A few minor details: he asked me if we planned a quick turnaround for our second pregnancy, and when I asked him to define "quick," he asked if we were planning another pregnancy in the next 6-9 months. To which I responded, H*LL no. I mean, do people really do that? I guess they do or the doctor wouldn't have asked, and more power to them, but I literally cannot imagine being pregnant with #2 and having a 6-month old. How about I get the hang of one baby before even considering number two? And let's not even go there re: letting my lady parts recover from the first one before even considering a second. Oy.
I also asked him about the likelihood of me having to deal with preeclampsia for any future pregnancies. He said that since mine was mild in nature, he hoped I would skate right past it next pregnancy - that is close to being a direct quote. I had several problems with this statement. First, mild? I was on bed rest for the last 7 weeks of my pregnancy, for goodness' sake. I would hate to see what severe is. Secondly, I "hope" I will skate right past it too, doc. When I mentioned these two things to him, he told me that what he meant was, we just won't know until we get there, but he thinks my chances for a healthy pregnancy next time around, whenever that may be (not any time soon, sorry Mom!), are good. Hooray! I won't get my hopes up, but I like my odds.
I guess the only other important thing we talked about was breast feeding. He said that since I am exclusively pumping, I likely won't be able to breast feed much longer once Lilly starts eating more. I was under the impression that people continue to pump and feed for a while, so this discouraged me somewhat and, I'm sure it will come as a shock to you all, but I've been worrying about it ever since. My original goal was to breast feed for one year. Since L had other plans and we've had to tweak a little (I'm convinced she is God's way of teaching me that I can't control everything), my new goal is to (hopefully) make it to 6 months, or at least until we start introducing solid foods, and then re-visit depending on how it's going. Since pumping imitates breast feeding but is not exact, I had the bright idea that maybe I could still breast feed during the day, if not all day at least one or two times. I have been solely pumping out of sheer convenience, as it is typically much faster, but since for the time being I'm home during the day, we have the time. Why not? So, I tried Lilly on the boob (with the shield, of course) after I got home this afternoon, and it did NOT go well. She nursed for an hour, but after a burp break when she was still hungry and I tried to put her back on she would not have it and pitched the biggest fit I have ever seen from her to date. So after nursing for a full hour, I still had to give her a bottle and then pump. I guess I can't blame her, the bottle gives her what she wants a LOT quicker. Perhaps we'll try again tomorrow?
In the long run, I am not sure how I should go about trying to increase my supply when the time comes. As it is, I pump every 3-4 hours during the day, and then just after I've fed her when she's woken up once at night, and I seem to be producing exactly what she's eating. I guess I could keep the vigilant 3-hour schedule even during the night for a few days and see how it goes. I've also started myself on fenugreek just as an added measure. I have had a few girlfriends agree with what the lactation consultant said, that my body will just know to produce more when the time comes, but others have not had that same experience. And with all of these weddings coming up, what about when I have to travel? How do I pump enough so that she can eat my breast milk when I'm not around? Will I just have to give her strictly formula in those cases? We had a big supply of breast milk in our freezer from when I was way overproducing at the beginning, but it is already dwindling due to several battles with clogged ducts reducing my flow. Any advice from all of you Mom friends who pumped? This reminds me, I need to do an update post on pumping with all of the greast tips & tricks I've learned from readers, friends, doctors, etc. Don't let me forget!
Re: when I can expect my period to return, he obviously could not predict that - said it could be weeks or months, and to be careful so as to avoid an aforementioned "quick turnaround" pregnancy. Eek.
As for yesterday's post, thank you all SO MUCH for your sweet words of encouragement and kind thoughts. It was days like yesterday that I am even more grateful than ever that I've kept up with this blog, because I REALLY needed the reassurance. It was a long day. As for Lilly, she is sleeping much better so far tonight (knock on wood that it continues), and in her own crib and not on Mommy or in the swing (so far):
Thank the Lord, because of course the only nap she took today was while Dan was on baby duty so I could go to the doctor, so I did not get to nap along with her and I am struggling! The night is young, I know, but at least we're off to a better start than yesterday. I'll take whatever I can get.
Happy Thursday!
Sarah
No comments:
Post a Comment