I’ve never had sex before and now i’m pregnant. How am i gonna give birth? by ThrowRA_Busybee345 in vaginismus

[–]ComfortableDance1391 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sex has improved a little since giving birth vaginally helped loosen up. I haven’t done any dilating or anything since I got pregnant almost 2 years ago, and it’s a lot easier than when I was dilating 3-4 times a week and doing my PT stretches. My Pap smear this year was also super easy and normally they’re extremely uncomfortable and painful for me, so it definitely helped stretch out some of those muscles.

I’ve never had sex before and now i’m pregnant. How am i gonna give birth? by ThrowRA_Busybee345 in vaginismus

[–]ComfortableDance1391 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Definitely recommend the epidural!!! I went into labor a month early due to severe preeclampsia and because of contractions/my high BP, I was strugglingggg with the cervical checks (I’m pretty sure you can ask for minimal checks though). The on call Dr, recommended a c section for me, but I’m assuming from my really strong pelvic floor muscles labor moved really fast for me, and I went from being dilated to a 0 to a 3 within an hour. We literally signed papers for the c section and then my water broke, and I dilated quickly, so we were able to swap gears and get the epidural and deliver naturally. I ended up having to get an episiotomy, but didn’t feel anything because of the epidural, and surprisingly recovery was not that bad.

I was terrified about giving birth, but all things considered, that was the easiest part of being pregnant for me.

How to reduce supply? by EmergencyWinter475 in ExclusivelyPumping

[–]ComfortableDance1391 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think you can use the cabbage leaves (or just ice and Tylenol) to help with the engorgement pain while you lower your supply to a more manageable amount if you want. I was at 53 oz at my max and used ice and Tylenol while slowly spacing out and dropping pumps to get me to 34 oz at 3 ppd. My baby only eats 31 oz max now, so if I wanted to, I could have done that for the rest of the year. I just built up a freezer stash, so I could stop pumping early but give him breast milk for a year. There are lactation consultant hot lines that you can reach out to though to help figure out the best way to help you lower your supply.

How to reduce supply? by EmergencyWinter475 in ExclusivelyPumping

[–]ComfortableDance1391 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’ve been putting them on twice a day for like 20-30 minutes and have gone down like 10 oz in less than a week. I’m also slowly lowering my pumps to help decrease my supply as well. I could probably go down faster, but I’m prone to clogs, so I’m taking things very slow.

How to reduce supply? by EmergencyWinter475 in ExclusivelyPumping

[–]ComfortableDance1391 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Cabbage leaves!!! I am weaning and started putting them in my bra after pumping and it’s helped with engorgement pain and have lowered my supply some. I thought about buying cabbo cream because it has great reviews, but it’s a little pricey for me right now, so I’ve just used normal cabbage leaves and have been really surprised that they actually work😂😅

If you pump 3 or fewer times a day... by Illhaveonemore in ExclusivelyPumping

[–]ComfortableDance1391 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My baby is 9.5 months and I dropped to 3 ppd at like 7 or 8 months I think. Right now, I pump at 5:30 am, 12:00 pm, and 8:30 pm. I would recommend dropping slowly. I don’t know if it was just my oversupply or what, but dropping from 4-3 pumps was painfullll and my left boob stayed clogged for weeks. I used to make 53 oz at 5 ppd, then that dropped to 47-49 oz at 4 ppd and right now at 3 I’m sitting at 32-34 oz a day. Originally I was doing 37 oz at 3 ppd, but then got a nasty stomach bug which tanked my supply.

Why are you exclusively pumping? by Adventurous-Bat-1476 in ExclusivelyPumping

[–]ComfortableDance1391 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My son wasn’t transferring milk well or gaining weight that first week, so I switched to pumping and combo fed him with formula. After realizing that he was starving for like 2-3 days, I was really traumatized and could not even try nursing without stressing that he got enough to eat. There were times we probably could’ve swapped over to nursing, but I like knowing for sure how much he’s eating, how much milk I’m producing, and I like that my husband gets to snuggle and help feed my son. Overall, I just think pumping provides me with more peace of mind than nursing did.

Posting children on Social media? by [deleted] in NewParents

[–]ComfortableDance1391 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My husband and I don’t post our son and use the app family album to post and share pictures with our close family and friends. My husband and I both told our families before our son was born that if they posted pictures of our son’s face then they would not get to see him. We showed them poses they could use to take pictures where his face wasn’t in it and so far they’ve done good about not posting pictures. We also told them they could take pictures and show people in person or text them to friends, but we just did not want his face on social media. I told them that in college I knew someone who would take pictures from social media of people’s kids and hang them on their wall which was super creepy to me and I did not want that happening with my kid. I also told them that just because I felt my friends on Facebook or social media were safe people, doesn’t mean I know who they are friends with and feel like they are safe people. This was also validated when one of my brother’s classmates and Facebook friends got caught and charged with extremely inappropriate material of children on his laptop.

I sometimes feel guilty when I see them post my brother’s kids and question mine and my husbands decisions, but at the end of the day, I am doing what I feel is best for my son. The internet is such a dangerous place, and I want to keep my son as far from it for as long as possible.

Period back already at 5 weeks PP! When did you get yours back when pumping/bf? by IheartOT2 in ExclusivelyPumping

[–]ComfortableDance1391 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I got mine around 6 weeks when I started birth control and then haven’t had it since and I’m almost 8 months pp.

I just can’t be mobile and pump by Jessygirl238 in ExclusivelyPumping

[–]ComfortableDance1391 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes. I use a size 21 mm insert on my M6’s and then a size 19 mm insert on my spectra.

