Singing Saturday - Thirty days hath September

A simple classic and educational too!

Thirty days hath September,
April, June and November;
February has twenty eight alone
All the rest have thirty-one
Except in Leap Year, that's the time
When February's Days are twenty-nine

Diaper Rash Dealings

 Baby K has a diaper rash, that I’m actually not sure is not yeast. Chris and I have tried Desitin (and were later warned off by the NP in the doctor’s office because of the fact that she is so small right now, the thick cream just makes it worst – and to support her opinion I had used some of the Desitin on my own rash that a acquired thanks to the MEGA sized pads at the hospital on my inner thigh areas way up there – and I must admit that it was super gross and crusty I literally squatted there and scratched the stuff off.)

Instead she suggested A&D or Aquaphor Healing Ointment. We bought a tube of Aquaphor to try, but it didn’t seem to help and her skin on the upper, inner thigh actually began to look as though it was peeling now. We started Baby K on disposable diapers until her cord fell off, then went to cloth- the rash started when we ran out of Seventh Generation diapers, and had to use Pampers, but it seemed to get worse even after we switched to cloth...although I'm sure we weren't giving her skin ample time to dry before putting the new diaper on her (we didn't know!).

It constantly had a wet look to it – so I busted out the hairdryer and have used it to help dry my baby out between diaper changes on the ‘cool’ setting – of course.  I have only given this a try twice (not giving up on it) – but simply also decided to let Baby K hang out in the Family Room on a soft fleece blanket (safer than plastic, more resistant than any other cotton to keep my carpet dry, and I got it at the Goodwill for fifty cents, so I really don’t care if she poops on it) – and she has been seemingly enjoying the open-air time. Her cute little butt cheeks look to be a much lighter pink than they did an hour ago, so here’s to hoping we can get on top of this rash situation…. Updates will follow this post as I plan to have her diaperless again for most of the day tomorrow.

I also got a little squirt bottle and soft rag ready to go for cleaning her between changes instead of the wipes - we'll see if a combination of things work, if not it'll be off to the doctor tomorrow afternoon.

Projectile Vomiting

Baby K has been having issues with Projectile Vomiting. The Nurse Practitioner at the DR office said sometimes babies will suffer with Pyloric Stenosis, or sometimes the ….stomach… is too small and the food comes back up.

Thankfully, we don’t appear to have this issue since Baby K is only doing the projectile vomiting every once in a while…pretty random and not every time she eats, so we were instructed not to worry unless it happens after every feeding.  

Singing Saturday – “Hush Little Baby”

This has long been my go-to song from rocking my niece almost 13 years ago to my own infant daughter beginning just a little over 2 weeks ago. Here is a common version:

Hush little baby, Don't say a word.
Daddy's going to buy you a Mocking bird.

If that Mocking bird don't sing,
Daddy's going to buy you a diamond ring.

If that diamond ring don't shine,
Daddy's going to buy you a looking-glass.

If the looking-glass get's broke,
Daddy's going to buy you a billy-goat.

If that billy-goat runs away,
Daddy's going to buy you another one day.

I think it’s great that no one version is absolutely correct, and thankfully – there is always room for your own spin to make each time you sing it unique to your own child. =)

And here is a video of me singing one of the many versions I have created. Each time I sing it, it differs after the Garden Rake…just depends on what I can think of to rhyme off the top of my head. Generally, I end it with a long line of humming till I am about to fall asleep myself.

BTW – Warning – ALL I ever wanted growing up was to sing beautifully. I’ve been told everyone can learn to sing. My mom signed me up for lessons with the rumored “best” in the county and we drove 45 minutes a week to get to her. After a few months, she actually sat me on the couch and asked, “Lara, You’re a real sweet girl. You know that right? Ok. I know you really want to sing, but I think it’s time that we free this time slot for someone who is actually able to benefit and progress. Don’t you agree?” She KILLED my Broadway dreams right there, and I’m not sure that even after all these years there is anything that I want to do as badly as perform on stage in a high energy musical, but I'm too afraid to even try for community theater...Drama only, sign me up!

Here goes the ultimate embarrassing act of me singing…Cheers to breaking barriers, right?

