Knock on wood...

But I think the thrush is finally GONE!!!!!!

It only took 13 weeks, three different anti-fungals, and a bottle of gentian violet.  The anti-fungal medications worked for me, but did nothing for C's mouth.  Finally, my lactation consultant suggested and C's doctor approved us to use gentian violet.  That stuff is messy, but it seems to have worked!!!!!

Breastfeeding, thrush, and weight gain

Our first two months with C have been wonderful, with only a few minor hiccups.  As I've mentioned before, I am breastfeeding and that is generally going well.  However, we did have an issue where C wasn't gaining enough weight in the beginning.  First, she did not gain back up to her birth weight by two weeks like her pedi wanted.  This led to many tears and much worry from me as I frantically fed her for the next five days, trying to fatten her up before her next weight check.  She did make it back up to her birth weight for that appointment, but then had gained only two more ounces by the time of her one-month appointment two weeks later.  Cue more tears and panic and guilt from me that I was starving my baby without knowing it and therefore irreparably affecting her brain development.  (First-time mom + sleeping only 30-45 minutes at a time = over-reacting emotional disaster!)  At that time, her pedi recommended supplementing with formula, which was very difficult for me to swallow but was of course the right decision at the time.  I felt like I was failing my baby by not meeting even her most basic of needs.

We spent the next few weeks supplementing with formula and trying to increase my supply.  Her doctor thought it might be an issue with the fat content of my milk rather than a supply issue, so he had me add a DHA supplement to my diet to see if that would help.  (I couldn't tolerate the God-awful taste and smell of fish oil capsules, so I am now taking flax oil instead.)  Regardless of whether the supplement helped or not, I am happy to report that we are now exclusively breastfeeding again, and she is thriving and growing like a chubby, tubby weed.  :-)

In addition to the weight issues and breastmilk supply issue, C and I have also been fighting the worst case of thrush in the history of ever for the past 6 weeks.  I believe I actually had it for a week or two before seeking treatment, but I thought the burning and nipple pain were normal for a beginning breastfeeding mom.  It wasn't until she was a few weeks old, and I was literally sobbing from pain during her feedings, that I realized maybe there was a problem.  The amazing lactation consultant at my doctor's office diagnosed me as having not only thrush in my nipples, but also yeast growing in my milk ducts.  (Let me tell you, the pain from a breast yeast infection is worse than unmedicated labor.  I'm not joking.)  Then, after several weeks of no symptoms, C also developed thrush in her mouth. 

Thankfully, the thrush doesn't seem to be causing C too much discomfort, other than causing her to be extra gassy.  Unfortunately, we are both still fighting it.  I'm on my third round of Diflucan (fluconazole) and am using a prescription cream (terconazole) on my nipples as needed.  C was treated unsuccessfully with Nystatin and is now on her own course of fluconazole.  DH and I also sterilize all of her bottle parts, pacifiers, and my pump parts after every use.  I am hoping that since we are finally both being treated with fluconazole at the same time that we will finally be able to beat it, because I am so over this!

If any of you dealt with thrush, I would love to hear what worked for you!

10 weeks!

So I started writing this post a week and a half ago... when she really was 8 weeks old.  lol  I really want to try to post at least monthly updates to how we are doing, but we'll see how that goes!

C is now 10 weeks old... HOLY CRAP how did that happen?!  She had her two-month pedi appointment last Friday and took her first round of vaccinations like a champ.  She only cried for a minute while it was happening, and DH scooped her up afterward and she calmed right down.  She is such a good girl!  She is also becoming quite the chunky monkey, after some weight issues in the beginning (more on that in my next post).  At her appointment last week she was up to 11 pounds, 10 ounces and 23.5 inches!

