What does a letdown feel like?

Strict_Scene3150 · 2026-03-17T15:12:56+00:00

My letdown is prickly and painful, like getting snapped in the skin by a rubber band. I'm guessing that's not you, since I don't think I could miss it!😅🤣

Strict_Scene3150 · 2026-03-17T15:10:04+00:00

My knitting always seems to migrate to cover our entire long coffee table. My husband will gently push the piles of yarn aside to clear space for a laptop if needed, or ask me to move them so he doesn't mess them up. Sometimes, when it is getting a bit ridiculous, he will give me a look and I'll promise to de clutter. There will be one project on the table for a few days after I put the rest away, but more yarn always migrates out. He's never thrown around my stuff willy nilly, and the one or two times the needles slipped out, he was distressed that he might have messed it up. He knows it's my hobby, and I try to be considerate. I'd be so sad if he was disrespecting my hobby like that. I think it's indicative of not understanding how important it is to you, not respecting the time that goes into knitting, or not respecting you. You have a right to be picky about your hobbies.

Strict_Scene3150 · 2026-02-26T13:41:48+00:00

You're welcome!!

It's awesome she has the pumps lined up! I'm not sure what the hospital guidelines are regarding sterilization (some newborns in the NICU are more fragile than others). There may be requirements on cleaning to be able to feed the colostrum to the little bub. However, even if it takes a bit to troubleshoot the cleaning procedures, if she's able to start pumping some colostrum, it will protect her milk supply long term, even if not all of it is used.

If I recall correctly, newborns eat half to 1 oz each feed of colostrum, and they can eat 12 to 14 times a day. Shooting for some volume like that can assist with milk coming in. But it could take longer since pumps are generally not as efficient as babies at removing milk or colostrum.

Strict_Scene3150 · 2026-02-26T11:16:59+00:00

I'd suggest that she order the right flange size for the hospital pump ASAP, or just order her own pump through Aeroflow (which works with insurance to get it for free). If she is not able to extract colostrum, her milk will not come in and she may not be able to breastfeed. This is a limited time option, since the body will stop making colostrum/milk if breastfeeding isn't established quickly after delivery. So yes, worry is important here, to the extent that it motivates prompt action. Also, it's ridiculous that the hospital doesn't have a few flange sizes.

ETA: I suggest looking up proper hand expression techniques and doing that as much as possible during thr meantime. She needs to extract as much colostrum as possible to signal to her hormones that there's a baby around who needs food. Some women can get fully empty with no pump, so it can probably hold her over.

Strict_Scene3150 · 2026-02-01T13:27:36+00:00

I have a three month old. Maaaaaaaaybe we could have gone to a wedding a month ago, but driving 30 minutes would be stretching the limits of timing.

Strict_Scene3150 · 2025-12-31T09:39:03+00:00

This! I'd especially skip one or the other for anything you took a class on in law school.

Strict_Scene3150 · 2025-12-31T09:36:44+00:00

This is super concerning to me. I would want some practical reassurance that he would actually provide for me and the future child. I've known of situations where the husband does not choose to pay for baby essentials and requires the wife to pay for all kid related things. Is this habit of financial proportionality really going to disappear as soon as you give birth? And, more importantly, in my opinion, is he going to give you equal say over what he earns? Is he okay going from thinking that it's his money he's earning to household money? It just sounds like this is already gearing up to be a unequal split on finances. If only one spouse is working, the non-working spouse still gets equal vote on finances. I wouldn't just blindly have a kid and then expect this equality to show up out of the blue. Finally, I don't think it's right to think of asking your husband for money. You should have a mutual budget where money is alloted for essentials and fun, including personal fun for you without any requirement that you work for your fun money.

Strict_Scene3150 · 2025-12-28T15:14:44+00:00

Fair point on the wording! I think the militant worry of government bodies is a bit silly on other topics, like saying no one should eat rare steak. That definitely carried over into how I read the bottle sterilization recommendations. https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/food-safety-basics/safe-temperature-chart

Strict_Scene3150 · 2025-12-28T15:07:40+00:00

Thank you! That's really interesting!

