Good afternoon! How are you guys doing today? All is well over here!
My day began at 5 a.m. when Chase decided he was up for the morning. We’re up every two hours or so for nighttime feedings these days and thankfully Chase was pretty easily comforted last night and fell back asleep relatively quickly after he nursed. This was a far cry from the past two nights when he wanted to party it up for at least an hour after breastfeeding. I’ll take a 5 a.m. wake up call any day over random nursing parties in the middle of the night!
Once we were up, I fed Chase and Ryan changed his diaper before we returned to bed to play with Chase until Ryan had to get up and head to work. After we said goodbye to Ryan, I took Chase downstairs for another feeding that took place as I watched an episode of Grey’s Anatomy. I always thought I would have the ability to do other things while breastfeeding, but right now nursing seems to be a two-handed job as I try to keep Chase latched and milk flowing. Maybe one day I’ll have the ability to read or blog a bit while nursing, but right now breastfeeding is receiving my undivided attention… Well, breastfeeding and watching Dr. McDreamy.
Last week, I ventured out on my first short postpartum walk and have tried my best to get out every morning since then with Chase and Sadie before it gets too hot outside. Walking around the neighborhood helps fight the cabin fever that started to set in after days at home and even though we’re not walking far distances, I look forward to our walks every morning! My mom joins me on occasion when she doesn’t go to a morning Jazzercise class and I love the company!
It took Sadie a few walks to get used to the stroller (she walked just about as far away from the stroller as her leash allowed for our first three walks) but she’s doing much better now… At least until sprinklers take up sidewalk space and we have to navigate around them. Watching her freak out over the stroller and sprinklers is a new kind of comedy.
Once we got home from our walk, Chase was ready for another feeding which was followed by a rather fussy morning. I spent the next few hours trying to soothe his cries and entertain him when he just wanted to be awake, looking at me and at the lights from the ceiling fan. Ryan and I joke that Chase is like a little moth right now because he loves looking at lights. Apparently lamps, lighting fixtures and nightlights are the coolest thing ever to our little man.
After lunch, I had the chance to grab a shower while my mom watched Chase and then the three of us headed out to the doctor’s office for an appointment regarding Chase’s lingual frenulum (the band of tissue that connects the bottom of the tongue to the floor of the mouth). Apparently it was tight which could have been interfering with breastfeeding (he’s eating often but comes on and off the breast a lot during every feeding and seems flustered) and could also impact speech in the future.
We arrived at the appointment 10 minutes early and ended up waiting for about an hour to see the doctor since he was tied up in a surgery at the hospital. Chase was a bit restless, but he nursed and settled down a bit before it was time for the doctor to check out his tongue and confirm that he was tongue tied and needed his frenulum snipped. I was nervous about it but we did research ahead of time and the doctor assured us it was a very simple procedure so we had him go ahead and complete it while we were there. Chase was gone for about three minutes while he had the frenetomy performed and before I knew it, he was back in my arms, nursing again. I almost cried when he was returned to me sobbing, but he settled down quickly which was comforting.
My mom, Chase and I just arrived back home and now we’re hanging out waiting for a visit from Brittany!
Hope you guys are having a good Wednesday!
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Congrats on looking beautiful on maternity leave. My hair was in a ponytail every day! Glad your mom is there to help! Moms are the best!
You are so sweet! Thank you! But believe me, most days are all about pajamas and no make up around here! 🙂
Hi! Longtime reader, never commenter. 🙂 First of all, Chase is beautiful. I love his little head of blonde hair. I feel compelled to comment because my son also had a tongue tie when he was born. We decided to get it snipped at just a few days old too so it wouldn’t interfere with speech as he grew. It was very heartbreaking for me too. The doctor actually had me hold him down while he did it. It was traumatic for me to watch, but now at 3 years old, he is an incredibly articulate speaker. So its all worth it in the long run and he doesn’t even know he ever got it snipped!
Thank you, Casey! I’m so glad to hear it was a worthwhile procedure for your son!
Your little guy is so adorable! Glad to hear everyone (including Sadie) is adjusting well!
He’s so adorable! I remember when my son got his first shot, I cried right along with him! I was kind of embarrassed but the nurse told me all mothers do that!
First, congrats on baby Chase! he’s adorable! My daughter will be 2 in October and when she was a newborn, she was tongue tied as well. She was snipped under the tongue and the top lip. I was BAWLING when they brought her back to me. She wouldn’t latch on at all prior to that. finally, she would latch with a nipple shield. Eventually, she nursed without it, which was such an accomplishment! Have you noticed a difference? We rubbed vitamin e on the cuts for about a week, 3 times a day. Can’t wait to keep reading about your journey as a new mom!
I am so glad the procedure worked so well for you! So far it does seem to be making a difference — he is staying latched for much longer rather than coming on and off the breast and getting super flustered/frustrated.
He’s the cutest little peanut!!!!! Have you and Ryan compared your baby photos with Chase? He’s truly GORGEOUS!!!
