Part 2 of 4
Pooping (yes, it gets its own category!)
Don't be surprised if your baby isn't fussy when she needs a diaper change. C didn't fuss reliably when his diaper was full until a couple weeks ago. You should be able to tell when they need the change though(either the front/middle of the diaper swells massively, or there has been the sound of fireworks recently).
Baby's first poop is that nasty, tarry meconium. You probably know this already. What everyone failed to mention (and I didn't realize) is that it may take a number of bowel movements to get all that out. C was still pooping meconium for a day or two after we left the hospital.. and we were in the hospital for the mandatory 48 hours after I gave birth.
Be ready for your sweet, innocent baby to take a dump so big and explosive that it comes out the top of the diaper in both the front and the back... and then have her smile and coo at you. =]
You may have a hard time eating mustard for a while.
Breastfeeding
What you eat doesn't really affect your milk supply until you eat that one thing that really affects your milk supply. Let me explain. If you have a normal baby, it really doesn't matter too much what you eat. BUT if you eat something that happens to disagree with them (ie, spicy foods for C), get ready for it to have a huge effect on the baby. When I eat spicy foods, about 5-6 hours afterwards during that feed session, C will eat and then promptly spit it all up. But then he's hungry because he spit it all up, so he'll eat again. And then spit it all up again. This is frustrating for us both, since for him it's upsetting his system and for me because it ends up taking 3 or 4 hours for him to eat and keep down enough to be calm and able to go back to sleep. But the worst part is that even though it isn't such a drastic reaction after that, he is still a super fussy eater for a day or two after. Major suck!
The line “Blinken! Fix your boobs; you look like a bleeding Picasso!” takes on a whole new meaning if you've recently nursed your baby. Nursing = saggy boobs. Nursing also leads to your nipples sticking out, a la “wow, it's really cold in here!”. As such, once you are done nursing and have strapped your boobs back in place, go check a mirror and make sure that your nipples are aligned. I've walked out the door, only to have D tell me that things are a bit.. perky, and one nipple is about an inch higher than the other.
If you are having problems breastfeeding in the hospital and a nurse suggests putting sugar on your nipple/areola to get baby to latch and/or suck, just tell them no. It's important that your baby doesn't eat anything other than breast milk or formula. If they suggest that, what you can do instead is express some colostrum/milk yourself and let baby get a taste of that. If you aren't really sure how to express some yourself, ask the nurse. If the nurse doesn't really know how to do it, ask for someone else to help you, pronto, because that nurse doesn't know anything.
What I've learned recently: If your baby suddenly pops off the breast and is fussy, but still trying to latch back on (and failing), there are two things to try. Burp them first. If that doesn't help, try switching breasts. It took me a while to figure out that those are the two main reasons for him to be fussy mid-feed sessions. The only other thing that he fusses for (at least, for now) is that he wants to suck, but doesn't want the milk. But that's easier for me to tell and is (I think) specific to C.
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