Hope you enjoy -

Dry Skin...On my 2 week old baby??

Baby K had her 2 week Wellness Check yesterday, and Chris was sure to ask about the odd looking “dry skin” happening on her feet and a little on her hands. She has had several sponge baths since birth, so it came as a complete surprise to us that this flakey skin is normal in infants and is actually still some of the “yuckies” from birth. It peels off from the creases of the skin.

No Special instructions were given to us. Just that we could keep applying lotion, but knowing that the skin is going to continue to peel until the yucky is all out of the skin.

Nursery Rhymes - "Singing Saturdays"

Now that I have my own baby daughter – I’ve come to realize that I’m not as familiar with Nursery Rhymes as I once thought. It was easy to fake it as the Aunt when you only have to sing to them every once in a while. I thought it would be nice if every Saturday became “Singing Saturday”. Every week I’ll try to find a new Nursery Rhyme to post for everyone. There will be a video of me singing it to Baby K every once in a while, but it may or may not be altered…

For example: The first one I am going to post tomorrow will be “Hush Little Baby”. I’ve sung this many times, never knowing the exact items after the Diamond Ring I have become comfortable with my own list of items that I use to replace the one before, and my version is slightly longer before cycle back to the beginning.

I hope you enjoy learning these timeless rhymes with me, and have fun finding where we may have been singing them all wrong for all these years! Again, this begins tomorrow, and will be a weekly post.

Another Battle, Milk Fever.

Argh! I thought I was good to jump off the Motrin - an obvious FAIL! I mentioned it below in the previous post under MOTRIN, but after making that post - it only got worse...way worse.
After taking the Motrin to get back on it, I felt better for a few hours. As night set in - Everything went down hill. I had another battle with my left breast. It was terrible! That breast was swollen to a massive state that I actually cried hard thinking "this is how I'm going to die. My breast is going to explode and I'll be the newest segment on 1000 Ways to Die!"

My fever shot up again to 101.3, and later to 102.5. I'm not a huge fan of ER visits, and although I felt like I was dying - I kept telling my husband (through my tears) that I wasn't ready to go yet.
Now, when I say "through my tears," I mean I'm full out balling because I felt terrible. You know the feeling - Cold Chills, High Temperature. Entire body aches from head to toe - the worst sickly feeling ever, with a throbbing pain of exploding breasts added to it.
So, how did I get to feeling better?

My husband helped me into the shower. I cried and ached and massaged my breasts under the warm water for almost a full hour before relief began just a touch. Once I got out of the shower, I went to the TV room and set up the recliner...and after a few minutes my fever dropped dramatically, my aches began to subside, and my left breast began to look and feel "normal" (for a breastfeeding mom) again.

My DR appointment was yesterday. He didn’t feel the need to check my breasts after I told what had happened. He said it was probably Milk Fever, but I was feeling well at this point. He said to come back when the baby is 6 weeks (4 weeks) and he’ll do a head-to-toe exam. I’d be a little more comfortable if he just would have taken a peak to make sure he doesn’t notice any warning signs. My husband said he hasn’t noticed any pink/red spots on my breasts…but still – I’d like the DR to look. Does that make me crazy?  

What is Milk Fever? I looked it up and found several sites to list it as an outdated expression for the term we’ve all come to recognize as Mastitis...a term I learned from the blog of BJG (See Lactation Disaster for links)

I hope I’m not the only one having all these difficulties. I’m pretty sure I’m not since everyone tells me that the first month is the worst, but with each day I can feel we are making progress – the last 2 days have been as wonderful as they could be.

Breast Feedind Tip Results -

I’ve had a few days to do my best to take care of this Breast/Nursing issue of lumps and pain. Everyone has advice, so I decided to test some theories out….Here is my thoughts…

1)      Nurse the baby – YES, Obviously! If the baby is hungry – you know the breasts are full! Relief should be just around the corner. Although, engorgement is apparently a normal process that we all must experience right at the beginning when the milk first comes in and “let’s down”.  

