@ randoms- week of 1/15

[luv2rn4fun]

Looks like we are going to Disneyland tomorrow! We will be meeting up with BFF, her mom, and kiddos! So excited! We haven’t done a Disney day with them since May/June and it’s always great to catch up with both of them!

[bk1]

Until last Friday when I was out of the house for 5 glorious hours, the longest I had been away from C was 3 hours.

I am going to work out the details tomorrow so I can go OOT alone and visit my BFF and her new baby later this week!!! MIL is going to watch the girls part of the day so DH can still get the stuff done he wants to. I'm so flipping excited. I'm hoping to basically wake up, get dressed, grab Starbucks and hit the highway. She lives about 1hr 20mins away so I should have plenty of time to hang out with her and still be back home by dinner time. Please let this work. Please let this work.

[krystee]

I'm so tired. My nurse seems a bit judgy of bringing the baby to the nursery (I am FFing) so I am trying to power through the 11 pm feeding in 30 minutes and then I am handing him off with no guilt. H isn't here because DS1 was super homesick at my parents' house, and I am just really tired.

But oh my goodness, he is the cutest, sweetest little thing. I can't believe he's here!

[estrellita]

I'm jealous you get to go to Disney so much

I've been trying to do bed time with E as much as possible. It's going ok. Tonight he kept crying while I was trying to get him to go potty because he wanted daddy. I was trying not to cry as I waited it out. He was fine after a few min. It just kills me how much he prefers H. I know kids go through their phases but this one has lasted a while. Hopefully me making the effort will prove to him that I really do want to spend one on one time with him.

I'm still having some difficulty with feeding A. I just don't understand how people actually exclusively nurse a baby. I'm just frustrated and wish this were easier. I've been toying with the idea of just exclusively pumping but the whole reason I'm doing this triple feeding thing is to not need to drag my pump around. I just keep hoping she'll figure it out and not need a bottle after every feeding. I have another LC appointment Wed so I might see what she suggests. I just don't feel like things are getting much better and want some time back. I might see if it would be a good idea to keep letting her "practice" a couple times a day then just bottle feed the rest until she gets more efficient, but I'm not sure if that'll make things worse. Anyone here exclusively pump? How do you have a life? I hate having to find a place to pump every few hours and it takes so long!

[awick14]

krystee- who cares if she judges! You need to rest as much as possible in the hospital, that way when you go home it won’t be so bad.

[melsamoony]

estrellita I exclusively pumped til DS was 4 months and I was back at work and wanted to come home and not have to pump. I had stopped practice nursing somewhere around 6 weeks but I decided to see if DS could nurse otherwise I was going to give up. He was finally able to successfully breastfeed so I was able to stop exclusively pumping.

I found it much easier once I backed of trying to get DS to actually breastfeed. I had a lot more time and could plan my pumping better. To me it didnt much matter that I had to bring my pump with me although had I had to do it for longer it probably would have been wearing.

I hope you can find a good balance.

I am so super tired this week. Work yesterday was insane and I am hoping today is better. I need to get my butt off the couch and get ready but I am so comfy.

[estrellita]

melsamoony So you started being able to nurse him around 4 months or am I reading that wrong? That's encouraging! She will nurse but she's just not getting enough milk directly from me. I think I'll definitely see whet the LC says about backing off a bit for now. She's so sleepy it's extremely frustrating to try keeping her awake to nurse! I've already cut back on my attempts to keep her awake because it's a losing battle, lol.

[Blue Moon]

luv2rn4fun, have fun at Disneyland!
bk1, that sounds awesome, enjoy the time with your friend and new baby snuggles!
krystee, who cares what the nurse thinks. You just had a baby! You need to get all the rest you can before going home.
estrellita, I give you a lot credit for continuing to triple feed. It's such an exhausting process. I don't exclusively pump, but I pump 4x a day when I work and nurse just once. I hate it. Hate it. But I keep telling myself that it won't last forever. I have a hands free pump bra so I pump while getting ready in the morning, pump 2x at work (while on lunch and planning) and then pump on the couch at night while the kids are asleep. If I pump while doing other things I'd normally be doing, it doesn't seem as bad. I hope the LC has some ideas for you!

