New Year, New Moms (January 2009)

[2HUNGRY!]

My little baby is 7 months old!

I can't believe how big he's getting. Its amazing to think last year on New Year's Day I remember being so proud to finally wear a maternity shirt out to lunch, now I have this little person that we will bringing out to lunch.

Speaking of lunch, he seems to be making a big transition to wanting his solid foods more than his bottle. Is that okay at his age? He still has plenty of wet diapers so I think he's getting enough liquid, I'm just worried about the nutrients.

I'm still being driven crazy by the sippy cups. I can't find one that works for him. I think I just need to put them away for a while and try again.

[Couperine]

Wow it's been 7 1/2 months now for David!

I didn't plan on wearing pregnancy clothes two winters in a row, but it's working out well thus far. David and Ethan are passing a virus between them, but they are both doing well with this one. David probably had RSV over Christmas, so hopefully the boys will make it through this one soon.

David had some luck with an Avent sippy cup yesterday - he got about an ounce out while I was making dinner. I picked up that one since it fits on our bottles too. More options! I had to pass on the disposables for a while - David is completely different from Ethan in what he does to food. I am not looking forward to putting a spoon in David's hand and a bowl of something for him to dip into.

All in all, David's wonderful (bit biased here of course). I can see ways in which he is different from Ethan, and I look forward to seeing how these boys my DH and I created turn out differently. We'll see in a few weeks if we're a tribe of boys or a co-ed team - looking forward to that as well!

Helios, I keep thinking about you and breastfeeding. I hope your other side stays healthy and works properly soon - you have been a trooper to stay with BF'ing through the infections and longer-lasting soreness.

Happy new year to all!

[helios7]

Yay... a new year! A new thread.... how exciting.

2Hungry - i can't believe your baby is 7 months already! I remember lurking during your months on the pregnancy thread... doesn't seem that long ago!

Couperine -thanks for the kind thoughts. I can't believe you've got another on the way. Despite the fact I'm not quite 100% yet (still suffering tailbone pain) amnesia has kicked in and I'm starting to think about #2. I think DH and I will wait until the end of this year to start seriously taking steps in that direction, but part of me wishes i had the nerve to just "see what happens" without intervening. :rolleyes:

As for me, I'm doing MUCH better. Finally. Monday was the peak - the day I thought I can't do this, I'm going to have to give up at some point soon. Tuesday - everything got better. Both sides working, pain is minimal - perhaps a tweak as he latches on but overall so much better. Finally! :D So that's good... I'm barely pumping - only a couple times a day to relieve engorgement/clear things out. I'm petrified of getting another infection! So thanks to all for supporting me through that!

And I keep forgetting to say it but I use lanolin religiously so no worries about that. :) My next issue is managing a little overactive let-down. Any tips? I know from reading at kellymom that it can be helpful to pump to minimize the overflow, but when he's hungry I never remember to do anything except start feeding. But a couple times he's been crying and pulling off, and I've seen the fountain once he delatches. I'm experimenting with gravity/leaning back as well... anyone got any experience? So far it seems to be only on one side... my right is now way over-producing as a result of carrying the bulk of the feeding for so long. If it isn't one thing it is another....

Happy New Year everyone!

[Megan James]

Helios I have an overactive letdown, with both kids it really worked to nurse with me lying on my back and them basically on top of me. Leaning back helped some but totally lying down really helped, I'd just nurse in bed with a pillow propping up my head. It is actually pretty relaxing for me to nurse that way. I believe my overactive letdown was also part of my soreness, and cracking with my 1st kid. She would push her tongue forward trying to stop the milk from going down her throat so fast. She would make a clicking or clucking sound. Will does this sometimes too.

I am SO glad to hear things are going better. You are such a trouper and get a gold star in my book!

[Delanl]

Hi Ladies! Happy New Year!

Helios-So happy that you've turned a corner and things are going better! Such a great feeling, isn't it?! :)

Nancy-You amaze me. Two little ones and another on the way and you always seem so calm and collected. Can't wait to hear if there's going to be a little girl added to the mix!

2Hungry-Formula/Breastmilk is supposed to be their main source of nutrition for the first year, the amount does decrease has you add solid food though. Kylie (almost 11 months old) was drinking 6 6oz bottles a day, but is now down to 4 6oz. Hope that helps!

Susan-Didn't get a chance to reply on the December thread but wanted you to know that I am keeping you and your mom in my thoughts and prayers. So sorry you are going through this.

So, the restaurant I waitressed at while going to college and my parents still frequented on a weekly basis, closed last night. Couldn't keep up with all the chains popping up around them. They weren't supposed to close until February, but the new owners sprung it on the staff last night. Your out of a job, have a Happy New Year! :mad: I am still close with a lot of the people there and am really sad for them. In this economy, its the last thing they need. We had one last dinner there last night and I got so emotional as we left. I feel like part of my youth is gone. :( Did steal a menu on my way out though! :D

Other than that, I have started planning Kylie's 1st birthday party. We are keeping it small, just close family and friends. Since her b-day is so close to Valentine's Day, I decided to go with a "sweetheart" theme. Lots of pink and red with hearts everywhere and heart/valentine themed food! Should be cute.

Off to go wash bottles! Hope everyone is doing well!

[Kerri]

Let me join the sounds of wow! I can't believe my baby is almost 7 months old. He has really started being more pleasant to be around lately now that the ear infections have cleared up, AND I have started to be able to sit him down (only on the carpet of course) run and do something and come back to him still sitting. I am not sure why that makes things easier, but it just seems like a huge milestone.

2hungry - I remember with DS1 he was ready for more solid food before I thought he should be. It ended up fine, but I wish I could remember what I did. At some point, these babies know what they need. It seems like with Andy he has finally just "got" the solids, but still, there are times he eats what I make him and CRIES for more, but then others, just not interested. I wish I could figure him out.

And I was feeling bad that I hadn't started the sippy cup yet, but I guess maybe it was a little early anyways. I had good luck with the Nubi straw sippy at a young age. I didn't stay with them, because they leak, but that is what I was going to start with this time.

When can they start eating cheerios? Andy has a real interest in self feeding, and I have given him some puffs...ok, and some pasta...ok, maybe a french fry too, but he does a lot of choking if he actually gets it into his mouth. I just can't remember.

Helios - You are so early on, it does get better, and it sounds like you are doing great. I wanted to respond to something you said on the last thread regarding night routines. It does take awhile for their sleeping to mature enough for that to be useful. I think their nighttime sleeping begins to organize at 6 weeks and daytime around 4 months, so you have some time still. I am a BIG fan of Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child, but some of this you just have to muddle your way through. So glad that the breast feeding is going better. You are going to be so proud of yourself that you stuck with this! I am not a very big producer, so I can't help with the overactive let down...good luck with it though.

[Couperine]

delanl - thank you for your kind words; I tend to roll with whatever life brings, and it really helps keep me sane with my boys. I was definitely not in this frame of mind when my stepson went through his teens, and going through that nightmare has given me a lot of perspective. :)

helios - I am so glad that things are working better! I really enjoyed breastfeeding Ethan and David - I still would if I could, but I have to admit, it's also AWESOME to let other people feed the baby. If you don't mind pumping, it might be nice to make a stash for others to use for the baby.

Kerri, we give David pretty much everything we eat - aside from chips and nuts and some raw fruits and veggies, he can eat it all. He does have 6 teeth which helps - you should be able to try cheerios, but at this age, they do tend to cause a little more constipation than if started when your child is older (David still prefers the puffed things, especially Kroger brand blueberry). We let him nibble at meals instead of going for full feedings since he still can have bowel issues - this will go away as he gets older.

Wow I'm avoiding bottle washing myself - I suppose I better get to it; I love checking the BB at this time of year to see everyone's best recipes of the prior year!

[2HUNGRY!]

Thanks all for the sippy cup talk, and the food talk. I had the same question about the finger foods as well. Today he is teething and has a fever so its back to the bottle -- he wants nothing to do with the lovely sweet potato bananna mush that I prepared for him. :rolleyes:

Heather -- Yay! I'm so happy that things are going better. We started really trying to be consistent with the sleep thing around 2 months. Ryan likes to sleep though so he never really screamed or anything when we put him down. I also liked Healthy Sleep Habits Healthy Child.

Delanl -- Wow, I can't believe Kylie is almost 1!

Nancy -- That's great that you give David so many things to eat. Now, if you could only teach him to wash his own bottles!

[mst]

Hi guys!

Well, Shayna is not 8 months until Jan. 5 rolls around!;)

Things are great here- just going way to fast. Shayna is in Early Intervention for gross motor, fine motor- and...wait for it...Speech. That one cracks me up. But, she seems to be doing gross motor better than her older sister. I just don't want her to be too far behind.

2Hungry- I would not worry too much about the sippy cups just yet. It's amazing how a few weeks, or a month will make all the difference. And, FWIW, I have not even attempted it with Shayna and have no plans to anytime soon. And, Ilyssa was the first kid I knew to do an open cup (and stopped using a bottle relatively early.)

Anyway, just trying to throw my hat into the ring for this month...

[mabvt]

Happy New Year!

Neal will be three months old on Monday.

...also on Monday I am going back to work...

We had a lovely first Christmas and a great time with family and friends. Over the last week though, we've had some sleep issues. Neal has been very difficult to put down to sleep at night. He falls asleep while being rocked and sleeps for around ten minutes in his crib. Then he wakes up screaming. Last night was probably the worst. We spent the night at my in laws. We finally fell asleep at 1:30 and that was because I took Neal into bed with me. I've never done that before.

Perhaps related- Neal has been sucking on his hands like crazy. He has been drooly and yesterday had a slight fever. But isn't he too little to be teething?

So the sleep issue paired with me going back to work has caused some some anxiety around these parts.

I'm afraid I don't have anything to add to the sippy cup and solid foods conversations!

Helios- You asked at the end of last month about when I started a bedtime routine. I started giving Neal his last bottle in the rocker in his room when he was probably about 6 weeks. Previously I'd been doing it wherever, often in front of the tv, and I didn't want that any more.

Delanl- Your party plans sound darling!

Sorry guys, I'd love to write more but I'm about ready to keel over I'm so tired...

Melissa

[SusanPC]

Hi ladies, great to see all of the activity! Maddie is 8 months next Thursday, I can't believe it!

2Hungry--My pedi told me that for the first year bottle BM/Formula should be main nutrition. She said that if Maddie started decreasing what she was taking in liquids that I needed to back off on the solids. I've been doing 5 six oz bottles a day and two feedings per day. I'll give Maddie 2tbs of a veggie (sweet potatoe, green bean, carrot, etc.) and some cereal after her AM nap. Then, after her PM nap I'll give her usually another 2 tbs veggie or apple, advacado, etc. Who knows....I am going to ask at the 9 month appt. if I am doing this right. Seems to be so much info out there and no true consensus. Re sippy cups, Maddie has no real interest in these...I'll often put a tad of formula in one after the AM solid feeding but she really just plays with it at this point.

mst--What is Early Intervention?

Delanl--The party sounds great. What a fun theme. My mom and I were discussing yesterday that we want to make a fun cake for Maddie's 1st bday.

Helios--Glad BFing is getting better!

Re: sleeping and night routines...I started a night routine fairly early. Bath, bottle in glider with lullabies playing and chandelier on in her nursery. Maddie's been sleeping through the night since 6 weeks but didn't settle into her AM naps until about 4 months and just in the last few weeks has consistently stopped fighting the afternoon nap. It'll happen! I, too, read the Health Sleep book. Bedtime around here is no later than 6:30pm....it is nice for DH and I to have adult time in the evenings. Of course, often DH isn't home by the time she goes to bed but he tries.

I had a mini melt down in Carter's outlet yesterday. I went to buy more PJs that she loves (terry/footie). Anyways, they stop them at 9 months and she's almost too long for these. The 12 month ones are in the toddler section.....waaaa where has my baby gone?

Have a great weekend everyone!

[Delanl]

Susan--Too funny, the same thing happened to me, but I was in Target. I was looking for pj's for Kylie around Thanksgiving and because of the length issue too I had to go to 12 months and found myself in the toddler section. I was like, I am NOT ready for this yet! And the clothes don't seem as cute either...:o

Melissa-((hugs)) to you. Going back to work is a big transition. Will Neal be in daycare? Hope the sleeping gets better, try and get some rest when you can.

We've had Kylie on a schedule since I went back to work (she was 4 months old) and it has worked GREAT for us. Its my biggest piece of advice for all my gf's who are having babies now. We have dinner, play for 1/2 hour, then bath, book and bed.

I took Kylie to the pedi yesterday because she has this yucky cough now. And we also discovered she has the beginnings of an ear infection. So she started her first round of antibiotics last night. Nap and sleeptime have been a challenge though because the cough keeps waking her up. We have a wedding to go to tonight and I feel bad leaving her. But I could REALLY use a night out!

