Strong let-down & oversupply...pumping and such

   

I have finally figured out how to manage my supply. As I have said in a previous post, I was having issues with Micah choking and becoming increasingly frustrated when breastfeeding. I didn't know what to do. I spoke to several lactation consultants, who said different things: Try putting frozen veggies on your breast before nursing, pump a little before (which doesn't help matters in the long run), try elevating his head, try laying down and having him turn to the side so the milk can dribble out of his mouth when needed, etc. None of those things helped! 

So I read several online articles and decided to try to block feed to lessen my supply since I am a stay-at-home-mom and do not need to build it. 

First, I would nurse only on one side for two feedings in a row. I did this for a few days, and then I switched to nursing on one side only for a feeding, and then switching to the next side for the next feeding. I have been doing this for a month and a half now, and Micah hasn't been stressing out and choking for a few weeks! I feel so much better doing the block feeding. With that said, he only nurses for about 10 minutes. I have learned from doing research, that not all people can be classified into one category when it comes to breastfeeding.

When Micah was born, I would drive myself crazy reading, "Most babies should nurse for 30 minutes, and they should feed on both sides. They will tell you when they want to switch sides. They will tell you when they are full." All of this was BS when it came to my child, and so I learned. So, don't freak out if your child is different than "most" because it happens! You will also read that as long as they have enough wet and poopy diapers they are fine! I used the La Leche League website a lot:

http://www.llli.org/faq/enough.html

Anyway, I struggled at first, especially not knowing if Micah was gaining weight because after the two week appointment, he didn't go in until the two month appointment! Call your baby's pediatrician if you have questions and a nurse should get back to you promptly. If you are concerned make an appointment. That's what I had to do! First time mom, everyone 😍

A strong let-down does lead to a more gassy baby, too! Just so you know. 

Anyway, I hope this helped at least one person! 

Talk to you soon 💕

2 months & things are good

I think I am starting to get used to this whole mom thing. I know just as I get used to things, and become more confident, something will occur to change all of that. 

Micah had his two month checkup yesterday, and along with that his first round of vaccinations. I know there is a big debate, especially right now with measles going around, but I think we have a responsibility to our children and to other people's children to vaccinate. What the heck is wrong with these people who are deciding not to vaccinate? 

Anyway, my poor little baby was in so much pain last night and silly me forgot to buy Tylenol, so there I was driving to Walmart at midnight to buy some because he was running a fever. It was a long night for my little partner and I. 

Then Conrad is sick, so I made sure to ask the doctor what to do if Micah got sick. I learned that there is nothing I can do, really. Great!

Micah has hit the two month mark, everybody!! It is absolutely amazing to watch how quickly he is growing! 

I eliminated dairy for two weeks, to no avail. Micah still has gas pains, but I am not so uptight about them anymore. The doctor said he may just be a gassy baby, and he will grow out of it.

I do block feeding where I nurse only on one breast a feeding. I have been managing my supply this way. I decided to start building a supply by pumping my other breast when Micah goes five hours without eating, this is the first feeding of the night, from 8 p.m.-1 a.m. I haven't been producing much yet, but I hope that will change soon! 

On Saturday, Conrad introduced the bottle and Micah took it without a problem!

I need to start working harder on my relationship with God. I have been Catholic for almost two years, and I have not been the best Christian. How do I expect my son to be faith-filled if I am not living this way? I want Conrad and I to be Godly role models for our children. I know it is a work in progress, but I need to try harder! Hopefully we will be better! A baby is no excuse to be distracted this much from the reason we are able to be here in the first place! Thank God for baby Micah Avery! 

#abqstrollermoms has been going well! We have been meeting pretty consistently. We even got our first picture of the Osuna twins and Micah!

Half marathon training has also been going well. I ran four miles last weekend, which is my longest distance so far. I am not as fast as I hope to be one day, but I am so proud of my progress! Stroller running isn't easy, and neither is running with this new body of mine, but I am happy! 

How do I want to raise my child? 8 weeks!

