I got to the breastfeeding clinic this morning to ask about the pains I've been getting in my breasts after a feed but feeling positive as they don't hurt to latch on at the moment or during the feed.
It seems that I may have another bout of thrush :( On my nipples :(
I seem to tick all the susceptibility checks such as being a sufferer during pregnancy - erm, yep...., being on a recent course of antibiotics - yep... and others too so we're both off to the doctors on Friday to see whether we can confirm it and get some medication.
If it is thrush its in the early stages as it sounds like it gets a lot worse but like one Mum I met this morning who had this last year, she said you worry about your baby getting ill and you don't think about the post pregnancy things that can go wrong with yourself.
So in the last four weeks I've had...
An emergency c-section
Mastitis
An infected c-section wound
and now possible Thrush.
It seems I've been given a lovely and patient baby as I'm now getting every infection under the sun.
Sigh.
And today is my birthday.
Tuesday, 17 May 2011
Sunday, 15 May 2011
A New Week
My antibiotics have finished now, and his tongue tie cut is healing nicely.
Hopefully this next week we will start to see the semblance of a form of routine.
We're not (well, I'm not!) trying to be too rigorous but I'm encouraging him to start a bit of a routine as babies feel more secure with it. So at the moment we're struggling with early mornings as he's up and feeding a bit irregularly but through the night we're feeding every three hours and depending on how long he takes to settle back down he's sleeping quite regularly too.
He has a bath at 7pm at the moment and then we dry off and put a sleepsuit on and a clean vest and go upstairs to his nursery and sit with the curtains drawn (to try and teach him night from day) and then we sit in the rocking chair and feed. There's normally a nappy change required due to the tablets so this should get better and hell be fuller for longer and then sleep for longer periods, at least that's our hope!
We try to settle him down between 8-9 depending on his feeds and nappies and then he'll go for about 3 hours at the moment. In fact the past three nights he's had a feed at 9pm, 12, 3am and 6am so he is falling into a routine of sorts. It's jst the 3am one he takes longer, I know ones milk flow is less at that time so he can get frustrated before just zonking out after an hour!!
We've tried him with a dummy the past couple if days and he's taken it a couple of times which seems to me he has been using my nipples to soothe himself to sleep as at lunchtime today he sent himself to sleep, from being awake sucking on a dummy!! It is a dentist approved one by the way, and he is a very sucky baby and we'd prefer the dummy which can be removed at some point rather than a thumb which can't be and is likely to affect his mouth in some way.
He's also enjoying nappy off time a couple of times a day!! It's resulted in a couple of icky pooey messes but Daddy and Grandad were on hand to sort those out!! We'll be trying tummy time on his play mat next week!! This week we've enjoyed flexing and gripping with his fingers, sticking our tongues out at each other (his tongue is a lot more visable now) looking at dark picture frames, staring at some black and white toy building blocks, looking at windows and light sources and getting to know each others faces including Mummy making different sound shapes with her mouth (Ba ba ba, bee, bee, bee, bo, bo, bo etc...) and smiling encouragingly at Joel to smile back!!
Heres 3 cute pics from this week....
Hopefully this next week we will start to see the semblance of a form of routine.
We're not (well, I'm not!) trying to be too rigorous but I'm encouraging him to start a bit of a routine as babies feel more secure with it. So at the moment we're struggling with early mornings as he's up and feeding a bit irregularly but through the night we're feeding every three hours and depending on how long he takes to settle back down he's sleeping quite regularly too.
He has a bath at 7pm at the moment and then we dry off and put a sleepsuit on and a clean vest and go upstairs to his nursery and sit with the curtains drawn (to try and teach him night from day) and then we sit in the rocking chair and feed. There's normally a nappy change required due to the tablets so this should get better and hell be fuller for longer and then sleep for longer periods, at least that's our hope!
We try to settle him down between 8-9 depending on his feeds and nappies and then he'll go for about 3 hours at the moment. In fact the past three nights he's had a feed at 9pm, 12, 3am and 6am so he is falling into a routine of sorts. It's jst the 3am one he takes longer, I know ones milk flow is less at that time so he can get frustrated before just zonking out after an hour!!
