Well, I know I haven't updated this in a whole week, but I have a few good excuses! Besides the fact that I am 3 weeks into parenthood and it's extremely busy and demanding, my computer also got a nasty virus, and I haven't had time to get it fixed yet. So tonight I'm using Mike's computer while Josiah is sleeping. I have about 20 minutes before he's ready to dine again at Mama's Milk Cafe, so I thought I'd write an update.
Josiah is doing great. He is gaining weight well (he was 8 lbs 14 oz on Wednesday)... gaining about 1.5 oz per day! He's been so good this weekend... sleeping well and being very content when he's awake, and of course, eating lots. Each day we learn more about his needs and the cues that he's getting sleepy, and we've been able to soothe him and keep him relaxed until he falls asleep. Swaddling is key! If we catch him before he's overtired, we can even lay him down in his bed while he's still awake and he'll fall asleep on his own. He's pretty funny when it comes to eating. He's so spastic! He shakes his head like crazy and pushes away with his arms and head, so I have to practially force him still to latch on, but once he's on, he's quite the vigorous eater! And he's no gentleman when it comes to making digestive sounds. He's all boy: noisy, and not shy about passing gas! :)
Mommy is having a bit of a rough time. Breastfeeding is much harder than I ever imagined. We've had several bumps in the road that have made it a quite painful experience for me, so we're trying hard to get past them in hopes that the pain will decrease and I can continue breastfeeding him. We have thrush (it's very minor in Josiah, but I have a lot of pain) and it's the kind of thing that we have to completely wipe out so we don't pass it back and forth to each other. The newest pain this weekend is a milk blister (plugged milk duct) which causes extreme pain when feeding and even between feedings. The blister was likely caused by the thrush, so I'll be calling my doctor in the morning to see if there's additional treatment I can get besides the Nystatin the pediatrician prescribed so we can get this cleared up. I'm thankful Josiah is still getting plenty of nourishment, but we have to get this pain under control for my sake. We're still using the nipple shield because of his high-arched palate, and at this point, that's the least of my worries. I'm open for tips... so far I've heard to use ice chips, vinegar soak, saline soak, black tea bags, lansinoh cream and heat compresses. Fun times. I'm thinking maybe I need to go back to taking the Percoset that was prescribed to recover from the c-section! Ha! Anyway, we may just have to start introducing a bottle with breastmilk soon so I can at least get a break for one or two feedings a day.
Well... the little man is waking up and sounds hungry, so I guess this is it for now....
:) Melissa
Josiah is doing great. He is gaining weight well (he was 8 lbs 14 oz on Wednesday)... gaining about 1.5 oz per day! He's been so good this weekend... sleeping well and being very content when he's awake, and of course, eating lots. Each day we learn more about his needs and the cues that he's getting sleepy, and we've been able to soothe him and keep him relaxed until he falls asleep. Swaddling is key! If we catch him before he's overtired, we can even lay him down in his bed while he's still awake and he'll fall asleep on his own. He's pretty funny when it comes to eating. He's so spastic! He shakes his head like crazy and pushes away with his arms and head, so I have to practially force him still to latch on, but once he's on, he's quite the vigorous eater! And he's no gentleman when it comes to making digestive sounds. He's all boy: noisy, and not shy about passing gas! :)
Mommy is having a bit of a rough time. Breastfeeding is much harder than I ever imagined. We've had several bumps in the road that have made it a quite painful experience for me, so we're trying hard to get past them in hopes that the pain will decrease and I can continue breastfeeding him. We have thrush (it's very minor in Josiah, but I have a lot of pain) and it's the kind of thing that we have to completely wipe out so we don't pass it back and forth to each other. The newest pain this weekend is a milk blister (plugged milk duct) which causes extreme pain when feeding and even between feedings. The blister was likely caused by the thrush, so I'll be calling my doctor in the morning to see if there's additional treatment I can get besides the Nystatin the pediatrician prescribed so we can get this cleared up. I'm thankful Josiah is still getting plenty of nourishment, but we have to get this pain under control for my sake. We're still using the nipple shield because of his high-arched palate, and at this point, that's the least of my worries. I'm open for tips... so far I've heard to use ice chips, vinegar soak, saline soak, black tea bags, lansinoh cream and heat compresses. Fun times. I'm thinking maybe I need to go back to taking the Percoset that was prescribed to recover from the c-section! Ha! Anyway, we may just have to start introducing a bottle with breastmilk soon so I can at least get a break for one or two feedings a day.
Well... the little man is waking up and sounds hungry, so I guess this is it for now....
:) Melissa
have you ever heard of gentian violet? It will clear you both up without nystatin or diflucan. It's all natural and you just put it on yourself before you nurse and it treats you both. I believe you can get it anywhere, drugstore, walmart etc.
ReplyDeleteI had 5 yeast infections before I quit at 6 months so I know what your going through. I gave Kingston one bottle every day since he was 2 weeks old to give myself a break too.
You know...your percoset comment reminded me that Ibuprofen did wonders for me in the early weeks as well.
ReplyDeleteJust left you a voice mail. Oh no! Sounds like some not so fun stuff. I'll be praying for you. Never had thrush, but I think using the nipple shield with Joshua when he had the sucking issues gave me a plugged duct. Oh, that is so very painful! Warm compresses and massage helped me, plus taking some Motrin, and nursing him on that side more often to clear it up. Hope this doesn't add up to "too much advice." Love you! And, to repeat the advice you gave me, "don't be superwoman!" =)
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