I know that I was spoiled. I still am. I know that I don't want Micah to be as spoiled as I was because I don't know if we can do what my parents did, especially with only Conrad's income. Especially when we want two or three kids. My parents were/are great, and I had all of their time and attention. I would love to give my kids that much attention...and I will, but it will be moreso as a group than individually, obviously. With that said, you never know! Also, they are sure spoiling their first grandchild!!! 😍

I have been struggling with putting Micah down for naps. I would rather him be close to me; therefore, he naps in a swing, in his carseat, or on me! I know that on me is bad, so Conrad and I have decided to give him three months of being spoiled, then we definitely have to let him be independent. I know I am going to have to start now, little by little or I am going to make it harder for myself. 

At night he does pretty well sleeping in the co-sleeper, but I am scared to death of putting him in the other room. We  will finally receive our crib this weekend, and I plan to start laying him in there for naps. 

I am not so disciplined and I know it, but I have to work on it.

I do finally have him on a "schedule" during the day, which works out pretty well because I know when I need to nurse him, so I'm able to plan accordingly. 

Oh the stresses! Oh the joys!

So last post, I complained of Micah's gas pains...and he is still having them.

I took him into the doctor (I know, first time mom!) and they said to try eliminating dairy, so I've been dairy-free for a week! A little over a week more to go before I can say if it worked or not. 

I'm starting to come to the conclusion that he's just a gassy baby. I hate that he is so uncomfortable all the time. 

Hearing Micah cry is torture, so I always shove his pacifier in his mouth. He spits it out, and I put it back in. This is another thing I probably should stop doing, because he is expecting it every time!

Micah and I have been bonding, and now that he is really starting to make eye contact it has been a lot of fun. He has been smiling a lot more lately, and lifting up his head pretty well!

Micah and I have been spending time with his twin cousins. Twins are a lot of work, and I know I shouldn't have too many complaints after hanging out with them. They require teamwork! Jasmine and Liam are gaining weight and doing well. Here is Micah with his cousins:

My friend Ashley and I have started our own club called #abqstrollermoms. Hashtag and all ;)

I started half marathon training this week, and it has been slow. What did I expect? Especially pushing a stroller, no matter how amazing the stroller is! I am not going to give up, I will keep pushing! I have ran three miles a few times now, and I feel stronger each time. 

My body has been trying to go back to normal, and I've been willing it to! However when I sit down, I still have a pooch. You can see progress though! 

 I was just telling Ashley that it is strange how I look like that from the front, but when I sit down I feel like it is mush! 

Anyway, I will check back in with you when Micah turns 2 months old!!! He's growing so quickly, and I'm not as much of a nervous wreck as I was the last time!  Well maybe...

Gas pains? And more...

Hello everyone! 

We have been having gas issues lately, and I am shocked to know that it is a common thing. It keeps him (and me) up all night! Well at least from one onward. It is pretty rough to listen to him grunt and strain all night! The nurse at our Pediatrician's office said it was a common thing and to wait until his two month appointment to talk to our doctor about it. I hope she is right because it is hard at night for the both of us. If anyone has any ideas, I'm all ears! I've been changing the position I feed him so that he is elevated, I have tried gas drops and bliss water, I burp him frequently, and I keep him elevated after feedings. I think because I am overproducing, he is catching more air than normal, and choking and pulling off frequently. Well block feeding helped, but I was afraid of losing you supply. I may go back to it, but it has helped a little bit when I went back to not skipping a boob twice (only once).

I know it could be allergies, but the nurse said it most likely wasn't, and I shouldn't go through all that to figure it out.

Anyway, I don't know, but the nighttime grunting is so hard to endure. He was making progress at nighttime, and now he goes three hours instead four like he was starting to do. Oh well! 

Anyway, I had my six week appointment and the nurse practitioner said all was well! She said I could do the half in April, and resume exercise as normal. I am up 10 pounds from my starting weight. 

Steph and I have been enjoying our boot camp class, and we really like our trainer! 

I've also been walking and jogging with my BOB and Micah, but the last two days have been snowy, so I took those off. 

I sure have been enjoying our baby boy! Even when I am worrying myself sick. Why do moms do that? Why can't they just enjoy it instead of worrying about everything!? 

If anyone reads this that knows about gas pains, please give me some advice...preferably advice I haven't heard yet!! 

At almost 6 weeks...

