2 deep freezers and put them in my basement. They were dedicated to Ryan''s breastmilk only. I pumped into the milk storage bags, then put 8 milk storage bags into the 1 gallon freezer bags. The freezer bags are dated on the outside to make it easier for me to find the oldest one first to use, plus the double bagging helps to prevent freezer burn.

I kept my frozen milk for up to 1 year. I''ve read that if you keep your milk in a separate deep freezer, it is good for a year. Don''t be alarmed if your milk smells soapy/metallic when you defrost it. It hasn''t turned bad; it is only the lipase in your milk. Also, sometimes the frozen milk looks like it has white/yellow dots in them; that is the milk fat that separated.

As time passes, you''ll be pumping less and less, so building a large stash now is very important. On days when my output was low, I took fenugreek pills but that didn''t do much. Mother''s Milk Plus work super well; I was engorged the following day. When AF makes her presence known, your supply will take a HUGE dip. To prevent this, take 1000mg calcium/500mg magnesium supplement a day, several days in advance until AF is gone. This will help keep your supply close to normal and eleviate the nipple tenderness that comes with it.

Feel free to ask me anything about pumping and freezing. A website that helped is www.kellymom.com

I love the bottoms up picture. So cute.

Demelza,
I''m glad to hear that your little girl is beastfeeding again. It is so much easier to nurse straight from the tap. Don''t forget to take some pics for us!

 

[jadeleaves]

Thks for all that info chrono! Button has been fussy for a few days so I haven''t had much time to read PS.

Button turned 4 mths old on Sunday, and I am very pleased with myself for making it this far with regards to pumping exclusively. It is a pain, but so worth it. I still try to get Button to latch on occasionally but he does the same thing Ryan did - he cries when I try to put him on.

We were going to get a deep freeze for the EBM, but we''re going overseas for 4-6wks in a couple of wks time and by the time we get back, Button will be 5 1/2 to 6 mths old, and I think I will stop expressing then. Also, I am a little worried about being able to keep up with my expressing when overseas.

I think I will have to chuck out most of the frozen EBM because I was told you can only keep them in the normal freezer for up to 3 mths. Not happy with that - think of all the effort that went into expressing all that milk

On another topic, does anyone has good sleep settling tips? Hubby gave Button a dummy a month ago, and he is so reliant on his dummy to go to sleep now. However, his hands are a lot more dexterous now and he kept knocking the dummy out of his mouth and cries when that happens. We then have to pop it back into his mouth. Rinse, repeat. It is kind of annoying at 3am in the morning to have to do that again and again. I have tried putting him to bed without his dummy but he just cries inconsolably. I am of two minds about controlled crying - I think he is too young for it. Any good tips will be very appreciated!

 

[tulip928]

Hi Jade -

Congratulations to you and everybody on your little ones! Button shares my birthday.

http://www.amazon.com/Healthy-Sleep-Habits-Happy-Child/dp/0449004023/sr=1-2/qid=1170418468/ref=sr_1_2/102-7754204-7990521?ie=UTF8&s=books

Have you ever heard of this book? I'm a RN, but I'm working now as a postpartum doula (in homes with moms and newborns). Right now, I'm with a family with 12 week twins, so sleep is a priority!

The mom bought this book, and it has some great ideas for accomplishing bedtime successfully.

 

[jadeleaves]

thks tulip! I will check that book out

 

[curlygirl]

JL, my sister in law just lent me that book to prepare me for the sleepless nights when my little one gets here. She swears by it and she has the "perfect" daughter as proof that the book works!! There''s also another book I''ve heard about called "The Happiest Baby on the Block" which is supposed to give lots of sleeping tips as well. I''m assuming these books give versions of the "cry it out" method which I''m sure is heartbreaking for a parent. Let us know if you have any luck. I''m sure I''ll be on here if a few months begging for some tips!

 

[VegasAngel]

I had happiest baby on the block & Healthy Sleep habits I sold them on Ebay. Luckily for us Yvette sleeps pretty good. I contribute her good sleep pattern to co sleeping. We co slept with Yvette forever before I finally moved her into her own room/crib. If she wasnt such a bed hog & we had a king size bed she would still be sleeping with us. It was so easy while breast feeding just to be right there when she woke up in the middle of the night, she could eat & we both could just go right back to sleep. When she woke up in our bed she was happy as a clam; never cried. I thinks it''s because you are right there so there is no reason for them to feel insecure. I did have to sort of let her cry it out a little when transitioning her to the crib. When she woke up I wouldnt pick her up just layed her back down & patted her back & of course she would cry until she fell asleep. We only had to do it for 2-3 days thank goodness.
I dont know what I would do about the pacifier issue. I remember a lot of mothers on my parenting board mentioning the same thing about having to get up a fews times a night to retrieve it. Yvette took a pacifer for only a few weeks before she found her thumb. Now she is a certified thumb sucker. I kind of wish she kept up with the pacifier at least you can take those away convincing her to drop the thumb may be a challenge.

