So, I've been back at work several weeks now. It has gotten easier. I'm more back into a routine. And, working from home on Fridays makes it so much nicer. I still miss Ariella like crazy, but at least I know I'm providing for her. And, Nolvia is great with her during the day, so I don't have to worry.
As I said, things had been going along well until yesterday at my 2nd pumping session. Even after pumping, I still had this really hard area on my right breast. I tried massaging it out during the pumping session, but it didn't work. From my readings, I was pretty sure this was a clogged milk duct! I figured I would do my 3rd pumping session at 3pm, make it to the end of the day, and then go home and take care of it. Well, that didn't happen. By 3pm, it was hurting like crazy! I left work early, went home, and took a LONG, very hot shower. I massaged the hard spot for quite some time. Then, I pumped. I also took Ibuprofen. I thought it was gone, but about an hour later, I noticed it was back (I guess the heat had worn off my then). It worked itself out (with more massaging at each nursing session) by the next day, though.
It was a crazy experience, and hopefully I won't get clogged ducts too often. It was quite painful, and if left for too long could turn into infection, which would be really bad. But, at least now I know what to do. It was really scary.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Monday, April 19, 2010
Nursing Bras
I had a terrible time figuring out a comfortable nursing bra. I guess I figured that the number size of the bra would go back to close to what it was before the pregnancy and that the cup size would just be bigger. But, that didn't happen. Maybe my ribs stayed spread out? I don't know. What I do know is that having a tight nursing bra is unbearable. One night it was so bad that I took a scissors and cut slits in the band around my nursing bra to give it an extra inch or so of flex. That sort of worked. Now I have several nursing bras that are ok. I had to do a lot of experimentation before figuring out the right fit. And, of course not all styles fit the same way, so I could be a 40D in one style and a 38C in another. I also tried going without a bra for a time, but my nipples are way too sensitive. I have to wear a bra at all times now. And, even with doing that, I'm still getting stretch marks. I also wear nursing pads in my bras at all time, too. I have 4 sets of cloth ones that seem to keep leaks from showing through.
The Joy
So far my posts have been somewhat negative about some of the difficulties after having a baby. This post is one that tells about the absolute joy that I feel that comes from having Ariella. The love that I have for that little baby exceeds anything that I could have ever imagined. She's a perfect little being. Sometimes she seems more like a porcelain doll than a real live person. It's still incredible to know that Tyree and I made her out of nothing. It's sort of beyond comprehension.
I want only the best for her - the best care, the most love, the happiest life. Having her truly brings a sense of fulfillment to my life. I completely have a purpose now - taking care of her. She's my little one - my "Miss Baby" or my "Princess Baby" (my little nicknames for her). She depends on me and loves me.
My heart melts when she smiles at me or when she laughs. She's such an innocent. In some ways I wish she could stay this little forever. But, then in other ways I can't wait until she's older and can do more things. I suppose every stage will be amazing, and I'm sure each one will go by far too quickly. I just hope she enjoys her life. I'm definitely trying to make sure that she will.
I want only the best for her - the best care, the most love, the happiest life. Having her truly brings a sense of fulfillment to my life. I completely have a purpose now - taking care of her. She's my little one - my "Miss Baby" or my "Princess Baby" (my little nicknames for her). She depends on me and loves me.
My heart melts when she smiles at me or when she laughs. She's such an innocent. In some ways I wish she could stay this little forever. But, then in other ways I can't wait until she's older and can do more things. I suppose every stage will be amazing, and I'm sure each one will go by far too quickly. I just hope she enjoys her life. I'm definitely trying to make sure that she will.
Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding was something that I had decided to do. I had been convinced regarding the health benefits for the baby, and I knew my mom had done breastfeeding with me. Tyree was also on board with it, which was a huge help. The American Pediatrics Association recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months, at with time solids can be introduced. Then, breastfeeding should continue until at least through the first year at which time it can be continued as long as is desired by the mother/baby.
