Some more anecdotes from the hospital ...
Lewis had this whole joke worked out that he was going to pull on our nurse. He was going to go to the bag and say "oh and we have this birth plan." And he and I were going to enjoy the nurses polite face that concealed her horror, and then we'd say "just kidding" and all laugh and say "team healthy baby."
It didn't work out that way. When he said "oh and we have this birth plan," Cary immediately cracked up laughing. She just straight laughed out loud. It was so funny. She then said "there is no faster way to have a C-section than to tell me you have a birth plan." Which, I believe to be true.
...
When Julia was being checked over by the pediatrician he noticed she has the toes that curl under. And her nose, her cutie little nose came out so, so smushed and crooked. So we took to calling her Julia with the crooked nose and crooked toes. The nose has straightened. The toes ... not so much. :) But all the boys toes curl. So do mine.
...
After she popped out I was going to nurse her. But the nursery nurse admonished me and said "wait till she starts rooting or you may just end up frustrated." I politely smiled and said thanks. She left.
I nursed the newborn baby. Who latched immediately. Just like my other babies. I think you should follow instincts in that particular area. And to me, it just feels right to nurse newborn - like seriously five minutes old - babies.
And all three of my kids latched perfectly. All three of my kids met all of their requirements for discharge.
The first two had nursing issues later on - no doubt. Strikes. Biting. Spiting up. Gas. I've dealt with a lot.
I don't have a nursing philosophy or anything. When the nurses asked me how I felt about nursing I said "feed hungry babies." If it works I'll nurse, if not ... then they asked me how it went with my other kids. 12mo with #1, 15mo with #2. So they all waved me off and said "you got this." And I nodded, but said the only reason it works for me is because I truly do. not. care.
I have run into many women who say their milk never came in. Who say they never produced enough. And then I hear them say "the baby just wanted to nurse for 20 or 30 minutes. she never got enough."
Nah that's not really what was happening there. What was happening there was baby was telling your body "Hey! I'm here! Start making me food!" And that takes a while. More skin to skin. More nursing makes all that happen. And it's biology. You aren't supposed to be up and walking around. You're supposed to be sitting, feet up, healing, with a baby attached to you. It only takes a few days of that, and then the milk is in, and then you'll have other issues (nursing is a marathon not a sprint and is wicked hard). And truth the newborn period of marathon nursing sessions is flipping exhausting. And so many folks want kids on a schedule immediately.
But the more I thought on it, the more I thought, inadvertently, hospital births with their two day stays, really encourage nursing more than they are given credit for, because mom can truly just sit and cuddle and nurse. Versus other options which often have you home as soon as three hours after delivery. And it's much harder to sit around and do nothing but nurse a baby when you have other kids and responsibilities looming.
I nurse on demand. Which means lots of days I spend all day on the couch nursing a baby. With D it wasn't terrible till about week 4 and then it was lots of television for G and me trying to squeeze things between feedings which were seriously every 90 minutes. Thankfully he was proficient. But oi. Nursing is rough.
With J I'm nursing on demand which means I feed her till she stops and then when she starts rooting again I nurse again. Her schedule appears to be every 2/3 hours. It's exhausting. D, bless his heart, was 3/4 at first. He was such a good eater and sleeper. He'd eat and go right back to sleep. J is not that great at that yet. And may never be. Trying to remind myself she's 5 days old and that this is fleeting, that she will end up on a schedule all in due course. But right now ... she's just trying to grow.
I am exhausted from being up all night, but it's not crazy inducing yet. Check back in three-six months.
Lewis had this whole joke worked out that he was going to pull on our nurse. He was going to go to the bag and say "oh and we have this birth plan." And he and I were going to enjoy the nurses polite face that concealed her horror, and then we'd say "just kidding" and all laugh and say "team healthy baby."
It didn't work out that way. When he said "oh and we have this birth plan," Cary immediately cracked up laughing. She just straight laughed out loud. It was so funny. She then said "there is no faster way to have a C-section than to tell me you have a birth plan." Which, I believe to be true.
...
When Julia was being checked over by the pediatrician he noticed she has the toes that curl under. And her nose, her cutie little nose came out so, so smushed and crooked. So we took to calling her Julia with the crooked nose and crooked toes. The nose has straightened. The toes ... not so much. :) But all the boys toes curl. So do mine.
...
After she popped out I was going to nurse her. But the nursery nurse admonished me and said "wait till she starts rooting or you may just end up frustrated." I politely smiled and said thanks. She left.
I nursed the newborn baby. Who latched immediately. Just like my other babies. I think you should follow instincts in that particular area. And to me, it just feels right to nurse newborn - like seriously five minutes old - babies.
And all three of my kids latched perfectly. All three of my kids met all of their requirements for discharge.
The first two had nursing issues later on - no doubt. Strikes. Biting. Spiting up. Gas. I've dealt with a lot.
I don't have a nursing philosophy or anything. When the nurses asked me how I felt about nursing I said "feed hungry babies." If it works I'll nurse, if not ... then they asked me how it went with my other kids. 12mo with #1, 15mo with #2. So they all waved me off and said "you got this." And I nodded, but said the only reason it works for me is because I truly do. not. care.
I have run into many women who say their milk never came in. Who say they never produced enough. And then I hear them say "the baby just wanted to nurse for 20 or 30 minutes. she never got enough."
Nah that's not really what was happening there. What was happening there was baby was telling your body "Hey! I'm here! Start making me food!" And that takes a while. More skin to skin. More nursing makes all that happen. And it's biology. You aren't supposed to be up and walking around. You're supposed to be sitting, feet up, healing, with a baby attached to you. It only takes a few days of that, and then the milk is in, and then you'll have other issues (nursing is a marathon not a sprint and is wicked hard). And truth the newborn period of marathon nursing sessions is flipping exhausting. And so many folks want kids on a schedule immediately.
But the more I thought on it, the more I thought, inadvertently, hospital births with their two day stays, really encourage nursing more than they are given credit for, because mom can truly just sit and cuddle and nurse. Versus other options which often have you home as soon as three hours after delivery. And it's much harder to sit around and do nothing but nurse a baby when you have other kids and responsibilities looming.
I nurse on demand. Which means lots of days I spend all day on the couch nursing a baby. With D it wasn't terrible till about week 4 and then it was lots of television for G and me trying to squeeze things between feedings which were seriously every 90 minutes. Thankfully he was proficient. But oi. Nursing is rough.
With J I'm nursing on demand which means I feed her till she stops and then when she starts rooting again I nurse again. Her schedule appears to be every 2/3 hours. It's exhausting. D, bless his heart, was 3/4 at first. He was such a good eater and sleeper. He'd eat and go right back to sleep. J is not that great at that yet. And may never be. Trying to remind myself she's 5 days old and that this is fleeting, that she will end up on a schedule all in due course. But right now ... she's just trying to grow.
I am exhausted from being up all night, but it's not crazy inducing yet. Check back in three-six months.
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