Boo on Gerber: Day 3, Day 4

Um. Yeah. My milk came in. The awesome news is that Anjali is such a stellar nurser that engorgement hasn't been too bad. I haven't even had to pump because I can pop her right on when I get too uncomfortable. I am SO grateful she is a good nurser since we are on a jaundice watch - it's not too bad yet. But, I want her to eat as much as possible to help get the bilirubin out of her system (stools are the best way for newborns to move the junk out of their systems). I am definitely getting sore, but it's not agonizing or "toe-curling" as I used to call it with my son. We'll see, but I am hopeful that keeping consistent with a good latch will help somewhat.

Gerber Gunk
Okay. I tried the Gerber soothing gel pads and they SUCKED. HARD. I have only used 2 of them and am seriously contemplating pitching the remaining 6 and chalking them up to a loser purchase. They are very thin, they only last 4 hours a piece, and they crinkle oddly which means they show through a bra AND shirt. I can NOT recommend these pads - however, I do welcome any comments from anyone who has had a good experience, just in case it was a "personal issue" on my part. I can report that my lactation consultant shook her head when I told her my "grand plan" about giving Gerber a fair chance. She said Soothies are far superior and I have to agree with her. The cost comparison is criminal - an 8 pack of Gerber costs as much as a 2 pack of Soothies. However! To put it into a proper perspective, an entire package of Gerber will only last you about 16 hours and a pack of Soothies will last you at least 3 days (with proper care, I was able to push a few to 5 days the last time around on the Breastfeeding Wagon).

Hormonal!
This morning, as I was feeling my breasts to see how full they were, I had an overwhelming case of the shivers. I felt like I was going to shiver n' shake straight out of my skin AND my palms were burning as if hot needles were poking them. Because I've been through this before, I knew that I must have stimulated my breasts and hormones must have been released - it still unnerved me, but at least I knew it was normal. I also forgot to mention yesterday that while in the hospital, I had a terrible case of night sweats, also courtesy of El Hormones. I am trying to keep track of all these things because when they can happen, it can be a little scary if you don't realize straight away they are just hormones messing with you.

Uterine Contractions
In my last post, Leah made the comment that uterine contractions are important because they help to clean the uterus out AND they help the uterus contract back down to the original size. I wanted to point that out, because it should be noted that the uterine contractions are a GOOD thing. They just don't FEEL good!

Some snaps!

Very concerned that the "bee-bee" is crying

Bug-Eyed #1

Bug-Eyed #2

Little vampire.

Sleeping. Because, the SUN is still up.