Revelation 1:1 - 1:5

[psocoptera]

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?

Comments

[crystalpyramid]

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.

[gannet.livejournal.com]

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!

[(Anonymous)]

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

[sofer.livejournal.com]

"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*

[prof-fran.livejournal.com]

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!

[bhadrika.livejournal.com]

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?