lactation consult

so breastfeeding has been going very well- the first day or so, getting her to latch on was almost impossible- i didn't know what i was doing & neither did she- but eventually we got it. we also used the bottle a few times.

after that, my milk has been INSANE! it came in on Monday morning & since then i am able to feed her MORE than enough and also bank close to a gallon of milk in the freezer....yes, almost a GALLON now! it boggles my mind that all that milk comes out of ME! nuts.

anyway- all was well except for my nipples. mainly my left one- the poor thing was so sore & tender & mangled. i mean, she would latch on & i would hold my breath & curl my toes for a good minute waiting for the pain to pass. it was aaaaweful. pumping wasn't bad, but she's a vicious latcher & it killed me every time.

so i talked to a nurse at the hospital who suggested that i ask my OB for a Triple Nipple Compound prescription. i guess this stuff is like gold for the nips. i also scheduled an appt with a Lactation Consultant.

i saw her on Fri and it was aaawesome! she watched Alex feed and said that her latch is "adequate"- this is because alex REFUSES to open too wide to latch on- but it's not bad enough that she'll destroy the nips- whew. she is, however, an AWESOME feeder with a very strong suck. the LC weighed her before & after a 10 min feeding and she gained 3 oz! she was very impressed & pleased. she said my milk supply is great & alex feeds awesome. however when she caught site of my poor left nip she looked pained- she suggested the Triple Nipple Compound as well & was quite happy to hear that i had already put in a request. YAY! she said that within 24 hours of using it, my poor nips will feel MUCH better. in the meantime she suggested that i give the left boob a break & simply pump from that side. since my right boob is pretty much fine, i've just been feeding alex on that side & pumping from both. whew!

she also said that there is NOTHING wrong with bottle & breastfeeding. it's ok to give the girls a break & feed her via bottle 1-2 times a day. fortunately, alex take the bottle & the boob just fine so that pleases me.

she also watch me pump for a minute & we determined that the 24mm soft breast flange was a TAD to small so i went & picked up some 27mm and i must say, even thought they're not soft cupped- they feel MUCH better.

so all in all, all is well! i can pump, feed & etc etc etc. i picked up the TNC (prescription) today and applied it after i fed/pumped. i'm going to give the left nip another day or so before i let Alex back at it- it should be pretty healed up by then.


so yeah! i HIGHLY suggest seeing an LC if you're having ANY problems/concerns with/about breastfeeding. they are so helpful & awesome!

one week old!

miss alex is 1 week old today! whew! time flies!


she's so freaking cute- gaaaah!!!


me on the other hand....yikes. i look rough.

AW'ing my breastmilk stash :)

and i know i like to see these:

1 week post partum. i think i'm going to get a Belly Bandit today to help tightn things up (hopefully)

i have more info, updates, etc- but i have to go. i'll finish later!

birth story

after my 41 week 1 day appt on wed 23rd my OB decided that i def had progressed some- i think i was at a 2 or something- anyways, so she said i could wait until 42 weeks (um, i think not)or i could come in the next day for an induction (sounds like a plan)

so on thurs 24th @ 41 weeks 2 days i checked into the hospital @ 7:30am. after the nurse butchered my hands (for the IV) they started me on pitocin at 8:30am (after doing another internal)- they upped my dose every 30 min & monitored me for 20-30 min stretches. when i wasn't being monitored i was walking around to keep things "moving"

i had very managable contractions after a few hours on the pitocin & when my OB checked me around 2ish she said i was at 4cm and my cervix was very thinned out and etc etc. wonderful! she offered the epidural then but i held off because i really wasn't in any pain.

well about 2 hours later i was at 5 1/2 cm & the contractions were starting to hurt quite a bit so i decided to get the epidural while i could still sit still. after 2 tries (and a few tears) the epidural was in and they started the medicine...oh my GOD! i don't know how women go without it- God bless them! that stuff is GOLD!

anyway- so that was around 4:30ish and i sat in bed & labored away. it was so nice not to be in pain- the only thing i could complain about was the fact that i was STARVING!!! it eventually made me pretty nauseous so they gave me some zofran. wonderful!

my OB broke my water around 6:30ish and that seemed to get things moving even more.
i napped a bit & around 10:15ish she checked me again & said i was completely dialated and ready. she gave me about 30 min to "get ready" (ie: empty my bladder with the help of a catheter) and i started pushing- after 45 min, out she came! it was so...awesome/weird/surreal. i got to watch with the mirror and the husband got to hold my leg & watch as well.