Question for you all--we use Dr. Brown's bottles, when Kylie starts drinking milk, can I switch to a regular bottle? Not sure she needs all the contraptions that come with the Dr. Brown's anymore, since gas really isn't an issue. Thoughts?

Have a good weekend everyone!

[Couperine]

Delanl - Kylie should switch to whole milk at age 1; she will also be ripe for a sippy cup then as well, so you will probably get to avoid the issue of finding another bottle. We got serious with the sippy with Ethan around 11 months, and he preferred it so much that he weaned himself just before he turned 1 - little stinker! We're just playing with the sippy with David still - gives him something to do while I make dinner, though he does make progress.

Would answer more but David calls..cries...blabbles...? Something like that. :)

[helios7]

Yay! I'm so excited the thread is off to such an active start.

Thanks for all the bedtime routine feedback. It still seems a bit overwhelming now (and he'll be 5 weeks tomorrow) so we'll hold on it for now. But it is definitely something I'm pondering for the weeks ahead.

We journeyed to my inlaws for Quinn to meet extended family today. I was dreading it as I feared it would be overwhelming and hard to set boundaries. But it went great - he was (mostly) a little angel, and everyone loved him. So .... whew!

We've made progress getting Quinn to sleep in the cosleeper the past couple nights. We're using the swaddling/pacifier/sleep sheep strategies from the Happiest Baby on the Block book, and it's actually working. Up until now he's slept only in our bed, as he'd scream as soon as he was put in the cosleeper. We're thrilled. Cosleeping in the bed wasn't our intention and while we've both grown used to it our goal is to get him into his crib/own space eventually. So progress is good. Did anyone else have their baby sleep in their bed? When and how did you transition them into their own space (crib, bassinet, cosleeper etc).

out of time for personals ... quinn calls (bellows really)

[Pony]

We've made progress getting Quinn to sleep in the cosleeper the past couple nights. We're using the swaddling/pacifier/sleep sheep strategies from the Happiest Baby on the Block book, and it's actually working. Up until now he's slept only in our bed, as he'd scream as soon as he was put in the cosleeper. We're thrilled. Cosleeping in the bed wasn't our intention and while we've both grown used to it our goal is to get him into his crib/own space eventually. So progress is good. Did anyone else have their baby sleep in their bed? When and how did you transition them into their own space (crib, bassinet, cosleeper etc).

Not joining yet ;), but I have a question for you Heather. I haven't read the Happiest Baby on the Block book yet. I'm reading a Dr. Sears sleep book right now. What is sleep sheep? Is it that toy thing that plays sounds? When did you start giving Quinn a pacifier? I feel like I've read so many different things about when to introduce a pacifier. Just curious, thanks!

[2HUNGRY!]

Pony -- The sleep sheep is what you think. They are kind of pricey, but we were given one as a gift and we are still using it. Its funny though, the heart beat sound setting flips my cat out. I've talked to others who have had the same experience.

Heather -- We basically went from the two of us sleeping on the couch with me holding him, to sleeping part of the night in the pack n play right next to us, to sleeping in the crib. The transition took about a month, but we had him in the crib sleeping somewhat through the night by the time I went back to work at 14 weeks.

mabvt -- Good luck going back to work. I didn't have an easy time with it but it got much much better as time went on.

Was going to write more but baby is up and trying to help me type.

[bekki]

I don't believe I've ever "officially" joined this thread. I hope I can keep up!

Me-->Bekki, 28
DH-->Adam, 30
The kidlets---> William and Andrew (Will, Andy) who turned two months old on Christmas, offically 10 weeks yesterday. (they were born 5 weeks early)

Well, nothing all that exciting to report. We're trying sort of patiently to wait for their first smiles, but I'll admit to be anxious. The doctor said some things might take a while longer because they were premie, but both make these sort of half-grins, so I'm hoping that it will happen soon.

We have our two month check up tomorrow, so there will be shots involved. How did all of your infants react to their vaccines? We're in a pretty good routine right now, with good nighttime sleep and I'm just terrified something will disrupt that!

Pictures at 1 month old, Will's in green, Andy's in blue. We have newer pics, but they're not online yet.
http://www.adamlyon.com/gallery/d/5984-2/wIMG_0407.jpg http://www.adamlyon.com/gallery/d/5982-2/wIMG_0405.jpg

[mabvt]

Hey Bekki! Good to "see" you again. LOVE the pictures of the boys! What cuties! Oh when you get those first smiles your heart will absolutely melt.

Helios- If you're interested in a white noise machine, we got one from Target that we really like. I can check for the brand if you're interested. Dh and I joke that we are more addicted to it than baby is, bc we can hear it in our room too. It was twenty five bucks and is also an alarm clock. Do you swaddle? Neal liked that for a long time too.

Delanl & 2Hungry-Thanks for the warm back to work wishes. I'm feeling pretty good tonight. We'll see what tomorrow brings! I'm a teacher and I absolutely adore my class this year. So that helps things tremendously. We have a woman who will be watching Neal in her home three days a week. The other days will mostly be covered by my dad. Tomorrow Dad will be here.

Neal has a cold. The poor kid sounds like a little hoover. We've been doing the saline and blue bulby thing, and lots of rocking and cuddles. Poor little guy! I am so thankful that my dad will be here with him tomorrow.
Have a great Monday.

Melissa

[Megan James]

Bekki My son did not do well with shots at 2months or 4 months. It kind of surprised me b/c my 3 year old never had a reaction anything more than being extra sleepy. Will had a fever both times, about 101 and was very cranky for 24 hours. This time(4 month appt) he seems to have picked up something while at the doctors and had an amazing amount of discharge coming out of his eyes for the last 5 days. Not to scare you or anything :D

[mst]

Oy- fast moving thread.

Susan- Early Intervention is a state-run program that I think all the states have. (Although some states call it something different.) Basically, if your kid is slow with milestones, they come out and test your child. If they qualify for services, you get really amazing services in your house for a tiny fee. So, we are getting a physical therapist, and an occupational therapist coming to our house to help Shayna "catch up". I don't think she is that behind, but since we did it with Ilyssa, I knew what signs to look for. The best thing with Ilyssa was that we did a playgroup for a year through them. We both made great friends, and the playgroup was super fun. Shayna is still too young for playgroup.

Delanl- I used a different bottle with Ilyssa, but changed with Shayna because of the BPA. I *hate* our Dr. Browns. I just went and got some of those bottles with the plastic liners, and I feel liberated that I do not spend half my day cleaning bottles. As your child does the sippy more and more, you phase out the bottle more and more. Milk is fine in the bottle, but as since milk starts at one year, that is also when the pediatrician told me to start encouraging the sippy.

Helios- we co-slept with both girls when they were newborns. Just easier. As they got older, we would do things like start them sleeping in their room, and after one feeding bring them into bed. Then, when I was hardcore about it, I would nurse them in their room. Truly- it was all about how tired I was, I never intended to co-sleep, but it worked then.

Bekki- the boys are adorable. I found the shots much harder on me than on the girls.:o Check with your doctor about tylenol. That's what I do if there is a fever or reaction. (Your doctor will probably go over all this with you, but since your boys are preemies, you should probably check rather than do what is ok for most 2 month olds.)

mabvt- good luck going back to work.

[Luv to Cook]

Me, Anita 33
DH 35
DD1 Asha 5
DD2 Sahana 3
DS Ayaan 10 weeks

Hey Mamas! Hope everyone had a good holiday. Ours was nice, but we are still so darn tired. My fussy baby has turned into a nightmare with sleep...we started rocking and bouncing him a little to get to sleep and then let him sleep on me so we could get some rest. Well, now he needs the bouncing for so long and he is miserable, as are we. We are going to start tyring some gentle sleep training as I cannot bounce him on the exercise ball all night anymore. I am dreading it, but I do not really know what else to do :(. And to answer the co-sleeping question, yes we do it...anything for sleep in the beginning...did it with my girls as well, and by 4-6 months they were in their cribs.

Bekki, your boys are adorable...thanks for sharing their pics. Those smiles will come soon!

Delanl, I would totally switch to a regular bottle...those Dr. Brown's are a pain!

mabvt, we are in the same boat with regards to sleep! frustrating, isn't it!

Helios, woohooo for hanging in there. There were some days when I wanted to give up what with sore nipples and so forth. Not sure I would have been able to be as motivated as you...great job :)!

Susan, they grow entirely too fast don't they? I feel guilty sometimes, for wishing away the sleepless nites, because I know that will mean I no longer have a newborn sleeping on my chest :(.

So, I got a Mirena IUD put in today. Was exciting in that I don't have to think about birth control, but I am also a little sad, since I *think* this will be our last baby. When I was at the docs office, I could hear the dopplers in the other rooms and all the little babys heartbeats :(. Made me sad to think we may not do this again. But overall, it went well and I am glad to not have to worry about pregnancy anytime soon!

Hope everyone else is well!

[tholbrook]

I'll reiterate the WOW! I can't believe how fast time flies! Maya was 4 months on Christmas day, so 19 weeks today. She's such a cutie, and I'm having fun with her, although she does exhaust me from time to time.

Our trip to California went really well, and I'm thrilled by how well she did on the plane, and also by how "pretty good" she was in the car. We made something like a 650 mile drive over 2 days, and while she had her moments, overall, she was an angel. Thank goodness for my iPod - I played her the hairdryer sound (99% effective for getting her to sleep), as well as lullabies and various other songs. She was the most fussy when it was dark outside, so I would play a photo slide show and she was mesmerized by it!

Well, I was going to type more but I can hear that she's up from her nap.

Happy 2009 to everyone!

[Couperine]

I hear both boys waking up so a quick note, but I completely hear you Anita on deciding to be done. DH and I had always said 3 was our number, and here I am still pregnant with the 3rd, and DH tells me that once the baby is born and we're ok, that he'll get a vasectomy. Wow. I just hadn't thought about that aspect at all, and it's strange to think about. I'm glad he's willing to do that though, and he knew me well enough to give me lots of time to think about it. :)

[helios7]

I finally have 2 hands to type. I find I always have something to say when I only have one hand. And then it is too hard!

Thanks for the bedtime routine/sleep info. I'm still finding it overwhelming to think about right now... although last night was a bad night so I suppose thinking about implementing it soon would be a good idea. Michelle - we ordered a sleep sheep (which is a white noise machine) from Amazon. And we busted out the paci the first week. Weren't planning on it (classes always said to wait a few) but he was so HUNGRY that week (before my milk came in) that it was necessary. That week was really tough - he was starving but there was little for him to eat. Ugh! I'm having flashbacks. :)

We had our first day solo today. DH went back to work. We were busy - went to a WW meeting, had lunch with a friend and her baby (who was also at meeting), took a 2 hr nap to recover from little sleep last night. And that was the day... amazing how quickly it went!

Tholbrook - glad to hear the Cali trip went well.

Anita - good luck with the sleep "adjustments". Quinn will go down on his own, but sometimes it takes several tries (and trips to the bathroom to be calmed by the fan :rolleyes:)

And he's up. Personals to be continued...

[SusanPC]

Hi ladies, a bit of a bleary eyed post here. We have wood floors being installed in our family room and painters in later this week...so the house is a dusty mess AND Maddie is doing some serious teething and is whining ALL DAY LONG. I don't think my mom believed me, b/c this child can do no wrong...but we ducked out to the carpet store to look at stair runners and she joined us and saw firsthand how uncomfortable little Maddie is. Poor thing.

Question on teething....what order do the teeth usually arrive? She's got her two bottom middle ones and it *looks* like at least one of the top middle ones is about to break through....for some reason I thought these come later?

Nancy--That is funny about your DH. Did I remember he has older kids as well? My DH had a vasectomy in his previous marriage (hence, our IVF after a reversal didn't work)....it is nice not to have to "worry" about another baby at this point. But, I do think we'll try again in the early summer. I always said two....but have been throwing three out there recently to test the waters....we'll see.

Helios--How was WW? Enjoy those nursing points! I am not on the plan per se, but was following it....it is A LOT harder now that I don't get those extra nursing pts. And, I gained 10 lbs just after I weaned Maddie.....ugh. I am back at my pre preg weight and started a major eating healthy kick (along with the rest of the world) yesterday. I got a spinning bike for Christmas and did an hour dvd this AM...my butt and legs are very out of practice.

Everyone else, glad to hear all are hanging in there and doing well. I am hoping the rain vacates this area tomorrow so Maddie and I can bundle up and take a walk....seems to soothe her and the poor babe deserves whatever respite she can get from this teething.

[Kerri]

Here is a picture of Andy sitting up:

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o79/wirrek/2009-kids/DSC03356.jpg

Delanl - We also use Dr. Brown's. With DS1 I tried my hardest to switch him to a different bottle when he was old enough. None took. I just stuck it out until I phased out the bottle around age 1. With DS2, I tried my hardest to get him to use any kind of bottle except Dr. Brown. I thought the Avent were going to make it, but no, at the last second, Dr Brown's again. Again, I am just waiting until I can switch him to the sippy cup. Only 5 more months!