So, I had it as my goal to breastfeed exclusively (no formula) up to 6 months. And, then have a combination of breastfeeding and solids up to the first year. Then, I figured I would probably start weaning then (or who knows - my goal was through the first year, though).
I had heard that breastfeeding could be painful at first, but nothing prepared me for those first few weeks. It was way more painful than I had expected. Nights were the worst. There were several nights in a row where I came so close to quitting. My poor nipples hurt so bad. It took a while to get the latch right, as well as trying out several different positions. But, I think in retrospect, it just took my nipples a while to toughen up to get used to it. I'm not sure how long it took. It did get better. I would say it probably took 3-4 weeks to really get it down pat.
I didn't do a pacifier for the first 2-3 weeks. I think that was a good decision. I wanted nursing to get established first. However, this did make it more difficult when she would cry and want to nurse but there was no more milk left (and it was super painful for me and my nipples). But, it probably increased my milk supply better than if we had shoved a pacifier in her mouth. So, short term, it was MUCH harder, but longer term I think I've been more successful because of it. For the first few weeks it seemed like all she wanted to do was eat, sleep, and poop. I felt so bad when it seemed like I didn't have enough milk at first. But, after a few weeks, she started gaining weight really well. And, now she's in the 75th percentile for weight, which the doctor is thrilled with.
I didn't do any bottle feeding (with breast milk) until about 5 weeks, when nursing was already fully established. And, I didn't do any formula supplementation. My pediatrician said that we needed to get started "right away" (when we went to the 1 month appointment - at week 5). She also recommended trying out some formulas as well just in case the breastfeeding didn't work out. I ignored that advice (which was a sure-fire way to sabotage breastfeeding). I did, however, start doing 1 bottle (of pumped breastmilk) per day - which I put the vitamin drops in. Ariella had no problems going back and forth between feeding from the breast to the bottle. We used the Medela bottles that work with the Medela breast pump. A lot of babies have issues with only accepting certain types of bottles or pacifiers. Ariella did fine with what we had, though. I'm not sure if we were just lucky with what we tried or if she was just an easy-going baby and would have accepted any type of bottle. Regardless, we had no issues.
Out of everything, I do think that breastfeeding made the first couple of weeks much harder (and much more painful) than they would have been with formula. Even now, it makes life with baby much more exhausting. But, I think the rewards are far too important and outweigh the difficulties. Ariella gains my immunities to illnesses through the breastmilk. The health benefits are supposedly much more superior to formula feeding. Plus, now that we have it down, breastfeeding is an important bonding time between me and Ariella. It's a time where I can have her all to myself. And, I get the satisfaction of knowing that I'm doing something that's so incredibly important to give her the very best that I can.
Physically, breastfeeding is quite tiring. It makes me extremely thirsty, too. I'm drinking way more water than I did during pregnancy. And, it makes me extra hungry. I metabolize food much more quickly than if I weren't producing the milk. I've also noticed that since I've started pumping a lot, I'm even more thirsty than when I was just breastfeeding (and not pumping). Now 2 months out, breastfeeding doesn't really hurt anymore. However, my boobs are still tender a lot of the time. I have to take care not to bruise them while pumping. I have to wear breast pads so that I don't leak. And, when it gets close to the time to nurse, they start to hurt as they become slightly engorged.
I can drink alcohol periodically. However, I have to consider the timing of it with my nursing/pumping schedule (not that there's really a schedule since when I'm not at work I feed on demand). But, I can have a 5oz glass of wine as long as I don't nurse for at least an hour afterwards (usually I wait over 2 hours afterwards and have only 3-4oz). So, I'm not drinking much alcohol now-a-days, which is just as well.
So much of my life right now comes down to maintaining my milk supply. I have a pretty large freezer supply of breast milk. But, I have to make sure that I can pump in a day what she needs to eat the next day. If I can't pump enough and have to start supplementing from the freezer supply, my milk supply will quickly decrease. I just need the freezer supply in case milk gets spilled or spoiled (or maybe for a special occasion if I want to go out or drink). I haven't had to use any from the freezer supply so far.
