ugh bad news... minor baby, more personal

[bunch]

I'm so sorry. It took me a full week before I could pump an ounce on each side. It'll come!

[ijack]

Were you on mag after delivery? If so it will probably delay your milk coming in a couple days. Does J seem hungry? If she doesn't I might give it a couple more days of doing what you're doing. I would also check out the SNS if you're going to supplement.
Hugs!

[atouchofklasse]

I'm sorry about your grandma.

I also had a transfusion and my LC neighbor told me that she often sees women who have supply issues post transfusion (like I did). I hope your supply improves,but if it doesn't, be kind to yourself.

Feeling guilty about supplementing and ultimately not supplementing enough (so my baby was hungry) his first two months are my biggest regrets.

Hugs.

[Deleted]

::hugs:: that is tough on both counts.

[Deleted]

Are you still on BP meds? They can actually help with milk supply. The only good side effect of PIH.
ETA. thoughts to you on your grandma. that sucks.

[vanillacourage]

7-8mL seems like a lot, unless you meant 7/8ths of a mL? Maybe I am wrong, I am not good with the metric system.

Sorry about your grandma. I am glad though that she lived long enough to see your LO through pictures at least, right? Hang in there.

[badtzmaru22]

Pumping isn't going to tell you how much the baby is getting. Many people respond way differently to the pump than the baby. A weighed feeding would give you a better idea of how much she's actually getting. The LC should be able to help with that, and you might not need to supplement after all, but just keep going and getting her on the boob as much as possible, and if you do have to supplement, it might not be for long. Their stomachs are like the size of a marble right now, and that really helped me to envision that instead of picturing a baby drinking a whole big bottle. Hang in there, you're doing great!

Sorry about your grandma.

[Deleted]

Sept 18, 2012 12:00:27 GMT -5 bunch said:

I'm so sorry. It took me a full week before I could pump an ounce on each side. It'll come!

This!

PS: So sorry about your family situation.

[liveintheville]

Oh, starry, I'm so sorry. Don't feel bad or guilty. The first few weeks are so rough in general. And with all the stuff you're dealing with on top of it, you're holding it together beautifully. Really.

[sometimesrunner]

Have you been able to shower yet? If you feel up to it, warm water on your back should help your milk come in. (also, I think that's quite a bit of colostrum at this point)
Sorry you're having a rough time. It will get better. ::hugs::

[karinothing]

I am sorry you are going through this, but do know the pump is not an accurate predictor of how much your child is getting. Expecially if you are nursing too. I know it is rough, but I would try to keep the baby on the breast as much as possible. In those early days I just basically laid in bed topless with DS attached to me.

Good luck, you are doing great and it will all click into place soon!

[Deleted]

Definitely work with the LC for breastfeeding stuff - they're just so much more knowledgeable because it's what they do all day. The fact that you can pump ANYTHING is awesome. Colostrum is really hard to pump! All the things that have gone on may delay your milk by a day or two (the blood loss, the emergency c-section, the meds), but that doesn't mean it won't come. Keep the baby skin-to-skin as much as you're able and it sounds like you're both doing great at getting her to the breast.

I'm sorry about your grandma. Such hard timing - it's hard to have energy for it all.

[ijack]

SNS is a supplemental nursing system - it's like a little IV of milk that they get while you nurse them. It supplements them and your breasts get stimulated
www.medelabreastfeedingus.com/products/51/supplemental-nursing-system-sns
If she's not super hungry I wouldn't push it quite yet. While not a preemie, it might take her a week or 2 to really wake up and want to nurse all the time.

[jinnifah]

My milk didn't come in until day 5 (and man did it come in) and ds was quite happy with judt the colustrum till then. You've still got time!

[iheartbanjos]

Sept 18, 2012 12:13:37 GMT -5 @msstarry said:

7-8 mL is only like .25 ounces. Whatever the pump stuff here is in metrics

Newborns only need a teaspoon or so of colostrom at a time. It sounds like you're doing great! Obviously double check with the LC's, but a newborn baby has a teeny tiny tummy.

I am so sorry to hear about your grandma.

[Deleted]

Sept 18, 2012 12:12:47 GMT -5 @msstarry said:

Sept 18, 2012 12:07:05 GMT -5 dbsk8dance said:

Are you still on BP meds? They can actually help with milk supply. The only good side effect of PIH.
ETA. thoughts to you on your grandma. that sucks.

I just got put back on labetolol yesterday after they cleared me from the rest of my HELLP complications, so good to know.

Labetelol didn't help me, so I was on Cardazam, but I did have an oversupply (which I was fine with.) my OB attributed it to my BP meds.

Honestly 7-8 ML is pretty good this early and after such a yuck delivery.

I was in the same situation as you with Liam. They were going to release him and not me. He had no NICU time either, despite being small. (5lb 8 ounces, 5 when we left the hospital.) My OB said that she'd find something wrong with him if it came down to it. I loved her.

[niki]

Sept 18, 2012 12:09:35 GMT -5 badtzmaru22 said:

Pumping isn't going to tell you how much the baby is getting. Many people respond way differently to the pump than the baby. A weighed feeding would give you a better idea of how much she's actually getting. The LC should be able to help with that, and you might not need to supplement after all, but just keep going and getting her on the boob as much as possible, and if you do have to supplement, it might not be for long. Their stomachs are like the size of a marble right now, and that really helped me to envision that instead of picturing a baby drinking a whole big bottle. Hang in there, you're doing great!

Sorry about your grandma.