Luv2Cook - It sounds like it might be time for some sleep training. I think that is when we did ours, it was just more "I am not going to bounce you anymore!!" My mom got me one of these:
http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o79/wirrek/2009-kids/pTRU1-3153273dt.jpg
I think it just helps him to settle down.

I also got my Mirena IUD in. We would have gone the "big V" route, but DH wasn't sure he didn't want to try for a girl. Of course, he would say that, he doesn't have to have the baby! This way we have 5 years to think about it.

Susan - It sounds like you have the right order. Andy's first two teeth came in so quickly, it seems like he has been teething the next set forever.

[hlao23]

Question on teething....what order do the teeth usually arrive? She's got her two bottom middle ones and it *looks* like at least one of the top middle ones is about to break through....for some reason I thought these come later?


My DBFs son is 8 months old and those are the teeth he has so far (top front and bottom front).

As far as teething pain...we bought something like this http://www.strawberry-tiger.co.uk/acatalog/info-baby-safe-feeder.html at Wal-Mart. Just fill it with ice...he loves it! It's messy, messy for food though.

[2HUNGRY!]

Quick drive by post:

We have the same thing for Ryan and he loves it. I also put in frozen fruit (though it is messy). He thinks he is such a big shot when I give him one of these.

I also hate the Dr. Brown's. Besides all of the little pieces the opening is so small I spill 1/3 of whatever I am trying to put in there. I love my born frees though.

[SusanPC]

Thanks guys for the idea. I have one of those things but hadn't used it yet. this afternoon, I gave it to her with ice and she turned it around and chewed on the handle. :confused: I may try frozen fruit.......2Hungry, what types do you use? (Maddie is only getting sweet potato, carrot, green beans, apple and advacado so far......probably should expand her selections????)

She found her spoon (flexible) to be very comforting I think....she shoves it in the back of her mouth and gnaws before each bit of food.

Thank goodness she isn't waking in the night...

[2HUNGRY!]

I do bananas and frozen cooked carrots. Ryan chews on the handle as much as he does the food end. It makes a mess, but he loves it.

I bet frozen avacado would work.

[Couperine]

BTW Susan, Maddie is old enough to give Advil (check dr for dose). Tylenol didn't touch either Ethan or David's teething pain, but Advil worked for both of them really well. David chews whatever floats his boat while teething - yesterday he really wanted to chew Ethan's shoes. :rolleyes:

[SusanPC]

Nancy, thanks so much for the heads up. I am calling the pedi tomorrow for dosing instructions. I just feel so bad for my little girl...the first two teeth were nothing like this!

[Megan James]

Will is 4 1/2months and really starting to look like less of an infant. He's very expressive and can be very fun and smiley.
Sleep is still tough. Tuesday night we did a little CIO and Wednesday night he only woke twice in the night. I thought we were home free and then last night he never slept more than 2 hours at a stretch. He seems to have a little cold this morning so that may have been a factor but it seems like there is always something! I'm fine with 1 or 2 wakings a night (I do love to nurse and snuggle with him for a bit) but these 5+ waking nights are brutal on me.

We did finally figure out the diaper rash mess. It's eczema, not suprising since I have it. If I give him so naked time every day, make sure not to leave him in a wet dipe long and put on hydrocortisone cream we are good. The pediatrician said over the counter 1% HC cream is fine a couple times a day.

Hope everyone else is doing well!

[SusanPC]

Hi ladies, hope everyone had a nice weekend. Maddie is still teething but it doesn't seem as bad. We are in remodeling H*ll and I am sitting here listening to painters yakking away outside Maddie's room over the monitor.....thankful she is napping through it!

Maddie had her first swim lesson yesterday and loves the water. Wasn't too surprised b/c she adores bathtime, but it was fun to watch (Dad did the class with her).

Other than this, not much new here....I found the first food Maddie doens't like...she gagged when I gave her a banana the other day.....go figure.... She is trying really hard to crawl...but just succeeds in pushing herself backwards. She also looks like she is trying to push up into a sit up position....but then usually ends up rolling over after some effort. She's fun to watch and play with these days and I'm thankful it is sunny here today so she and I can bundle up and get a walk in.

Hope all are well.

[bekki]

Thank you all for the thoughts on shots. The boys did well, and only cried for a minute or two. They were kind of sleepy for the day, but the doctor gave us the thumbs up for tylenol, so I think that helped with any discomfort they might have had.

I also confirmed my suspicion that Andy has a touch of reflux which was making feeding time kind of a nightmare. We have him on Zantac now, and it has made SUCH a difference!

New question: What's your bedtime routine? I'd really like to get one going. Right now, the only thing that differentiates it from naptime is that both mom and dad are participating. I'm really NOT up for a bath every night, and due to some skin issues, the doctor asked us to keep baths 2-3x week at the max. So, what is it that you all do?

[2HUNGRY!]

Drive by post:

Bekki -- My son has dry skin, so in the winter I have not been bathing him as much. Things we do are lay on the bed and read a story, and I take him around the house and say good night to all of the family picture we have out and to the fish and the kitty. I also have some night time music that I play just at bed time.

[lbd]

Me: 35 this Saturday :eek: (first birthday I've felt like it was a big number, maybe b/c it's a 5?)
DH: 37 on Wednesday
DS: Ben, 2 1/2
DD: Abby, 3 months

I can't believe this is my first time here this month. Quick scan of the activity so far and I know I'll forget half of what I wanted to say.

In the category "how badly did we blow this?" -- Abby has absolute hysterics when confronted with a bottle. She got her first bottle on Thanksgiving (5-6 weeks), and a second a few days later. No problem whatsoever with either one. Then the next Friday, DH tried to give her another bottle while I was at DS's swim lesson and she flipped out. Refused to take anything and had cried herself back to sleep by the time we got home. We didn't try again for a couple weeks but have done it 3-4 more times and she gets upset each time now. Did we totally screw ourselves after the initial success? Any suggestions? There's no serious urgency (I'm at home for now) but it would be really nice to be able to do errands or get out without worrying that she freaked the minute I left.

Diapers: I'll cop to using disposables as well. We found Pampers worked best for DS, used Swaddlers then Cruisers. Started with same for Abby but switched to Luvs about a month ago and that's what both kids are in now. They are definitely not as soft as the Swaddlers but they're fine, and lots cheaper, even with multiple Pampers coupons. They're even cheaper than the BJ's store brand. And DS loves the dogs on them (Blues Clues, which he now recognizes not from tv but from his diapers which I find hysterical). Leaking has been about the same.

Shots: we've been lucky so far with both kids. No serious reactions, maybe a little extra fussing and soreness but give tylenol for a day and that seems to help. And both kids wail in the immediate aftermath but calm down by the time we're in the hall.

Nighttime routine: we aren't so good about this (with Abby, Ben has a set routine that works well). She theoretically sleeps in a bassinet next to my bed but has spent many nights sleeping on my chest or next to me -- I know, not recommended and I stay half-awake the whole time because I'm so nervous about it. None of the usual soothing things work for her -- swaddling just makes her mad and she won't take a pacifier. We need to move her into her crib soon because she's close to the weight limit on the bassinet but I dread it because she'll be right next door to Ben and I'm afraid her crying will wake him. Re bathing as part of nightly ritual -- our ped said to limit baths to only 2-3x/week but I'm not sure how long that's supposed to last.

That's a novel so I'll go, after I say how much fun it is now that Abby's become totally responsive and alert. She loves looking around and has a fantastic smile and giggle. We broke out the exersaucer this weekend and she seems fascinated so that will be a nice diversion for her. Despite the nights that seem neverending, the past 3 months have been incredibly fast. Okay, I'm really out now.

[Delanl]

Hi Ladies!

Thanks for all the recommendations about the bottles. Kylie drinks water/juice from a sippy cup with her breakfast and lunch, but we are still using bottles for nighttime and the afternoon. I think I am just going to get some cheapie Playtex ones (BPA-free of course!) until she transitions full time to the sippy cup.

We had a ROUGH week last week. Kylie developed a cough, to which I took her to the doctor for and discovered she had an ear infection too! She was put on antibiotics and over the course of a few days the cough got worse, apparently her cold got into her chest. So we had a few nightmarish days, my DH took her back to the doctor last Monday and they put her on a nebulizer, with orders for 4 treatments a day. The first two were terrible, as we pretty much had to hold her down. But the next day I had a lightbulb moment when I put her in her jumper and thought hey I wonder if I could give them to her while she's in here. Well I did and she loved it and it def got easier after that. She finally started getting better by the end of last week and then my DH got sick! So now we are all working on getting healthy again. Phew.

lbd--re: bottles, we did the same thing with Kylie, gave her a bottle or two then didn't for a few weeks, then tried and she hated it. When it was time for me to go back to work and I was supplementing formula we had to try two or three different bottles until we found one she liked. Maybe you could try that?

Diapers--We are a Pampers family, went from Swaddlers to Cruisers to Baby Dry (cheaper and you get more!). So far we've never had a problem with leaks.

Nighttime routine--We give Kylie a bath around 7:30, then play a little in her room, read a book or two and then its into her sleep sak, bottle and bed.

SusanPC--swimming, how fun! I am planning to take Kylie in the Spring (wanted to wait until its a little warmer out). Maddie must love being in the water with her Daddy!

Alright, I need to stop procastinating and go fold laundry and get to bed! Hope everyone is having a good week.

Leigh

[helios7]

I finally have two hands to participate on this thread! I always want to, but Quinn doesn't like to be put down. Ever. Thank goodness for the MOby wrap, or I'd never get anything done. And even then, I feel like I barely get anything done.

We're doing well. My husband went back to work on the 5th, but we've been really busy getting out there and meeting new moms in the community. I joined a local parents list-serve, and it has been really helpful for meeting women and babies. Plus we have Quinn's girlfriend and her mom to hang out with. I met the mom in birthing class, and now we see them several times a week. Quinn's girlfriend was born the day before Quinn, so it is nice to have someone going through the exact same developmental stage as us.

But now we're getting hit with a cold snap which will affect our getting out and about. Today we stayed in, and it was a longer day. :(

Breastfeeding is going well, although Quinn keeps suffering from off and on congestion which interferes as it makes it hard for him to breathe while nursing. He seems to get quite congested at night - but it clears up during the day. Anyone else's baby do something similar? But overall we're doing SO much better then before - it took 4 weeks but we've settled into the groove.

Quinn has been Mr. Cranky Pants lately. One book we have says crankiness peaks at 6 weeks, and then gets a bit better. Anyone feel that is true? PLEASE? :)

Thank you for the continued feedback on night routines. Still haven't gotten there, but appreciate info on what others do as I am thinking about it for the future.

Delanl - I hope Kylie is feeling better. I've had a tough time dealing with Quinn's mild congestion, I dread a full on cold.

Lorien - HI! Glad to hear Abigail's doing well. Sorry to hear about the bottle woes. Quinn doesn't love it either, but we've been trying to do it more and more so he will get used to it. The LC I worked with said they're flexible to 3 months, but then they lock down with what they will or will not tolerate. :eek:

Bekki - thanks for the shot info. Our appt is on the 29th. I dread that appt. :(

Susan PC - glad to hear Maddie's doing well. Funny about the banana!

Megan - I can't believe Will's 4 months already! I agree about the distinction between 5+ wakings vs 2 wakings. We've erred on the more then 2 or 3 side lately, and it has been wearing on me. Hope you get more sleep soon.

Couperine - hope all's well. :)

2Hungry - I'm avidly reading all the food discussion, but just cannot wrap my mind around it yet. :)

Kerri - what an adorable little boy! He's really cute. :)

Hope I didn't miss anyone, and if I did, I'm sorry!

[tholbrook]

Quinn has been Mr. Cranky Pants lately. One book we have says crankiness peaks at 6 weeks, and then gets a bit better. Anyone feel that is true? PLEASE? :)

I'll answer that one! YES, it gets better - MUCH better. I was nearly in a state of panic around 6 weeks - so afraid Maya would cry and fuss all the time forever - but starting around Week 7, she would look up at me and smile... basically just interacting with us more. It was much easier from that point forward.
So hang in there, you're really close to the end of those rough first weeks!

Question for you: how do you like the Moby Wrap? Things you like about it? Complaints?

[Couperine]

Hi all!

Just had to share what David's been doing the past couple of days - he's pulling up on everything and being very insistent upon standing. It's really adorable - he's still figuring out how to react when he falls, so we spend alot of time smiling and cheering when he falls on his bottom. He's crawling everywhere and sitting too, so we're going to have to lower his crib mattress today.

I just can't believe he's getting to this point already - babbling and crawling and standing - wow how time flies.

[bekki]

I just can't believe he's getting to this point already - babbling and crawling and standing - wow how time flies.