Aside from pumping (which I don't particularly like to do), the hardest thing about breastfeeding is that I can't get a long block of sleep. Even if Ariella did sleep through the night (which she doesn't), my breasts would hurt so much from being engorged that I'd probably have to get up at night anyway to pump. And, now that I've gone back to work, it's especially stressful in the morning trying to get her to nurse as close as possible to when I leave for work. I don't think Tyree quite understands that. I stress quite a bit worrying that the 3 bottles (13-15oz total) per day will not be enough to last her through the day. And, if Nolvia would take from my freezer stash, then I'd have to pump that much more sometime in the day to make up for it so that my milk supply wouldn't be affected. I would hope she would call me before doing that, though. So far it hasn't been an issue, though. Perhaps I stress more about it than necessary.
So, I had it as my goal to breastfeed exclusively (no formula) up to 6 months. And, then have a combination of breastfeeding and solids up to the first year. Then, I figured I would probably start weaning then (or who knows - my goal was through the first year, though).
I had heard that breastfeeding could be painful at first, but nothing prepared me for those first few weeks. It was way more painful than I had expected. Nights were the worst. There were several nights in a row where I came so close to quitting. My poor nipples hurt so bad. It took a while to get the latch right, as well as trying out several different positions. But, I think in retrospect, it just took my nipples a while to toughen up to get used to it. I'm not sure how long it took. It did get better. I would say it probably took 3-4 weeks to really get it down pat.
I didn't do a pacifier for the first 2-3 weeks. I think that was a good decision. I wanted nursing to get established first. However, this did make it more difficult when she would cry and want to nurse but there was no more milk left (and it was super painful for me and my nipples). But, it probably increased my milk supply better than if we had shoved a pacifier in her mouth. So, short term, it was MUCH harder, but longer term I think I've been more successful because of it. For the first few weeks it seemed like all she wanted to do was eat, sleep, and poop. I felt so bad when it seemed like I didn't have enough milk at first. But, after a few weeks, she started gaining weight really well. And, now she's in the 75th percentile for weight, which the doctor is thrilled with.
I didn't do any bottle feeding (with breast milk) until about 5 weeks, when nursing was already fully established. And, I didn't do any formula supplementation. My pediatrician said that we needed to get started "right away" (when we went to the 1 month appointment - at week 5). She also recommended trying out some formulas as well just in case the breastfeeding didn't work out. I ignored that advice (which was a sure-fire way to sabotage breastfeeding). I did, however, start doing 1 bottle (of pumped breastmilk) per day - which I put the vitamin drops in. Ariella had no problems going back and forth between feeding from the breast to the bottle. We used the Medela bottles that work with the Medela breast pump. A lot of babies have issues with only accepting certain types of bottles or pacifiers. Ariella did fine with what we had, though. I'm not sure if we were just lucky with what we tried or if she was just an easy-going baby and would have accepted any type of bottle. Regardless, we had no issues.
Out of everything, I do think that breastfeeding made the first couple of weeks much harder (and much more painful) than they would have been with formula. Even now, it makes life with baby much more exhausting. But, I think the rewards are far too important and outweigh the difficulties. Ariella gains my immunities to illnesses through the breastmilk. The health benefits are supposedly much more superior to formula feeding. Plus, now that we have it down, breastfeeding is an important bonding time between me and Ariella. It's a time where I can have her all to myself. And, I get the satisfaction of knowing that I'm doing something that's so incredibly important to give her the very best that I can.
