POPPY:
I feel EXACTLY the same as you!!!!!! You are not alone!!!!! Here are some of my experience:
>> pumping 3hrsly too tired => I switched to pumping every 6 hrly so i don have to wake up in the middle of the night, and also give me more time to rest...
>> engorgement: yes it can be hell of a pain. maybe you can try to use hand and express the milk so u can massage all areas of the breast to soften it?
>> CL leaving: i can't imagine myself coping without the CL too, but i can't wait for her to leave cos she bosses over the baby and didnt help me bond with them. So I just be thick-skin and try to volunteer to help/learn whenever i can to practise. You can take this time to ask her all sorts of doubts/questions/tips about baby caring too. Once you gain confidence and get hands-on you'll feel less stressed.
>> waking up in the middle of the night IS DEPRESSING, however the 'good' thing is since baby drinks once every 3 hrs, that's about 2 times at night. I'm depressed at first too cos i'm not familiar with babies too, but as the nights go by it sort of gets into routine
(If baby is fussy during night feed, get someone to help.)
>> Tired&Depressed: take chicken essence everyday, eat well, set aside 1/2hr every morning to get out for some sunlight and stretching exercise (this helped me LOADS) and AWAY from the house, probably during last week of confinement. I actually went shopping nearby just to get away.
>> Lastly, we are all human beings and CANNOT do everything perfectly. If u feel stressed/tired doing something (e.g. feeding fussy baby), pass it to someone else. You may feel VERY GUILTY at first but you have to let go and take care of yourself first sometimes
Sorry if its too much info but hope it helps..
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