It's so funny how quickly things change. I had my first moms group on Wednesday. My two were the second oldest at 11.5 weeks, and the youngest was only 12 days. I can't believe they were ever that small! (and actually a lot smaller than this little girl, because she was huge when she was born). I think it's hard for me to see the gradual changes, but looking at pictures from even a month ago, there's obviously a huge difference.

[2HUNGRY!]

Heather -- Yes it is true about the crankies (unfortunately for us 6 weeks is when my in laws visited). It gets so much easier-- he'll start to interact more and pretty soon you'll be able to distract him with toys.

Have you tried saline drops for his nose? Ryan has been stuff since they day he was born and the drops help a lot. They're non-medicated so you can use them at any age.

[hlao23]

Hi all!
It's really adorable - he's still figuring out how to react when he falls, so we spend alot of time smiling and cheering when he falls on his bottom.

It's amazing what a little applause can do, isn't it? :) I LOVE the expressions he makes when he topples sometimes...like he's trying to figure out if he should be upset or not

[Luv to Cook]

Hi Mamas! Man, it is COLD here in VA today. We have been laying low. I forgot how many naps newborns take in a day, so it has been a bit boring for Sahana and I, while Ayaan naps all day. He won't sleep in the carseat and loses it if he skips a nap, so we have been just trying to stay close to home. Thank goodness it is winter, so hopefully by the time Spring and Summer roll around we will have some sort of schedule and be able to get out more!

We are still having some sleep issues. Ayaan will now go down on his own but has SO many nightwakings. I have been trying not to nurse him at all of them, because he proceeds to spit it all up and then be miserable. I am trying to only nurse twice a night and check and console during the other wakings, but it is hard and tiring. He seems to be like my girls, constant waking until I give up all night feeds...like he is confused why he gets to eat some times and not others. Anyone know the guidelines on when to cut out all night feeds? I waited until 9 and 6 months respectively with my girls (and had many a long night). I have friends who say by 3 months, or 12 lbs, or 12 weeks. I know Ferber says 3 months, Weissbluth says up to 9 months...some peds say 4-5 months...you would think I would know this by now. I have no problems nursing once or twice a night, but what to do about the other wake ups????

Ayaan is a little peanut...at his 2 month appt. he was only 8lbs 12 oz. I really am hoping he fattens up this months...ughh...would love to have a break around here!

Other than that, all is well. My girls are headed to DC this weekend to spend time with my parents. They are so excited and I am looking forward to a little break. I am going to miss them like crazy, though!

Couperine, time does fly, doesn't it. I remember a friend telling me when I was really down about the not sleeping, "the days last forever, but the years fly by." Truer words have not been spoken! When I think of that, I cannot believe my Asha will be 6 this year! How did that happen???

helios, you are awesome for sticking with the bfing! I am so proud of you :).

leigh, I hope Kylie feels better soon...poor kid :(.

lbd, not sure I have any tips with the bottle. I started it early this time around and make sure he gets one every 1-2 days. I didn't do it with the first two and was with them ALL the time for the first year, until they took sippy cups. I say just keep trying, she is still little and may take it eventually.

Bekki, we do a bath every nite. Just a quick dip....I feel like it signals bedtime so much better than everything else. Also, he is pretty fussy by 6:30 and it calms him down enough to get a nice full nursing in.

kerri, thanks for the sleep training support. We did start putting him down in the crib and he is much happier not being bounced all nite...now if I could just get him to do at least one long stretch! How is the Mirena working out? I gotta say, I am still so nervous about DTD...I just don't want the Mirena to fail on me! Question, and this may be TMI, so I apologize, but can you feel the strings? I can occassionaly feel them poking me. I guess I should get them trimmed...gotta find the time.

Well, that is it for now. Hope everyone else is well! Happy Friday :).
Anita

[SooCookie]

Hi everyone! Welcome to all the new moms!

Anita, that quote from your friend is so true. I can't believe my little man is 4 1/2 months old already, yet at the same time, those days seem to drag on.

Ben is doing well. Has a super appetite and over Christmas break, finally gave up on the idea that I could keep up with his demand for breastfeeding. It is sad, since I had a goal of at least 6 months with both kids, and failed both times.

He had his 4 month check up last week and is almost 15 pounds! My DD didn't weigh this much until she was about 9 months old! It is amazing how I can have two kids so opposite in almost every respect.

Sleep is going somewhat better. When he isn't sick, he sleeps well! But he recovers from one cold just to get another one. I am trying to put him to bed earlier since he seems to want to go to bed between 8-9 each night and then sleep in until 8-9 the next morning. Does anyone know when they start to be able to stay up longer than 2 hours in between naps? He seems to be resisting his naps lately and I am wondering if it is because he is just not tired yet.

Well, want to write more, but Kayla is awake. Hope you are all staying warm!

Michelle

[Luv to Cook]

michelle, I just had to comment on your breastfeeding...please do not think you have failed! We, as mothers, can be so hard on ourselves. DH has been giving Ayaan a bottle of formula at night so I can rest and I cannot tell you how much I beat myself up over it, until a friend knocked some sense into me. Seriously, I was formula fed and have a great relationship with my mom, rarely get sick and am pretty smart to boot (well, maybe not that smart :D)!

[mabvt]

Hello everyone!

Checking in from the land of working full time again. I just finished my second full week of work. Last week was long and emotionally draining. I'd like to say we are establishing a routine but now such luck. So far over the past two weeks Neal's had a cold (he's better now), my car died and we had to drive 45 minutes to borrow my folks, and I locked myself out of the house (and Neal in! :eek:) until I was rescued by my neighbor with a key.

I am tired! I have been overwhelmed by the support I've gotten from girlfriends, working moms at school, etc. It's like a new club I'm part of.

Right now I am just very very tired. Neal started waking up in the night again when I went back to work. I'm not quite sure why. He seems to be getting over that though. Our biggest issue continues to be putting him down at night time. He wakes up every 20 minutes or so for the first couple of hours he's down. We do a lot of rocking.

Sorry, I'm not going to personals this time around. But I will be trying to catch up with y'all soon.

Melissa

[lbd]

Anita - I don't know the answer on night-feedings but there's no way it can be 12 pounds. Abby was 12 pounds by six weeks! This past week we've had a sudden switch in nighttime for no reason than I can tell -- after backpedaling to waking several times a night for 2 weeks, she dropped to 1x/night for three straight days. Can't begin to say how good that felt! We're counting last night as the fourth in five nights for one waking, even though we were up for good at 6:30 which is very early for us.

Michelle - I also marvel at how different my kids are. Ben fell off the bottom of the weight chart around 1 year and has just gotten back on, Abby is about ready to go off the top. And while he was an incredible laidback baby (and kid!), she's, ahem, assertive. ;)

Okay, they're back from the store so I'm back on duty. Have a good long weekend everyone!

[helios7]

Tholbrook - I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Moby wrap. It's a bit intense - lots of fabric, lots of variations etc. We do one of the newborn ones (if I could find the book I'd try the other :o) and we love it. He usually settles in it and goes right to sleep. I haven't had as much success with slings - he cried last time i tried a hotsling and honestly now he's 12 + pounds, I feel like he's just a bit too heavy. But the Moby works for us.

Ugh! The crankiness continues. He cranked it up during our weekly new mom's group which was a total bummer as I felt I missed out on much of the conversation as I was trying to juggle him. He was hungry, but didn't want to feed and it was one of those times that the nursing cover was just being a PITA. Eventually I pulled out the Moby (which I now travel with) and he fell asleep but whew! Here's hoping week 7 is better.

Melissa - glad to hear work is going well, if exhaustingly. I honestly can't imagine working and then coming home to the second job of motherhood. So I have the utmost respect for you. Hang in there.

Lorien - Quinn is also in the 12 lb range at 6 weeks. He has trouble going down (I've taken to rocking him on the glider until we both fall asleep and then we move to the bed when I wake up) but last night only woke once once we got to bed. We'll see if it is a trend, but I usually feed him in bed if I can. So much easier!

2Hungry - thanks for the crankiness support! Glad I'm not alone!

Hope everyone has a good weekend... DH isn't off on Monday so we're going to be figuring out something to do as our usual "Monday" activities are cancelled due to the holiday. OH... that's what I've been meaning to mention. I joined WW again.... anyone else? I'm a bit worried I'm losing weight too fast. But I just find I'm not super hungry these days, although I'm trying to eat more. :rolleyes:

[mst]

Soocookie- I feel you on the breastfeeding guilt. I tried so hard. So hard. I was able to do each girl to seven months, but I wish I hit a year. I was at playgroup, and everyone whipped out the b**b, and I felt guilty again. But, I do know that I truly did absolutely everything I could to produce milk. I just could not keep up.

Tholbrook- I am a babywearer, so feel free to ask questions if I can help. The moby is great when the kids are little, but does not tolerate weight well as the kids get bigger. Lately, I have been using an ergo with Shayna. I learned how to get her on my back, and that has been working out great. But, I don't want to wear her on my back in winter clothes, and am still nervous to get her on my back in a parking lot. There are other wraps to use when the kids weigh more. Great carries, but I find all the fabric annoying.

Anita- I let my kids tell me when they could sleep through the night. But, I will admit that I would lay in bed and decide whether they were fussing, or hungry. And, once in a blue moon, I will still give Shayna a bottle if needed. There is no rule, just when it works for you.

My older daughter had crazy allergies, so we did not introduce dairy until she was almost two. So, how do I introduce dairy? Can I just give some yogurt to Shayna? Or, am I supposed to wait until a certain point? Any rules I should know?

[Bawstinn]

So, how do I introduce dairy? Can I just give some yogurt to Shayna? Or, am I supposed to wait until a certain point? Any rules I should know?

delurking ....

We started Madeleine on yogurt when she was 8 months or so. I just bought plain yogurt and mixed in applesauce to start. For variety I also pureed some canned pears or peaches (the ones in juice) and mixed them in as well. Doctor told us yogurt and cheese was OK under 1 since the lactose is broken down during the culturing process.

We didn't introcduce cheese until she was close to a year because she was pretty much toothless to that point.

[Couperine]

mst, there is the same risk that Shayna might have the same allergies. DH suggests cottage cheese and watching carefully like any other new food. Hopefully Shayna doesn't have Ilyssa's allergy though!

Just a heads up - David's crib bumper got skanky while he had a cold, so I took it out this morning to wash. During his morning nap sans bumper, he managed to get some nasty bruises on his legs from sticking his legs through the slats. I'm glad that he didn't break his legs - DH told me that breaks and bruises are fairly common from doing that. Needless to say, the bumper is back, and I'm glad it's just bruising. David doesn't seem to care about the bruises, so hopefully I don't win the bad mommy award for the day.

[Pony]

I'm ready to join :D

Me-33
DH-32
Baby Evelyn Pearl-1 week and 2 days!!!! Weighing in at 8 pounds 3 oz and 19.5 inches long. She was 7 pounds 14 oz at her ped appt.

I've been following the thread, but haven't had much time to officially join.

We just got back in from her first walk. It is beautiful here today, sunny and in the 70's! I'm tired of being stuck in the house.....I had a bit of an emotional breakdown around 4:30 yesterday when I realized I hadn't even stepped foot outside since Friday the 9th. So, my mom watched Evelyn while the 2 of us got coffee and rode around the car looking at houses in our neighborhood :). My mom has been here since we left the hospital and is leaving on Wed. and my MIL and FIL arrive tomorrow until Saturday. Then it is just the 3 of us. Scary and exciting all at the same time.

I am scared to say this, but things are going well. Everytime I tell people this they tell me to just wait....so, I'm scared about what is to come. She sleeps well, eats well, poops well, fusses when she is getting a diaper change or is hungry. After reading about Quinn's crankiness around 6 weeks, I'm assuming things will begin to shift in a couple of weeks?????

BF was not easy to start off w/ and I still have pain when she latches on and sometimes during feedings on the right breast. The left breast is a breeze. I've mastered the reverse cradle hold and have been using the My Breast Friend pillow. I'm wondering how long the latch on should hurt. I still kind of hold my breath when she goes on and then I have to check to make sure her lips are out.

Holy cow....dirty diapers!!!!!!!!!! Poor thing has such a sad little diaper rash, so we are using water only to clean her and then Butt Paste (compliments of Terri_A :p). We will be using cloth diapers and we tried a prefold diaper while my mom was here so she could help us with putting it on. That fit fine, but she is still too tiny for the covers, so she peed all over herself :(. She has just about pooped and spit up on every outfit she has worn, ha! We only have a couple of newborn outfits, b/c we assumed she would grow out of those fast. My mom made a Target run, b/c there is no way she is close to wearing 0-3 months right now, b/c of her arms and legs being to short.

She has been waking up around 1am to feed, then goes back to sleep around 2, then up around 4 or 5 then sleeps till 8. This has allowed us some decent sleep...choppy, but decent for now.

I have a question about health insurance...I have medical, dental and vision all seperate. Do I need to put her on my dental and vision plan????? I highly doubt she will need dental in the next year? I didn't really think about this and have to do my insurance changes. Thanks!

