New Mom Questions

I think everything you are going through is normal. I breastfed both of my babies, one spit up a lot and the other not so much but still some. The one that spit up a lot had a latch problem and was sucking in a lot of air which made him uncomfortable. It could be something like that or nothing at all, babies digestive systems are often still developing and that could be the reason for the spitting up.

Hi L.,
When you are burping your son, are you hitting his back? If so, you might try just rubbing his back. That always worked for my children. I hated the pounding on the back, and all of their little limbs twitching with it. I just rubbed, with their head on my shoulder. It works just as well, and it soothing and sweet to them.

Days and nights mixed up is normal. Remember that the entire time he was in your womb, he was rocked to sleep all day long as you walked around. But, when you rested, he could wake up because he wasn't being rocked anymore. I have always thought that is why they mix up days and nights. Have you tried to wear him? I would get a baby carrier of some sort and strap him to you, being careful that he is safely not suffocating (some sling carriers have this risk). And, I always co-slept with my children. I always had a good night's sleep (well, mostly anyway). Five weeks is still so tiny.

Sex drive, well that can be normal. But, you aren't even at the 6 week point yet, which is typically when they recommend resuming relations with your husband. Give it time. With some babies it took more time than others for me.

And, your body is still healing. The bathroom thing should repair eventually. I'm not sure how much trauma your body experienced during labor and delivery though. You could ask you doctor about it at your 6 week checkup.

Congrats on your new baby! Such exciting, exhausting days!

Normal, normal, normal and normal!

(1) I don't think I ever burped my son (he was also breastfed). Others may know for sure but I think you only need to burp bottle-fed babies -- unless your little guy seems gassy or something like that. Also, yes, babies just spit up, some more than others.

(2) You can try to keep the blinds open to let the sun in during the day and make it darker/quieter in the house at night. BUT at that age he won't really be adjusted to days and nights for a little while longer. I would just let him sleep when he wants to at this point.

(3) Again, normal.

(4) This is also normal. For me, the feeling of "having to pee" took a while to come back. I can't remember how long. But it's been three years and I know it's been back to normal for a while now.

Enjoy your little guy!

Have you tried burping him by sitting him on your lap and cupping his chin in one hand while you rub/pat his back? Sometimes that works best when they are very tiny, newborn. Spitting up is not uncommon but don't bounce him and change him, etc. right after feeding to stop some of that spitting up. Most babies seem to have the days and nights mixed up so that comes in time and the more they stay awake the more they sleep at night. They need sleep in the day too so it will take a while for the days to be more waking times. Do try to talk to him, hold him, etc. when he is awake to let him know this is social time. By the 2nd or 3rd month he should definitely be sleeping more at night. Some of mine slept all night at about 6 weeks or so. As for sex, you are recovering from childbirth and that is not the thing on your mind right now. Your body needs to get back to 'normal' and then you will be ready for sex again.
Enjoy your little one.

You might want to check the spitting up, especially if he seems like he's in pain and doesn't want to be burped....it's normal to spit up a little....but if he's resisting being burped it might be because it hurts. So he might have acid reflux?? I would just check and make sure w/your doctor.

BTW, my sex drive is still non-existant after my 2nd child and he's now 2!! I think for me it's because I work full-time with 2 kids and a step-son.....it's exhausing, even with my husbands help! I would rather just go to bed.....I honestly don't know how men do it.

Also I think right after you give birth, your in full on mommy mode.....and alot of times your body isn't what it used to be and you don't feel sexy.....good luck!

Everything is normal. The spitting up, the days and nights mixed up, the no sex drive and the urge to pee thing. You can always brings these things up with the ped. and your OBGYN but it should all work itself out over time.

My son spit up alot but never seemd like he was in pain or anything. As long as he is gaining weight normally he is fine. The days and nights things usually works itself out over time. Just be consistant with the day and night routines.

Your hormones are still out of wack so having no sex drive is normal. It should return over time although I have to say that mine isn't totally back to the way it was before I had kids.

Your bladder has alot more room now and things are more "stretched out" now which would make that urge to pee feeling a little harder to feel. Doing kegel excersizes may help you tighten up the muscles down there. It may also help the sex drive thing too!!

