Babies April 2015

Hi ladies!

Taking a minute to let you know baby Laila was born just after 6am on the 8th. Weighing in at 3.6kg and 54cm tall. A beautiful little princess!

What an ordeal...too much to type now but i can say i was in normal drug free labour from 10pm on the 7th only for drs to realise at 6am foll morning that i was dilated to 9cm baby fully engaged but her head tilted to the side and her heart stopped beating twice! Rushed in for emergency surgery...full (knock out) anesthesia...you should see the cut it is from hip to hip...fastest way to rip her out they said. Either way, were fine now. And again thank you all so much for all the advice and support along the way, i remembered everyones input and ebevery bit helped so far!

Gotta dash...will keep you posted. Apologies, must admit have not read posts since Thursday so i have no idea how every one else is doing. I hope you all are fine?! Will catch up soon..

R

Thank you both for the lovely advice. I don't feel the need for help just yet, however if I start to get too frustrated or feel we are not progressing into will get help. So far each day seems a little better. Today he was only fussy in the morning making me feed him ever hour for about 4 hours, then daddy rocked him to sleep him put him in his wrap and he slept for 3 hours... so did I then I fed him and he slept another 3 hours. Now I fed him and he is sleeping. Will see how the evening goes. But I am making a big effort to drink a big glass of water before and after feeding as well as re hydrate, juice and berry elixir. Hubby is making me food so I can rest and feed. So far we are doing well. My nipples have times where they are very sore, but as you say gloei, they get better as I feed. i have only had about 3 cries, feeling overwhelmed but then I feel Ok again. Guys I hope it carries on being a good forward moving experience.

I am enjoying my baby so much. He makes my heart melt. And seeing hubby with him makes me love him more then ever. I hope everyone takes a moment to enjoy it when you feel this way as I know it will always be down and up.

RonelleB....how are you hun? We are so excited for you.

Hi mommies.

Faffy i agree with gloei, get some support asap. I had a friend who carried me yhrough the first few weeks with my first child. She kept coming to our house to help baba latch and comfort me.

Out of my own experience i can share this:
First baba i fed on demand and baba wanted to drink every 90mins day and night, except for it being exhausting for me, i kept thinking/feeling like he didnt get enough. And like my supply wasnt enough. I kept going. But 10 months later i was drained physically and emotionally. Had a good dose of post natal depression and im convinced that played a big role.

This timw the midwife insisted that i feed lg every 3hrs, and only on one breast per feed. Your body automatically starts producing enough milk for that demand. So every three hrs if my lg is still sleeping my milk starts leaking like CRAZY! Amazing how your body follows your baby's lead and just provides.
But my point is, this time i can clearly feel the difference and my lg is so satisfied between feeds. There have been times where she seems hungry out of routine and then ofcourse i feed her but we always go back to our original routine.

I dont know, maybe the first time i just wasnt taking care of myself enough and thats why my supply was low. So its incredibly important to keep your fluid intake high. Lots of water. Raspberry leaf tea also helps production along. And one cup of coffee in the morning has only been good for us

This was only my experience, i am very grateful for the way we are doing it this time around, as it just works for both of us. It might not work for u and ur baba at all. So back to point one... get someone from LLL or a breastfeeding clinic to give you advice and also i think pick someone u trust and stick to that because i got INCREDIBLY confused the first time with 10 different people telling me different things and in the end all it did was made me feel like a failure.

You are your babas mom for a reason, no one else. Follow your instinct.

hope everyone else doing well. I have a monster headache at the moment. So going to sign off for now.
Lots of love x

Hi Ladies,

Faffymum - The first few weeks of the breastfeeding is pretty intense (at least as a first time mom for me it was). In the beginning when demand feeding when baby is hungry it can often be almost every hour that baby feeds. I know this is tough on tender nipples but it does get better. Do you have a good breastfeeding book at hand? My advise to any new mom that wants to breastfeed, get support in the first two weeks. Often when there are challenges in this first period that doesn't get resolved breastfeeding will not be able to continue due to the fact that many parents give into formula out of desperation to get baby full. I believe with good support all of this can be prevented. If not sure if baby is getting enough or if the latching is correct is to go and see a lactation consultant or have one come to you (if you can afford it). Making sure you have a good latch is essential to ensure that breastfeeding can continue easily and unfortunately it isn't always easy for a first time mom to tell if baby latches correctly. The first few seconds of breastfeeding usually does hurt but shouldn't continue hurting during the feed. Good nipple cream like Lansinoh/Medela is important.

