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What To Expect From Your Body the Next Few Weeks
- Not much! (Lorissa)
- Baby blues and depression (no fun at all), cramping, fatigue, raging hormones. Your body is full of adjustments. (mama2miracles)
- Baby sleeps a lot. SLEEP when they do! (tntbritt)
- You will be able to sleep on your stomach finally =) You will be sore and tired a lot, so take some time to be alone if you can. It's important not to get overworked, because that can happen so easy, and you wouldn't even know it. (SnoepjesGirl)
- I bled for 8 weeks afterwards. Wore my maternity clothes for quite a while too...don't remember exactly how long though!
- Bleeding, and some discomfort (from tears, stitches etc.) Your breasts may be painful as well. Expect to be weepy- your hormones are in an uproar and you have many new things to get used to! (Jenn33199)
- It takes time to heal. The more you try and do the more you will bleed, so rest, eat and relax. Nurse frequently to avoid engorgement once your milk comes in. Stay in bed for the first few days, then move to the couch. Remember you aren't supposed to drive for 2 weeks so make preparations for this. If anything hurts, smells weird or you start bleeding heavy, call your doctor. (bjs34)
- Lots of leaking fluids! Breasts are like faucets, and still lots of bleeding from the birth. (karzandi)
Nursing
Related Board: [Breastfeeding]
- Baby eats a lot and frequently. As long as baby has 8-10 wets and 1-2 "poops" a day and gains weight she is getting enough to eat. Cabbage leaves really work for engorged breasts. Let your nipples air dry after nursing to avoid chapping. Your milk supply will eventually adjust itself, but it may take a few weeks of overproduction . Get breast pads. Call LaLeche if you have ??? They are very nice and helpful. Breastfeeding is much easier, especially at 2. am than preparing a bottle. I breast fed because I am lazy :) Expressed milk will give dad a chance to feed the baby too. (bugs9701)
- Don't be hard on yourself if you have problems. I was SO set on nursing that I didn't even have bottles in the house. Then when I had problems, I completely fell apart and I let people convince me that I had "failed" my baby by not being able to nurse like THEY thought I should. Do what YOU feel comfortable with and what is right for you and your baby. That's what's important. Oh and packages of frozen peas and corn work well to "numb" sore nipples before a feeding. (cjinfla)
- Stick with it, hard at first but worth it, I did it for 2 years. (Mom_2_Jax)
- Get help even if you think it's all good - always reassuring to have a veteran' confirm! (Lorissa)
- No matter what, give it 8 weeks! No supplements or anything...just 8 weeks. Breastfeeding is fantastic, but it takes between 4 and 8 weeks for both Mom and baby to learn. Get in contact with LLL before baby is born. Get a copy of "The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding". Get support! Find a breastfeeding friendly Pediatrician. Learn all you can before baby is born and keep going those first few weeks. It is hard, but so worth it. After those first few weeks it is incredible. I am still nursing my 2 year old. I can't imagine having done this any other way. We traveled between Utah and Colorado 4 times when he was 7 months old. I can't even imagine having to fuss with bottles all those hours in the car. (mama2miracles)
- Buy and use Lansinoh! (sp?). It's a lotion you use on your nips to relieve dryness and cracking. Also use sport bras not nursing bras (see above). For weaning to a bottle, my DD would not take a bottle after months of nursing. I began offering a bottle after she nursed and was full and content. She got used to it and accepted it when it wasn't taking the place of what she wanted. After a few days, she would take it for a feeding.
- LOOK OUT HERE COMES THE MILK! (tntbritt)
- Expect sore breasts, contraction like pains, but after awhile, it will be a wonderful experience (SnoepjesGirl)
- If you can, do it. There is no greater experience. It can be hard at first, but just like anything else if you hang in there it works out. And don't be so quick to quit, give it a chance there is support out there. (iluvmaria)
- Some hospitals are not good at encouraging nursing without
supplementing. Contact your local le lache league before having your baby and they will be able to help prepare you for the beginning of nursing. Believe me when I say that nursing is an art that takes a little time to learn. However, it is well worth the first few weeks or hassle. (cicsokids)
- Try to get your baby on some sort of schedule, that way you
can keep your sanity and don't feel like your constantly attached by the boob!
- Don�t be afraid to call LLL or your hospital for help! My hospital had a lactation consultant who visited while we were in the hospital to make sure we were positioning correctly etc. USE lansinoh- I had no idea that my breasts could hurt so much. I don�t think they are supposed to if you do everything correctly- but mine did! (Jenn33199)
- It takes time to learn the best routine for you and your baby. Take a class before birth and talk with a lactation consultant in the hospital. Make sure your baby is latching on correctly and you feel comfortable before you leave the hospital. Let the baby nurse on each breast for as long as he/she wants to. Don't switch breasts every 10 minutes or the baby will not get the richer hind milk and you could get sore nipples. If you are unsure about whether or not to breastfeed, please give it a try. You can always stop if it is not for you, but you will never know if you wait. Then it will be too late. (bjs34)
- Definitely give it a try if you can! I loved nursing our son -
nursed until he was 20 months old. (karzandi)
- Breastfeeding is what moms and babies were designed for... it is the normal way to feed a baby. Formula feeding has medical, emotional, and economic drawbacks, so breastfeeding is the way to go. Nonetheless, learning to breastfeed can be hard... much to my surprise, my son and I did not establish a successful nursing relationship until he was almost 3 weeks old. Contact LLLI [http://www.lalecheleague.org/] for support and don't give up before the baby is two months old! If adoptive mothers can breastfeed (which they can) that almost every natural mother can breastfeed (unless serious medical reasons interfere)! (testami)
Formula Feeding
Related Board: [Bottlefeeding]
- Formula should be about your skin temperature. Don't burn the babys mouth! (bugs9701)
- This is a great way for everyone to share in feeding and preparing bottles (SnoepjesGirl)
- I nursed for as long as I could, was hoping for a year, but
decided after 6 months to switch to formula. My son wasn't
thriving on my milk supply.