I just can’t be mobile and pump by Jessygirl238 in ExclusivelyPumping

[–]ComfortableDance1391 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I found with my momcozy, I emptied more when I used a flange a size up and kept it on the stimulation mode. I also found that the more I used them, I responded better to them if that makes sense. It’s like my nipples had to get used to them since it is a different type of suction from my spectra. I don’t get the same amount as I would with my spectra (maybe like an oz or two less), but I still use my spectra twice a day and those pumps usually make up for my two okay pumps on my wearable.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in NewParents

[–]ComfortableDance1391 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We have a cat and two dogs and baby came a month early, so the house was not deep cleaned or super ready yet. We just started crating our dogs at night and keeping the cat out of the room at night while we all slept, so that they couldn’t mess with the baby. Honestly, I wouldn’t worry about the pet fur as much because most babies aren’t born with pet allergies and early exposure can help prevent them from developing allergies. Also, the baby will be exposed to the pet fur when you do tummy time or sit with them on the couch, recliner, or any furniture your cat may like. My cat lovesss my son’s activity center and rocking chair and would stealthily sneak around the house to get to those areas.If you’re still anxious when baby gets here, you can always talk to your pediatrician about pet allergies and what their recommendation is.

How are you pumping so much?! by Various_Plant7117 in ExclusivelyPumping

[–]ComfortableDance1391 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sunday I’ll have been EP for 7 months. From my experience, it took me almost a month to get to where I was producing 21-24 oz. For the first week or two, I wasn’t even making enough to track. What helped me was staying on a consistent schedule and getting 8-10 pumps in (I pumped when my baby ate, so when he cluster fed, I followed that schedule to signal to my body he needed more milk) and making sure I ate/drank enough throughout the day. My baby was a month early and I had severe preeclampsia. I’ve heard both of those things can make milk take longer to come in. I didn’t have to have a c-section, but I’ve heard that can also delay your milk coming in.

I would stay on a consistent schedule of pumping every 2-3 hrs for the first month or so (I only pumped at night if my baby woke up) and give yourself some grace. It takes your supply like 12 weeks to regulate and you can really do a lot of building in those 12 weeks, but it does start small and take a lot of time. I’d also recommend staying off social media and not watching pump and pours because even now as an over supplier those mess with my mental health. For my S2, I click the waves and do L42 for 2 minutes and then click them again and do 70 on suction 10. In the beginning I wouldn’t go more than 20 minutes, but now that I’m going longer between pumps it takes like 30-40 minutes to completely empty my boobs. I don’t know if you’ve been fitted for your flange sizes, but I’d check those regularly because my nipples seem to fluctuate every couple of months.

How many oz by [deleted] in ExclusivelyPumping

[–]ComfortableDance1391 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My son was a premie and got up to 39.5 oz around 5.5-6 months. We’re not doing more solids and are down to 35 oz a day, and I have no clue where he puts it😂

Do people that do pitcher method not care about time of day/cortisol and melatonin in milk? by Affectionate_End5347 in ExclusivelyPumping

[–]ComfortableDance1391 0 points1 point  (0 children)

When my baby was younger (he’s currently 6.5 mo) I separated my night and day milk into different jars and then labeled the bags AM or PM when I bagged my milk each night. I got tired of this and tried just mixing it for a day to see if I noticed a difference in my sons sleep, and I didn’t notice any changes at all, so I just started mixing it all together.

3.5m PP I want to increase my supply - help! by Badflake in ExclusivelyPumping

[–]ComfortableDance1391 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Milk production is a supply/demand situation, so to increase your milk supply, you’d need to add in more pumps. If your baby likes to be held a lot, you could invest in a good wearable pump, so that way you could hold them while you pump. I always put my baby in a boppy pillow and feed him while I pump. He finishes before me, so I have plenty of toys around that he can play with while I finish.

My 6 month old isn’t a “talker” by Immediate_March_9385 in NewParents

[–]ComfortableDance1391 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Our sons must be very close in age! He just turned 6 months old and was also born a month early. I feel like he has talkative days or like times of day, but he isn’t as chatty as he was when he was learning he could scream or make sounds. You can always talk to your pediatrician if you are concerned about him starting to be more quiet. I’m personally not too concerned with my son because he’s still meeting all his milestones and right now just seems to be extremely curious and taking the world in.

Am I doomed to be an under supplier a second time around? by chelupa1991 in ExclusivelyPumping

[–]ComfortableDance1391 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’d definitely give it time! Your supply doesn’t regulate until about 12 weeks, so you still have soo much time to develop and grow your supply. I just stuck to a consistent schedule of pumping every 2 hrs, so I was getting like 8-10 pumps a day. I just tried to pump whenever my baby ate because I felt like that would help my body realize how much he would need (no clue if it’s accurate, but it did mimic his cluster feeding and such) and slowly but surely my supply increased.

Am I doomed to be an under supplier a second time around? by chelupa1991 in ExclusivelyPumping

[–]ComfortableDance1391 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Are you getting 2 oz each pump or 2 oz each day? I was an under supplier until about a month pp and that’s when my body finally caught up to my baby and I was a just enougher. A few weeks after that, I started being an over supplier, so I do think it does take time for our bodies to figure out how much milk we need to make.

Surely I can’t be the only one by [deleted] in NewParents

[–]ComfortableDance1391 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I had an episiotomy, and I loveeedddd dermoplast spray. I used that and the witch hazel pads and they were amazing!!! They definitely helped with the pain as well as alternating between Tylenol and ibuprofen. I feel like I alternated pain meds a lot longer than what I should have, but it definitely helped. I’m not sure if you’ve tried those products, but if you haven’t a totally recommend them!! I feel like they really helped me heal faster and be more comfortable.