...count your blessings and hope that the sugar from those blessings is enough to make the lemonade taste good.
I'm not going to lie, the last three weeks have been a little rough. They've been really good too. I LOVE my boys and how sweet they usually are to one another. I love newborn snuggles and I'm so used to not sleeping through the night that it's no big deal to wake up with baby. Except for around 6 AM. Then I just want to sleep. My body feels great - except for the trip to the ER with the worst stomach pain I've ever felt besides labor. UTI's just plain hurt. End of story. I've never had one before and I never want one again. I felt kind of silly when they told me it was just constipation and a UTI that brought me to my knees and had me calling Chris to come home early from work. Oh well. I guess we all have to feel a little silly sometimes in order to truly be humbled. I am grateful it wasn't more serious. I will forever be grateful for my visiting teacher and her family for taking my boys (including baby) at a moments' notice, feeding them dinner, and letting them terrorize their house til we picked them up. That my friends, is true service and I know lots of people who would have done the same thing. People are good.
And while I'm sharing all my woes in hopes that it will help someone else down the road...breastfeeding just plain hurts this time around. I mean bleeding, trying hard not to use curse words out loud, and crying/sobbing every time the baby needs to eat. I know I could just pump and switch to a bottle, but I guess I'm a glutton for punishment because I really want to just make it work so I don't have to wash bottles or figure out how to pump AND feed baby. I've done that before and I'm not so good at it. I'm not complaining, just telling you like it is. SO...after going to a great lactation consultant who helped baby latch better, gave me a referral to an oral motor specialist, and gave me some wonder cream, things started to get better. BUT, the new pattern of latching just made new sores while the other sores healed. That wonder cream is phenomenal though. I went to the oral motor specialist and it turns out baby was only using his lips and tongue to eat. NO WONDER I HURT!! Breastfeeding is not supposed to hurt by the way. Initial soreness at the beginning yes, but not like this. I was shown exercises to strengthen his cheeks, tongue patter, and jaw. Here's hoping it works. And what did people do in the olden days? Just suffer?? I am grateful for modern medicine and priesthood blessings to help me keep things in perspective and give me hope that things will get better. And they will get better. I am also grateful for the nipple shield I was given in the hospital. This situation would be a lot worse without that thing. I am also grateful for my darling husband who just holds me when I cry (which is a lot these days) and is such a good daddy. I am also grateful for my phone so I can call my mommy. I'm pretty sure she knows how much her checking in on me just about every day helps me stay sane. Thanks mom!
And now the fun part...
The many expressions of Matthew.
And while I'm sharing all my woes in hopes that it will help someone else down the road...breastfeeding just plain hurts this time around. I mean bleeding, trying hard not to use curse words out loud, and crying/sobbing every time the baby needs to eat. I know I could just pump and switch to a bottle, but I guess I'm a glutton for punishment because I really want to just make it work so I don't have to wash bottles or figure out how to pump AND feed baby. I've done that before and I'm not so good at it. I'm not complaining, just telling you like it is. SO...after going to a great lactation consultant who helped baby latch better, gave me a referral to an oral motor specialist, and gave me some wonder cream, things started to get better. BUT, the new pattern of latching just made new sores while the other sores healed. That wonder cream is phenomenal though. I went to the oral motor specialist and it turns out baby was only using his lips and tongue to eat. NO WONDER I HURT!! Breastfeeding is not supposed to hurt by the way. Initial soreness at the beginning yes, but not like this. I was shown exercises to strengthen his cheeks, tongue patter, and jaw. Here's hoping it works. And what did people do in the olden days? Just suffer?? I am grateful for modern medicine and priesthood blessings to help me keep things in perspective and give me hope that things will get better. And they will get better. I am also grateful for the nipple shield I was given in the hospital. This situation would be a lot worse without that thing. I am also grateful for my darling husband who just holds me when I cry (which is a lot these days) and is such a good daddy. I am also grateful for my phone so I can call my mommy. I'm pretty sure she knows how much her checking in on me just about every day helps me stay sane. Thanks mom!
And now the fun part...
The many expressions of Matthew.
These boys are always trying to give baby kisses and I of course always make it possible.
His new favorite place. Not sure it's the safest, but the bookshelf is anchored I promise.
I asked if he wanted to take a bath and the next thing I know...
Brotherly Love.
"mom, he's saying, 'yay!'"
We sometimes use baby as a paperweight to keep this 4 year old in one spot. He was following me around with a stool trying to see baby.
Of course we had to get a laundry picture.
Oh the life.
Love all the fun pictures! That is the best part. Hope your body heals from the blisters and little Matthew gets stronger. 💕 Sending love and sympathy! 😜
ReplyDeleteLove all the fun pictures! That is the best part. Hope your body heals from the blisters and little Matthew gets stronger. 💕 Sending love and sympathy! 😜
ReplyDeleteI can truly empathize with you on nursing. My second one it hurt every single time. I went to a lactation specialist any where from 1 to 3 times a week. I saw many. I kept begging for them to check her tounge and they kept saying it's okay. Even the pediatritian told me if the lactation specialists say it's fine then it is. I switched to a different lactation location after 4 months and she said your baby has a tied tounge! THANK YOU!!! I told her PLEASE call my pediatritian and tell him that. She got him on the phone and insisted he called a ear nose and throat specialist right away and get her in. So after 4.5 months of awefullness and me wanting to throw my baby out the window because it was soooooo hard the ENT said she's definately got a tied tounge and when she went in to have it cut it ended up being tied in TWO spots. Breastfeeding is SO hard. It's the hardest route but we know it's the best way so we put up with A LOT. I am sorry it's hard. Just keep trying as we know you are!
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