Good morning all!
So week one of motherhood has been completed, only 50 more years to go 🙂 A lot has been going on in that area of my life. Most of what goes on with newborns is interesting only for the parents so I won’t bore you all with it. But there are a couple things which I just have to talk about.
The first night we brought her home was both exciting and really scary. We had her at the house and she was sleeping well but the thought kept coming to mind “What if there is a problem”? I could not sleep at all the first night. I was constantly listening for her every breath. Any of you have the same experience? Thankfully over the next few days that thought subsided so now I can relax and if it weren’t for another problem I would be sleeping quite peacefully.
That “other problem” I mentioned is breastfeeding. I don’t know how many of you have experience in this area but I can tell you that it is much more complicated than I thought. I thought you just put babys mouth in the right place and that was that! But apparently there are right and wrong ways to feed. For example the baby must have their mouth not solely on the nipple but around the whole areola or else, like what happened to me, the nipple gets injured. Because I was “doing it wrong” the first day or 2, I beat my nipples up so bad that I couldn’t properly feed for a few days after that. Another breastfeeding challenge I have encountered is my milk production is too high. This is not a problem for the baby but for me. My breasts fill up so quickly that they hurt. It got so bad I couldn’t sleep or eat or anything. I sent Andy on a mission to figure out what was going on, because it did not seem normal for it to hurt that much. Andy is no doctor but he is a good google monkey and was able to figure out what the problem was. Apparently because I produce an over abundance of milk I have to breastfeed a little differently. I have to use one breast at a time so that the baby drains one entirely, gets the proper nutrition and can get my body to respond to the needs of the baby. When I first started I was alternating between breasts for each feeding. From what Andy was able to find out, that “normal” way of feeding won’t work for me. I need to have the baby on one breast for a full 15-20 minutes then on the next feeding use the the other side. Breastfeeding is really complicated. I had a really easy pregnancy but the delivery and week following is where I have been getting my mothering pains!
Outside of baby stuff, I have a couple photo shoots coming up. I will start putting together my Carnival line soon and hopefully will be able to start with some new projects. I wasn’t sure how working with the baby would go but so far, it hasn’t been too bad. How about you? How do you manage to do things while raising a newborn? Any suggestions?
All for now….time to feed, sew and feed some more!
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hana.k says
Sometimes I listen for his breathing at night too, just because. 🙂
& I have the same breastfeeding 'problem'. I always just feed him on one side per nursing and I still leak but no more engorgement!
I hope you have some support for breastfeeding, it's hard in the first few weeks but so rewarding and it gets much easier as you keep going, so stay with it, you can do it! A good book about breastfeeding that I would recommend is "The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding" by La Leche League (worth buying and having as a resource!).
vivatveritas says
hey hana, its so comforting to know that the breast feeding will get better! i was in so much pain at first, and i am still, if i can't feed for a while. i can't wait till we get on a schedule of some sort. thanks for the book recommendation!
Mama Violet says
Just like Hana said "It does get better". Do you have a good pump? I also used cabbage leaves (it works!) for the engorgement and soothies for sore nipples. I do have an unused set. If you want them they're yours.
I'm adjusting to motherhood too. My girl is 8 months today and I'm just now starting to feel like I'm getting a handle on things. Just go slow and hang in there!
Evie says
Using cabbage leaves can be detrimental to breast feeding as it will reduce your milk!
Emily says
Oh my goodness I was constantly checking to make sure my baby was breathing for the first few months. I also had difficulties breastfeeding (and producing too much milk and getting engorged then mastitis). It's totally normal that it wasn't completely natural and easy at first. You and your baby have to figure it out together. Keep feeding for a long time on one side and ask your doctor if it's okay to take tylenol or ibuprofen if it still hurts a lot. After a few days your body will figure out how much your baby needs. When she goes through a growth spurt around 2 or 3 weeks, your body will probably produce more milk to keep up with your baby's needs, then taper off a bit again. Sorry it's been so rough. You are not alone!
::HARUNA:: says
ha! didn't know there was a 'proper' breast feeding way! it's better you are producing a lot of milk than less. and it gradually gets better/easier, I think, as both mother and baby get used to how it works. my midwife told me, if your boobs hurt too much from over production, put a cold leaf(from fridge) of cabbage on them. it will cool them down, and relieve you from the uncomfortable pain. I've never done it, so i'm not sure if that works, but worth trying?
looking back, the newborn stage was the sweetest and easiest! they just eat, poo/pee, and sleep(and snuggle)! I loved it. well, especially I had an easy baby, and she was on a 2hour cycle. so I knda knew the rhythm/timing, which made my life a bit easier, for sure.
stola says
It sounds as if you are doing really well with your breast feeding. I've always been sore in the beginning and it takes a little while to get used to but you'll be a pro in no time.
