Wednesday, September 13, 2006
hungry
I'm thinking my body is not working properly right now and perhaps Cora is starving. Well, perhaps I'm exaggerating, but I do have a problem with nursing right now. I seem to be clogged up on the right side. Some days I dream of switching Cora to formula. At least then I would know how much she's eating. She has gained a pound since her first doctor's appointment. But tonight has been another problem night for us. Cora has been wide awake since about six--its almost 1 am now. She wants to eat forever. I've tried to put her down to sleep several times and she starts screaming. I feel ashamed for thinking this, but I'm starting to wonder what happened to my easy baby. Also, I don't think the mylicon is working for her. She seems really uncomfortable. I feel like a miserable mommy right now because I can't meet her needs or really struggle to understand what her needs are. i even gave in and gave her a paci. I need some encouragement desperately!
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16 comments:
Sweet girl, you are a great mommy, and you are probably working just fine. Your baby is gaining weight, peeing and pooing, so she is getting food. My advice? Try putting some warm wet washcloths on your right breast and see if that helps things. You could have a mild infection of some sort--it happens. Also, call somebody who knows about breastfeeding!
Have you tried the Hyland's Colic Tablets? Could you find them? I'll be on the look out.
If it's any consolation, your brother Everett was a huge fusser from about 6-11, and he was on formula. Some babies just fuss.
Lydia,
I have no idea about breast feeding stuff, but I do know one thing for sure! You are a great mom! You love your daughter with every part of yourself, and that makes you great. The simple fact that you worry whether or not you are doing what she needs proves that you are great!
I think that the hardest part of parenting is not being able to fix whatever is wrong with our children. I hate not knowing what to do. But we are not always able to do that, and that is okay. If you think that there is something not right in your body, call the doc and ask to see about it. But if there is nothing that can be found, then don't be afraid to let her cry it out. It's hard, I know. But sometimes you can't do anything about the crying. Bryan cried every night for months from 4:30-7:30. Didn't matter what we did, he cried. He was fine, and Cora will be too. Remember that as much as you love her, her Heavenly Father loves her even more.
I love you and am here if you need to vent a little. Call me anytime. I am praying for you my friend! I love you.
Do not feel guilty about the pacifier--I gave you one, and you didn't have any trouble quitting it. Geron changed the blog heading! Is that the picture from the birth announcement? Love you all three.
Hi Lydia! Someone from church told me about your blog so I had to come check it out! First off, let me say Cora is a beautiful baby! Congratulations! We haven't been to church in a while to see her, but she is gorgeous!
I saw this post and knew I had to comment. I understand completely how you feel. Nathan did this very same thing. Come to find out, he had the colic. It wasn't anything that we did wrong, it was just something he was born with. After about 6 months it went away. He would cry certain hours of the day and nothing would console him but to nurse. He drained me dry but even though I had no milk he still nursed because the sucking action for some reason would help his stomach feel better. Dr. Davis also told us to give him a bit of plain yogurt after each feeding. The bacteria that grows in yogurt (that sounds gross, doesn't it?) helps with digestion. Doing the yogurt really made a difference, but it still took about 6 months to go away.
I bet your right breast is engorged. Does it feel like it has rocks in it and hurts to touch it? Mine did that right before my milk came in really good. I ended up having to put ice on it and tried to massage it a bit starting at the top then going down. It hurt a bit, but it helped.
I hope that helped some. If you need anything, please do call me. And please don't feel bad about all this. You are a great Mommy and I know the Lord thinks you are too because He has blessed you guys so much! Love ya!
lydia, of course you're a good parent! if you think there's something wrong, like an infection, you should call a doctor so it doesn't get worse. call a lactation consultant if you can, and she can give you more specific advice. now, i don't want to step on anyone's toes here, but i wouldn't recommend switching to formula at this point. once you stop breastfeeding, you can't stop, and there is undeniable evidence that breastfed babies are better off than formula-fed ones for a variety of reasons, so if you don't HAVE to quit, don't! (that said, i was a formula-fed baby and i'm OK. I'm not condemning anyone who makes that decision.)
oh, and pacifiers? i say, thank God we have 'em!