We've tried him with a dummy the past couple if days and he's taken it a couple of times which seems to me he has been using my nipples to soothe himself to sleep as at lunchtime today he sent himself to sleep, from being awake sucking on a dummy!! It is a dentist approved one by the way, and he is a very sucky baby and we'd prefer the dummy which can be removed at some point rather than a thumb which can't be and is likely to affect his mouth in some way.
He's also enjoying nappy off time a couple of times a day!! It's resulted in a couple of icky pooey messes but Daddy and Grandad were on hand to sort those out!! We'll be trying tummy time on his play mat next week!! This week we've enjoyed flexing and gripping with his fingers, sticking our tongues out at each other (his tongue is a lot more visable now) looking at dark picture frames, staring at some black and white toy building blocks, looking at windows and light sources and getting to know each others faces including Mummy making different sound shapes with her mouth (Ba ba ba, bee, bee, bee, bo, bo, bo etc...) and smiling encouragingly at Joel to smile back!!
Heres 3 cute pics from this week....
Friday, 13 May 2011
Big Baby!!
He was weighed yesterday by the health visitor and has put on an amazing 18oz since the last weigh in!! He's now 3 weeks old and 9lbs 5oz 1/2!!
Considering all our issues of the initial weeks we think that's pretty good going!!
He's not fitting in some newborn vests and sleepsuits now!! He's growing up too fast!! :(
Little man that he is!!
Considering all our issues of the initial weeks we think that's pretty good going!!
He's not fitting in some newborn vests and sleepsuits now!! He's growing up too fast!! :(
Little man that he is!!
Thursday, 12 May 2011
What To Wear...
Is a question that was driving me crazy every morning....
My old clothes don't fit. :(
My maternity clothes are now too big :(
My wardrobe was quite, quite bare.
I now have giant boobs and a rounded tum, and with my legs back to normal I look like an apple on little sticks!! But being able to dress nicely would help my mood of a morning, and I was a bit down about wearing Sarah's old jogging bottoms and the same top pretty much day in day out for the past week.
So an emergency shop was scheduled and having fed and settled Joel (on the changing mat on the dining table of all places - he likes it - honest!) Mum and I made a mad dash for the New Look store (as it's cheap and cheerful). (Please don't judge me for leaving Joel, I felt awful but trust my Dad implicitly!!)
I ran in, grabbed a maxi skirt, three tops and four cheap vests and decided it was worth trying on a 14 and a 16 for the skirt (the 16 won 'sad face') and paid and we were home again within half an hour and he was still fast asleep on the dining table. (Joel that is, not my Dad!!)
I went and had a nap as well as was weary and then changed into a top, vest and the skirt for dinner and felt so much better.
Yes, so I won't be back in my size 12 jeans anytime soon but I was expecting that. I just needed something nice to wear in a larger size that made me feel better about myself.
And then Steve came round for dinner (he's always had strange names for my clothes, a pink striped dress he said I looked like a lollipop and a colourful dress was my parrot dress!) and he complimented me on looking beautiful in my 'old timey outfit'!!! Oh well, I'm sure he does mean these things as compliments somehow!!
I'm just looking forward to building up my fitness again once I'm signed off after 6 weeks at the doctors and can start a bit of an exercise regime! Well, walking with the pram every day at least! Diets I've never really bothered with and won't likely be able to keep up as I enjoy food too much, but I enjoy food in moderation which is the healthy way to do so!!
So for now I'm a 16 but give me time and I'll work the extra pounds off a sensible way. I've already lost 2 stones from my pregancy weight (granted that's mainly baby, water and placenta etc.... but it's all good!)
My old clothes don't fit. :(
My maternity clothes are now too big :(
My wardrobe was quite, quite bare.
I now have giant boobs and a rounded tum, and with my legs back to normal I look like an apple on little sticks!! But being able to dress nicely would help my mood of a morning, and I was a bit down about wearing Sarah's old jogging bottoms and the same top pretty much day in day out for the past week.
So an emergency shop was scheduled and having fed and settled Joel (on the changing mat on the dining table of all places - he likes it - honest!) Mum and I made a mad dash for the New Look store (as it's cheap and cheerful). (Please don't judge me for leaving Joel, I felt awful but trust my Dad implicitly!!)
I ran in, grabbed a maxi skirt, three tops and four cheap vests and decided it was worth trying on a 14 and a 16 for the skirt (the 16 won 'sad face') and paid and we were home again within half an hour and he was still fast asleep on the dining table. (Joel that is, not my Dad!!)