Physically, breastfeeding is quite tiring. It makes me extremely thirsty, too. I'm drinking way more water than I did during pregnancy. And, it makes me extra hungry. I metabolize food much more quickly than if I weren't producing the milk. I've also noticed that since I've started pumping a lot, I'm even more thirsty than when I was just breastfeeding (and not pumping). Now 2 months out, breastfeeding doesn't really hurt anymore. However, my boobs are still tender a lot of the time. I have to take care not to bruise them while pumping. I have to wear breast pads so that I don't leak. And, when it gets close to the time to nurse, they start to hurt as they become slightly engorged.
I can drink alcohol periodically. However, I have to consider the timing of it with my nursing/pumping schedule (not that there's really a schedule since when I'm not at work I feed on demand). But, I can have a 5oz glass of wine as long as I don't nurse for at least an hour afterwards (usually I wait over 2 hours afterwards and have only 3-4oz). So, I'm not drinking much alcohol now-a-days, which is just as well.
So much of my life right now comes down to maintaining my milk supply. I have a pretty large freezer supply of breast milk. But, I have to make sure that I can pump in a day what she needs to eat the next day. If I can't pump enough and have to start supplementing from the freezer supply, my milk supply will quickly decrease. I just need the freezer supply in case milk gets spilled or spoiled (or maybe for a special occasion if I want to go out or drink). I haven't had to use any from the freezer supply so far.
Aside from pumping (which I don't particularly like to do), the hardest thing about breastfeeding is that I can't get a long block of sleep. Even if Ariella did sleep through the night (which she doesn't), my breasts would hurt so much from being engorged that I'd probably have to get up at night anyway to pump. And, now that I've gone back to work, it's especially stressful in the morning trying to get her to nurse as close as possible to when I leave for work. I don't think Tyree quite understands that. I stress quite a bit worrying that the 3 bottles (13-15oz total) per day will not be enough to last her through the day. And, if Nolvia would take from my freezer stash, then I'd have to pump that much more sometime in the day to make up for it so that my milk supply wouldn't be affected. I would hope she would call me before doing that, though. So far it hasn't been an issue, though. Perhaps I stress more about it than necessary.
Ariella Loves the iPad!
Tyree figured out Ariella's very favorite toy. She loves the iPad! He took video of her playing the Magic Piano application on the iPad, and she's only 2 months old! She sits in her bumbo seat with the iPad on the tray, and she loves to make music. She can even play notes with her individual fingers rather than just her fists. It holds her attention for 5-10 minutes (which for a 2 month old is pretty amazing). I'm so happy they have a fun father/daughter playtime activity.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvsIZ5a5uQc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvsIZ5a5uQc
Physical recovery from the birth
One thing that I was extremely surprised at was how long it took for me to physically feel better after the birth. Granted, I did have a level 2 episiotomy (tearing), but I had expectations (very unrealistic) of feeling mostly like my old self after about a week or so. This did NOT happen. I didn't really feel better until about the 5 1/2 week mark. I think the hemmorhoids played a big role in this long recovery process. It took until the 5 1/2 week mark until I didn't fear going to the bathroom.
The first 2 weeks were definitely the hardest physically. I had been expecting quite a bit more help after coming home from the hospital than what I got. Tyree was supposed to be off from work to help out, and his mom was supposed to be doing the house-work and such for me. In reality, they had Tyree working from home Sunday night (I got home from the hospital Friday). Granted, he was working from home, and had did get me food periodically. But, there were over 6 hour stretches where he would just be in the study working or surfing the net or whatever. Also, for the first week, his mom was over a couple of times, but it seemed like each time she came, she had time demands for Tyree (helping her sort out medical paperwork, having him show her family pictures of relatives on Facebook online, etc). I never knew when she was coming or what she was intending to do when she was around. Dishes were piled up to the point of not having any or certain types to use - things like that. And, then after the first week, she had a workplace injury. A forklift knocked her down. She didn't report it as an incident that day, but the next day, she was hurting. So, Tyree had to take her to fill out the paperwork and then to the doctor's office - an almost all-day affair. And, then she was on disability for a week.