Everything I would have suggested has already been discussed above. However, it sounds to me like you are feeling blue and tired, so let me give you some encouragement. YOU ARE A WONDERFUL MOMMY! You love your daughter so much it fairly drips from the words in your post. Don't feel like a bad mommy; sometimes, it can be discouraging when you don't know exactly what to do for your child. Just know God will get you through it, and He's taking care of you and Cora.
Love you bunches!
i feel like i need to clarify. my comment may have made me look like a militant lactivist (I hate that word!). If you end up needing to supplement with formula, by all means do it. a good parent feeds her child when she is hungry, and if you're having some issues with breastfeeding, then there are times formula is the only way to do that. I'm just saying don't give up breastfeeding completely just yet. and please don't be afraid to call the doctor or a lactation consultant. that's what they're there for.
1 a.m. and you're baby's crying and nothing seems to help? it sounds all too familiar. hang in there, hon.
Lydia, I just remembered two other things Tripp and I tried that really helped Nathan when he was having some major gas pain. One thing we did (we called it the Superman) was put Nathan face down on our arm and kindof fly him around on his belly. Another thing we did was put him face down on our knees and bounce our knees. That one was good because sometimes it would put him to sleep. But they both seemed to help relieve some of the pressure in his belly. Hope this helps! :o)
As for gas, you can also lay her on her back and push her little knees up and even press a little on her little belly. I used to babysit for a lady who had a special needs child who had terrible gas (she looked like a little starving ethiopian, her stomach would get so bloated), and her mommy would lay her on the bed and giggle and press her knees up and press on that belly, and the little girl would shoot sounds out her butt that you can't imagine. And laugh. I've tried it on my babies at work sometimes, too, and it seems to work. I also tried it on a 3 year old today who said her tummy hurt (after I explained what I was about to do), and after I did it for a few seconds, she said, "I have to go to the bathroom."
I also really like the "face down on the knees" trick, but I haven't tried the bouncing, just patting. It's kind of fun.
You are a good mommy, and even if you weren't, Geron's such a good daddy, he'd make up for it. (Just kidding.) I was just thanking my God this morning for giving me Cora, and then I realized she was yours, and so then I thanked Him for giving her you guys, and for some reason that didn't make sense to me either, so then I realized I was too sleepy to make sense and just let God know I was happy about you guys and Cora. (It was before 6.) So anyway, I am thankful that you are such good parents to my sweet niece, and I miss her (and y'all.)
It looks like you guys went and had professional photos taken. I bet that was fun. Did the photographer do Madonna moves to get Cora to Vogue?
Oh, tell Cora that sometimes sitting a computer for a long time helps her aunt when she has gas. She should try that.
actually i took the picture in our living room. and the one that will be on the birth announcment that will be coming your way soon.
Lydia is being too hard on herself, cora is a really good baby, so when she acts like a typical (if there is such a thing) she kinda whigs out.
Suze you shouldn't be ashamed of being a lactivist. it's pretty obvious.
what's obvious, geron? eek, now i'm a little paranoid that i'm one of those people who guilts people into breastfeeding, and i really, really really don't want to be that way.
Suze, I didn't think you came across that way, and I'm one who went to formula. Turned out my milk supply was non-existent and CJ got dehydrated and developed jaundice. He's fine now, but I switched to formula immediately to gauge intake, than began pumping to try to increase supply. Didn't work, unfortunately. Despite my best efforts, I couldn't pump enough to equal one feeding, much less all day.
Looking back, I should have realized something was up since I never had the pain and swelling that normally comes with engorgement. I just thought CJ was drinking it all--which he was, but not the way I thought.
I suppose there is a compromise--pumping milk and giving it my bottle to gauge intake, but it sounds like things are pretty normal. I understand hot showers can help with the pain, but definitely check out the possibility of infection--it's very common.
I just want you to know that this morning I helped take care of 8 chunky, well-loved babies who spent most of the morning crying for no apparent reason, other than their moms had left them. Sometimes babies cry. Love you, and you're a great mama.
So what are you going to do when you go back to work? Are you going to pump the night before and at work?
Lydia,
I know this seems like commons sense but I didn't do it until someone told me and it was the BEST advice ever. After Cora eats try to keep her in the most upright position possible for about 15 minutes. It allows gravity to do it's work and all the gas bubbles float to the top of her belly allowing her to burb easier. Once all her burps are released then no more belly aches.
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