C has also been hitting all of her milestones on time.  She has been holding her head up on her own since the day we brought her home from the hospital -- no joke, her pedi has commented on how strong she is since the very beginning! -- and keeps getting stronger and better at it every day.  She will also bear weight on her legs now every chance she gets.  She gave us her first real smile the day she turned 5 weeks old, and now smiles at us constantly.  My favorite thing she does is give me a huge, chubby-faced grin every time I come to her, whether I've been gone for 10 minutes or 10 seconds.  (Cue heart melting!)  She has also gone from screaming bloody murder every time we give her a bath to actually enjoying it; the same for diaper changes.  She just grins and coos the entire time we are changing her diaper, it is so adorable.  :-)

Speaking of diapers, she HATES being dirty or wet and will start fussing as soon as she realizes she's messed her diaper.  I don't know if its because we are using cloth or not, but she can tell as soon as she's wet and is not happy until she gets changed.  I'm hoping this carries over and makes for easy potty training down the road!

She also slept through the night for the first time two weeks ago.  The first night it happened I woke up to DH's alarm in a panic. My first thought was that she had stopped breathing, and I immediately reached over to check on her.  Thank goodness, she was fine and snoozing peacefully.  (My second thought was, OMG MY BOOBS OOOWWWWW!!!! haha)  Since then, she has slept at least 4-6 hours most nights, which is awesome, but of course I still have to get up to pump, which sucks.  (I would love to hear what you ladies do about this, if there is a better option.  I hate waking up every 3-4 hours to pump!)

Something else that is random, but I have to mention, is that C is absolutely mesmerized by our Christmas tree.  Yes, I said "is"... we haven't taken it down yet.  lol  (And yes, it is artificial. We don't have a rotting tree carcass in our house!)  It doesn't matter how upset and inconsolable she may be, if you carry her into our front room to look at the lights on the tree, she is instantly quiet and calm.  Amazing.  We are trying to find a good alternative to the tree, so that we can finally take it down some time before summer... Any ideas?

Postpartum Advice

Baby C is two weeks old today, I absolutely cannot believe it! They grow up so fast. lol

In honor of this milestone, I thought I'd share a few of the things I've learned as I recover from her birth and as DH and I adjust to being new parents. I swear this isn't a smug-new-mom post, just things other new moms had told me (that I'm so glad I listened to), or things I had to learn myself the hard way.  I know at least a few of you readers are about to have babies yourself, so maybe this advice will be helpful to you too. :-) 

1) Stock up on pads, witch hazel pads (Tucks), and Dermoplast before going into labor. It was so nice having these available when we got home from the hospital and not having to worry about immediately running out to buy them!

2) Use the Dermoplast and witch hazel pads every time you go to the bathroom. The nurse at the hospital showed me how to use the Dermoplast, then line my sanitary pad with the witch hazel pads, and it was SO nice. Just a suggestion. ;-)

3) Take as many pairs of the mesh granny panties from the hospital as you can. I even asked the nurse to bring me another pack because I loved them so much. And its nice that when they get bloody you can just throw them away, instead of ruining your own undies. ;-) I also recommend stealing as many of the crotch ice packs as you can, they were wonderful as well!

4) Fill the prescription they give you for stool softeners and TAKE THEM! Even if you don't take the narcotic pain killers, you will need the stool softeners.  Trust me.

5) Breastfeeding is hard and it HURTS, but it gets better. I was lucky that C figured it out right away, but it was still excruciatingly painful in the beginning, even when doing everything correctly. I also found it very mentally difficult at times, due to the anticipation of how much it would hurt when C latches on but knowing that I have to just suck it up and do it. Thankfully at two weeks it is finally starting to hurt less and is really only painful in the initial 5-10 seconds after she latches. I've been told it gets easier so I am hoping that is the case!  Also, I would ask to see a lactation consultant before leaving the hospital, just to make sure you are both doing it right (or to get any problems ironed out if you aren't).

6) Buy lanolin and use it liberally (if breastfeeding).  This goes along with #5, but I cannot imagine attempting to breastfeed without using lanolin.  A friend suggested requesting it at the hospital and using it from the beginning, and I am so so thankful that I did.  My hospital actually gave me the Medela kind which I used while there, but I had purchased Lansinoh which I began using at home and found that I preferred it over the Medela.  The Lansinoh is a thicker texture than the Medela, which I have heard some women think makes it difficult to apply, but its not that bad and I found it to be more protective of my sore, sore nipples.