Hopefully the frenetomy helps with your feedings! Maybe you’ll be able to read a book sooner rather than later 🙂 I feel like I’ve heard a lot about tongue ties lately, they must be really common! It’ll definitely be something I’m on the lookout for. Love the updates on Chase!
I remember the days breastfeeding and watching tv/ looking at my phone! I think my son was about 12 weeks old when he started noticing it and I couldn’t do it anymore…. that was a sad day for me.
Glad Chase did so well at the doctor!
Glad everything went well at the doctor! You look fantastic – I’m pretty sure I looked like something from The Walking Dead at my daughter’s first few doc appointments!
Oh my goodness, Chase is just so adorable. Glad things are going well for you both. Poor little guy. I hope breastfeeding gets better for him now. Not sure if you know this, but with nursing breast milk doesn’t have any Vitamin D and I remember giving my little guy Vitamin D drops daily. Just wanted to share this with you.
I love reading all about Chase =0)
Yes!! Our pediatrician recommended Vitamin D drops beginning at one month. Definitely planning to add those in soon!
Chase is so cute! And I LOVE the name Chase. I’m so glad the tongue-tie surgery went well. It really seems like you are loving being a new mama. The newborn days (and nights!) can be hard but… The cuddles are worth it!
Thank you, Beth!
Chase is beautiful! Love his blonde hair. He looks like a perfect mix of you and Ryan.
Congratulations. Just curious how the frenectomy worked for Chase? I hear they somtimes don’t always help, depending on the degree of tongue tie?
So far it seems to be helping!! He is definitely staying latched for longer already which makes feeding much easier since he’s not coming on and off my breast as often and getting flustered/frustrated.
I’m so sorry you had to go through that this morning, that must have been really hard! You are a great mommy 😀
You look amazing and Chase is SO adorable. My friends son had the same procedure done and it helped immediately. The mouth also heals extremely quickly. How long is your mom staying with you?
I am shocked that it already seems to be healing well! Thank goodness! And I’m not sure how long she’s staying (still up in the air), but having her here has been incredibly helpful!
OMG that end part about them doing it in the office…I didn’t see that coming…stopped my heart! Quick recovery little doll baby. xox
I am seriously so impressed you are finding time to blog this much with being so busy with a newborn! Sounds like you are doing great as a new mom! That must have been hard to go through with Chase but hopefully things will go even better now that he had that procedure. You look great, hopefully you are feeling good, too!
Thank you, Liz!
My son (born March 2nd) had this done about 2 weeks after he was born and I was in the room while they did it. I cried so hard. I will tell you it makes those first round of shots seem like a piece of cake. If you can make it throught the tongue snip, you can make it through shots no problem!
Julie, my little guy was tongue tied and lip tied, but we didn’t realize it until after he hadn’t gained much weight at our one month appointment, and nursing was still quite painful. My little guy never really did get the hang of nursing even after occupational therapy and multiple appointments with the LC. I’ve been exusively pumping since he was 7 weeks. If you guys have the same bumps in the road, or you have questions, or just need someone to talk to who has been there (because OMG nursing is so hard!!!!), please don’t hesitate to shoot me an email or something. Mommyhood is the hardest thing I’ve ever loved, but I felt so alone in the beginning.
Thank you so much for offering advice and support. I appreciate it!
We Just went through this in late May with our daughter, except I held her while they did the procedure. My husband watched and I just turned away…terrible in the moment, but it was so helpful with BF and you can’t even tell she’d had it done now. My husband was tongue tied and didn’t have his clipped until he was 3, which was as he describes it “horrific”, so I knew if she had it we’d do it early. Good luck!
OMG! My son Connor (6 months now) had a frenectomy too! I remember his tongue was heart shaped when he cried and so I googled this symptom during a middle of the night feeding and totally freaked out! But it was such a simple fix and it healed so fast, and the feeding definitely got better – so you’ll be glad you did it sooner rather than later. Plus now he can stick his tongue out and it’s a totally normal shape!
I too restarted Greys Anatomy during maternity leave and am almost done with the entire show, I’m putting off watching the later ones because I don’t want it to end! I feel we are kindred spirits 🙂
Best of luck to you new mommy, you’re doing a great job already and your baby is so precious!
Mel
I hope Chase is recovering quickly & you got some sleep last night! My 2 month old actually had both his lip & tongue tie released this morning via laser at the dentist. It has been a rough couple hours but I know the benefits are great long term. I’m looking forward to a better breastfeeding experience – and hopefully more restful nights as a result!
I am so happy your mom has the chance to stay with you during the first few weeks of Chases life! I bet having her around helps out tremendously!! If I ever had kids, I hope my mom will have the chance to be with me as well since I KNOW I will have TONS and TONS of questions/anxiety, etc.
