CHRISTOPHER RANDALL IS HERE YAY!!!!!!!!!

Hello ladies my baby arrived Wednesday Sept 8th at 5:33 p.m.  Only about 7 hours of labor and guess what I WIMPED OUT!!!!!!!  I took the epidural.  I did NOT want it but when the dr was just checking me and trying to break my water it was murder.  They told me I needed it so I caved.  I am glad I did.  I did not feel a thing until I was about 7-8 cm and then it was a lot of pressure that was a little painful but mostly uncomfortable.  He is beautiful I only pushed for 18 minutes and out popped a baby boy with dark hair and a perfect color and nice round head.  I got home Friday at 4:30 and we had to bring him back to the hospital lab for a bilirubin check because he is yellow.  

Now breastfeeding.....My daughter was SO easy 6 yrs ago and this is like I have never done it before.  Please help.  My nipples hurt so bad I do not want to nurse right now but I know that is the only way I can get my supply which I do not think has come in yet.  I do not know if he latches on correctly either.  He will cry or yawn and I stick the nipple in and he just moves his head around until he finds a comfortable spot he likes and then sucks for a couple seconds and then just holds it in his mouth and then after a while sucks again and it is painful still.  His little lips when he is done look chapped or something for a little while as well.  He also sleeps a lot right now during the day and it is hard to wake him.  PLEASE HELP WITH THIS IF YOU CAN.  I want so badly to nurse.   Thank you and good luck to the rest of you.  Especially MicheleB & Chloe it is getting close.

[sthomab]

Congratulations on your new little boy.   You are very lucky to have had such a nice and easy delivery.  As far as BF my nipples were very sore from the begin.  I used a cream called Lansinoh (sp?).  I think it is pure Lanolin.  It helps a lot and you dont have to wash it off before the baby nurses.  You are also suppose to let your nipples air dry and dont wash them with soap.  This will help them toughen up.  Your breasts have a natural oil that you do not want to wash off. When my son was born he was a very lazy eater.  He would nurse for about 1 minute and then fall asleep.  You have to try and keep them awake as best as possible.  My suggestions are rub there cheeks or undress them.  I hope everything works out for you.

[qw]

I don't have any breastfeeding advice, but I wanted to say Congratulations on you new son. Cherish every moment ,they grow up so fast.

[Angel4JohnnyB]

Hi sweetie......congrats!!!!!

As for the breast feeding........I was told not to use the Lanolin cream unless my nipples were cracking. It will hurt for a short time until your nipples get tough. It won't take to long and it is sooooooo worth it.

Keep him awake!!!!!! Rub him, tickle him, make him a bit chilly but not cold, talk to him, sing to him, make sure the room is well lit.........sometimes Talon stops eating or falls asleep when he needs to burp..........

Best of luck to you & congrat again.

BTW.....I don't think you are a wimp to have gotten the epidural........I was soooooo looking forward to mine but wasn't able to get it. I think it makes you able to enjoy the birth a little more if you aren't in so much pain.

[Still_AndiJ]

Lanolin (Lanisoh) is excellent to use as a preventitive to cracked nipples and as a treatment. Definitely get a tube and use it religiously, there is no need to remove it before nursing as it is safe for baby. Even if the latch is perfect, some of us just tend to have more sensitive nipples and will crack a little. Trust me, if you can make it through the first week, it is smooth sailing from there! I know Tristan and Jonathan both had me dreading feedings in the beginning and they were both avid nursers. I actually cried when they would latch as it hurt so bad, then it seems as if on day 7 with both of them the pain had disappeared, it was strange.

Anyway, Congrats!! Don't feel like a wimp for getting the epidural, there is no shape in taking advantage of something as wonderful as that. Would you get a root canal without novocaine? I think not,lol! I went without the benefits of a working epidural with Tristan and while I think I may chose that route again with my 3rd, I loved having it with Jonathan!

Andrea

[blondie72]

I was told that Christopher's bilirubin levels were 8 in the hospital and this morning they were 12.8 and he thought it was a big jump and told me I HAD to supplement and get the baby urinating or he would take me off the breast completely.  Have any of you had that happen?????  I am worried about nipple confusion with supplementation but at the same time I do not want this jaundice to get dangerous for my baby.   Please help if you can.  I am really worried about it.  I have to go back again tomorrow morning for another test for him.   Thanks

[cmn]

Congrats on the birth of your son!!!!! WOW you sure had him really fast i can't believe it. I hope that i'll be able to have my first that fast, I can't wait for you to post some pictures if you plan to do so. Have fun with your wonderful little bundle, i will keep him in my prayers that the jaundise goes away really fast.

[Angel4JohnnyB]

Do what your doctor says.........

As for nipple confusion.......it does happen but my son had to take a bottle while he was in the NICU for 4 days and he had no trouble at all switching over to breast. As a matter of fact, a lactation specialist came into the room with me the first time I tried to nurse and when she saw him latch on for the very first time she waved her hand at me and turned to walk out of the room........she laughed on her way out saying "he's a natural, look at that suction. (hurt like hell by the way....lol)

If you want to go back to breast feeding then you will need to pump every 2 hours (is what they told me) while you are feeding the formula. Your Christopher (sp?) will probably like breast milk better than the formula when you switch back because breast milk is sweet. Talon hated formula from the beginning, even before he was ever breast feed......
Good Luck and keep us posted.
Vikki

[Kassimom]

My BF's baby had jaundice and they told her to supplement as wel. I told her I thought it was a bad idea this early but when she called la leche they agreed with her pedi. She had to supplement one or two feedings. But if you're already worried about milk supply then if I were you I would call YOUR la leche league and talk to them. See if you can painlessly pump, or nurse right after supplementing just a couple of ounces of formula. Likely he won't stay on long enough to get a good flow of milk if he is full, BUT the important thing is that your breasts don't miss a feeding. Why won't they try the lights? I don't get why they don't do the lights for a few hours anymore...