So I was never aware of how many questions would come up when being a new mom. I guess I always have questions, so I should have known that being responsible for someone other than myself would be reason enough to have a million more questions (especially because I don't want my little one to suffer). These are just some of the questions I have come across: Is the amount of gas he is having normal? Is this much spit up normal? Why is he choking so much when he is breastfeeding? Which leads to me discovering: Do I have a strong let-down? Am I overproducing breast milk?  What if I over produce? Then, How often should my baby be on my breast? Should I switch breasts? What if my baby falls asleep when breastfeeding? How many hours should I go between feedings? Which leads me to read lots and lots of literature on all of the aforementioned issues. Which leads me to discover very conflicting information.
I have been fortunate enough to have a lot of friends who know a lot of things, and who have read different things. My good friend, Ashley, has twins, as I have said before and she is totally on top of everything! She tells me that she has to be on top of everything because if she wasn't then she would never get ahead. And she really is on top of it, I think she is doing such an amazing job.

 So then I decide that I want to do things the way she is doing them, but I find that it isn't really working for me. She tells me that babies can be trained, and she is right, but you have to be CONSISTENT. That is what I have learned. I want to be consistent, but then I "try" which I really do try, but I know that I am letting my baby kind of lead the way at the same time.
After talking to other friends this weekend, it was clear that they had a lot of struggles with sleeping and  then scheduling because of this. She tried so hard to put her first-born son on a schedule, and she would drive herself so crazy with it! When we went over to their house they complimented Micah continuously for being such a good sleeper, because she didn't have such good sleepers. They told us that they couldn't even put their son down, or he would have a fit! They tried the co-sleeper, and it didn't work! Conrad and I have a co-sleeper, and although I hold Micah more than I care to admit, he is just fine when I put him down anywhere. He has his fits, but we are able to soothe him after no more than an hour. He has his bouts of gas, spit-up episodes, and exhaustion fits, but yes, I would have to agree…he is a good baby!
Another one of my good friends, Courtney, did absolutely nothing to "train" her baby to sleep better, or to go longer between feedings, she just kind of did it all on her own.
Sleep, feeding, and some of the literature I've read
I am currently getting Micah to go 2-2 1/2 hours between feedings during the day. Last night he slept for four hours straight for two different stretches. In The Happiest Baby on the Block Guide to Great Sleep, it says that if you feed your baby more during the day, then they can go longer at night. I think I am leaning more towards using this book, because I really like Dr. Karp's ideas, not that other ideas are wrong, but that is the kind of parent I am. At first I thought I was a more Baby Wise type of Mom, but once I had Micah here, I guess I feel differently. That's the thing, you can say all that you want prior to having a baby, but THINGS CHANGE. I heard it a million times, and I didn't believe it. Well, they changed for me, anyway. I would recommend reading both books so you can decide what you want to do. There is a lot of great information in both.
Anyway, I had a lot of guilt, thinking I wasn't doing things correctly, but I have decided to just do what I think is right and take it easy. I don't want to stress out about scheduling anymore. Just because I do things one way, and someone else does things another, doesn't mean that I am wrong, or they are wrong…it just means we are doing what works best for us! :)
Self-proclaimed overproducer
Within the first weeks of Micah's birth, he was constantly choking, and I realized I had a strong let-down, and that I am producing A LOT of milk. I called lactation consultant after lactation consultant, and they told me to try different positions (I did), express milk before I fed him (I did, which totally doesn't help because it causes you to produce more!), and frozen peas (I thought would be too difficult to do between EVERY feeding). Anyway, I read about block feeding, and I decided to give it a try. I did it for a week, or so, and it really helped. He wasn't choking as much, and he was happier (although still gassy, and still spitting up). I stopped because I was worried about not producing enough. I know that pumping would help me, in that case, but I am trying to avoid pumping for the time being. As it is, I am only feeding on one breast each time because he only takes five minutes or so to nurse. Go ahead, read all you can about how much your baby "should" be nursing, and read about how they "should" switch sides…this isn't the case for me. This caused me to spend a week freaking out that he wasn't getting enough to eat. I feed on one breast now because I want him to get enough hind milk, that way he would be full and not want to keep feeding. So anyway, block feeding, in my case looked like this: baby nurses on left breast at 12:00 p.m., baby feeds on same breast at 2:30 p.m., then baby feeds on right breast at 5:00 p.m. So essentially Micah went a big block of time without feeding on one breast or the other. It helped me not to overwhelm him, but I think I should go back to trying to do it the other way, that way he gets used to the supply that I have. I am still experimenting though.
Gas and spit-up
I wondered if this was normal from the beginning. Rarely is a lot of gas and spit-up not normal, I have discovered. I have learned to ALWAYS ask your doctor if you have any questions, or are in doubt. That is always the best way to go about it. I am going to wait until my two month appointment to see how he is doing, and then I will ask my doctor more questions. So far, the nurse practitioners at the doctor's office say everything sounds normal. I am a first-time mom, so I am learning what is normal for Micah.
Anyway, with all of that said, he has been the best thing that has ever happened to us. I get so worked up because I want the best for him. I want to make sure I am doing the best I can! 