[Blue Moon]

Both kids are sick again with sinus stuff and coughs. I just want to sleeeeep. It's been a rough winter sickness wise.

This weekend, H accidentally gave G a pouch that had yogurt in it. G has a severe milk protein allergy. Or had. I was so worried but I didn't observe any GI related issues, which were so obvious when he was first diagnosed. I was ready to try to feed him something else to test it out, then he got pink eye and a nasty cold so I backed off. When he is feeling better, I'm excited to try again. The thought of finally being able to eat pizza again is bliss!

[estrellita]

Thanks Blue Moon! I have a pumping bra but at the hospital, the LC that actually helped me said it was too tight and restricting my milk. She said not to use one unless it was looser, plus I need to do compressions and massage to get a decent amount of milk and it's harder to do that with a bra. I'm thinking of either getting an extender for it though or a different one because it is annoying to hold them (though I have found ways to tuck one of my nursing bras around it and how to sit so I can rest the bottles on my lap). Especially because during the day I'll start pumping and A decides to start fussing. Never fails! I did drop a nighttime pumping for now though which has been helping. I usually don't pump in the early morning during H's block of sleep (he brings her in the bedroom around 3am so we both get chunks of sleep without needing to hear her making noises or fussing). But she needs to nurse during that time to make sure my supply doesn't tank or so I'm not in pain!

[estrellita]

Also melsamoony how did you find the time/place to pump while out? Especially if you brought baby with you? I just feel like I can't go out for more than a couple hours and it's hard to pump with her in tow. I could go to the mall and leave her in the stroller I suppose, they do have nursing rooms there! I also have a car adapter but feel really weird pumping in the car, lol. I only did once on our way home on Christmas because at my grandparents place, there wasn't a place to go pump (assisted living place, didn't want to go in the bathroom, didn't think there would be another room and didn't want to go up to their apartment). It was dark and I used a nursing scarf but I still felt awkward, lol.

[MrsMB]

So, we're experiencing some snow. Daycare told me years ago (when I signed up DD) that they didn't close for inclement weather. Last time it was going to snow (hadn't snowed yet), they closed early. Today, they looked at me like I was the worst Mama bringing my two kids in. It caught me off guard to the point where I asked them, "Uh...y'all OPEN?" Before I noticed the little girl slumped over asleep at the table where they eat breakfast. Of course, they'll close early. Just hoping my boss is understanding

[tacocat]

estrellita You're doing an amazing job! I hope the LC can help you continue as long as you like.

I'm kind of going stir crazy in the house, but I'm not wanting to take DS2 out a whole lot. I'm nervous with the flu being so bad this year. He'll be 3 months old next week and we still haven't taken him to church yet. Then I worry about DS1 bringing something home from school. Basically I'm just ready for winter to be over.

[Blue Moon]

estrellita, not melsamoony obviously but honestly I just don't go out for more than a couple of hours. I feel like that's just life with a baby. It sucks and I feel a bit like a prisoner but it's such a PITA to pump while out so I just don't. I do try to time it so that I pump right before we leave for whatever and then pump as soon as we get home. As the baby gets older, you can stretch the amount of time too. I can easily go 4 hours now at 8 months and we usually don't go out longer than that anyway. It's always someone's naptime!

[Deleted]

estrellita : We're almost EBF since we haven't been trying too hard to bottle feed lately BUT the week of my surgery I was EP and I found it much the same as EBF, you just plan around it. I was using a small manual pump though, so you could probably schedule your pumping differently and make it even easier.

I understand your frustration. While C is BFing obsessed now, for the first 4 months of her life, latching was a constantly struggle between the two of us. I remember feeding her with a 1/4 tsp in the middle of night because she was starving and wouldn't latch. The LC had said spoon over bottle but if I had to do it again, I'd bottle feed her that night. Some kids need the bottle, some kids need the bottle occasionally, some are perfect BFeeders.
ETA: I don't want to give you too much hope but 4 months was when things got easier for us. Her mouth was finally large enough to latch with ease.

