Month of March... parents of February, and a few January babes!

[jenmom2myboys]

Mum, Just pump for an additional 5 minutes after feeding even if you aren't getting anything. It will trigger your body to make more milk. I wouldn't give formula while you pump, it defeats the purpose.

[Grapecrush]

Jillian - I think green is fine, especially if Ada seems OK. Red, black, and white are the colors to raise concerns.

Mum - Worried about milk supply, too. Pumping now even though Zoe is fussing/crying. She cannot POSSIBLY want to eat again right now. I can't seem to get ahead on the pumping, as I need to wait an hour or so for milk to replenish itself. Have you talked to your MIL about your milk production experience?

[Ophelia Payne]

iI AAm sso behind in personals. I hope I can catch up soon!

So, I finally got in today. The said yes, thats my uterus sitting at my vaginal opening. But that its nothing to worry about only 3 weeks pp. It's most likely from stretched ligaments that will normalize given time and rest. At 5 -6 weeks I can start exercises to help it. The probable cause is lifting too much too soon. Yep, guilty. It happened the day after I did 7 loads of laundry trying to catch up before company came. I also moved furniture, but I didn't think it a big deal since it was sliding things on hardwood floors. Dr said until 6 weeks, no lifting anything heavier than my baby and to keep in mind that vacuuming is equivalent to lifting 25lbs. This is their.rule for ALL pp moms. Now I've been ordered to get more "bed rest" and certainly no more lifting or housework, even if "the queen of England is coming to visit." I about panicked at the.mention of bed rest, but he said its not strict... but to make resting a priority. Which I had been doing the last 3 days out of gut and need to alieviate the discomfort. I noticed this morning that it had moved back up a bit.. so I feel a notified hope. I'm thinking it will be an issue later on, but to a lesser degree. Dr. Didn't say that, though.
When i noticed it, it was peeking out of my vagina a bit. Much more upsetting than anything else. I know they say everything droops after pregnancy, but my uterus, too?

[Ophelia Payne]

The moral I feel I'm being taught, " you can't have it all." I had the perfect labor and birth, healthy baby, and now a more complicated postpartum. Focus on thefood, right? Last time I had complications in all three areas... this time, only 1 of 3.

[Grapecrush]

This, too, shall pass, Ophelia...

[Grapecrush]

Why the hell do I feel so stressed when my life has actually slowed down?!!?

One word: MILK.

[Ophelia Payne]

For breastfed/breastmilk babies, Green poop (esp. frothy ones) can mean the baby got too much foremilk and not enough hind milk. It may happen occasionally if baby goes longer at night than usual and you are a bit engorged, etc... or if it persists, it can be a sign of foremilk/hindmilk imbalance. Green generally means it was not digested well.

[Grapecrush]

All of the sudden, i can't fill up bottles when I pump either! What's going on?!!?

[MumInWaiting]

Seriously, breastfeeding is so much more complicated than you'd think for something SO natural! Grape, good luck with your pumping. Are you drinking lots of water?

Great advice to just keep pumping after feedings. I'll do that. It makes my nipples slightly sore but only for the following 15 mins or so.

Unfortunately I'm actually not telling MIL I'm doing the pumping. She would NOT approve at this stage. She did raise 5 kids and still survives on such little sleep but, well, I just am desperate so that's how it goes.

Ophelia, yikes, but so glad you were seen! Take it easy, and I'll take this lesson to heart as well, so thank you for the reminder that we're all still recovering from major events here. It's easy to forget that as "life" takes over...

[erobin1]

Mum-- I agree with Grape. Maybe try pumping a couple of times a day, just a few minutes after a feeding. And Jillian's suggestion of turning up the pump a bit seems like a good idea, if you can stand it. I've started getting a little bit more now. More like two ounces than one sort of thing. I do it in the morning right after either his first or second feeding of the "day" (ie, after we are vertical, ie, after Sammy is awake, although he was usually feeding less than an hour before that too...). Don't despair, it will happen!

I'm so sorry you had such a bad night. The exhaustion is just painful.... Really really try to rest during the day whenever you can, even if it is for short periods. Lie down with him to nurse, or etc.

Ophelia-- Crap!! I'm really sorry. I'm glad it is already going back up. Sort of freaks me out with how much I've been doing. Soooo tempting. I"m glad that it should reverse itself. So much reverses itself. I hope DH can help you so you can really get the rest you need.

Country-- Good heavens! That story makes me cringe. Mothers! Are we going to turn like that? Anyway, I like the idea of asking your sib how they got her to help. I'd recommend being very direct, although of course I don't know your mother.... I hope you can get some rest too.

Mull-- Story time does sound really nice. How is Allison doing now? Are the tantrums calming a bit?

Grape-- MILK! lol.... Today I was talking with my best friend who has a five month old and she was saying that she thought breast feeding had a lot more humorous potential than people have taken advantage of. I said that I agreed and then made the (unintentional) joke: it's because the whole topic of pregnancy and motherhood is such a sacred cow..... She liked that.

AFM-- My sickness seems to have not fully materialized or fully gone away. No nap today either so feeling pretty beat.

Just have to comment on the weirdness of people. On my walk today I bumped into an older woman on the greenbelt walking with her wheeled walker (she wasn't ancient, not sure what the walker was for). She appeared quite normal on the face of it, well dressed, etc. She said, "oh, that's more fun to push!" And grinned at me and stopped, so I grinned back and also stopped. She said, "I raised four of those." I said, "oh, wonderful" or something similarly inane. She then said, "it's a lot of work!" I said, "yes! but it's worth it, isn't it?" She said, "yes! I ended up with one SPECTACULAR TRIUMPH! And three not so good. But that one made it all worth it." I said nothing, being rather bowled over by this casual and complete dismissal of 3/4 of her progeny. She smiled again, walking on and wagging her finger back at me: "So you should be sure to have four!"