2)      LANOLIN – GET SOME! Help keep your nipples safe and as pain-free as possible. Be sure to let the nipples air dry before applying. IF, you DO NOT have Lanolin you definitely WANT to be sure that your nips air dry before covering them up. They will stick to the nursing pad, bra whatever cloth you put up against them when they are wet. They need to air dry so you don’t lock in moisture and risk getting a yeast infection, or another type of infection in your breasts.

3)      Warm Compress – This was my last thing to try, but I’m bumping it up the list. A Heating Pad DOES NOT work! I tried it, and all I got was some steaming boobies to the touch. A dish towel ran under HOT water and applied to the lump/sore area of the breast – not only relieved the pain for a much longer time, but it also reduced the lump giving me a lot more comfort than I had felt in days.

It was VERY helpful when I gently massaged the breast WHILE nursing Baby K at the same time.

4)      MOTRIN – Can be your best friend, as I found out today. I had been feeling pretty good everywhere but that left breast, so I decided to “take a break” from the pain meds (like I said, I was not taking the narcotics, so if you’re on something stronger than Motrin you may want to switch to Motrin first if it was prescribed…but I’m no doctor, just trying to figure this out too!)  

After about 6 hours I noticed cold chills starting to creep on me. Soon after, my eyes started to burn and my 97.6 degree temp at 11:30 that morning had danced to 99.7. (It’s good to monitor your temp at home.) Popped a Motrin, and started to feel better right away. My appointment is Wednesday – so I figured I would call tomorrow (Tuesday) when the office is open and ask if I should be concerned.                                                      

5)      Cold Compress – I read that a cold compress should be used for non-nursing mothers to help ease the pain. However, I have found the cold compress after a feeding to be a great tool to slow down the supply of milk that my body thinks it needs to reproduce right away. I’ve used a bag of ice (leaky) to those gel filled cold packs with a towel around it, and a bag of veggies… All of which have slowed the “full” feeling.

6)      Warm Shower – Yes, get in the shower to wash the sticky milk that dribbled through the towels and on to your skin after a feeding. Let the warm water pelt down on the breast and gently massage, letting the extra milk drip out. The heat helps any blocked duct (if that’s the case) release and you should feel better.

7)      Breath – My mom told me to take some slow deep breaths like I learned in Lamaze class. It’s not more than a few seconds of relief, but it did take some of the pressure off while I got the baby ready to nurse when it felt like they were about to explode. (And while I frantically try to finish typing this post before I wake Baby K for next feeding.

8)      Pump- This is last on my list. It was recommended (and followed) for desperate immediate relief, and I was instructed it would not increase my brains signaling for “supply and demand,” because my body knows the difference between a nursing baby and a machine…so not the case for me. I have been playing catch up and was left with no other option when the throbbing pain became unbearable. I was not interested in Mastitis, so I pumped and pumped and pumped – and now I regret, regret, regret. You MUST make the right decision for you, but from someone who pumped – try to hold off if you can.

There you have the tips and tricks that I have worked with in the first 11 days of motherhood. Try them and see what works and does not work for you. It’s important to remember that every body is different and each of our bodies will respond differently. PLEASE – Post anything that you found useful/not-so-useful  in the comments section, and I will be sure to pull them into another post at a later date...plus I'm still looking for tips and tricks.

Lactation Disaster

I mentioned previously that I had rough time with the nursing, and a whole lot of pain once the flood gates opened and the milk came in. I cried the first night in the hospital, but finally got them pumped down enough to have some relief. I’m not sure if the nurses on-duty found me annoying, or if this was a semi-normal situation for them…the only thing I knew for sure is that these two were not very educated on engorgement.

Katelyn was brought in to me later in the night so that I could continue to nurse her once the solid masses in my breasts were softened up a bit. With her nursing, I was able to stay on top of the engorgement until Sunday afternoon. When again, I was reduced to tears. All I had was a hand pump and a baby having trouble latching on. I admit, I was pretty frustrated and the streaming tears didn’t help.

Chris felt about as helpless as he could, and because my parents, sister, and nephews were in town to greet us when we got home – he was able to jump in the car and head to Walgreens to either rent or purchase a breast pump. They didn’t have what he was looking for, so he headed 30 minutes out to the next town to find one on a Sunday.