Anyway, BIG CONGRATS!! I am so jealous!

[Still_AndiJ]

Have they thought about UV therapy? Is that something they have even mentioned? I would definitely get some professional advice on how often to supplement and see if dh can be the one to give the bottle so you can pump to keep up your supply.

I would hate to be in your shoes, I am sorry to hear things are getting off to a rocky start. I was so quick to get out of the hospital with Tristan, I wanted to be able to mother him on my terms, not on a nurses schedule,lol. I love doctors and nurses, but I prefer not to be bothered all the time, seems unnatural.

I am sure things will work out for the best. Definitely call the La Leche League and follow up with lactation consultants in your area. It is quite surprising to me that while most are pro breastfeeding, I have encountered one doctor who seemed to be almost repulsed by it, kind of freaked me out (he was an urgent care doctor, not one we see regularly).

Good luck!

Andrea

[sm8]

my doughter had really bad jaundice her numbers went up to 13.9 deffinitely listen to doctor and supplement you have to get him passing some of the billirubin out of his system.  not to scare you or discourage you but my doctor was afraid i was passing the billirubin through my breast milk never heard of that before and did not do much looking in to but anyway he said they put the babies under the lights at anything above 14.  Good luck and congratulations.

[ni]

Congrats on your baby boy.  I had my boy a month ago and he had jaundice that was rated an 11.  They told me to PUT HIM IN THE SUN!!  Place your baby in a bouncer seat where the sun is shining..make sure the window is closed because it blocks the UV rays.  They told me to make sure that he is well hydrated and to supplement if needed (but I never had to).  The sun really helped and his Jaundice went away within 5 days.

As for the nipples, NOTHING helped me what so ever besides TIME.  Keep at it because it will get better.  I do use the lanolin cream but they were still cracking and blistering.  I just strated up BF again because U had to stop for two weeks and I am gong through the cracked and blistered nipple thing all over again.  It lasted for about a week or two and then it was getting better.

Stick to it.  The pain is so bad for me at times that it makes my toes curl.  It is well worth it!

Gina

[Chloe2003]

CONGRATS!!! Please take care of yourself and enjoy your new little bundle of joy!! Lots of Luck and Happiness to you!!

~*Chloe*~

[Myah's Mom]

Congratulations!!!! :)

[Kassimom]

Jaundice can't be passed through breastmilk. Jaundice is a condition and the condition is caused by the immature livers inability to process proteins right away. It is a common condition, but not one that is "contagious" and it can't be passed to the baby by the mother.

I just re-read your post regarding what the Dr said about "he will take him off the breast completely". Girl! Find a new Dr!!! That one is crazy! Your baby's breastfeeding is YOUR choice! A Dr cannot.....CANNOT.....make you stop breastfeeding! He can suggest it, gently. He can suggest supplemtentation, but he cannot say "You can't nurse your son anymore."

And listen to the sun advice! That was another great piece of advice my friend got with her son.

[ni]

Good breast feeding forum/information site is drjaygordon.com

[Christie2004]

I agree--there is no reason to stop breastfeeding.

Supplementation MAY help, and may not.  In any event, you'll know by tomorrow.  Do the best you can.

Lanolin is used to help keep the nipples soft and prevent cracking.  It does not need to be wiped off prior to breastfeeding.  Be sure you are using different positions to breastfeed, such as alternating the cradle hold, football hold, and the side-lying position.  This will help put the main points of pressure on different areas.

It will get better, I promise!

[ni]

BTW


DONT WORRY ABOUT NIPPLE CONFUSION.  I was very worried about it but had not problems with it.  My son had a pacifier in the hospital and a few bottles and it was not a problem at all. I had to stop BF for 15 days due to medicine and now I am back doing it and he is fine...The lactation consultant told me that it is not so much that its nipple confusion but that the baby gets aggravated because the flow of the breast is slower than a bottle.  

I was told by the drs and nurses that anything 15 and under was not bad.  Anything 15 and over would make the baby stay another day or two to get under the billirubin lights.  As stated before, my son was a little over 11 and it went right away.  It is very common for babies to get this.

[chiquitilla]

congratulations on your new little angel.

[guinea920]

Congrats on your new addition!!

[msklar]

Actually there is a form of Jaundice that can be caused by Breastmilk. BUT it is rare..

I read up on all this stuff when My son had Jaundice (which is actually common in itself)

I also knew a mom whos son had this form of jaundice.

[christaann]

In regards to the Bf problem. The Lanolin was great for me, but I had one nipple that was sore and craked and no matter what I did it hurt to nurse. Finally a nurse put a ice pack on it over my shirt to numb it while I fe on the other one that way by the time I was ready to nurse on that side it was numb and didnt hurt as bad and it finally healed.

[babygirl22]

Wow - congratulations.  I'm so glad for you and that you are both healthy.  Best wishes!

[dawnna]

Just wanted to say congrats on the birth of your baby boy. I am so happy for you!!!!!!