Well, I'm so happy to be joining you all FINALLY!!! Here are a couple of pictures of Evelyn :)

http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v1962/163/51/769200479/n769200479_1220462_3337.jpg

http://photos-f.ll.facebook.com/photos-ll-snc1/v2114/163/51/769200479/n769200479_1234581_1723.jpg

http://photos-d.ll.facebook.com/photos-ll-snc1/v2114/163/51/769200479/n769200479_1234571_9175.jpg

[Couperine]

Welcome - Evelyn is beautiful!

You probably have about a week to go before the soreness starts to abate on BF'ing. On the wow things are going well front, both my babies have been easy *knock on wood*. With the first, I had a more moments where I would feel overwhelmed, but those were later when he demanded my attention and I needed to do chores/cook/clean/bathe etc. You figure out what works for you and then all is well.

On the diaper rash, if it keeps staying bad, it could be a yeast infection. Ask your pedi at the two week visit about it!

Insurance - dentist visits begin around age 3, but you may need to go earlier if there is tooth decay or problems in brushing the teeth. DS2 is 9 months, and we've started brushing his teeth. Same age for the vision. Our insurance covers all children at the same price, so David has it even though he's not using it yet.

Ok I've typed enough - DH keeps asking me when I'm going to stop. :)

[Pony]

Welcome - Evelyn is beautiful!

You probably have about a week to go before the soreness starts to abate on BF'ing. On the wow things are going well front, both my babies have been easy *knock on wood*. With the first, I had a more moments where I would feel overwhelmed, but those were later when he demanded my attention and I needed to do chores/cook/clean/bathe etc. You figure out what works for you and then all is well.

On the diaper rash, if it keeps staying bad, it could be a yeast infection. Ask your pedi at the two week visit about it!

Insurance - dentist visits begin around age 3, but you may need to go earlier if there is tooth decay or problems in brushing the teeth. DS2 is 9 months, and we've started brushing his teeth. Same age for the vision. Our insurance covers all children at the same price, so David has it even though he's not using it yet.

Ok I've typed enough - DH keeps asking me when I'm going to stop. :)

Thanks Nancy. How long do diaper rashes hang around? It started around Wednesday and is still there....poor thing poops and pees soooo much. We try to change her diapers often and let her air dry then add the butt paste. Another friend swares by using Apricot Baby Oil to clean her babies bottom with and says it gets rid of and helps prevent the rash. We will be going next week for her 2week, so I sure hope it is gone by then. Poor baby. Thanks for the other info!!!! You always are so helpful.

[SooCookie]

Anita and Meredith, thanks for keeping me in check. ;) I know that I did everything I could, and tried my hardest to make BF work. It just didn't. I certainly didn't mean to imply to anyone else that they have failed if BF didn't work out for them either.

Pony - just wanted to chime in about your insurance question. If you can afford it, I would add her to vision just to be safe. You probably will not use it, but we had to bring DD in to the eye doctor around 6 months because they thought she had strabismus. She didn't, but you might want to check and see if that is something her pediatrician can handle (mine didn't).

I am going to try to post a picture of my two kiddos. Not sure if I remember how!
http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-sf2p/v650/27/52/1313771416/n1313771416_256577_6838.jpg

Michelle

[Megan James]

PonySorry to hear about the diaper rash. We battle it (and lost for several months) with Will. His turned out to be eczema, which yours probably isn't. But at one point it was partially yeast and we used Clotrimazole which is over the counter cream for athletes foot. It works pretty quick if it is yeast so you might want to try that.

We are doing pretty well. Will is talking up a storm and sometimes laughing which is the cutest thing in the world. He still only sleeps 3 hours at a time. I tried to get tough but then backed off b/c he is so cute and cuddly in the night. I am sure I will regret this at some point but right now I'm just loving being with my baby.

[helios7]

Today was a bit better, hopefully we've turned a corner. I do feel a bit bad though - even when Quinn is cranky, he's not screaming for hours or inconsolable. Although he came close at my mom's group on Friday! :rolleyes: But he just has required so much hands-on time, he hasn't even been sleeping alone! But it hasn't been colicky-awful-terriblenss -so don't get scared Michelle! And he too has been pretty "easy". :D

Here's a new pic I couldn't help wanting to share... hopefully it won't be too huge or weird or anything...
http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2070/213/18/1516817069/n1516817069_145376_9609.jpg

Not much happening here. Quinn came with me to a knitting group, and I actually got a little knitting done. Even holding him. So that's exciting - I can achieve something in my long hours holding him. Yesterday he slept in his crib for 40 minutes - I know because that's how long I worked out. I set the timer for 40, and was actually able to finish. Not only has he never slept in his crib before, but he still is hard to "put down" even when asleep so it was doubly exciting!

I'm too tired for personals, but hope everyone's well. :)

[Kerri]

I keep meaning to post, but never seem to have the time. I wanted to reply...

bedtime routine: even though we also had skin issues, I still gave a bath every night. It was the only time Andy was happy! But after that, we did "excercises" (legs, then arms up and down, bicycle arms and legs, cross laterals) while doing a little chant "this little light of mine", then a massage (heart shape on tummy, milk each arm then leg, then rub head) while singing ie "twinkle, twinkle". I learned these from kindermusik. Then a little tummy time, a few books, then nurse to sleep. Now, andy is spent by bedtime, so it is just bath, bottle or breast, then bed, but I still do the excercises/massage/rockabye baby to bed.

Babywearing - I agree with Meredith on the wrap. I really haven't used it once Andy was old enough for the Ergo. Love the Ergo.

IUD - I don't feel my strings at all, but she though they were too long when she put it in so she cut them at the time. I was suppose to go back to have it checked, but didn't feel like paying for another office visit.

6 weeks - It does get better. At 6 weeks, their night time sleep gets organized, so if nothing else, that should help with your outlook on things. And who had the baby still waking up every 3 hours? Ugh!

Bottle - I had problems with both boys about taking a bottle and again, the only one they would take was the Dr. Brown tall and skinny one. I had them in a bouncy seat (not holding them) and gave formula instead of breastmilk.

Gosh, I don't have the energy to post about us. Yesterday was such a good day, and today, Andy was so cranky...maybe he was teething. He is 7 months old and not sleeping through the night. I am waiting until he is weaned and/or 9 months old before I do anything about that. We are having a big problem with big brother playing to rough/sitting on him/roughing housing/ and generally causing me stress. I know some one else was mentioning the same thing. I just get so mad!! Ok, off to bed.

[tholbrook]

To helios, mst, and anyone else re: babywearing...
I use a Maya wrap (somewhat a coincidence, I didn't pick the wrap based on the name, but it did get my attention) - basically a ring sling. It's simple once you get the hang of it, and you can wear it multiple ways. Because it's over one shoulder, it can be a little uncomfortable after long periods of time. But I'm used to it, and so is Maya. I also have a Mei Tai - it's okay, not great - she wants to start facing forward, but the bottom edge is so wide, I feel like it cuts into her little thighs (Maya is, as Anita would put it :) - also a little peanut - just 12 pounds at 21 weeks). And we have a Bella carrier for DH to use. So far, so good... the bottom edge is much shorter than the Mei Tai, so she seems more comfortable.

I love the look of the Moby wrap but good to know it has weight-related limitations. I'm not familiar with the ergo, will have to investigate...

Pony, helios and SooCookie - love the pictures! Such precious little ones!

Megan, Maya (same age as your Will) sleeps for 3-hour stretches as well. I'm not worried about it right now, but we are starting a more formal bedtime routine (per "The No-Cry Sleep Solution"). Right now, she won't go to bed without being latched onto me :(:rolleyes:, so we're working on that... then hopefully she'll start sleeping longer stretches. I totally agree on the cute/cuddly at night, though. N-CSS says you're supposed to keep everything quiet/dark at night, but when Maya starts jabbering, I can't keep myself from talking back!

Kerri - thanks for the bedtime routine ideas! I like the little exercise routine followed by baby massage.

mabvt - hope you were able to get some rest over the weekend, and Neal sleeps better this week.

Couperine - sorry to hear about the bruises ... I don't think it would even occur to me that a kid could manage to do that to himself. But yay on the pulling up to standing!

Luv to Cook - if I'm not mistaken, you did the "No-Cry Sleep Solution" for your first. Now that you're on your third, care to share any advice? Did you stick with N-CSS, or did you find something that worked better?

delanl - hope the family is healthy again!

Okay, I am being summoned :rolleyes:, so it's off to bed for me now... hope everyone else is doing well too!

[greta]

I'm not sure when I'll stop lurking on this thread! My baby is almost 1 and I'm still here...

Re: the Moby wrap. I have a BIG boy. He was almost 20 pounds at 4 mos. I used the Moby D all of the time and just stopped using it because I found myself using the Comfy Joey sling more--and I wanted my friend to have the Moby for her new baby. The D is really sturdy for heavier babies because it has a fleece panel. Sami would fall asleep in it easily, and still would if we had it (he is now 25 lbs). I highly recommend the Moby D!! There is nothing I've found as comfortable, and I've tried the Becco, the Ergo, and some other mei teis.

Greta

[Luv to Cook]

meredith, if I wait for my kids to let me know when they are ready, I would still have all my kids up with me. I wish they would stretch out on their own. No such luck over here. Can you send some sleepy juice to me???

tholbrook, funny you mentioned the NCSS...I went back to my post with my first DD asking for advice...ugh, how things have changed, yet are the same with DS. I did try NCSS with my first, but it turned into the MORE cry SS...it was frustrating for us both and just resulted in her (and me) crying for many months. In the end I just did the Ferber method with her and it worked wonders. I did it with DD2 as well, but again, they were able to fall asleep on their own, but were not able to stay asleep without nursing all nite. I have done some sleep training with Ayaan, to help him fall asleep on his own, but I know he is not ready to cut all night feeds, but at the same time, I know he does not need to eat every 1-2 hours! ugh...it is exhausting.

Welcome, Pony! Evelyn is just adorable :)!

Michelle and helios, thanks for sharing pics of your cuties :). I love seeing the smiling babies!

that's it for now...baby up from nap.

[tholbrook]

tholbrook, funny you mentioned the NCSS...I went back to my post with my first DD asking for advice... :D That's the same thread I was reading too - I also did a search on "sleep" with your name to see your progress, but ended up with 5 pages! It was easier just to ask you here!
I'm definitely not wanting to cut out night feeding (Maya's such a little girl - I want her to stay on her slow-but-steady growth rate) - but lately she's been up every 1.5-2 hours and all she does is snack for a couple minutes. I have tried actually getting up with her and keeping her awake to nurse for at least 20 minutes every other feeding. Still not helping. It's like she knows I'm wanting to cut back, so she's clinging to me even more.
I think her night sleep is so awful because she has not been napping well lately. We're lucky if we get her down for a couple of 30-minute naps. More often, it's one 1-hour nap. She just fights sleep like the world's going to come to an end if she gives in... And the funny thing is - she's pretty good even when she's tired, maybe a little fussy, but always ready to smile and play.

Well, I'm going to try to get her down for a nap now, and I'm pretty tired too, so I'll just lay down with her - that's my only 100%-guaranteed method of getting her to sleep. :o

[Beth H]

I'm joining this thread too. I never did wish congratulations to the other new moms in the pregnancy thread, so congrats to those who also have new ones.

William Carrol was born on January 7, 8 lbs 8 oz. Things are going well, but the biggest issue so far has been breastfeeding. I have real concerns that he is not getting enough via the breast. He seems to latch well, and stays on the boob sucking for 15 - 25 minutes a feeding. Unfortunately, within 1/2 hour of feeding, he's often (but not always) crying and sucking his hands, which seem like signs of hunger. I feel badly about doing this, but I've started adding about an ounce of formula after breastfeeding (not in lieu of) a few times a day, which seems to comfort him and give him enough to eat. Of course, I know this could diminish my supply even more. I'm not sure what to do - I'd like to stick with breastfeeding at least until I go back to work in April.

Any suggestions/advice would be much appreciated.

[mabvt]

Beth--Congrats & welcome! We had a similar issue a couple of months ago. Neal was not gaining weight so the doc recommended that I supplement his feeding with an ounce or two of formula. There were nights I thought I was going to lose it! BF then go make bottle then feed bottle then back to bed. Repeat. It didn't take long, though, and we were all sleeping much better. Almost instantly. I felt terrible that I had not realized that our sleep issues were actually hunger issues. By the time he was six weeks old he had pretty much weaned himself. So we did the dual feeding for about three or four weeks.
My best advice for you is not to beat yourself up about it! You have been bfing for a couple of weeks now and that is an amazing thing! Remember to take care of yourself too. :)

Neal was baptized last night, it was a great evening spent with family and friends. Today I had off from school (yay) but Mr. N. was coughing a lot. He started coughing over the weekend but this was more often and would make him cry. He also didn't want to eat much and was sleeping a lot. :( He had a cold a couple of weeks ago and I thought he was over it. So, I ended up taking him to the doc. She gave him an oral steroid to help his little lungs. It's viral. So there's not much we can do. But she said to keep an eye on things and if it doesn't go away (or he has a temp, he doesn't have one right now) to take him to the hospital. :eek: I'm worried, of course. Little guy had two full bottle tonight though, so maybe he's on the upswing?