Everyone at the house was trying to comfort me and to be understanding, but I felt like they were just witnesses to my failure…which made me cry again as soon as the frustration tears began to slow down. After the embarrassment tears began to clear up, I began to cry because I feared getting Mastitis.

{MayoClinic – Mastitis}  {National Library of Medicine - Mastitis} 

I had just undergone major surgery – the last thing I want is another surgery anytime soon.

*********

I went from a plan of breastfeeding exclusively to spending an entire day pumping exclusively. Chris enjoyed this because it gave him a chance to bond with Katelyn in a way he hadn’t been able to those first couple days. Although, he was upset about my pain and frustration over the entire deal.

Thankfully, I had a friend obtaining her Lactation Consultant certification message me, yelling through email – “DON’T PUMP!” I listened to her, and since then I have only had to pump once, for about three minutes just to get the lump forming in my armpit down while the baby got ready to nurse. I’m not disappointed that I had to pump again for this short time, but I am glad that Jessica reached out to me without me having to say anything. She just knew as a recent new mom herself what I was going through.

It was because of her message that I haven’t felt like a failure since. Support really is the best emotional medicine around. So, if you are a breastfeeding and you feel like a failure – just know that it is a very common place for breastfeeding moms to be. Everyone tells me that the first month is the worst, and I believe them when I say it does get easier.

Recovery Road

After I was all sealed up I was taken off the operating table and wheeled into a recovery room for thirty minutes where my vitals were closely watched by a nurse stationed at my bed side. The doctor came over after cleaning up to check on me, and then went up to let my husband know that I would be up in the room shortly.

I didn’t have the itchy feeling from the medicine, so I wasn’t given any Benadryl right away. After a few hours though, I started to itch on my back and then my nose and my arms. I got some Benadryl which helped for a little while, but I suppose I let it get a little too far out of hand before asking for the Benadryl…even though the nurses continually told me in Lamaze class and before the surgery and even right after that if I felt any itchiness at all, just the tiniest tingle, then I needed to ask for Benadryl right away.

:::My Advice::: Get the Benadryl as soon as the nurses offer it to you and just nip the whole problem in the butt before it even begins.

The nurses transferring me to the bed in the room was the worst part after the surgery up till my milk came in on Saturday. I’m not sure those two should ever be allowed to maneuver someone like that again… and I’m really not all that big. One pushed, the other pulled. My limp legs moved over, my head moved over, but my really sore incision half stayed put and I could really feel a burning sensation.

:::My Advice::: Ask for another person to help move you if you’re in doubt that the nurses  getting ready to do the job may not be enough. You won’t regret it.

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It took about 12 hours for me to be able to fully (but very slowly) move my legs again. The catheter came out after 16 hours, and I was able to begin to become mobile once again. The nurse immediately had me stand and walk to the restroom after removing the compression boots. She had me sit on the toilet until I was able to urinate.

This was an odd feeling task to complete.  It almost seemed as though those muscles had disappeared and I had to find them again. After about 10 minutes of twisting, and trying to flex various muscles in the region, I was able to tinkle just the tiniest bit. I waited a few more minutes and tried again releasing more. Like I said, it was an odd feeling and I had to keep stopping midstream because it honestly felt slightly overwhelming.

Do not plan on getting much sleep. With all the nurses coming and going and the Blood Pressure/Temperature checks (every 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 45 and then every hour at first) every 4 hours you get up a lot.

The Chaplain came in several times, an inspirometer was brought in and a clip was put my finger to gauge my oxygen…(This was later moved to a toe so that I could easily nurse the baby without it constantly being in the way and falling off,) and the Lactation Consultant came to see how nursing was going. (Another Post)

After 24 hours I was offered a stronger pain medication other than the 600mg of Motrin I had been getting every 6 hours. I’m not much of a fan of pain medication that I don’t need, so I stuck with the Motrin and had very little pain. In fact, the “pain” was not as bad as just the uncomfortable feeling that I had. Even after we were discharged, and I was given a prescription for both pain medications, I only filled the Motrin, but if you need the narcotics – get them.