- Both my girls were formula fed after I stopped breastfeeding.
Remember to NEVER heat your bottles in the microwave- they heat unevenly and could burn your baby�s mouth. Don�t feel like a �failure� if you end up feeding with formula. I do believe that breast is best, but if you are NOT able to breastfeed, or if you end up just being unable to cope with it, remember that a happy mommy is very important to baby�s health as well. (Jenn33199)
- Stick with Enfamil or Similac. Cheaper brands can give babies alot of gas and the proteins don't break down as well. Tell you
doctor of any bowel movement changes( mucous, constipation) because these can signal an allergy to milk, or too much iron. At the
feeding, still have skin to skin contact anyway. This is much more comforting to your baby and makes the feeding more special. (bjs34)
What Your Baby Will Be Doing
- Eating, sleeping, pooping, crying. You will find this fascinating (bugs9701)
- Hopefully sleeping - eating & snuggling (Lorissa)
- Sleeping, crying, eating and eating, and wanting to be held. (mama2miracles)
- Sleeping a lot, crying a lot...pooping a lot. (SnoepjesGirl)
- Sleeping, eating, pooping (iluvmaria)
- The sooner he/she learns to fall asleep on their own...the better for you! I didn't realize this. He didn't sleep much at all the first 2-3 months. Finally the doctor told me he had to learn to fall asleep by himself. It took a couple days of letting him cry a few minutes after putting him down while he was awake, but since then he's been an awesome sleeper!
- Sleeping, eating, crying and pooping! That's basically it for the first month. Then they begin to smile(your heart will melt!), coo, and do more. They love to be spoken to and loved. You CANNOT spoil a newborn baby. Hold it often, go to it immediately when
it cries, and just do what your heart tells you to do. (bjs34)
- Sleeping, eating, pooping, and melting your heart!!! (karzandi)
General Advice
- Relax. You will be a great mom! Trust your DH to take care of the baby for at least 1/2 an hour each day to give you some downtime. Don't be afraid to take the baby out. Don't overdress the baby (they need just 1 more layer than you have plus a hat. Don�t forget the hat! When someone says "let me know if I can do anything" put them to work! Send them to the store, have them wash dishes, whatever. Take advantage of it. Remember when we became teenagers and knew everything and our old-fashioned mothers knew nothing? All of a sudden your mothers get really smart again! (bugs9701)
- Take all the help you can get. If someone says: Let me know what I can do to help. Don't hesitate to ask them: can you switch my clothes in the washer? Could you possibly load my dishwasher? I need a few things from the store. Let other people help you. Your goal the first 2 weeks is getting to know your baby and getting as much rest as you can. SO who cares if the house is not perfect, that laundry never got folded or you are eating takeout. Those first few weeks go by so fast and you can never live them again, so let others help you with the mundane stuff like chores and you enjoy and get to know your baby. The best thing my mom did for me was hire me a maid for a day. She came in and cleaned and changed the beds and did laundry and even made me lunch! It was WONDERFUL and better than any other gift I got and my mom said it wasn't even very expensive. The best piece of advice I got when my daughter was born was this: "there are 2 things you should be doing when your baby is sleeping. 1. sleeping yourself and 2. spending time with your husband (having sex when the dr. says its ok). Because you need the rest and you need to make sure the ties of the marriage stay strong." It is SO true! (cjinfla)
- I had a very difficult labor and my first child spent a week in NICU. I was so worried about being separated so early, that we would never bond, but that wasn't a problem. Also about labor, I was in labor, contractions 5 mins apart for 4 days, the hospital kept sending me home b/c I wasn't dilated, turns out I never did, had to be inducted etc, but those 4 days were miserable and my daughter had meconimum and seizures from such a long labor. My advice is if you thing something is wrong - put your foot down and demand to see a doctor, it is hard when it is your first and you don't know what to expect, but do it. (Mom_2_Jax)
- It's alright to feel out of whack - spend sometime with yourself. (Lorissa)
- Hold your baby! This time goes way too fast. (mama2miracles)
- Don't let anything or anyone overwhelm you...enjoy your new family, because they all grow up very fast, before you know it =) (SnoepjesGirl)
- Enjoy your child. People told me I held my daughter too much but I don't think you can ever give your child too much attention. They are only that little for so long and soon they won't want to be held so take advantage of it now. (iluvmaria)
- Don't overwork yourself. You need rest, your baby needs rest. Make your husband do all the work for a week or so after getting home from the hospital!!!
- Enjoy your baby as much as possible. If need be, let the housework and laundry slide- it will always be there, but your baby will only be this brand new for a short time. Take any and all offers of help from friends and neighbors- and SLEEP as much as you can! (Jenn33199)
- Do what is best for your family. People mean well by giving advise, but all you can do is make the best informed decisions for
you and your baby. You have to live with each other, not anyone else. Relax, enjoy, and treasure every moment because it goes
by so quickly. Before you know it you will be having a first birth day party and your baby will be a toddler. Every year they need you a little less so be happy to be number 1 right now! (bjs34)
- Respond to your baby. Don't ever let a baby cry-it-out (unless you are danger of hurting the bay to stop the crying)! You and your baby have much to teach each other. Responsive parenting is the basis of emotionally secure children (again, I just wrote a thesis on this, the research is very clear) and emotional security in childhood is the basis of adult success. You will have to put your own needs second for a while, but it is well worth it! (testami)
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