 

[Demelza]

Date: 2/2/2007 4:28:17 AM
Author: JadeLeaves
Thks for all that info chrono! Button has been fussy for a few days so I haven''t had much time to read PS.


Button turned 4 mths old on Sunday, and I am very pleased with myself for making it this far with regards to pumping exclusively. It is a pain, but so worth it. I still try to get Button to latch on occasionally but he does the same thing Ryan did - he cries when I try to put him on.


We were going to get a deep freeze for the EBM, but we''re going overseas for 4-6wks in a couple of wks time and by the time we get back, Button will be 5 1/2 to 6 mths old, and I think I will stop expressing then. Also, I am a little worried about being able to keep up with my expressing when overseas.


I think I will have to chuck out most of the frozen EBM because I was told you can only keep them in the normal freezer for up to 3 mths. Not happy with that - think of all the effort that went into expressing all that milk

On another topic, does anyone has good sleep settling tips? Hubby gave Button a dummy a month ago, and he is so reliant on his dummy to go to sleep now. However, his hands are a lot more dexterous now and he kept knocking the dummy out of his mouth and cries when that happens. We then have to pop it back into his mouth. Rinse, repeat. It is kind of annoying at 3am in the morning to have to do that again and again. I have tried putting him to bed without his dummy but he just cries inconsolably. I am of two minds about controlled crying - I think he is too young for it. Any good tips will be very appreciated!

Congrats for pumping all this time!!! I really think it takes serious dedication to keep it up this long. Any amount of breastmilk is such a gift. I know that sounds corny, but I really believe that to be true. My husband always laughs at me when I pump because I seriously don''t like to waste a single drop transfering the milk from one container to the next.

As for the sleeping issue, I wish I had some great advice. My daughter isn''t anywhere closer to sleeping through the night. I also have The Happiest Baby on the Block by Dr. Harvey Karp and think it''s quite good. He is not at all a proponent of crying it out and has some good techniques for helping to calm a very fussy, agitated baby. There''s also The No Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley (haven''t read it myself) if you''re interested in attachment-style parenting methods. I agree with Vegas Angel that co-sleeping is a great way to help a baby feel secure during the night. Like I said, my daughter still isn''t anywhere close to sleeping through the night, but it''s great to have her right next to me when she does wake up. I''m amazed at how attuned I''ve become to her sleep/wake patterns; it doesn''t take much for me to know she''s awake and it saves me from having to actually get out of bed to nurse or comfort her. I know this approach isn''t for everyone, but it''s working quite well for us. Can''t say much about the pacifier issue since my little girl doesn''t care much for hers. She prefers to suck on her hands -- perhaps she''ll find her thumb one of these days.

 

[Demelza]

Date: 1/25/2007 8:21:44 AM
Author: Chrono
Jadeleaves,


I gave up trying to breastfeed Ryan when he cried everytime he saw my breast as I was getting ready to try to feed him. It broke my heart and we both cried together.


I purchased 2 deep freezers and put them in my basement. They were dedicated to Ryan''s breastmilk only. I pumped into the milk storage bags, then put 8 milk storage bags into the 1 gallon freezer bags. The freezer bags are dated on the outside to make it easier for me to find the oldest one first to use, plus the double bagging helps to prevent freezer burn.


I kept my frozen milk for up to 1 year. I''ve read that if you keep your milk in a separate deep freezer, it is good for a year. Don''t be alarmed if your milk smells soapy/metallic when you defrost it. It hasn''t turned bad; it is only the lipase in your milk. Also, sometimes the frozen milk looks like it has white/yellow dots in them; that is the milk fat that separated.


As time passes, you''ll be pumping less and less, so building a large stash now is very important. On days when my output was low, I took fenugreek pills but that didn''t do much. Mother''s Milk Plus work super well; I was engorged the following day. When AF makes her presence known, your supply will take a HUGE dip. To prevent this, take 1000mg calcium/500mg magnesium supplement a day, several days in advance until AF is gone. This will help keep your supply close to normal and eleviate the nipple tenderness that comes with it.


Feel free to ask me anything about pumping and freezing. A website that helped is www.kellymom.com


I love the bottoms up picture. So cute.


Demelza,

I''m glad to hear that your little girl is beastfeeding again. It is so much easier to nurse straight from the tap. Don''t forget to take some pics for us!

Wow, Chronos, that''s really impressive. Two deep freezers full of breastmilk!?! Wow!

Oh, I second checking out www.kellymom.org. Great info there.

 

[IrishEyes]

Just checking in to see how my fellow pregnant ps''ers are doing! I passed the 6 month mark yesterday and so far things seem to be going well! Although my baby girl is turning into quite the kicker!!

How are the rest of you doing?

 

[jadeleaves]

I purchased the book tulip recommended and am 3/4 of the way through. So far, so good. Will update if I try Dr Weissbluth''s method!

Irisheyes - 6 mths! How exciting! When I got to 6 mths my back was starting to ache, so I found regular massages helped a lot. Enjoy the rest of the pregnancy! Nothing prepares one for parenthood, as I''ve found in the past 4 mths, but it is so fulfilling!