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l'tulips, welcome home & to motherhood! How's your little one? My episio didn't hurt too badly until today. I think cos I'm a little slack with the antiseptic lotion and have gone off the painkillers since yesterday that's why can feel. I was cut on Mon, first poop in hospital on Wed morn and it wasn't painful. I don't think it's the poop that is causing worse pain... perhaps you pulled a little too hard on the area when cleaning up after the biggie?
dolly, I take whatever BF'ing theory I hear with a pinch of salt - cos I know that if I have specific expectations of myself - that just puts pressure on me. Do I want exclusive breastfeeding? Yes. Latch on? Yes. But I'm just going to do my best and pray for strength and wisdom to decide what's best for our circumstances, I guess.
Breastfeeding with expressed milk is so mafan. Like tubbym said, have to sterilise bottles and pump too. But formula will be even more intensive and I'm thankful supply is good. I still have 30mls in the fridge and just pumped another 50mls after a long hot shower plus boob massage.
sweethalo, the soreness isn't all that bad. Not excruciating pain... just perhaps like sitting on a major acne. Haha!! Anyway, I asked nurse at hosp if they had an episio pillow. She said no... but advised me that pressure on it actually helps wound heal faster than if we sit on a donut pillow. I was telling Tubbym~ and she asked me WHY?! I have no idea. But aiya, it's not that bad. Just irritating and have to sit down and get up slowly, and wipe carefully after every toilet trip.
dolly, I don't think that's nesting instinct lor!! Nesting instinct is preparing the NEST for baby bird to come home... not flying out on a holiday before the egg hatches leh!
LFB, same on my side. I'm pretty determined to breastfeed exclusively for at least 6 months. But I'm not going to be stupid about it. Hubby and I recognise that we've been so blessed - It's not even 5 days since we received the gift of little Kyle Justus and he could latch on within 24hrs of birth, was pooping nicely in the hospital, milk came in, no engorgement, now supply is plentiful and pumping is working, Kyle is still open to latching on and doing better (VERY S.L.O.W.L.Y but surely) with each nursing session. I'm just going to attribute it to the re-adjusting hormones that are make me testy sometimes.
caramelle, thanks for the vote of confidence! *grin* I'm actually thinking whether it was diarrhoea cos expressed milk can be stored at room temp for 4 hours. I kept bottle in the air-conditioned room for 4.5 hours before feeding it to Kyle. *oops! sheepish grin* But it seems to have cleared up now so I guess it's just the overfeeding this morning of a WHOPPING 95mls of milk in a 3-hr window!!!
+ I do agree that being well-informed and prepared to expect problems help with coping. Ling was quite discouraged too and wondering if Elena didn't like her breast milk after having been fed formula. I was sharing with her it's not about the milk, it's about EXTRACTING the milk. Once they've had lots of food served without effort on their part, why would they want to work so hard for it - only to have it come SUPER DUPER slowly!? I like to think that it helped her to know that it was the initial start of cup formula feeding that is kinda twarting her plans at the moment.
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