Not sure how to assist you with your question about helping breast milk along? Do you mean increasing supply? The best way to increase supply in the beginning is to let baby drink regularly to stimulate milk production. Try and rest as best you can and make sure you eat enough and drink lots of water - essential for a good milk supply.

But ultimately I would encourage you to get help as soon as you think baby is not getting enough milk or are very unhappy between feeds and still seem hungry. Any issues needs to be sorted out ASAP to ensure a long breastfeeding journey. How is baby's weight doing? Is baby having enough wet/dirty nappies? If baby is gaining weight then baby is getting enough milk and fussiness could be due to cramps/winds. I believe in giving babies/children a good Probiotic like Reuterina drops. It helps with cramps and windiness and to settle those tummies.

Have a look at the La Leche League website, the best place for breastfeeding articles and help. You can contact a consultant in your area too (for free telephonically).

www.llli.org/southafrica.html

I found this book helpful for breastfeeding:

www.takealot.com/breastfeed-your-baby/PLID35944635

Blessedmom one of our fabulous moomie moms offers advise here on moomie too. Post your breastfeeding questions here:

www.moomie.co.za/6-feeding-and-nutrition...estions?limitstart=0

Ps: You can still enjoy a coffee in the morning while breastfeeding (according to this author above) - I can confirm that the coffee has no effect on baby!! Yeah!!!!

Have to share the following - Great way to get baby to sleep, get your partner (if recovering from c-section it may be too painful and perhaps not a good idea) to bounce baby to sleep on the exercise ball we all used during pregnancy and labour. Works like a charm with our baby!!

Lots of love to all the moms going through the craziness of the first few weeks. xx

Hi ladies...so sorry I have been missing in action. Only have time for a short one.

RonelleB I am so excited for you. Soon you get to meet your baby. I hope that all goes well. In the end, you will be fine in no time. I am amazed at how fast I am recovering from the c section. please let us know how you are doing. The first few days are very intense and very overwhelming but it will get better.

So far I feel like a milk dispensary. Sometime feeding the boy for hours on end, moving from one boob to the other, burping in between. He is not always getting enough milk yet. The milk has come in but it seems to run out by late evening. Hoping that each day it gets better. It's tough trying to get a baby with a not so full tummy to sleep. But we are getting there. Any advice on helping breast milk along will be grately appreciated.

All my thoughts are going out to you ladies fighting through the first few weeks of difficulties. X

RonelleB..... my thoughts, wishes of quick recovery and total enjoyment are with you!!!!! X X X

Hi Ladies,

RonelleB - You have been in my thoughts last night!! Hope you are holding your precious baby by now already and that mom and baby are doing well. xx

Nelsn- Baby not doing so well...her cold progressed and she is struggling to breath with her blocked nose. Can't decide if I should take her to see a doctor since I don't think they can do anything at this stage or give any medication as far as I know. She has to sleep upright and feed upright too.
Feel so sorry for her. My itching is generally better but not all gone, but now I am having a lot of shooting pains between feedings again...Think it might be because she is drinking so much more often with her blocked nose that the whole rhythm has been changed again. Anyway, this too shall pass...
Ps: Yes, second time mom slightly overwhelmed here too...My 6 year old is such a handful at the moment, we really don't know what to do anymore. It is as if the attention we do put into her is not making any difference, she is just as stubborn as a mule and everything is a struggle.
So, yes - a crazy circus show here!!!!

Hi ladies

Ronelle@ I second what Gloie said, if worried rather call the Doc. How are you doing? In a day or so you will be holdng your bundle. Praying for you to get your desired birth.
Gloie@ how are you and baby doing, is the itching getting better?
Newbie@ how are you doing?
Starreyed and faffy@how is motherhood treating you.
To the second time moms, am I the only one who feels over my head and almost feel like being a mom to a newborn more difficult than I thought it to be:|?
Gloie@ with regards the washing isnt as bad as I thought it would be, but I try wash daily to avoid having a larger batch to deal with.
I still need to post pics but I seem to be unable to even on my pc. Dont know if I am doing something wrong:o. Can the ladies who posted be able to post for me if I email you the photos?