Questions from a First Time Mother
(Yes, I know I owe you a birth story - I haven't forgotten)
1. Why do I get peed on during diaper changes and Petey doesn't? Is this some sort of initiation?
2. Why does my other breast spew (not leak) milk when one is being nursed on? I had to change my shirt in the middle of the night because I soaked it on one side.
3. Why does the dog decide to shed his entire coat once the baby is here? I've already vaccummed twice since being home Friday. (that's our secret - I'm not supposed to vaccum)
4. Why is it so hard to wake a sleepy baby attached to your chest? The baby is screaming his head off for food but passes out after 5 minutes. And then is hungry again an hour later. Ugh.
5. When am I going to learn "Sleep when the baby sleeps?"
Any help is appreciated. I'm working on my white surrender flag right now.
posted by AHendricks at 6:34 AM
2 Comments:
awe! poor alicia!
before long you'll learn to dart the automatic sprinklers ;-P Luckily Mason always seem to hit the wall and not me! lol
cant help ya with the nursing thing, but i know nursing pads are a great thing!
for a new born baby who's been in your belly for 9 months, the most comforting spot is next to you, so naturally they fall asleep! after about a week or 2 they kinda wake up more and will stay awake longer for a feeding instead of falling asleep right away! just take everyday day by day! it goes with the resting also- i just learned if i felt tired, it was time to lay down! i remember having to alter my sleep schedule for Mason. there was a period there that we were sleeping from 5 am to 1 pm! LOL luckily now its changed!!
I think i am going to come and see you next tuesday- but i'll email you soon! :)
Take it EASY!!!!!!! and just enjoy that baby ;)
10:34 AM
Answers from a Fourth Time Mother:
1. Keep a washcloth or burpcloth handy and toss it on top of his goods after you take the diaper off. Remove it as you're fastening the new diaper.
2. Your non-nursed breast spews b/c your milk supply hasn't evened out yet. It takes about 3 weeks to get it established to where it knows that GT doesn't need 10 gallons of milk per day. ;-) The spewing doesn't last forever. It'll get better. The middle of the night spews are the worst b/c the pads have shifted or fallen out and then it's Niagara Falls. Keep a towel handy for the next couple of weeks. You can also apply pressure with your free hand (if you have one - or better yet, wake up Petey), during let down. This will help with the spewing.
3. The dog is shedding b/c he wants attention, too. Maybe G'ma or G'pa would like to puppy sit for a week or two. :-)
4. Ahhh...GT must have the "drunken sailor" look after a few minutes of nursing. That means he loves it soooo much! You're doing a great job, Mom. But you're right that he needs to finish the feed completely. He's only getting his thirst quenched with the foremilk. He needs to quench his appetite, too, with the hindmilk. It's the fatty part of the milk that'll fill him up for 2 to 3 hours, not just 1 hour. He's just still in that sleepy newborn stage, so you'll need to do whatever you have to do to keep him awake while nursing. Unlatch and re-attach (OUCHIE!!!), undress him, rub him down gently with a wet washcloth, thump his feet, etc... Try as hard as you can to get him to nurse for at least 15 minutes in order for him to get that hindmilk.
5. I never learned to sleep when the baby sleeps. It's too hard for us left brained individuals.
Hope this helps! Feel free to call or email me at any time! I LOVE BABIES AND THE NEWBORN STAGE. :-) XOXO!!! You're doing great, no matter how you feel. :-)
11:10 AM
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