psocoptera | Revelation 1:1

I have also learned some things:

1:1 If you put cabbage leaves in your bra, when you open up your bra again later to pull them out, it will smell like cabbage.

1:2 What with leaking milk, you're halfway to a coleslaw.

1:3 But adding carrots and mustard seed would not help anything.

1:4 Speaking of mustard, when they said baby poop was "mustardy", I was picturing something like brown mustard. No, they apparently mean bright yellow-orange fake ballpark mustard. Dang.

1:5 It's really hard to tell where the line is between being paranoid and properly concerned. For example, , the little scabby bits on the ends of my nipples aren't really a problem for me, and they definitely don't seem to be a problem for Juniper, but after reading a zillion things about Your Latch, Oh God, Your Latch, You Are Totally Doing Something Wrong Even If A Lactation Consultant Said You Were Great, I can't stop worrying that I am Doing Something Wrong and they are a precursor of the dreaded Cracked and Bleeding Nipples (the breastfeeding advice has a lot about Cracked and Bleeding Nipples and not anything I can find about Tiny Flat Totally Non-Bleeding Scabs). I just feel like pain or a baby who didn't seem to be satisfied by feeding would be a less ambiguous concern - I mean, maybe they just tend to scab a little at first? How would I know?

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What's with the cabbage leaves?

I have no idea about the scabs, although I could ask my mom if it didn't bother you.

Reduces pain & swelling when milk is coming in because it is cooling.

I think mine did that - sort of thick flaky bits? I used lanolin a lot and it seemed to help. Not just any lanolin - the stuff from the baby section of the drug store. Generic lactation-grade is fine. Or whatever it's called - It's meant for breastfeeding.

Besides, then you can add mild sheep smell to your assorted fragrances!

The cabbage is cooling, I mean.

don't know about the scabs being good or bad, but probably lotion will help. lasinoh makes a great baby safe pure lanolin lotion for nipples (sticky as hell). It certainly works well with the dry skin I've been getting as mine grow.

--Rebecca

I thought cabbage leaves weren't usually used if you want to keep your milk supply, because they are pretty strong. I think there are less extreme options, like cold showers. (I had no idea of the effect of milk on them!)

As for cracked nipples, I also suggest lanolin (like Lansinoh). It's probably not worth an emergncy lactation consultant, but you could drop by a La Leche League meeting some time to double-check. (And if Junie spits up blood, first check if your nipples are bleeding, because that is the most likely cause. I don't think that causes her to become a vampire.)

Have you joined the breastfeeding LJ community? Also, you should go check out kellymom.com for extra advice.

(And I am giving breastfeeding advice on my phone while breastfeeding. Very odd.)

"Speaking of mustard, when they said baby poop was "mustardy", I was picturing something like brown mustard."

*insert terrible Grey Poupin pun here*

*hide in shame at terrible pun-making*

I don't mean to belittle your nipple scabs here but my limited experience suggests that if you were having serious problems, neither you nor Juniper would be able to touch your breasts, let alone do any feeding. I think if you're ok and she's happy and pooping, you want to get yourself the Lansinoh recommended here--worked wonders for us even though we didn't end up breast feeding (for supply and latch reasons).

Good luck!

I never actually tried the cabbage - it was mentioned in passing in my breastfeeding class. Good to know!

Oh, no, that's it exactly, I mean, it seems like such a non-problem, I just also have this lingering doubt that we're going to mess up some minor-seeming thing and there will be Repercussions. Like Josh and I at our first peds appointment very earnestly asking about burping techniques - realistically, she'll burp, she won't burp, she'll fuss, she won't, we'll figure it out, there is no scenario in which gas builds up in there until the baby explodes, but there we are asking. Possibly my revelation should have been "just because you know you're being an alarmist new parent, it doesn't mean you magically stop being an alarmist new parent."

Hee hee hee.

I think kellymom said 3x day/20 min for cabbage for engorgement. I've only ended up doing it twice and ::crosses fingers:: the engorgement seemed rather better this morning (and I have a happy full dozy baby, hence my answering comments ::grin::) so I think I've gotten away with it. Honestly, once I first heard about it, I was totally like "I have to try that at some point", just because, I don't know, it's this wacky low-tech solution, and how often do you have an excuse to stick cabbage in your bra?

I hope Juniper does not become a vampire, that seems like it would make it even more difficult to ever leave the house (during the daytime)...

I was hoping to get a free sample of lanolin in the hospital so I could inner-arm test it before buying any - I *think* the last time I had hand lotion with lanolin in it, it irritated my skin, so I'm reluctant to put any directly onto my nipples without a good 24-hour allergy test, because that would Not Be Helpful. But it never materialized. Probably still worth buying some to test, though, thanks.

I agree that the low-tech solutions are intriguing. (It makes sense that they exist, snce the species has been breatfeeding for a while...) My favorite was oatmeal (and oatmeal cookies) to increase supply... not that you need it now!

Engorgement will eventually end. (And it also helps that Junie's mouth will get bigger.)

Little scabby things -- no big deal. Probably you had some tiny blisters form. With Wolf, I had some huge blisters (I was still asleep when Steve figured he could line her up for a good latch, oops), and we all survived fine.

I always thought the cabbage leaves were for toughening the skin (along with tea bags and prenatal rough-towel-rubs), and that the solution for engorgement is expressing some milk or, better still, making the baby do it. That is what she's there for, after all. It also sometimes seems like a "hey, let's see if we can get them to do something this silly, while they're at that adorably impressinable new-arent stage!"

While there are some stupid parents who foolishly do potentially hazardous things with/to ther children, you are not them. Unfortunately, the world is full of people passionately attached to the idea that the way they think kids should be raised is the ONLY correct approach. So, relax and trust yourselves (and when you need it, seek reassurance from mellow people).

You do know you can also call many people on this list any time, right, in case the LJ response time is too slow?

Revelation 1:1 - 1:5

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