I hope your visit with the LC proves helpful.

[estrellita]

Blue Moon I've been going 4 hours between pumps lately because I've only been pumping after she nurses (and after a bottle). It's probably better for my supply to pump more often than she's eating anyways! I think the problem with going out too is that we live 15 miles from the main city here, then most things like the mall are across town so it takes a while to get there. By the time I'd get to the mall, it's been a half hour already! The only place I could really go here is the grocery store to walk around. Part of me wishes she had been a spring or summer baby but it's been nice not having to go anywhere on the super cold and snowy days!

[HoneySpider]

Jan 16, 2018 8:44:47 GMT -5 Blue Moon said:

estrellita , not melsamoony obviously but honestly I just don't go out for more than a couple of hours. I feel like that's just life with a baby. It sucks and I feel a bit like a prisoner but it's such a PITA to pump while out so I just don't. I do try to time it so that I pump right before we leave for whatever and then pump as soon as we get home. As the baby gets older, you can stretch the amount of time too. I can easily go 4 hours now at 8 months and we usually don't go out longer than that anyway. It's always someone's naptime!

Ditto this - I EP'd for 8 months and really didn't find it too bad, I learned to work around going out and just figured out the best schedule for me in terms of how many times/day and how long each time. I second the hands-free bra, it made a huge difference. I actually kind of liked pumping time sometimes because I would use it to read magazines or books that I otherwise don't have time for.

[MrsMB]

Jan 16, 2018 8:44:45 GMT -5 tacocat said:

estrellita You're doing an amazing job! I hope the LC can help you continue as long as you like.

I'm kind of going stir crazy in the house, but I'm not wanting to take DS2 out a whole lot. I'm nervous with the flu being so bad this year. He'll be 3 months old next week and we still haven't taken him to church yet. Then I worry about DS1 bringing something home from school. Basically I'm just ready for winter to be over.

Stay home as long as possible. This whole region needs to be quarantined. It doesn't help matters that the flu shot was only 8% effective. SOOO many people affected that got the shot too....

[Deleted]

estrellita: Bravado makes a looser pumping bra but it only works with their bras. Linky Link

[estrellita]

@opal My thing though is that it's so much easier to just nurse her wherever than it is to pump wherever. Pumping requires a plug, plus I wouldn't feel comfortable just hanging out pumping somewhere like I would nursing (with a cover, my choice). Plus washing the parts, needing a cooler or something to carry the milk in, not to mention lugging around the huge pump! I thought about a manual pump but when I tried it, I wasn't getting much.

[estrellita]

Also I've been waiting for A to wake back up the whole time I've been posting here to give her a bottle but she's out. I could have been sleeping. I know as soon as I put her down though she's going to decide it's bottle time. Grrr. I wish I felt better about co-sleeping. She's just in a bassinet but for some reason even that's too much work for me when I'm half asleep. Lol.

[Deleted]

estrellita: Oh that's true. I assumed pumps were battery operated. I used the Haakaa, which worked well for me since I have a heavy let down (just massage a bit and I'd get 3-5 oz/side in 5 minutes at wake up). Some people say the silicone pumps got way more than the manual, but I lent KatieK mine when she visited and she had a hard time getting the hang on it so she switched back to the Medela manual.
For me, the Haakaa was great since my pumping bag was a medium wet bag with the pump, a lid, and a bottle. Obviously if I were pumping regularly I'd carrying a cooler too. I'd pump anywhere with a cover, which is the same way I nurse. I figure, babies have to eat, it isn't anyone's business how.

Sorry about the sleep! I had the same issues with co-sleeping. I told DH that I'd like a new mattress before #2 so that I could make a better co-sleeping set up. C loved and still does, sleeping in our bed and it's so much easier when you're nursing. I totally get the "it's too much work to reach back into the bassinet" feeling!

