Beatriz esta aqui!

I am so happy and relieved to tell you that Serenity's little sister is here safe and sound. A little jaundiced, so the doc had us supplementing with formula, which was really stressful and making me a crazy postpartum mom.

we were having difficulty with latching on, but apparently that was because I didn't get little Bea's memo that she was not planning on breastfeeding until March 22, as she finally did it at 12 this morning. I have not slept a wink since then (or much before that) but everything feels ok now that we got that working. I felt like everything was coming down around me before then and that she was going to die because we were screwing up the feeding and she was jaundiced and spiraling so forth and so on.

So, now I am much relieved and I hope today will go easier. I finally figured out that Triple S and I need to ask for help, so I have sent out a local request. Duh, it sounds so easy and everyone tells you to ask for anything they can do , but we are self-reliant, perhaps to a fault, and I really have never had to ask for help before. Hope it helps.

So anyway, with the BF hopefully continuing to go ok and some help on the way - I should be able to freakin get a picture up.

And I want to clearly say 'thank you' to all of you here in the internets for helping get my darling, precious daughter here alive, kicking, crying, and warm. "She's warm" was the first thing I said when they laid her on my chest at birth. I could not have done it without knowing you all, having our community of support, and knowing you were there.

Much love,
Anita

I am back home

I got discharged from the hospital yesterday (yipee) and reunited with my baby.

Bea wasn't allowed to visit cause of germs at the hospital. Which was a good precaution, because the entire division staff was passing around a 24-h stomach flu. I was the paranoid lady with wet wipes. But not sick!!

Hopitla was traumatic experience all the way around. Maybe will tell you all about it later, but probably just let that water flow under the bridge becuase I have much more iportant things to do and think about.

I dont think I told ya'll that we had four days of steriods (dexamethasone) to help mature B's lungs pre-induction (and moved inducation back one day). Turns out, moms can react to the steroids ONE WEEK later, seemingly out of the blue. This appears to be what happened to me - I had an emotional and mental reaction to hte combination of the steroids before birth and the lack of sleep. The hospital fixed me all up and npw I have one medication to take for a few months.

My friend did a search of pubmed (god, i love having scientist friends, and being a scientist myself) and found some literature on this phenom. So, if someone needs to take steroids, email me at that time and I will forward the paper(s) (dont have them yet).

The hospital was unable to get me a breast pump for a few days (wrong ward - lots of confusion; no one's fault), so breastfeeding is a bit mixed up right now. Plus, I want to wait at leat 4 hours after taking my sleeping pill to feed. My mom is doing two-three feedings with formula. Right now they are both dozing on the couch. I apprecaite the quiet time beacuse I really needed to write here in my space and know that my dbms are out there in the interents. I am feeling much more relaxed now.

So, what advice on reestablishing BFing? We had only just got the hang of it and my milk was established. Now it is low, but not gone. B is a bit hard on my nipples, let's say that is nipple ocnfusion. I am nursing constatnly now, hopefully that will get milk flowing again.

My old school paretns are driving me crazy. My mom did not BF, but my MIL did - she is my go-to-BF person. But my dad wants to quantitate my breast milk by pumping and then measuring!!! ARGH! He needs a project to get him out of my hair.

ok more later, i have som much i need to get out and express and process. but now, i here some little tiger grunting and must MUST go take a shower.

xo
a