alexis praise came out screaming at 11:22pm at a hefty 8lbs 3oz & 21 1/2in long- and that was AFTER she had pooped 3 times! they put her on my chest as they cleaned her up a bit & i started bawling. she was so perfect. ::squee::

seriously- TONS of hair and long, long fingers & toes. her hair was the talk of the ward ;)

anywho- after a bit the husband cut the cord & they took her off to do their thing. i delivered the placenta & my OB took a look. at first she thought there were no tears but then she found a small one & i got 2 stiches. i had some "vaginal abrasions" but otherwise i was good to go.
after she was done the nurse cathed me again & got me cleaned up. i couldn't walk yet so she wheeled me to the nursery to take a look- alex was pinking up nicely & sound asleep. so they wheeled me to my room and showed me how to take care of "things" down there.

they brought her in about an hour later and showed me how to nurse- she's not so great at latching on and she's a bit of a lazy eater so it was interesting. eventually she did eat & continued to do so until we left the hospital on sat.

we're home now & while the first night was HELL, last night was much better (thank you sleep incliner & swaddle me blanket)

my milk came in this morning around 4:30am (ouch & wet) but she still won't latch on & stay- so i pumped this morning & it was sweet relief! i also fed her with a bottle & i could have cried because the poor thing finally got some food in her. yay!

so that's that! probably more info than you want or need but hey :)
i'd do it all again in a heartbeat- OH, and take EVERYTHING the hospital provides. those mesh undies, pads, tucks, dermoplast are freaking heaven!!!

and here's my little lady:

i'm so in love. freaking crazy!

induction scheduled

41 weeks 1 day = 3cm dialated! it also = a happy/healthy/huge (8+ lb) baby. good God.
so i'm set to be induced tomorrow @ 7:30am. so hopefully alex will be here sometime tomorrow- and by friday at the latest!

yay!!! i'll be sure to update as soon as everything goes down.

i must say i'm a bit scared-i had a very quick internal today and it killed- ummm, how the hell am i going to labor?! aaaaiiieeee!

freezer meals/puppies

this is how cessna rolls while "watching" football:


heh- she's adorable.

and here is what i have so far:

shepard's pie, macaroni & cheese & cheesy cous cous with chicken. nom

aaaaand WAY to many chocolate chip cookies.

i'm trying to figure out what else to make- i'm so freaking BORED so all i can do is cook/bake/cook/bake otherwise i'll just spend money. i'm trying to avoid that.

41 weeks

as you can see- she's still pretty high. i mean, i don't see much droppage at ALL! giiiiiirl!

i also "touched" up these photos to save you all the horror of my stretch marks. you're welcome!

i have an appt tomorrow (NST & an U/S) and we'll go from there to see when we get to meet miss Alex....i'm getting soooo ancy now! my co-worker (who was due a month after me) had her baby today. wtf?! jealous!!!!

status report

ZERO DIALATION!!!! ZERO ANYTHING!!!!

that's what's going on down under. i must admit, i'm really bummed. i don't think i realized how ready i was until the chance that something might be going on was taken away. ugh.

my internal exam wasn't terrible- but it wasn't pleasant either, i mean seriously, it felt like he was trying to reach my tonsils. at one point i literally screamed out DAMNIT!!!! and he apologized profusely, however, it could have been worse. it was mainly very, very uncomfortable.

anyways- he informed me that my cervix is nice & soft, but my inner cervix is like a fortress. like, he couldn't get his finger in there at all. closed up tight. like fort knox. gaaaaah.

so- he instructed me to come in next tues (9/22) for an NST & Ultrasound. so i go to schedule and guess what? they have nothing avail on tues. and i almost lose it. like, i had to take a minute to compose myself before i could speak to the checkout girl. a tear did manage to escape but i hid it well.

so- i have to go to the hospital on wed instead for the U/S an then to the office for the NST. freaking great.
i get my paperwork- walk out the door & start BAWLING! like, wtf?! i was just so bummmmmed. mainly because my OB said if everything looks good next week then they might not even try to take her until the following week...WHAT!? NO! i CANNOT wait that long!!!! argh.

so i cried myself home and decided i just need to suck it up. it's not like i can do anything, you know? and it really doesn't matter as long as she's ok- but i also worry about that. how long can she possibly be ok in there?! gosh.
i have to laugh too because i guess after an internal "normal" women are supposed to have a bloody show of sorts- yeah, not here! i had some weird "stuff" make an exit but no cramping or anything. aaawesome.

ah well- at least i found these ADORABLE doxie pieces at Gymboree this afternoon- on sale too!

::squee:: right? i'm pumped!

so that's that. at least i decided to be "done" with work- i can only imagine people's faces if i were to show up. meh.