I went and had a nap as well as was weary and then changed into a top, vest and the skirt for dinner and felt so much better.
Yes, so I won't be back in my size 12 jeans anytime soon but I was expecting that. I just needed something nice to wear in a larger size that made me feel better about myself.
And then Steve came round for dinner (he's always had strange names for my clothes, a pink striped dress he said I looked like a lollipop and a colourful dress was my parrot dress!) and he complimented me on looking beautiful in my 'old timey outfit'!!! Oh well, I'm sure he does mean these things as compliments somehow!!
I'm just looking forward to building up my fitness again once I'm signed off after 6 weeks at the doctors and can start a bit of an exercise regime! Well, walking with the pram every day at least! Diets I've never really bothered with and won't likely be able to keep up as I enjoy food too much, but I enjoy food in moderation which is the healthy way to do so!!
So for now I'm a 16 but give me time and I'll work the extra pounds off a sensible way. I've already lost 2 stones from my pregancy weight (granted that's mainly baby, water and placenta etc.... but it's all good!)
Wednesday, 11 May 2011
The Tongue Tie Day
Having checked all the details (postcode, department area, time to be there etc...) we decided Dad could drive both Steve and I as the note said to leave 1/2 hr to find parking and Dad could just come back for us at a moment's notice which would alleviate any stress in that area!!
So off we went, Joel slept all the way there in his car seat (this was his longest journey yet!) and we found our way to the Childrens outpatient ward were another girl and her mum were sat with a baby of a similar age. Turns out they were there for the tongue tie procedure as well! At the same time! It seems that the midwife had double booked herself and thought she'd re-arranged us for 1pm!!! I showed her the email that she'd sent me to say 3pm as I'd have been there bang on 1pm had we been informed!
Anyway, she didn't seem to mind too much and after asking us some general questions she asked Steve whether he'd like to hold Joel whilst the cut was made. He went a bit pale and said he felt it was something a health professional would be better doing!! She asked if I wanted to and I was feeling a bit emotional and said I didn't want to be a wimp but I wasn't sure I'd be ok to do it, so a nurse came in.
She held Joel and the Midwife (Jenny) bent over him and it was all very quick, I heard a snip snip and a 'waaaah' which wasn't a normal cry, it was a pained and bewildered cry and she handed him over to me dabbing inside his mouth where I could see a little well of blood emerging.
I then had to pop a boob out and get him to latch on and straight away I could see his jaw dropping a lot more than it ever had before. He was obviously able to get much longer sucks out now whereas as before he was just getting a little and taking ages to take his fill. I hadn't realised what a difference it would/could make!
It was a bit gross though as I could see his milk dribbles were pink having mixed with his blood but it didn't bleed for very long and we transferred into a breastfeeding room so he could finish his mid afternoon snack!! (He had been asleep for a good couple of hours so was a hungry boy!)
We then drove home and he whimpered once on the journey but slept the rest of the way like a good baby and has been fine since.
We've seen the tongue coming in and out a lot! It's like he's learning he can do more with it now and it must have been quite restricted before.
I'm going to try and get to a breastfeeding class in town on Tuesday to enquire about his latch. I feel that sometimes he's struggling now and especially on my right breast, that one seems to hurt quite a bit after a feed and gets very twingy so it'd be good to see a breastfeeding support worker again. I really want to give it a good go and there's so much support available it's silly to not approach it.
So that's that. He just has a white ulcer looking thing under his tongue now which will heal away shortly and he's none the wiser, just a lot freer to feed properly so lets hope we see a difference very soon! :)
So off we went, Joel slept all the way there in his car seat (this was his longest journey yet!) and we found our way to the Childrens outpatient ward were another girl and her mum were sat with a baby of a similar age. Turns out they were there for the tongue tie procedure as well! At the same time! It seems that the midwife had double booked herself and thought she'd re-arranged us for 1pm!!! I showed her the email that she'd sent me to say 3pm as I'd have been there bang on 1pm had we been informed!
Anyway, she didn't seem to mind too much and after asking us some general questions she asked Steve whether he'd like to hold Joel whilst the cut was made. He went a bit pale and said he felt it was something a health professional would be better doing!! She asked if I wanted to and I was feeling a bit emotional and said I didn't want to be a wimp but I wasn't sure I'd be ok to do it, so a nurse came in.