I know that he is gaining weight because of how he fits in his clothes (he's still wearing newborn). I know that he is eating enough because of how many wet and poopy diapers he has. 

Taking care of another human being is hard work! He is so worth it though. 

Baby Micah has arrived! My labor...

Yet again, it has been a long time since I last posted. That is because my life has pretty much completely changed, for the better!

I felt "different" for about five days before Micah arrived. At that time, I was sure he would be here any day. Each day that passed was disappointing because as I was growing bigger, I was getting more and more uncomfortable. Two weeks prior to his arrival, I couldn't even find it in me to swim, so I was down to only walking. The marathon trainer suddenly found a workout in walking…what!?

Now if you don't want to hear all about womanly issues, now is the time to stop reading. I am going to talk to you about my labor and delivery. If you know me, you know that I give too much information...

At 3:20 a.m. I felt a strange wetness, so I got up and ran to the bathroom. There I saw that I was dripping…YES! my water had broke! Calling Conrad into the bathroom, he glares at me and says that we have time and we don't need to go into the hospital, or call triage. Of course, me being me, I started Googling and found out that I needed to ask triage what their recommendation was. The doctor on call told me to go in, and it only took me an hour to get Conrad to the hospital. If I was in pain, I would have been LIVID :). Everything I read said that, "I would know if I was having real contractions!" In fact, everyone I talked to said the same thing. When I got to the hospital they checked me and I was between 2-3 cm dilated, and still 75% effaced, however they did tests and verified that the liquid I felt was, in fact, amniotic fluid (Conrad doubted me because the last time I thought it was, and it was only pee). Also, they hooked me up to a bunch of wires and found that I was having contractions five minutes apart, and they were very consistent.

They admitted me, and since my water broke, I was unable to do any of the things I wanted to do prior to delivery: no walking around, no bathtub, and no birthing ball for me! We called my parents and let them know so that they could make the 3 1/2 hour drive, and be there for the labor (hey! at least it wasn't in the middle of the night!) We waited a little while before calling Conrad's parents because there was no reason to get them worked up, because who knew how long it would take? I was sent into one of the labor rooms, and let me tell you how impressed I was with the nurses at Presbyterian downtown! If anyone wants a recommendation, I would 100% say that the nurses there are AMAZING. I will definitely have my next child there! Anyway, the nurses told me that I probably had a while so I could just hang tight. I had Group B Strep (this was nerve-wracking), so I was put on Penicillin, and since my water  broke, I also had to take antibiotics (lovely). They decided that it was best to make my contractions stronger, and not let me exceed the 24-hour mark (because of the chance of infection with my water breaking), so they put me on Pitocin. There I was hooked up to all of these wires, plus the ones that monitored my contractions, and Micah's heartbeat. Any time I had to use the restroom I had to get help up (awesome). We sat around, and text messaged our friends. The nurses came in and talked to us about things, asked what I wanted to do and I told them I wanted an epidural when I started feeling pain because I especially didn't want to feel the pushing part (AT ALL).

My parents arrived around 10, and then Steph and Jalen came, as well. Steph was also there to support me through the labor.

The doctor checked me around this time and I was 4 cm, and she noticed that all of my water hadn't broken, so she broke the rest of it. Next, they upped the Pitocin to 10 units. I started feeling the contractions almost immediately around 10:30-11 a.m. and BOY OH BOY did they hurt!
The nurse came in and asked if I could wait for the epidural because there was an emergency C-section. I said that I could probably wait an hour (because how was I to know?).

Approximately an hour had passed and I was in a lot of pain. I asked for alternative pain medication, so they gave me narcotics. The narcotics did nothing except for making me feel delirious and ridiculous. I would not take them again. Thank you very much.