You are not alone!! My son is 12 weeks old and I had the same bladder issues. Never had the feeling that I had to pee. It will go away but it took about 8-10 weeks for mine to be normal again. Don't get too worried about your sex drive. Your hormones are doing some crazy things right now. As far as his days and nights go, my pedi told me not to get too caught up in trying to switch him around. He said it is kind of a waste of time and eventually he will fix it himself. He was right. I did the whole trying to keep him up in the evening thing and I am not sure it really did much good except wore me out from having a cranky baby all evening. My son did kind of get it worked out around 8 or 9 weeks. I just went back to work this week and he is down to going to bed around 930 and only wakes up once for an overnight feeding (I am breastfeeding). The spitting up kind of comes and goes for my little guy. Seems like around 5 weeks though was when he was at his peak with it and it has since gotten better. Try to keep his head elevated after feedings and don't change his position a whole lot for 20 minutes or so after eating. That helped us out at least! Hang in there!

Babies spit up a great deal the first three or four months. Congratulations not only for having a child but for breast feeding him. You are giving him the best start available, skin to skin contact and mother's milk.
About sex. Until your period returns it's nearly a no go prospect. Your energies are concentrated on your mothering. The hormones for pregnancy are just vanishing from your body but the hormones for nursing are active.
It takes a few months for your body to return to normal functioning.
Your six week check up is coming up. List all your questions to take to the appointment where you can ask the doctor about everything you still need help with.

i agree the spitting up is normal - some babies spit up more than others - my first didn't spit up at all, and my 3rd spit up all the time - a LOT at a time. Mine were formula fed after about 4-6 weeks, and with two of mine we had to move them to the gentler milk formula, like Enfamil gentlease - that helped them get their burps out easier, because the proteins are already broken down some, so their tummies have to do less work, and they were less fussy after bottles as well.

with all of my babies, i put them on a 3 hour eating schedule early on, and then let them sleep at night until they woke up - this really helped them sleep through the night around 6 weeks (5-6 hrs at a time), and eventually by 3 months they were sleeping 10-12 hours a night. It also helps to keep them up for 45 min-1 hour (if you can!) after they eat, so they have play time or bath time, and then slip into their nap after that - worked wonders for my 3, and they have all been good sleepers and nappers ever since.

it is totally normal for your sex drive to be non existent - it does come back eventually :)

its been a while since i had a vaginal birth, but i agree with the other ladies - it may take a while to get that having to pee feeling back - mention it to your doctor at your check up though, just to be sure :)

good luck with everything & enjoy him - its crazy how fast they grow up - i can't believe my oldest baby is almost ten and my littlest baby is coming up on 2!!!!

sending hugs,
~T.

While all these things are normal (I have been through them all), they are good topics for a meeting with your obgyn. Have you had your 6-week follow up apointment yet? I received a lot of good advice at those appointments!
Take care!
By the way, my babies (all breastfed) burped and spit up more than I thought they should. Could be something you are eating, or positioning while feeding. Even if these are perfect, baby can still be gassy.

Are you eating more of anything that might disagree with him, such as spicy food, MSG, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, beans, lentils, nuts, carbonated beverages, etc.?
Make sure you mention to your doctor about your lack of an urge to pee when you have your 6 week checkup.
Also, be prepared for the six-week growth spurt that your baby will have...you might have to nurse every two hours for a day or two, in order to meet his needs....it will happen again at about three months of age too.
Better to anticipate it than be surprised and anxious about it!

The squirming and headbutting means there's gas in there that needs to come out. My son (11 weeks old) does the same thing. As soon s he burps, he stops.

During the day, after he eats, change his diaper or do something else that will wake him up. Have him stay up after each feeding, then let him sleep when he gets tired. At night, just let him sleep. He'll eventually get his days and nights on track. I started this with my son when he was about 8 weeks old and after about 1 week he started sleeping 5 hour at a time at night. I wish I had known about it and I would have started sooner.

That all sounds like both my kids. Babies that young are very hard to keep awake if they want to sleep, but you can help him learn day & night by keeping the house bright and a little noisy during the day, even when he's sleeping. At night, try not to play too much when he wakes, and keep things dark and quieter.

As for not feeling the urge to pee, that sounds like typical healing, but you can always ask your OB just for peace of mind. I tore pretty bad with each of my babies, and so they gave me a shot of Novocaine for stitches, and things felt weird for weeks afterwards. I think it's just the nerves and tissue trying to put themselves back in order.

Everything is normal. From experience I have had a vaginal birth and a C-Section. For your baby spiting up a lot that is normal all babies do. I couldn't breast feed. But my 9 month old still spits up a lot but he's ok. Your son might be cranky when you burp him because of gas in his belly. While breast feeding make sure you burp him periodically lol. As for the sleeping my kids were the same way, I had to sleep train them. Let him cry for about half an hour if he's still crying go in and console him then put him down. He will eventually get tired and fix his nights and days. And going pee lol that is normal your body is adjusting to not having your son on your bladder. Everything is normal. Best of luck hope this helps.