Love, love to see the photos!
Welcome to the other side Pony. :D E is a doll! I love the swaddle pic. Those first times the babe looks at your are so cool!

Later girls!

Melissa

[Beth H]

Melissa, I really appreciate your post. We took Will to the doctor this morning and he also is not gaining, and we've been told to supplement with formula after each breast feeding. I am also going to call and hopefully get a prescription from my doctor for something to increase my production. I'm a little down about it all - I've been trying so hard to make breast feeding work, and it was pretty lousy to find out that it is not working very well.

[Couperine]

Welcome Beth! It's hard when BF'ing isn't going well; I BF my first a full year, and I had to stop with my second around 6 mo when my milk suppy dried up because of a medication to help me with this pregnancy. It was a hard transition since I wanted to BF, but he wasn't getting enough with the breast, and eventually I made so little that it wasn't worth our mutual frustration.

I was about to mention the weight check at the 2 week visit, but I can see that you already went today. I'm sorry it didn't have better news for you - it's hard making the decision about doing both vs going to the bottle. There are lots of pluses about formula though - everyone can feed the baby, which is a HUGE benefit.

Everyone in my family has fed David, and they all love to spend that time with him. It's extremely satisfying to nurse the baby yourself, but I personally get warm and fuzzy seeing how tender and loving everyone is when they get to feed him. DH gives him his bedtime feeding every other night, and he really enjoys it. I love hearing him singing to David - he really didn't get those moments often with my first.

Good luck with whatever finally works out - your body is still going through so many changes from the pregnancy that you are probably feeling every emotion possible. Big hugs to you!

[Luv to Cook]

Hang in there, Beth! I just wanted to chime in on the BFing as well. As you all know Ayaan is my 3rd kid...everything I read said that my milk would come in earlier, my body knows what to do, blah, blah, blah. Well, imagine my surprise when we went in 3 days after he was born and he lost a pound...I think they say up to 10% is normal and he lost almost 17% of his birthweight! My milk took 5 days to come in! I also had to do the supplement after every nursing. It was the pits and was exhausting. At his last weight check, it was slow going AGAIN, so we are giving him two bottles at night to ensure he is getting enough milk (since he falls asleep nursing) and to give me a little break as well. Anyhow, you know what they say about the best laid plans. We have another weight check on Thursday. It is tough to wait and I am doing all that I can not to succumb to buying a baby scale for home! So hang in there, I know it is frustrating, but hopefully you will be on the right track soon!

tholbrook, sounds like we are in the same boat. I am not ready to cut out night feeds since I know he still needs them, but experience tells me that they sleep so much better with no night feeds. There is no poopies at night, no more spit up, no more disrupted sleep. So it really is a tough time when they need to eat, but sleep is important too! Around 4-5 months, depending on his weight gain, I will talk to his ped about cutting them out.

[greta]

Hi Beth,

I hear your pain, and I've been there 3 times.

I have supply issues, period. We found this out with my first. The first few couple of months I would nurse, pump and supplement at each feeding session. No matter how much I pumped and nursed, my supply stayed at a constant. It was disheartening--but we made it work as long as possible since I wasn't working.

With my second, I had to go back to work at 10 weeks, so I nursed him until I went back to work.

No, I'm on my third and he is almost a year old. For some reason I was hoping that I would miraculously have more milk this time. No such luck--but, I really wanted to try to avoid supplementing (mostly because I was always on the go with the other 2--nursing would just be easier). The way I've made it work without supplementing (although the lactation consultant had me supplementing at the beginning) is I sleep with my baby. He's nursed around the clock since he was born. Some may say this is crazy, but for me it has worked.

I guess this is a long way of saying, you have to do what works for you at this point. There are ways to increase your supply--I would try fenugreek before using a prescription med. You can pump after each feeding. Etc. Etc.

But, if this ends up making you stressed and you are not enjoying your newborn, do know there is nothing wrong with formula and bottle feeding. It's a personal decision, and only you can know what is best...

Best, Greta

[helios7]

Hi mommies...

All is as it was here. The crankiness continues, but I'm getting used to it. It is just hard when I get together with other mommies (as I did yesterday to watch the inauguration) and Quinn fusses away while the other babies sit there blissfully asleep. But I'm getting used to it! And again, he's not screaming his head off but just constantly takes soothing holding etc.

He's big - we measured him with our home scale at 13 pounds this weekend! He'll be 8 weeks on Sunday. :eek:

I'm starting to learn how to fit chores into the day. Again, this would be much easier if he would sleep out of my arms, but this morning I put him down in the Pack and Play and got a half hour before he woke. Long enough to eat breakfast, make tea and sweep! Great start to the day. :D It just makes me feel better to be able to do something around the house... I hate the clutter piling up.

Anyways. We have a lunch date, and I really need to get into the shower while he's asleep. Hope everyone's well,and hugs to the mommies having trouble with BF. We're finally doing well, but it really was a long road. I tried Mother's Milk tea recently (found it in my nat food store) and found it VERY effective. I'm not going to drink it again unless I have a day where I feel low, as I've been soaking through nursing pads like they're going out of style! Just something that may help those with supply issues a bit. If not, it at least tastes pretty good. :cool:

[Beth H]

Thanks for all of the advice and positive thoughts. The new "system" is going OK so far. Hopefully he's gaining.

Today was my first day home alone - DH was back to work and all visitors are gone. It actually has been nice. I wonder what kinds of "routines" other new moms have established? Will does nap pretty well, and also will be content in his bassinet (which is in our living room during the day) awake for brief times. I spend a lot of time feeding and holding him, of course, and I've gotten our play mat out. I would be interested in knowing how everyone else's days take shape, really - as this is the first time, and I'm not at all sure about what I'm doing!

[2HUNGRY!]

Beth -- I hope the feeding works out. Its hard to know what to do. I had to supplement from the start b/c of jaundice, but was able to partially bf until I went back to work at 4 months. As for routines something I did on my maternity leave was take a walk every day. It just helped to get out. Granted some days it was a walk around Target, the main thing was I didn't stay inside all day. I noticed when I was home all day I would get really crabby! Other than that it was hard to establish routines at first, so don't beat yourself up if everything doesn't go according to plan! Some afternoons he would get so fussy that there was nothing left to do but grab a snack, a glass of water and some books and retreat to my bed for the afternoon and let him sleep on my chest while I read.

Heather -- Woo hoo for sweeping!

Melissa -- Glad the Baptism went well.

We took a trip this weekend and when we got home we had to heat! $645 later we are back in business :(

Ryan did well on the trip, even when my ILs insited on waking him up every half hour during naps to change him (and of course acting like I was a bad mom for not doing that myself). But, he was a champ through it all, and went to everyone without crying (a big no-no in my husband's family). Of course he was wearing a pair of pants they must not have liked because I found them hidden behind a dresser. The nice part though was being able to go a few places with DH while they watched him (and went through a week's supply of diapers).

Yesterday we were home and not only did he try to crawl, at one point I found him up on his feet with his hands down on his boppy pillow! I am in trouble!

[SusanPC]

Hi ladies, hope all are well.

2Hungry- Your ILs crack me up (and you sound like a saint to deal with them). OMG, I admit I constantly change Maddie's diaper. BUT, to wake him up in a nap to change the diaper, WTF are they thinking?!?! Glad you were able to get out though....and miss the craziness around here!

Beth- Maddie is 8 months now, so really I just work around her nap schedules. She sleeps for two hours in the AM and then needs an afternoon nap. So, I'll usually run errands, etc. after the AM nap. In the beginning I was in a mom's group once a week. We got out and walked every day. If it was raining we'd go walk the mall, meander around the grocery store, etc. Just to get out of the house. I also tried to make a point of getting showered and dress early...or else DH would come home and I'd be scrambling to look like I was put together. Hang in there.....I had many days where I just walked around with Maddie in her Bjorn for hours on end....she loves attn.

Not much else new here. We went to an inaugural ball which was fun. A good friend who had a baby 6 weeks after Maddie was born and I joined Jenny Craig yesterday. I know it is not the most livable/realistic plan but I really want to drop 30 lbs before we try for #2 and it seems like the easiest route for my busy life at the moment. We've been remodeling so my motivation at the end of a day with a house full of workmen has been limited and if I don't do something, the Indian delivery man will start to recognize my voice :o

Helios--I'd talk to WW at your next meeting about losing weight too fast. But, FWIW, I lost rapidly until around week 8 and then it slowed down. I was down 10 lbs from my pre preg rate just as a result of Bfing. Sadly, it came back after she was weaned. Sounds like you are in a good groove....and I feel your pain on the fussy baby. My mom called Maddie the "squeaky wheel" as she is constantly letting me know if she isn't please. Oh well.....

[Pony]

I finally have a moment to type. It is hard getting on here b/c family has been around. I now know what it is like to have a housekeeper. What a wonderful, glorious thing to have! My mom and MIL have been doing everything for me. LOVE IT!

SooCookie, Thanks for the input on the insurance question. I just went ahead and signed her up for everything...the dental and vision is barely anything a pay period. It is the medical that is kicking our butt! I love the picture. They are adorable.

Kerri, I like your bedtime routine.

Heather, I love seeing pictures of Quinn! He is so adorable. Too bad we aren't closer. Evelyn and Quinn would hit it off. Good job on the workouts.

About Evelyn's diaper rash, it looks like it is clearing up. Thankfully. Still a tad red. Her cord fell off last night!!! I was wondering if it was ready, b/c I noticed a couple spots of blood on her undershirt the past two days.

I have a question about spit-up....Evelyn does not spit up after each feeding, but occasionally. She has had 2 spit-ups that I would assume was almost her entire feeding. Other then that, it is just a bit coming out when she burps or when she is crying during a diaper change. Again, just wondering if that is normal...ha! I'm such a NEW MOM!

My mom left yesterday and my in-law's are here. They are staying just a few blocks away at a b&b. We all ventured off to Central Market and had lunch and shopped. She slept in her sling the entire time. It was great. Our first real outing and she did amazingly well. I have a couple of slings and a Babyhawk which is like a mei tai. I've only tried one of the slings so far. I love the look of the wraps. I was worried about the Houston heat, but right now would be the perfect time to use it. I think we might just stick with what we have for now.

There have been these series of robberies in our neighborhood. So scary. Very close to home. There was something that happened 2 weeks ago where a man walked in to a house w/ a shotgun and there was a father and 18month old child w/ him. He picked up his child and ran down the hallway to the front door and the jack@$$ starts shooting at the father and child!!!!! Luckily, no one was hurt. The mom was out and came home to cops surrounding her house. The guy was not caught. We live in the city and a good neighborhood. Makes me very scared though. I just don't know what I would do if something happened to my little girl.

Another question....she is still dosing off around 10 min. after feeding. Sometimes she does fine and actually gets to 15-20min. I'm hoping this is ok. She has plenty of messy and wet diapers. Also, I'm wondering if I should pump after feedings. I don't think she is emptying them out enough, b/c I am sometimes still feeling quite full. Things seem to be going well and I assume pumping won't mess anything up???? right? Or should I wait a bit to start doing that?

Will write more in a moment....Evelyn is up:D

[Couperine]

Quick reply to Pony before Ethan starts jumping up and down to make lunch - your breasts may feel full still after feeding because your body is trying to figure it all out. If you pump, you're just encouraging it to keep making that milk. That's fine if you're trying to build up a supply, not so much if you aren't.

There are tricks to keeping her awake for a full feeding - play with her feet, swift breaths of air in the face, changing a diaper between sides, etc. You are basically annoying her enough to keep her awake - my DH was amazingly good at pissing off David enough to finish his early feedings. ;)

[Beth G.]

OK, I'm ready to join (I think).

Me - 39
DH - 40
DS - Michael, 2 weeks and 3 days old

I think Michael and I are doing pretty well now. I was really worried about him yesterday since he had been taking extremely short feedings for a few days and Wednesday night slept for hours and I couldn't get him to really wake up and eat. Fortunately I had scheduled another visit with our lactation consultant yesterday morning. Turns out he's gained almost 15 ounces in a week and a half since her last visit despite our latching issues. The hump in his tongue rehab went well, and it's mostly gone, and now we are working on getting him to make the U shape he needs with it. She helped us with positioning and I haven't needed the nipple shield since. It still is hard to latch him and he can get frustrated but I'm hoping that will improve. Nancy - thanks for the breathing info on the other thread. I am working on keeping his position right but it's still a challenge. Our pediatrician is not overly concerned though, and says he'll grow out of it.