She held Joel and the Midwife (Jenny) bent over him and it was all very quick, I heard a snip snip and a 'waaaah' which wasn't a normal cry, it was a pained and bewildered cry and she handed him over to me dabbing inside his mouth where I could see a little well of blood emerging.
I then had to pop a boob out and get him to latch on and straight away I could see his jaw dropping a lot more than it ever had before. He was obviously able to get much longer sucks out now whereas as before he was just getting a little and taking ages to take his fill. I hadn't realised what a difference it would/could make!
It was a bit gross though as I could see his milk dribbles were pink having mixed with his blood but it didn't bleed for very long and we transferred into a breastfeeding room so he could finish his mid afternoon snack!! (He had been asleep for a good couple of hours so was a hungry boy!)
We then drove home and he whimpered once on the journey but slept the rest of the way like a good baby and has been fine since.
We've seen the tongue coming in and out a lot! It's like he's learning he can do more with it now and it must have been quite restricted before.
I'm going to try and get to a breastfeeding class in town on Tuesday to enquire about his latch. I feel that sometimes he's struggling now and especially on my right breast, that one seems to hurt quite a bit after a feed and gets very twingy so it'd be good to see a breastfeeding support worker again. I really want to give it a good go and there's so much support available it's silly to not approach it.
So that's that. He just has a white ulcer looking thing under his tongue now which will heal away shortly and he's none the wiser, just a lot freer to feed properly so lets hope we see a difference very soon! :)
Tuesday, 10 May 2011
Boobies
This post isn't meant to offend. I know some people feel that boobs are not for discussion and pictures, well, how shocking! But when you're breastfeeding there's nothing remotely sexual about them whatsoever. They are the nourishment for your baby. It's a very natural thing and God given so if the following pictures are likely to offend please don't read on.
However for those folk who find breast feeding a beautiful and natural thing to do, hopefully you'll understand the charm that the little baby latched has for a mother. Looking down at the little face, with hands holding you, gaining sustenance and at peace with the world, it's like no other feeling in the world. I love being able to cradle him in my arms and have these precious moments with him.
I didn't think I would, but I'm loving it. Yes it's painful, yes my nipples have been sore as anything but I've got such determination that this is what I want to do I'm breaking through and things are starting to get better. I'm not blistering as much and it's easier every day and once his tongue tie is sorted I'm hoping that'll be a break through!!
So these are my pics which are the intimate moments between a mother and baby and make my heart melt!...
However for those folk who find breast feeding a beautiful and natural thing to do, hopefully you'll understand the charm that the little baby latched has for a mother. Looking down at the little face, with hands holding you, gaining sustenance and at peace with the world, it's like no other feeling in the world. I love being able to cradle him in my arms and have these precious moments with him.
I didn't think I would, but I'm loving it. Yes it's painful, yes my nipples have been sore as anything but I've got such determination that this is what I want to do I'm breaking through and things are starting to get better. I'm not blistering as much and it's easier every day and once his tongue tie is sorted I'm hoping that'll be a break through!!
So these are my pics which are the intimate moments between a mother and baby and make my heart melt!...
Monday, 9 May 2011
A Little Round Up...
I'm writing this from my parent's house as I'm here for a couple of days to rest up. I wasn't able to fully rest at home and my c-section wound has got infected. Saturday was a blue day as it was sore and i was back to the emergency doctor's. He said that i f I'd left it until Monday it'd be much worse but I was still gutted as I've showered and carefully cleaned and dried it daily and can only assume I've over exerted myself, rubbed it on a pair of trousers or the heat and humidity we've had hasn't helped.
At home its too easy to forget that you've had an operation and take longer to heal than a regular birth. There was always too much to do and Steve being busy with work didn't have time to prepare all the meals or do the washing or all the household things that need to be done so In was doing a lot of that in between looking after Joel in a sleep deprived state and irs too much and as a result I'm feeling more tired than before and am realising to look after Joel well I have to be fit and thus am back at the parents for proper nursing.
The mastitis I've managed to keep at bay with massage, hot showers and expressing so it was a blow to know that Joel will have a funny tummy for yet another week.