The nurse came back in and told me that she had some bad news. The C-section was lasting longer than they thought it would, and they wouldn't be finished for another hour or so. I couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe that I would have to be in this much pain for another hour!

More time had passed and I started feeling the urge to push. I told the nurses and they kind of blew me off, because who goes from a four to a 10 in an hour and a half? When the next contraction came, I had my mom go and get the nurses and tell them that I wasn't joking. The nurse came in and checked me and verified that I was indeed a 10, and I was ready to push! I looked at Conrad and I said, "What am I going to do!? I cannot get an epidural now at all!!" He told me that I was going to have to suck it up and do it.
They had my mom grab one leg, Stephanie grab the other, Conrad decided to be my coach at my side, and my dad went behind me to countdown how long I was supposed to hold my breath and push! Let me just tell you, I don't think I could have done it without these four people. NO WAY. After 17 minutes, Micah Avery Ley had arrived, weighing 7 pounds 5 ounces, and 20 inches long!
The last push was scary because the doctor was starting to get nervous. She said I HAD to get him out on that push, and I did.

The last four weeks have been a great learning experience. I never thought breastfeeding would be so difficult, and as Conrad always says, it isn't that difficult for me. I have had an oversupply and Micah chokes a lot, and I've been trying to deal with that. It is hard to know what is normal with absolutely no experience. Everything I read says he should be nursing at least 10 minutes on each side, and I have him feeding on one breast for less than 10 minutes every time. I have learned that not everyone fits into the "most" category (apparently). This whole experience isn't one of the average person. Micah gained two pounds at his two week appointment and had grown 1/2 an inch. This told me that I was successful at breastfeeding. I won't see the doctor for another month, so I worry, of course, that I am doing what I am supposed to be doing. Conrad consistently tells me that he is growing and that he is fine.
"FIRST TIME MOM, EVERYBODY!" Conrad jokes.
Having Micah has been the biggest blessing. It makes life so meaningful. He has been so great, and stressful at the same time! :) His daddy and I think he is the cutest baby on earth! We have been very fortunate and blessed.
I don't know what I would do without Conrad. He is such a great daddy. He takes care of Micah so much, and has just been a natural, cool, calm, and collected as he told me when we first met. His support has made this experience so much easier. He was also the best birthing coach I could have asked for. Who needs a doula when you have Conrad?
Also, my parents and Stephanie were AWESOME. I am so glad that they were there for this experience. God has truly blessed our family.

Cousins meeting for the first time-3 weeks apart!

As far as running goes, I am going to start walking and jogging today! What better day to start than New Year's Day!? By the end of the month, hopefully I can run 3 miles, or at least run/walk three miles. I will start half marathon training at the end of January. It feels great to almost be on a schedule again. Micah and I will go on the short runs together, and on Saturdays I will do my longer runs, so Conrad will watch Micah. I hope it works out. Even doing chores have been difficult for me, so pushing myself to exercise may be hard to do, too. I'll be back to talk all things baby and running…yet again!

PS Do you think I am clever because my blog started and ended with "yet again"?

Week 37

Well, I'm officially full term, and I've been hoping he would come early. A couple of weeks ago our doctor told us that I was 1 cm dilated and 70% effaced, she also said I wouldn't reach my due date. 

She shouldn't have told me this because now I'm eagerly waiting to have him, and I could have three more weeks of waiting...or longer. 

They say you sometimes take after your mother, in how long she carries. I came 10 days late! So we will see.

My heartburn is getting ridiculous and they prescribed Zantac for me to take, but it isn't working very well. I was up all night! 

Our doctor told us that his movements would change and instead of kicks I'd feel squirms. Well I don't know about all that, but he's definitely still in there.

I've been much more sleepy lately, and maybe it is because I am up more often at night. 

The third and final baby shower was last weekend! I sure have great friends and family! It was a lot of fun. My mom stayed  a couple of days after to help me get the rest of what we needed! Now everything is ready to go! Our bags are packed, we have all the necessities, and I'm mentally ready... 

My cousin had her precious baby boy a week ago!!

Meet Cade Victor! He's so precious. 

I can't wait to meet him one day. 

We will see how it all goes!! Wish me luck.