But the best news, and I wanted to mention this to Pony, is the reason his feedings are so short. She weighed him before and after five minutes. The average baby ingests 25-30 grams of milk in five minutes. Piggy ingested 56. Which explains the short feedings. No let down - he just starts draining. So if Evelyn is gaining weight well maybe the dozing after 10 minutes is ok. That is similar to what we have experienced. We are moving to six feedings a day and maybe a five hour sleep stretch at night (no luck so far, he's still woken up hungry after 2-3 hours).

Can anyone recommend a good mat for tummy time? I'm using a towel now but it's hard to remember which is the "clean" side and I think he's getting rug burn since he moves his knees around a lot.

Also, any good tips on getting vitamins (dropper) to go down rather than down the shirt? Before feeding? After? Some other time? We started on Monday with Trivisol drops.

Umbilical cord fell off this morning so pretty soon we are going to have to do our first tub bath.

[Couperine]

You got a fast feeder, Beth!! Lucky you - once you work through the rest of the latch issues. :)

The vitamins are really nasty - I aim for the back of the jaw in the fleshy part of the cheek and usually take 3-4 squirts. It was still messy as can be until we wound up doing bottles - I had bibs I used just for that. If you happen to be pumping too, I'd suggest adding the vitamins to a bottle during a time you know he takes it all.

No specific recommendations on a tummy mat - we used the eight jillion baby blankets we had, and when David was older and could reach for objects, I used a Gymini mat with dangly things that he enjoyed.

Hope everyone is doing well - today David missed his morning nap!!! Yea!!! Hopefully this is a sign of things to come - I've been ready for him to grow out of it so he doesn't crash while we're doing something.

[Pony]

We had our 2nd week appt. today and Evelyn is above her birth weight by 2 oz and grew 1 1/2 inches! yay!

The past 2 nights have been rougher then other nights. She falls asleep super easy after a feeding, but when I go to put her down in her bassinet she wakes up. She will fall asleep on our chests easily. So, I feel like I've been getting up and down a lot more the past 2 nights. I try holding her a bit before putting her down, but that doesn't seem to work.

In-law's are leaving tomorrow and we are on our own. I have a wave of mixed emotions right now about all of that. Overwhelmed, excited, scared, happy, etc.......

About routines...we don't have anything yet, b/c we have had visitors. We have ventured off the past 3 days. Took her to Central Market, Target, and the ped. appt. She does great out. I pretty much get up around 8ish, sometimes quickly shower, have coffee and breakfast, she tends to wake up, diaper change, feed her, and that is all the schedule we have so far. I think we will start to figure something out now that we will be by ourselves. She still isn't awake much, but is getting to be more alert as each day passes.

You all mentioned vitamins, my ped didn't mention us giving Evelyn a vitamin. Should I be?????

We got our hospital bill today...they are charging us sooo much money for the nursery and she never stayed the night in the nursery, grrr. They did take her there to do some bloodwork for the GBS and some shots, but it is more then our private room! Just seems sooo crazy. I might call and ask about it. So annoying.

Beth H-I'm sorry you are having bf'ing issues. Things can be rough......but I know you are doing the best you can and I think everyone gave you great advice. I will be thinking of you. I pretty much just hold Evelyn and feed her all the time too! I feel the same way..not sure what I should be doing. If she cries, she gets the boob. :p And I don't even know if that is the right thing to do! ha! How was your first day alone?

Melissa-I'm glad you had a nice time at Neal's baptism. I hope he is feeling better.

Beth G-Congrats on a fast feeder!!! That is great. Keep up the good work! What position do you tend to feed him in?

Heather-It sounds like you are really getting out and socializing!!!! Yay!

2HUNGRY!-Crawl and standing...oh boy!!! Glad you survived your trip. ;)

SusanPC-Good luck w/ Jenny Craig. So, you are thinking about #2!!!! Very exciting.

Couperine-Thanks for the help. I would like to keep my supply going as I will be pumping when I go back to work and my husband will be feeding her my milk. So, I might start trying the pump after feedings next week.

I think I finally caught up!!!!

Take care everyone,
Michelle

[Bawstinn]

Also, I'm wondering if I should pump after feedings. I don't think she is emptying them out enough, b/c I am sometimes still feeling quite full. Things seem to be going well and I assume pumping won't mess anything up???? right? Or should I wait a bit to start doing that?


I had to pump at the beginning to help with engorgement and I wouldn't say it messed anything up. When Madeleine was 2 weeks (and I started getting into a routine) I would pump after every feeding in an effort to start building a freezer supply for when I was going back to work.

[mst]

Michelle- are you burping her after feeding? Often, if you don't, they end up spitting up everything above the air in their tummy. As for the pumping- personally, I would pump and freeze. You are still early to know whether or not you will have a supply issue. Might as well pump and freeze. You can always diminish your supply later if you have too much. As for vitamins- ask your doctor.

[tholbrook]

We got our hospital bill today...they are charging us sooo much money for the nursery and she never stayed the night in the nursery, grrr. They did take her there to do some bloodwork for the GBS and some shots, but it is more then our private room! Just seems sooo crazy. I might call and ask about it. So annoying.

:mad::mad::mad: They did the same to us - 80% of the bill (not counting the OB doctor, who billed separately) was for the nursery. Well, Maya never left my room, not even once. So I DID call - and they said it was for them "holding" a space for her, just in case. I thought that was quite a rip-off - I mean, why not put a hold on a surgical suite, plus a space for me in the ICU while they're at it? :rolleyes: But I didn't really argue it, as we're paying the same deductible for her no matter what. If you have any luck getting out of this fee, please do share!

[SusanPC]

Quick fly by--

Re: Pumping....I'd do it and freeze. You never know when you'll need the stash. There was a point when I thought I might go back to work where I had regretted not being more structured in pumping/freezing. I also pumped enough each day for DH to give a bottle each night.

Re: Vitamins. Ask your doc. Mine said while I was taking my prenatal still, there was no need to give Maddie vitamins. Now that she is in formula everything she needs is in that.

[valchemist]

we never used vitamins for our 3. and in fact, they were never even suggested. all doctors are different. I think they are more of a precaution "cover your butt" type thing for the doctors since some do it and some don't. my kids turned out fine without them. and I was glad not to have the expense and extra hassle.

[Couperine]

We got vitamin drops at the 6 month visit because we don't use flouridated water. I think my pedi also gives them to avoid anemia - they checked that at David's 9mo visit.

My 3yo adores his vitamins because he wants to do what Mommy does. :)

[valchemist]

hi nancy. we don't have fluoridated water either. we buy those kid-sized water bottles with the fluoride added, though.

I should say, my babies didn't do vitamins (nursed for over a year) but of course they love the chewable vitamins as toddlers and beyond. my kids are now 1, 3 1/2 and 7 by the way.

[Beth G.]

Here are a couple of reads on the vitamin issue (vitamin D specifically) you might want to peruse. Michael and I are certainly not getting any from sunlight here in the chilly northeast. We've been out of the house twice - both times to the pediatrician's office.

Our LC thought two weeks was a bit early for the pediatrician to be starting the vitamins already, but the American Academy of Pediatrics now recommends all children receive 400 IU a day of vitamin D, beginning in the first few days of life.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/26/health/research/26rick.html?scp=1&sq=vitamin%20d%20deficiency%20breastfeeding&st=cse

http://www.aap.org/pressroom/nce/nce08vitamind.htm

We're using a crossover hold which is supposed to be good for babies who have trouble latching on. I can only imagine what it would be like to use a position that is not good for babies with latching issues :( It takes a lot of perseverance even in that position.

[Pony]

We are officially on our own :eek::D:(. My husband just drove his parents to the airport. It has been great, but also overwhelming. My in-law's smoke, outside of course, and when they would walk in from their many cig. breaks a whiff of smoke lingered. My poor babies head would smell like smoke after them holding her. :(:(

Thanks for the info about the vitamins. My friend goes to the same ped. and I asked her this AM. She said he told her to just make sure she takes her prenatal. I didn't even think about asking him this yesterday until after I read the vitamin post here. Thanks for the Vit. D article...will read right now. I am a huge proponent of Vit. D. We have been opening up the blinds, covering her face, and laying her in the sun during diaper changes. We have had warm days here, so it isn't as much as an issue as it is for the northerners.

Thanks for the pumping info. Now that family is gone, I'm going to get it out and start pumping after feedings.

Beth G.-that is the position I've been using. It is helpful b/c we can see how her lips are positioned & turn them out if needed.

[valchemist]

thanks for those vitamin D articles. I feel we lucked out since my kids were exclusively breastfed and we are in new england. I wish my ped had at least mentioned it to me.

[lbd]

Couperine - are your flouride drops together with other vitamins/minerals? Are they prescription? Our water's not flouridated either so DS has been on flouride drops for a couple months (prescribed when we moved but it took me a while to fill the prescription). They're peach flavored and he loves them but they're just flouride.

We started both our kids on Trivisol drops around 2-3 weeks, primarily for the vitamin D. One thing to be aware of is that they come with and without iron. Iron is another nutrient that breastmilk doesn't really have, but babies have stores that last them for about the first 6 months. After that, BF'd babies start needing supplements until they're getting plenty through solids. I think formula has whatever's needed but someone more knowledgeable than me will hopefully chime in. Also, for older kids, my DS was very excited to replace Polyvisol w/Iron with a gummy (the PwI tastes horrific!) but none of the gummies I saw had iron. So he's on a chewable multi that he really likes.

Kudos to those doing the crossover hold! The LC at the hospital tried to get me to do it and I could just never get the hang of it. I just never found it to be comfortable. Luckily, we were okay without it.

She's starting to fuss so this won't be as much of a catch-up as I'd hoped for. Welcome and congrats to all the new new moms!

[Beth H]

Our hospital statements came this week too. C-sections aren't cheap, let's put it that way. My favorite item was on Will's bill - $11 for "self-administered" medicine. I'm guessing it was for the vaseline they gave us for his circumcision healing. Or he was pill-popping in the nursery! I'll be curious to see what we end up paying out-of-pocket for the whole thing - my insurance statements haven't begun arriving yet.

Things here are good - he's definitely settled into a night-time routine of three decent stretches of sleep (punctuated by two feedings). He's more awake for stretches of several hours at time during the day.

Hope everyone else is doing well!

[claire909]

Here is a picture of Andy sitting up:

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o79/wirrek/2009-kids/DSC03356.jpg

Delanl - We also use Dr. Brown's. With DS1 I tried my hardest to switch him to a different bottle when he was old enough. None took. I just stuck it out until I phased out the bottle around age 1. With DS2, I tried my hardest to get him to use any kind of bottle except Dr. Brown. I thought the Avent were going to make it, but no, at the last second, Dr Brown's again. Again, I am just waiting until I can switch him to the sippy cup. Only 5 more months!

Luv2Cook - It sounds like it might be time for some sleep training. I think that is when we did ours, it was just more "I am not going to bounce you anymore!!" My mom got me one of these:
http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o79/wirrek/2009-kids/pTRU1-3153273dt.jpg
I think it just helps him to settle down.

I also got my Mirena IUD in. We would have gone the "big V" route, but DH wasn't sure he didn't want to try for a girl. Of course, he would say that, he doesn't have to have the baby! This way we have 5 years to think about it.

Susan - It sounds like you have the right order. Andy's first two teeth came in so quickly, it seems like he has been teething the next set forever.

Andy is looking very cute.

[lbd]

Kerri and Delanl - forgive my ignorance but is something wrong with using Dr. Browns? I'd like to say that we're making progress with a bottle but the truth is we haven't been at all good about trying. I think the urgency just isn't there to warrant daily frustration and upset in exchange for what, a solo excursion maybe once a week? I guess we'll just make do until there's time to get her onto a sippy cup.

Speaking of which, I know it's way too early to start solids but Abby has become fascinated with watching us all eat. She sits in reclined booster at the table during meals and basically stares the whole time. It's kind of startling to glance over and have these big blue eyes fixed on me with a blank expression.

Night training - she seems to have slipped back into waking every couple of hours so the last few nights I've rocked her back to sleep without feeding during the middle wakeup. She seems receptive so hopefully she'll faze it out herself again soon. Still haven't moved her to her own room since whenever I put her in the crib she snaps to attention, even from sleep. Soon...

I'm amazed by the discussion on hospital bills. They sound outrageous. Speaking of hospital charges, here's my PSA for the day: if you need any tests that your insurance won't cover, shop around! Abby needed a renal ultrasound to follow up on an enlarged kidney observed in utero. Our insurance wouldn't cover it (it's changed since she was born) and our local hospital charge would be around $900. So I called a bunch of hospitals, was getting different but comparable rates, then a woman at one place told me to do "self-pay" instead of submitting it to my insurance -- for $80 total! We scheduled it there right away with a huge sigh of relief. That $900 would have seriously hurt. This was all last week and we heard today that it was normal - whew!

[Delanl]

Hi everyone. Wow this thread has grown quite a bit since my last post!

Everything is good on our end for the most part. Everyone is finally healthy again **knock on wood** so that is a huge relief.