[luv2rn4fun]

estrellita- ((Hugs)). You are an amazing mom. I hope you find a balance with pumping/nursing that works for you...and even more so I hope A just decides to BF exclusively some day soon. Sorry E is being so difficult with you 🙁. It’s super hard for them. C is totally being the same way with DH, just wants me and is being a jerk to DH. Won’t give him hugs and kisses, hits, bites, etc. it’s also been going on for awhile and I hope it ends soon.

Blue Moon- sorry everyone is sick again. We have also had a rough winter with 3 months or so of someone being sick. I hope everyone in your family is healthy again soon. ((Hugs))

bk1- that sounds amazing!! I hope it works out for you!

[estrellita]

@opal I have a Haakaa too that I've previously used on one side while she nurses on the other but I have trouble getting it to stay on. I've also never gotten more than maybe an ounce? And the pump I got doesn't have a battery. I could have gotten one that recharges but decided against that one because I figured I wouldn't be pumping in a place without a plug very often (and if needed, I have the car adapter now). So far I've been finding places but I've only pumped at other people's houses or at a playground at a kid's birthday party so there was a nursing room there.

H missed his alarm this morning so he's coming back home after bringing E in. I hate for him to use PTO but he didn't sleep much either and I could use the help. I could hear him get E up and E was already screaming as soon as he woke up. Something about socks. Then he cried and whined the entire time until they left and is probably still whining in the car. He came to say bye to me and then told H he wanted to go to bed. Ugh. He takes forever to go to sleep at night so idk what else to do so he's not so tired in the morning!

[estrellita]

Ok, nevermind, H's PTO wasn't approved. Fuck. I really could have used the help today. I'm really stressed out and exhausted. Why doesn't decent paternity leave exist???

[Deleted]

estrellita: Yeah me too. I got it for covering one side while she nurses which would have been great since I had an oversupply on top of heavy letdown. Between her delicate positioning and then later kicking it, I never got to use it for that. I found a tutorial for suction which suggested pulling the lip (term?) back and suctioning with the neck right against your areola which I found provided a much more secure fit. I also squeeze while it's suctioned to help the letdown.

Sorry about the PTO. DH took PTO instead of parental leave (CDN) and his work tried to deny it at first. Then they tried to convince him that he HAD to take it as parental leave. He got them by saying the pay is the same (since his requested leave lined up with pay out time), but less paperwork. His boss tried to convinced him that he'd be bored at home. *side eye*

[estrellita]

Jan 16, 2018 10:42:09 GMT -5 @opal said:

estrellita: Yeah me too. I got it for covering one side while she nurses which would have been great since I had an oversupply on top of heavy letdown. Between her delicate positioning and then later kicking it, I never got to use it for that. I found a tutorial for suction which suggested pulling the lip (term?) back and suctioning with the neck right against your areola which I found provided a much more secure fit. I also squeeze while it's suctioned to help the letdown.

Sorry about the PTO. DH took PTO instead of parental leave (CDN) and his work tried to deny it at first. Then they tried to convince him that he HAD to take it as parental leave. He got them by saying the pay is the same (since his requested leave lined up with pay out time), but less paperwork. His boss tried to convinced him that he'd be bored at home. *side eye*

Hmm might have to try that!

He ended up getting it approved now after explaining the situation. I wish we had paid leave for him here. I'm extremely lucky that my company gives 18 weeks paid but he took 2 weeks unpaid and I didn't want to lose out on much more money than that. It just sucks. The other parent needs time off almost as much as the one that gave birth! And how do they expect anyone to pay bills if they aren't getting paid and don't make enough to save up?

[luv2rn4fun]

((Hugs)) estrellita. DH only took 1 week (PTO) and 1 week WFH. Not only does our paternity leave in this country horrible but his line of work is not conducive to time off, especially during month end. He did this with both boys and it was hard. He also never took/takes any days when we were having a rough night, I got/get sick. It’s the absolute worst...and not fair for anyone involved.

[melsamoony]

estrellita yes a little after 4 months he started nursing.

I totally didmt realize I was in the @ post lol.

[Deleted]

luv2rn4fun, estrellita, That's what I don't get. Besides them needing the time, we need them! I don't know how people recover from c-sections alone and then head back to work at 6-8 weeks!