Once the injury occurred, though, I realized for a fact that I was not going to get the level of help that I expected. (Tyree said some of the problem was because I didn't tell her what I wanted done as help. So ironically, the night before the injury I had decided to remedy that problem by creating a list of things I wanted done. But, then that happened, so the list idea got scrapped. And, so I knew that I just had to figure out a manageable way to get the household chores done myself.)
It was definitely a difficult first month (and beyond) physically. If I had it to do all over again, I would have gotten Tyree to clarify for me what help I would be receiving and when. Communication was definitely an issue, and I probably could have gotten more help that very first week if I had approached things differently. (But, I don't really blame myself fully for that because who has the energy to do all that planning right after giving birth? I guess I should have made Tyree take more responsibility for that (although it would have been nice if he had been pro-active about it - but he's not a mind-reader).)
It's 2 months out since the birth, and I still feel a little sore down there sometimes when I sit down to use the bathroom. It's not bad, just a little sore there in front. I still sort of have the hemmorhoids. They don't hurt, but there are still there externally. If they don't go away, I'll have to see some kind of doctor to have a procedure to get them removed. Fun, fun. At least I don't have to sit on the donut pillow anymore.
The first 2 weeks were definitely the hardest physically. I had been expecting quite a bit more help after coming home from the hospital than what I got. Tyree was supposed to be off from work to help out, and his mom was supposed to be doing the house-work and such for me. In reality, they had Tyree working from home Sunday night (I got home from the hospital Friday). Granted, he was working from home, and had did get me food periodically. But, there were over 6 hour stretches where he would just be in the study working or surfing the net or whatever. Also, for the first week, his mom was over a couple of times, but it seemed like each time she came, she had time demands for Tyree (helping her sort out medical paperwork, having him show her family pictures of relatives on Facebook online, etc). I never knew when she was coming or what she was intending to do when she was around. Dishes were piled up to the point of not having any or certain types to use - things like that. And, then after the first week, she had a workplace injury. A forklift knocked her down. She didn't report it as an incident that day, but the next day, she was hurting. So, Tyree had to take her to fill out the paperwork and then to the doctor's office - an almost all-day affair. And, then she was on disability for a week.
Once the injury occurred, though, I realized for a fact that I was not going to get the level of help that I expected. (Tyree said some of the problem was because I didn't tell her what I wanted done as help. So ironically, the night before the injury I had decided to remedy that problem by creating a list of things I wanted done. But, then that happened, so the list idea got scrapped. And, so I knew that I just had to figure out a manageable way to get the household chores done myself.)
It was definitely a difficult first month (and beyond) physically. If I had it to do all over again, I would have gotten Tyree to clarify for me what help I would be receiving and when. Communication was definitely an issue, and I probably could have gotten more help that very first week if I had approached things differently. (But, I don't really blame myself fully for that because who has the energy to do all that planning right after giving birth? I guess I should have made Tyree take more responsibility for that (although it would have been nice if he had been pro-active about it - but he's not a mind-reader).)
It's 2 months out since the birth, and I still feel a little sore down there sometimes when I sit down to use the bathroom. It's not bad, just a little sore there in front. I still sort of have the hemmorhoids. They don't hurt, but there are still there externally. If they don't go away, I'll have to see some kind of doctor to have a procedure to get them removed. Fun, fun. At least I don't have to sit on the donut pillow anymore.
Life With Baby - A First Post
In this blog, I'm going to chronicle some of the joys and challenges of life since Ariella was born. I'll also record some of the surprising things as well as things that I wish I had known before.
I'm starting this about 2 months after the birth. I'm back at work (and not extremely motivated), so I finally have some time to write down my thoughts. So, I'll have a lot of catch-up posts that will hopefully make the time pass faster until I can go home to my little one.
I'm starting this about 2 months after the birth. I'm back at work (and not extremely motivated), so I finally have some time to write down my thoughts. So, I'll have a lot of catch-up posts that will hopefully make the time pass faster until I can go home to my little one.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)