Since I have lost my mind and barely remember my name most days, it should be no surprise that I totally forgot to tell you guys I was guest blogging over at Whitney’s blog last week. Whoops! She asked me to talk about breast feeding, since she is planning on breast feeding her daughter, Kynlee, once she arrives in a few short weeks and wanted to know the “real” scoop. Of course, I was happy to oblige, so hop on over there and check it out!
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You eat whatever you want, don’t exercise and still lose weight. Have I mentioned before that I LOVE breast feeding? Aside from all the benefits to Knox, let’s go ahead and discuss the benefits to my waistline, shall we? I weigh five pounds less than I did when I got pregnant. Um, awesomeness.
I despise dieting and exercising (even though I need to do it more, I hate to sweat… gross), and once I went off birth control after we got married, I gained ten pounds in about five seconds (thanks so much PCOS… you are a skank). I never lost that extra ten before getting pregnant, so as I watched the scale increase during pregnancy, I couldn’t help worrying about losing it once Knox was born. Well, I am no longer worried. I would love to lose five more pounds and weigh what I did during college, but you know, I am pretty darn happy with the way things are right now, if I don’t. Well, aside from my booty having completely disintegrated. Who knew that happened? I think it’s a rather common affliction since I have shared this revelation with friends, too. Even though I can wear my pre-pregnancy low-rise jeans, they don’t fit the same. Hello, wider hips and pancake tush. When I bend over, I reveal a good ten inches of butt crack. Okay, maybe not ten, but at least two. Since I do not have aspirations to be a plumber, I think my “ultra low-rise” days are over.
It’s insane how your body changes, even if the numbers on the scale are the same, the image in the mirror is SO not. Even though I am lighter than I used to be, my hips are wider, my stomach is flabbier, my sides are stretch-marked, my boobs… let’s not even discuss the pitiful state of those suckers (<– ha, ha, suckers…). I am mildly terrified to start hardcore bikini shopping. I still have the linea negra, though it’s *almost* gone, but you know, I am not going to wear a one piece just because of that. I am hoping a good tan will bid it adieu, so I am going to be brave. We’ll see if I can find a pair of bikini bottoms that can even begin to cover my pathetic butt-less backside… I have GOT to start doing some squats. It’s a necessity.
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Our meeting with the lactation consultant went really well. She seems to think that my supply has gone down some because I am not pumping as much and because of Knox’s nursing style. Read: Knox’s latching on and sleeping style. She says he is what they call a “gourmet” nurser- he takes his time, enjoying everything, looking around, sleeping and takes forever (at least an hour) to nurse. Basically, he’s a lazy eater. Since I had such an abundance of milk in hospital, my body got the message when milk was left over in my boobs that it was making too much, so it cut back. Luckily, based on her weight calculations and measurements, I am making just enough for Knox’s needs right now. (Though, I have to say, I really miss my huge boobs! They were hot, even though they leaked every time I bent over.)
She weighed him, I fed him on the right side, she weighed him again. He gained less than an ounce. He then ate on the left side and she weighed him again. Much better on his ‘favorite” side. He got about 2 and a half ounces total, which is what he needs. She suggested that I feed Knox every two hours during the day, three at night, and pump after each feeding until empty. I need to pump at least 4-5 times a day, according to her, just after feedings. Not much pumping required at the moment, I only get about an ounce after feeding him. She said we just want to make sure to protect my milk supply now, in these early days, so it doesn’t continue to wane while we’re getting Knox to feed better and more effectively. We have to do a LOT of stimulating him while he’s eating by rubbing his head vigorously, ticking his feet, moving his arms, etc. Trevor’s new job in life is Baby Head Rubber.
Also, his new “fun” latch (aka the nipple ripper) was a concern for me. My nipples are RAW, red and so painful. She said they’ll toughen up soon, in the mean time, I am must making sure he gets on there well and re-adjusting if he slips at all. She gave me some nipple cooling gel pads that stick to your boobs and are lovely. I’m also using Lanisoh, which may be slightly helpful. I am just glad that she seems to think everything will regulate and be okay because breast feeding is so incredibly important to me. I want to do what’s best for him, no matter how bad it hurts my nipples!
The medicine is okay to use, according to her, but I don’t like that I found it should only be used by infants over one month of age. I think I”ll wait on taking it, as everything down south seems to be calming down. Oddly, it started to improve after I stopped taking Vicodin and switched to a Tylenol (as needed), sitz bath and Tucks pads regimen. Sweet relief.
Thank you guys for all the good advice!!! I really appreciate it!
And here is your daily Knox fix. His first tummy time experience. Not successful.
Trevor couldn’t stand it and rescued him within five minutes.
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What the heck. I woke up yesterday and my boobs had shrunk to about half the size they were the day before. They are no longer firm, they’re soft like “normal” boobs. I am not producing as much milk at all. Maybe half of what it was. Is this the breast feeding kind of “normalizing?” I know they won’t be engorged and hard forever, but this is seriously freaking me out. I’m pumping after feeding, now, and I am barely getting anything out. I have no idea what happened. Two days ago, I’d hook up to the pump and between both boobs I’d fill the bottle in five minutes. Last night, I got half a bottle in twenty minutes. This is completely freaking me out. Breast feeding is THE most important thing to me. I have a call in to the lactation consultant to try to figure something out. Any words of wisdom to help me not have a coronary??
I started taking Macrobid for the UTI after okaying it with my OB and Knox’s pediatrician… do you think this could have done something?
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Hi, I'm Jessica: a formerly primped-to-perfection Southern belle turned obsessive, neurotic mama that's forgotten what it's even like to wear high heels. Loves Jesus, married to a HOT firefighter, PCOS-hater and boy mom to two awesome littles.
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