Don't know if I ever mentioned it, but Kylie is a thumb-sucker. My DH noticed this morning that her thumb was all red and swollen. She has had excema on an off throughout the winter and had it on her wrist the other night. So maybe its just that? I noticed when she puts her thumb in her mouth sometimes, she bites it. I'm hoping she didn't break skin and its infected. I can't see a cut or anything, it just feels dry and rough. We have been putting Aquaphor on it, but I think I'm going to call our pedi tomorrow and see what they recommend.


lbd-No! Nothing wrong at all with Dr. Brown's, like I said it was the only bottle Kylie would take when she was weaned. They just have so many contraptions to clean and I am so over it! That being said, I'm just going to stick with them until she's done with bottles which will probably be within the next few months.

Beth H-Glad you are getting some rest. I hope the night routine continues!


BethG-Kylie has been on vitamins since 6 months I think? We do not have fluoridated water around here either.

Hope everyone else is doing well!

[Kerri]

Thanks Clare! I'll try to post some more pictures soon.

I have sat down the past couple of nights to post something only to have Andy start crying. He has woken up for one reason or another between 9-11. I think it is to the point where we will need to have him cry it out, because it seems like he just wants to cuddle and cries when we put him back in his crib. The good news is that after that he has been sleeping after that until 6:30ish. I just about have him weaned, and I think that has been helping him sleep better.

Lorein - Like Delanl said, the Dr. Browns are fine, just a lot of parts and inconvient. We had a similar experience with solid foods as well. Andy just has a real interest in it. We have given him some and he always gives it a try, but no, he is just a little young for it. He has a surprisingly great pincher grasp, but doesn't know quite what to do with a puff once it is in his mouth. He is figuring out though.

Pony - My advice, don't stress out about the pumping. Having a stash is nice, but now that you are on your own, it is hard to fit it in.

Ok, DS1 is at MMO and Andy is napping so I better get some stuff done!

[helios7]

Hi all...

We have passed the 2 month appt hurdle. I am pleased to have it behind us. Unfortunately our office was out of one vaccine, so we may have to go back. Still Quinn was a trooper (although he was one MAD baby at the time). He didn't feel so hot last night, but was mostly sleepy and a bit crankier then normal.

Aside from that, not much else is really new. Quinn still seems to be a fussier baby. It's not so bad at home, but when I take him out he doesn't really nap and gets fussy. It wears on me but I feel like meeting people for lunch and going to our mom's group is good for my sanity, even if a fussy baby doesn't help my sanity at the time. I think we're making progress on the sleeping alone - at least during the day. On WEdnesday he napped in the Pack and Play for 20-30 minutes at several different points during the day. Nighttime - eh. We've tried putting him down in his crib a couple times after he's fallen asleep downstairs. He is awake within minutes. I fear there will be major CIO to get used to the crib, so I'm putting that off for a while. He's still only 8 weeks. And I'm kind of enjoying having him in bed with us although I don't want it to be forever! :eek:

And that's about it. He's really giggling and "talking" a lot these days, it is so much fun to see his personality start to emerge. We continue to inflict tummy time on him - he's not a big fan but we do a little each day.

I'm going to be honest - I'm too tired for personals. We've been up since 6. Already had to use the aspirator a couple times and had a major soaking through his sleep sack blowout. It has been a doozy of a morning so far! :p But I hope everyone is doing well.....

[Pony]

Hi everyone...

So, little Evelyn is three weeks old today :eek:. I can't believe it....all the days and nights run in to each other.

Things seem to still be going well. I can't seem to put her down during the day when she starts to sleep. She immediately wakes up. I can get her in the sling as long as she is dosing off, but doesn't like to be put in there when she is awake. My mom brought us a swing that she had at her house, but it is starting to not work right :rolleyes:. We were going to buy one yesterday, but ended up not gettting it. We don't have much space and decided to not get it....but I'm wondering if we should. During the day, she slept well in the swing my mom brought . I don't mind holding her, but obviously there are times when I need to do things ;). I guess I know these sweet cuddly times are not going to last and I will have to go back to work, so I'm trying to enjoy each moment. Right now, she is sleeping on my crossed leg as I type :) and is content, but if I put her in her bassinet she will be up and ready to eat. ha!

She has still been spitting up quite a bit. Not after every feeding, but quite a bit. This started happening this past week. She still has a lot of dirty/wet diapers, so I haven't called the ped.

About the hospital bill---I called the hospital and they said the same thing tholbrook said. It was basically a charge b/c the nursery is there holding her spot. GRRR....so crazy, especially b/c it was more expensive then our private room. Lorien, good for you shopping around!!!

Beth H-yay for having a routine at night...we are doing the same here although last night was more 2 1/2 hours.

Heather-sorry about the vaccine! I'm glad you are still getting out even w/ a cranky Quinn :). He just likes his mommy all to himself ;) Evelyn seems to fall asleep wonderfully on my chest. I leave her there for about an hour and I'm getting sleep at the same time. After about an hour, Carl takes her and puts her down in her bassinet, which is next to our bed. She stays down. Now, if I get up to put her in the bassinet, she will wake up for sure! That has been the only thing that works throughout the night for us. I hope you got some rest today!

[mabvt]

Hey all!

Neal is 3 3/4 months old! :eek: I'm back at work. It's been a bit stressful in itself- they're talking about cuts at school bc of the economic situation. We also had a funeral this past week (DH's uncle). There's been a lot going on! Neal had been waking up during the night for a week or so when I went back to work. He's back to his long nights of sleep now though. I'm going to ask the doc next week about starting him on cereal. Is it time? I have no clue. My dad watches Neal 1-2 days a week. The other days we have a woman who is close to my school. I absolutely adore her! I didn't know her before but it isn't working out so well. She is the sweetest thing ever and her whole family loves Neal/rocks him/talks to him. I feel so blessed.

Pony--Aren't those cozy naps with baby on your chest the best? Don't worry, they won't go away completely when you go to work. Often when I get home from school Neal and I snuggle up and sleep for 45 minutes or so. It's the best thing ever after a busy day!

Heather--Glad your shots went well. They're harder on Mommy than on baby I'm sure. But to see those owies on those chunky little thighs. :(

Lorien--Kind of funny you mention it, Neal has been watching us eat (and drink, beer tonight :rolleyes:) lately. I'm going to ask his doc about cereal next week at his 4 mo apt.

Beth--I'm wondering how the nursing/formula combo is going?

Sorry, I'm probably forgetting people/issues!

[SooCookie]

Hi everyone!

Just wanted to post real quick... My poor little guy has RSV. And a pretty bad case of it. Nothing seems to be helping him. He is on breathing treatments, steroids, and he is still wheezing and coughing. So we are off to urgent care and if they deem it necessary, maybe the hospital. Please send him all the good thoughts you can. He really needs them right now.

Michelle

[Beth H]

Hi all. The nursing/formula combo has become much more heavily weighted towards formula. He is so unbelievably fussy on the boob now that he has had the bottle - and frankly, it's so frustrating that I've done breastfeeding less and less the last couple of days - which obviously is not good for my supply. He had gained 12 ounces once we started the formula supplementing though - so obviously he was not getting enough from just breastfeeding.

Some days Will naps awesome in his bassinet, but other days - he also just wakes up the minute I lay him down. There isn't any rhyme or reason to it. It does make it hard to predict how much I can get done in any one day. He still has his decent sleep routine at night, and falls asleep quickly in his crib, so I can't complain about the day too much.

[tholbrook]

My poor little guy has RSV((((Michelle))))) I hope your little boy gets better soon!!!

[Luv to Cook]

Too tired to post much...getting no sleep over here, but wanted to send good thoughts to Michelle....I hope he does not have to be admitted, but if he does, I pray that he will get better soon and you all will be back home.

Thinking of you.
Anita

[Pony]

(((Michelle))) Hope you all are doing better.

[Beth G.]

Beth H. - What kind of bottle are you using? I want to introduce Michael to one soon as we seem to have already missed the pacifier window (he much prefers to suck on DH's finger) but I don't want him getting too fussy at the boob either, he is already, for the opposite reason your son is (fast let down - glug, glug, choke). We are going to try the Playtex drop ins with the Natural Latch slow flow nipple. I hope it goes well. I haven't started pumping yet, but I will be soon, and I have some milk stashed already from when he was refusing one side.

[Beth H]

Beth G - I'm using that exact bottle/nipple (Playtex with the slow flow nipple). I never had a problem with him taking immediately to the bottle, which I know some women have. Plus, they're just easy in terms of clean-up/making the bottle, etc.

Michelle - hope you all are doing better.

Today has been a good day - I think I felt the most "normal" I've felt since the birth, etc.

[lbd]

Michelle - hope you're all doing better.

So after a week of horrible nights (waking 4 or more times), Saturday night felt like a miracle -- she tolerated a bottle in her mouth (didn't drink but let it sit there), only woke once and it wasn't until 5 am. The magic cure? wine with dinner!! :p;) I totally wasn't thinking about it at the time but that has to be what made the difference. Last night wasn't quite as good (had to experiment and have another glass) but still a big improvement over the last few weeks.

We moved her into the crib in her room. The first night (last Thursday maybe?) she cried off and on for about 20 minutes when I put her in but since then she has been fine with it. We don't spend a whole lot of time in there so it's probably not as familiar to her as my bedroom, but hopefully the change will also help on sleeping through the night more. I'll sleep better if I don't hear every little peep she makes and we're pretty sure she's too big for the bassinet so I think she'll be more comfortable as well.

Anyone else's hair falling out in chunks? I can't wait for this phase to be over, especially since I never noticed it getting any thicker during pregnancy so it just feels like I'm going bald.

[Couperine]

Ah poor Lorien, you've hit the dreaded hair loss portion of post-pregnancy. I've had it really bad after both pregnancies - my hair got thin enough on the sides for a while that I couldn't pull it back without thin spots showing on my scalp. My hair also has completely changed over the courses of my pregnancies - I used to have a mild wave, now with the proper cut I look like I have a loose perm. Of course, I also have hairs that looks like they've been electrocuted throughout the mix too, and the top layer is mostly straight. Did I mention I hate post-pregnancy hair issues? :eek: I can only imagine what my hair will do after this pregnancy, and I only imagine bad things.

[Pony]

Heather- Evelyn seems to fall asleep wonderfully on my chest. I leave her there for about an hour and I'm getting sleep at the same time. After about an hour, Carl takes her and puts her down in her bassinet, which is next to our bed. She stays down. Now, if I get up to put her in the bassinet, she will wake up for sure! That has been the only thing that works throughout the night for us. I hope you got some rest today!

Heather....I knew I shouldn't have typed this, ha. Hasn't been happening the past 2 nights. She was on me for 3 hours and then Carl tried to put her down after a feeding and she was GRUNTING and then woke up. So, she slept w/ us for the rest of the night. ;)

[helios7]

Heather....I knew I shouldn't have typed this, ha. Hasn't been happening the past 2 nights. She was on me for 3 hours and then Carl tried to put her down after a feeding and she was GRUNTING and then woke up. So, she slept w/ us for the rest of the night. ;)

Ha! :) We are continuing to try out the crib. Last night I put him in while I brushed my teeth. He went in asleep, but woke however wasn't fussing. And it was funny - I got all sad at the prospect of him sleeping in his own room! Fortunately the cat had been in the crib without the protective blanket so I didn't want him sleeping on cat hair. So DH agreed it was better to bring him into bed. But somewhere along the way I really grew to like having him in bed!

Not as a longterm destination though. :rolleyes:

[Pony]

Ha! :) We are continuing to try out the crib. Last night I put him in while I brushed my teeth. He went in asleep, but woke however wasn't fussing. And it was funny - I got all sad at the prospect of him sleeping in his own room! Fortunately the cat had been in the crib without the protective blanket so I didn't want him sleeping on cat hair. So DH agreed it was better to bring him into bed. But somewhere along the way I really grew to like having him in bed!

Not as a longterm destination though. :rolleyes:

I'm right there w/ you...I'm definitely not ready for her to be in her crib, but sure wouldn't mind the bassinet for part of the night. ;)

[Beth H]

Today's been a rough day - he's essentially been awake for most of the day, fussy and seemingly wanting to eat constantly. For those who have done formula, do you try to get into a feeding schedule at this age (one month), or do you feed on demand? It seems like I finish a bottle, and 15 minutes later he's crying for another one. At night, he's been on a decent "schedule" since the beginning, but I feel like the days are getting harder. I guess maybe this is a tough period - I'm ready for him to be smiling and responding to me more, but I know for most babies that's still a couple of weeks away.

[2HUNGRY!]

Beth -- I would just feed as much as he wants. Its hard at that age. They go through a lot of growth spurts and its hard to keep up. Its like a constant cycle of change, feed, try to nap which usually doesn't work. Hang in there; it will be over soon!

Heather and Pony -- We went through the same things with the partial nights/days in the crib, the grunting at night, etc. Keep trying!