Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Weeks 5 and 6 Postpartum: Soon To Be Free

These last couple of weeks post pregnancy are the worst.  In a sense one feels as if she should be back to her usual self.  It would be nice to have the household under control again.  Meal planning is in complete chaos partly because there has been no order to how meals were done the last month.  I am so blessed that things like meal train are there.  Thank you to all my friends who brought us a wonderful meal.  It helped the family out so much.  Let's also say that cleaning up the house has been a task to task and day to day experience.  I finally cleaned my kitchen floor for the first time in about five weeks.  Bathrooms are getting cleaned when I cannot stand the sight of them (around every 1 and half to 2 weeks) instead of once a week.  Laundry is a daily task and with double the diapers this has to get done.  I have around two to four loads of laundry everyday...one of these is always diapers.

Speaking of diapers, having such a big little one has made me think twice about homemade diapers.  If it was not so much fun, I would be frustrated that little Bria has already grown out of all of them in five weeks.  Some of the covers still fit, but lets face it, newborns grow fast.  Now I am trying to find some time to make some new diapers.  Beware that if one starts to make cloth diapers it is way too addictive.  I love picking out the colors and trying to make my own patterns.  You know you have a problem when you are scouting out your house for old fabric and picturing it as a diaper!  It is just so much fun...fashion that is practical and even a form of recycling.  I just love it.  My new diapers will be is fall colors, even though it is almost winter.  I got PUL in burnt orange, moss green, and my favorite plum (for something a bit baby girl).  I am still focused on gender neutral colors because there is that chance we will have another baby.

I still think in terms of what will I need to keep for the the next one--baby that is.  Even though we have five it is hard to imagine no more.  In my mind I have always thought six kids would be perfect, but in reality who gives birth that many times?  Now that I am almost there my thoughts are, what happens when I have six kids.  How are we going to make it with five kids?  God always has a plan and provides for us, but it does not mean that we have everything together.

This had been one of the hardest transitions yet.  It is equivalent to having our first child in a lot of ways.  I feel like our finances are stretched in ways that feel almost impossible (even if it is not true, or maybe is).  Sleep makes no sense anymore.  There needs to be some order to our home but I have not found it yet.  Usually I have figured things out by now.

Why are things so difficult?  For a lot of reasons really.  My husband just changed jobs and it should be good, but it will take some time.  Our house is full of kids...really full.  I wash clothing and I am still figuring out where to put it.  As kids grow out of things I know I need to store a lot of the clothing, but that just takes up more space.  I hate clutter, even if it is useful stuff.  Without the funds to redesign our home, creative solutions to all the mess is a must.  I imagine that will be one of my projects to come.

Now that I have been pregnant five times in seven years it is hard to imagine a world where I am not expecting a new child.  This is the first time I cannot picture what to do next or dream that I could finally have my body back...maybe not exactly how it was, but close to how it was.  What did I look like before anyway?  People in my life now have not known me not pregnant.  Isn't that a crazy thought?  Well my family, but they do not count.  I wonder if I will make it two years or longer this time.  How will I be different as a parent this time around?  I look forward to answering some of these questions in my new blog- The Liberal Arts Housewife.  Hopefully I will start this soon, but we'll see.  I am still getting used to having five kids.  :)


Saturday, December 3, 2011

Week 4 Postpartum: Nursing With One Breast

I have been able to nurse all of my babies with only one breast.  Learning about the breastfeeding process before attempting it myself helped me through some of the rough patches.  If I had not realized that babies create the milk supply for themselves in the first four weeks of nursing, then I might have given up.  With my first child I was watched very closely.  My baby was 5 lbs 4 oz, so there was concern for his growth right away.  It took about three days for my milk supply to show up even with constant breastfeeding and pumping milk in between feedings.  I felt like a human feeding machine and my life would not be much more than that for a long time. 

During, the many hours I spent pumping milk and feeding, I thought there was something wrong with me and this would never work.  What if I would have to give up breastfeeding?  I really did not want my child to have formula.  Little did I know that a lot of people with little babies, c-section babies, babies struggling with weight gain, and many others find themselves doing exactly what I had to do to feed my child.  Most of them went on to be successful breastfeed babies.  Just because I only have one breast does not mean I would not produce all the milk my baby would need.

What really makes breastfeeding different with one breast?  When the milk comes in if there is any breast tissue left on the mastectomy side, one might start producing milk.  I know because every time I feel the milk let down sensation when I am feeding my baby, I feel it on the side with no breast near my armpit.  With the last three babies I have noticed some milk streaming out of my pores on that side.  I am thankful for not getting an infection, but this has been slightly unpleasant at times.  Since the baby cannot get to the milk I have felt sore and swollen for the first couple of weeks after delivery.  Heat packs and cold cabbage leaves have worked well to get rid of the pain.  In the winter I prefer warm cures.  To make a heat pack one can sew a small square of cloth filled with rice and put it in the microwave.  I have also used a hot water bottle.  All of these things work well.

Another part of only having one breast is feeling really unbalanced by the milk side.  I did not realized I could get a prosthetic, covered by my health insurance, while I am breastfeeding even though I have had reconstructive surgery.  This has really helped me with my last three children.  Instead of gaining one or two cup sizes, my one breast is up three or four ( I have lost track at this point).  All I know is it is hard to not lean to one side causing back pain and making it difficult to keep good posture. 

I would have also loved to know several babies ago that the insurance would also cover the cost of two bras, which in some places, one can even get nursing bras.  This last time around was the first time I found this out.  Not only was I fitted for a great fitting prosthetic, I also was able to get nursing bras.  The lady in the shop will even sew in a pocket int the bra to hold the prosthetic in place.  If you live in the Seattle/ Tacoma area (or even in Olympia) check out Judy's Intimate Apparel.  I have never received such helpful and relevant service.  (They also do just nursing and regular bra fittings too and have a bunch of obscure sizes.) 

Apart from my many struggles with the nursing mastectomy figure, my babies have done really well eating.  I have had children fall off the growth chart, but I think I would have always had children that were smaller than American averages.  The only baby I have struggled to get latching properly is Bria (my 5th child).  It does not matter how many children a person has, breastfeeding can be different with all of them.  After a day of trying to teach her to latch by pulling out our bottom lip a bit or forcing her off the breast and letting her try again, she finally became a pro.  She is still picky about how I hold her during nursing sessions, and I still need some light for night feedings, but we are doing well.  In one month she has gone from 7 lbs 11 oz., to 7 lbs 2oz, gaining all her weight back, and is now 9 lbs. 2 oz.  Great work Bria. 

Even if breastfeeding is pain at first it is worth it.  After about a month, one hardly realizes that it was hard.  I can also say that I have almost forgotten having sore nipples, or the fact the afterbirth pains from having five babies close together were terrible for four days after delivery.  I love being able to supply my baby with all the food she needs and plan on feeding her for as long as she wants to nurse.  I have had a baby nurse as little as eight months (due to a new pregnancy I lost to much weight and was advised to stop nursing) and one that wanted to nurse for two years.  My other two kids nursed for about fourteen months.  Every child is different.  All I know is that Bria and I are enjoying breastfeeding so far and I expect she will for many months to come.