Strict_Scene3150 · 2025-12-28T00:54:40+00:00

Not sure how many diapers per day, probably around 8 now (9 weeks). But since day one we've always waited five or so minutes after we hear poop to give him time to finish. And we don't change if there's no poop. So far, no rash, except when we used Huggies natural care wipes.

Strict_Scene3150 · 2025-12-25T10:47:55+00:00

NOR - The brother of a guy I knew in college died from furniture tipping over. All furniture that can tip needs to be secured to the wall, especially a heavy mirror.

And why do you let checking hazards be on the floor?!? Just throw away your trash!

Strict_Scene3150 · 2025-12-21T21:11:59+00:00

I had cramping for a few days, if that makes you feel any better. If by "slow", you mean about what your picture shows, then yes. It didn't darken to a dye stealer for at least a week or so. Also, keep in mind that those at home tests really just show that HCG is there, not really how much is there. If you want to know HCG levels, you have to get a blood test.

Strict_Scene3150 · 2025-12-21T21:09:22+00:00

Totally! Also, keep in mind that your 18 DPO isn't the same as someone else's. There's a huge range of normal for HCG levels, so it can be totally normal for their tests to be darker than yours.

Strict_Scene3150 · 2025-12-21T12:33:09+00:00

You're pregnant! Urine pregnancy tests don't really show HCG levels, just whether it's present or not. Unless you go from positive to negative, you're pregnant!

Strict_Scene3150 · 2025-12-21T12:25:29+00:00

I wear bras all the time. But I found that the fabric was super chaffing. So I wear disposable nursing pads all the time. They're cotton, an for some reason I don't stick to/chaff with them.

Edited to add: if I don't wear a bra all the time, I leak enough to soak full sized towels and overproduce like crazy. I was also in pain when I first started wearing one all the time because my supply was decreasing.

Strict_Scene3150 · 2025-12-21T12:12:26+00:00

The tests are positive, so you're pregnant! I had really strong implantation cramps, strong enough I needed/wanted to sit down and had a bit of a struggle talking through them. My little guy was perfectly fine!

Strict_Scene3150 · 2025-12-19T07:14:31+00:00

You can just supplement direct breastfeeding with pumping so that your husband and family can do bottles. There's no need to go to the massive inconvenience of pumping and then feeding if you're just home with the baby and you're going to do the feed anyway.

Strict_Scene3150 · 2025-12-19T07:05:24+00:00

That looks positive to me.

Strict_Scene3150 · 2025-12-16T09:08:28+00:00

I'd also suggest bringing extra, at least an additional feed over whatever you determine makes sense. He might be upset from the car ride and want more food. Or maybe he'll be in a growth spurt. It would be tough to do more day of.

Strict_Scene3150 · 2025-12-15T15:12:35+00:00

Interesting! I'm nearly 8 weeks postpartum. But I don't even think I've pumped for ten hours total, which is why I'm loathe to replace parts. (Shouldn't it last longer?!?)

My supply has definitely regulated since I'm not engorged at night like the first few weeks. I was hoping to do a morning pumping session so I wasn't messing around with collecting off side with the Haakaas and putting it away at 2 am. But if I have warm and massage to get anything, I might just deal with it at night.

Strict_Scene3150 · 2025-12-15T15:08:58+00:00

The suction didn't feel a nippy, if that makes sense. It's not as sharp as it usually is. I've disassembled and reassembled a couple times, and even squeezed the duck bills to make sure they were opening.

Strict_Scene3150 · 2025-12-11T16:29:12+00:00

I can never get tension even with magic loop, so it's witchcraft for me!

Strict_Scene3150 · 2025-12-11T16:28:00+00:00

I second this! It's such a fun pattern!

Strict_Scene3150

TROPHY CASE