7)  Take LOTS of pictures of your sweet new baby!  They grow and change so much, so quickly, and you don't want to miss a thing!  :-)

I think that's it for my list of advice... if any other moms want to weigh in or add things that worked for you too, feel free!

Baby C has arrived!

You may have guessed from my absence that Baby C is finally here!  And we are obviously no longer Team Green... ITS A GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  

Baby C arrived at 3:37 am on 11/15/11 (39 weeks, 3 days) after only 4.5 hours of labor -- Yes you read that correctly!  She weighed in at 7 pounds, 12 ounces and 21 inches long.  She is absolutely beautiful and perfect in every way.  :-)  DH and I are so beyond in love with her! 

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And for those of you who are interested, the (med-free) birth story:

I had fallen asleep on the couch watching tv on the evening of the 14th. I woke up around 11:00 pm thinking maybe I was having contractions, but they weren't too painful.  DH and I started cleaning up the house a bit "just in case", although he wasn't convinced this wasn't a false alarm.  Soon I noticed the contractions were coming every 5-8 mins, and that I had started bleeding. The blood was more than I expected for (what I thought was) early labor, so around 12:30 am I called L&D to see if I should come in. The nurse assured me some bleeding was normal and to come in when my contractions were 4-5 minutes apart.

About 30 minutes after hanging up the phone, my contractions were consistently coming every 2-4 minutes and lasting a minute or more each. DH and I decided it was time to go. I had at least 3-4 contractions during the 10 minute drive to the hospital. By the time we arrived at the hospital, I was 7 cm with a bulging bag of waters. I don't think anyone (me and DH included) expected me to be that far along! The fact that I had already progressed that far without too much pain gave me a huge confidence boost that I could actually succeed with the med-free delivery I had hoped for.

The next bit of the story is kind of a blur. I met the on-call doctor (who was amazing by the way) and told him I wanted to do this naturally and asked if he was open to me trying different positions while pushing, instead of flat on my back. Thankfully he was super laid back and said I could do whatever I wanted. I remember having a LOT of pressure during this time and thinking the baby was about to fall out, but the rest is pretty much a blur. I remember joking with the doctors and nurses in between contractions and swearing under my breath (and then apologizing to everyone) during contractions. I also remember when my water broke because it was such a weird feeling. I was kind of squatting at the edge of the bed, trying not to push, and it just exploded like I'd been hit by a water balloon in the crotch. lol I know I finally told the nurse that the baby was coming and my body was pushing it out without me. She called for the doctor but I guess he was taking too long, because she decided to check me. She couldn't even find the other side of my cervix and called me complete around 2:45 am.

She must have successfully paged someone, because before I knew it the on-call doctor, a resident, and two other nurses appeared and started breaking down the bed. I used the squat bar for a little while and really liked it, but I was exhausted and my legs got too tired so I stopped. Then I got on all fours and that's where I stayed until Baby C was born. Pushing really wasn't that painful -- it was such a relief to be able to push against the pressure -- but it was really hard work. And it was very surreal, I could feel Baby C move down every time I pushed. After about 45 minutes of pushing she was finally out! DH is in medical school and the doctor let him "catch" and cut the cord, and he was the one to announce we had a baby girl. That was really really special for both of us that he got to do those things.  :-)

The only bit of drama is that Baby C apparently took a big gulp of fluid on her way out and was sounding a little gurgly when she was first born, so they took her to get checked out while I delivered the placenta and got cleaned up. I had a 2nd degree tear inside my vagina, but it was small and only took a few stitches to fix. By the time I was fixed up Baby C had checked out just fine (7/8 Apgars) and I finally got to meet my baby girl!

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DH and I still can't believe she is here and are totally in love. I also still can't believe how lucky I was having such a fast and easy delivery. My recovery has been great and Baby C is breastfeeding like a champ.  I truly could not have asked for a better delivery or a more perfect baby.  :-)

I will do my best to keep posting on this blog, but it might be sporadic as Baby C eats (what feels like) constantly and I'm trying to get a little rest in between. 

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!