Alessa says
Not a mommy yet but I worked in a hospital that promoted breastfeeding for a while and I know that these kind of problems are very common. But it usually resolves after a little while! Have a happy time with your little newborn!
Ai says
chie, your not alone with your breastfeeding problem. the only solution my nurses, midwives taught me is to let the baby latch more when breast engorge a lot..and if the baby cant drink more for at this time shes still learning how to latch on your breast….i have this U shape pillow for breastfeeding it helps a lot for the baby to latch well on my breast. proper positioning really helps a lot, so as not to hurt your breast. U can squeeze a little of your milk too right after breastfeeding so ur breast will not end up dry. there is a breast cream that could help u ease pain when breastfeeding. When it tends to be so lumpy and engorge a lot, just put cabbage leaves on your breast or that ice cold compress. Of course, your breast will produce more milk especially if you drink too much liquids. but then you need to drink a lot of water too right after breastfeeding and an hour before breastfeeding.
I am successful in breastfeeding with my two children. so in these area i could say, I can help u a bit. I really understand that it is hard on the first week..really tough. my birthing is easy but breastfeeding was too hard for me on the first week. I had fever the first night and chilled a lot. i called the nurses to help me out..so they gave me paracetamol and help me out with how to let my baby latch on my breast.
let your baby drink alternately from right to left breast too, so your breast will produce a good balance of milk. let her drink too every two to three hours and if your breast tend to engorge a lot and so lumpy, massage the area where there is hard lumps too usually right at the side of the of the breast near the armpit. i hope i help u a bit in this area though i dont claim to be an expert but basing from my experience with my two children. i could say…i am successful in breastfeeding them for 1 and 1/2 years. but soon your breast will produce the right amount ofmilk just what your baby needs. so you dont need to worry. Now, that i stop my youngest from breastfeeding, I miz our breastfeeding moment. there is kind of bond between mom and child when breastfeeding. take care and kisses to ur little ones. i hope i am of great help to u.
Bri Bee says
I just found your blog because of free pattern month! I had the same issue with over production. I seriously could have fed two more babies with the amount of milk and getting her to latch on with both painful and difficult! BUT I hung in there and I'm happy to say that after the initial difficulties I had a VERY positive breast feeding experience! Also because of the overproduction and the fact that I was forced to pump after every feeding because I had to use a nipple sheild I had a freezer packed full of breastmilk. So I got to get out of the house without baby sometimes. So guess some advice would be that if you don't already pump. just pump occasionally and pop it in the freezer.
Alicia R. Ambler says
Congratulations!
You might consider getting a pump. Later on it'll be nice to send her places with some of mommy's milk. Stick with it!
Anonymous says
Yes that is a good idea to fully feed on one side. I had that issue too for my first pregnancy, but not for my first.
Good job, mama, you are doing so well.
Kathya says
Breastfeeding is always hard with the first baby. cabbage will dry up your milk so dont do it too much and just keep nursing her. your body will eventually adjust to her needs.
you will be checking the breathing of all of your babies. that is so normal. i am on my third little one and i stay up all night making sure that she was breathing. that is just your maternal instinct. Congratulations BTW!!!!!
Mandy says
Happy belated birthday and Happy early Mother's day!
Breastfeeding is hard! Stick with it because it does get better. I also struggled with engorgement. Turns out I wasn't positioning the baby correctly and this caused me to get mastitis (a painful breast infection). But something I found soothing was to press my breasts in the shower (the warm water or raising my arms always let my milk down). That would relieve some of the pressure. I also stuck a cloth diaper against the breast the baby wasn't nursing on and soaked up the milk, while massaging my breast. Then once the baby was ready for the other side, it wasn't so swollen and the "thicker milk" was already there.
Good luck! I bet you're doing just great! You'll figure out what works best for you and little baby.
Evie says
The proper way is to feed from one breast per feed!! It used to be that people switched when feeding but that’s actually bad for the baby [and for mum!] as there are 2 kinds of milk, fore milk and hind milk. By switching mid-feed the baby is only getting one kind. It does get easier and it sounds like you’re doing a great job!!