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My doctor came in on Friday to check the incision and see how I was doing. I was sitting on the edge of the bed  when he came in, and he was pleased to see me up and about. I had to have assistance rolling out of the bed each time on Friday, and standing was a slow and uncomfortable process. After I took a few steps hunched over things relaxed in there and let me stand much straighter… It was nice.

The doctor said we actually filled all the requirements to leave that evening, but he was not comfortable letting a first time C-section patient go home so early. (We had ZERO complaints about that, I wasn’t ready to go home.) However, he did say that he would let the nurses know we’re cleared to go home on Saturday instead of having to stay until Sunday.

The baby was also cleared to go home after a short inspection by the pediatrician on Saturday morning, but we (my husband and I) decided to take the advice of the many moms before me and stay the recommended three nights. (Now we’re going home on the scheduled day of Sunday.)

Let me tell you…. I am SO GLAD that we stayed. My milk came in Saturday and within seconds it felt like, I was engorged and in so much pain. My breasts were literally HOT to the touch while my body temperature was normal. The baby couldn’t eat enough to give me any relief at all, and broken to devastating tears I finally whimpered for my husband to “please, go find someone to help me.” The nursery ladies (one in training) came in and put me on a double electric pump. I didn’t want to pump, but it was just terrible, I knew I had to.

Finally, with relief – I managed to make it through the night. I had Katelyn in the nursery, but around 1am when I felt full again, I called to have her brought down to me at her next feeding time. It was a battle, but I survived – and Sunday morning by 11 o’clock – we were heading home for the first time with our baby girl.

Delivery by Cesarean

::::Timing of Events::::  

5:30AM Arrive at hospital.

9:05AM Enter Operating Room.

9:55AM Leave Operating Room.

12:05PM Hold Baby for the first time.

::::What Happened::::

As we sail further into Fall, the sun had not yet begun to rise during the early morning hour that my alarm clock beeped me awake from my last slumber as just a wife or a family of two. In just a few short hours, I was going to be a mother with a family of three.

The hospital bag was previously packed and ready to go. The engine of the car purred silently in the warm October air, leaving the sleeping neighbors to remain comfortable in their beds. It only took seconds after the wheels left the driveway for the cocoons nestled in my body to rip open and spread the wings of (what I hope is) beautiful butterflies. My strong, confident display was quickly beginning to crack with worry and fear. Thankfully, it was still too dark for my husband to see the panic growing in my eyes.

Beaming like I was lined with gold, I convinced everyone (myself included) that I was 100% ready to “do this thing,” without a care in the world…but honestly…I was scared silly.

At the hospital – we registered at the single open cubicle in the empty emergency room entrance. We were guided to our room by a polite nurse.

-          Step one upon arrival was the easiest by far… putting on the hospital gown.

-          Fluids by IV started.

-          I was transformed into a hospital-high-end supermodel when the nurse accessorized my lovely gown with three beautiful (aren’t they always?) wrist bands.

o   A white one with all my patient information and the barcode for medicines received.

o   A yellow “Fall Risk” band, because after surgery I would be.

o   An orange “Allergy” band reminding all medical staff to just be aware that I have an allergy to Penicillin.

{Ok, so maybe it was a nice variation of colors perfect for the Fall season, but anything but fashionable or comfortable.}

-          Now, it was time for the all telling Ultra Sound. The very last one to tell us if were moving onward with the surgery, or if by some miracle the baby had turned and we would be discussing inducement…. Still very much breech. Surgery it is.}

o   Frank Breech: The fetus' buttocks are aimed toward the birth canal and the legs stick straight up in front of the body. The feet are near the head. American Pregnancy Association

-          Blood was drawn to keep on hand just in case it was needed during the operation. For which another band, this time a blue one.

-          We attended Lamaze classes even though we knew were breech, and would more than likely end up having a C-Section. The class was extremely valuable, and prepared us for what we could expect to happen before, during, and after the surgery.

-          A team of student nurses just giddy with excitement came in with their supervisor to administer two separate drugs to me to help with the acid in my stomach.

o   An IV injected medicine, which needs to be distributed very slowly or it can cause (heighten) anxiety levels in the patient.

o   The nastiest liquid shot you’re ever going to try. It is in a container similar (but bigger) than coffee creamer. (Prepare yourself now if you know you need a C-Section.)