Steve's parents have been up again for the weekend and enjoyed Joel cuddles. \He's having more 'awake and alert' time every day and he's changed so much in the last two weeks that they've seen him.
Joel did make it to Church yesterday! We didn't go to the service, just the lunch afterwards and it felt good to see my friends and be in a different place. I tired out pretty quickly though so was home again within a couple of hours.
Joel is such a contented baby most of the time. He seems to cry when he's frustrated over the simple checklist - hungry? nappy? sleepy? or windy? So if he does cry we run through the list (although hungry does come last as he'll always eat and if it was nappy that was the issue it's best to sort that first as he takes such a long time over it!!) And most of the time he just sleeps, eats and gazes.
He focuses on dark objects, we have a black photo frame on a cream wall and he looks at it for a long while, and our mirror is silver and he enjoys gazing at that as well. Oh, and the light, he'll look towards our south facing window with dark purple curtains too.
He will look at our faces and study them intently. If we stick our tongue out at him, he will stick his back out at us in reply! We are practising using his hand grip, so when we put a finger into his little hand, his fingers grip around ours quite tightly.
We met the health visitor last week and he had his hearing checked and all is ok there. She's coming again on Thursday to weigh him and check him over after his tongue tie procedure which is Wednesday. I'm not looking forward to that whatsoever, but it has to be done for his own benefit in the long run but to see my baby hurting will be rather agonising I'm sure.
But I'm sure it will all be well and next week he'll have no anti-biotics in his system, his toungue will be free and we'll see what will happen. If he just feeds and sleeps and is fuller and feeds for less time, he'll be a perfect baby! To be honest, he's perfect to me regardless! I even don't mind that he peed all over my hands last night when changing his nappy at 2.30am!!
Here's some pics downloaded form my camera...
Anyway, it's a sunny day today, Joel is being pushed around by Grandad and Grandma is out buying more nipple cream for me! Elizabeth (a friend from church and antenatal classes) is called round shortly with Trudy (who was due after Joel but arrived first!!) so it'll be lovely for them to meet!
At home its too easy to forget that you've had an operation and take longer to heal than a regular birth. There was always too much to do and Steve being busy with work didn't have time to prepare all the meals or do the washing or all the household things that need to be done so In was doing a lot of that in between looking after Joel in a sleep deprived state and irs too much and as a result I'm feeling more tired than before and am realising to look after Joel well I have to be fit and thus am back at the parents for proper nursing.
The mastitis I've managed to keep at bay with massage, hot showers and expressing so it was a blow to know that Joel will have a funny tummy for yet another week.
Steve's parents have been up again for the weekend and enjoyed Joel cuddles. \He's having more 'awake and alert' time every day and he's changed so much in the last two weeks that they've seen him.
Joel did make it to Church yesterday! We didn't go to the service, just the lunch afterwards and it felt good to see my friends and be in a different place. I tired out pretty quickly though so was home again within a couple of hours.
Joel is such a contented baby most of the time. He seems to cry when he's frustrated over the simple checklist - hungry? nappy? sleepy? or windy? So if he does cry we run through the list (although hungry does come last as he'll always eat and if it was nappy that was the issue it's best to sort that first as he takes such a long time over it!!) And most of the time he just sleeps, eats and gazes.
He focuses on dark objects, we have a black photo frame on a cream wall and he looks at it for a long while, and our mirror is silver and he enjoys gazing at that as well. Oh, and the light, he'll look towards our south facing window with dark purple curtains too.
He will look at our faces and study them intently. If we stick our tongue out at him, he will stick his back out at us in reply! We are practising using his hand grip, so when we put a finger into his little hand, his fingers grip around ours quite tightly.
We met the health visitor last week and he had his hearing checked and all is ok there. She's coming again on Thursday to weigh him and check him over after his tongue tie procedure which is Wednesday. I'm not looking forward to that whatsoever, but it has to be done for his own benefit in the long run but to see my baby hurting will be rather agonising I'm sure.
But I'm sure it will all be well and next week he'll have no anti-biotics in his system, his toungue will be free and we'll see what will happen. If he just feeds and sleeps and is fuller and feeds for less time, he'll be a perfect baby! To be honest, he's perfect to me regardless! I even don't mind that he peed all over my hands last night when changing his nappy at 2.30am!!
Here's some pics downloaded form my camera...
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