YES! All of this. Your pedi should have known better than to try this. I would question everything she says about breastfeeding now.

Try to get the baby to wake up during the feedings. Don't just let her sleep, as tempting as it is. Cool down the room, take off some of her clothes, tickle her behind her ear, burp her, then put her back on, give her a tiny shake to get her awake, apply a cool wet washcloth on her skin.

[ijack]

also what worked for us was to strip her down and put her to breast. she'd eat for a bit and then fall asleep. then we'd change her diaper and wake her up and put her back to breast.

[Deleted]

Aw, I'm sorry you're going through a rough time. Hugs.

[satama]

I agree that sounds like a good amount. All the colostrum I could pump fit in a tiny syringe and they gave it to DS from the syringe in the NICU. It is really hard to pump colostrum.

With both kids, my milk came in after I was home from the hospital. (Day five with the first, day four with the second.)

Both times, the hospital set me up with the supplimental nursing system so I could suppliment with formula at the breast because my kids were at risk for low blood sugar. If you do decide to suppliment ask them for a SNS. Mine was just a syringe with a tiny tube I could hold on my nipple while the baby nursed.

Both my kids became great nursers, and I never had to give formula after that first week.

So sorry about your grandma.

[barefootcontessa]

Has your baby dropped a significant amount of weight? I am confused about why you need to supplement. My last two deliveries were c-s without labor and it took a while for my milk to come in, like after I left the hospital. Our ped said as long as the baby did not lose more than 10 percent body weight things were fine. We followed up at seven days post birth for a weight and well check. I hope you start feeling better soon and I am sorry about your grandma.

[karinothing]

Can I ask a possible TMI question. How many dirty diapers is she having? The first couple days they only have a very small amount. I think on day 4 it goes to 3-4 (assuming your milk has come in I believe).

[Deleted]

Good news from the LC! Hang in there. You're doing great (even if you are not yet feeling great).

[ijack]

sounds like you're doing great!

[karinothing]

Sept 18, 2012 12:55:33 GMT -5 @msstarry said:

Sept 18, 2012 12:47:29 GMT -5 barefootcontessa said:

Has your baby dropped a significant amount of weight? I am confused about why you need to supplement. My last two deliveries were c-s without labor and it took a while for my milk to come in, like after I left the hospital. Our ped said as long as the baby did not lose more than 10 percent body weight things were fine. We followed up at seven days post birth for a weight and well check. I hope you start feeling better soon and I am sorry about your grandma.

baby is down 4.8% as of yesterday night. They say up to 10% is fine.

I think 4.8% is great! She sounds like she is doing super well. Keep up the good work!

[Ashley&Scott]

Glad to hear lactation is coming today, they should be able to help. Remember newborns have tiny tummies, like the size of a marble. Even though 7-8mL doesn't look like much it might be enough. Keep doing skin to skin, if you supplement make sure you pump. Also make sure you're eating/drinking enough.

Ditto Kari, the pump is not an adequate measure of what baby is getting. You could try doing a weighed feeding, the LC should be able to help with this.

I had to work a bit to keep M awake in the beginning, the tricks that worked best for me were:
-tickling behind his ear
-moving his arm up & down
-nudging him in his armpit area
-stripping him down to his diaper

So sorry to hear about your grandma, hugs!

[Ashley&Scott]

Just read your updates, you guys are doing great!

[karinothing]

Sept 18, 2012 12:59:46 GMT -5 @msstarry said:

Sept 18, 2012 12:50:39 GMT -5 karinothing said:

Can I ask a possible TMI question. How many dirty diapers is she having? The first couple days they only have a very small amount. I think on day 4 it goes to 3-4 (assuming your milk has come in I believe).

I think this is what set off my type A personality. Yesterday she had one less BM than recommended. But the LC said it was fine because her measurements could be "delayed" 1-2 days due to the difficult delivery.

I am sure everything is okay. It makes perfect sense about things being delayed. Remember all those charts are only averages, meaning some babies will have more and some will have less and that is all okay.

I think in most cases (absent some other medical issue) your baby would let you know if she was hungry. They tend to be pretty vocal about that.

[ohgillian]

Sept 18, 2012 12:12:47 GMT -5 @msstarry said:

Sept 18, 2012 12:07:05 GMT -5 dbsk8dance said:

Are you still on BP meds? They can actually help with milk supply. The only good side effect of PIH.
ETA. thoughts to you on your grandma. that sucks.

I just got put back on labetolol yesterday after they cleared me from the rest of my HELLP complications, so good to know.

Good that everything else is looking good. I was thinking about you this AM and wondering how your labs were. After I replied to your "baby is born" post, I saw your original post about "GBCN'ing from the hospital." I seriously cannot believe that they didn't do a section until 12 hours after you presented with HELLP symptoms. SERIOUSLY. Good luck getting back to feeling better.

PS I also went home on labetalol after my HELLP delivery.

[keh2oblue]

Sept 18, 2012 12:47:29 GMT -5 barefootcontessa said:

Has your baby dropped a significant amount of weight? I am confused about why you need to supplement. My last two deliveries were c-s without labor and it took a while for my milk to come in, like after I left the hospital. Our ped said as long as the baby did not lose more than 10 percent body weight things were fine. We followed up at seven days post birth for a weight and well check. I hope you start feeling better soon and I am sorry about your grandma.

I agree. It's hard because you want them to thrive so much, but honestly, it's not uncommon for your full supply of milk not to come it until a few days after birth. I wouldn't feel guilty or worry too much.

Sorry about your grandma