-          Next, it was time for a shave. A nurse came in to shave around my belly button and the top of my pubic area.  Giving the doctor a nice clean area to work.

-          Compression Boots. It was when the compression boots (to minimize blood clots after surgery) came out that my anxiety grew so intense that I had to pace the room. I finally sat in a chair, and found myself crying in worry with my husband kneeling next to me rubbing my arm and back as comforting as he could with as helpless as he felt.

{I was asked to use the restroom one last time before being wheeled down to the O.R. “holding area”. My body was shaking, but I couldn’t tell if it was because I was cold or nerves. I tried to convince myself that it was cold, but my body temperature has been running so high during the pregnancy, I’m certain it was worry.

The good thing about my anxiety being so high for so long is that I was able to fall asleep for a few minutes while in the holding area. My husband continued to stroke my hand as I snored away, waking myself up two separate times, but it relaxed me enough to get my eyes and face clear of tears. }

-          Now it was time to be greeted by the doctor and reassured that I was healthy and he knows how to do his job very well. I guess he’s never watched Grey’s Anatomy…

-          Next, the anesthesiologist introduced himself. He brought a heavy dose of anxiety back as he asked me several medical questions that I have already answered, and then asked if I had loose or missing teeth (anyone know why? – Looking answer up later).

-          Being wheeled into the O.R. and transferred to the operating table.

{My husband had to wait in the holding area for a little while I got situated in the O.R. and my spinal put in. I knew I was shivering now from a little of both, cold and nerves, because I felt only slightly better when Nurse Michelle wrapped me up in heated blankets. It took me awhile to get my shoulders to relax enough to let my back form the perfect “C” for the proper placement of the needle. }

-          Insert Catheter.

{Within minutes I was numb. I was told a catheter was being put into place, but I couldn’t feel a thing from my breast bone down. I’m pretty sure that my face turned a shade pink when my doctor said, “Wow, that’s a lot of urine.” All I could do was shrug my shoulders and smile awkwardly. I’m already lying on the table with a room full of strangers naked from the bottom down, and now you want to have a conversation about the amount urine leaving my body that I can’t control? It was just…awkward.}

-          Lay arms out on resting pads.  

-          Oxygen tapped in through the nose.

-          Bring in husband.

{After getting the oxygen supply through my nose the blue sheet was raised over my head, and I heard the doctor tell a nurse to go “get her husband,” and then he asked for a scalpel. I knew things were underway at this point. Chris (my husband), was ushered in and took a set just over my left shoulder. Her rubbed my arm and caressed my hand. As the panic began to set in as the numbing/burning sensation moved into my chest area (and I’m thinking this is where I die) – Chris tries to refocus my attention by selecting random things to talk about. It also helped the doctor and a surgical assistant were talking about houses for sale on Lake Shore Drive… I remember thinking that Grey’s Anatomy has some truth to it when the surgeons all stand around the patient talking about random life things.}

-          Pressure here and there.

-          Baby Cries.

{There was no pain, but the pressure was pretty intense. The elbow of the doctor must have been used to help move her to where he could grab her, because it took a few minutes and what felt like a whole lot of work to get her out of there.

We only had one ultra sound to tell us the sex of the baby. I was nervous that the baby would be a boy because that’s my luck after painting the room pink. The doc laughed, “Well, I can confirm she’s a girl from this angle.”  

The pressure continued, I could feel the pushing and the pulling happening to get her out, and then I hear this tiny shallow cry. As she was being passed from the doctor to the Pediatrician I caught a small glimpse of her.

After her health was confirmed by the pediatrician, she was bundled and held next to my head for a few seconds for me to see her and give her a kiss. The expected 5lbs baby from the last ultra sound was a little off…My baby girl was 7lbs 7oz and 19 inches long….Perfect and healthy.

My husband left to follow her back to the nursery where she was bathed and had more test ran while I was having my placenta delivered and being glued back together.}  ....Recovery Road to come!