Thursday, April 22, 2010

Good News Thursday!

Several things:

  • (TMI warning) I had a pre-natal appointment with a lactation consultant. I made the appointment after I learned about the "pinch test" in our breastfeeding class a few weeks ago. The instructor said that, even if your nipples look normal, they may be flat or inverted and it could cause problems with nursing, and a simple the pinch test can reveal this. I thought things looked questionable when I tried the test on myself, and today the lactation consultant confirmed that I have slightly inverted nipples and said it could create problems when my milk comes in. Luckily, there is something I can do about it - I have to wear these shells "a few hours a day" until the baby is born, (although, when I asked what she meant by "a few hours", she said 5-6 hours :/), and they only cost $13. The prenatal visit did cost another $45 on top of that, but I think it is worth eliminating this potential headache.
  • I had my 36 week OB appointment, which included another internal exam. My cervix is still closed, which I know doesn't mean much right now. The exciting news is that, when I talked to her about being induced earlier than normal because of my CF, she spoke with my high risk OB and got the okay to let me go as long as a "normal person" because last week's PFTs were so great! WHOOHOOO!
  • I told my manager that I wasn't planning to come back to work after the baby is born. This was important to me because I didn't want to hold the position and office space and put strain on my employer for no reason. And I told him exactly that. My manager thanked me for thinking of them and said they were ready to take on my workload and that they will be fine. He also said he really wants me to take my maternity leave because I've "earned it" and he thinks I should wait until I actually have a baby to make a final decision. He even briefly mentioned the possibility of working part-time. I am still in shock!
  • I never mentioned that I got summoned to jury duty a few weeks ago. First time ever. I was like, "Are you freaking kidding me?" and I reeaaalllly did not want to go because I need to get stuff done at work, but I didn't feel justified in getting a doctor's note if it there was a chance it might only be for an afternoon. Anywho, I got an email today that my trial was canceled and that my jury duty is now complete. Woot!

6 comments:

Mon said...

Lol for jury duty ! For the nipple shiels, which ones are you referring to? I have never heard of wearing them before the birth, but they work wonders when baby is nursing. I myself had flat nipples and the nipple shields got messy (it leaks and you have to clean it non stop and since they are see-through we were always losing them. Babies adjust to mom's nipples eventually and I would recommend nursing lying down on one side for those that have flat or inverted nipples eventually (along with using shields for nursing ) Good luck ! If you have questions you can ask, i know it all (lol) cause we went through lots of hard time during nursing

Amy said...

Interesting about the "pinch test" - can you tell me more? How do I do it and what am I looking for? Thanks! :)

Kristen said...

Here is info about the pinch test:

http://www.healthyarkansas.com/breastfeeding/pdf/pinch_test_eng.pdf

And these are the shells she told me to start wearing:

http://www.medelabreastfeedingus.com/products/breast-care/108/therashells

Lindsay said...

Glad you're appt went so well! Hopefully wearing them now will help you in the end.

Sara said...

Nipple shields are worth looking into, too, in case the shells don't solve your problem right away. I have "flat-ish" nipples (the nurse's professional opinion!) and I had to nurse using a shield for about a month, until my son got big enough and strong enough to evert my nipples on his own. I never had any supply problems because of them, either. Good luck!

Unknown said...

I have a friend near and dear to my heart with Cystic Fibrosis and I am currently doing a fundraiser through my online store. You can read about it on my blog. Your story is so interesting to me - I wish you so much happiness and blessings with your new addition!

 
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