Julie, your little Chase is TOO CUTE! He really makes me want to have another one right now! When our son Cade was born, they thought he might be tongue tied, too. It’s fairly common I’ve heard! He didn’t have a procedure, but my heart goes out to you and your little one…it’s so traumatic seeing them cry like that! I’ve heard that the first few days after the procedure are difficult (do you have to rub the cut or something like that?), so hang in there!
Also, you look so fantastic! I love your outfit, and I wish I had thought to wear those types of tops and a SKIRT after pregnancy! That looks so comfortable, yet stylish (I’m sure this is your TOP concern right now after all 😉
BIG HUGS!
Claire
Chase is absolutely adorable <3 random, non-baby related question: where is that necklace from!?
It was in a box I ordered from Le Tote!
I could never really see it when people said babies favoured parents in looks–they always just looked like themselves to me–but oh my goodness! He so looks like you! He definitely has your nose. What a wee cutie.
Aw, thank you!! I love hearing that! <3 I think he looks similar to my baby pictures but I don't see me as an adult in him, so this makes me happy!
Julie,
My son (1st kid) was tongue-tied as well! I had never heard of someone having the issue and it literally broke my hubs and I down when we were approached with it. Granted, we were still in the hospital and exhausted, sleep deprived and figuring out your new baby-phase so emotions were strung tight! But it took awhile and we got a lactation consultant to take a look at my lil man’s latch she immediately knew. It was like night and day when he came back from the super quick surgery to clip it and latched right on and never looked back. I never had a nursing issue after it was clipped and my little man was a great eater.
I know the pain of what you went through as a mama, I hope you continue to nurse that little man. Breast is best!
Thank you, Sara! It is already making a big difference for us, too! <3
I had a frenetomy done when I was a toddler. It wasn’t notice until I began to speak and I couldn’t pronounce some letters. They did the snip and everything was fine. I do not have a speech impediment or any other speech problem. Though, I can’t seem to whistle. But that could just be user error! Chase is such a sweet looking baby and I am so excited for you and Ryan on this journey!
During my second maternity leave I watched the entire series of Parenthood! If there’s ever a #3, maybe I’ll re watch Grey’s. Once Chase is a little stronger and you’re feeling more comfortable, you’ll probably be able to multitask a little more. However, breastfeeding also does give you a great excuse to sit on the couch and really take a break from everything (something I realized I never do). I was able to embrace and enjoy that downtime much more the second time around. The first time I was always worried about all of the other things I wanted or “needed” to get done.
Same here! Although “Parenthood” + all the hormones = not a great combo. Once I finished, I started “Grey’s” and still watch it at night when I nurse. I might make it through the Netflix offerings before his first birthday 😉
Hi Julie!
What a little trooper Chase is already! I am very glad to hear that he is doing well.
Breastfeeding gets SO much easier as your child grows. The fact that you are doing so well now is a VERY good sign. I found that by 4 months, it was just soooo natural and you both just get better with practice…especially as his head eventually gets bigger than the source of his food! 😉
Hoping for your much needed sleep!
Tiffany
My son had a tongue tie, too – we really struggled with nursing in the first 6-8 weeks; it was super painful for me even after the frenectomies (yes, he had two). I would cry even anticipating nursing sometimes because the pain was so horrible! And, he would nurse for literally hours at a time because of the ineffective latch/sucking. Not sure if you’re experiencing any of those struggles along with the frustration at the breast – but if you are it helps to get that prescription for all purpose nipple ointment – it was sooooo much more effective than the lanolin stuff for me. And it got a ton better – I kept giving myself goals to get to (e.g., get to 4 weeks, get to 5 weeks, get to 6 weeks) and when I got to the goal I would re-evaluate and ask myself if it was getting a little better – each week it got better until around 8 weeks when I realized I had a few days that were pain free when nursing – it was awesome!! And things were really smooth sailing from there – I nursed him until 18 months. I was super nervous my 2nd would have a tongue tie too, but she came out tongue tie free, and we are doing great nursing – she’s 3 months now 🙂
There are also some tongue tie support groups on Facebook – they can be super helpful in answering questions/helping with perspective/support 🙂
Chase is adorable!!!!
I was tongue tied and it was a pretty extreme case (as far as toungue tiedness goes that is ). I actually did not get the surgery until I was 15!!! I am not sure why I did not get it as a baby but when I got older my parents did not make me do it until I was ready (it seemed so scary so i kept holding off). I wish it has been done as a baby becuase although my lisp is mostly gone, my pallette did not spread which causes other issues ….. you made the right choice!
Hi Julie! What kind of stroller did you buy? A jogging stroller?
Long time reader here! I am a speech pathologist and am so glad to hear you went through with getting the tongue snipped. It can greatly interfere with speech down the line if nothing is done about it. And also much easier to have done now than later.
Sounds like your typical newborn days 🙂 Both of my kids had their frenulums clipped. I hope you’ve seen improvement!
I love reading about your new mommy experiences ! 🙂
What Doctor did you see hot his tongue tie? I need to get my little one in and was recommended a doctor in Charlotte.